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
This application discloses and claims only subject matter disclosed in prior application, and names the inventor or at least one joint inventor named in the prior application. Accordingly, this application may constitute a continuation or divisional. Should applicant desire to claim the benefit of the filing date of the prior application, attention is directed to 35 U.S.C. 120, 37 CFR 1.78, and MPEP § 211 et seq. The presentation of a benefit claim may result in an additional fee under 37 CFR 1.17(w)(1) or (2) being required, if the earliest filing date for which benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) and 1.78(d) in the application is more than six years before the actual filing date of the application.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/25/2025 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 § 112
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.
Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are: the introduction of the variables presented in the relationship for determining range values.
Appropriate corrections are required.
The term “derive” in claims 1-30 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “derive” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Appropriate corrections are required.
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).
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 nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined 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 § 2146 et seq. 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 filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual 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 www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Instant Application (US18/753,366)
US12452440
US12058352
Claim 1: A decoding apparatus for decoding an encoded representation of a binary sequence, the decoding apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to: derive a first source statistic value, at+1, represented by a first number of bits, BITSₐ, wherein 0 ≤ aₜ₁₁ ≤ (1 « BITSₐ) - 1; derive a second source statistic value, bₜ₁₁, represented by a second number of bits, BITSₚ, wherein 0 ≤ bₜ₊₁ ≤ (1 « BITSb) - 1; determine a combined source statistic value based on the first source statistic value and the second source statistic value; determine at least one range value for an interval subdivision based on the combined source statistic value; and arithmetically decode the encoded representation of the binary sequence using the at least one range value.
2. a video decoder comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to: decode video content based on arithmetically decoding an encoded representation of a binary sequence; determine a first source statistic value, aₜ₁₁, to be equal to: aₜ + xₜ (ONEₐ » nₐ) - (aₜ » nₐ), wherein xₜ is a decoded binary value, aₜ is a previous version of the first source statistic value, nₐ is a first window size parameter, ONEₐ = (1 « BITSₐ) - 1, where BITSₐ is a number of bits used to represent the first source statistic value; determine a second source statistic value, bₜ₁₁, to be equal to: bₜ + xₜ (ONEb » nₚ) - (bₜ » wherein xₜ is the decoded binary value, bₜ is a previous version of the second source statistic value, nb is a second window size parameter, ONE₆ = (1 « BITSb) - 1, where BITSₚ is a number of bits used to represent the second source statistic value, wherein nb ≥ (nₐ + 3) and BITSₚ > BITSₐ; determine a combined source statistic value based on the first source statistic value and the second source statistic value; determine one or more range values for an interval subdivision based on the combined source statistic value; and arithmetically decode the encoded representation of the binary sequence using the one or more range values.
1. A video decoder comprising at least one processor and memory, the memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the video decoder to: decode video content based on arithmetically decoding an encoded representation of a binary sequence; acquire a first source statistic value, aₜ₁₁, according to: wherein xₜ is a decoded binary value, aₜ is a previous version of the first source statistic value, nₐ is a first window size parameter, ONEₐ = (1 « BITSₐ) - 1, and BITSₐ is a number of bits used to represent the first source statistic value; acquire a second source statistic value, bₜ₁, according to: wherein Xₜ is the decoded binary value, bₜ is a previous version of the second source statistic value, nb is a second window size parameter, ONE₆ = (1 « BITSb) - 1, and BITS₆ is a number of bits used to represent the second source statistic value; determine a combined source statistic value based on the first source statistic value and the second source statistic value; determine one or more range values for an interval subdivision based on the combined source statistic value; and map the encoded representation of the binary sequence to the binary sequence using the one or more range values.
Claims 1-30 rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-16 of U.S. Patent No. 12452440 and claims 1-30 of US12058352. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the variable representations into the range determination formula and map the encoded representation of the binary sequence to the binary sequence using the one or more range values.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-30 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, including the resolution of any 35 USC 112 matters and double patenting issues.
Conclusion
The closes prior art of record is Zhang et al. (US20160353110).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TALHA M NAWAZ whose telephone number is (571)270-5439. The examiner can normally be reached Flex, M-R 6:30am-3:30pm; F 8:30am-12:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joe G Ustaris can be reached at 571-272-7383. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TALHA M NAWAZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2483
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