DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-14 and 21-26 are pending in this application. Claims 1,3, 5, 7-9, 11-13 and 21 are amended. Claims 15-20 are canceled.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclose Statements submitted on 8/19/2022, 5/11/2023, 5/12/2023, and 4/3/2024 have been considered by the examiner.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/23/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Claim interpretation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f)
Applicant’s remarks (See Remarks filed 04.23.2026) have been considered, and the examiner would like to note the interpretation of “interface generator” under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) as it appears in the previous final rejection is erroneous and have been removed to reflect the withdrawal of this interpretation previously.
Claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103
Applicant's arguments (See Remarks filed 04.23.2026) regarding the rejections made to under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered by the examiner. Applicant argues (See Remarks filed 04.23.2026, section B.) that Liu fails to teach the following claimed peripheral camera set modification functions as recited by claims 1 and 9;
“designating the one a selected camera in the peripheral camera set associated with the selected one of the first icons as a second active camera;
modifying the peripheral camera set to include a subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the second active camera;
and updating the peripheral region to include second icons associated with the modified peripheral camera set”.
Applicant argues that the system of Liu does not teach an interface generator or other computing system component which automatically designates a selected camera, modifies the camera set based on the camera distance from the designated camera, or an updates the peripheral to include the icons for the camera set. The examiner agrees, and in view of the amended limitations, a new grounds of rejection is made over Liu in view of Van Den Bergen as fully discussed below.
Applicant further argues (See Remarks filed 04.23.2026, section C.) that Higgins fails to teach the iterative camera selection and re-generation of the peripheral camera region of the display. The examiner agrees, and in view of the newly added limitations to claims 1 and 9, a new grounds of rejection is made over Liu in view of Van Den Bergen as fully discussed below.
Applicant further argues (See Remarks filed 04.23.2026, section F.) that DeCharms fails to teach a countdown clock because the claimed countdown clock of claim 6 is a display of a predictive calculation, not an idle timer as taught in DeCharms. The examiner agrees, however, a new grounds of rejection is presented over Liu in view of Van Den Bergen, and in further view of Higgins as fully discussed below.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“Reacquisition portion” and “Reacquisition module” in claim 7
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing 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 which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
1. Claims 1-2, 4-5, 9-12 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20210223922 A1) in view of Van den Bergen (US 20050163345 A1).
Regarding claim 1 Liu Discloses; A crime center system, comprising:
a processing hub (Liu, Figure 1, video management system, as stated in the specification, the applicant defines a dispatch processing hub as a cloud based server, [0022] the video management system of Liu is server based) communicatively linked via a communications network (Liu, [0022] the system may be connected to a network) with a client device (Liu, [0027] the system may include more than one client devices) and a plurality of cameras (Liu, Figure 1, Cameras 12);
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[and on the processing hub, an interface generator comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions that when executed cause the interface generator to generate an object-tracking interface for display upon a display device of each of the client devices, wherein the object-tracking interface is configured to include:]
an active camera view window displaying video from a first one of the plurality of cameras designated as a first active camera configured to capture a geographic space, the video including an image of a tracked object (Liu, [0037]- [0038] A pop-up window appears with feed corresponding to the selected camera, Figure 4, cameras are configure to capture a geographic space (36, 48));
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([0037]- [0038] Liu, emphasis added)
and a peripheral region extending about an outer edge of the active camera view window and enclosing the video, the peripheral region including first icons, each first icon being associated with one camera of cameras in a peripheral camera set, (Liu, Figure 4, shows an active camera view window (48a-b) as well as a peripheral region enclosing the camera view window which shows the physical locations of additional cameras (36a-d) using icons (first icons), Figure 5 of applicant’s specification shows a similar configuration where the active camera view window pops up and a peripheral region which encloses/surrounds the active camera has a map of the camera icons)
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(Liu, Figure 4)
the cameras in the peripheral camera set each having a physical location within a predefined distance from a physical location of the first active camera represented spatially relative to the first active camera by the first icons within the peripheral region (Liu, [0032] camera locations are predetermined, and have a predetermined area of coverage, Liu figure 4 shows spatially where camera icons (first icons) are positioned on the display, Further [0004] of Liu states that the cameras are shown on the map location corresponding to the location in which they are positioned physically, the cameras are places in a predetermined area, meaning the cameras would have a placement with a predetermined distance from one another),
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[wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set each have an orientation determined by the interface generator to provide a field of view that captures images of the tracked object when the tracked object moves out along a direction of travel of the geographic space captured by the first active camera,]
wherein the interface generator (Liu, [0024] Work station generates the interface, applicant defines an interface generator as responding to a user input to create an interface, and modify the interface based on user selection of icons, in Liu, the workstation takes a user input or selection and displays video feed accordingly) responds to user input selecting one of the first icons by;
[designating the one a selected camera in the peripheral camera set associated with the selected one of the first icons as a second active camera;
modifying the peripheral camera set to include a subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the second active camera;
and updating the peripheral region to include second icons associated with the modified peripheral camera set;
wherein the second icons are each selectable to designate a respective camera of the modified peripheral camera set as a further active camera and to cause the interface generator to further modify the peripheral camera set to include a further subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the further active camera and to further update the peripheral region to include further icons associated with the further modified peripheral camera set, thereby enabling continued tracking of the tracked object across successive active cameras;]
and updating the object-tracking interface to display video from the second active camera in the active camera view window (Liu, [0032] when the user selects a camera, the interface is updated with feed from that camera, Figure 3, multiple camera icons are shown, including a first and second camera with icons).
