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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/26/2025 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 § 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhou (“Non-EE2: DIMD with filtered template”, 07/04/2023, hereinafter Zhou; retrieved from https://jvet-experts.org/doc_end_user/current_document.php?id=13093).
Concerning claim 8, Zhou a method for video encoding, comprising:
determining a filter type from a plurality of filter types including a 3x3 Sobel filter and a 3x2 Sobel-based filter for a left template to the left of a current block and determining a filter type from a plurality of filter types including the 3x3 Sobel filter and a 2x3 Sobel-based filter for a top template above the current block (Section 1: 3x3 Sobel operator; Section 2: 3x3 filter operator in 3x2 and 2x3 gradient operators. “Instead of 3x3 Sobel gradient operators, the following 3x2 and 2x3 gradient operators are used for the gradient histogram derivation of left and top templates respectively.”), the current block in a current picture being coded with a decoder-side intra mode derivation (DIMD) mode (Sections 1 & 2: DIMD mode), a template of the current block being adjacent to the current block and including multiple lines of reconstructed samples in the current picture, the template of the current block including the left template and the top template (see the figure in section 2);
applying the DIMD mode to the reconstructed samples in the template based on the filter type for the left template and the filter type for the top template to determine one or more intra prediction modes for the current block (Section 1: “When DIMD is applied, up to five intra modes are derived from the reconstructed neighbor samples”);
encoding the current block using the one or more intra prediction modes (Sections 1 & 3).
Concerning claim 9, Zhou further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein:
the 3×2 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mlx and a vertical filter Mly, a middle row in Mlx is [0, 0], a sum of each column in Mlx is 0, and a sum of each row in Mly is 0 (Section 2: 3x2 filters Mx and My).
Concerning claim 10, Zhou further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein:
the 2×3 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mtx and a vertical filter Mty, a middle column in Mty is
0
0
, a sum of each row in Mty is 0, and a sum of each column in Mtx is 0. (Section 2: 2x3 filters Mx and My).
Concerning claim 11, Zhou further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein:
the left template includes multiple columns of reconstructed samples (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
the filter type for the left template is the 3×2 Sobel-based filter (section 2: 3x2 Sobel based filter);
the 3×2 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mlx that is
-
1
-
3
0
0
1
3
and a vertical filter Mly that is
1
-
1
2
-
2
1
-
1
(sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
for a group of reconstructed samples in a 3×2 sliding window that traverses the left template one row at a time across the multiple columns of reconstructed samples, the applying includes applying Mlx and Mly to the group of reconstructed samples in the 3×2 sliding window to determine an intra prediction mode associated with the group of reconstructed samples in the sliding window (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2) and determining the one or more intra prediction modes of the current block based on the determined intra prediction modes associated with respective groups of reconstructed samples in the left template (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2).
Concerning claim 12, Zhou further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein:
the top template includes multiple rows of reconstructed samples (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
the filter type for the top template is the 2x3 Sobel-based filter (section 2: 2x3 Sobel based filter);
the 2x3 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mtx that is
-
1
-
2
1
2
-
1
1
and a vertical filter Mty that is
1
0
0
0
-
1
-
3
(sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
for a group of reconstructed samples in a 2x3 sliding window that traverses the top template one column at a time across the multiple rows of reconstructed samples, the applying includes applying Mtx and Mty to the group of reconstructed samples in the 2x3 sliding window to determine an intra prediction mode associated with the group of reconstructed samples in the sliding window (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2) and determining the one or more intra prediction modes of the current block based on the determined intra prediction modes associated with respective groups of reconstructed samples in the top template (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2).
Concerning claim 13, Zhou further teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the top template includes first reconstructed samples that are directly above the current block and second reconstructed samples that are above and to a right of the current block, and the left template includes third reconstructed samples that are directly to the left of the current block and fourth reconstructed samples that are below and to the left of the current block (section 2, specifically the included figure).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
Claims 1-7 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou (“Non-EE2: DIMD with filtered template”, 07/04/2023) in view of Wang et al. (WO 2023051532 A1, hereinafter Wang).
Concerning claim 1, Zhou teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform an encoding method comprising:
determining a filter type from a plurality of filter types including a 3x3 Sobel filter and a 3x2 Sobel-based filter for a left template to the left of a current block and determining a filter type from a plurality of filter types including the 3x3 Sobel filter and a 2x3 Sobel-based filter for a top template above the current block (Section 1: 3x3 Sobel operator; Section 2: 3x3 filter operator in 3x2 and 2x3 gradient operators. “Instead of 3x3 Sobel gradient operators, the following 3x2 and 2x3 gradient operators are used for the gradient histogram derivation of left and top templates respectively.”), the current block in a current picture being coded with a decoder-side intra mode derivation (DIMD) mode (Sections 1 & 2: DIMD mode), a template of the current block being adjacent to the current block and including multiple lines of reconstructed samples in the current picture, the template of the current block including the left template and the top template (see the figure in section 2);
applying the DIMD mode to the reconstructed samples in the template based on the filter type for the left template and the filter type for the top template to determine one or more intra prediction modes for the current block (Section 1: “When DIMD is applied, up to five intra modes are derived from the reconstructed neighbor samples”);
encoding, in a bitstream, the current block using the one or more intra prediction modes (Sections 1 & 3). Not explicitly taught is transmitting the bitstream.
Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches an encoding method using DIMD, wherein the encoded bitstream is transmitted (¶0052). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Zhang and Wang and transmit the encoded bitstream. Transmitting the encoded bitstream is a well-known technique and allows said bitstream to be sent to a destination device or stored in a storage medium for later processing.
Concerning claim 2, Zhou further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein:
the 3×2 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mlx and a vertical filter Mly, a middle row in Mlx is [0, 0], a sum of each column in Mlx is 0, and a sum of each row in Mly is 0 (Section 2: 3x2 filters Mx and My).
Concerning claim 3, Zhou further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein:
the 2×3 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mtx and a vertical filter Mty, a middle column in Mty is
0
0
, a sum of each row in Mty is 0, and a sum of each column in Mtx is 0. (Section 2: 2x3 filters Mx and My).
Concerning claim 4, Zhou further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein:
the left template includes multiple columns of reconstructed samples (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
the filter type for the left template is the 3×2 Sobel-based filter (section 2: 3x2 Sobel based filter);
the 3×2 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mlx that is
-
1
-
3
0
0
1
3
and a vertical filter Mly that is
1
-
1
2
-
2
1
-
1
(sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
for a group of reconstructed samples in a 3×2 sliding window that traverses the left template one row at a time across the multiple columns of reconstructed samples, the applying includes:
applying Mlx and Mly to the group of reconstructed samples in the 3×2 sliding window to determine an intra prediction mode associated with the group of reconstructed samples in the sliding window (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2); and
determining the one or more intra prediction modes of the current block based on the determined intra prediction modes associated with respective groups of reconstructed samples in the left template (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2).
Concerning claim 5, Zhou further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein:
the top template includes multiple rows of reconstructed samples (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
the filter type for the top template is the 2x3 Sobel-based filter (section 2: 2x3 Sobel based filter);
the 2x3 Sobel-based filter includes a horizontal filter Mtx that is
-
1
-
2
1
2
-
1
1
and a vertical filter Mty that is
1
0
0
0
-
1
-
3
(sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2);
for a group of reconstructed samples in a 2x3 sliding window that traverses the top template one column at a time across the multiple rows of reconstructed samples, the applying includes:
applying Mtx and Mty to the group of reconstructed samples in the 2x3 sliding window to determine an intra prediction mode associated with the group of reconstructed samples in the sliding window (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2); and
determining the one or more intra prediction modes of the current block based on the determined intra prediction modes associated with respective groups of reconstructed samples in the top template (sections 1 & 2, including the figure in section 2).
Concerning claim 6, Zhou further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein the top template includes first reconstructed samples that are directly above the current block and second reconstructed samples that are above and to a right of the current block, and the left template includes third reconstructed samples that are directly to the left of the current block and fourth reconstructed samples that are below and to the left of the current block (section 2, specifically the included figure).
Concerning claim 7, Wang further teaches the storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determining includes determining the filter type for the left template based on one of (i) locations of respective reconstructed samples in the left template relative to the current block (p. 41, section 2.17.2: “only one pixel from the left and one pixel from above are used”), (ii) a block size of the current block, (iii) a block shape of the current block, (iv) a location of the current block in one of the current picture and a current coding tree unit (CTU) (p. 41, section 2.17.2: “a location of the current block in one of the current picture and a current coding tree unit (CTU)”), and (v) reference lines.
Concerning claim 14, Zhou teaches the method of claim 8. Not explicitly taught is the method, wherein the determining includes determining the filter type for the left template based on one of (i) locations of the respective reconstructed samples in the left template relative to the current block, (ii) a block size of the current block, (iii) a block shape of the current block, (iv) a location of the current block in one of the current picture and a current coding tree unit (CTU), and (v) reference lines.
Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches an encoding method using DIMD, wherein the determining includes determining the filter type for the left template based on one of (i) locations of respective reconstructed samples in the left template relative to the current block (p. 41, section 2.17.2: “only one pixel from the left and one pixel from above are used”), (ii) a block size of the current block, (iii) a block shape of the current block, (iv) a location of the current block in one of the current picture and a current coding tree unit (CTU) (p. 41, section 2.17.2: “a location of the current block in one of the current picture and a current coding tree unit (CTU)”), and (v) reference lines. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Zhang and Wang in order to improve the encoding process (Wang, ¶0299).
Claims 15-20 are rejected under the same rationale as claims 8-13, respectively, as being directed to the inverse decoding method; however, Zhou does not explicitly teach an apparatus for video coding, comprising: process circuitry to perform the decoding method.
Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches an video decoder using a DIMD coding tool, wherein a processor is used to perform the decoding method (fig. 3 & ¶0079: video decoder 300, using a processor to perform the described techniques). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the teachings of Zhou and Wang and implement the decoding method in an apparatus for video decoding. Such a modification is merely the use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way.
Conclusion
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/James M Anderson II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2425
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