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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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) was/were submitted on 2 October 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claimed invention is not directed to patent eligible subject matter. Based upon an analysis with respect to the claim as a whole, claim(s) 15 is/are determined to be directed to a law of nature/natural principle. The rationale for this determination is explained below: claim 15 appears to be direct to a program per se.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
(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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 15-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US 2023/0034458 A1).
Regarding claims 1-4, 13, and 15, Chen discloses an apparatus performing via a CRM [Chen: ¶ [0224] The computer readable media can have computer code thereon for performing various computer-implemented operations; and ¶ [0223] CPUs (1841), GPUs (1842), FPGAs (1843), and accelerators (1844) can execute certain instructions that, in combination, can make up the aforementioned computer code] a method, comprising: assigning a unique index representative of each intra mode and geometric partitioning split mode combination of a video block [Chen: ¶ [0164] A block may have multiple prediction modes. Prediction bits associated with the multiple prediction modes can be combined as a prediction mode of a current CU. For example, three prediction bits associated with inter, intra, and IBC respectively can be combined as a prediction mode of a current CU. For an inter prediction block (or a block predicted by inter prediction), only a prediction bit for inter can be true. Similarly, only a prediction bit for intra can be true for an intra prediction mode (or a block predicted by intra prediction), and only a prediction bit for IBC can be true for an IBC block (or a block predicted by IBC). If the current CU is marked as GPM with IBC and inter, the prediction bits for inter and IBC can both be set as true. The prediction bits for intra and IBC can both be set as true if the current CU is marked as GPM with IBC and intra. When obtaining a predictor or generating a MPM list, a related prediction bit may be used to check whether the prediction mode and the motion information can be used for other CUs]; coding the index based on a cost of the unique index [Chen: ¶ [0164]]; setting a flag when the unique index is in a most probable mode list [Chen: ¶ [0164]: When obtaining a predictor or generating a MPM list, a related prediction bit may be used to check whether the prediction mode and the motion information can be used for other CUs]; and, encoding/decoding the video block using said most probable mode list [Chen: ¶ [0164]].
Regarding Claim 5, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claim 1, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to that claim.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein a truncated code is used to indicate which mode to use from said most probable mode list [Chen: ¶ [0139] A size of the merge list can be signalled in a slice header. A maximum allowed size of the merge list can be 6, such as in VTM 4. For each CU coded in the merge mode, an index of a best merge candidate can be encoded, for example using a truncated unary binarization].
Regarding Claims 6 and 16, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 1 and 3, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein intra prediction modes are sorted based on template matching cost [Chen: ¶ [0148] In order to further improve compression efficiency, such as in VVC, template matching (TM) which refines the motion at the decoder side can be utilized. In the TM mode, motion is refined by constructing a template from left and above neighboring reconstructed samples and a closest match can be determined between the template in the current picture and the reference frame.
[0149] TM can be applied to GPM. When a CU is coded in GPM, whether TM is applied to refine each motion for the geometric partition can be determined. When the TM is chosen, a template can be constructed using left and above neighboring samples, and the motion can further be refined by finding a best match between the current template and a reference area with a same template pattern in the reference frame. The refined motion can be used to perform motion compensation for the geometric partition and can further be stored in the motion field].
Regarding Claims 7 and 17, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 1 and 3, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein a syntax element is used to signal a split mode [Chen: ¶ [0144] When the GPM is used, a CU can be split into two geometric-shaped partitions by using one of a plurality of partition manners. The partitioning manners can be differentiated by angles and/or edges. In an embodiment, 64 different partitioning manners can be applied in the GPM. The 64 different partitioning manners can be differentiated by 24 angles that are nonuniform quantized between 0 and 360° and up to 4 edges relative to a center of a CU. FIG. 13 shows 24 exemplary angles applied in the GPM. FIG. 14 shows four exemplary possible partition edges associated with an angle with an index of 3 in a CU (1402), where each of the partition edges can be associated with a respective distance index. The distance index can indicate a distance relative to a center of the CU].
Regarding Claims 8 and 18, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 1 and 3, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein the intra mode and split mode combination is sorted by a cost [Chen: ¶ [0150] The GPM can be applied to support inter and intra prediction to enhance the coding performance beyond VVC. For example, pre-defined intra prediction modes against (or regarding) a geometric partition line can be selected in addition to motion vectors from a merge candidate list for each geometric partition in a GPM-applied CU. An intra prediction mode or an inter prediction mode can be determined for each geometric partition based on a flag. When the inter prediction is chosen, a uni-prediction signal can be generated by MVs from the merge candidate list].
Regarding Claims 9 and 19, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 2 and 4, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein a flag is indicative of whether at least one partition of the video block using intra coding [Chen: ¶ [0023]: a first prediction type for the first partition of the current block and a second prediction type for the second partition of the current block can be determined based on at least one flag associated with a prediction type].
Regarding Claims 10 and 20, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 9 and 19, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein sorting split partitionings of the video block are sorted based on a number of partitions using inter coding [Chen: ¶ [0027] In an example, the first prediction mode for the first partition can be determined to be associated with one of a first inter prediction mode and a first block vector of the IBC. The second prediction mode for the second partition can be determined to be associated with one of a second inter prediction mode and a second block vector of the IBC].
Regarding Claims 11 and 21, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claims 10 and 20, respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
Furthermore, Chen discloses wherein codes indicative of coding mode and split mode combination of the video block are used based on lower indices [Chen: ¶ [0093] A bi-directionally predictive picture (B Picture) may be one that may be coded and decoded using intra prediction or inter prediction using at most two motion vectors and reference indices to predict the sample values of each block].
Regarding Claims 12, Chen discloses all the limitations of Claim4 and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to that claim.
Furthermore, Chen discloses a device comprising: an apparatus according to Claim 4; and at least one of (i) an antenna configured to receive a signal, the signal including the video block [Chen: ¶ [0064] The receiver (531) may receive one or more coded video sequences to be decoded by the video decoder (510)], (ii) a band limiter configured to limit the received signal to a band of frequencies that includes the video block [Chen: ¶ [0075]: Also necessary for compliance can be that the complexity of the coded video sequence is within bounds as defined by the level of the video compression technology or standard. In some cases, levels restrict the maximum picture size, maximum frame rate, maximum reconstruction sample rate (measured in, for example megasamples per second), maximum reference picture size, and so on. Limits set by levels can, in some cases, be further restricted through Hypothetical Reference Decoder (HRD) specifications and metadata for HRD buffer management signaled in the coded video sequence], and (iii) a display configured to display an output representative of a video block [Chen: ¶ [0058]: may decode the coded video data to recover the video pictures and may display video pictures at an accessible display device according to the recovered video data].
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN R MESSMORE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
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