Prior art — US Patent 9036701

Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art for US patent 9036701, based on the patent's own citations. The claims of US9036701 focus on a method and apparatus for complexity-balanced entropy coding, involving categorizing syntax elements based on a frequency of occurrence threshold. Specifically, Claim 1 states:

Syntax elements with frequency > threshold are categorized into the first category and subjected to context updating during entropy coding.
Syntax elements with frequency < threshold are categorized into the second category and bypass context updating during entropy coding.

I will now review each patent citation from US9036701, providing the requested information and an assessment of its potential relevance to Claim 1.

Prior Art Analysis for US9036701

1. US20020131506A1

Full Citation: US20020131506A1, Kerofsky Louis J., "Entropy coding with adaptive syntax"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2001-03-16; Publication date: 2002-09-19
Brief Description: This patent application describes entropy coding methods that adapt to the syntax of the encoded data. It focuses on adaptive entropy coding, which can involve selecting different coding methods or contexts based on the type of syntax element or its history.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference generally teaches adaptive entropy coding based on syntax. It could potentially anticipate the broad concept of treating different syntax elements differently for entropy coding, which is a foundational aspect of US9036701. However, without details on explicit categorization by frequency of occurrence and the specific differential treatment of "context updating" versus "bypassing context updating" as defined in US9036701's Claim 1, it is unlikely to fully anticipate all elements of Claim 1.

2. US20090141806A1

Full Citation: US20090141806A1, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V., "Video frame encoding and decoding"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2004-01-30; Publication date: 2009-06-04
Brief Description: This publication relates to video encoding and decoding, particularly concerning efficient coding methods for video frames. It generally covers aspects of improving compression efficiency in video codecs.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This citation, with its general title, is too broad to specifically anticipate the detailed entropy coding method of Claim 1 of US9036701, which specifies categorization based on frequency and differential context updating. It likely serves as general background art for video coding.

3. US20050179572A1

Full Citation: US20050179572A1, Lsi Logic Corporation, "Method for selection of contexts for arithmetic coding of reference picture and motion vector residual bitstream syntax elements"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2004-02-09; Publication date: 2005-08-18
Brief Description: This patent application discloses methods for selecting contexts for arithmetic coding, specifically for syntax elements like reference picture and motion vector residuals in a bitstream. It focuses on improving the efficiency of context-adaptive arithmetic coding.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant as it explicitly deals with "selection of contexts for arithmetic coding" for "syntax elements." This directly relates to the "context update" aspect of Claim 1 of US9036701. If it teaches varying context selection/adaptation based on characteristics that implicitly or explicitly relate to frequency of occurrence, or a mechanism to bypass context updates for certain elements, it could potentially anticipate some or all aspects of Claim 1, particularly the differential treatment of syntax elements in context-adaptive coding.

4. CA2643705A1

Full Citation: CA2643705A1, Qualcomm Incorporated, "Methods and systems for refinement coefficient coding in video compression"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2006-03-27; Publication date: 2007-10-04
Brief Description: This patent describes methods and systems for coding refinement coefficients in video compression. Refinement coefficients are typically residual data after initial prediction and quantization, and their efficient coding is important for overall compression.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While dealing with coding coefficients, this reference does not appear to directly address the specific categorization of syntax elements based on frequency of occurrence and the differential application of context updating versus bypassing context updating as defined in Claim 1 of US9036701. It likely represents more general art for efficient coefficient coding within video compression.

5. WO2008053755A2

Full Citation: WO2008053755A2, Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, "Entropy coding apparatus"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2006-10-31; Publication date: 2008-05-08
Brief Description: This international publication describes an entropy coding apparatus. The title suggests a general apparatus for entropy coding, which is a core component of video compression.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without more specific details from the abstract or claims of this document, it's difficult to ascertain its direct relevance to the precise method of Claim 1 of US9036701. It likely covers general aspects of entropy coding systems.

6. US8213499B2 (and its application US20080276078A1)

Full Citation: US8213499B2, General Instrument Corporation, "Method and apparatus for context address generation for motion vectors and coefficients"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2007-04-04; Publication date: 2012-07-03 (for B2); Publication date: 2008-11-06 (for A1)
Brief Description: This patent (and its application) focuses on generating context addresses for motion vectors and coefficients in video coding. This is crucial for context-adaptive entropy coding techniques like CABAC, where the context determines the probability model used for coding.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to the "context update" aspect of Claim 1 of US9036701, as it deals with context address generation for different syntax elements (motion vectors and coefficients). If it describes any mechanism for selecting or bypassing context updates based on specific criteria (e.g., implicitly or explicitly related to frequency), it could potentially anticipate parts of Claim 1, particularly concerning the adaptive handling of contexts for different syntax elements.

