DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Miscellaneous
Claims pending: 1-21,
Claims amended: 1, 12,
Claims cancelled: n/a
New claims: n/a
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 12 have been fully considered.
Regarding applicant’s remarks dated 11/10/2025, regarding currently cited references fail to teach amended claim(s) 1, 12.
However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Kim see claim rejection below for details.
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 2-4, 13-16, have been fully considered.
Regarding applicant’s remarks dated 11/10/2025, pg. 15-17, regarding all the cited references all fail to teach “filtering in Harmon appear to be performed by software and not by circuit, either processing circuit, or filtering circuit as claimed”.
Examiner disagree.
Harmon teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy, the network interface device.
Harmon further teach a storage to store a first content stream portion, the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion; and a filtering circuit, the filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to the first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion; and network interface device is configured to transmit the filtered content stream portion. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device( 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents reads on (the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion), and processing of the curation, filtering of those portions of content reads on (filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion), the network interface used to transmit the filtered content to the clients reads on (network interface device is configured to transmit filtered content stream portion))
Harmon teach various types of server(s) (client side and/or content provider side) can includes storage memory such as 804 and processor 802, which can implement the steps of performing ((filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion). (Fig 7, 8A-8B, 9, P. 34, 75-86)
Harmon fails to specifically teach buffer.
Abecassis teach buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229 Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments)
Thus, in combination Harmon and Abecassis teach the claimed language of claim(s) 2, 13-14, and their dependent claims, 3-4, 15-16.
In response to applicant's argument that combination of Abecassis make no sense, the test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 7-8, have been fully considered.
Regarding applicant’s remarks dated 11/10/2025, pg. 17-19, regarding all the cited references all fail to teach “if content tagging in Harmon is performed by users, who are accessing content from client machines, then content tagging is not performed within a processing circuit that is part of a device also including the storage device storing the content and the network interface device transmitting the (filtered) content”, and “processing circuit recited in the claim may both analyze the content to determine what types of content are present, and then to filter the content based on a filtering policy, which is not taught (or even suggested) by Harmon”.
Examiner disagree.
Harmon teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the first content stream portion, the content detection circuit.
Harmon further teach includes a storage storing first content stream portion; and content detection circuit is configured to identify the content type in the first content stream portion based at least in part on the first content stream portion being in the storage. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71, the portion of the device that perform the steps of analyzing and matching category of violence within the content reads on (content detection circuit identify content type), analyzing the content within the storage memory for processing the curation reads on (identify the content type in the first content stream portion based at least in part on the first content stream portion being in the storage)).
Harmon teach in Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, 9, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device( 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents reads on (the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion), and processing of the curation, filtering of those portions of content reads on (filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion), the network interface used to transmit the filtered content to the clients reads on (network interface device is configured to transmit filtered content stream portion))
Harmon teach various types of server(s) (client side and/or content provider side) can includes storage memory such as 804 and processor 802, which can implement the steps of performing ((filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion). (Fig 7, 8A-8B, 9, P. 34, 75-86)
Abecassis specifically teach buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments)
Thus, in combination Harmon and Abecassis teach the claimed language of claim(s) 7-8.
Applicant is again reminded that although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
In response to applicant's argument that combination of Abecassis make no sense, the test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of dependent claim(s) have been fully considered, and are rejected based on the same reasons as their corresponding independent claim(s) recited to above.
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to allowable Subject matter: the Objection(s) of claim(s) 10, 19, have been fully considered.
Regarding applicant’s remarks dated 11/10/2025, pg. 19, regarding “Office Action does not indicate what features of claims 10 and 19 make claims 10 and 19 allowable”.
It is the features recited in claim(s) 10, and 19.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 6, 9, 11- 12, 17-18, 21, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20160037217) to (Harmon) in view of (US 20090307310) to (Kim).
