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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/24/25 and 10/16/25 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 4/7/25. These drawings are acceptable.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species IX (Figure 12) corresponding to claim(s) 1 and 7-20 in the reply filed on 6/5/26 is acknowledged.
Claim(s) 2-6 is/are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected embodiment, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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 of this title, 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 and 7-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al. (US 2020/0120334) in view of Yoon et al. (US 2025/0193372).
Regarding claim 1, Xu discloses a method of coding video data (see fig. 14), the method comprising: determining, based on an merge mode (see S1400 in fig. 14; e.g. see ¶ [0129]), coding modes from one or more neighboring intra coded blocks of a current block (e.g. see ¶ [0129]), wherein at least a first coding mode of the coding modes from a first neighboring block comprises two or more parameters (e.g. see ¶ [0036], [0051]); generating, based on the merge mode, a merge candidate list comprising the coding modes from the one or more neighboring intra coded blocks (e.g. see ¶ [0129]), the merge candidate list storing the two or more parameters of the first coding mode from the first neighboring block (e.g. see ¶ [0036], [0051]); selecting the first coding mode from the merge candidate list (see S1402 in fig. 14); and coding the current block utilizing the first coding mode and the two or more parameters (see 532 in fig. 5).
Although Xu discloses the merge mode, it is noted that Xu does not clearly state wherein the merge mode is an intra merge mode.
However, Yoon discloses a method of coding video data wherein the merge mode is an intra merge mode (see S810 in fig. 8).
Given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate Yoon teachings of intra merge mode into Xu merge mode for the benefit of refining intra merge block to improve coding efficiency.
Regarding claims 7, 16 and 20, Xu further discloses wherein the coding modes in the merge candidate list includes multiple types of intra prediction modes (e.g. see ¶ [0129]).
Regarding claims 8 and 17, the references further discloses wherein generating, based on the intra merge mode, the merge candidate list comprising the coding modes comprises: generating a first merge candidate list for a first type of intra prediction mode (see Yoon S830 in fig. 14); and generating a second merge candidate list for a second type of intra prediction mode (see Yoon S840 in fig. 8).
Regarding claim 9, the references further discloses comprising reordering the coding modes in the merge candidate list based on a template cost (see Yoon S850 in fig. 8).
Regarding claim 10, Xu further discloses wherein coding the current block utilizing the first coding mode comprises encoding the current block utilizing the first coding mode (see 532 in fig. 5).
Regarding claim 11, Xu further discloses wherein the coding the current block utilizing the first coding mode comprises decoding the current block utilizing the first coding mode (see 533 in fig. 5).
Regarding claims 12, 15 and 19, Xu further discloses comprising coding a syntax element that indicates that an intra merge mode is used for the current block (e.g. see ¶ [0082]).
Regarding claim 13, although Xu discloses comprising determining, based on the syntax element indicating the intra merge mode is used, a transform type (e.g. see ¶ [0076]), it is note that the references do not disclose a transform type for the current block is based on a transform block size.
Although it is not explicitly recited, it is conventional in the art for utilizing a transform type for the current block based on a transform block size. The Examiner takes official notice that utilizing a transform type for the current block based on a transform block size is well known in the art. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to incorporate utilizing a transform type for the current block based on a transform block size for the benefit of improving compression rate.
Regarding claim 14, the claim(s) recite an apparatus (see 1540 in fig. 15) to decode (see 1540 in fig. 15) with analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
Regarding claim 18, the claim(s) recite an apparatus (see 1540 in fig. 15) to encode (see 1540 in fig. 15) with analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
1. Lee et al. (US 2021/0281838), discloses encoding with merge candidate list.
2. Jun et al. (US 2020/0366900), discloses encoding with merge candidate list.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD T TORRENTE whose telephone number is (571)270-3702. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 6:45-3:15 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jay Patel can be reached at (571) 272-2988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICHARD T TORRENTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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