Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/736,896

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ANOMALY DETECTION OF PHYSICAL ASSETS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 07, 2024
Priority
Jun 09, 2023 — provisional 63/472,067
Examiner
PREVIL, DANIEL
Art Unit
2685
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
BCE INC.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allowance Rate
1339 granted / 1560 resolved
+23.8% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+12.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
1586
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
73.8%
+33.8% vs TC avg
§102
3.7%
-36.3% vs TC avg
§112
8.5%
-31.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1560 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 § 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Donnelly (US 9,989,645) in view of Islam (US 2024/0130621). Regarding claims 1, 15, 16, 20, Donnelly discloses an anomaly detection method (col. 20, lines 52-67), comprising: receiving image data from one or more cameras configured to capture an image of a physical asset (col. 13, lines 53-65); and outputting an alert when the probability of the physical anomaly being present in the image data exceeds a threshold value (col. 15, lines 36-67; col. 21, lines 1-7). Donnelly discloses all the limitations set forth above but fails to explicitly disclose determining a probability of a physical anomaly being present in the image data using an artificial intelligence model that is trained to detect anomalous image data, wherein the artificial intelligence model is trained using image data representing normal operating conditions of the physical asset. However, Islam discloses determining a probability of a physical anomaly being present in the image data using an artificial intelligence model that is trained to detect anomalous image data, wherein the artificial intelligence model is trained using image data representing normal operating conditions of the physical asset (under different lighting conditions of the structures of objects in images in page 70, [0557-0559]; page 74, [0579]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the features of Islam within the system of Donnelly in order to accurately identify anomalous object thereby improving the reliability of the system. Regarding claim 2, Donnelly discloses analyzing the image data to determine that the physical anomaly is a specific type of anomaly; and outputting the alert including information on the specific type of anomaly present in the image data (col. 15, lines 53-67). Regarding claim 3, Donnelly discloses wherein analyzing the image data to determine that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly comprises determining a probability that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly using one or more secondary artificial intelligence models that are trained to predict the physical anomaly as being one or more types of anomalies (col. 15, lines 36-67). Regarding claims 4-5, 17, Donnelly and Islam disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Islam further discloses wherein the one or more secondary artificial intelligence models comprise a model that is trained to perform image segmentation on the image data to classify the anomaly as being the specific type of anomaly (page 74, [0579]). Regarding claims 6, 18-19, Donnelly and Islam disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Islam further discloses receiving a context of the image data, wherein the multi-modal generative Al model uses the context of the image data to determine the probability that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly (page 70, [0557-0559]; page 74, [0579]). Regarding claim 7, Donnelly and Islam disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Islam further discloses receiving audio data and/or vibration data associated with the physical asset, wherein the multi-modal generative Al model uses the received audio and/or vibration data to determine the probability that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly (page 70, [0557-0559]; page 74, [0579]). Regarding claim 8, Donnelly and Islam disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Islam further discloses wherein the multi-modal generative Al model is configured to generate an output comprising one or both of: a description of the specific type of anomaly, and a suggested action for responding to the specific type of anomaly (page 70, [0557-0559]; page 74, [0579]). Regarding claim 9, Donnelly discloses wherein determining that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly comprises applying one or more rules to the image data (col. 15, lines 36-67). Regarding claim 10, Donnelly discloses receiving auxiliary data associated with the physical asset from one or more sensors, and wherein determining that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly is further based on the auxiliary data (col. 15, lines 21-67). Regarding claim 11, Donnelly discloses wherein analyzing the image data to determine that the physical anomaly is the specific type of anomaly is performed automatically when the probability that the physical anomaly is present in the image data exceeds the threshold value (col. 15, lines 21-67). Regarding claim 12, Donnelly discloses wherein analyzing the image data to determine that the physical anomaly is a specific type of anomaly is performed in response to a prompt to identify the specific type of anomaly (col. 15, lines 21-67). Regarding claims 13-14, Donnelly and Islam disclose all the limitations set forth in claim 1 and Islam further discloses receiving user feedback on the specific type of anomaly, and updating the one or more secondary artificial intelligence models based on the user feedback (page 70, [0557-0559], page 74, [0579]). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Khare et al. (US 2024/0212845) discloses animal data-based method. Benkert et al. (US 2024/0249118) discloses data mining and applications. Farid et al. (US 2024/0017743) discloses task-relevant machines. Reynolds (US 5,889,550) discloses camera tracking system. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL PREVIL whose telephone number is (571)272-2971. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:30 AM -6:00 PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Wang Quan-Zhen can be reached at 571 272 3114. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. DP March 12, 2026 /DANIEL PREVIL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
Aug 01, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 06, 2025
Response Filed
Dec 02, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jan 22, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 22, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Feb 27, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Mar 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+12.6%)
2y 1m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1560 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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