Regarding claim(s) 1, 12, Harmon teach a device, a storage device storing a content stream; a network interface device to transmit a filtered content stream; and a processing circuit connected to the storage device and the network interface device, wherein the processing circuit is configured to apply a filtering policy to the content stream to produce the filtered content stream. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 36, 59, 74, 77, 87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device(s0 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device))
Kim further teach transmitting filtered content stream across a network to a client. (Fig. 1, 5, 8, P. 10, 14, 17 receiving from the server filtered content according to the information about the age limit in response to the content request message, wherein the filtered content is obtained by changing part of the original content according to the information about the age limit).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Harmon by transmitting filtered content stream across a network to a client as taught by Kim in order to prevent user aged watching of the entire content.
Regarding claim(s) 6, 17, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the first content stream, the first content stream, filtering the content stream using the processing circuit of the device to produce the filtered content stream.
Harmon further teach a content detection circuit to identify a content type in a first content stream portion, the first content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71, the portion of the device that perform the steps of analyzing and matching reads on (content detection circuit ), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents reads on (the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion)).
Regarding claim(s) 9, 18, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the network interface device, transmitting the filtered content stream, filtering the content stream using the processing circuit of the device to produce the filtered content stream.
Harmon further teach a delay circuit to delay network interface device for an interval before transmitting content stream. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71, the portion of the device that perform the steps of analyzing and matching reads on (content detection circuit ), the dashboard showing audiovisual content waiting to be published, and/or determine a time to be published specifically Fig. 4A, 5B, P. 53-56)).
Regarding claim(s) 11, 20, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy.
Harmon teach a content stream portion; and filtering policy specifies to delete the content stream portion from the content stream or to replace the content stream portion in the content stream with a replacement content stream portion in the content stream. (Harmon Fig. 1A-1B, 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 48-49, 59-60, 68, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 48-49, 68, the objectionable content can be removed by skipped or blanked so viewer does not have to see it, which reads on (delete content stream portion from content stream or to replace content stream portion in content stream with a replacement content stream portion in the content stream)).
Regarding claim(s) 21, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy.
Harmon further teach an interface for connecting device to a processor.
(Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device( 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, or fewer device(s) (Fig 7, P. 77), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents, and processing of the curation, filtering of those portions of content, the network interface used to transmit the filtered content to the clients)
Harmon further teach various types of server(s) (client side and/or content provider side) can includes storage memory such as 804 and processor 802, which can implement the steps of performing ((filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion). (Fig 7, 8A-8B, 9, P. 34, 75-86)
When the “device(s) interface with another entity within the system, reads on (an interface for connecting device to a processor).
Claim(s) 2-5, 7-8, 13-16, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20160037217) to (Harmon) in view of (US 20090307310) to (Kim) in view of (US 20010041053) to (Abecassis).
Regarding claim(s) 2, 13-14, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy, the network interface device.
Harmon further teach a storage to store a first content stream portion, the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion; and a filtering circuit, the filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to the first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion; and network interface device is configured to transmit the filtered content stream portion. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device(s0 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents reads on (the content stream including the first content stream portion and a second content stream portion), and processing of the curation, filtering of those portions of content reads on (filtering circuit configured to apply filtering policy to first content stream portion to produce a filtered content stream portion), the network interface used to transmit the filtered content to the clients reads on (network interface device is configured to transmit filtered content stream portion))
Abecassis teach buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229 Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Harmon in view of Kim by buffer as taught by Abecassis in order to provide video services that fully realize the potential of the random access capabilities of video server.
Regarding claim(s) 3, 15, Harmon in view of Kim in view of Abecassis teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy, the network interface device.
Harmon further teach a second storage, second storage storing a third content stream portion, a second content stream including the third content stream portion and a fourth content stream portion; processing circuit further includes a second filtering circuit, the second filtering circuit configured to apply a second filtering policy to the third content stream portion to produce a second filtered content stream portion, a second filtered content stream including the second filtered content stream portion; and network interface device is configured to transmit second filtered content stream portion. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device(s0 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the storage memory within the server(s) that store the different portions of different contents reads on (a second content stream including the third content stream portion and a fourth content stream portion), and processing of the curation, filtering of those portions of content reads on (second filtering circuit configured to apply a second filtering policy to the third content stream portion to produce a second filtered content stream portion), the network interface used to transmit the filtered content to the clients reads on (network interface device is configured to transmit second filtered content stream portion))
Abecassis further teach second buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229 Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments, a different RAVIT device with another video buffer reads on (second buffer) )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Harmon in view of Kim in view of Abecassis by second buffer as taught by Abecassis in order to provide video services that fully realize the potential of the random access capabilities of video server.
