DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 07/21/2025. Claims 1-12 have been examined.
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
Acknowledgement is made of applicant's claim for provisional application number 62/838,521 filed on 04/25/2019.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/19/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 claims at issue 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); and 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 a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this 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).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/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 http://www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1-12 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-6 of U.S. patent Application No. 18/379,313. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention that the claims cover substantially the same subject matter. The table below shows only a sample of how each of these claims is anticipated by claims such as claim 1 of U.S. patent application No. 18/379,313.
Instant Application
U.S. patent application No. 18/379,313
Claim 1: A decoder comprising circuitry configured to: receive a bit stream, the bitstream including a first coded picture, first information for determining a first plurality of control point motion vector predictors for affine motion compensation including a first index to a first reference picture in a reference picture list and motion vector difference information for the first plurality of control point motion vector predictors, a second coded picture, and second information for determining a second plurality of control point motion vector predictors for affine motion compensation including a second index to a second reference picture in the reference picture list and an indication there is no motion vector difference information for the second plurality of motion vector predictors; form a first plurality of control point motion vectors for affine motion compensation for the first picture by obtaining the first plurality of motion vector predictors using the first information, the first plurality of motion vector predictors being obtained from motion vectors used in the decoding of the first reference picture, and combining the first plurality of motion vector predictors with the motion vector difference information; and form a second plurality of control point motion vectors for affine motion compensation for the second picture by obtaining the second plurality of motion vector predictors using the second information, the second plurality of motion vector predictors being obtained from motion vectors used in the decoding of the second reference picture, there being no motion vector difference information for the second plurality of control point motion vectors as indicated in the bit stream.
Claim 1: A video encoder configured to encode a bit stream to be decoded by a decoder, the decoder configured to:receive a bit stream, the bitstream including coded picture data for a sequence of coded pictures and motion vector difference information for two control point motion vectors for 4-parameter affine motion compensation;combine the motion vector difference information from the bitstream with a prediction of two control point motion vectors to form two current control point motion vectors, said prediction of two control point motion vectors being obtained from motion vectors utilized to decode a temporally prior picture in the sequence to the current picture; andutilize the two current control point motion vectors and 4-parameter affine motion compensation to decode coded picture data of the current picture in the sequence of coded pictures
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERRY T JEAN BAPTISTE whose telephone number is (571)272-6189. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Vaughn can be reached on 571-272-3922. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JERRY T JEAN BAPTISTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
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