DETAILED ACTION
1. This office action is in response to U.S. Patent Application No.: 19/213,081 filed on 5/20/2025 with effective filing date 5/1/2020. Claims 1-7 are pending.
Double Patenting
2. 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 § 2146 et seq. 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 filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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3. Claim 1-7 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-5 of U.S. Patent No. 12316833 and claims 3-7 of U.S. Patent No. 11889055. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other.
Current Application
US 12316833
1. A decoder configured to:
receive a bitstream, the bitstream including a coded picture, the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture, the bitstream also including a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an encoded bitstream which is decodable by decoder configured to:
receive the bitstream, the bitstream including a coded picture, the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture, the bitstream also including a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol, decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol.
1. A decoder configured to:
receive a bitstream, the bitstream including a coded picture,
the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture,
the bitstream also including a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol.
6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an encoded bitstream comprising:
a coded picture,
the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture,
wherein the first sub-picture is encoded using lossless encoding protocol and the second sub-picture is encoded using a lossy encoding protocol; a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; the first sub-picture header signaling that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; and the second sub-picture header signaling that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol.
1. A decoder configured to:
receive a bitstream, the bitstream including a coded picture, the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture, the bitstream also including a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol.
11. A method of transmitting an encoded bitstream which is decodable by decoder receiving the bitstream comprising:
receiving an input video; generating an encoded bitstream from the input video, the encoded bitstream including a coded picture, the coded picture including a first coded sub-picture and a second coded sub-picture, the bitstream also including a first sub-picture header and a second sub-picture header; transmit the encoded bitstream to a decoder, wherein the decoder is configured to: receive the encoded bitstream; detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol, decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol.
Allowable Subject Matter
4. After analyzing the current application examiner concluded that the novelty of the current application involves to receive an input video and select a current frame. The circuitry identifies a region of the current frame to be encoded using a lossless encoding protocol and encodes the frame by encoding the region using the protocol. The protocol comprises block differential pulse code modulation. The region is identified by receiving semantic information, where the semantic information includes data characterizing a facial detection. An average measure of information is determined by calculating a sum of information measures of a set of blocks and multiplying the sum by a significance coefficient.
The prior art of record in particular, Schmit US 2010/0104021 A1 (IDS) in view of Dawood US 2016/0284105 A1 does not disclose, with respect to claim 1, detect in the first sub-picture header that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless encoding protocol; detect in the second sub-picture header that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy encoding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using a protocol for lossless decoding corresponding to the detected lossless encoding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using a protocol corresponding to the detected lossy encoding protocol as claimed.
Rather, Schmit discloses involves dividing each screen image into several high and low quality regions based on threshold quality level defined based on bandwidth limitation of video processing system and quality requirements of application executed by video processing system. The low quality regions for compression are encoded based on lossy and lossless encoding scheme of codec. The high quality regions for compression are encoded based on lossless encoding scheme of codec.
Similarly, Dawood discloses a transient region detector determines whether the display frame includes transient region and/or non-transient region. The display frame encoder encodes the transient region using a first encoding mechanism when the display frame contains transient region. The non-transient region is encoded using a second encoding mechanism when the display frame contains non-transient region. The encoded non-transient region and the encoded transient region are provided for sending to a second device.
Conclusion
5. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Xu et al . US 8,965,140 B1, e.g. an image type mask that divides the frame into an unchanged portion, an object portion and a picture portion; (ii) producing lossless encoded content, by the encoding processor, from the object portion and the image type mask by the encoding processor, lossy encoded content from the filtered facsimile.
Gao et al. US 2013/0003838 A1, e.g. an apparatus used in video encoding comprising a processor configured to receive a video frame, select at least one region in the video frame, bypass a quantization step in encoding of the at least one region, for a current block in the at least one region generate a prediction block.
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IRFAN HABIB whose telephone number is (571)270-7325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Th 9AM-7PM.
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/Irfan Habib/ Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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