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 .
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).
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Claims 1-14 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-14 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583 in view of Choi et al. (US 2021/0105465 A1, referred to herein as “Choi”).
Claim 1 of Instant Application
An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice including a current block;
determining a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtaining the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decoding the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block not being satisfied and a second condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value, the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583
An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a color format of a current block;
determining a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtaining the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decoding the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block being not satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value or a third value based on at least one of a color format, split mode or size of the current block.
Table 1.
Regarding claim 1, Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583 discloses many of the same limitations as shown in Table 1.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583 does not explicitly disclose:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice; and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
However, Choi discloses:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice (Choi: ); and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing conditions for coding a current block)… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing a predetermined condition being a size of a data unit; paragraphs [0119]-[0120], disclosing coding of luma blocks; Fig. 3, paragraphs [0134]-[0136], disclosing that the data unit is block of a particular size—e.g., a product of a width and height; paragraphs [0126] and [0142], disclosing use of a predetermined split mode).
At the time the application was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the conditions of Choi in the image decoding method of Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583.
One would have been motivated to modify Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583 in this manner in order to reduce the bit amount required to represent intra prediction mode information when coding a current block (Choi: paragraphs [0003]-[0005]).
Regarding claims 2-14, claims 2-14, respectively, of U.S. Patent No. 11,546,583 in view of Choi disclose the same or similar limitations for the reasons discussed above.
Claims 1-14 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-14 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261 in view of Choi.
Claim 1 of Instant Application
An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice including a current block;
determining a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtaining the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decoding the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block not being satisfied and a second condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value, the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261
An image decoding apparatus comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor connected to the memory, the at least one processor configured to:
determine prediction mode characteristic information based on a color format of a current block;
determine a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtain the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decode the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block being not satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value or a third value based on at least one of a color format, split mode or size of the current block.
Table 2.
Regarding claim 1, Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261 discloses many of the same limitations as shown in Table 2.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261 does not explicitly disclose:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice; and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
However, Choi discloses:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice (Choi: ); and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing conditions for coding a current block)… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing a predetermined condition being a size of a data unit; paragraphs [0119]-[0120], disclosing coding of luma blocks; Fig. 3, paragraphs [0134]-[0136], disclosing that the data unit is block of a particular size—e.g., a product of a width and height; paragraphs [0126] and [0142], disclosing use of a predetermined split mode).
At the time the application was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the conditions of Choi in the image decoding method of Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261.
One would have been motivated to modify Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261 in this manner in order to reduce the bit amount required to represent intra prediction mode information when coding a current block (Choi: paragraphs [0003]-[0005]).
Regarding claims 2-14, claims 2-14, respectively, of U.S. Patent No. 11,997,261 in view of Choi disclose the same or similar limitations for the reasons discussed above.
Claims 1-14 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-14 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715 in view of Choi.
Claim 1 of Instant Application
An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice including a current block;
determining a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtaining the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decoding the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block not being satisfied and a second condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value, the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715
An image decoding method performed by an image decoding apparatus, the image decoding method comprising:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice including a current block;
determining a prediction mode type of a lower-layer block split from the current block based on the prediction mode characteristic information;
obtaining the lower-layer block by splitting the current block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block; and
decoding the lower-layer block based on the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block,
wherein the prediction mode type of the lower-layer block comprises a first prediction mode type specifying that both an intra prediction mode and an inter prediction mode are available, a second prediction mode type specifying that only the intra prediction mode is available and a third prediction mode type specifying that only the inter prediction mode is available,
wherein, based on a first condition for the current block being satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a first value, and the first condition comprises a case where a color format of the current block is a monochrome format or a 4:4:4 format, and
wherein, based on the first condition for the current block being not satisfied, the prediction mode characteristic information has a second value or a third value based on at least one of the color format, a split mode or a size of the current block.
Table 3.
Regarding claim 1, Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715 discloses many of the same limitations as shown in Table 3.
Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715 does not explicitly disclose:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice; and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode.
However, Choi discloses:
determining prediction mode characteristic information based on a coding type of a slice (Choi: ); and
a second condition for the current block being satisfied (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing conditions for coding a current block)… the second condition comprises a case where a product of a width and height of a luma block of the current block being a predetermined value and a split mode of the current block being predetermined split mode (Choi: paragraph [0185], disclosing a predetermined condition being a size of a data unit; paragraphs [0119]-[0120], disclosing coding of luma blocks; Fig. 3, paragraphs [0134]-[0136], disclosing that the data unit is block of a particular size—e.g., a product of a width and height; paragraphs [0126] and [0142], disclosing use of a predetermined split mode).
At the time the application was effectively filed, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the conditions of Choi in the image decoding method of Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715.
One would have been motivated to modify Claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715 in this manner in order to reduce the bit amount required to represent intra prediction mode information when coding a current block (Choi: paragraphs [0003]-[0005]).
Regarding claims 2-14, claims 2-14, respectively, of U.S. Patent No. 12,413,715 in view of Choi disclose the same or similar limitations for the reasons discussed above.
Conclusion
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CHRISTOPHER T. BRANIFF
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2484
/CHRISTOPHER BRANIFF/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
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