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Liu does not disclose;
and on the processing hub, an interface generator comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions that when executed cause the interface generator to generate an object-tracking interface for display upon a display device of each of the client devices, wherein the object-tracking interface is configured to include:
wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set each have an orientation determined by the interface generator to provide a field of view that captures images of the tracked object when the tracked object moves out along a direction of travel of the geographic space captured by the first active camera,
designating the one a selected camera in the peripheral camera set associated with the selected one of the first icons as a second active camera ();
modifying the peripheral camera set to include a subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the second active camera ();
and updating the peripheral region to include second icons associated with the modified peripheral camera set;
wherein the second icons are each selectable to designate a respective camera of the modified peripheral camera set as a further active camera and to cause the interface generator to further modify the peripheral camera set to include a further subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the further active camera and to further update the peripheral region to include further icons associated with the further modified peripheral camera set, thereby enabling continued tracking of the tracked object across successive active cameras;
However, in the same field of endeavor of object tracking using a video system, Van den Bergen teaches;
and on the processing hub, an interface generator comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions that when executed cause the interface generator to generate an object-tracking interface for display upon a display device of each of the client devices, wherein the object-tracking interface is configured to include (Van Den Bergen, [0095] a processor and memory are used to execute instructions to pre or post process video data [0244]-[0245] and [0252] the system provides a viewing interface to a workstation):
wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set each have an orientation determined by the interface generator to provide a field of view that captures images of the tracked object when the tracked object moves out along a direction of travel of the geographic space captured by the first active camera (Van Den Bergen,[0256]-[0257] the system has priority sensors which may aid the system in determining which cameras views/orientations should be prioritized for capturing events or tracked objects, [0267]-[0268] cameras may be grouped based on logical groupings or based on physical location to select or deselect them to create a map based on the geographic spacing of the cameras as shown in figure 35, where a first camera (camera-9 as denoted in the figure) has other cameras (peripheral cameras) selected and grouped with it into a grid map based on the zone as well as the tracking events as determined),
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(Van Den Bergen, figure 35, emphasis added)
designating the one a selected camera in the peripheral camera set associated with the selected one of the first icons as a second active camera (Van den Bergen, [0268] cameras may be selected or deselected as being active or not based on the groupings, where [0269] the groups may be grouped and when a group is selected multiple active cameras are determined/ designated based on this selection);
modifying the peripheral camera set to include a subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the second active camera (Van den Bergen, [0268] cameras may be selected or deselected as being active or not based on the groupings, where [0269] the groups may be grouped and when a group is selected multiple active cameras are determined/ designated based on this selection, where the grouping may be based on a predefined geographical “zone” (predetermined distance));
and updating the peripheral region to include second icons associated with the modified peripheral camera set (Van Den Bergen, [0301]-[0303], the system has a grid map to select and deselect cameras in the peripheral region and set of cameras (second icons are the selectable grid map icons), the grid map icons update and change the interface)
wherein the second icons are each selectable to designate a respective camera of the modified peripheral camera set as a further active camera (Van Den Bergen,[0301] grid map squares on a grip map icon are set up and presented, [0302] the squares are selected and filled based upon whether the camera present is an active camera (setting a camera in the set as a further active camera))
and to cause the interface generator to further modify the peripheral camera set to include a further subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the further active camera (Van Den Bergen, [0302]-[0304] the cameras are iterated through based on a known proximity or zone/area to an active camera (further active camera) which has been deemed as part of the active set)
and to further update the peripheral region to include further icons associated with the further modified peripheral camera set, thereby enabling continued tracking of the tracked object across successive active cameras (Van Den Bergen, [0306]-[0307] the grid map icons/squares are updated to show successive cameras which have been actively selected for a region based on activity/object tracking);
