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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Step 1: Claims 1-20 are directed to statutory categories, namely a machine (claims 1-7), a process (claims 8-14) and an article of manufacture (claims 15-20).
Step 2A, Prong 1: Claims 1, 8 and 15 in part, recite the following abstract idea:
…obtain operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user; compute a plurality of operation metrics based on the operation data, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics corresponding to a respective operation in the plurality of operations; identify, based on the plurality of operation metrics, a single operation of the plurality of operations; and provide information associated with the identified single operation for display via…, wherein information associated with other operations from the plurality of operations is absent from … [Claim 1],
A method for single operation identification, comprising: obtaining, …, operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user; computing… , a plurality of operation metrics based on the operation data, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics corresponding to a respective operation in the plurality of operations; identifying, …, a single operation of the plurality of operations based on the plurality of operation metrics; and causing, … to be displayed, wherein … includes an indication of the single operation, wherein …does not include an indication associated with any other operation from the plurality of operations [Claim 8],
…obtain operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user; compute, based on the operation data, a plurality of operation metrics, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics being associated with a respective operation in the plurality of operations; select a single operation of the plurality of operations based on the plurality of operation metrics; and provide … for display, wherein … includes information associated with the selected single operation and does not include information associated with any other operations from the plurality of operations [Claim 15].
These concepts are not meaningfully different than the following concepts identified by the MPEP:
Concepts relating to certain methods of organizing human activity. The aforementioned limitations describe steps for managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people, including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions. Specifically, displaying operations that are assigned to a user is considered to describe steps following rules or instructions. As such, claims 1, 8 and 15 recite concepts identified as abstract ideas.
The dependent claims recite limitations relative to the independent claims, including, for example:
…wherein, for an operation in the plurality of operations, the operation data includes at least one of: timing information associated with the operation; a user indication associated with the operation; a category associated with the operation; a stage associated with the operation; parent-child information associated with the operation; a duration associated with the operation; an age associated with the operation; or a label associated with the operation [Claim 2],
…wherein one or more items of the operation data are obtained from another system via… [Claim 3],
…receive user input indicating a mode associated with the user; and wherein the one or more processors, to compute the plurality of operation metrics, are configured to: compute the plurality of operation metrics further based on the user input indicating the mode associated with the user [Claim 4],
…obtain user availability information associated with the user; and wherein the one or more processors, to compute the plurality of operation metrics, are configured to: compute the plurality of operation metrics further based on the user availability information [Claim 5],
The limitations of these dependent claims are merely narrowing the abstract idea identified in the independent claims, and thus, the dependent claims also recite abstract ideas.
Step 2A, Prong 2: This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, The independent claims only recite the following additional elements –
…A system for single operation identification, the system comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to … ; … a user interface… the user interface… [Claim 1],
…by a system… ; …, by the system…; …, by the system…; , by the system, a user interface…; …the user interface…; …the user interface… [Claim 8],
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to… ; a user interface… the user interface… [Claim 15].
The dependent claims recite the following new additional elements –
…an application programming interface (API)… [Claim 3].
The apparatus and executable instructions are recited at a high-level of generality (see MPEP § 2106.05(a)), like the following MPEP example:
iii. Gathering and analyzing information using conventional techniques and displaying the result, TLI Communications, 823 F.3d at 612-13, 118 USPQ2d at 1747-48;
Furthermore, the computer implemented element is considered to amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component (see MPEP 2106.05(f)), like the following MPEP example:
i. A commonplace business method or mathematical algorithm being applied on a general purpose computer, Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. V. CLS Bank Int’l, 573 U.S. 208, 223, 110 USPQ2d 1976, 1983 (2014); Gottschalk v. Benson, 409 U.S. 63, 64, 175 USPQ 673, 674 (1972); Versata Dev. Group, Inc. v. SAP Am., Inc., 793 F.3d 1306, 1334, 115 USPQ2d 1681, 1701 (Fed. Cir. 2015);
Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application.
The remaining dependent claims do not recite any new additional elements, and thus do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application.
Step 2B: Claims 1, 8 and 15 and their underlying limitations, steps, features and terms, considered both individually and as a whole, do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception for the following reasons:
The independent claims only recite the following additional elements –
…A system for single operation identification, the system comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to … ; … a user interface… the user interface… [Claim 1],
…by a system… ; …, by the system…; …, by the system…; , by the system, a user interface…; …the user interface…; …the user interface… [Claim 8],
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to… ; a user interface… the user interface… [Claim 15].
