DETAILED ACTION
1. This communication is being filed in response to the submission having a mailing date of 07/20/2026 in which a (3) month Shortened Statutory Period for Response has been set.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Acknowledgements
3. Upon new entry, claims (1, 3 -4, 6, 9, 11 -12, 14, 17) remain pending for examination, of which (1, 9. 17) remain the three (3) parallel running independent claims on record. Claims (2, 5, 7 -8, 10, 13, 15 -16) were cancelled.
Examiner thanks’ Applicant representative (Atty. C. Reilly; Reg. No, 74,063) for the new list of amendments provided, for the detailed remarks/clarifications, and for the cooperation expediting the case.
The previously presented rejection(s) under 35 USC 102 is withdrawn in view of the amendments provided to claim (17).
The previously presented rejection(s) under 35 USC 103 is maintained as each feature in the prev. OA mapped and addressed accordingly.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) that was/were submitted on 05/14/2026, is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, being considered by the Examiner.
Response to arguments
Applicants’ arguments have been carefully reviewed, but they’re not persuasive for at least the following reasons:
5.1. Examiner undersigned considers that the recorded combined prior art (Divora/Ahn Yong), very well discloses all the features as claimed, which for the most part, were part of the common knowledge in the Art, supported in the latest codec and legacy standards, way before the invention was made/filed.
5.2. The Examiner considers that no allowable subject matter has been yet identified in the claims. The invention is basically directed to – a particular partitioning step of the coding technique, employing index information associated with for geometry partitioning and delimiting line parameters, signaled in the bitstream.
5.3. In this regard, as argued by Applicant – as failing to disclose a signaled first/second indexation, associated with start/end points; [Remarks, page 2]; Examiner respectfully disagrees because under the broadest reasonably interpretation doctrine, consisting with the common knowledge and the status of the Art, at least Divora discloses - a codec ecosystem of the same, in accordance with the standard, where the bitstream includes a side information in form of two (2) indexes, each index comprises angle and distance values, by definition, associated with the initial and end points of the partition-line, as shown in at least Figs. (2-3); [pages 2-3]. Further, one skilled in the Art would assume to use the intrinsic geometrical information of the already known partition data, (if required), by using triangulation calculations (i.e. enhanced trigonometry) in the process.
In the same field of endeavor, Yong specifically teaches an encoder/decoder of the same (Figs 1-2 respectively), wherein decoder (210) receives a target bitstream; [Yong; 0087 -0105]); employing block partitioning, via an exponential partitioning mode into a first region and a second region; (e.g. see Fig. 6 [Yong; 0135]); determine prediction of the pixel values (e.g. see prediction (230. 235); [Yong]) associated with first region or the second region, (e.g. where the correspondent prediction techniques applied for P0/P1 regions; as shown in Figs (3 -7), [Yong; 0099; 0136]); includes constructing a candidate list; (see step (s810) where first and second partition information for the line segmentation delimited by the initial and end points, (Fig. 3), similarly signaled, as shown in Fig. (8); [Yong; 0006, 0014; 0011; 0181]); and finally able to reconstruct the target block (245), Fig. 2, as described in at least [Yong; 0105]);
5.4. Finally, the Office considers Applicant's arguments not persuasive, as applied rejection on record as a whole reads on the claimed construction, establishing the "Prima Facie" case of equivalent disclosures, on the basis of a person of ordinary skills in the art would have recognized the similar elements shown, or the same structural similarities shown, wherein such structure/methodology performs the same identical functions in substantially the same way, able to produce the same identical results.
_ See [MPEP – 2183]. Making a Prima Facie Case of Equivalence).
_ See In re Bond, 910 F.2d 831, 833, 15 USPQ2d 1566]; …when similar structure applies;
_ See Kemco Sales, Inc. vs. Control Papers., 208 F.3d 1352, 54 USPQ2d 1308] …when identical functionality is specified in the claim, in substantially the same way.
35 USC § 103
6. 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ
459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
6.1. Claims (1, 3 -4, 6, 9, 11 -12, 14 and 17) are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Divorra; et al. (“Geometry-adaptive block partitioning; Divorra; 2007”); hereafter “Divorra”) in view of Ahn Yong; et al (US 2021/0274162, with a foreign benefit (27/06/2018); hereafter “Yong”).
NOTE: The mapped rejection below includes some gramma corrections & specific copy/pasted sections added for clarification, however, no new material included in the rejection.
Claim 1. (Original) Divorra discloses the invention substantially as claimed - A decoder configured to: (e.g. the paper describes the principles of Linear (rectangular) and non-linear (geometric) partition techniques, in accordance with the extended H.264 AVC codec, as illustrated in Figs. (1-3)).
