Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Application No. 18/757,323

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATING THEREOF

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jun 27, 2024
Examiner
PARK, SUNGHYOUN
Art Unit
2484
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Milestone Systems A/S
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allow Rate
459 granted / 613 resolved
+16.9% vs TC avg
Moderate +10% lift
Without
With
+10.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
43 currently pending
Career history
656
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.9%
-34.1% vs TC avg
§103
51.8%
+11.8% vs TC avg
§102
26.4%
-13.6% vs TC avg
§112
6.9%
-33.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 613 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 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Narashimhan in view of Henriksen Claims 1, 3-12, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Narashimhan et al.(USPubN 2022/0060375; hereinafter Narasimhan) in view of Henriksen(USPubN 2020/0159768). As per claim 1, Narasimhan teaches a system comprising: an on-premises system comprising a plurality of servers configured to run software comprising server components, the on-premises system further comprising a plurality of agents that run independently from the server components, the on-premises system being configured to enable remote communication with the on-premises system, and each agent being configured to enable update and/or upgrade of at least one server component(“One or more cloud extension agents 124 allow communication between external network 130 and customer premises 120. Customer premises 120 can be, for example, a corporate network. External network 130 can be, for example, the Internet, including any remote data centers that provide cloud-based services. Within the customer premises 120, local corporate resources and servers 122 (e.g. servers or other configurable resources, which will be collectively referred to as corporate servers) provide resource access to user devices 126. User devices 126 can include computing devices such as mobile devices or computers” in Para.[0041], “A software upgrade to be deployed by a cloud extension agent is received by a remote network management platform, the cloud extension agent running locally on a network and initiating an outbound connection to the remote network management platform through a firewall of the network. A command is generated for the software upgrade, the command comprising an identification of a source of the software upgrade. The command is provided to the cloud extension agent, wherein providing the command causes the cloud extension agent to acquire the software upgrade from the identified source and deploy the software upgrade.” In Abs); a cloud-based system, wherein the system is configured to establish bidirectional communication between the on-premises system and cloud-based system through a first communication channel(“Cloud extension agent 124 opens a connection 110 to one or more external servers in cloud 132 through firewall 112. Many firewalls restrict inbound connections. However, by employing a cloud extension agent 124, connection 110 can be initiated as an outbound connection through firewall 112. This allows connection 110 to be made through firewall 112, without the need for extensive changes to the policies of firewall 112. Utilizing an outbound connection has several advantages, including easy administration of cloud extension agent 124 and firewall 112, without the need for specialized training or complex configurations. In some embodiments, connection 110 is initiated as an outbound HTTPS connection. Most firewalls 112 allow HTTP and HTTPS connections in an outbound manner without additional configuration by an administrator. For example, many firewalls enable TCP ports 80 and 443 by default.” in Para.[0042]); the system being further configured to establish a plurality of second communication channels, each second communication channel establishing a direct connection between at least one agent associated with at least one server component, on the one hand, and the cloud-based system, on the other hand(“because an implementer of cloud-based management platform 150 and cloud extension agent 124 has control of the library of available command messages sent over the XMPP channel, control can be implemented without exposing corporate servers 122 to malicious attack. For example, firewall 112 can still maintain all security that any standard firewall would maintain, and corporate servers 122 can operate without exposing APIs or ports to the Internet. … a secure end-to-end connection between device management database 154 and configuration and status information of corporate servers 122 can be maintained. This allows management of corporate servers 122 to be essentially extended to the cloud and cloud-based management platform 150.” in Para.[0053], Fig. 1B, There is direct connection between cloud extension agent to corporate servers.); wherein the agents are configured to use information obtained through the first communication channel to establish the said second communication channels; wherein the system is further configured to transmit, from the cloud-based system to the on-premises system, software updates and/or upgrades, and to instruct installation of these transmitted software updates and/or upgrades in a predetermined sequence, using the plurality of second communication channels(“Cloud extension agent 124 can communicate with several front-end servers in one or more remote data centers. Bulk upload server 152 can be used by cloud extension agent 124 to upload information about device configuration or configuration and status information of corporate servers 122 and user devices 126. At initialization, the amount of information that may be loaded onto bulk upload server 152 can be relatively large. In some embodiments, bulk upload server 152 is a standalone server in a data center. In some embodiments, it can be a software component operating on the same server hardware as the other servers in the data center that supports cloud-based management platform 150. Bulk upload server 152 can work with registration server 153 to create records for newly registered individual devices or corporate servers, upon receiving status information from cloud extension agent 124. Bulk upload server 152 and registration server 153 can interface with device management database 154 to create and maintain records for individual user devices or corporate servers” in Para.