These elements do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea for the reasons discussed in 2A prong 2 with regard to MPEP 2106.05(a) and MPEP 2106.05(f). By the failure of the elements to integrate the abstract idea into a practical application there, the additional elements likewise fail to amount to an inventive concept that is significantly more than an abstract idea here, in Step 2B.
As such, both individually or in combination, these limitations do not add significantly more to the judicial exception.
The remaining dependent claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the dependent claims do not recite any new additional elements other than those mentioned in the independent claims, which amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component (see MPEP 2106.05(f)). As such, these claims are not patent eligible.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Vibhor et al., U.S. Patent No. 10,824,515 [hereinafter Vibhor].
Regarding Claim 1, Vibhor anticipates …A system for single operation identification, the system comprising: one or more memories (Vibhor, column 5, line 61 - column 6, line 3, The applications 110 generally facilitate the operations of an organization (or multiple affiliated organizations), and can include, without limitation, mail server applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server), file server applications, mail client applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Client), database applications (e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word processing applications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet applications, financial applications, presentation applications, browser applications, mobile applications, entertainment applications, and so on), (Id., column 6, lines 53-57, The primary storage devices 104 storing the primary data 112 may be relatively fast and/or expensive (e.g., a disk drive, a hard-disk array, solid state memory, etc.). In addition, primary data 112 may be intended for relatively short term retention (e.g., several hours, days, or weeks);
and one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to: obtain operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user (Id., column 41, lines 13-40, In some embodiments, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) (discloses obtaining operation data associated with a plurality of operations (i.e. a workflow)) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine.
(267) In some embodiments, the deployment scheme can be based on resources (speed, size, memory, processor) of the workflow engines. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 may access a stored table or index including a listing of the workflow engines 161 and associated parameters (e.g., associated computing resources). As mentioned above, the resources can relate to the processing speed, number or processors or cores, memory size and speed, and/or communication rates of a particular workflow engine. For example, the deployment scheme may have minimum resource requirements, such as minimum processing speed, memory size, etc. Other deployment schemes may prefer older, smaller, or slower resources), (Id., column 26, lines 1-33, Such information can be provided to users via the user interface 158 in a single, integrated view. For instance, the integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of the system that graphically depicts the various components in the system using appropriate icons. The operations management functionality can facilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each component of the information management system 100. Users may then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user may view high-level information regarding storage operations for the information management system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status (e.g., network pathways, etc.), and other information. The user may also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular component, job, or the like.
(188) In some cases the information management system 100 alerts a user such as a system administrator when a particular resource is unavailable or congested. (discloses operations assigned to an admin user) For example, a particular primary storage device 104 or secondary storage device 108 might be full or require additional capacity. Or a component may be unavailable due to hardware failure, software problems, or other reasons. In response, the information management system 100 may suggest solutions to such problems when they occur (or provide a warning prior to occurrence). For example, the storage manager 140 may alert the user that a secondary storage device 108 is full or otherwise congested. The storage manager 140 may then suggest, based on job and data storage information contained in its database 146, an alternate secondary storage device 108);
compute a plurality of operation metrics based on the operation data, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics corresponding to a respective operation in the plurality of operations (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like);
identify, based on the plurality of operation metrics, a single operation of the plurality of operations (Id., column 42, lines 37-62, At block 508, the storage manager 140 allocates the initial workflow activity based on the allocation scheme (discloses identifying operations to be allocated to resources based on operation metrics). The allocation scheme can be similar in many respects to the deployment scheme described above, and can be used to determine which of the workflow engines 161 is to perform the initial workflow activity. Similar to the deployment scheme, the allocation scheme can be based on different factors, such as activity levels, workflow engine resources, physical proximity, communication pathway speeds, failure rates, schedule maintenance or down time, software versions, costs of operation, etc. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme takes into account a probabilistic determination that the initial workflow activity will be completed within a predetermined time frame. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme allows the storage manager 140 to divide the initial workflow activity between workflow engines. In this way, the initial workflow activity can be completed more quickly. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme directs the selection storage manager 140 to select one or more workflow engines 161 from among the workflow engines 161 to which the workflow suite has been deployed. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 selects a different workflow engine to which the workflow suite has not already been deployed), (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. (discloses identifying a single operation of the operations) Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired);
and provide information associated with the identified single operation for display via a user interface, wherein information associated with other operations from the plurality of operations is absent from the user interface (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired), (Id., Fig. 3B, Figure depicts information associated with an identified single operation of workflow).
