DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 01/10/2025. Claims 1-3 have been examined.
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 .
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant's claim for provisional application No. 62/860,233 filed on 06/11/2019.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 1-3 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-4 of U.S. patent Application No. 18/380,071. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the claims cover substantially the same subject matter. The table below shows only a sample of how each of these claims is anticipated by claims such as claim 1 of U.S. patent application No. 18/380,071.
Instant Application
U.S. patent application No. 18/380,071
Claim 1: An apparatus for decoding image information, the apparatus comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtain the image information; derive a quantization parameter for joint chroma coding based on the image information; derive residual samples based on the quantization parameter for the joint chroma coding; and generate a reconstructed picture based on the residual samples, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: obtain a flag representing whether quantization parameter data for joint chroma coding is present, based on a chroma array type; and obtain the quantization parameter data for the joint chroma coding based on the flag, wherein the quantization parameter data includes a syntax element for a starting quantization parameter of a chroma quantization parameter mapping table and a syntax element for a number of quantization parameters in the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, wherein the chroma quantization parameter mapping table is derived based on the quantization parameter data, wherein the quantization parameter for the joint chroma coding is derived based on the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, and wherein the flag representing whether the quantization parameter data for the joint chroma coding is present is included in an SPS (Sequence Parameter Set) of the image information.
Claim 1: An image decoding method, performed by a decoding apparatus, comprising: obtaining image information; deriving a quantization parameter for joint chroma coding based on the image information; deriving residual samples based on the quantization parameter for the joint chroma coding; and generating a reconstructed picture based on the residual samples, wherein the obtaining the image information comprises: obtaining a flag representing whether quantization parameter data for joint chroma coding is present, based on a chroma array type; and obtaining the quantization parameter data for the joint chroma coding based on the flag, wherein the quantization parameter data includes a syntax element for a starting quantization parameter of a chroma quantization parameter mapping table and a syntax element for a number of quantization parameters in the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, wherein the chroma quantization parameter mapping table is derived based on the quantization parameter data, wherein the quantization parameter for the joint chroma coding is derived based on the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, and wherein the flag representing whether the quantization parameter data for the joint chroma coding is present is included in an SPS (Sequence Parameter Set) of the image information.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101 nonstatutory double patenting rejection, set forth in this Office action.
Allowable subject matter “wherein the quantization parameter data includes a syntax element for a starting quantization parameter of a chroma quantization parameter mapping table and a syntax element for a number of quantization parameters in the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, wherein the chroma quantization parameter mapping table is derived based on the quantization parameter data, wherein the quantization parameter for the joint chroma coding is derived based on the chroma quantization parameter mapping table, and wherein the flag representing whether the quantization parameter data for the joint chroma coding is present is included in an SPS (Sequence Parameter Set) of the image information”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY T JEAN BAPTISTE whose telephone number is (571)272-6189. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5PM EST.
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/JERRY T JEAN BAPTISTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481