DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This office action is a response to an application filed on 04/22/2026, in which claims 1-20 are pending and ready for examination.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-2, 4, 6-9, 11-12, and 14-20 are currently amended. Claim 3 and 13 are canceled.
Response to Argument
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims rejected under 35 USC 102 and 103 in Remarks filed on 04/22/2026 have been considered but are moot upon further consideration and a new ground of rejection made under 35 USC 103 based on Gao (US Pub. 20200374524 A1) in view of Zhi (CN 114913471 A, English translation document cited).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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.
Claims 1-2, 5, 7-8, 11-12, 15, 17-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao (US Pub. 20200374524 A1) in view of Zhi (CN 114913471 A, English translation document cited).
Regarding claim 1, Gao discloses a video encoding method, performed by a computer device, comprising (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A video coding system/method is used for video coding.):
obtaining a media application scenario and a video content feature of original video data to be encoded (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. Image feature information and the corresponding scenario/application scenario are determined for original video data to be coded.);
determining a target sampling parameter based on the media application scenario and the video content feature (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A target sampling complexity/parameter is determined in accordance with image feature information and corresponding scenario.);
sampling the original video data based on the target sampling parameter, to obtain sampled video data (Gao; Para. [0092-94]. Original video data is sampled in accordance with a target sampling parameter to determine sampled video data.);
encoding the sampled video data, to obtain encoded video data corresponding to the original video data (Gao; Para. [0092-94]. Sampled video data is to be encoded to be coded video data for original video data.); and
transmitting at least one of the encoded video data or the target sampling parameter (Gao; Para. [0092-94]. Encoded video and/or target sampling parameters are transmitted.).
But, Gao does not specifically disclose determining a target sampling parameter by at least: determining a repetition rate of video content in the original video data based on a video content change rate of the video content feature; determining whether a target sampling mode includes a spatial sampling mode based on the repetition rate, the target sampling mode is to be included in the target sampling parameter.
However, Zhi teaches, in a first embodiment, determining a repetition rate of video content in the original video data based on a video content change rate of the video content feature (Zhi; Pg. 4, last Para. to Pg. 5, 3rd Para. A target frame rate/repetition rate is determined in accordance with target motion speed/video content change rate of video content feature.); and
Zhi further teaches, in a second embodiment, determining whether a target sampling mode includes a spatial sampling mode based on the repetition rate, the target sampling mode is to be included in the target sampling parameter (Zhi; Pg.9, 6th to 9th Para. A target sampling mode of target resolution adjustment is determined in accordance with a target frame rate/repetition rate, wherein the target sampling mode of resolution adjustment is included in a first parameter associated with a comparison table indicating the relation between a moving object and the resolution.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the pertinent before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the video coding system of Gao to adapt an adaptive sampling approach, by incorporating Zhi’s teaching wherein content change rate is used to determine a sampling mode and rate, for the motivation to perform frame rate adjustment while avoiding the waste of computing resources (Zhi; Abstract.).
Regarding claim 2, Gao discloses the determining the target sampling parameter comprises: determining the target sampling mode based on the video content feature (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A target sampling method/mode is determined in accordance with image feature information.);
determining a video perceptual feature of a target object of the media application scenario (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A video perceptual feature, e.g. detail complexity, texture, edge, is determined for an object of a scenario/application scenario.);
determining a target sampling rate of the target sampling mode based on the video perceptual feature and the video content feature (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A target sampling rate of a sampling mode is determined in accordance with image feature information of perceptual feature, e.g. complexity, texture, and content feature, and content feature.); and
determining the target sampling rate as the target sampling parameter, and wherein the target object perceives the original video data (Gao; Para. [0090-91]. A target sampling rate and a target sampling mode are determined as target sampling parameter, wherein original video data provides perception of target objects.).
Regarding claim 5, Gao discloses the determining the target sampling mode comprises: determining complexity of video content in the original video data based on a video content information amount of the video content feature (Gao; Para. [0090-92]. Detail complexity of video content in original video data is determined in accordance with image feature information.); and
determining the target sampling mode based on the complexity of the video content (Gao; Para. [0090-92]. A target sampling mode is determined in accordance with complexity of video content.).
Regarding claim 7, modified Gao teaches the determining the target sampling rate comprises: based on the target sampling mode inclduing a temporal sampling mode, determining, based on the video perceptual feature, a first quantity of video frames corresponding to the original video data and that are perceived by the target object in unit time (Zhi; Pg. 4, last Para. to Pg. 5, 3rd Para. For target sampling mode being temporal mode, a first quantity of video frames for original video data is determined as perception/movement of an object in unit time.); and
determining as the target sampling rate a first target sampling rate of the temporal sampling mode based on a ratio of the first quantity to a second quantity of played video frames (Zhi; Pg. 4, last Para. to Pg. 5, 3rd Para. A first target sampling rate of a temporal mode is determined as a target sampling rate in accordance with a ratio of a first quantity to a second quantity of displayed video frames.), and
wherein the second quantity is a quantity of video frames played in the unit time in the original video data and that are indicated by the video content feature (Zhi; Pg. 4, last Para. to Pg. 5, 3rd Para. A second quantity is a quantity of video frame displayed in a unit time indicated by a video content feature.).
Regarding claim 8, Gao discloses the determining the target sampling rate comprises: based on the target sampling mode being the spatial sampling mode, determining, based on the video perceptual feature, a first resolution of the target object (Gao; Para. [0097]. For a target sampling mode being a spatial mode, a first resolution is determined in accordance with perceived feature in a current frame.); and
determining as the target sampling rate a first target sampling rate of the spatial sampling mode based on a ratio of the first resolution to a second resolution for a video frame, and wherein the second resolution is a video resolution of a first video frame of the original video data and that is indicated by the video content feature (Gao; Para. [0097]. A first target sampling rate of a spatial ode is determined as a target sampling rate in accordance with a ration of a first resolution to a second resolution of a first video frame of content feature if original video data.).
Claims 11-12, 15, and 17-18 are directed to a video encoding apparatus, comprising: at least one memory configured to store computer program code; and at least one processor configured to read the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor (Gao; Fig. 17. A video coding system includes memories, processors, and programs that cause processors to perform coding steps.) to perform a sequence of processing steps corresponding to the same as claimed in claims 1-2, 5, 7-8, and are rejected for the same reason of anticipation as outlined above.
Claim 20 is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing computer code which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor (Gao; Fig. 17. A video coding system includes memories, processors, and programs that cause processors to perform coding steps.) to at least perform a sequence of processing steps corresponding to the same as claimed in claim 1, and is rejected for the same reason of anticipation as outlined above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 9-10, 14, 16, and 19 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.
Krishnan (US Pub. 20180007362 A1) teaches spatial sampling of downsampling/upsampling using enhanced information, relevant to the spatial resampling recited in the current application.
Liu (US Pub. 20250324072 A1) teaches temporal resampling and restoration for video coding, relevant to the frame rate resampling recited in the current application.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALBERT KIR whose telephone number is (571)272-6245. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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/ALBERT KIR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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