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Regarding Claim 2, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
Vibhor further anticipates …wherein, for an operation in the plurality of operations, the operation data includes at least one of: timing information associated with the operation; a user indication associated with the operation; a category associated with the operation; a stage associated with the operation; parent-child information associated with the operation; a duration associated with the operation; an age associated with the operation; or a label associated with the operation (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (discloses timing information associated with operations) (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like).
Regarding Claim 3, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
Vibhor further anticipates …wherein one or more items of the operation data are obtained from another system via an application programming interface (API) (Id., column 6, lines 9-30, As shown, the client computing devices 102 and other components in the information management system 100 can be connected to one another via one or more communication pathways 114. The communication pathways 114 can include one or more networks or other connection types including as any of following, without limitation: the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a Storage Area Network (SAN), a Fibre Channel connection, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) connection, a virtual private network (VPN), a token ring or TCP/IP based network, an intranet network, a point-to-point link, a cellular network, a wireless data transmission system, a two-way cable system, an interactive kiosk network, a satellite network, a broadband network, a baseband network, other appropriate wired, wireless, or partially wired/wireless computer or telecommunications networks, combinations of the same or the like. The communication pathways 114 in some cases may also include application programming interfaces (APIs) including, e.g., cloud service provider APIs, virtual machine management APIs, and hosted service provider APIs), (Id., column 14, lines 25-35, For instance, the management agent 154 can provide the storage manager 140 with the ability to communicate with other components within the information management system 100 (and/or other cells within a larger information management system) via network protocols and application programming interfaces (“APIs”) including, e.g., HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, REST, virtualization software APIs, cloud service provider APIs, and hosted service provider APIs. Inter-cell communication and hierarchy is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, which is incorporated by reference herein).
Regarding Claim 4, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
Vibhor further anticipates …wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive user input indicating a mode associated with the user (Id., column 2, lines 33-47, Generally described, the present disclosure is directed to a system, method, and computer-readable storage medium for a storage management system. Specifically, embodiments described herein include systems and methods for generating and implementing an automated workflow for a networked storage system. For instance, a graphical user interface (e.g., a drag and drop interface) is provided allowing a user to intuitively design the desired workflow. The system can then generate and execute the automated workflow based on the user's input. (discloses user input for automated workflow generation/execution mode) Further embodiments provide intelligent allocation of workflow task execution. For instance, the system can distribute automation tasks to members of a workflow engine pool in order to balance resource usage, reduce automation time, or provide other advantages), (Id., column 41, lines 13-27, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine);
and wherein the one or more processors, to compute the plurality of operation metrics, are configured to: compute the plurality of operation metrics further based on the user input indicating the mode associated with the user (Id., column 2, lines 33-47, Generally described, the present disclosure is directed to a system, method, and computer-readable storage medium for a storage management system. Specifically, embodiments described herein include systems and methods for generating and implementing an automated workflow for a networked storage system. For instance, a graphical user interface (e.g., a drag and drop interface) is provided allowing a user to intuitively design the desired workflow. The system can then generate and execute the automated workflow based on the user's input. (discloses user input for automated workflow generation/execution mode) Further embodiments provide intelligent allocation of workflow task execution. For instance, the system can distribute automation tasks to members of a workflow engine pool in order to balance resource usage, reduce automation time, or provide other advantages), (Id., column 41, lines 13-27, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine);metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine), (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (discloses timing information associated with operations) (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like).
Regarding Claim 6, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
Vibhor further anticipates …wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive, via the user interface, an indication that a second single operation is to be identified (Id., column 2, lines 33-47, Generally described, the present disclosure is directed to a system, method, and computer-readable storage medium for a storage management system. Specifically, embodiments described herein include systems and methods for generating and implementing an automated workflow for a networked storage system. For instance, a graphical user interface (e.g., a drag and drop interface) is provided allowing a user to intuitively design the desired workflow. The system can then generate and execute the automated workflow based on the user's input. (discloses user input on an interface) Further embodiments provide intelligent allocation of workflow task execution. For instance, the system can distribute automation tasks to members of a workflow engine pool in order to balance resource usage, reduce automation time, or provide other advantages),
identify, based on the plurality of operation metrics, a second single operation of the plurality of operations operations (Id., column 42, lines 37-62, At block 508, the storage manager 140 allocates the initial workflow activity based on the allocation scheme (discloses identifying operations to be allocated to resources based on operation metrics). The allocation scheme can be similar in many respects to the deployment scheme described above, and can be used to determine which of the workflow engines 161 is to perform the initial workflow activity. Similar to the deployment scheme, the allocation scheme can be based on different factors, such as activity levels, workflow engine resources, physical proximity, communication pathway speeds, failure rates, schedule maintenance or down time, software versions, costs of operation, etc. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme takes into account a probabilistic determination that the initial workflow activity will be completed within a predetermined time frame. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme allows the storage manager 140 to divide the initial workflow activity between workflow engines. In this way, the initial workflow activity can be completed more quickly. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme directs the selection storage manager 140 to select one or more workflow engines 161 from among the workflow engines 161 to which the workflow suite has been deployed. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 selects a different workflow engine to which the workflow suite has not already been deployed), (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. (discloses identifying a single operation of the operations) Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired);
and provide information associated with the identified second single operation for display via an updated user interface, wherein information associated with other operations from the plurality of operations is absent from the updated user interface (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired), (Id., Fig. 3B, Figure depicts information associated with an identified single operation of workflow).