Divorra specifically teaches - receive a bit stream including a coded picture, (e.g. coded bitstream in accordance with AVC codec; [page 1]) the coded picture including a block of coded pixels and signaling information including (e.g. additional side information, in form of “two indexes”; [page 2]);
a first partition index useful for determining the start point of a non-straight non-rectangular partition and a second partition index useful for determining the end point of the non-straight non-rectangular partition; (e.g. wherein, each of the 2 indexes, may be represented by the start and end points parameters (i.e. including angle and distance) of the partition-line(s), as illustrated in at least Figs. (2-3); [page 2].
determine, using the first partition index, a start point of a non-straight non-rectangular partition in the block, (e.g. partitioning of the same, Figs. (2-3); [page 2-3]);
the start point being located on a first side of the block a first offset distance from a first corner of the block; (e.g. see Figs. (2-3); [pages 2-3].
determine, using the second partition index, an endpoint of the non-straight non- rectangular partition in the block, the end point being located on a second side of the block, a second offset distance from a second corner of the block; (e.g. see “end” partition points, between divided regions P0/P1, Figs. (2-3); [page 2 -3]);
generate first predictive pixel values in a first region on a first side of the non- straight, non-rectangular partition; (e.g. see analogous predicted values for P0 and P1 partition regions, in Figs. (2-3); [page 2 -3]);
generate second predictive pixel values in a second region on a second side of the non- straight, non-rectangular partition; (e.g. see predicted pixel lines, for the linear (quadtree) and non-linear (geometric) between the P0/P1 regions; Fig. 2);
and decode the block using the predictive pixel values; (e.g. see similar decoder, employing look-up tables to improve computation requirements, wherein information can be stored and indexed with respect to all possible angle and location; [page 4]).
Given the teachings of Divorra as a whole, and under the obvious assumption and purpose of his papers, it is noted that, some of the standard “functional components” as claimed, are not fully disclosed in the papers (i.e. no encoder/decoder schematic shown).
For the purpose of additional structural support, and in the same field of endeavor, Yong discloses an encoder (Fig. 1) and decoder (Fig. 2), in accordance with AVC/HEVC codec standards (wherein CTU/CTB sizes of “8x8 to 64x64” is supported), similarly using linear and geometric partitioning techniques, as shown in Figs (5 -7); [Yong; 0005; 0135]).
Yong specifically teaches a decoder - receive a bitstream; (e.g. see incoming data in (210) Fig. 2; [Yong; 0087 -0105]); partition a current block (e.g. see 210 Fig. 2 [Yong], via an exponential partitioning mode into a first region and a second region; (e.g. see Fig. 6 [Yong; 0135]); determine prediction pixel values (e.g. see prediction (230. 235); [Yong]) associated with first region or the second region, (e.g. where the correspondent prediction techniques applied for P0/P1 regions; [Yong; 0099; 0136]); wherein determining includes constructing a candidate list; and (e.g. see step (s810), Fig. 8; [Yong; 0006, 0011; 0181]); and similarly decode the current block using the predicted values; (e.g. see image data reconstruction (245), Fig. 2; [Yong; 0105]);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the cited “geometric partitioning” technique of Divorra, with the “polygonal/curve” partitioning architecture of Yong, in order to (e.g. improve codec efficiency, when applying block geometric partitioning of various types; [Summary; 0024]).
Claim 3. Divorra/Yong discloses -The decoder of claim 1, wherein: the decoder smooths the first predictive pixel values and second predictive pixel values across the non-straight, non-rectangular partition; (e.g. see Fig. 6; [Yong; 0135]); and decodes the coded block by adding residual pixel values to the smoothed first and second predictive pixel values; (e.g. also implemented at the decoder (200), Fig. 2; [Yong; 0134 -0138]; the same motivation applies herein.)
Claim 4. Divorra/Yong discloses - The decoder of claim 1, wherein the block is a coding tree unit. Examiner’s note is taking - regarding the use of CTB (codec tree block) or CTU (codec tree unit) block partitioning in HEVC codec, having range sizes of 16x16 to 64x64, where CB sizes of 8x8 is also technically supported.)
Claim 5. (Canceled)
Claim 6. Divorra/Yong discloses - The decoder of claim 1, wherein the non-straight non-rectangular partition is a curve; (e.g. see linear (QTBT) and geometric (GMP) curve partitioning; in both Divorra (Fig. 2) and Yong (Fig. 6); the same motivation applies herein.)