[0051], “as an organization grows or the software updates, the user of the software need not be burdened with these updates and can easily scale the software to meet his needs. A cloud-based solution also provides certain billing options that may not be easily available with traditional on-premises managed applications. Whereas a traditional software licensing model may include selling software on a per-seat, unlimited-use basis, cloud-based software allows more flexibility, including the ability to bill customers for monthly use, actual use, etc. Cloud-based software can also be less intrusive or make it easier to outsource management and maintenance of the software. Cloud-based software can automatically give users access to updates as they become available, rather than requiring a user to pay a maintenance fee, or require a user to upgrade software each time an upgrade becomes available.” in Para.[0007]). Narasimhan is silent about a video surveillance system comprising: a system comprising a server configured to run video management software. Henriksen teaches a video surveillance system comprising: a system comprising a server configured to run video management software(“The management server 130 includes management software for managing information regarding the configuration of the surveillance/monitoring system 100 such as conditions for alarms, details of attached peripheral devices (hardware), which data streams are recorded in which recording server, etc. The management server 130 also manages user information such as operator permissions. When the client device 120 is connected to the system, or a user logs in, the management server 130 determines if the user is authorised to view video data. The management server 130 also initiates an initialisation or set-up procedure during which the management server 130 sends configuration data to the client device 120. The configuration data defines the cameras in the system, and which recording server each camera is connected to. The client device 120 then stores the configuration data locally in a cache. The configuration data comprises the information necessary for the client device 120 to identify cameras and obtain data from cameras and/or recording servers. The management server 130 also communicates with the client device 120 if a change is made that requires the client device 120 to update its configuration data. For example, if a recording server is added or removed from the system, or a new camera is added and associated with a particular recording server. Hence, the client device 120 is able to identify which recording server video data from a particular camera is stored on.” in Para.[0035]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings Narasimhan with the above teachings of Henriksen in order to improve user experience. As per claim 3, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein at least two different servers in the plurality of servers are different pieces of software running on the same computer hardware(“bulk upload server 152, XMPP server 160, heartbeat server 162, file server 164 can be separate servers or parts of the same hardware or software server” in Para.[0058]). As per claim 4, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein at least two different servers in the plurality of servers are different pieces of computer hardware (“bulk upload server 152, XMPP server 160, heartbeat server 162, file server 164 can be separate servers or parts of the same hardware or software server” in Para.[0058]). As per claim 5, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein each of the agents respectively runs on the same server as the at least one server component to which that agent is associated(“As used herein, a cloud extension agent is a software agent running on resources within a corporate network for purposes of extending control of local resources to one or more datacenters on the Internet. A cloud extension agent can be configured to initiate an outbound secure connection through one or more firewalls to interface with resources across the Internet (e.g., open a connection to cloud-based resources via HTTPS). Cloud extension agents may be further configured to interface with servers or other resources within the corporate network through APIs, exposed network ports, or other software protocols. This allows the cloud extension agent to change the configuration of these resources. Some cloud extension agents may further be configured to monitor status of these resources, such as by accessing user profiles, policies, or device status information for mobile devices associated with users that utilize these resources. For example, a cloud extension agent may be capable of reviewing the security status of one or more mobile devices used by users of the network. For example, Exchange server and BES servers can monitor and report devices configuration and status information to the cloud extension agent. In some embodiments, a cloud extension agent may be further configured to upload a snapshot of information to the cloud-based network management platform about resources on the corporate network and/or mobile devices authorized to connect to the network” in Para.[0038]) As per claim 6, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein the video surveillance system is further configured to use at least one of the second communication channels to maintain communication between an agent and the cloud-based system when a server component corresponding to that agent is being updated and/or upgraded(“Furthermore, by using a secure connection through firewall, using a standard Internet protocol and an instant messaging control protocol to exchange control messages between the cloud-based management platform 150 and the cloud extension agent 124, the system can have advantages over prior art configurations. For example, in prior art configurations that use a demilitarized zone (DMZ), software can be placed in a DMZ for communication outside a network without having to go through a firewall. However, because the DMZ does not interface external networks through a firewall, the DMZ itself must be generally be quarantined from the rest of corporate network. Therefore, if an agent was placed in a DMZ there would most likely be a firewall between the agent and the corporate servers that the agent seeks to configure. In such a configuration, it would be difficult for an agent to communicate configuration information to the servers, because the corporate servers would not expose the ports necessary for configuration to software in the DMZ. In contrast, in some embodiments of the present invention, the cloud extension agent is on the same network as the corporate resources being configured. Furthermore, there is generally no firewall (or at least no full-security firewall) between the cloud extension agent and the corporate servers. Accordingly, corporate servers 122 can expose APIs and communication ports to the cloud extension agent 124 that might not otherwise be available in the prior art configurations” in Para.