Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/551,701

ENVIRONMENT MONITORING SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Sep 21, 2023
Examiner
BILLAH, MASUM
Art Unit
2486
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Ocuvera LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
335 granted / 419 resolved
+22.0% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+21.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
450
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.9%
-36.1% vs TC avg
§103
60.5%
+20.5% vs TC avg
§102
14.2%
-25.8% vs TC avg
§112
11.2%
-28.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 419 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . DETAILED ACTION This Office Action is in response to the application 18/551,701 filed on 09/21/2023. Claims 1 – 13 have been examined and are pending in this application. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/21/2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Specification The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification. Election/Restrictions Claim 14 - 20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to an elected Group 1 (claim 1 – 13) there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/03/2025. Claim Objections Claim 14 – 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 14 – 20 should be leveled as withdrawn (or cancelled) by the applicant which wasn’t corrected in the current claim. Based on applicant elected Group, Examiner only examined Group 1 (1-13) in this current rejection. Appropriate correction is required in Applicants next response. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1 – 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being by Han et al. (KR 101702574 B1). Regarding claim 1, Han discloses: “a monitoring system [see para: 0001; particularly by monitoring the patient] comprising: a camera enclosure including at least one camera configured to capture images within a field-of-view of the camera [see para: 0013; In addition, the monitoring module and a camera to shoot the patient lying on the bed. And see para: 0051; Steps 2 and 3, the monitoring module 100 may detail the camera 110 for photographing a patient lying on the bed 300, a camera 110, a bed 300 in the captured image or the position of the patient warning line that is the basis for the the falling risk is determined as a standard (1, 2) and the setting unit 140 for setting the position of the setting unit 140 sets a warning line ((1), (2 )) the reference to a control unit 130 that determines the possibility of hurting the patient]; an enclosure including a computing device [see para: 0074; man-computer interaction can be achieved (Human-computer interaction)], the computing device including at least a processor, a memory [see para: 0096; a storage device for storing digital data to store the digital image by the camera 110 photographing, such as a flash memory, hard disks, SSD (Solid State Drive)], and a display, the enclosure defining an aperture to provide access to the display [see para: 0097; Images stored in the storage unit 160 may be used as a material such as a condition observed, the authenticity judgment of the accident of the patient, the stored image is reproduced or moved or copied to a file form via the display unit 150 able to play it on computer is performed]; and a connector that connects the camera enclosure and the enclosure [see para: 0030; In addition, the monitoring module may further comprising a communication unit connected to a wired or wireless communication network transmitting a fall possibility of a patient wherein the camera takes a picture or the control unit has determined as an external device], wherein a height of the connector ranges from approximately fifty percent (50%) to approximately sixty-five percent (65%) of a total height of the monitoring system [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Examiner notes: the height of the connector, the length will be vary depends on the design or requirements and it should be flexible or adjustable so that in any situation camera mount can go up and down to cover up the field of view as need and its basically a design choice or common knowledge in the art. Regarding claim 2, Han discloses: “wherein the connector comprises a pipe [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Regarding claim 3, Han discloses: “wherein the height of the connector ranges from fifty-five percent (55%) to approximately sixty percent (60%) of the total height of the monitoring system [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Examiner notes: the height of the connector, the length will be vary depends on the design or requirements and it should be flexible or adjustable so that in any situation camera mount can go up and down to cover up the field of view as needed and its basically a design choice or common knowledge in the art. Regarding claim 4, Han discloses: “wherein the height of the connector ranges from approximately fifty-seven percent (57%) to approximately fifty-nine (59%) of the total height of the monitoring system [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Examiner notes: the height of the connector, the length will be vary depends on the design or requirements and it should be flexible or adjustable so that in any situation camera mount can go up and down to cover up the field of view as needed and its basically a design choice or common knowledge in the art. Regarding claim 5, Han discloses: “wherein the total height ranges from approximately six hundred and seventy-five millimeters (675 mm) to approximately seven hundred millimeters (700 mm) [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Examiner notes: the height of the device, the length of the connectors or pipe, will be vary depends on the design or requirements and it should be flexible or adjustable enough so that in any situation camera mount can go up and down to cover up the field of view as needed and its basically a design choice or common knowledge in the art. Regarding claim 6, Han discloses: “wherein the connector ranges from approximately four hundred millimeters (400 mm) to approximately four hundred and seven millimeters (407 mm) [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Examiner notes: the height of the connector, the length will be vary depends on the design or requirements and it should be flexible or adjustable so that in any situation camera mount can go up and down to cover up the field of view as needed and its basically a design choice or common knowledge in the art. Regarding claim 7, Han discloses: “wherein the at least one camera comprises a depth camera [see para: 0051; Steps 2 and 3, the monitoring module 100 may detail the camera 110 for photographing a patient lying on the bed 300, a camera 110]. Regarding claim 8, Han discloses: “wherein the depth camera comprises a Red-Green-Blue depth (RGB-D) camera [see para: 0052; The camera 110 is typically a CCD (charge coupled device) or CID (charge injection device), such as the image pickup device by using a facing direction of the scene to convert the digital signal to a recording device to]. Regarding claim 9, Han discloses: “wherein the display includes a touchscreen [see para: 0021; In addition, the monitoring module may be characterized in that to set the position of the warning line in a manner that displays the image captured by the said camera, further comprising: a display part configured with a touch screen, touch the setting unit comprises a display]. Regarding claim 10, Han discloses: “wherein the total height of the monitoring system is defined as a measurement from a bottom surface of the enclosure to a top surface of the camera enclosure[see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Regarding claim 11, Han discloses: “wherein the computing device includes a network interface, the network interface including at least one of a wireless wide area network component, a wireless local area network component, a wired network component, or a wireless personal area network component [see para: 0030; In addition, the monitoring module may further comprising a communication unit connected to a wired or wireless communication network transmitting a fall possibility of a patient wherein the camera takes a picture or the control unit has determined as an external device]. Regarding claim 12, Han discloses: “wherein the total height ranges from approximately six hundred and seventy-five millimeters (675 mm) to approximately seven hundred millimeters (700 mm), and wherein the connector ranges from approximately four hundred millimeters (400 mm) to approximately four hundred and seven millimeters (407 mm) [see para: 0050; Monitoring module 100 is a bed 300, the side of the one coupled to the coupled to the cradle (190) extending in the direction of height, the height on the cradle (190) to adjust the proper shooting range and the vertical and horizontal directions to the position of the it is preferably configured to be adjusted]. Regarding claim 13, Han discloses: “further comprising at least one of a speaker or a microphone [see para: 0087; Warning unit 200 may be embodied as a lamp or a speaker which is provided at one side of the monitor module 100, a warning signal may be a light or sound signal. And see para: 0102; In addition, the monitoring module 100 further includes a microphone 120 for receiving ambient sound]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nelson et al (US 2024/0277255 A1). Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Masum Billah whose telephone number is (571)270-0701. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Friday 9 - 5 PM ET. 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 J. 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MASUM BILLAH/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2486
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 21, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+21.4%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 419 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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