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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/942,630
`
`07/29/2020
`
`Kiyofumi ABE
`
`735256.442C1
`
`5501
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`OWENS, TSION B
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`2487
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`09/01/2021
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`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`USPTOeAction @ SeedIP.com
`
`pairlinkdktg @seedip.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

`

`
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-10 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C} Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) © Claim(s)____is/are objected to.
`Cj) Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10) The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)0) The drawing(s) filedon__ is/are: a)(J accepted or b)() objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)1) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`c)Z None ofthe:
`b)() Some**
`a)C All
`1.2 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.1.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`* See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
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`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20210604
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`16/942,630
`ABE etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`TSION B OWENS
`2487
`Yes
`
`
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing
`date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133}.
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 7/29/2020.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/942,630
`Art Unit: 2487
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AJA.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`2.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which formsthe basis for all obviousness
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`rejectionsset forth in this Office action:
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`A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed
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`invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the
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`claimed invention andthe prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have
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`been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary
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`skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the
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`mannerin whichthe invention was made.
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`3.
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`Claims 1-3, 5-7 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
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`Sato et al. (US 20130266070) (Kazushi Sato) in view of Ikai et al. (US 20190045214)
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`(TomhyukiIkai).
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`Regarding claim 1, Sato discloses an encoder, comprising: circuitry; and memory,
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`wherein using the memory,the circuitry: splits an image block into a plurality of partitions [See
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`abstract Paragraphs 94-95]; obtains a prediction image for a partition includedin the plurality
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`of partitions [See Paragraphs 97-10]; and encodes the image block using the prediction image,
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`in obtaining the prediction image, the circuitry: determines whetherthe partition is a non-
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`rectangular partition [See Paragraphs 92-97 Figs 2-6] and when the partition is determined to
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/942,630
`Art Unit: 2487
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`Page 3
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`be a non-rectangular partition, obtains the first prediction imageas the prediction image without
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`using the gradient image [See Paragraphs 92-97 and Figs. 5-7];
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`whenthe partition is determined not to be a non-rectangular partition, obtains(1) a first
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`prediction imagefor the partition, (i1) a gradient imageforthe first prediction image, and (iii) a
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`second prediction image as the prediction image usingthefirst prediction image and the gradient
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`image;
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`However, Ikai discloses when the partition is determined not to be a non-rectangular
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`partition, obtains (4) a first prediction imagefor the partition, (ii) a gradient imageforthe first
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`prediction image, and (iii) a second prediction image as the prediction imageusingthefirst
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`prediction image and the gradient image [See Paragraphs 164-184];
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`It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at time of invention
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`to modify the system disclosed by Sato to add the teachings in Ikai as above, to provide a method
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`that improved motion compensation [See Ikai abstract].
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`Regarding claims 2 and 6, Sato discloses wherein the circuitry determines that the
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`partition is a non-rectangular partition when the partition is a triangular partition [See Figs. 11-
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`13].
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`Regarding claims 3 and 7, Sato doesn’t explicitly disclose wherein the prediction image
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`obtained whenthe partition is determined not to be a non-rectangular partition is same as a
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`portion correspondingto the partition, of a prediction image obtained for the image block
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`without splitting the image blockinto the plurality of partitions in a determined prediction mode.
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`However, Ikai discloses wherein the prediction image obtained whenthepartition is
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`determined not to be a non-rectangular partition is same as a portion corresponding to the
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/942,630
`Art Unit: 2487
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`Page 4
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`partition, of a prediction image obtained for the image block withoutsplitting the image block
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`into the plurality of partitions in a determined prediction mode [See Paragraphs 164-184].
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`It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at time of invention
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`to modify the system disclosed by Sato to add the teachings in Ikai as above, to provide a method
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`that improved motion compensation [See Ikai abstract].
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`Regarding claim 5, the limitations claimed are substantially similar to claim 1 above,
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`therefore the groundfor rejecting claim | also applies here. In addition for decoding see Sato
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`Examples 1-2 and Figs. 1-2.
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`Regarding claim 9, the limitations claimed are substantially similar to claim 1 above,
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`therefore the ground for rejecting claim | also applies here.
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`Regarding claim 10, the limitations claimed are substantially similar to claim 1 above,
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`therefore the groundfor rejecting claim | also applies here. In addition for decoding see Sato
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`Examples 1-2 and Figs. 1-2.
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`4,
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`Claims 4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato etal.
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`(US 20130266070) (Kazushi Sato) in view of Ikai et al. (US 20190045214) (TomhyukiIkai),
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`and further in view of Ishikawaet al. (US 2016/0065958) (Mehrdad Panahpour Tehrani)
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`Regarding claims 4 and 8, Sato and Ikai don’t explicitly disclose wherein the circuitry
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`obtains the gradient image by applyinga filter to the first prediction image to extract a difference
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`value between pixels.
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`However, Panahpour Tehrani wherein the circuitry obtains the gradient image by
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`applyinga filter to the first prediction image to extract a difference value between pixels [See
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`Paragraphs 165-173].
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/942,630
`Art Unit: 2487
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`Page 5
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`It would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at time of invention
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`to modify the system disclosed by Sato and Ikai to add the teachings in Panahpour Tehrani as
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`above, to provide a method that improved the compression efficiency and compression qualityis
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`realizable with respect to the some input image [See Ishikawa Paragraph 20].
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to TSION B. OWENSwhosetelephone numberis (571)272-
`
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`
`EST.
`
`If attempts to reach the examinerby telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, David Czekaj can be reached on (571)272-7327. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization where this application or proceedingis assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`
`/TSION B OWENS/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2487
`
`