[0055]). As per claim 7, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein at least one of the server components is a cloud connector configured to enable the said bidirectional communication between the on-premises system and cloud-based system for the first communication channel(“Furthermore, by using a secure connection through firewall, using a standard Internet protocol and an instant messaging control protocol to exchange control messages between the cloud-based management platform 150 and the cloud extension agent 124, the system can have advantages over prior art configurations. For example, in prior art configurations that use a demilitarized zone (DMZ), software can be placed in a DMZ for communication outside a network without having to go through a firewall. However, because the DMZ does not interface external networks through a firewall, the DMZ itself must be generally be quarantined from the rest of corporate network. Therefore, if an agent was placed in a DMZ there would most likely be a firewall between the agent and the corporate servers that the agent seeks to configure. In such a configuration, it would be difficult for an agent to communicate configuration information to the servers, because the corporate servers would not expose the ports necessary for configuration to software in the DMZ. In contrast, in some embodiments of the present invention, the cloud extension agent is on the same network as the corporate resources being configured. Furthermore, there is generally no firewall (or at least no full-security firewall) between the cloud extension agent and the corporate servers. Accordingly, corporate servers 122 can expose APIs and communication ports to the cloud extension agent 124 that might not otherwise be available in the prior art configurations” in Para.[0055]). As per claim 8, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein the cloud-based system is further configured to concurrently transmit respective software updates and/or upgrades to corresponding server components using second communication channels associated with these server components(“A software upgrade to be deployed by a cloud extension agent is received by a remote network management platform, the cloud extension agent running locally on a network and initiating an outbound connection to the remote network management platform through a firewall of the network. A command is generated for the software upgrade, the command comprising an identification of a source of the software upgrade. The command is provided to the cloud extension agent, wherein providing the command causes the cloud extension agent to acquire the software upgrade from the identified source and deploy the software upgrade.” In Abs). As per claim 9, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein the agents are configured to perform data origin authentication to confirm origin of the transmitted software updates and/or upgrades(“administrator 170 can interact with cloud extension agent view 159 to define which log information the cloud extension agent should collect, at step 702. This log information can relate to status information of a cloud extension agent, or to the corporate resources or servers that the cloud extension agent interfaces” in Para.[0107]]. As per claim 10, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narasimhan teaches wherein the agents are configured to be connected to the same end-point in the cloud-based system(“Cloud extension agent 124 can communicate with several front-end servers in one or more remote data centers. Bulk upload server 152 can be used by cloud extension agent 124 to upload information about device configuration or configuration and status information of corporate servers 122 and user devices 126. At initialization, the amount of information that may be loaded onto bulk upload server 152 can be relatively large. In some embodiments, bulk upload server 152 is a standalone server in a data center. In some embodiments, it can be a software component operating on the same server hardware as the other servers in the data center that supports cloud-based management platform 150. Bulk upload server 152 can work with registration server 153 to create records for newly registered individual devices or corporate servers, upon receiving status information from cloud extension agent 124. Bulk upload server 152 and registration server 153 can interface with device management database 154 to create and maintain records for individual user devices or corporate servers. For example, for new devices with no records in device management database 154, registration server 153 will create a new record. For devices having an existing record in device database 154, bulk upload server 152 can update the record in the database” in Para.