Regarding Claim 7, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
Vibhor further anticipates …wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: obtain updated operation data associated with the plurality of operations assigned to the user (Id., column 31, lines 50-57, The media agent 144A can also update its index 153 to include data and/or metadata related to the backup copy 116A, (discloses updated operation data) such as information indicating where the backup copy 116A resides on the disk library 108A, data and metadata for cache retrieval, etc. After the 30 day retention period expires, the storage manager 140 instructs the media agent 144A to delete the backup copy 116A from the disk library 108A), (Id., column 41, lines 13-40, In some embodiments, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) (discloses obtaining operation data associated with a plurality of operations (i.e. a workflow)) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine.
(267) In some embodiments, the deployment scheme can be based on resources (speed, size, memory, processor) of the workflow engines. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 may access a stored table or index including a listing of the workflow engines 161 and associated parameters (e.g., associated computing resources). As mentioned above, the resources can relate to the processing speed, number or processors or cores, memory size and speed, and/or communication rates of a particular workflow engine. For example, the deployment scheme may have minimum resource requirements, such as minimum processing speed, memory size, etc. Other deployment schemes may prefer older, smaller, or slower resources), (Id., column 26, lines 1-33, Such information can be provided to users via the user interface 158 in a single, integrated view. For instance, the integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of the system that graphically depicts the various components in the system using appropriate icons. The operations management functionality can facilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each component of the information management system 100. Users may then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user may view high-level information regarding storage operations for the information management system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status (e.g., network pathways, etc.), and other information. The user may also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular component, job, or the like.
(188) In some cases the information management system 100 alerts a user such as a system administrator when a particular resource is unavailable or congested. (discloses operations assigned to an admin user) For example, a particular primary storage device 104 or secondary storage device 108 might be full or require additional capacity. Or a component may be unavailable due to hardware failure, software problems, or other reasons. In response, the information management system 100 may suggest solutions to such problems when they occur (or provide a warning prior to occurrence). For example, the storage manager 140 may alert the user that a secondary storage device 108 is full or otherwise congested. The storage manager 140 may then suggest, based on job and data storage information contained in its database 146, an alternate secondary storage device 108);
compute a plurality of updated operation metrics based on the updated operation data (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like);
identify an updated single operation based on the plurality of updated operation metrics (Id., column 42, lines 37-62, At block 508, the storage manager 140 allocates the initial workflow activity based on the allocation scheme (discloses identifying operations to be allocated to resources based on operation metrics). The allocation scheme can be similar in many respects to the deployment scheme described above, and can be used to determine which of the workflow engines 161 is to perform the initial workflow activity. Similar to the deployment scheme, the allocation scheme can be based on different factors, such as activity levels, workflow engine resources, physical proximity, communication pathway speeds, failure rates, schedule maintenance or down time, software versions, costs of operation, etc. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme takes into account a probabilistic determination that the initial workflow activity will be completed within a predetermined time frame. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme allows the storage manager 140 to divide the initial workflow activity between workflow engines. In this way, the initial workflow activity can be completed more quickly. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme directs the selection storage manager 140 to select one or more workflow engines 161 from among the workflow engines 161 to which the workflow suite has been deployed. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 selects a different workflow engine to which the workflow suite has not already been deployed), (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. (discloses identifying a single operation of the operations) Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired);
and provide information associated with the identified updated single operation for display via an updated user interface, wherein information associated with other operations from the plurality of operations is absent from the updated user interface (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired), (Id., Fig. 3B, Figure depicts information associated with an identified single operation of workflow).
