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 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) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Li et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0337853 A1).
Regarding claim 20, the recitation of “a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a bitstream …” is a product by process limitation where the product is the bitstream an the process is the video encoding method. MPEP 2113 recites “Product-by-Process claims are not limited to the manipulation of the recited steps, only the structure implied by steps”. Thus, the scope of the claim is the storage medium storing the bitstream (with the structure implied by the encoding method). The structure includes the data in compressed form manipulated by the steps. “To be given patentable weight, the printed matter and associated product must be in a functional relationship. A functional relationship can be found where the printed matter performs some function with respect to the product to which it is associated”. MPEP 2111.05(I)(A). When a claimed “computer-readable medium merely serves as a support for information for information or data, no functional relationship exists. MPEP 2111.05(III). The storage medium storing the claimed bitstream in claim 20 merely serves as a support for the storage of the bitstream and provides no functional relationship between the stored bitstream and the storage medium. Therefore the bitstream, which scope is implied by the method steps, is non-functional descriptive material and is given no patent weight. MPEP 2111.05 (III). Thus, the claim scope is just a storage medium storing data and is anticipated by Li et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0337853 A1), where Li discloses in paragraph [0024] and at least claim 20, “ a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a bitstream of a video which is generated by a method performed by a video processing apparatus”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Claims 1-19 are directed towards a video decoding method, the corresponding encoding method, and decoding apparatus. The closes prior art is directed towards Ma et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0295116 A1), Li et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0329836 A1), and Karczewicz et al., (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0103816 A1). Ma is concerned with convolutional neural network based loop filtering for video coding are discussed and include training a convolutional neural network loop filter for each of multiple classifications into which each region of a reconstructed video frame corresponding to input video are classified and selecting a subset of the trained convolutional neural network loop filter for use in coding the input video. Li is concerned with video coding apparatus includes applying a neural network (NN) filter to an unfiltered sample of a video unit to generate a filtered sample, wherein the NN filter is based on an NN filter model generated using a quality-level indicator (QI) input. Karczewicz is concerned with filtering process of this disclosure may be based on neural network technologies, and may be used in the context of advanced video codecs, such as extensions of the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard, the next generation of video coding standards, and/or any other video codecs. However, when considering the teachings of Ma, Li and Karczewicz does not explicitly disclose, anticipate or render obvious the limitations as claimed in the video decoding method, the corresponding encoding method, and decoding apparatus as recited in claims 1-19.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA PRINCE whose telephone number is (571)270-1821. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3:30 P.M..
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JESSICA PRINCE
Examiner
Art Unit 2486
/JESSICA M PRINCE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2486
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