[0051]). As per claim 11, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narashimhan is silent about wherein the said video management software comprises a plurality of video management software programs, and wherein at least one agent is associated with server components in the plurality of video management software programs. Henriksen teaches wherein the said video management software comprises a plurality of video management software programs, and wherein at least one agent is associated with server components in the plurality of video management software programs(“The client device 120 provides an interface via which an operator can view video data live from the cameras 110a, 110b, 110c, or recorded video data from the recording servers 150. The client device 120 further provides a search interface via which a user can carry out searches, for example based on facial recognition or motion detection. The searches may involve analysing the video data itself, for example a motion based search. In this case a request is issued to the recording server 150 which carries out the search. Alternatively, the searches may be searches of metadata which has been generated by analytics software, in which case a request might be sent to a metadata indexing server (not shown) which searches the metadata and returns a result indicating video segments which match the search criteria” in Para.[0034], “The management server 130 includes management software for managing information regarding the configuration of the surveillance/monitoring system 100 such as conditions for alarms, details of attached peripheral devices (hardware), which data streams are recorded in which recording server, etc. The management server 130 also manages user information such as operator permissions. When the client device 120 is connected to the system, or a user logs in, the management server 130 determines if the user is authorised to view video data. The management server 130 also initiates an initialisation or set-up procedure during which the management server 130 sends configuration data to the client device 120. The configuration data defines the cameras in the system, and which recording server each camera is connected to. The client device 120 then stores the configuration data locally in a cache. The configuration data comprises the information necessary for the client device 120 to identify cameras and obtain data from cameras and/or recording servers. The management server 130 also communicates with the client device 120 if a change is made that requires the client device 120 to update its configuration data. For example, if a recording server is added or removed from the system, or a new camera is added and associated with a particular recording server. Hence, the client device 120 is able to identify which recording server video data from a particular camera is stored on.” in Para.[0035]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings Narasimhan with the above teachings of Henriksen in order to improve user experience. As per claim 12, the limitations in the claim 12 has been discussed in the rejection claim 1 and rejected under the same rationale. As per claim 14, the limitations in the claim 14 has been discussed in the rejection claim 6 and rejected under the same rationale. As per claim 15, the limitations in the claim 15 has been discussed in the rejection claim 8 and rejected under the same rationale. Narashimhan in view of Henriksen and Nagamitsu Claims 2 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Narashimhan et al.(USPubN 2022/0060375; hereinafter Narasimhan) in view of Henriksen(USPubN 2020/0159768) further in view of Nagamitsu(USPubN 2022/0019424). As per claim 2, Narasimhan and Henriksen teach all of limitation of claim 1. Narashimhan and Henriksen are silent about wherein the predetermined sequence defines an installation order for different software updates and/or upgrades within different server components and an installation order for different software updates and/or upgrades between these server components. Nagamitsu teaches wherein the predetermined sequence defines an installation order for different software updates and/or upgrades within different server components and an installation order for different software updates and/or upgrades between these server components(“The communication unit 39 transmits the update confirmation request of the software to the server 1 when, for example, power or ignition of the vehicle is turned on. The update confirmation request includes the vehicle ID for identifying the vehicle and software versions of the electronic control units 13a to 13d connected to the in-vehicle network 2. The vehicle ID and the software versions of the electronic control units 13a to 13d are used for determining whether there is the software update data of the electronic control units by comparing them with the latest software version held by the server 1 for each vehicle ID. Further, as a response to the update confirmation request, the communication unit 39 receives a notification indicating whether there is the software update data from the server 1. When there is the software update data of the electronic control units, the communication unit 39 transmits the download request for the distribution package to the server 1 and receives the distribution package transmitted from the server 1. In addition to the update data, the distribution package may include verification data for verifying the authenticity of the update data, the number of pieces of update data, the installation order, various pieces of control information used at the time of software update, or the like. Further, at the time of the software update process, when acquiring the type information of the non-volatile memory of the electronic control unit from the electronic control unit to be updated, the communication unit 39 acquires the type information by communicating with the electronic control unit to be updated” in Para.[0055]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings Narasimhan and Henriksen with the above teachings of Nagamitsu in order to improve user experience for automatic software update. As per claim 13, the limitations in the claim 13 has been discussed in the rejection claim 2 and rejected under the same rationale. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SUNGHYOUN PARK whose telephone number is (571)270-1333. The examiner can normally be reached M - Thur 6:00 am - 4 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, THAI Q TRAN can be reached at (571)272-7382. 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. /SUNGHYOUN PARK/Examiner, Art Unit 2484
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 27, 2024
Application Filed
Apr 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
75%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+10.2%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 613 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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