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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
`
`17/007,416
`
`08/31/2020
`
`Sughosh Pavan SHASHIDHAR
`
`735256.417C1
`
`6071
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`MESSMORE,JONATHAN R
`
`ART UNIT
`
`2482
`
`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`08/17/2021
`
`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 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
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s)filed on 9 April 2021.
`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)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.
`
`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.
`(1 Claim(s)__is/are objectedto.
`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)
`
`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:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20210812
`
`

`

`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 21 January 2021
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`and 9 April 2021. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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`Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
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`3.
`
`Applicant's arguments filed 9 April 2021 have been fully considered but they are not
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`Response to Arguments
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`persuasive.
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`4,
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`Applicant’s amendments change the scope of the previously cited allowable claims 2 and
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`5 and are taught by the primary reference Alshin. Applicant argues “the cited portion Alshin
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`does not appear to disclose “when the first parameter indicates the first direction, splits the
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`second sub block into three partitions in the first direction and prohibits splitting the second sub
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`block into two partitions in the first direction,” as recited”. Examiner respectfully disagrees and
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`respectfully directs Applicant to the portion of Alshin cited in the reasonsfor allowance, see
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`Office Action mailed 19 January 2021 page 4, which discloses parameters for split size and
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`direction. Examiner respectfully submits instruction to split N times inherently prohibits
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`splitting of M times, where M does not equal N.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
`
`Page 3
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`5.
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`Thetext of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found
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`in a prior Office action.\
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`6.
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`Claim(s) 1- 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Alshin et
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`al. (US 2020/0029090 A1).
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`7.
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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], in operation: splits the current block
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`into a first sub block, a second sub block, and a third sub block in a first direction, the second sub
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`block being located betweenthe first sub block andthe third sub block [Alshin: FIG. 11: 1130a-
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`b; and { [0523]: Referring to FIG. 11, the video decoding apparatus 100 may allow a
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`decoding method of the coding unit 1130b or 1180b to be different from that of the other
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`coding units 1130a and 1130c, or 1180a and 1180c, wherein the coding unit 1130b or 1180b
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`is at a center location from amongthe three coding units 1130a, 1130b, and 1130c, or
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`1180a, 1180b, and 1180c generated bysplitting the current coding unit 1100 or 1150. For
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`example, the video decoding apparatus 100 may restrict the coding unit 1130b or 1180b at
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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`Page 4
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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]; when the second
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`sub blockis to be split into a plurality of partitions: writes, into a bitstream, a first parameter
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`indicating a direction in which the second sub blockis to be split; and whenthe first parameter
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`indicates the first direction, splits the second sub block into three partitions in the first direction
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`[Alshin: { [0528]: According to an embodiment, the video decoding apparatus 100 may
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`determineto split each of the third coding units 1220a, or 1220b, 1220c, and 1220d into
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`coding units or not to split the second coding unit 1210, based on atleast one of the block
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`shape information andthe split shape information. According to an embodiment, the video
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`decoding apparatus 100 maysplit the non-square second coding unit 1210 into the odd
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`numberof third coding units 1220b, 1220c, and 1220d. The video decoding apparatus 100
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`may put a predeterminedrestriction on a predetermined third coding unit from among the
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`odd numberof third coding units 1220b, 1220c, and 1220d. For example, the video
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`decoding apparatus 100 mayrestrict the third coding unit 1220c at a center location from
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`among the odd numberof third coding units 1220b, 1220c, and 1220d to be no longersplit
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`or to be split a settable numberof times. Referring to FIG. 12, the video decoding
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`apparatus 100 mayrestrict the third coding unit 1220c, whichis at the center location from
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`among the odd numberof third coding units 1220b, 1220c, and 1220d includedin the non-
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`square second coding unit 1210, to be no longersplit, to be split by using a predetermined
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`splitting method (e.g., split into only four coding units or split by using a splitting method
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`of the second coding unit 1210), or to be split only a predetermined numberoftimes(e.g.,
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`split only n times (where n>0)). However, the restrictions on the third coding unit 1220c
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`at the center location are not limited to the above-described examples, and mayinclude
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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`Page 5
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`variousrestrictions for decoding the third coding unit 1220c at the center location
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`differently from the other third coding units 1220b and 1220d] and prohibits splitting the
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`second sub block into twopartitionsin the first direction [Alshin: {| [0523]: the video decoding
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`apparatus 100 mayrestrict the coding unit 1130b or 1180b at the center location to be no
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`longer split]; and encodes the first sub block, the second sub block, and the third sub block
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`[Alshin: J [0513]: video encoding apparatus 150].
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`8.
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`Regarding Claims 2 and 5, Alshin disclosesall the limitations of Claims | and 4,
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`respectively, and is analyzed as previously discussed with respect to those claims.
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`Furthermore, Alshin discloses wherein whenthe first parameter indicates a second
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`direction different from the first direction, the circuitry, in operation, (i) writes, into the
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`bitstream, a second parameter indicating the numberof partitions into which the second sub
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`block is to be split, and (11) splits, in the second direction, the second sub block into as many
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`partitions as the numberindicated by the second parameter [Alshin: {| [0528].
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`Conclusion
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`9.
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`Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with
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`the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 9 April 2021 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection
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`presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP
`
`§ 609.04(b). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37
`
`CFR 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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`MONTHSfrom the mailing date of this action. In the eventa first reply is filed within TWO
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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`Page 6
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`MONTHSof the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after
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`the end of the THREE-MONTHshortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period
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`will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37
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`CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event,
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`however,will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHSfrom the mailing
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`date of this final action.
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`10.
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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.
`
`Examinerinterviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
`
`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicantis
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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
`
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`
`maybe obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
`
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/007,416
`Art Unit: 2482
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`Page 7
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`free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to
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`the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA)or 571-272-
`
`1000.
`
`JONATHAN R MESSMORE/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
`
`