Regarding Claim 8, Vibhor anticipates …A method for single operation identification, comprising: obtaining, by a system, operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user (Vibhor, column 5, line 61 - column 6, line 3, The applications 110 generally facilitate the operations of an organization (or multiple affiliated organizations), and can include, without limitation, mail server applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server), file server applications, mail client applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Client), database applications (e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word processing applications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet applications, financial applications, presentation applications, browser applications, mobile applications, entertainment applications, and so on), (Id., column 6, lines 53-57, The primary storage devices 104 storing the primary data 112 may be relatively fast and/or expensive (e.g., a disk drive, a hard-disk array, solid state memory, etc.). In addition, primary data 112 may be intended for relatively short term retention (e.g., several hours, days, or weeks)),(Id., column 41, lines 13-40, In some embodiments, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) (discloses obtaining operation data associated with a plurality of operations (i.e. a workflow)) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine.
(267) In some embodiments, the deployment scheme can be based on resources (speed, size, memory, processor) of the workflow engines. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 may access a stored table or index including a listing of the workflow engines 161 and associated parameters (e.g., associated computing resources). As mentioned above, the resources can relate to the processing speed, number or processors or cores, memory size and speed, and/or communication rates of a particular workflow engine. For example, the deployment scheme may have minimum resource requirements, such as minimum processing speed, memory size, etc. Other deployment schemes may prefer older, smaller, or slower resources), (Id., column 26, lines 1-33, Such information can be provided to users via the user interface 158 in a single, integrated view. For instance, the integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of the system that graphically depicts the various components in the system using appropriate icons. The operations management functionality can facilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each component of the information management system 100. Users may then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user may view high-level information regarding storage operations for the information management system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status (e.g., network pathways, etc.), and other information. The user may also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular component, job, or the like.
(188) In some cases the information management system 100 alerts a user such as a system administrator when a particular resource is unavailable or congested. (discloses operations assigned to an admin user) For example, a particular primary storage device 104 or secondary storage device 108 might be full or require additional capacity. Or a component may be unavailable due to hardware failure, software problems, or other reasons. In response, the information management system 100 may suggest solutions to such problems when they occur (or provide a warning prior to occurrence). For example, the storage manager 140 may alert the user that a secondary storage device 108 is full or otherwise congested. The storage manager 140 may then suggest, based on job and data storage information contained in its database 146, an alternate secondary storage device 108);
computing, by the system, a plurality of operation metrics based on the operation data, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics corresponding to a respective operation in the plurality of operations (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like);
identifying, by the system, a single operation of the plurality of operations based on the plurality of operation metrics (Id., column 42, lines 37-62, At block 508, the storage manager 140 allocates the initial workflow activity based on the allocation scheme (discloses identifying operations to be allocated to resources based on operation metrics). The allocation scheme can be similar in many respects to the deployment scheme described above, and can be used to determine which of the workflow engines 161 is to perform the initial workflow activity. Similar to the deployment scheme, the allocation scheme can be based on different factors, such as activity levels, workflow engine resources, physical proximity, communication pathway speeds, failure rates, schedule maintenance or down time, software versions, costs of operation, etc. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme takes into account a probabilistic determination that the initial workflow activity will be completed within a predetermined time frame. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme allows the storage manager 140 to divide the initial workflow activity between workflow engines. In this way, the initial workflow activity can be completed more quickly. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme directs the selection storage manager 140 to select one or more workflow engines 161 from among the workflow engines 161 to which the workflow suite has been deployed. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 selects a different workflow engine to which the workflow suite has not already been deployed), (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. (discloses identifying a single operation of the operations) Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired);
and causing, by the system, a user interface to be displayed, wherein the user interface includes an indication of the single operation, wherein the user interface does not include an indication associated with any other operation from the plurality of operations (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired), (Id., Fig. 3B, Figure depicts information associated with an identified single operation of workflow).
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Regarding Claims 9-11 and 13-14, these claims recite limitations substantially similar to those in claims 2-4 and 6-7, respectfully, and are rejected for the same reasons as stated above.