Liu discloses a surveillance system capable of displaying different camera views via a user selection of different camera icons, however Liu does not disclose an interface for tracking objects or method thereof. In the same field of endeavor, Van Den Bergen teaches a system and method of tracking objects using multiple cameras as well as machine learning or AI object detection. Given the disclosure of Liu and teaching of Van Den Bergen, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the two systems because the system of Liu, as disclosed in paragraph [0038], does not provide an optimal set up for tracking an object, however combining the object tracking method and camera selection method of Van Den Bergen would improve this system (Van Den Bergen, [0013], [0139]-[0147]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to combine the systems of Liu and Van Den Bergen.
Regarding claim 2 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; wherein the first icons are positioned in the peripheral region to provide an indication of the physical locations of the cameras associated with the first icons relative to the physical location of the first active camera (Liu, [0032] Camera icons appear on a map based upon camera location, and when selection display the feed for that camera).
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Regarding claim 4 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set comprise a first set of cameras with orientations for capturing streets if the tracked object is a vehicle, or a second set of cameras oriented to capture inside spaces if the tracked object is a pedestrian, and wherein the first set of cameras is different from the second set of cameras (Van Den Bergen,[0256]-[0257] the system has priority sensors which may aid the system in determining which cameras views/orientations should be prioritized for capturing events or tracked objects, [0267]-[0268] cameras may be grouped based on logical groupings or based on physical location (multiple groups of different cameras) to select or deselect them to create a map based on the geographic spacing of the cameras as shown in figure 35, where a first camera (camera-9 as denoted in the figure) has other cameras (peripheral cameras) selected and grouped with it into a grid map based on the zone as well as the tracking events as determined, [0232] the cameras can be configured to track persons, cares or other activities and would therefore be configured accordingly).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking methods of Van Den Bergen to the surveillance system of Liu. An object tracking method as taught in Van Den Bergen would have improved tracking a suspect or object in video of incident. (Van Den Bergen, abstract, and [0001]-[0013]))
Regarding claim 5 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; wherein the system further includes one or more software mechanisms for determining the direction of travel of the tracked object (Van Den Bergen, [0172]-[0173] the object is tracked in certain directions by the cameras)
and wherein the object- tracking interface includes a map-based portion centered at the physical location of the first active camera (Liu, figure 6, map view is centered around camera 36, and other camera icons are around it)
and displaying user-selectable second at least one of the first icons associated with a subset of the cameras one camera of the cameras in the peripheral camera set with a determined to have physical location along a route defined by the direction of travel, the at least one of the first icons being user-selectable (Van Den Bergen, [0263] the system has an object tracking timeline which displays icons and tracking information on an object and the cameras associated with the tracked objects movement and direction, where the tracking timeline “icons” would be first icons associated with cameras in the camera set).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking and direction of travel prediction methods of Van Den Bergen to the surveillance system of Liu. The inventions of Liu and Van Den Bergen both lie in the same field of endeavor as that of the presently claimed invention, therefore the motivation to add the methods of identifying direction of travel of an object, and subsequently having camera icons be displayed in that direction would be advantageous to easier tracking of a suspect. (Van Den Bergen, [0260]-[0264]) (Liu [0046]-[0049])
Regarding claim 9 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; An object-tracking method, comprising:
identifying an object in a video feed from a first camera to be tracked (Van Den Bergen, [0142] an object is identified and tracked);
determining a peripheral camera set from among a plurality of cameras, each camera in the peripheral set having a physical location within a predefined distance about a physical location of the first camera (Liu, [0032] camera locations are predetermined, and have a predetermined area of coverage, Liu figure 4 shows spatially where camera icons (first icons) are positioned on the display, Further [0004] of Liu states that the cameras are shown on the map location corresponding to the location in which they are positioned physically, the cameras are places in a predetermined area, meaning the cameras would have a placement with a predetermined distance from one another);
