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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`17/486,659
`
`09/27/2021
`
`Kiyofumi ABE
`
`735256.437C2
`
`6315
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`SUH, JOSEPH JINWOO
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2485
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`02/01/2024
`
`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)
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`17/486,659
`Examiner
`JOSEPH SUH
`
`Applicant(s)
`ABE et al.
`Art Unit
`2485
`
`AIA (FITF) Status
`Yes
`
`-- The MAILING DATEof this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORYPERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensionsof 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
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 1/8/24.
`C} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`2a)[¥) This action is FINAL.
`2b) (J This action is non-final.
`3) 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)(2) 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.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-6 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) 1-6 is/are rejected.
`(] Claim(s)__ is/are objectedto.
`C] Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`* 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)7) 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
`1.1.) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.2) 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)
`
`2) (J Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3)
`
`4)
`
`(LJ Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20240124x
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 2
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`Notice of Pre-AlA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013,
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`is being examined
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`underthefirst inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`DETAILED ACTION
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`Claim Status
`
`This Office Action responds to reply filed on 1/8/24 regarding application 17/486659 that
`
`wasinitially filed on 9/27/21. Claims 1-6 are pending.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35
`
`U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any
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`correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of
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`rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be
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`the same under either status.
`
`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness
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`rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`A patent fora claimed invention may notbe obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not
`identically disclosed as setforth in section 102 ofthis title, if the differences between the claimed
`invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious
`beforethe effectivefiling date of the claimed inventionto a person having ordinary skill in the art to
`which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall notbe negated by the manner in which the
`invention was made.
`
`1.
`
`Claims 1 - 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable
`
`over Bivolarsky et al., US 2014/0105277 A1 (hereinafter Bivolarsky) in view of
`
`Shenet al., US 2001/0021222 A1 (hereinafter Shen).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 3
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`As forclaim 1, Bivolarsky discloses an encoder ([0032], e.g., encoding)
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`comprising: Circuitry ([0072], e.g., CPU); and memory ([0072], e.g., memory) coupled
`
`to the circuitry, wherein using the memory, the circuitry, in operation: generates a
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`plurality of quantization matrix elements ([0047], e.g., matrix of quantization, note the
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`elements of the matrix) for a current block ([0047], e.g., block); generates a
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`quantization matrix ([0047], e.g., matrix of quantization) using the plurality of
`
`quantization matrix elements ([0047], e.g., matrix of quantization, note the elements
`
`of the matrix), and quantizes ([0047], e.g., quantization), using the quantization
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`matrix, transform coefficients ([0047], e.g., coefficient) of the current block.
`
`Bivolarsky does not explicitly disclose, but, Shen teaches the quantization matrix
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`including only a subset ([0061], e.g., truncated) of quantization matrix elements of the
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`plurality of quantization matrix elements ([0061], e.g., quantization matrix), each of the
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`subset of quantization matrix elements having an x-coordinate value less than a
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`threshold x-coordinate value, a y-coordinate value less than a threshold y-coordinate
`
`value, or an x-coordinate value less than the threshold x-coordinate value and a y-
`
`coordinate value less than the threshold y-coordinate value (Fig. 2A, e.g., truncated).
`
`Therefore, given the teachings as a whole,
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`it would have been obvious to oneof
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`ordinary skill in the art before the effectivefiling date of the claimed invention, having
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`the references of Bivolarsky and Shen before him/her to modify the color adaptation in
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`video coding of Bivolarsky with the teaching of quantization matrix for still and moving
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`picture coding of Shen with a motivation to reduce overhead forlow bit rate
`
`transmission as taught by Shen ([0008)).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 4
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`As forclaim 2, most oflimitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection
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`of Claim 1.
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`Bivolarsky does not explicitly teach, but, Shen teaches the threshold x-coordinate
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`value is 31, and the threshold y-coordinate value is 31 (Fig. 2A, note the threshold of
`
`8).
`
`Therefore, given the teachings as a whole,
`
`it would have been obviousto oneof
`
`ordinary skill
`
`in the art before the effectivefiling date of the claimed invention, having
`
`the references of Bivolarsky and Shen before him/her to modify the color adaptation in
`
`video coding of Bivolarsky with the teaching of quantization matrix forstill and moving
`
`picture coding of Shen with a motivation to reduce overhead forlow bit rate
`
`transmission as taught by Shen ([0008)).
`
`Asfor claim 3, the claim recites a decoder of the encoderof claim 1, and is
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`similarly analyzed.
`
`Asfor claim 4, the claim recites a decoder of the encoderof claim 2, and is
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`similarly analyzed.
`
`As for claim 5, the claim recites a non-transitory computer readable medium
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`storing a bitstream of the encoder of claim 1, and is similarly analyzed.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 5
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`As for claim 6, the claim recites a non-transitory computer readable medium
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`storing a bitstream of the encoder of claim 2, and is similarly analyzed.
`
`Applicant 's arguments filed 1/8/24 have been fully considered but they are not
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`Response to Arguments
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`persuasive.
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`The applicant argues with respect to claim 1 that Shen fails to disclose or even
`
`suggest a quantization matrix "including only a subset of quantization matrix elements of
`
`the plurality of quantization matrix elements, each of the subset of quantization matrix
`
`elements having an x-coordinate value less than a threshold x-coordinate value, a y-
`
`coordinate value less than a threshold y-coordinate value, or an x-coordinate value less
`
`than the threshold x-coordinate value and a y-coordinate value less than the threshold
`
`y-coordinate value." Examiner respectfully disagrees.
`
`In Fig. 2A, the threshold values
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`are 8. The x and y coordinates of elements in the quantization matrix are less than 8
`
`because the largest coordinate value is 5. Thus, Shen discloses a quantization matrix
`
`"including only a subset of quantization matrix elements of the plurality of quantization
`
`matrix elements, each of the subset of quantization matrix elements having an x-
`
`coordinate value less than a threshold x-coordinate value, a y-coordinate value less
`
`than a threshold y-coordinate value, or an x-coordinate value less than the threshold x-
`
`coordinate value and a y-coordinate value less than the threshold y-coordinate value."
`
`Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 6
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`The prior art made of record and notrelied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
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`disclosure:
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`1. US 2003/0108099 discloses picture encoding method and apparatus, picture
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`decoding method and apparatus and furnishing medium.
`
`Conclusion
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`Applicant 's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in
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`this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP §
`
`706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR
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`1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within
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`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
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`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTHshortened statutory period, then the
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`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
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`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
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`the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
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`than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to JOSEPH SUH whosetelephone numberis 571-270-
`
`7484. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 7:30 AM - 6:00
`
`PM.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/486,659
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 7
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`
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`
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`
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`
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`
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`
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`
`/JOSEPH SUH/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
`
`