DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on October 8, 2025. Claims 16-22 are pending and are 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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 16-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0359485 (“Liu”) in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0099495 (“Rapaka”).
With respect to claim 16, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed, including:
A method of decoding an image (see Figs. 1 and 4, items 180, 400, ¶¶56-58, describing a decoder for decoding video data), the method comprising:
deriving a motion vector candidate based on a neighboring block adjacent to a current block (see Figs. 2-3, items 210-260, 320, ¶¶5, 19, 60, describing obtaining/deriving a candidate MV corresponding to, i.e., based on, neighboring blocks neighboring the current block, i.e., adjacent to the current block);
obtaining a modified motion vector by modifying the motion vector candidate (see Fig. 3, items 340-350, ¶¶5, 19-20, 64-66, 72, 75-77, describing obtaining modified candidate MVs by rounding the candidate MVs up or down to a new precision based on a target/current block precision); and
…
wherein the modified motion vector is obtained by adjusting the motion vector candidate to a motion vector resolution of the current block (see citations above, describing that the modified candidate MVs are obtained by adjusting the candidate MVs to a target motion vector precision/resolution of the current block).
Liu teaches the generation of a MV candidate list for use in AMVP or merge mode. Liu does not detail all the features of AMVP or merge mode prediction, however. As described in Rapaka, these were well known in the art at the time of filing, including obtaining a prediction block of the current block based on the modified motion vector (see ¶138, describing that in merge and AMVP mode, a candidate is selected from the MV candidate list, e.g., using a signaled index pointing to an entry in the candidate list, and used to locate a predictive block of the current block using the motion information of the selected MV candidate).
At the time of filing, one of ordinary skill would have been familiar AMVP and merge mode prediction and the steps thereof and have understood that, as evidenced by Rapaka, that such modes include the selection of a candidate from the candidate list and the use of the motion information associated with that candidate to obtain a prediction block of the current block. Accordingly, to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing, using the modified candidates of Liu’s AMVP/merge mode candidate list in accordance with the known AMVP/merge mode step of selecting a candidate for use in obtaining a prediction block of the current block based on the selected candidate (i.e., modified motion vector candidate) would have represented nothing more than the combination of prior art elements according to predictable results and/or the simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to include a mechanism for selecting a modified MV candidate from Liu’s modified MV candidate list for use in obtaining a prediction block of the current block based on the selected candidate (i.e., modified motion vector candidate) in the coding system of Liu as taught by Rapaka.
With respect to claim 17, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of independent claim 16. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
wherein the modified motion vector is obtained by a round down operation with the motion vector candidate (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above, including Liu ¶¶65-66, 72, 76-77, describing that the precision/resolution modified MV candidates may be obtained using a round down operation with the MV candidates).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claim 16 also apply to claim 17.
With respect to claim 18, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of independent claim 16. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
wherein the modified motion vector is obtained by increasing the motion vector resolution of the selected motion vector candidate to a motion vector resolution of the current block (see citations and arguments with respect to claim 16 above, including ¶¶64-66, 75-77, describing that the modified motion vector may be obtained by increasing/resolution of the MV candidate to the precision/resolution of the current block).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claim 16 also apply to claim 18.
With respect to claim 19, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of dependent claim 18. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
wherein the motion vector resolution of the current block selected from a plurality of motion vector resolution candidates, and
wherein the motion vector resolution candidates comprise at least one of integer-pel, 1/2-pel, 1/4-pel, 1/8pel or 1/16-pel (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above and Liu, ¶¶24, 61, 91-92, describing that the MV precision/resolution of the current block is selected from a plurality of candidates including integer-pel, 1/2-pel, and 1/4-pel).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claims 16 also apply to claim 19.
With respect to claim 20, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of dependent claim 19. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
wherein obtaining the modified motion vector by adjusting the motion vector candidate is allowed only in a pre-defined inter prediction mode among a plurality of inter prediction modes, the plurality of inter prediction modes comprising a merge mode and an AMVP (Advanced Motion Vector Prediction) mode (see citations and arguments with respect to claim 16 above, including Liu, ¶¶16-17, 58-62, 64-65, 75-76, describing that the method described, which includes the obtaining of a modified motion vector by adjusting the motion vector candidate, is done for AMVP or merge mode, i.e., pre-defined inter prediction modes, and that these are ones among a classification of inter prediction (as opposed to intra prediction) modes).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claims 16 also apply to claim 20.
With respect to claim 21, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of independent claim 16. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
A method of encoding an image (see Liu Figs. 1 and 4, items 130 400, ¶¶56-58, describing an encoder for encoding video data), the method comprising:
deriving a motion vector candidate based on a neighboring block adjacent to a current block (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above);
obtaining a modified motion vector by modifying the motion vector candidate (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above); and
obtaining a prediction block of the current block based on the modified motion vector (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above),
wherein the modified motion vector is obtained by adjusting the motion vector candidate to a motion vector resolution of the current block (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claim 16 also apply to claim 21.
With respect to claim 22, Liu discloses the invention substantially as claimed. As detailed above, Liu in view Rapaka discloses each and every element of independent claim 16. Liu/Rapaka additionally discloses:
A device for transmitting compressed video data (see Liu Figs. 1 and 4, items 110, 130, 140, ¶¶54-58, describing a source device 110 which includes an encoder that encodes video data and provides it to an output interface including an antenna for transmitting encoded/compressed video data), comprising:
a processor configured to obtain the compressed video data (see Liu Fig. 4, item 430, ¶¶5, 14-15, 22, 100-103, describing a processor which may embody the encoder/decoder, i.e., be configured to obtain, the compressed/coded video data); and
0.a transmitter configured to transmit the compressed video data (see Liu Figs. 1, 4, items 140, 440, ¶¶21, 55, 57, 100, describing a transmitter for decoding video data),
wherein obtaining the compressed video data comprises:
deriving a motion vector candidate based on a neighboring block adjacent to a current block (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above);
obtaining a modified motion vector by modifying the motion vector candidate (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above); and
obtaining a prediction block of the current block based on the modified motion vector (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above),
wherein the modified motion vector is obtained by adjusting the motion vector candidate to a motion vector resolution of the current block (see citations and arguments with respect to corresponding element of claim 16 above).
The reasons for combining the cited prior art with respect to claim 16 also apply to claim 22.
Conclusion
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LINDSAY J UHL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2481
/LINDSAY J UHL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2481
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