DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This office action is a response to an application filed on 06/06/2025, in which claims 1-3 are pending and ready for examination.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted was filed before the mailing date of the Office Action on the merits. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) 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).
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Claims 1-3 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-3 of U.S. Patent No. 11,647,181 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other as outlined in the table below.
Instant – 19/230,892
US Pat. 11,647,181 B2
Claim 1 - A decoding apparatus for an image decoding, the decoding apparatus comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
Claim 1 - A video decoding method performed by a video decoding apparatus, the method comprising:
parse a flag related to weighted prediction from a bitstream;
parse a prediction weighted table syntax from the bitstream based on the flag; and
parsing a flag related to weighted prediction from a bitstream;
parsing a prediction weighted table syntax from the bitstream based on the flag; and
reconstruct a current picture by performing weighted prediction on a current block in the current picture based on the prediction weighted table syntax,
reconstructing a current picture by performing weighted prediction on a current block in the current picture based on the prediction weighted table syntax,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weighted prediction represents whether the prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weight prediction represents whether the prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is parsed from the picture header of the bitstream based on a value of the flag being l, and
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is parsed from the picture header of the bitstream based on a value of the flag being 1, and
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is parsed from the slice header of the bitstream based on the value of the flag being 0.
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is parsed from the slice header of the bitstream based on the value of the flag being 0.
Claim 2 - An encoding apparatus for an image encoding, the encoding apparatus comprising: a memory; and at least one processor connected to the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
Claim 2 - A video encoding method performed by a video encoding apparatus, the method comprising:
derive motion information of a current block;
perform weighted prediction on the current block based on the motion information; and
deriving motion information of a current block;
performing weighted prediction on the current block based on the motion information; and
encode image information comprising a flag related to the weighted prediction and a prediction weighted table syntax,
encoding image information comprising a flag related to the weighted prediction and a prediction weighted table syntax,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weighted prediction represents whether the prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weight prediction represents whether the prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein a value of the flag is determined as 1 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the picture header of the image information, and
wherein a value of the flag is determined as 1 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the picture header of the image information, and
wherein the value of the flag is determined as 0 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the slice header of the image information.
wherein the value of the flag is determined as 0 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the slice header of the image information.
Claim 3 - An apparatus for transmitting data for an image, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor configured to obtain a bitstream for the image, wherein the bitstream is generated based on
Claim 3 - A non-transitory computer-readable digital storage medium storing a bitstream generated by a video encoding method, the video encoding method comprising:
deriving motion information of a current block,
deriving motion information of a current block;
performing weighted prediction on the current block based on the motion information, and
encoding image information to generate the bitstream,
wherein the image information comprises a flag related to the weighted prediction and a prediction weighted table syntax; and
performing weighted prediction on the current block based on the motion information; and
encoding image information to generate the bitstream,
wherein the image information comprises a flag related to the weighted prediction and a prediction weighted table syntax,
a transmitter configured to transmit the data comprising the bitstream,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the prediction weighted table syntax is related to luma and chroma weighting factors for the weighted prediction,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weighted prediction represents whether rthe prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein the flag related to the weighted prediction is signaled in a picture header or a picture parameter set level, and the flag related to the weight prediction represents whether the prediction weighted table syntax is present in the picture header or a slice header,
wherein a value of the flag is determined as 1 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the picture header of the image information, and
wherein a value of the flag is determined as 1 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the picture header of the image information, and
wherein the value of the flag is determined as 0 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the slice header of the image information.
wherein the value of the flag is determined as 0 based on the prediction weighted table syntax being comprised in the slice header of the image information.
Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other, because claims 1-3 of the instant application differs from claims 1-3 of US 11,647,181 B2 in that the instant application recites commonly known and routinely performed insignificant extra-solution of using an apparatus or a transmitter comprising a memory and processor configured to perform the indistinct and equivalent processing steps while the claims in the co-pending Application claim does not explicitly recite such extra-solution. However, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the pertinent art at the time of the invention to recognize that such processing steps are commonly known and routinely performed as a part of video coding process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 would be allowable provided that all outstanding issues, objections, and/or requirements have been properly addressed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Filippov (US Pub. 20220247999 A1) teaches a video coding system that performs harmonizing weighted prediction with non-rectangular merge modes.
Chujoh (US Pub 20210185307 A1) teaches a video coding system that perform prediction using collocated pictures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALBERT KIR whose telephone number is (571)272-6245. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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/ALBERT KIR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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