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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-26 are currently pending.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Figures 19 & 23 contain steps labelled as S201-S204, however, the specification contains multiple references to S101-S104 which do not have any corresponding figures (e.g., ¶0278, ¶0300, ¶0549, etc.).
The specification states “In this case, the S102 includes the following step S102-A.” See, ¶0328. As mentioned above, S102 appears to be mislabeled because there is no corresponding figure. Furthermore, the specification makes multiple references to steps S102-A (e.g., ¶¶0328-0329, ¶0335-0336, ¶0340, etc.).
The specification makes multiple references to S103-A – S103C (e.g., ¶0557, ¶¶0569-0575, etc.). There appear to be no corresponding figures.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 25-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims recite “determining a first weight derivation mode and K first prediction modes corresponding to the current block based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and the at least one candidate prediction mode, wherein K is a positive integer greater than 1”. It is unclear how multiple (i.e., “K is a positive integer greater than 1”) prediction modes are determined from “one candidate prediction mode”.
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.
Claims 1 and 25-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liao et al. (US 20220329824 A1, hereinafter Liao).
Concerning claims 1 and 26, Liao teaches a video decoding apparatus, comprising:
a processor (fig. 4: processor 402); and
a memory (fig. 4: memory 404),
wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call the computer program stored in the memory and run the computer program to perform (fig. 4: memory 404, ¶0084):
determining N candidate weight derivation modes (¶0102, weights for GPM and weights for AWP; ¶0103, wherein there are 56 different weights), wherein N is a positive integer (¶0102: 2 is a positive integer; ¶0103: wherein 56 is a positive integer);
determining at least one candidate prediction mode based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and attribute information of a current block (figs. 8-10 & ¶0103: an AWP mode is selected from the 56 modes according to the CU size), wherein a candidate prediction mode list includes the at least one candidate prediction mode (¶0103: there are 56 different modes);
determining a first weight derivation mode and K first prediction modes corresponding to the current block based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and the at least one candidate prediction mode, (¶0102, weights for GPM and weights for AWP; ¶0103, wherein there are 56 different weights; ¶0047: prediction mode; ¶0073: candidate prediction mode) wherein K is a positive integer greater than 1 (¶0047: more than 1 prediction mode); and
predicting the current block based on the first weight derivation mode and the K first prediction modes to obtain a prediction value of the current block (¶0080).
Concerning claim 25, Liao teaches an encoding method, comprising:
determining N candidate weight derivation modes (¶0102, weights for GPM and weights for AWP; ¶0103, wherein there are 56 different weights), wherein N is a positive integer (¶0102: 2 is a positive integer; ¶0103: wherein 56 is a positive integer);
determining at least one candidate prediction mode based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and attribute information of a current block (figs. 8-10 & ¶0103: an AWP mode is selected from the 56 modes according to the CU size);
determining a first weight derivation mode and K first prediction modes corresponding to the current block based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and the at least one candidate prediction mode, (¶0102, weights for GPM and weights for AWP; ¶0103, wherein there are 56 different weights; ¶0047: prediction mode; ¶0073: candidate prediction mode) wherein K is a positive integer greater than 1 (¶0047: more than 1 prediction mode); and
predicting the current block based on the first weight derivation mode and the K first prediction modes to obtain a prediction value of the current block (¶0080).
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 (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 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 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 nonobviousness.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao et al. (US 20220329824 A1, hereinafter Liao) in view of Chen et al. (US 20230300344 A1, hereinafter Chen).
Concerning claim 2, Liao teaches the decoding method according to claim 1. Not explicitly taught is the method, wherein determining the at least one candidate prediction mode based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and the attribute information of the current block comprises: for an i-th candidate weight derivation mode of the N candidate weight derivation modes, determining a candidate prediction mode list corresponding to the i-th candidate weight derivation mode based on the i-th candidate weight derivation mode and the attribute information of the current block, wherein i is a positive integer less than or equal to N.
In the same field of endeavor, Chen teaches a decoding system and method, wherein determining the at least one candidate prediction mode based on the N candidate weight derivation modes and the attribute information of the current block comprises:
for an i-th candidate weight derivation mode of the N candidate weight derivation modes, determining a candidate prediction mode list corresponding to the i-th candidate weight derivation mode based on the i-th candidate weight derivation mode and the attribute information of the current block (¶¶0099-0100: “A total count of the horizontal AWP modes, the vertical AWP modes and the diagonal AWP modes may be 28. The current AWP mode may be determined from the 28 AWP modes according to a certain order…”), wherein i is a positive integer less than or equal to N (28 is an integer less than 56). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Liao and Chen in order to reduce the types of AWP modes used which may reduce a computational complexity and improve the coding efficiency (Chen, ¶0100).
According claim 3, Chen further teaches the method according to claim 2, wherein determining the candidate prediction mode list corresponding to the i-th candidate weight derivation mode based on the i-th candidate weight derivation mode and the attribute information of the current block comprises:
determining a candidate prediction mode list of at least one prediction mode of K prediction modes corresponding to the i-th candidate weight derivation mode based on the i-th candidate weight derivation mode and the attribute information of the current block (¶¶0099-0100: “As a further example, a total count of the horizontal AWP modes and the vertical AWP modes may be 14. The current AWP mode may be determined from the 14 AWP modes according to a certain order…”). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Liao and Chen in order to reduce the types of AWP modes used which may reduce a computational complexity and improve the coding efficiency (Chen, ¶0100).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-24 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES M ANDERSON II whose telephone number is (571)270-1444. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10AM-6PM.
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/James M Anderson II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425
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