Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 19/214,360

ENCODER, A DECODER AND CORRESPONDING METHODS USING INTRA MODE CODING FOR INTRA PREDICTION

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
May 21, 2025
Priority
Feb 25, 2019 — provisional 62/810,323 +2 more
Examiner
AYNALEM, NATHNAEL B
Art Unit
2488
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
525 granted / 687 resolved
+18.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+12.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
718
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.8%
-34.2% vs TC avg
§103
43.6%
+3.6% vs TC avg
§102
19.8%
-20.2% vs TC avg
§112
21.6%
-18.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 687 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . Response to Argument Applicant’s argument with respect to pending claims 1-20 filed on 07/0/2026 have been fully considered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 Summary of Arguments: Regarding claim 1, applicant argue that the features of claim 1 are supported by the provisional application 62/810,323 filed on 02/25/2029 accordingly Lee cannot qualify as a prior art. Examiner’s Response: In view of applicant’s argument, upon further consideration of the current application and the prior arts, it has been determined that the features of claim 1 are supported by the provisional application 62/810,323 filed on 02/25/2029. It has been further determined that Zhao alone discloses all of the features of claim 1. Thus, reliance upon Lee is withdrawn. See below a new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. 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)(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) 1-5 and 8-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1). Regarding claim 1, Zhao teaches the claim limitation as follows: A method of prediction coding of a current block implemented by a decoding device or an encoding device, comprising: obtaining an intra prediction mode of a left neighbor block of the current block (Figs. 6-7, ¶0055: candIntraPredModeA indicates the associated intra prediction mode of block A- the left neighboring coding unit of current coding unit); obtaining an intra prediction mode of an above neighbor block of the current block (Figs. 6-7, ¶0055: candIntraPredModeB indicate the associated intra prediction mode of block B- the above neighboring coding unit of current coding unit); constructing a Most Probable Mode (MPM) list of intra prediction modes for the current block (¶0055-0056: MPM list construction, See the table includes MPM lists); when both of the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block and the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block are angular modes (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeB is equal to candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeA is greater than INTRA_DC…), the MPM list comprising at least 5 entries of intra prediction modes as follows: a) {above mode, left mode, 2+((minAB+61)%64), 2+(( maxAB -1)%64), 2+ ( ( minAB+ 60 ) % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is equal to 1 (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…If maxAB − minAB is equal to 1, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( maxAB % 64 ) ); or b) {above_mode, left_ mode, 2 +((minAB - 1 ) %64), 2+((minAB+ 61 ) %64), 2 + ( ( maxAB - 1 ) % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is equal to 2 (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is equal to 2, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 )); or c) {above_mode, left_mode, 2+((minAB-1)%64), 2+((maxAB +61) % 64), 2+( minAB % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is greater than 61(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is greater than 61, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( minAB % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 60 ) % 64 ) ); or d) otherwise, {above_mode, left_mode, 2 +(( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ), 2 + ( ( minAB - 1) % 64), 2+((maxAB+61)%64)} (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) ); wherein above_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block, left_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block (Figs. 6-7: ¶0055: candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB indicate the associated intra prediction modes of block A and B respectively), minAB represents a minimum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode, maxAB represents a maximum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode (¶0056: See the table: i.e., minAB, maxAB). Regarding claim 2, Zhao teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising coding the intra prediction mode of the current block based on the MPM list (¶0053-0055: intra coding by constructing MPM list). Regarding claim 3, Zhao teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the intra prediction mode of the current block (¶0055-0056: in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the block A denotes the left neighboring coding unit of current coding unit, block B denotes the above neighboring coding unit of current coding unit, and variables candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB indicate the associated intra prediction modes of block A and B respectively) and, when the determined intra prediction mode of the