Claim 9. (Original) Divorra/Yong discloses - An encoder configured to generate an encoded bitstream for decoding by a compliant decoder, the bitstream including
a coded picture including a block of coded pixels and signaling information including a first partition index useful for determining the start point of a non-straight non-rectangular partition and a second partition index useful for determining the end point of the non-straight non-rectangular partition, the decoder receiving the bitstream and being configured to:
determine, using the first partition index, a start point of a non-straight non-rectangular partition in the block, the start point being located on a first side of the block a first offset distance from a first corner of the block;
determine, using the second partition index, an endpoint of the non-straight non- rectangular partition in the block, the end point being located on a second side of the block,
a second offset distance from a second corner of the block; generate first predictive pixel values in a first region on a first side of the non- straight, non-rectangular partition;
generate second predictive pixel values in a second region on a second side of the non- straight, non-rectangular partition;
and decode the block using the predictive pixel values. (Current lists all the same elements as recite in Claim 1 above, but in “Encoder form” instead, and is/are therefore on the same premise.)
Claim 11. Divorra/Yong discloses - The encoder of claim 9, wherein: the decoder smooths the first predictive pixel values and second predictive pixel values across the non-straight, non-rectangular partition; and decodes the coded block by adding residual pixel values to the smoothed first and second predictive pixel values. (The same rationale and motivation apply as given to Claim 3 above).
Claim 12. Divorra/Yong discloses - The encoder of claim 9, wherein the block is a coding tree unit. (The same rationale and motivation apply as given to Claim 4 above).
Claim 14. Divorra/Yong discloses - The encoder of claim 9, wherein the non-straight non-rectangular partition is a curve. (The same rationale and motivation apply as given to Claim 6 above).
Claim 17. (Currently Amended) Divorra/Yong discloses - A method of transmitting a bitstream, comprising: generating a bitstream including a coded picture including
a block of coded pixels and signaling information including a first partition index useful for determining the start point of a non-straight non-rectangular partition and a second partition index useful for determining the end point of the non-straight non- rectangular partition,
the bitstream being decodable by a decoder configured to receive receiving the bitstream and further being configured to:
determine, using the first partition index, a start point of a non-straight non- rectangular partition in the block, the start point being located on a first side of the block a first offset distance from a first corner of the block;
determine, using the second partition index, an endpoint of the non-straight non- rectangular partition in the block, the end point being located on a second side of the block, a second offset distance from a second corner of the block;
generate first predictive pixel values in a first region on a first side of the non- straight, non-rectangular partition;
generate second predictive pixel values in a second region on a second side of the non-straight, non-rectangular partition; [[and]] decode the block using the predictive pixel values;
and transmitting the generated bitstream. (Current lists all the same elements as recite in Claim 1 above, but in “Method form” instead, and is/are therefore on the same premise.)
Prior Art Citations
7. The following List of prior art, made of record and not relied upon, is/are considered
pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
7.1. Patent documentation
US 9,159,141 B2 Bordes; et al. H04N19/543; H04N19/176; H04N19/159;
US 9,756,359 B2 Zhao; Xin et al. H04N19/52; H04N19/597; H04N19/11
US 10,499,061 B2 Koo; et al. H04N19/46; H04N19/124; H04N19/176;
US 11,553,180 B2 Sjöberg; et al. H04N19/174; H04N19/11; H04N19/172;
US 11,172,214 B2 Wang; et al. H04N19/436; H04N19/46; H04N19/139;
US 11,259,014 B2 Furht; et al. H04N19/513; H04N19/13; H04N19/176;
US 12,075,046 B2 Furht; et al. H04N19/17; H04N19/119; H04N19/96;
US 20210274162 A1 Ahn; Yong; et al. H04N19/52; H04N19/573; H04N19/105;
7.2. Non-Patent documentation:
_ Geometry-adaptive block partitioning; Divorra; 2007.
_ Geometric deriving MV for motion prediction in block-based video coding; 2017.
_ Geometry-based Partitioning for Predictive Coding with Transform Adaptation; 2018.
_ Geometric partitioning - Overview; Blaser – 2018.
CONCLUSIONS
8. In view of the above Examiner’s considerations, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL.
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.
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS PEREZ-FUENTES (luis.perez-fuentes@uspto.gov) whose telephone number is (571) 270 -1168. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, WILLIAM VAUGHN can be reached on (571) 272-3922. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 272 -3922. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated system, please call (800) 786 -9199 (USA OR CANADA) or (571) 272 -1000.
/LUIS PEREZ-FUENTES/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481.
Prosecution Insights