DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on June 26, 2026. Claims 16 – 20 are pending.
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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR10-2018-0031544, filed on March 19, 2018.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on December 25, 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 20, it recites the limitation “A device for transmitting compressed video data, comprising: a process configured to obtain the compressed video data; and a transmitter configured to transmit the compressed video data”. A single claim which claims both an apparatus and the method steps of using the apparatus is indefinite. The italicized portion of the claim limitation is not directed to the apparatus, but rather to actions of the individual subject, which creates confusion as to when direct infringement occurs. It is not clear whether infringement occurs when an apparatus transmits the compressed video data or whether infringement occurs when a process obtains the compressed video data. See In re Katz Interactive Call Processing Patent Litigation, 639 F.3d 1303, 97 USPQ2d 1737 (Fed. Cir. 2011). MPEP § 2173.05(p).
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 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)(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 16 - 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JUN et al., (US 2019/0166375 A1) referred to as JUN hereinafter.
Regarding Claim 16, JUN discloses a method of decoding an image (Fig. 7, Par. [0161] a method for performing intra prediction on a current block), the method comprising:
determining an intra prediction mode of a current block (Par. [0164] In the step of deriving an intra prediction mode (S1210), an intra prediction mode of a neighbor block may be used, an intra prediction mode of a current block may be decoded (e.g., entropy-decoded) from a bitstream, and/or the intra prediction mode of the current block may be derived using a coding parameter of a neighbor block. Or, in the step of deriving an intra prediction mode (S1210), the intra prediction mode of the current block may be derived, using an intra prediction mode of a neighbor block, a combination of one or more intra prediction modes of neighbor blocks, and/or an intra prediction mode derived by MPM.);
deriving reference samples for the current block (Fig. 9 – 12, Par [0165] In the step of constructing a reference sample (S1220), a reference sample may be constructed by performing reference sample selection and/or reference sample filtering), the reference samples being derived from reconstruction samples reconstructed prior to the current block (Par. [0224] The reference sample may be constructed, using one or more reconstructed samples or sample combinations neighboring to the current block); and
obtaining prediction samples of the current block based on the intra prediction mode and the reference samples (Par. [0166] In the step of performing intra prediction (S1230), Par. [0335] Intra prediction may be performed on the current block or sub-block based on the derived intra prediction mode and the reference samples),
wherein a first prediction sample included in a first sub-region in the current block is obtained based on at least one of the reference samples (Par. [0369] after average value DCVal is calculated using at least one among reference samples (i.e. based on reference samples) neighboring to the current block, intra prediction may be performed for a target prediction block including one or more samples neighboring to the center of the current block (hereinafter, referred to as “center block”) Par. [0372] blocks to the left, to the right, above, and under the center block of the current block (blocks marked with “1” in (c) (i.e. first sub-region) of FIG. 22) may be predicted (i.e. first prediction sample)), and
wherein a second prediction sample included in a second sub-region in the current block is obtained by using both a reference sample and the first prediction sample in the first sub-region (Par. [0369] after average value DCVal is calculated using at least one among reference samples (i.e. based on reference samples) neighboring to the current block, intra prediction may be performed for a target prediction block including one or more samples neighboring to the center of the current block (hereinafter, referred to as “center block”) Par. [0372] Then, intra prediction may be performed for the remaining blocks (i.e. second prediction samples) (blocks marked with “2” in (d) (i.e. second sub-region) of FIG. 22). Sub-block-wise intra prediction may be performed using at least one of already-predicted neighbor sample values (i.e. first prediction sample), with each sub-block including at least one target prediction sample).
Regarding Claim 17, JUN discloses claim 16. JUN further discloses wherein the second prediction sample included in the second sub-region is obtained by a weighted sum operation using the reference sample and the first prediction sample (Par. [0374] The four sub-blocks (the blocks marked with “2”) illustrated in (d) of FIG. 22 may also be subjected to independent or parallel sub-block-wise intra prediction based on information about already intra-predicted neighbor samples (i.e. first prediction sample), for example, by calculating weighted sums).
Regarding Claim 18, JUN discloses claim 16. JUN further discloses wherein one of the reference sample and the first reference sample is located at a left side of the second prediction sample and the other of the reference sample and the first prediction sample is located at a right side of the second prediction sample (See Fig. 22 (d), as illustrated, for either the top left 4x4 sub-block or the bottom left 4x4 subblock, the first reference sample is located on the left side of the blocks marked with “2”, and the already intra-predicted neighbor sample blocks marked with “1” (i.e. first prediction sample, as illustrated in Fig. 22 (c) top center block and bottom center block marked with “1”) are on the right of the second prediction sample).
Regarding Claim 19, the limitations are similar to those treated in the above rejection, and is met by the reference as discussed above. Claim 19 however recite an encoding method, rather than a decoding method, which is similar in structure expect in reverse operation. Therefore, Claim 19 is rejected for the same reasons of anticipation as used above.
Regarding Claim 20, JUN discloses a device for transmitting compressed video data (Fig. 1, Par. [0030] an encoding apparatus, Par. [0003] Image compression technology includes various techniques, including: an inter-prediction; an intra-prediction; a transform and quantization technique for compressing energy of a residual signal; an entropy encoding. Image data may be effectively compressed (i.e. compressed video data) by using such image compression technology), comprising: a process configured to obtain the compressed video data; and a transmitter configured to transmit the compressed video data (Par. [0090] The encoding apparatus 100 may encode an input picture in an intra mode or an inter mode or both. In addition, the encoding apparatus 100 may generate a bitstream by encoding the input picture, and may output the generated bitstream. Par. [0098] The entropy encoding unit 150 may generate the bitstream (i.e. compressed video data) by performing entropy encoding according to the probability distribution, on values calculated by the quantization unit 140 or on coding parameter values calculated in an encoding process, etc., and may output the generated bitstream. Par. [0101] The coding parameter may include information, such as the syntax element, which is encoded by the encoder (i.e. transmitter) and is transmitted to the decoder), wherein obtaining the compressed video data comprising: determining an intra prediction mode of a current block; deriving reference samples for the current block, the reference samples being derived from reconstruction samples reconstructed prior to the current block; and obtaining prediction samples of the current block based on the intra prediction mode and the reference samples, on at least one of the reference samples, and wherein a second prediction sample included in a second sub-region in the current block is obtained by using both a reference sample and the first prediction sample in the first sub-region (See MPEP §2113 recites: "Product-by-Process claims are not limited to the manipulations of the recited steps, only the structure implied by the steps". The method steps do not carry patentable weight as the claim is a product-by-process claim in which only the compressed video data (product), generated by the method steps (process), is given weight.).
Conclusion
The prior art references made of record are not relied upon but are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kim et al. (US 2014/0133559 A1) teaches intra-prediction on the second prediction area can be performed with reference to a reference sample for the first prediction area or with reference to a predetermined sample in the restored first prediction area. JEONG et al. (US 2015/0350640 A1) teaches a final prediction value for the current pixel which may be generated by averaging the first prediction value and the second prediction value.
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to SUSAN E HODGES whose telephone number is (571)270-0498. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday from 8:00 am (EST) to 4:00 pm (EST).
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner's supervisor, Brian T. Pendleton, can be reached on (571) . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Susan E. Hodges/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425