current block is listed in the MPM list, coding the determined intra prediction mode of the current block by a corresponding index of the MPM list (¶0055-0056: If candIntraPredModeB is equal to candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeA is greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows…See the table at ¶0056: candModeList[ 0 ] - candModeList[ 5 ]). Regarding claim 4, Zhao teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising: signaling a flag to indicate that whether the intra prediction mode of the current block is a PLANAR mode or not (¶0154-0155: the signaled flag indicates current intra prediction mode is non-angular mode, another flag may be signaled to indicate whether current mode is planar mode or not…when the signaled mode is Planar or DC mode, one flag may be used to signal whether PDPC is applied or not). Regarding claim 5, Zhao teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the MPM list consists of the at least 5 entries (¶0056: See the table: candModeList[0]- candModeList[5]) and further comprising multiple reference line coding using the MPM list (Fig. 8, ¶0055-0056: the size of MPM list is set equal to 6 for both the adjacent reference line (also referred to zero reference line) and non-adjacent reference lines (also referred to non-zero reference lines). Regarding claim 8, Zhao teaches the claim limitation as follows: A device of prediction coding of a current block for use in a decoding device or an encoding device, comprising: a memory comprising instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the instructions causing the at least one processor (¶0025, 0225: each of the embodiments may be implemented by processing circuitry (e.g., one or more processors or one or more integrated circuits). In one example, the one or more processors execute a program that is stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium) to be configured to: obtain an intra prediction mode of a left neighbor block of the current block (Figs. 6-7, ¶0055: candIntraPredModeA indicates the associated intra prediction mode of block A- the left neighboring coding unit of current coding unit); obtain an intra prediction mode of an above neighbor block of the current block (Figs. 6-7, ¶0055: candIntraPredModeB indicate the associated intra prediction mode of block B- the above neighboring coding unit of current coding unit); construct a Most Probable Mode (MPM) list of intra prediction modes for the current block (¶0055-0056: MPM list construction. See the table includes MPM lists); when both of the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block and the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block are angular modes (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeB is equal to candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeA is greater than INTRA_DC…), the MPM list comprising at least 5 entries of intra prediction modes as follows: a) {above mode, left mode, 2+((minAB+61)%64), 2+(( maxAB -1)%64), 2+ ( ( minAB+ 60 ) % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is equal to 1(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…If maxAB − minAB is equal to 1, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( maxAB % 64 ) ) ; or b) {above_mode, left_ mode, 2 +((minAB - 1 ) %64), 2+((minAB+ 61 ) %64), 2 + ( ( maxAB - 1 ) % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is equal to 2(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is equal to 2, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 )); or c) {above_mode, left_mode, 2+((minAB-1)%64), 2+((maxAB +61) % 64), 2+( minAB % 64 )} when maxAB - minAB is greater than 61(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is greater than 61, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( minAB % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 60 ) % 64 ) ); or d) otherwise, {above_mode, left_mode, 2 +(( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ), 2 + ( ( minAB - 1) % 64), 2+((maxAB+61)%64)}(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) ); wherein above_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block, left_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block, minAB represents a minimum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode, maxAB represents a maximum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode (¶0056: See the table: i.e., minAB, maxAB). Regarding claim 9, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 2, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 2. Regarding claim 10, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 3, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 3. Regarding claim 11, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 4, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 4. Regarding claim 12, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 5, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 5. 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. Claim(s) 6 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1) in view of Jun et al. (US 20190166375 A1). Regarding claim 6, Zhao does not explicitly teach wherein if an intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is set as planar; if an intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is set as planar. However, Jun teaches wherein if an intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is set as planar; if an intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is set as planar (Fig. 15, ¶0169: An intra prediction mode corresponding to the unavailable neighbor block may be replaced with a DC mode, a Planar mode, or a predetermined intra prediction mode). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhao’s image encoding/decoding technique by incorporating the teaching of Jun as noted above, in order to provide a method and apparatus for encoding/decoding an image using intra prediction to enhance compression efficiency (Jun:¶0004-0005). Regarding claim 13, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 6, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 6. Claim(s) 7 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1) in view of Li et al. (US 20200267382 A1). Regarding claim 7, Zhao does not explicitly teach wherein a top left corner of the left neighbor block is located at (xCb−1, yCb+cbHeight−1) and a top left corner of the above neighbor block is located at (xCb+cbWidth−1, yCb−1), wherein xCb, yCb, cbHeight and cb Width denote a location of a top left corner of the current block in a width direction, a location of the top left corner of the current block in a height direction, a height of the current block and a width of the current block, respectively. However, Li teaches wherein a top left corner of the left neighbor block is located at (xCb−1, yCb+cbHeight−1) and a top left corner of the above neighbor block is located at (xCb+cbWidth−1, yCb−1), wherein xCb, yCb, cbHeight and cb Width denote a location of a top left corner of the current block in a width direction, a location of the top left corner of the current block in a height direction, a height of the current block and a width of the current block, respectively (Fig. 11, ¶0178: the neighboring block A may be a block including a sample at (xCb−1, yCb+cbHeight−1) coordinates. ¶0184: the neighboring block B may be a block including a sample at (xCb+cbWidth−1, yCb−1) coordinates). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhao’s image encoding/decoding technique by incorporating the teaching of Li as noted above, in order to effectively compress and transmit or store and playback information of high-resolution and high-quality images and video having such various characteristics (Li: ¶0005). Regarding claim 14, the claim is drawn to a device claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 7, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 7. Claim(s) 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1) in view of Ramasubramonian et al. (US 20190327477 A1). Regarding claim 15, Zhao teaches the claim limitation as follows: A method for storing a bitstream, comprising: … encoded picture data and information for decoding the encoded picture data, the information for decoding the encoded picture data comprises a Most Probable Mode (MPM) list index (¶0055-0056: MPM list construction. See the table: candModeList[0]- candModeList[5]). Note that the method disclosed in Zhao is image encoding/decoding method and the constructed MPM list is used for that purpose, wherein when both of an intra prediction mode of a left neighbor block and an intra prediction mode of an above neighbor block are angular modes (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeB is equal to candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeA is greater than INTRA_DC…), a MPM list comprises at least 5 entries of intra prediction modes list as follows: a) {above_mode, left_mode, 2+ (minAB + ) % 64 2+ (maxAB 1)%64),2+(( minAB + 60 % when maxAB minAB is equal to 1 (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…If maxAB − minAB is equal to 1, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( maxAB % 64 ) ); or b) {above_mode, left_mode,2 + (minAB 1) % 64), 2+ (minAB + ) % 64 2 + (( maxAB - ) % when maxAB - minAB is equal to 2 (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is equal to 2, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 60 ) % 64 )); or c) {above_mode, mode, 2+ (minAB 1) % 64 ), 2+ (maxAB + 61 % 64 ), 2 + ( minAB % 64 when maxAB - minAB is greater than 61(¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise if maxAB − minAB is greater than 61, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( minAB % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 60 ) % 64 ) ); or d) otherwise, {above_mode, left_mode, 2+ (minAB + ) % 64 ), 2 + ( (minAB - 1) %64), 2 + (maxAB + % 64) (¶0056: See the table: If candIntraPredModeA and candIntraPredModeB are both greater than INTRA_DC, candModeList[ x ] with x = 0..5 is derived as follows: candModeList[ 0 ] = candIntraPredModeA candModeList[ 1 ] = candIntraPredModeB…Otherwise, the following applies: candModeList[ 2 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 3 ] = 2 + ( ( minAB − 1 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 4 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB + 61 ) % 64 ) candModeList[ 5 ] = 2 + ( ( maxAB − 1 ) % 64 ) ); wherein above_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block, left_mode represents the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block, minAB represents a minimum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode, maxAB represents a maximum intra prediction mode between the above_mode and left_mode (¶0056: See the table: minAB, maxAB). Zhao (Prov. 62/805163) does not disclose receiving or transmitting the bitstream through a communication interface; storing the bitstream in one or more storage mediums. However, Ramasubramonian teaches receiving or transmitting the bitstream through a communication interface (¶0032: See FIGS. 1, 3, 4: Destination device 116 includes input interface 122); storing the bitstream in one or more storage mediums (¶01113: CPB memory 320 may store video data, such as an encoded video bitstream). