Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 19/223,506

DMVR-BASED INTER-PREDICTION METHOD AND DEVICE

Non-Final OA §DP
Filed
May 30, 2025
Priority
Feb 24, 2019 — provisional 62/809,722 +4 more
Examiner
NASRI, MARYAM A
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
LG Electronics Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 3m
Est. Remaining
76%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
343 granted / 467 resolved
+13.4% vs TC avg
Minimal +3% lift
Without
With
+2.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
492
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.8%
-39.2% vs TC avg
§103
63.0%
+23.0% vs TC avg
§102
25.3%
-14.7% vs TC avg
§112
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 467 resolved cases

Office Action

§DP
DETAILED ACTION This Office Action is a response to an application filed on 05/30/2025, in which claims 1-3 are pending and ready for examination. 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 . Double Patenting 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 USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp. Claims 1, 2, and 3 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over the combination of claims (1, 3, and 5) of U.S. Patent No. 11,627,323. Instant # 19/223,506 Patent No. 11,627,323 An image decoding method performed by a decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising: An image decoding method performed by a decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising: determining whether an application condition of a decoder-side motion vector refinement (DMVR) for applying a motion vector refinement to the current block is satisfied; determining whether an application condition of a decoder-side motion vector refinement (DMVR) for applying a motion vector refinement to a current block is satisfied; deriving a minimum sum of absolute differences (SAD) based on the L0 motion vector and the L1 motion vector of the current block based on a case where the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied; deriving a minimum sum of absolute differences (SAD) based on an L0 motion vector and an L1 motion vector of the current block based on a case where the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied; deriving a refined L0 motion vector and a refined L1 motion vector for the current block based on the minimum SAD; deriving a refined L0 motion vector and a refined L1 motion vector for the current block based on the minimum SAD; deriving prediction samples for the current block based on the refined L0 motion vector and the refined L1 motion vector; deriving prediction samples for the current block based on the refined L0 motion vector and the refined L1 motion vector; and generating reconstructed samples for the current block based on the prediction samples, generating reconstructed samples for the current block based on the prediction samples, wherein whether the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether a combined inter and intra prediction (CIIP) mode in which an inter prediction and an intra prediction are combined is applied to the current block, wherein the determining of whether the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied determines based on whether a combined inter and intra prediction (CIIP) mode in which an inter prediction and an intra prediction are combined is applied to the current block, Also see claim 3 wherein the DMVR is applied to the current block based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, wherein the DMVR is applied to the current block based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, Also see claim 3 wherein the prediction samples are derived based on determining whether an application condition of a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) for applying a refinement to the prediction samples is satisfied, wherein the deriving of the prediction samples includes determining whether an application condition of a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) for applying a refinement to the prediction samples is satisfied, and wherein whether the application condition of the BDOF is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether the CIIP mode is applied to the current block, a case in which whether the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, and a case in which whether a value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0, and wherein the determining of whether the application condition of the BDOF is satisfied determines based on whether the CIIP mode is applied to the current block, Also see claim 3 and 5 wherein the BDOF is applied to the prediction samples based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, and the value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0. wherein the BDOF is applied to the prediction samples based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block. Also see claim 3 and 5 Claims 1, 2, and 3 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 2, and 3 of U.S. Patent No. 12,348,733 in view of Zhang (US 2022/0368916 A1). Instant # 19/223,506 Patent No. 12,348,733 An image decoding method performed by a decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising: An image decoding method performed by a decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising: obtaining residual information from a bitstream; deriving an L0 motion vector and an L1 motion vector for a current block; determining whether an application condition of a decoder-side motion vector refinement (DMVR) for applying a motion vector refinement to the current block is satisfied; determining whether an application condition of a decoder-side motion vector refinement (DMVR) for applying a motion vector refinement to the current block is satisfied; deriving a minimum sum of absolute differences (SAD) based on the L0 motion vector and the L1 motion vector of the current block based on a case where the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied; deriving a minimum sum of absolute differences (SAD) based on the L0 motion vector and the L1 motion vector of the current block based on a case where the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied; deriving a refined L0 motion vector and a refined L1 motion vector for the current block based on the minimum SAD; deriving a refined L0 motion vector and a refined L1 motion vector for the current block based on the minimum SAD; deriving prediction samples for the current block based on the refined L0 motion vector and the refined L1 motion vector; deriving prediction samples for the current block based on the refined L0 motion vector and the refined L1 motion vector; deriving residual samples for the current block based on the residual information; and generating reconstructed samples for the current block based on the prediction samples, generating reconstructed samples for the current block based on the prediction samples and the residual samples, wherein whether the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether a combined inter and intra prediction (CIIP) mode in which an inter prediction and an intra prediction are combined is applied to the current block, wherein whether the application condition of the DMVR is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether a combined inter and intra prediction (CIIP) mode in which an inter prediction and an intra prediction are combined is applied to the current block, and a case in which whether a distance from an L0 reference picture and a distance from an L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on a current picture, wherein the DMVR is applied to the current block based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, wherein the DMVR is applied to the current block based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, and the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, wherein the prediction samples are derived based on determining whether an application condition of a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) for applying a refinement to the prediction samples is satisfied, wherein the prediction samples are derived based on determining whether an application condition of a bi-directional optical flow (BDOF) for applying a refinement to the prediction samples is satisfied, wherein whether the application condition of the BDOF is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether the CIIP mode is applied to the current block, a case in which whether the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, and a case in which whether a value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0, and wherein whether the application condition of the BDOF is satisfied is determined based on a case in which whether the CIIP mode is applied to the current block, and a case in which whether the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, and wherein the BDOF is applied to the prediction samples based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture, and the value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0. wherein the BDOF is applied to the prediction samples based on a case in which the CIIP mode is not applied to the current block, and the distance from the L0 reference picture and the distance from the L1 reference picture are equal to each other based on the current picture. Patent No. 12,348,733 does not disclose: the value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0. However, Zhang from the same or similar endeavor discloses: the value of bi-prediction weight index information of the current block is equal to 0 (see Zhang, paragraph 9 and 657 and Fig. 9). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to “obtaining residual information form a bitstream; deriving residual samples for the current block based on the residual information; and generating reconstructed samples for the current block based on the residual samples” as taught by Zhang in the decoding method taught by Patent No. 12,348,733 to reduce bandwidth and line buffers of several coding tools in video/image coding (see Zhang, paragraph 83). Claims 1, 2, and 3 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 3, and 4 of U.S. Patent No. 12,003,735 for the same reasons mentioned above. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-3 would be allowed upon overcoming the Double Patenting rejection shown above. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhang (US 2022/0368916 A1) Lim (US 2022/0086486 A1) Zhang (US 2021/0144392 A1) Zhang (US 2021/0144388 A1) Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARYAM A NASRI whose telephone number is (571)270-7158. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-8:00 M-T. 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, Joseph Ustaris can be reached on 5712727383. 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. /MARYAM A NASRI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483 a
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Prosecution Timeline

May 30, 2025
Application Filed
May 22, 2026
Examiner Interview (Telephonic)
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DP (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
76%
With Interview (+2.9%)
2y 4m (~1y 3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 467 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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