Regarding Claim 15, Vibhor anticipates …A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to: obtain operation data associated with a plurality of operations assigned to a user (Vibhor, column 5, line 61 - column 6, line 3, The applications 110 generally facilitate the operations of an organization (or multiple affiliated organizations), and can include, without limitation, mail server applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Server), file server applications, mail client applications (e.g., Microsoft Exchange Client), database applications (e.g., SQL, Oracle, SAP, Lotus Notes Database), word processing applications (e.g., Microsoft Word), spreadsheet applications, financial applications, presentation applications, browser applications, mobile applications, entertainment applications, and so on), (Id., Claim 16, A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to: cause a display to display a plurality of data storage display object…), (Id., column 6, lines 53-57, The primary storage devices 104 storing the primary data 112 may be relatively fast and/or expensive (e.g., a disk drive, a hard-disk array, solid state memory, etc.). In addition, primary data 112 may be intended for relatively short term retention (e.g., several hours, days, or weeks)),(Id., column 41, lines 13-40, In some embodiments, the activity level can be based on a utilization rate of a workflow engine 161. The utilization rate can be based on the amount, size and/or speed of the resources available to the workflow engine (e.g., processing speed, number of processors or processor cores, memory size and speed, communication rates, etc.) (discloses obtaining operation data associated with a plurality of operations (i.e. a workflow)) compared with how close to capacity the resources are operated. For example, a processor of a workflow engine may be relatively slow, but on average only be operating at 30% of its capacity, and therefore may have a low utilization rate and low activity level. In contrast, a relatively fast processor with multiple cores may operate at 95% capacity on average and therefore have a high utilization rate or high activity level. Additional metrics, or combinations thereof, can be used to determine the activity level of a workflow engine.
(267) In some embodiments, the deployment scheme can be based on resources (speed, size, memory, processor) of the workflow engines. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 may access a stored table or index including a listing of the workflow engines 161 and associated parameters (e.g., associated computing resources). As mentioned above, the resources can relate to the processing speed, number or processors or cores, memory size and speed, and/or communication rates of a particular workflow engine. For example, the deployment scheme may have minimum resource requirements, such as minimum processing speed, memory size, etc. Other deployment schemes may prefer older, smaller, or slower resources), (Id., column 26, lines 1-33, Such information can be provided to users via the user interface 158 in a single, integrated view. For instance, the integrated user interface 158 can include an option to show a “virtual view” of the system that graphically depicts the various components in the system using appropriate icons. The operations management functionality can facilitate planning and decision-making. For example, in some embodiments, a user may view the status of some or all jobs as well as the status of each component of the information management system 100. Users may then plan and make decisions based on this data. For instance, a user may view high-level information regarding storage operations for the information management system 100, such as job status, component status, resource status (e.g., network pathways, etc.), and other information. The user may also drill down or use other means to obtain more detailed information regarding a particular component, job, or the like.
(188) In some cases the information management system 100 alerts a user such as a system administrator when a particular resource is unavailable or congested. (discloses operations assigned to an admin user) For example, a particular primary storage device 104 or secondary storage device 108 might be full or require additional capacity. Or a component may be unavailable due to hardware failure, software problems, or other reasons. In response, the information management system 100 may suggest solutions to such problems when they occur (or provide a warning prior to occurrence). For example, the storage manager 140 may alert the user that a secondary storage device 108 is full or otherwise congested. The storage manager 140 may then suggest, based on job and data storage information contained in its database 146, an alternate secondary storage device 108);