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhao by incorporating the teaching of Ramasubramonian in order to allow the encoded data to be decoded and reproduced by the destination device (Ramasubramonian: ¶0031). Regarding claim 16, the claim is drawn to a method claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 2, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 2. Regarding claim 17, the claim is drawn to a method claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 4, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 4. Regarding claim 18, the claim is drawn to a method claim and recites the limitation analogous to claim 5, and is rejected due to the same reason set forth above with respect to claim 5. Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1) in view of Ramasubramonian et al. (US 20190327477 A1) as applied to claim 15, and further in view of Jun et al. (US 20190166375 A1). Zhao in view of Ramasubramonian do not teach, if an intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is set as planar; if an intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is set as planar. However, Jun teaches if an intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the above neighbor block is set as planar; if an intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is not available, the intra prediction mode of the left neighbor block is set as planar(Fig. 15, ¶0169: An intra prediction mode corresponding to the unavailable neighbor block may be replaced with a DC mode, a Planar mode, or a predetermined intra prediction mode). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhao’s image encoding/decoding technique by incorporating the teaching of Jun as noted above, in order to provide a method and apparatus for encoding/decoding an image using intra prediction to enhance compression efficiency (Jun:¶0004-0005). Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US 20200154100 A1) in view of Ramasubramonian et al. (US 20190327477 A1) as applied to claim 15, and further in view of Li et al. (US 20200267382 A1). Zhao in view of Ramasubramonian do not teach wherein a top left corner of the left neighbor block is located at (xCb-1, yCb+cbHeight -1) and a top left corner of the above neighbor block is located at (xCb+cbWidth-1, yCb -1), wherein xCb, yCb, cbHeight and cbWidth denote a location of a top left corner of a current block in a width direction, a location of the top left corner of the current block in a height direction, a height of the current block and a width of the current block, respectively. However, Li teaches wherein a top left corner of the left neighbor block is located at (xCb-1, yCb+cbHeight -1) and a top left corner of the above neighbor block is located at (xCb+cbWidth-1, yCb -1), wherein xCb, yCb, cbHeight and cbWidth denote a location of a top left corner of a current block in a width direction, a location of the top left corner of the current block in a height direction, a height of the current block and a width of the current block, respectively(Fig. 11, ¶0178: the neighboring block A may be a block including a sample at (xCb−1, yCb+cbHeight−1) coordinates. ¶0184: the neighboring block B may be a block including a sample at (xCb+cbWidth−1, yCb−1) coordinates). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhao’s image encoding/decoding technique by incorporating the teaching of Li as noted above, in order to effectively compress and transmit or store and playback information of high-resolution and high-quality images and video having such various characteristics (Li: ¶0005). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHNAEL AYNALEM whose telephone number is (571)270-1482. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5:30 PM ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, SATH PERUNGAVOOR can be reached at 571-272-7455. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NATHNAEL AYNALEM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2488
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 21, 2025
Application Filed
May 12, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103
Jul 07, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 11, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12734976
BRACKET ASSEMBLY FOR VEHICLE CAMERA MONITOR SYSTEMS
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12739443
USE OF EMBEDDED SIGNALLING TO CORRECT SIGNAL IMPAIRMENTS
1y 8m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12707060
EARLY TERMINATION FOR OPTICAL FLOW REFINEMENT
1y 8m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12676975
METHOD FOR SPLITTING PICTURE AND DECODING APPARATUS
2y 0m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12677007
SIGNAL RESHAPING AND CODING FOR HDR AND WIDE COLOR GAMUT SIGNALS
1y 5m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+12.9%)
2y 6m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 687 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month