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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-5, 7, 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Ramasubramonian (US 2021/0329298 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Ramasubramonian discloses a method for processing visual media data (e.g. Fig. 1 and Paragraph [0040]), comprising: determining, for a conversion between visual media data and a bitstream of the visual media data (e.g. Figs. 2, 3, Paragraph [0040, 0053], point cloud data is visual media data, and G-PCC encoder/decoder converts it to/from bitstream), usage of quantization parameter (QP) offsets (e.g. Paragraph [0075]) for alternating current (AC) coefficients (e.g. Paragraph [0073]) in region-adaptive hierarchical transform (RAHT) coefficient coding (e.g. Fig. 2 and Paragraph [0075], quantization uses the coefficients generated by RAHT) based on at least one syntax element included in the bitstream (e.g. Paragraph [0075], G-PCC encoder/decoder signals syntax element indicating QP offset); and performing the conversion based on the determining (e.g. Paragraph [0294-0297]).
Regarding Claim 2, Ramasubramonian discloses the at least one syntax element is included in a parameter set syntax structure of the bitstream (e.g. Paragraph [0082, 0083]).
Regarding Claim 3, Ramasubramonian discloses he at least one syntax element is included in a sequence parameter set (SPS), a geometry parameter set (GPS), or an attribute parameter set (APS) of the bitstream (e.g. Paragraph [0082, 0083]).
Regarding Claim 4, Ramasubramonian discloses the at least one syntax element is included in the bitstream to indicate the usage of the QP offsets for different attribute components in a RAHT tree (e.g. Paragraph [0075]).
Regarding Claim 5, Ramasubramonian discloses the at least one syntax element is included in the bitstream to indicate the usage of the QP offsets for different layers in a RAHT tree (e.g. Paragraph [0075]).
Regarding Claim 7, Ramasubramonian discloses the at least one syntax element includes a first syntax element indicating whether the QP offsets are present in a data unit of the bitstream including attribute information (e.g. Paragraph [0099]).
Regarding Claims 16, 17, Ramasubramonian discloses the conversion includes encoding/decoding the visual media data into/from the bitstream (e.g. Figs. 2, 3, Paragraph [0040, 0053], point cloud data is visual media data, and G-PCC encoder/decoder converts it to/from bitstream).
Regarding Claim 18, Ramasubramonian discloses an apparatus for processing visual media data (e.g. Fig. 1) comprising: a processor (e.g. Fig. 1 G-PCC Encoder/Decoder) and a non-transitory memory (e.g. Fig. 1 Memory 106, 120) with instructions thereon, wherein the instructions upon execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method of Claim 1.
Regarding Claims 19, 20, Ramasubramonian discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g. Paragraph [0008]) storing instructions/a bitstream of visual media data which is generated by a method performed by a visual media data processing apparatus that cause a processor to perform the method of Claim 1.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by
by Joshi et al. (US 20160150234 A1).
Regarding Claim 20, Claim 20 is directed to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium (CRM) storing a bitstream which is generated by a method. The claim does not recite that the CRM contains executable instruction, that when executed, implement the method. The bitstream is a product produced by the method. Therefore, the claim is not limited to the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps. (See MPEP 2113 - Product-by-Process claims.) Hence, the method steps recited are given patentable weight only to structures in the bitstream that are implied by the steps.
To be given patentable weight, the CRM and the bitstream (i.e. descriptive material) must be in a functional relationship. A functional relationship can be found where the descriptive material performs some function with respect to the CRM to which it is associated. See MPEP §2111.05(I)(A). When a claimed “computer-readable medium merely serves as a support for information or data, no functional relationship exists”. MPEP §2111.05(III).
The CRM storing the claimed bitstream in claim 20 merely services as a support for the CRM of the bitstream and provides no functional relationship between the stored bitstream and the CRM.
Therefore, the structure bitstream, which scope is implied by the method steps, is non-functional descriptive material and given no patentable weight. MPEP §2111.05(III).
Thus, the claim scope is just a storage medium storing data and is anticipated by Joshi et al. (US 20160150234 A1) which recites a storage medium storing a bitstream ([0156] storing the bitstream on a storage medium).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramasubramonian (US 2021/0329298 A1) in view of Park (US 2022/0239946 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Ramasubramonian fails to explicitly discloses the at least one syntax element includes a second syntax element indicating a number of levels in a RAHT tree.
However, Park further teaches the at least one syntax element includes a second syntax element indicating a number of levels in a RAHT tree (e.g. Paragraph [0507]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time of the invention to incorporate the syntax element as taught as Park in the method of Ramasubramonian in order to improve the compression performance of the point cloud.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 9-15 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ramasubramonian (US 2022/0108486 A1), discloses scaling of QP;
Ray (US 2021/0400308 A1), discloses high-level syntax for point cloud compression.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YULIN SUN whose telephone number is (571)270-1043. The examiner can normally be reached 10AM - 6PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jay Patel can be reached at 571-272-2988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YULIN SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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