7. US20090273491A1

Full Citation: US20090273491A1, Hiroaki Sakaguchi, "Arithmetic decoding device"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2008-04-30; Publication date: 2009-11-05
Brief Description: This patent application describes an arithmetic decoding device. Arithmetic decoding is a form of entropy decoding, often paired with context adaptation.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As a general arithmetic decoding device, this patent would be considered background art for the decoding side of entropy coding. Without more specific details on how it handles syntax element categorization or differential context updating/bypassing during decoding, it is unlikely to directly anticipate Claim 1 of US9036701.

8. US7714754B2

Full Citation: US7714754B2, Vixs Systems, Inc., "Entropy decoder with pipelined processing and methods for use therewith"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2008-07-14; Publication date: 2010-05-11
Brief Description: This patent describes an entropy decoder designed for pipelined processing, aiming for high throughput in decoding. Pipelining can improve performance for computationally intensive tasks like entropy decoding.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While dealing with an entropy decoder and its efficiency, the focus on "pipelined processing" does not directly align with the specific categorization and differential context updating/bypassing method of Claim 1 of US9036701. It is more relevant to the architectural implementation for speed rather than the coding logic for complexity balancing based on symbol frequency.

9. US20110001643A1 (and its granted patent US8294603B2)

Full Citation: US20110001643A1, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, "System and method for providing high throughput entropy coding using syntax element partitioning"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2009-06-30; Publication date: 2011-01-06 (for A1); Publication date: 2012-10-23 (for B2)
Brief Description: This patent (and its granted version) explicitly describes "syntax element partitioning" for "high throughput entropy coding." Partitioning syntax elements implies categorization, which is a key step in US9036701. The goal of "high throughput" could lead to simplified coding paths for some elements.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant because it uses "syntax element partitioning," which is analogous to "categorizing a plurality of syntax elements" in Claim 1 of US9036701. If the partitioning is based on frequency of occurrence (or an equivalent that leads to similar processing paths) and leads to differential treatment where some elements undergo context updating while others bypass it, it could potentially anticipate many aspects of Claim 1. The concept of "high throughput" could motivate simplifying coding for frequently occurring elements, potentially involving bypassing context updates.

10. WO2011075071A1

Full Citation: WO2011075071A1, Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ), "Method and arrangement for video coding"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2009-12-17; Publication date: 2011-06-23
Brief Description: This international publication describes a method and arrangement for video coding. As a video coding patent, it broadly relates to the field but may not specifically detail the entropy coding method of US9036701.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US20090141806A1, this is a broad video coding patent. It is unlikely to specifically anticipate the detailed entropy coding method of Claim 1 of US9036701 without further information indicating explicit categorization by frequency and differential context updating/bypassing.

11. US20120014433A1

Full Citation: US20120014433A1, Qualcomm Incorporated, "Entropy coding of bins across bin groups using variable length codewords"
Publication/Filing Date: Priority date: 2010-07-15; Publication date: 2012-01-19
Brief Description: This patent application focuses on entropy coding of bins, specifically across bin groups, utilizing variable length codewords. This implies methods for efficient coding of binary symbols that make up the representation of syntax elements.
Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference deals with entropy coding of "bins" and "bin groups," which is a granular level of coding relevant to context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC), a method mentioned in US9036701. If it teaches grouping bins/syntax elements in a way that relates to frequency of occurrence and then applying differential coding (e.g., bypassing context updates for certain groups to use variable length codewords), it could potentially anticipate elements of Claim 1. The priority date (2010-07-15) is very close to US9036701's priority date (2010-07-28), suggesting it might be very relevant contemporary art.

Summary of Most Relevant Prior Art:

Based on the titles and general understanding, the most relevant prior art documents for US9036701, particularly concerning Claim 1, appear to be:

US20050179572A1 (Lsi Logic Corporation): "Method for selection of contexts for arithmetic coding of reference picture and motion vector residual bitstream syntax elements." This directly addresses context selection for arithmetic coding of syntax elements.
US8213499B2 / US20080276078A1 (General Instrument Corporation): "Method and apparatus for context address generation for motion vectors and coefficients." Also highly relevant to the context management in entropy coding of various syntax elements.
US8294603B2 / US20110001643A1 (Massachusetts Institute Of Technology): "System and method for providing high throughput entropy coding using syntax element partitioning." The explicit mention of "syntax element partitioning" is a strong indicator of relevance to the categorization step in Claim 1.
US20120014433A1 (Qualcomm Incorporated): "Entropy coding of bins across bin groups using variable length codewords." Given its close priority date and focus on bin coding and grouping, it could potentially include elements related to differential coding based on characteristics like frequency.

These patents broadly cover aspects of adaptive entropy coding, context management, and partitioning of syntax elements, which form the core concepts of US9036701's Claim 1. A full anticipation analysis would require a detailed comparison of the claims of US9036701 against the complete disclosures of these cited prior art documents.