US 10778989

An analysis of U.S. Patent 10,778,898 reveals the following details. There is no public record of this patent being involved in any legal disputes before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in 2026.

Summary of U.S. Patent 10,778,989

• Title: Rolling intra prediction for image and video coding
• Assignee: As of the latest records, the assignee is Malikie Innovations Ltd. The original assignee was BlackBerry Ltd.
• Inventors: Dake He
• Filing Date: February 5, 2016
• Issue Date: September 15, 2020
• Abstract: The patent describes methods and devices for image and video compression that use a technique called "rolling intra prediction." An encoder selects a specific mode for a block of pixels, which is associated with a prediction function. A predicted version of the block is then created. Initially, some pixels are predicted using data from neighboring, already-coded blocks. Subsequently, other pixels in the same block are predicted using the pixel data that was just predicted. This process continues in a defined "traversing order," essentially using the block's own predicted data to complete the prediction. The decoder then uses the same process to create an identical prediction to reconstruct the image.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

The patent's independent claims establish the core legal protection for the invention. They can be understood as follows:

• Claim 1: A Method for Decoding an Image
  This claim protects the overall process of decoding a block of an image or video. A decoder reads a "mode" from the compressed data stream for a particular block. This mode dictates a "traversing order" (the path the decoder takes through the pixels) and a "template" (which nearby pixels to use for prediction). The key innovation is that after using pixels from adjacent, already decoded blocks to predict the first few pixels, the decoder then uses these newly predicted pixels to predict the next ones within the same block. This "rolling" process continues until the block is fully predicted. This predicted block is then added to the received error data (the "residual") to perfectly reconstruct the original block.

• Claim 8: A Decoder for an Image
  This claim provides protection for the physical device that carries out the method described in Claim 1. This could be a set-top box, a smartphone, or any device with a processor and memory. The claim specifies that the device is configured by a decoding application to perform the steps of reading the mode, selecting the template and traversing order, and building the predicted block using the rolling prediction technique before adding the residual to reconstruct the block.

• Claim 9: A Non-Transitory Processor-Readable Medium for Decoding
  This claim protects the software that performs the decoding. It covers the computer-executable instructions stored on a physical medium (like a hard drive, flash memory, or server) that, when run, cause a processor to execute the decoding method outlined in Claim 1.

• Claim 10: A Method for Encoding an Image
  This claim mirrors the decoding method but from the perspective of the encoder that creates the compressed file. The encoder selects the most efficient "mode" for a block of pixels. It then generates a predicted block using the exact same rolling prediction technique as the decoder—using neighboring block data initially and then its own newly predicted pixels. The encoder then subtracts this predicted block from the original, creating the "residual" data. Finally, it packages this residual data and the selected mode into the bitstream to be sent to the decoder.

• Claim 17: An Encoder for an Image
  This protects the physical encoding device. Similar to the decoder claim, this covers a device with a processor and memory that is configured by an encoding application to perform the steps of selecting a mode, constructing a predicted block with the rolling technique, calculating the residual, and outputting the compressed bitstream.

• Claim 18: A Non-Transitory Processor-Readable Medium for Encoding
  This claim protects the encoding software itself, covering the instructions stored on a physical medium that direct a processor to perform the encoding method described in Claim 10.

I have high confidence in this analysis as the information is directly sourced from the provided full patent text. The search for CAFC docket information is current as of today's date.