generating, using an interface generator comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions, a graphical user interface including an active camera view window displaying a feed from the first camera, the active camera view window further including (Liu, [0005] processor in communication with a memory to save, process and store video feeds, Figure 4, shows an active camera view window (48a-b) as well as a peripheral region enclosing the camera view window which shows the physical locations of additional cameras (36a-d) using icons (first icons), Figure 5 of applicant’s specification shows a similar configuration where the active camera view window pops up and a peripheral region which encloses/surrounds the active camera has a map of the camera icons):
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a peripheral region extending about an outer edge of the active camera view window (Liu, Figure 4, shows an active camera view window (48a-b) as well as a peripheral region enclosing the camera view window which shows the physical locations of additional cameras (36a-d) using icons (first icons), Figure 5 of applicant’s specification shows a similar configuration where the active camera view window pops up and a peripheral region which encloses/surrounds the active camera has a map of the camera icons);
a first icon associated with each camera of camera in the peripheral camera set (Liu, [0024], Work station has an interface to facilitate interaction with the camera and camera feeds, [0032] icons for each camera are shown on the interface, [0034] multiple icons may appear on a selection bar on the edge of the screen as well as multiple camera icons appearing in on the interface which encompasses the camera view window);
the first icons associated with the cameras in the peripheral camera set being positioned in the peripheral region of the active camera view window to provide an indication of physical positioning of the cameras in the peripheral camera set spatially relative to the first camera (Liu, [0032] camera locations are predetermined, and have a predetermined area of coverage, Liu figure 4 shows spatially where camera icons (first icons) are positioned on the display, Further [0004] of Liu states that the cameras are shown on the map location corresponding to the location in which they are positioned physically, the cameras are places in a predetermined area, meaning the cameras would have a placement with a predetermined distance from one another);
wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set each have an orientation determined by the interface generator to provide a field of view that capture images of the tracked object when the tracked object moves along a direction of travel out of a geographic space captured by the first active camera (Van Den Bergen,[0256]-[0257] the system has priority sensors which may aid the system in determining which cameras views should be prioritized for capturing events or tracked objects, [0267]-[0268] cameras may be grouped based on logical groupings or based on physical location to select or deselect them to create a map based on the geographic spacing of the cameras as shown in figure 35, where a first camera (camera-9 as denoted in the figure) has other cameras (peripheral cameras) selected and grouped with it into a grid map based on the zone as well as the tracking events as determined);
monitoring for user input selecting one of the first icons in the peripheral region (Liu, [0020] selection of multiple icons results in a response of the interface, there is at least a first and second icon, [0024] facilitation of the user inputting a selection to the system), and when the user input is identified based on the monitoring,
designating a selected camera in the peripheral camera set associated with the selected one of the first icons as a second active camera (Van den Bergen, [0268] cameras may be selected or deselected as being active or not based on the groupings, where [0269] the groups may be grouped and when a group is selected multiple active cameras are determined/ designated based on this selection);
modifying the peripheral camera set to include a subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the second active camera (Van den Bergen, [0268] cameras may be selected or deselected as being active or not based on the groupings, where [0269] the groups may be grouped and when a group is selected multiple active cameras are determined/ designated based on this selection, where the grouping may be based on a predefined geographical “zone” (predetermined distance));
and updating the peripheral region to include second icons associated with the modified peripheral camera set (Van Den Bergen, [0301]-[0303], the system has a grid map to select and deselect cameras in the peripheral region and set of cameras (second icons are the selectable grid map icons), the grid map icons update and change the interface)
wherein the second icons are each selectable to designate a respective camera of the modified peripheral camera set as a further active camera wherein the second icons are each selectable to designate a respective camera of the modified peripheral camera set as a further active camera (Van Den Bergen,[0301] grid map squares on a grid map icon are set up and presented, [0302] the squares are selected and filled based upon whether the camera present is an active cameras (setting a camera in the set as a further active camera))
