DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, 8-10, and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kawana (US 2015/0358532 A1).
Claim 1, Kawana teaches an image processing apparatus (Fig. 2), comprising:
a selecting unit (Fig. 2) configured to select a localized area from a first image displayed in live view on a display unit (a selecting unit is inherent in the apparatus of Kawana to designate a portion 11 of the live preview image 10 to be enlarged; paragraph 0182 and Fig. 11);
a processing unit (Fig. 2) configured to generate a second image indicating the localized area from the first image (portion 11 of live preview image 10; paragraph 0182 and Fig. 11) and perform image quality enhancement processing on the second image (processed images 20 are generated using image processing conditions; paragraph 0118, 0086); and
a control unit (Fig. 2) configured to display a third image obtained via the image quality enhancement processing by the processing unit on the display unit (processed images 20 are displayed on the display apparatus 101; Fig. 11).
Claim 2, Kawana further teaches wherein the control unit displays the third image together with the first image on the display unit (see Fig. 11).
Claim 6, Kawana further teaches a receiving unit configured to receive a user operation (input unit 120 detects a user operation; paragraph 0063), wherein the selecting unit selects a localized area displayed in equal magnification via the user operation on the first image displayed in live view on the display unit (user can select one of the processed images 20 displayed in equal magnification on the display unit; see Fig. 7).
Claim 8, Kawana further teaches wherein the selecting unit selects the localized area on a basis of an object candidate area detected from the first image displayed in live view (subject captured in the live preview image; paragraph 0178) on the display unit (the processed images 20 are generated from the portion 11 of the live preview image 10 which contains a subject; paragraph 0182).
Claim 9, Kawana further teaches a presenting unit (display control unit 157 presents a notification; paragraph 0128) configured to present information (notification on the display is performed; paragraph 0128) indicating whether or not the image quality enhancement processing can be performed in real time on the second image indicating the localized area (a notification object indicates whether a processed image is updated or not; paragraph 0131).
Claim 10, Kawana further teaches an adjusting unit (see processors of Fig. 2, and image processing unit 153 to generate processed images; paragraph 0085) configured to adjust a number of pixels of the second image so that the image quality enhancement processing (see Fig. 11, the number of pixels of each processed image 20 is fewer than that of the live preview image) can be performed in real time on the second image indicating the localized area (processed images are continually generated, see Fig. 9)
Claim 14, Kawana further teaches wherein the control unit displays the third image at equal magnification superimposed on or combined with a predetermined area of the first image displayed in live view on the display unit (processed images 20 are displayed at the same magnification, combined with the display of the live preview image 10; Fig. 11)).
Claim 15, Kawana further teaches wherein the control unit displays the second image together with the third image on the display unit (see dashed portion 11 and processed images 20; Fig. 11).
Claim 16, Kawana further teaches a selection receiving unit configured to receive selection of a predetermined mode from among a plurality of modes (user selects, via a touch panel, a parameter change; paragraph 0138); and
a determining unit configured to determine to perform the image quality enhancement processing via the processing unit in a case where the predetermined mode is selected (parameter for generating processed image is changed based on the user’s selection; paragraph 0141).
Claim 17, Kawana teaches an image capturing apparatus (Fig. 2), comprising:
an image processing apparatus comprising a selecting unit (Fig. 2) configured to select a localized area from a first image displayed in live view on a display unit (a selecting unit is inherent in the apparatus of Kawana to designate a portion 11 of the live preview image 10 to be enlarged; paragraph 0182 and Fig. 11),
a processing unit (Fig. 2) configured to generate a second image indicating the localized area from the first image (portion 11 of live preview image 10; paragraph 0182 and Fig. 11) and perform image quality enhancement processing on the second image (processed images 20 are generated using image processing conditions; paragraph 0118, 0086), and
a control unit (Fig. 2) configured to display a third image obtained via the image quality enhancement processing by the processing unit on the display unit (processed images 20 are displayed on the display apparatus 101; Fig. 11), and
the display unit (display apparatus 101; Fig. 11).
Claim 18, Kawana further teaches wherein the display unit is a rear monitor of the image capturing apparatus or an electronic view finder (EVF) for confirming a subject to be captured (see Fig. 1)
Claim 19 is analyzed and rejected as a control method for performing the functions of the apparatus of claim 1.
Claim 20 is analyzed and rejected as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a control method for performing the functions of the apparatus of claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 7, 11, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawana in view of Yang (US 2023/0043310 A1).
Claim 7, Kawana teaches the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, but is silent regarding a receiving unit configured to receive a user operation, wherein the selecting unit selects the localized area on a basis of a focus position designated via the user operation on the first image displayed in live view on the display unit.
Yang teaches a receiving unit configured to receive a user operation (display that is touch sensitive; paragraph 0040), wherein the selecting unit selects the localized area on a basis of a focus position designated via the user operation on the first image displayed in live view on the display unit (“user may adjust the focus of the camera by touching a part of the display showing a part of an object of the scene that the user wants the camera to focus on;” paragraph 0040).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have used the teaching of Yang with that of Kawana in order to allow a user to intuitively select an object to be focused on a display screen and to improve the quality of image processing of an input image (see paragraph 0082 of Yang).
Claim 11, Kawana teaches the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, but is silent regarding wherein the image quality enhancement processing is noise reduction processing.
Yang teaches wherein an image quality enhancement processing is noise reduction processing (input image captured by a digital camera is processed to obtain a denoised image (paragraph 0034).
Claim 13, Kawana teaches the image processing apparatus according to claim 1, but is silent regarding wherein the processing unit performs the image quality enhancement processing using a neural network trained to reduce noise.
Yang teaches wherein a processing unit performs the image quality enhancement processing using a neural network trained to reduce noise (neural network is trained to perform denoising of an input image; paragraph 0058).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 attached.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHIAWEI A CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1707. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 12:00pm - 9:00pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sinh Tran can be reached at (571)272-7564. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHIAWEI CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2637
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