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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
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`17/007,416
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`08/31/2020
`
`Sughosh Pavan SHASHIDHAR
`
`735256.417C1
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`6071
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
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`MESSMORE,JONATHAN R
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`ART UNIT
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`2482
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`01/19/2021
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`ELECTRONIC
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`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)
`
`

`

`
`
`Application Papers
`10)() The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11) The drawing(s)filed on 31 August 2020 is/are: a){¥) 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)() None ofthe:
`b)( Some**
`a)C) All
`1... Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.1) Certified copies of the priority documents have beenreceived in Application No.
`3.2.) Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in 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)
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20210113
`
`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/007,416
`SHASHIDHAR etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF) StatusExaminer
`JONATHAN R MESSMORE
`2482
`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 31 August 2020.
`LC} A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
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`2a)(J This action is FINAL. 2b))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\(Z 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.
`CJ] Claim(s)__ is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1,3-4 and6is/are rejected.
`Claim(s) 2and5is/are objectedto.
`C] 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:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) ) ) )
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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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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`Information Disclosure Statement
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`2.
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`The information disclosure statement(s) IDS) was/were submitted on 31 August 2020.
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`The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the
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`information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`3.
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`In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C.
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`102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the
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`statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground ofrejection if the prior art
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`relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same undereither status.
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`4,
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the
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`basis for the rejections under this section madein this Office action:
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`A personshall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(a)(2) the claimed invention wasdescribed 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, namesanother inventor and waseffectively filed before the effective filing date of the
`claimed invention.
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`5.
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`Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by
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`Alshin et al. (US 2020/0029090 A1).
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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`Page 3
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`6.
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`Regarding Claims1, 3, 4, and 6, Alshin discloses an encoder/decoder apparatus and
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`method that encodesa current block in a picture, the encoder comprising: circuitry; and memory,
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`wherein using the memory,the circuitry [Alshin: { [0620]: the aforedescribed embodiments
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`of the present disclosure can be written as a program executable on a computer and can be
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`implemented in general-use digital computers that execute the program by using a
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`computer-readable recording medium. Examplesof the computer-readable recording
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`medium include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM,floppy disks, hard disks,etc.), optical
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`recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs, or DVDs), or the like]: splits the current block into a first
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`sub block, a second sub block, and a third sub block inafirst direction, the second sub block
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`being located between the first sub block and the third sub block [Alshin: FIG. 11: 1130a-b;
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`and { [0523]: Referring to FIG. 11, the video decoding apparatus 100 may allow a decoding
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`method of the coding unit 1130b or 1180b to be different from that of the other coding
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`units 1130a and 1130c, or 1180a and 1180c, wherein the coding unit 1130b or 1180b is at a
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`center location from amongthe three coding units 1130a, 1130b, and 1130c, or 1180a,
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`1180b, and 1180c generated bysplitting the current coding unit 1100 or 1150. For
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`example, the video decoding apparatus 100 mayrestrict the coding unit 1130b or 1180b at
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`the center location to be no longersplit or to be split only a predetermined numberof
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`times, unlike the other coding units 1130a and 1130c, or 1180a and 1180c]; prohibits
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`splitting the second sub block into twopartitions in the first direction [Alshin: { [523]: the video
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`decoding apparatus 100 mayrestrict the coding unit 1130b or 1180b at the center location
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`to be no longersplit]; and encodesthe first sub block, the second sub block, and the third sub
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`block [Alshin: { [0513]: video encoding apparatus 150].
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
`
`Page 4
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`
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`7. Claims 2 and 5 are objected to as being dependent uponarejected base claim, but would
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`be allowable if rewritten in independent form includingall of the limitations of the base claim
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`and any intervening claims.
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`8.
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`The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: While using
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`parameters to indicate which direction and how manypartitions are madein further splitting of
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`sub-blocks is well-known (see, Alshin: {| [0528] and { [0550]; as well as Yasugiet al. (US
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`2019/0364279 A1), the specific numberand direction for specific split partitions in these claims
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`directly after the explicit and specific prohibition of splitting as disclosed in the independent
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`claims as well as all other limitations has not been disclosed in the prior art.
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`Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the
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`paymentofthe issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompanythe issue
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`fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasonsfor
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`Allowance.”
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`Conclusion
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`9.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to JONATHAN R MESSMOREwhosetelephone numberis
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`(571)272-2773. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9-5 EST/EDT.
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`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicantis
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
`
`Page 5
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`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR)at
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`http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examinerby telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`supervisor, Chris Kelley can be reached on 571-272-7331. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization wherethis application or proceedingis assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
`
`Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
`
`maybe obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
`
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`
`1000.
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`JONATHAN R MESSMORE/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
`
`