and to further modify the peripheral camera set to include a further subset of cameras from the plurality of cameras within the predefined distance from a physical location of the further active camera(Van Den Bergen, [0302]-[0304] the cameras are iterated through based on a known proximity or zone/area to an active camera (further active camera) which has been deemed as part of the active set)
and to further update the peripheral region to include further icons associated with the further modified peripheral camera set, thereby enabling continued tracking of the tracked object across successive active cameras(Van Den Bergen, [0306]-[0307] the grid map icons/squares are updated to show successive cameras which have been actively selected for a region based on activity/object tracking);
and updating the graphical user interface to provide a video feed from the second active camera associated with the selected one of the first icons in the active camera view window (Liu, [0024] the interface responds with a pop up of video feed when the user selects a camera icon),
Liu discloses a surveillance system capable of displaying different camera views via a user selection of different camera icons, however Liu does not disclose an interface for tracking objects or method thereof. In the same field of endeavor, Van Den Bergen teaches a system and method of tracking objects using multiple cameras as well as machine learning or AI object detection. Given the disclosure of Liu and teaching of Van Den Bergen, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the two systems because the system of Liu, as disclosed in paragraph [0038], does not provide an optimal set up for tracking an object, however combining the object tracking method and camera selection method of Van Den Bergen would improve this system (Van Den Bergen, [0013], [0139]-[0147]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to combine the systems of Liu and Van Den Bergen.
Regarding claim 10 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; wherein the determining of the peripheral camera set further comprises processing orientations of the cameras in the peripheral set for matches with one or more orientations providing fields of view for capturing images of the tracked object (Van Den Bergen,[0256]-[0257] the system has priority sensors which may aid the system in determining which cameras views/orientations should be prioritized for capturing events or tracked objects, [0267]-[0268] cameras may be grouped based on logical groupings or based on physical location (multiple groups of different cameras) to select or deselect them to create a map based on the geographic spacing of the cameras as shown in figure 35, where a first camera (camera-9 as denoted in the figure) has other cameras (peripheral cameras) selected and grouped with it into a grid map based on the zone as well as the tracking events as determined, [0232] the cameras can be configured to track persons, cares or other activities and would therefore be configured accordingly).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking methods of Van Den Bergen to the surveillance system of Liu. An object tracking method as taught in Van Den Bergen would have improved tracking a suspect or object in video of incident. (Van Den Bergen, abstract, and [0001]-[0013]))
Regarding claim 11 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; wherein the generating the graphical user interface includes determining the direction of travel of the object (Van Den Bergen, [0172]-[0173] the object is tracked in certain directions by the cameras),
wherein the graphical user interface includes a map-based portion centered at the physical location of the first camera (Liu, figure 6, map view is centered around camera 36, and other camera icons are around it),
and wherein the map-based portion includes at least one second icon of the first icons associated with one camera of the cameras in the peripheral camera set with a physical position along a route of the object predicted based on the direction of travel (Van Den Bergen, [0263] the system has an object tracking timeline which displays icons and tracking information on an object and the cameras associated with the tracked objects movement and direction, where the tracking timeline “icons” would be first icons associated with cameras in the camera set).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking and direction of travel prediction methods of Van Den Bergen to the surveillance system of Liu. The inventions of Liu and Van Den Bergen both lie in the same field of endeavor as that of the presently claimed invention, therefore the motivation to add the methods of identifying direction of travel of an object, and subsequently having camera icons be displayed in that direction would be advantageous to easier tracking of a suspect. (Van Den Bergen, [0260]-[0264]) (Liu [0046]-[0049])
Regarding claim 12 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen teaches; further comprising monitoring the map-based portion for user selection of the at least one second selected one of the first icons and, in response, modifying the graphical user interface to provide a video feed, in the active camera view window, from the selected camera associated with the at least one second selected one of the first icons in the map-based portion (Liu, [0040], Upon receiving selection of the camera icon from the user clicking one of the multiple camera icons (at least a first and a second icon) on the map, a corresponding camera view popup will appear on the interface showing the footage from that camera).
