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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
`
`17/582,950
`
`01/24/2022
`
`Che-Wei KUO
`
`735256.447C1
`
`1139
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panasonic (PIPCA)
`701 5th Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`TORRENTE, RICHARD T
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`ART UNIT
`
`2485
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`03/15/2024
`
`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)
`
`

`

`Application No.
`Applicant(s)
`17/582,950
`KUO etal.
`
`Office Action Summary Art Unit|AIA (FITF)StatusExaminer
`RICHARD T TORRENTE
`2485
`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 12/27/23.
`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*
`1-2,4-5,7-8,10-11 and 13-14 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) _ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`CL] Claim(s)__is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-2,4-5,7-8,10-11 and 13-14 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)
`
`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)
`
`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 20240311-A
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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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, is being examined under the
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`1.
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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-AlA 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 of rejection 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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`2.
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`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 for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed
`invention is not identically disclosed as setforth in section 102 ofthistitle, if the differences
`between the claimed invention andthe prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole
`would have been obvious before the effectivefiling 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 whichthe invention was made.
`
`3.
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`Claims 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-11 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
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`unpatentable overMisra et al. (US 2022/0248007) in view of Li et al. (US 2016/0234492) and
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`Liu et al. (2012/0183081).
`
`Regarding claim 1, Misra discloses an encoder (see 200 in fig. 6), comprising: circuitry;
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`and memory coupledto the circuitry (e.g. see § [0138]); wherein the circuitry, in operation:
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`generatesa first coefficient value by applying a CCALF (cross component adaptive loop
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`filtering) process (see 412 in fig. 11A) to a first reconstructed image sample of a luma
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`component (see 402 in fig. 11A); generates a second coefficient value by applying an ALF
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`(adaptive loopfiltering) process (see 410 in fig. 11A) to a second reconstructed image sample
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
`
`Page 3
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`of achroma component (see 404in fig. 11A); generates a third coefficient value (see “+” of Cb
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`in fig. 11A) by adding the first coefficient value to the second coefficient value; encodesa third
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`reconstructed image sample of the chroma componentusing the third coefficient value (see
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`“Filter Data” and 218 in fig. 6); writes a first parameter into a sequence parameterset (see
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`sps_cross_component_alf_enabled_flag in Table 3; e.g. see ¢ 0186]); writes a third parameter
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`into a slice headerin responseto the value of the first parameter being 1 (see
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`slice_cross_component_alf_cbenabled_flag in { [0191]; e.g. see § 0186]); and writes a fourth
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`parameterinto a coding unit in responseto a value of the third parameter being 1 (see
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`slice_cross_component_cb_coeff_data in Table 3), the fourth parameterindicatingafilter to be
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`used in the CCALF process(seefigs. 14A-15D; e.g. see ¢ [0180)).
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`Although Misra discloses implementing a second parameterin responseto a value of
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`the first parameter being 1 (see 422C upon 404 enabled in fig. 12B), it is noted that Misra does
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`not provide the particular wherein the implementing includes writing the second parameterinto a
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`picture header, and the fourth parameteris in the coding tree unit.
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`However, Li disclosesthatit is well-known in adaptiveloopfiltering wherein the
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`implementing includes writing the second parameter into a parameterset of a picture header
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`(see 602 in fig. 6, wherein a CTU is a picture containing parameter set of ALF; e.g. see
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`[0046]), and the fourth parameteris in the coding tree unit (see 602in fig. 6).
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`Given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the
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`art before the effectivefiling date to incorporate Li teachings of ALF signaling into Misra CCALF
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`signaling for the benefit of improving ALF coding efficiency (e.g. see ¥ [0089]-[0090)).
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`Although Misra discloses converting the first coefficient value (e.g. see ¥ [0182]), it is
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`noted that Misra does notprovide the particular wherein the converting is setting the first
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`coefficient value to zero in responsetothe first coefficient value being less than 64.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
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`Page 4
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`However, Liu discloses a loopfiltering method wherein the converting is setting the first
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`coefficient value to zero in responseto the first coefficient value being less than 64 (e.g. see |
`
`[0031)).
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`Given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the
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`art before the effectivefiling date to incorporate Liu teachings of zero forcing into Misra
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`converting coefficient for the benefit of further reducing the numberof independentcoefficients
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`to process to lessen processing time.
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`Regarding claims 2, 5, 8 and 11, Misra discloses wherein, the first reconstructed image
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`sample is located adjacent to the second reconstructed image sample (see neighbor in 602 in
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`fig. 6).
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`Regarding claim 4, the claim(s) recite analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are
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`therefore rejected on the same premise.
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`Furthermore, Misra discloses a blocksplitter (see CTU and CU in fig. 1), which, in
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`operation, splits a first image into a plurality of blocks; an intra predictor (see 212 in fig. 6),
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`which, in operation, predicts blocks includedin the first image, using reference blocks included
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`in the first image (see inputs to 212 in fig. 6); an inter predictor (see 214 in fig. 6), which, in
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`operation, predicts blocks includedin the first image, using reference blocks included in a
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`second image different from the first image (see inputs to 214 in fig. 6); a loop filter (see 216 in
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`fig. 6), which, in operation, filters blocks includedin the first image; a transformer (see 204in fig.
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`6), which, in operation, transforms a prediction error between an original signal and a prediction
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`signal generated by the intra predictor or the inter predictor (see 202 in fig. 6), to generate
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`transform coefficients; a quantizer (see 206in fig. 6), which, in operation, quantizes the
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`transform coefficients to generate quantized coefficients; and an entropy encoder (see 218 in
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`fig. 6), which, in operation, variably encodes the quantized coefficients to generate an encoded
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
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`Page 5
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`bitstream including the encoded quantized coefficients and control information (see inputs
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`leading to 218 in fig. 6)
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`Regarding claim 7, the claim(s) recite a decoder (see 124 in fig. 5) with analogous
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`limitations to claim 4, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
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`Regarding claim 10, the claim(s) recite a decoding apparatus (see 124in fig. 5) with
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`analogous limitations to claim 1, and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
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`Regarding claim 13, the claim(s) recite a method with analogous limitations to claim 1,
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`and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
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`Regarding claim 14, the claim(s) recite a method with analogous limitations to claim 7,
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`and is/are therefore rejected on the same premise.
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`Citation of Pertinent Art
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
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`disclosure.
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`1.
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`He et al. (US 2018/0220138), discloses chroma coding using cross component adaptive
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`coding.
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`Response to Arguments
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`Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-11 and 13-14 have been
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`considered but are mootin view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
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`Page 6
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`Conclusion
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`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presentedin this
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`Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant
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`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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`
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the eventafirst replyis filed within TWO
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`MONTHS of 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-MONTH shortenedstatutory 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.
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`In no event,
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`however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this
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`final action.
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`Anyinquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to RICHARD T TORRENTE whosetelephone numberis (571)270-3702. The
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`examiner can normally be reached M-F: 6:45-3:15 pm.
`
`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing
`
`using a USPTO supplied web-basedcollaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is
`
`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request(AIR) at
`
`http:/Awww.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`supervisor, Jay Patel can be reached on (571) 272-2988. The fax phone numberfor the
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`organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 17/582,950
`Art Unit: 2485
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`Page 7
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`information about Patent Center and https:/Awww.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about
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`
`/RICHARD T TORRENTE/
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
`
`