Regarding claim(s) 4, 16, Harmon in view of Kim in view of Abecassis teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy, the network interface device, the filtered content stream portion, and the second filtered content stream portion
Harmon further teach transmit filtered content stream portion to a first client and second filtered content stream portion to a second client. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, collaboratively curating video maps used for filtering audio, visual, or audiovisual content, such as a movie. One or more video taggers may tag segments of a movie containing filterable content, such as swearing, nudity, sex, violence, etc. wherein the curation server 716 and the media distribution server 722 are working together for providing filtered content to client device(s0 706a, 706n, content stream is stored in the storage memory for distribution server 722, , and the curation server process and implement the different filters (filtering policy) before playing for the client devices, which reads on (filtered content stream), the devices within Fig 7 can be configured into fewer computing devices, such that entities of system 700 may be integrated into a single computing device, which reads on (device), the transmission of the different filtered contents to different clients reads on (transmit filtered content stream portion to a first client and second filtered content stream portion to a second client).)
Regarding claim(s) 5, Harmon in view of Kim in view of Abecassis teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the content stream, the filtering policy, the network interface device, the first content stream portion, the filtering policy.
Harmon further teach includes a content type; and filtering policy identifies the content type to be filtered. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, tagging a segment of content that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71,)
Regarding claim(s) 7, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the first content stream portion, the content detection circuit.
Harmon further teach includes a storage storing first content stream portion; and content detection circuit is configured to identify the content type in the first content stream portion based at least in part on the first content stream portion being in the storage. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71, the portion of the device that perform the steps of analyzing and matching category of violence within the content reads on (content detection circuit identify content type), analyzing the content within the storage memory for processing the curation reads on (identify the content type in the first content stream portion based at least in part on the first content stream portion being in the storage)).
Abecassis teach buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Harmon in view of Kim by buffer as taught by Abecassis in order to provide video services that fully realize the potential of the random access capabilities of video server.
Regarding claim(s) 8, Harmon in view of Kim teach the device, the method, the processing circuit, the first content stream portion, the content detection circuit.
Harmon further teach a second storage storing a third content stream portion; and a second content detection circuit to identify a second content type in the third content stream portion based at least in part on the third content stream portion being in the second storage. (Harmon Fig. 7, 8A, 8B, P. 34, 36, 41, 59-60, 73-76,78, 87, analyzing video content for match of objectionable type of content and tagging a segment of content and storing it that contain filterable category of content such as violence, nudity, etc. specifically P. 36, 71, the portion of the device that perform the steps of analyzing and matching a category of content such as nudity, reads on (content detection circuit identify a second content type), analyzing the content within the storage memory for processing the curation reads on (identify a second content type in the third content stream portion based at least in part on the third content stream portion being in), the different types of content within the different storages and their segments reads on (third content stream portion)).
Abecassis teach second buffer. (Fig. 4A, 4B, 5, P. 23-36, 154, 193, 210, 212, 216, 221, 226, 229Abecassis teach a RAVIT device where the video advertisement is automatically customized responsive to the application of the viewer's video content preferences to a video segment map defining a plurality of video segments, wherein the device consist of a vide buffer that provides for the retrieval and transmission of selected sequential and non-sequential video segments, a different RAVIT device with another video buffer reads on (second buffer))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Harmon in view of Kim by second buffer as taught by Abecassis in order to provide video services that fully realize the potential of the random access capabilities of video server.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 10, 19, are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RONG LE whose telephone number is (571)270-7637. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (9 am - 6pm).
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/RONG LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2421