Regarding claim 22 the combination of Liu and Higgins teaches; The system of claim 1, wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set are determined based at least on the cameras in the peripheral camera set each having the physical location within the predefined distance of the first active camera and having the orientation to capture images of the tracked object when the tracked object moves along the direction of travel (Van Den Bergen,[0256]-[0257] the system has priority sensors which may aid the system in determining which cameras views/orientations should be prioritized for capturing events or tracked objects, [0267]-[0268] cameras may be grouped based on logical groupings or based on physical location (multiple groups of different cameras) to select or deselect them to create a map based on the geographic spacing of the cameras as shown in figure 35, where a first camera (camera-9 as denoted in the figure) has other cameras (peripheral cameras) selected and grouped with it into a grid map based on the zone as well as the tracking events as determined, [0232] the cameras can be configured to track persons, cares or other activities and would therefore be configured accordingly).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking methods of Van Den Bergen to the surveillance system of Liu. An object tracking method as taught in Van Den Bergen would have improved tracking a suspect or object in video of incident. (Van Den Bergen, abstract, and [0001]-[0013]))
2. Claim 3, 6-8, 14 and 23-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Liu (US 20210223922 A1) in view of Van den Bergen (US 20050163345 A1) and in further view of Higgins (US 20230064675 A1).
Regarding claim 3 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen fails to teach; wherein, the subset of the cameras of the modified peripheral camera set are located and properly oriented to capture geographic areas located 360- degrees about the second active camera.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Higgins teaches; wherein, the subset of the cameras of the modified peripheral camera set are located and properly oriented to capture geographic areas located 360- degrees about the second active camera (Higgins, [0038] the system is set up such that the camera selected can display a 360-degree view of the area selected using the camera selected or the cameras around the area (subset of cameras)).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The addition of the 360-area surveillance as disclosed by Higgins would allow the area being surveyed to have fewer blind spots so that information is not missed during surveillance (Higgins, [0038] and Abstract).
Regarding claim 6 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; wherein the system further includes one or more software mechanisms for determining the direction of travel and a speed of the tracked object (Van den Bergen, [0172]-[0173] direction of movement of objects or persons may be determined, as well as the velocity of the tracked group of people [0263] object velocity may be determined)
and for determining a time when the tracked object will move into view of one or more cameras positioned nearby to the first active camera based on the direction of travel (Higgins, [0063] an objects future change of direction and position can be determined, [0065] the system may predict how an object of interest may change over time, for example, if the system detects a fire, it may predict where the fire will next spread, which indicates the system is able to predict a next location of an object of interest, which can be any object of interest [0065]) and the speed of the tracked object (Higgins, [0065] the system may predict how an object of interest may change over time, for example, if the system detects a fire, it may predict where the fire will next spread, which indicates the system is able to predict a next location of an object of interest, which can be any object of interest [0065], further it states in the example use it may predict rate of a fire spreading, which would indicate it can assess the speed at which the object (in this case a fire being remoted monitored) is moving)
interface includes a countdown clock providing an indicator of the time (Higgins, [0065] the modeler may gather data about how an object is expected to change over time and provide key information to the user such as a predicted time a fire is expected to reach a location, which is analogous to a countdown clock providing an indicator of the time an object is set of reach a location).
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(Higgins, [0065] emphasis added)
The combination of Liu, Van der Bergen and Higgins would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The system of Van Der Bergen allows for times of events to be displayed for tracking of the timeline of an event of interest to be displayed, which would be advantageous to add to the system to better determine in real time where a subject is (Van Den Bergen, [0324]-[0332]). The system of Higgins allows for an objects path, speed and future locations to be predicted, which would improve the user’s ability to track objects of incidents of interest. (Higgins [0005] and [0063]- [0066]).
