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 Interpretation
Claim 12 relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a bitstream generated by a particular encoding method. Since the claims relate to a bitstream which is stored on a computer-readable medium after all coding functions have been performed, the bitstream no longer has any functional relationship with a processor or other machine, but instead relates to e.g. a video stored on a hard drive. The purpose of the stored bitstream is only to convey meaning to a human viewer of the encoded bitstream and is thus non-functional descriptive material. Non-functional descriptive material used only to convey messages or meaning is given little patentable weight (See MPEP 2111.05). For the purposes of examination, the examiner will interpret the claim as relating only to a computer-readable medium storing data.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 10-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ahn (US 20210243457 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ahn discloses an image decoding method (figs. 2 and 4) comprising:
constructing a reference sample for linear model prediction of a current block based on reconstructed neighboring samples of the current block (S400 of fig. 4, [0118] and [0119] construct reference sample for cross component prediction);
deriving a linear model of the current block based on the reference sample (S410 of fig. 4, [0120] to [0133] to derive the parameters by calculating the slope and the offset of the linear model based on the linear model; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8);
and generating a prediction sample of the current block based on the linear model (S420 of fig. 4, [0139]-[0141]; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8).
Regarding claim 2, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 1, wherein the linear model of the current block is derived using coordinate information of the reference sample and a value of the reference sample ([0146] to [0149]).
Regarding claim 3, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 2, wherein the reference sample includes at least one of reference samples included in a left sample line adjacent to the current block, reference samples included in an upper sample line adjacent to the current block, or upper-left reference samples adjacent to the current block (521, 531, 522 and 532 of fig. 5, [0149] top-left neighboring region).
Regarding claim 4, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 2, wherein the deriving of the linear model of the current block includes deriving a horizontal component parameter and a vertical component parameter of the linear model using the coordinate information of the reference sample and the value of the reference sample (fig. 6, [0130] to [0132]; [0178] to [0179]).
Regarding claim 5, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 4, wherein the deriving of the linear model of the current block includes setting the horizontal component parameter or the vertical component parameter to 0 (S830 of fig. 8, [0087], [0199], and [0200]).
Regarding claim 6, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 4, wherein the deriving of the linear model of the current block includes applying a predetermined weight to the horizontal component parameter or the vertical component parameter ([0133] to [0134] pre-defined p samples values, [0199]-[0200] vertical and/or horizontal direction).
Regarding claim 10, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 1, comprising determining a linear model to be applied to the current block from among a plurality of linear models based on template matching ([0083]).
Regarding claim 11, Ahn discloses an image encoding method (figs. 1 and 4) comprising:
constructing a reference sample for linear model prediction of a current block based on reconstructed neighboring samples of the current block (S400 of fig. 4, [0118] and [0119] construct reference sample for cross component prediction);
deriving a linear model of the current block based on the reference sample (S410 of fig. 4, [0120] to [0133] to derive the parameters by calculating the slope and the offset of the linear model based on the linear model; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8);
and generating a prediction sample of the current block based on the linear model (S420 of fig. 4, [0139]-[0141]; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8).
Regarding claim 12, Ahn further discloses a computer-readable storage medium configured to store a bitstream generated by the image encoding method according to claim 11 ([0025]).
Regarding claim 13, Ahn further discloses a method of transmitting data of image information (figs. 1 and 4) comprising:
constructing a reference sample for linear model prediction of a current block based on reconstructed neighboring samples of the current block (S400 of fig. 4, [0118] and [0119] construct reference sample for cross component prediction);
deriving a linear model of the current block based on the reference sample (S410 of fig. 4, [0120] to [0133] to derive the parameters by calculating the slope and the offset of the linear model based on the linear model; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8);
and generating a prediction sample of the current block based on the linear model (S420 of fig. 4, [0139]-[0141]; examples: figures 6, 7, and 8);
generating a bitstream by encoding the current block based on the prediction sample (165 of fig. 1, a bitstream); and
transmitting data including the bitstream (fig. 1, encoder transmits the encoded bitstream to a decoder, fig. 2, [0079]).
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 (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 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) 7-9 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahn (US 20210243457 A1) in view of Xie (US 20250119557 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Ahn discloses the image decoding method according to claim 1. However, Ahn does not disclose comprising obtaining a first flag indicating whether the linear model prediction is applied to the current block.
Xie discloses comprising obtaining a first flag indicating whether the linear model prediction is applied to the current block ([0088], [0114], and [0116] the extended LIC flag).
Taking the teachings of Ahn and Xie together as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the first flag of Xie into the linear model prediction of Ahn for improving accuracy of model parameter calculation and improving encoding performance.
Regarding claim 8, Ahn and Xie disclose the image decoding method according to claim 7, Xie further discloses comprising obtaining a second flag indicating whether directional linear model prediction is applied to the current block when the first flag indicates that the linear model prediction is applied to the current block ([0116] the LIC mode applied to the current block is determined according to availability of the neighbouring reconstructed samples of the current block as follows. If both the top neighbouring reconstructed samples and the left neighbouring reconstructed samples of the current block are available, the extended LIC flag of the current block is parsed. If the extended LIC flag is false, determine that the LIC_TL mode is applied to the current block. If the extended LIC flag is true, the LIC mode index of the current block is parsed, and determine, according to the LIC mode index, whether the LIC_T mode or the LIC_L mode is applied to the current block).
Regarding claim 9, Ahn and Xie disclose the image decoding method according to claim 8, Xie further discloses comprising obtaining a third flag indicating whether horizontal linear model prediction or vertical linear model prediction is applied to the current block when the second flag indicates that the directional linear model prediction is applied to the current block ([0116] the LIC mode applied to the current block is determined according to availability of the neighbouring reconstructed samples of the current block as follows. If both the top neighbouring reconstructed samples and the left neighbouring reconstructed samples of the current block are available, the extended LIC flag of the current block is parsed. If the extended LIC flag is false, determine that the LIC_TL mode is applied to the current block. If the extended LIC flag is true, the LIC mode index of the current block is parsed, and determine, according to the LIC mode index, whether the LIC_T mode or the LIC_L mode is applied to the current block).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ma et al. (US 20210297656 A1) discloses the disclosure relates to a method for performing intra prediction using a linear model, the method comprising: determining a luma block corresponding to a current chroma block; obtaining luma reference samples of the luma block based on determining L available chroma reference samples of the current chroma block.
Kim et al. (US 20250150605 A1) discloses [0159] Hereinafter, a method for determining the number (one or two) of linear models used for prediction of a chroma component block is described in detail. [0160] i) When a reference line index for configuring samples of a current luma component block is equal to or greater than 1, a decoder may predict a chroma component block by using one linear model. This is because there is high possibility that the current block is a linearly changing block. ii) When the reference line index used for configuring samples of the current luma component block is 0 (when samples are configured on a line adjacent to the current block), the decoder may predict the chroma component block by using one or two linear models.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUNG T VO whose telephone number is (571)272-7340. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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TUNG T. VO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2425
/TUNG T VO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425
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