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 .
Detailed Action
This office Action is in response to an application filed on 01/23/2025 is a CON of 18/349,988 07/11/2023 (PAT 12238289), which is a CON of 17/686,585 03/04/2022 (PAT 11736695), which is a CON of 17/319,098 05/13/2021 (PAT 11317091), which is a CON of PCT/CN2020/110914 08/24/2020, in which claims 1-20 are pending and are being examined.
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C § 119(a)-(d). Claimed foreign priority to PCTEP2019072643 08/23/2019, PCTRU2019000639 09/16/2019, and PCTEP2019077057 10/07/2019. The certified copy of priority has been filed on 05/24/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
This information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/13/2025 and 03/14/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 conflicting claims 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); 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 nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined 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).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1, 11, 20 and similar dependent claims are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of Conflicting Patent PAT US 12,238,289 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the subject matter claimed in the instant application is anticipated by the Conflicting Patent and is covered by the Patent since the Patent and the application are claiming common subject matter, below is a list of limitations that perform the same function, however, different terminology may be used in both sets to describe the limitations, as follows, Claim 1 is used as an example to analyze the common subject matter:
Conflicting Patent No. US 12,238,289 B2
Instant Application:-19/034,636
1. A deblocking method for deblocking a chroma block edge between a first chroma block of a first image block and a second chroma block of a second image block in image encoding or image decoding, comprising: performing a decision process for the chroma block edge; and performing a filtering process for the chroma block edge at least based on a value of a variable (t.sub.C) used for the decision process; wherein the decision process comprises: determining a first chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.Cp) for the first chroma block, wherein the first chroma quantization parameter (QpCp) is determined based on a first luma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.YP) of a first luma block of the first image block and a chroma quantization parameter (QP) mapping table for the first chroma block; determining a second chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.Cq) for the second chroma block, wherein the second chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.Cq) is determined based on a second luma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.YQ) of a second luma block of the second image block and a chroma QP mapping table for the second chroma block; and determining a third chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.C) based on the first chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.Cp) for the first chroma block and the second chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.Cq) for the second chroma block, wherein a value of a threshold variable (t.sub.C′) is determined based on the third chroma quantization parameter (Qp.sub.C) using a mapping table, and the value of the variable (t.sub.C) is derived based on the value of the threshold variable (t.sub.C′); and wherein at least one of the first chroma block and the second chroma block is a Joint Cb-Cr residual (JCCR) coded block.
2. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the first chroma block is a Joint Cb-Cr residual (JCCR) coded block of the first image block, and the second chroma block is a Joint Cb-Cr residual (JCCR) coded block of the second image block.
3. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the first chroma block is a Joint Cb-Cr residual (JCCR) coded block of the first image block, and the second chroma block is a first chroma (Cb) component or a second chroma (Cr) component of the second image block.
4. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the first chroma block is a first chroma component or a second chroma component of the first image block, and the second chroma block is a Joint Cb-Cr residual (JCCR) coded block of the second image block.
5. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the chroma quantization parameter (QP) mapping table for the first chroma block comprises at least one of: a first chroma QP mapping table for a joint Cb-Cr coded block, a second chroma QP mapping table for a first chroma component, or a third chroma QP mapping table for a second chroma component.
6. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the chroma quantization parameter (QP) mapping table for the second chroma block comprises at least one of: a first chroma QP mapping table for a joint Cb-Cr coded block, a second chroma QP mapping table for a first chroma component, or a third chroma QP mapping table for a second chroma component.
7. The deblocking method of claim 5, wherein the first chroma QP mapping table, the second chroma QP mapping table and the third chroma QP mapping table are indicated or indexed by a first index value, a second index value and a third index value, respectively.
10. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the joint Cb-Cr coded block is coded using a JCCR mode and the JCCR mode is a second mode of a set of available JCCR modes.
11. The deblocking method of claim 1, wherein the first image block and the second image block are transform blocks or the first image block and the second image block are coding blocks.
1. (Currently Amended) A deblocking method for deblocking a chroma block edge between a first chroma block of a first image block and a second chroma block of a second image block in an image encoding or wherein the decision process involves using yP) of a first luma block of the first image block and a chroma quantization parameter (QP) mapping table for the first chroma block, wherein the chroma QP mapping table for the first chroma block is a first chroma QP mapping table for a Joint Cb-Cr residual;(JCCR)I coded block when the first chroma block is the JCCR coded block of the first image block, or the chroma QP mapping table for the first chroma block is a second chroma QP mapping table for a first chroma component (Cb) when the first chroma block is the first chroma component (Cb) of the first image block, or the chroma QP mapping table for the first chroma block is a third chroma QP mapping table for a second chroma component (Cr) when the first chroma block is the second chroma component (Cr) of the first image block; determining a second chroma quantization parameter (Qpcq) for the second chroma block, YQ) of a second luma block of the second image block and a chroma QP mapping table for the second chroma block, wherein the chroma QP mapping table for the second chroma block is a first chroma QP mapping table for a chroma QP mapping table for a first chroma component_(Cb) when the second chroma block is the first chroma component (Cb) of the second image block, or the chroma QP mapping table for the second chroma block is a third chroma QP mapping table for a second chroma component (Cr) when the second chroma block is the second chroma component (Cr) of the second image block; determining the third chroma quantization parameter (Qpc) by averaging the first chroma quantization parameter (Qpcp) for the first chroma block and the second chroma quantization parameter (Qpcq) for the second chroma block; wherein the third chroma quantization parameter Qpc is used for the decision process for the chroma block edge; and wherein at least one of the first chroma block and the second chroma block is a
As demonstrated, the claim of US patent US 12,238,289 B2 anticipate the features of the claim of instant application 19/034,636. Similar rejections could be presented for US patent US 11,317,091 B2 and US 11,736,695 B2.
A nonstatutory type (35 U.S.C. 101) double patenting rejection can be overcome by amending the conflicting claims so they are no longer coextensive in scope or filing of a terminal disclaimer.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD J RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7190. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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/Mohammad J Rahman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2487