Regarding claim 7 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; wherein the object-tracking interface includes a reacquisition portion displaying identifiers of one or more of the plurality of cameras that have feeds with an object providing a potential match to the tracked object (Higgins, [0005] the system may utilize AI or machine learning to detect and track objects of interest, objects current and historical position information is used to predict the objects movement over time, further the system can sort, select or deselect camera based on an object of interest)
and wherein the one or more of the cameras are determined by an AI-based tracked object reacquisition module in the system that processes the feeds using AI-driven meta-attributes associated with the tracked object to determine potential matches (Higgins, [0063] AI may be used to track and classify objects of interest, the AI model may classify objects as well as determine size, shape, position, and future direction. Since the system is capable of acquiring object traits from tracked objects, and predict future movements to track the object across camera feeds the system would reasonably be able to reacquire an object when it moves from one camera view to another, as well as store attributes (color, shape, size, position) about the object).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The camera selection and display method of Higgins would allow for tracking of the object by showing a user which cameras are currently detecting an object, improving the user’s awareness of the object position in an automated way. (Higgins, [0005])
Regarding claim 8 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; wherein the AI-based tracked object reacquisition module only processes the feeds from the cameras in the peripheral camera set (Higgins, [0005] the system may utilize AI or machine learning to detect and track objects of interest, objects current and historical position information is used to predict the objects movement over time, further the system can sort, select or deselect camera based on an object of interest, [0065] the display of camera feeds and video may be specific to the area of interest defined by the user, the system may alert the user that an object of interest has been detected outside of the specified region of interest on the map and then further provide location and then use cameras the dynamically track the object. Given that the system can selectively show cameras and camera feeds based upon an object of interest, and detect the object in additional peripheral camera’s than capture data from those cameras dynamically, this would be analogous to using an AI object reacquisition unit to process peripheral camera data which contains the object of interest).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add in AI video processing to select video feeds of choice for processing based upon relevance to an incident or object of choice as taught by Higgins to the systems of Liu and Van Den Bergen. Further, improving upon the object/subject tracking method, processing and displaying the camera feeds of interest would help the user to track objects more effectively and efficiently. (Higgins [0005]) (Liu [0023], [0024], [0032] and [0033])
Regarding claim 14 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; via the graphical user interface receiving a reacquisition request (Higgins,[0064] objects of interest may be identified by the user to be tracked, the system then goes through the cameras and detects if the object of interest has been identified and if not another camera feed will be searched [0065] alerts will be sent to the user to alert the user that the object of interest has been identified in different camera feed)
and, in response, processing video feeds from each camera in the peripheral camera set for a potential match to the object based on AI-driven meta attributes associated with the object (Higgins, [0065] alerts will be sent to the user to alert the user that the object of interest has been identified in different camera feed).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention to one of ordinary skill of art to add the object tracking and direction of travel prediction methods of Higgins to the surveillance system of Liu. The inventions of Liu and Higgins both lie in the same field of endeavor as that of the presently claimed invention, therefore the motivation to add the methods of identifying direction of travel of an object, and subsequently having camera icons be displayed in that direction would be advantageous to easier tracking of a suspect. (Higgins [0064] and [0065]) (Liu [0046]- [0049])
Regarding claim 23 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; The system of claim 22,wherein the direction of travel comprises a current direction of travel of the tracked object and one or more changed direction of travels (Higgins, [0063] AI may be used to track and classify objects of interest, the AI model may classify objects as well as determine size, shape, position, and future direction, the system is capable of generating a current position, as well as track the objects current direction (tracking the object across cameras in real time) and then predict its future direction (AI prediction)).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The system of Higgins allows the user to have an object of interest tracked across multiple camera feeds, and then cameras/camera icons/camera feeds will be sorted, selected or deselected on the map interface based upon whether the object of interest is tracked (Higgins [0005]). Further, the system of Higgins allows the object’s future position to be predicted, which would aid the user in real time monitoring of a situation. The addition of these capabilities to the system of Liu would allow more effective tracking of incidents and suspects in real time. (Higgins [0005], [0032], [0033], [0056] and [0065])
Regarding claim 24 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; The system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral camera set omits an additional camera having an additional physical location within the predefined distance of the first active camera and an additional orientation directed away from an area of interest associated with the tracked object (Higgins, [0005] cameras may be prioritized, selected, deselected, or sorted based upon their locations, and AI object detection, [0034] the system may detect an object automatically when multiple cameras have the object in view, [0063] cameras that have an object of interest detected in their view may have a system alert sent to prioritize recording from those cameras, The ability to select and deselect the camera view being displayed based upon object detection automatically is being interpreted as omitting a camera that is not at a location or orientation to view an object or incident of interest, further the system’s ability to automatically re-orients cameras to capture an object of interest indicates that the system can determine an object of interests direction and position and determine an orientation needed for capturing the object, since the system automatically prioritizes camera’s that are capable of showing an object, those who’s orientations are unable to display the object would also be deselected/omitted).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The system of Higgins allows the user to have an object of interest tracked across multiple camera feeds, and then cameras/camera icons/camera feeds will be sorted, selected or deselected on the map interface based upon whether the object of interest is tracked (Higgins [0005]). The addition of this capability to the systems of Liu and of Van Den Bergen would create a more efficient method of tracking an object given that the peripheral camera set (additional cameras where the object is tracked) would be determined for the user automatically. (Higgins [0005], [0032], [0033], [0056] and [0065])
