DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Amendment filed on 02/16/2026.
In the filed response, Claims 1, 4-5, 7, 11, 12, 15-16, and 19 have been amended, where Claims 1, 12, 15, 16, and 19 are independent claims. Further, Claims 2-3, 13, and 18 have been cancelled.
Accordingly, Claims 1, 4-12, 14-17, and 19-20 have been examined and are pending. This Action is made FINAL.
Terminal Disclaimer
1. The terminal disclaimer filed on 02/16/2026 disclaiming the terminal portion of any patent granted on this application which would extend beyond the expiration date of U.S. Patent No. 11122241 has been reviewed and is NOT accepted. The terminal disclaimer does not comply with 37 CFR 1.321 because: it identifies a party who is not the applicant. Please refer to Terminal Disclaimer review decision (02/26/2026) for details. Also, it is further noted that the patent being disclaimed improperly refers to the pending Application Number 15107551 and should be with respect to U.S. Patent No. 11,122,241 B2.
It should be noted that applicant is not required to pay another disclaimer fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(d) when submitting a replacement or supplemental terminal disclaimer.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 14, filed 02/16/2026, with respect to the instant claims have been fully considered and are persuasive, based on the incorporation of the allowable subject matter into independent Claims 1, 12, and 16 and placing Claims 15 and 19, which were previously indicated as containing allowable subject matter, into independent form. Accordingly, the prior art rejections of the instant claims under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been withdrawn.
As to a “vehicle camera disposed at or proximate to the first access point” as claimed, further consideration shows that the work of Hashim-Waris US 2011/0248818 A1 (PTO 892) discloses a visitor management system (abstract) that can include cameras 380 placed at a first entry point (¶0085). Although ¶0082 indicates a vehicle license number can be obtained (i.e. “vehicle identifying information”), it is believed this is done via the vehicle’s responder and not by said cameras as claimed. Further, it appears Hashim-Waris does not reasonably address the other claimed features. Although deemed relevant art, Hashim-Waris, along with the remaining art of record (notably Foster and Kim) do not appear to teach and/or suggest the disclosed features of the instant claims given their BRI.
3. Examiner notes the disapproved status of the filed Terminal Disclaimer as indicated in the Terminal Disclaimer review decision dated 02/26/2026. As soon as a corrected Terminal Disclaimer is filed as per pg. 2 of the review decision, the Instant Application will be in condition for allowance. Also please note the claim objections below which will need to be addressed before moving forward.
4. Applicant’s remarks (pg. 13) and amendments in response to the claim objections are acknowledged. As such, the objections are withdrawn.
5. Applicant’s remarks (pgs. 13-14) in response to the Nonstatutory Double Patenting rejection are acknowledged, however, for the reasons given above (see Terminal Disclaimer), the rejection is maintained.
6. The Examiner is available to discuss the matters of this office action to help move the Instant Application forward. Please refer to the conclusion to this office action regarding scheduling interviews.
7. Accordingly, Claims 1, 4-12, 14-17, and 19-20 have been examined and are pending.
Claim Objections
8. Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recites “wherein the first access box calls the smart device and a second smart device associated with the specific end user; wherein the first access box calls the smart device and a second smart device associated with the specific end user;” (Emphasis added). However, it appears the emphasized limitation is a repeat of the previous limitation. Please check and update accordingly. Appropriate correction is required.
9. Claims 1, 4, 12, 15, and 19 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claims recite a “vehicle camera” which is shown to be “disposed at or proximate to the first access point”. To be able to capture vehicle identifying information (license plate number), it makes sense for the camera to be located outside the vehicle at or near the first access point. However, the term “vehicle camera” can also refer to a camera that is mounted inside the vehicle. Please clarify. Appropriate correction is required.
10. Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recites “and the smart device is configured to identify the first location upon receipt of the call from the first access boxvehicle identifying information” (Emphasis added). It appears “boxvehicle” should be separated by a space, i.e. “box vehicle”. Please check and update accordingly. Appropriate correction is required.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RICHARD A HANSELL JR. whose telephone number is (571)270-0615. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 10 am- 7 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jamie Atala can be reached at 571-272-7384. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RICHARD A HANSELL JR./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2486
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