compute, based on the operation data, a plurality of operation metrics, each operation metric in the plurality of operation metrics being associated with a respective operation in the plurality of operations (Id., column 7, lines 12-35, Metadata can include, without limitation, one or more of the following: the data owner (e.g., the client or user that generates the data), the last modified time (e.g., the time of the most recent modification of the data object), a data object name (e.g., a file name), a data object size (e.g., a number of bytes of data), information about the content (e.g., an indication as to the existence of a particular search term), to/from information for email (e.g., an email sender, recipient, etc.), creation date, file type (e.g., format or application type), last accessed time, application type (e.g., type of application that generated the data object), location/network (e.g., a current, past or future location of the data object and network pathways to/from the data object), frequency of change (e.g., a period in which the data object is modified), business unit (e.g., a group or department that generates, manages or is otherwise associated with the data object), and aging information (e.g., a schedule, such as a time period, in which the data object is migrated to secondary or long term storage), boot sectors, partition layouts, file location within a file folder directory structure, user permissions, owners, groups, access control lists [ACLs]), system metadata (e.g., registry information), combinations of the same or the like), (Id., column 25, lines 61-67, Operations management can generally include monitoring and managing the health and performance of information management system 100 by, without limitation, performing error tracking, generating granular storage/performance metrics (discloses operations metrics) (e.g., job success/failure information, deduplication efficiency, etc.), generating storage modeling and costing information, and the like);
select a single operation of the plurality of operations based on the plurality of operation metrics (Id., column 42, lines 37-62, At block 508, the storage manager 140 allocates the initial workflow activity based on the allocation scheme (discloses identifying operations to be allocated to resources based on operation metrics). The allocation scheme can be similar in many respects to the deployment scheme described above, and can be used to determine which of the workflow engines 161 is to perform the initial workflow activity. Similar to the deployment scheme, the allocation scheme can be based on different factors, such as activity levels, workflow engine resources, physical proximity, communication pathway speeds, failure rates, schedule maintenance or down time, software versions, costs of operation, etc. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme takes into account a probabilistic determination that the initial workflow activity will be completed within a predetermined time frame. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme allows the storage manager 140 to divide the initial workflow activity between workflow engines. In this way, the initial workflow activity can be completed more quickly. In some embodiments, the allocation scheme directs the selection storage manager 140 to select one or more workflow engines 161 from among the workflow engines 161 to which the workflow suite has been deployed. In certain embodiments, the storage manager 140 selects a different workflow engine to which the workflow suite has not already been deployed), (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. (discloses identifying a single operation of the operations) Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired);
and provide a user interface for display, wherein the user interface includes information associated with the selected single operation and does not include information associated with any other operations from the plurality of operations (Id., column 37, line 57 – column 38, line 15, FIG. 3B depicts the user interface 300 and a display window 350 displaying the properties of a workflow activity. In the illustrated embodiment, the display window 350 enables a user to view the properties of the backup workflow activity 314. Various tabs 352 of the display window 350 relate to various properties of the backup workflow activity 314.
(249) In the illustrated embodiment, the inputs tab 354 is displayed along with various inputs 356 of the backup workflow activity 314. The various inputs 356 are used by the backup workflow activity 314 to determine parameters of the backup or other secondary copy operation. For example, the inputs can be used to determine the type of backup, such as a snapshot or full backup. The input parameters can also determine which client, clients, or portions thereof are to be backed up. Additionally, the inputs can include which data agents will be used during the backup and any subclients within the clients that will be backed up. Other input parameters can be used, such as the frequency of the backup, a termination time of the backup or a time by when the backup needs to be completed, certain criteria to determine which workflow engine 161 should be used to handle the backup, etc. In some embodiments, a user is able to edit the properties of the backup workflow activity 314, such as the inputs, as desired), (Id., Fig. 3B, Figure depicts information associated with an identified single operation of workflow).
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Regarding Claims 16-18 and 20, these claims recite limitations substantially similar to those in claims 2-4 and 6, respectfully, and are rejected for the same reasons as stated above.
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.
Claims 5, 12 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vibhor in view of Banik et al., U.S. Publication No. 2018/0018617 [hereinafter Banik].
Regarding Claim 5, Vibhor anticipates …The system of claim 1…
While suggested in at least Fig. 1A and related text, Vibhor does not explicitly disclose …wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: obtain user availability information associated with the user; and wherein the one or more processors, to compute the plurality of operation metrics, are configured to: compute the plurality of operation metrics further based on the user availability information.
