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 .
Detailed Action
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to the correspondence on 08/27/2026. Applicant’s argument, filed on 08/27/2026 has been entered and carefully considered. Claims 1-8 are pending.
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, rejection is withdrawn based on the arguments/claim amendments submitted on 08/27/2026.
The application filed on 03/06/2026 is a CON of 18/949,072 filed on 11/15/2024, which is a CON of 18/498,597 10/31/2023 PAT 12231610, which is a CON of 18/314,965 05/10/2023 PAT 11902668, which is a CON of 17/579,225 01/19/2022 PAT 11696035, which is a CON of 17/027,154 09/21/2020 PAT 11483476, which is a CON of 16/372,287 04/01/2019 ABN, CON of PCT/KR2017/011138 filed on 10/10/2017. Claimed foreign priority to KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 10-2016-0127887 10/04/2016, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 10-2016-0129386 10/06/2016, KOREA, and REPUBLIC OF 10-2017-0090616 07/17/2017. The certified copy of priority has been filed on 11/26/2024.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments in the 08/27/2026 Remarks have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of reference being used in the current rejection.
Examiner’s Note
Claims 1-6 refer to "A method for processing an image”, Claim 7 refers to "A method for processing an image”, and Claim 8 refers to "A method for transmitting a bitstream”. Claims 7-8 are similarly rejected in light of rejection of claims 1-6, any obvious combination of the rejection of claims 1-6, or the differences are obvious to the ordinary skill in the art. It is well known in the art that encoding and decoding are reverse processes of video coding method/system.
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 20180167615 A1), hereinafter Kim, in view of Yang et al. (US 20100238997 A1), hereinafter Yang, further in view of Pu et al. (US 20160366439 A1), hereinafter Pu.
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a method for processing an image, the method comprising (Abstract): obtaining, from a bitstream, a transform coefficient level and a difference value for a quantization parameter of a current block ([0003]); obtaining an offset for the current slice from the bitstream; deriving a quantization parameter for the current block based on the difference value and a predicted quantization parameter ([0074]); and deriving a scaled transform coefficient for the current block by applying the derived quantization parameter and the scaling factor to the transform coefficient level, wherein the predicted quantization parameter is derived based on the offset and a quantization parameter ([0074]-[0096]).
Kim discloses all the elements of claim 1 but Kim does not appear to explicitly disclose in the cited section current block in a current slice; for the current slice;quantization parameter for the current slice; determining a scaling factor based on a prediction mode of the current block.
However, Yang from the same or similar endeavor teaches current block in a current slice; for the current slice; quantization parameter for the current slice; determining a scaling factor based on a prediction mode of the current block ([0041]-[0045]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim to incorporate the teachings of Yang to reduce coding complexity (Yang, Abstract). Similar reasoning/motivation of modification can be applied/extended to the other related/dependent claims.
Kim in view of Yang discloses all the elements of claim 1 but they do not appear to explicitly disclose in the cited section wherein a current image including the current coding unit includes a padded area constructed by horizontal copying of adjacent pixels.
However, Pu from the same or similar endeavor teaches wherein a current image including the current coding unit includes a padded area constructed by horizontal copying of adjacent pixels ([0105], Fig. 7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kim in view of Yang to incorporate the teachings of Pu to improve coding efficiency (Pu, [0006]). Similar reasoning/motivation of modification can be applied/extended to the other related/dependent claims.
Regarding claim 2, Kim in view of Yang further in view of Pu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the scaling factor is derived based on whether the prediction mode is an intra prediction mode (Kim, [0074]-[0096], Yang, [0041]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 3, Kim in view of Yang further in view of Pu discloses the method of claim 2, wherein a scaling factor derived when the prediction mode is the intra prediction mode is different from a scaling factor derived when the prediction mode is an inter prediction mode (Kim, [0074]-[0096], Yang, [0041]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 4, Kim in view of Yang further in view of Pu discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the quantization parameter is derived further based on a corrected quantization parameter for the current slice (Kim, [0074]-[0096], Yang, [0041]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 5, Kim in view of Yang further in view of Pu discloses the method of claim 4, the corrected quantization parameter of the current slice is derived based on a type of the current slice (Kim, [0074]-[0096], Yang, [0041]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 6, Kim in view of Yang further in view of Pu discloses the method of claim 4, the corrected quantization parameter of the current slice is derived by adding an offset to a quantization parameter of the current slice (It is obvious to the ordinary skill in the art).
Regarding claim 7-8, See Examiner’s Note. Girard et al. (US 10,785,485 B1), Column 11, Line 45-63. Oh (US 20130016773 A1), [0030], [0085].
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/Mohammad J Rahman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2487
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