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 communication filed 1/22/26.
Response to Amendment
The examiner acknowledges the amendment of claims 1,13, the cancellation of claims 4-5, and 7.
Response to Arguments
Regarding applicant’s argument regarding the limitation of the viewing angle, the reference of Nye teaches the visibility of the face of the person being tracked is based on a viewing angle of the person's head from the camera or a physical object covering at least a portion of the person's face (paragraph 0143,0145-0146,0148).
Regarding applicant’s argument regarding the limitation of the security indicator indicating a level of difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person been tracked is based on a visibility of the face of the person being tracked. It is the examiner’s position that the reference of Nye teaches the security indicator indicating a level of difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person being tracked is based on a visibility of the face of the person being tracked because Nye teaches the visibility is based on the lighting and light is used to increase the visibility (paragraph 0153).
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) 1-2,6, and 9-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nye US Patent Application Publication 20180047230.
Regarding claim 1, Nye teaches a method for securing a means of access to a target area by people, comprising, for a person:
in a first area located upstream of the target area, tracking the person when they are moving in the first area in the direction of the target area, by way of a camera observing at least a portion of the first area (paragraph 051),
obtaining biometric information in relation to the person being tracked in order to check whether this person corresponds to a pre-registered person (paragraph 056,059),
determining a security indicator indicating a level of difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person being tracked and checking whether a security condition is satisfied based on the indicator (level of certainty is determined, paragraph 019,0124,0127),
if the person corresponds to a pre-registered person and if the security condition relating to the indicator is not satisfied, then generating a warning signal (alert, paragraph 0138), and if the person does not correspond to a pre-registered person (unidentified person), then generating a warning signal (paragraph 0138);
wherein the security indicator indicating a level of cooperation of the person been tracked, this cooperation being measured by the difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person being tracked is based on a visibility of the face of the person being tracked (visibility is based on the lighting and light is used to increase the visibility (paragraph 0153), and wherein the warning signal is intended to be produced in a second area located between the first area and the target area (area (alert is generated in the area of the user approaching the barrier, paragraph 0137). Nye teaches the visibility of the face of the person being tracked is based on a viewing angle of the person's head from the camera or a physical object covering at least a portion of the person's face (paragraph 0143,0145-0146,0148).
Regarding claim 2, Nye teaches the warning signal designates the person (paragraph 0138).
Regarding claim 6, Nye teaches generating a warning signal (paragraph 0138) and does not provide any disclosure indicating that the warning signal comprises additional biometric information, therefore the prior art of Nye read on the claim limitation.
Regarding claim 9, Nye teaches putting access-blocking gates into a blocked state based on the satisfying of the security condition and on the check on the biometric match of a plurality of people (paragraph 016,062,0128).
Regarding claim 10, Nye teaches a method comprising, for multiple people:
in the first area located upstream of the target area, tracking the multiple people when they are moving in the first area in the direction of the target area, by way of the camera (paragraph 051,077), obtaining biometric information in relation to each person being tracked from among the multiple people in order to check whether each person corresponds to a pre-registered person (paragraph 056, 059), determining said security indicator for each person being tracked and checking whether a security condition is satisfied based on the indicator for each person being tracked(paragraph 019,0124,0127),
for each person being tracked, if the person corresponds to a pre-registered person and if the security condition relating to the indicator is not satisfied, then generating a warning signal (paragraph 0138), and for each person who does not correspond to a pre-registered person, then generating a warning signal (paragraph 0137-0138).
Regarding claim 11, Nye teaches putting the access-blocking gates into a blocked state based on the satisfying of the security condition and on the check on the biometric match of the multiple people (paragraph 016,062,0128).
Regarding claim 12, Nye teaches the target area is a means of access to an aircraft or a means of access to a train or a means of access to a boat or a means of access to a building (paragraph 052,055).
Regarding claim 13, Nye teaches a device for securing a means of access to a target area by people, comprising:
Processing circuitry configured to:
obtain an image stream from a camera observing at least part of a first area in which a person is moving in the direction of the target area (paragraph 051), a module for tracking the person by way of the camera (paragraph 051), a module for obtaining biometric information in relation to the person being tracked, configured to check whether this person corresponds to a pre-registered person (paragraph 056,059), a module for determining a security indicator indicating a level of difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person, configured to check whether a security condition relating to the indicator is satisfied (level of certainty, paragraph 019,0124,0127), a module configured to generate a warning signal if the person corresponds to a pre-registered person and if the security condition relating to the indicator is not satisfied, and to generate a warning signal if the person does not correspond to a pre-registered person (paragraph 01370138);
wherein the security indicator indicating a level cooperation of the person being tracked, this cooperation being measured by the difficulty in obtaining biometric information for the person being tracked is based on a visibility of the face of the person being tracked (visibility is based on the lighting and light is used to increase the visibility (paragraph 0153), and wherein the warning signal is intended to be produced in a second area located between the first area and the target area (area (alert is generated in the area of the user approaching the barrier, paragraph 0137). Nye teaches the visibility of the face of the person being tracked is based on a viewing angle of the person's head from the camera or a physical object covering at least a portion of the person's face (paragraph 0143,0145-0146,0148).
Regarding claim 14, Nye teaches the system comprising a security device and said camera (paragraph 044-47).
Regarding claim 15, Nye teaches the processing circuit is configured to output the generated warning signal if the person corresponds to a pre-registered person and if the security condition relating to the indicator is not satisfied, and/or if the person does not correspond to a pre-registered person (paragraph 0137-0138), a warning gate equipped with a signaling device (audio device represent signaling device, paragraph 0105).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nye US Patent Application Publication 20180047230 in view of Kogan et al. US Patent Application Publication 20050002530.
Regarding claim 3, Nye teaches generating another warning signal designating another person for whom biometric information was obtained for a check showing that this person corresponds to another pre-registered person and for whom the security condition is satisfied (paragraph 0131) but is silent on teaching choosing another person based on random datum. Kogan et al in an analogous art teaches selecting a person based on a random datum (paragraph 04).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Nye as disclosed by Kogan because such modification represents the substitution of one known means for selecting a person for a random means for providing the predictable result of providing a message to a user.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nye US Patent Application Publication 20180047230 in view of Foster US Patent Application US 20150116111.
Regarding claim 8, Nye teaches controlling access to a secured area based on user’s identity (paragraph 048-050) but is silent on teaching a third area is separated from the first area by way of a separation that prevents people from passing from the first area and from the second area to the third area, the third area being outside a tracking field of the camera and a field for obtaining biometric information, and the third area leads to the target area or to the second area, and comprising an inspection gate located before the means of access to the target area or to the second area. Foster in an analogous art teaches creating boundaries for preventing access from one area to another and providing a camera to monitor access to certain areas (figure 1, paragraph 09-013). One skilled in the art recognizes that the limitation a third area is separated from the first area by way of a separation that prevents people from passing from the first area and from the second area to the third area, the third area being outside a tracking field of the camera and a field for obtaining biometric information, and the third area leads to the target area or to the second area, and comprising an inspection gate located before the means of access to the target area or to the second area represents the desired floorplan of a building layout.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Nye as disclosed by Foster because such modification represents the selection of a particular layout configuration of a building in order to achieve the desired improvement in the security and utility of the building.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2025/0175757, US 2019/0370533.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VERNAL U BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-3060. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM, EST.
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/VERNAL U BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686