However, Banik discloses …wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: obtain user availability information associated with the user (Banik, ¶ 3, According to some possible implementations, a device may include one or more processors to: receive group information, associated with performing application maintenance, that includes information corresponding to one or more resources, associated with performing the application maintenance, and information associated with one or more shifts of the one or more resources; receive ticket information, associated with performing the application maintenance, that includes priority information associated with one or more ticket types associated with performing the application maintenance; simulate, based on the group information and the ticket information, performing the application maintenance to determine a simulation result, where the simulation result may include information associated with one or more predicted performance metrics associated with performing the application maintenance; and provide the information associated with the one or more predicted performance metrics), (Id., ¶ 52, As an example, FIG. 5A shows a user interface via which a user may provide input associated with the shift information. For example, analytics platform 215 may cause user device 205 to display the user interface to a user and to prompt the user to input the shift information. As shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the start time and the end time for a shift in hours and minutes. As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the target utilization (e.g., as a percentage indicating a maximum utilization of a full time equivalent (FTE) of an individual performing application maintenance). As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the time zone difference (e.g., as a positive or negative value indicating a number of hours to convert from the group time zone to the server time zone). As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the amount of weekend resources (e.g., a number of resources available for weekend support, such as an FTE count of individuals available to provide support on a weekend). In some implementations, the group information may include shift information for multiple shifts. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display information associated with two different shifts (shown as “Shift A” and “Shift B”)), (Id., ¶ 62, As an example, FIG. 5D shows a user interface via which a user may provide input associated with the ticket type information. As shown in FIG. 5D, the user interface may obtain and/or display a ticket type (e.g., “Incident”), ticket priority information (e.g., priority level “P1”, “P2, “P3”), and/or a percentage distribution of tickets (e.g., a percentage of ticket volume for each priority level). As further shown in FIG. 5D, the user interface may obtain and/or display an average effort for each ticket (e.g., an average number of hours or resources to resolve a ticket for each combination of ticket type and/or priority level). As further shown in FIG. 5D, the user interface may obtain and/or display a first and second skill preference for each ticket type and/or priority level. As further shown in FIG. 5D, the user interface may obtain and/or display an indicator (e.g., “True” or “False”) of whether on call support is available for each ticket type and/or priority level);
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and wherein the one or more processors, to compute the plurality of operation metrics, are configured to: compute the plurality of operation metrics further based on the user availability information (Id., ¶ 52, As an example, FIG. 5A shows a user interface via which a user may provide input associated with the shift information. For example, analytics platform 215 may cause user device 205 to display the user interface to a user and to prompt the user to input the shift information. As shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the start time and the end time for a shift in hours and minutes. As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the target utilization (e.g., as a percentage indicating a maximum utilization of a full time equivalent (FTE) of an individual performing application maintenance). As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the time zone difference (e.g., as a positive or negative value indicating a number of hours to convert from the group time zone to the server time zone). As further shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display the amount of weekend resources (e.g., a number of resources available for weekend support, such as an FTE count of individuals available to provide support on a weekend). In some implementations, the group information may include shift information for multiple shifts. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the user interface may obtain and/or display information associated with two different shifts (shown as “Shift A” and “Shift B”)), (Id., ¶ 54, As an example, FIG. 5B shows a user interface via which a user may provide input associated with the personnel information. As shown in FIG. 5B, the user interface may obtain and/or display information associated with a set of expertise levels (e.g., “Level 0”, “Level 1”, “Level 2”, “Level 3”, and “Level 4). As further shown in FIG. 5B, the user interface may obtain and/or display information associated with a set of job titles (shown by “Designation”), such as Associate Software Engineer (ASE), Software Engineer (SE), Senior Software Engineer (SSE), Team Leader (TL), Associate Manager (AM), or Manager (M). Notably, the expertise levels and designations described herein are examples and may differ (e.g., from organization to organization). As further shown in FIG. 5B, the user interface may obtain and/or display information that identifies a cost (shown by “Cost/Hr ($)”) associated with each job title. (discloses operation data based on user availability) As further shown in FIG. 5B, the user interface may obtain and/or display information that identifies relative efforts associated with each expertise level. For example, if an expertise level 4 resource requires an average of 1 hour to resolve an issue (e.g., a ticket) and an expertise level 3 resource requires 10% longer than the expertise level 4 resource to resolve the same issue, then the user may enter a 1.0 under Level 4 and a 1.1 under Level 3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have modified the operation identification elements of Vibhor to include the user availability elements of Banik in the analogous art of analyzing client or application related changes to an application maintenance project.
The motivation for doing so would have been to improve “the performance of application maintenance … based on the project report and/or the modified project report, thereby improving overall performance and/or operation of the application. Furthermore, improved performance of the application, resulting from the improved application maintenance, may allow system software and hardware (e.g., associated with executing and/or hosting the application) to function more efficiently and/or effectively” (Banik, ¶ 17), wherein such improvements would benefit Vibhor’s method which seeks to provide “improved client computing device 102 operation, faster secondary copy operation performance, and enhanced scalability. As one specific example which will be discussed below in further detail, the media agent 144 can act as a local cache of copied data and/or metadata that it has stored to the secondary storage device(s) 108, providing improved restore capabilities” [Banik, ¶ 17; Vibhor, column 15, lines 56-67].
Regarding Claims 12 and 19, these claims recite limitations substantially similar to those in claim 5, and are rejected for the same reasons as stated above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Maluf et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,224,472 discloses an enhanced project management tool.
Rivard et al., U.S. Patent No. 10,057,712 discloses a mobile device with applications that use a common place card to display data relating to a location.
Firment et al., U.S. Patent No. 10,637,742 discloses cloud migration and maintenance controls.
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/NICHOLAS D BOLEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3624 /PATRICIA H MUNSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3624