Regarding claim 25 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; The system of claim 22,wherein the cameras in the peripheral camera set are further determined based at least one of an object type of the tracked object (Higgins, [0026] tasks of the system such as scanning for an object of interest may be set in the system, and the system may prioritize the camera’s assigned to the task based upon the task, where the task include scanning for objects, or tracking animals or tracking environmental changes, given that these are three examples of tracking different objects (generic object, an animal or an environmental change like a fire or storm) the cameras would be prioritized based upon location/proximity to these objects/events of different types, which would be analogous to setting a camera set based upon object/event type being detected, Further, [0059] notes that thermal cameras may be employed by the system to be used for certain type of object/event tracking such as tracking a natural disaster, this further indicates camera selection being based on object type in certain cases).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The addition of the camera selection method of Higgins would allow the system of Liu and Van Den Bergen to implement different cameras or different camera types dependent on the desired object or event of interest to be tracked. This would be advantageous to the system because it would allow the user to track specific objects and events more effectively using camera selection. (Higgins, [00026] and [0059])
Regarding claim 26 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins teaches; The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined distance comprises at least one of:
an inner diameter set by an edge of the geographic space captured by the first active camera (Higgins, [0045] and [0046] as well as Figure 5 shows a panoramic view using multiple cameras proximate to each other indicating there is an overlap in field of view, so an active camera in that set would have peripheral camera’s within predefined distance of the field of view of the first camera, further, Figure 9 shows multiple cameras, where a first active camera has a field of view, and multiple peripheral cameras are within this camera’s field of view),
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(Higgins Figure 5)
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or an outer diameter set to define a ring thickness.
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen and Higgins would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The method of creating a set of cameras within a distance from one another corresponding to a field of view of an active camera allows for maximum capturing capacity and situational awareness for a target incident or object by allowing the fields of view of the camera’s to be combined to capture more footage of a desired location. This would have improved the system of Liu by allowing for more data to be captured at a desired location. (Higgins Figure 5 and 9, and [0044]- [0047])
3. Claims 13 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20210223922 A1) in view of Van den Bergen (US 20050163345 A1), and in further view of Ishigami (EP 1768412 A1)
Regarding claim 13 the combination of Liu and Van Den Bergen does not teach; further including, in response, modifying the map-based portion to be centered at the physical location of the selected camera associated with the at least one second selected one of the first icons.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ishigami teaches; further including, in response, modifying the map-based portion to be centered at the physical location of the selected camera associated with the at least one second selected one of the first icons (Ishigami, [0041] operation management section (140)(Interface generator) transmits a signal controlling the map so the camera icon (first icon) representing the target camera is positioned at the center of the window, Figures 7 A and 7B show the target camera being centered on the map (C1, Target camera centered on the map)).
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(Ishigami, Figure 7 Emphasis added)
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen, and Ishigami would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the combination lies in that the recentering operation of Ishigami would make switching between camera’s easier on the user by automatically centering the map view around of the camera. (Ishigami [0009]- [0010] and [0042])
Regarding claim 21 the combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen, and Ishigami teaches; The system of claim 5, wherein each second first icon the user-selectable second icons at least one of the first icons, when selected (Ishigami, [0049]-[0050] the user can select icons to adjust map view), cause the interface generator to make a camera associated with the selected second first icon the second active camera and to modify the map-based portion to be re-centered at a physical location of the camera associated with the selected second first icon (Ishigami, [0041] operation management section (140)(Interface generator) transmits a signal controlling the map so the camera icon representing the target camera is positioned at the center of the window, Figures 7 A and 7B show the target camera being centered on the map (C1, Target camera centered on the map)).
The combination of Liu, Van Den Bergen, and Ishigami would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the presently claimed invention. The motivation for the combination lies in that the recentering operation of Ishigami would make switching between camera’s easier on the user by automatically centering the map view around of the camera. (Ishigami [0009]- [0010] and [0042])
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For a listing analogous art please see the attached PTO-892 Notice of References Cited.
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/J.M.E./Examiner, Art Unit 2666
/Molly Wilburn/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2666
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