Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 17, 2026
Application No. 18/801,016

METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC MEDIA EDITING

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 12, 2024
Examiner
WENDMAGEGN, GIRUMSEW
Art Unit
2484
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
unknown
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allow Rate
742 granted / 968 resolved
+18.7% vs TC avg
Strong +21% interview lift
Without
With
+21.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
984
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.3%
-32.7% vs TC avg
§103
42.4%
+2.4% vs TC avg
§102
35.1%
-4.9% vs TC avg
§112
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 968 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1, 4, 7,11, 14, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being disclosed by Ahmed et al US 2022/0180898(hereinafter Ahmed). Regarding claim1, Ahmed discloses a method for automatic film generation, comprising: a. determining a set of generation parameters; b. selecting a subset of media clips from a first set of media clips arranged within a media timeline, wherein the subset of media clips are associated with a set of first tags ([0035], fragments (subset of media clips) of primary content (first set of media clips) 204 provided fig. 2); c. selecting a set of amendment media clips from a set of stored media files separate from the timeline, comprising, for each stored media file within the set of stored media files: extracting a set of second tags associated with the respective stored media file([0065], [0077], replacement media generation constraints(tags) may be used to match suitable secondary content); determining a tag overlap between the set of second tags and the set of first tags([0065], [0077]); and responsive to the tag overlap exceeding a threshold value specified by the set of generation parameters: generating a new media clip from the respective stored media file([0043], replacement media generation logic generates replacement clip, fig. 4 ); and adding the new media clip to the set of amendment media clips([0043], [0065] replacement media generation logic generates replacement clip to be placed in the primary content, fig. 4 ); d. adding the set of amendment media clips to the media timeline ([0042], content delivery logic facilitates the stitching of primary and replacement content streams, [0067]); and e. repeating steps a)-d) using the set of amendment media clips added to the media timeline as part of the subset of media clips ([0106], the replacement clip (amendment media clips) selection process may repeat for subsequent candidate insertion points). Regarding claim4, Ahmed discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the subset of media clips are selected based on proximity to a current temporal position within the media timeline ([0059-006], insertion point(temporal position),[0065], replacement media generation constraints 410 may include rules that can be used to match secondary content items with candidate insertion points of media content items. More particularly, the rules may include or be used to generate a “mapping” between compatible scene types (e.g., kitchen counter in comedy, billboard outside in drama) and attributes of compatible secondary content (e.g., product type, product category, brand)). Regarding claim7,Ahmed discloses the method of claim 1, wherein adding the set of amendment media clips to the timeline comprises: determining a temporal position in the media timeline which temporally overlaps a media clip within the subset of media clips([0065], Replacement media generation constraints may include rules that can be used to match(overlap) secondary content items with candidate insertion points (temporal position) of media content items); and adding a clip of the set of amendment media clips to the media timeline at the temporal position ([0065], replacement media/secondary content items to be placed in primary content). Regarding claim11, Ahmed discloses a system comprising: a processing system configured to: a. determining a set of generation parameters; b. selecting a subset of media clips from a first set of media clips arranged within a media timeline, wherein the subset of media clips are associated with a set of first tags ([0035], fragments (subset of media clips) of primary content (first set of media clips) 204 provided fig. 2 ); c. selecting a set of amendment media clips from a set of stored media files separate from the timeline, comprising, for each stored media file within the set of stored media files: extracting a set of second tags associated with the respective stored media file([0065], [0077], replacement media generation constraints(tags) may be used to match suitable secondary content); determining a tag overlap between the set of second tags and the set of first tags([0065], [0077], media generation constraints(tags); and responsive to the tag overlap exceeding a threshold value specified by the set of generation parameters: generating a new media clip from the respective stored media file([0043], replacement media generation logic generates replacement clip, fig. 4 ); and adding the new media clip to the set of amendment media clips([0043], [0065] replacement media generation logic generates replacement clip to be placed in the primary content, fig. 4 ); d. adding the set of amendment media clips to the media timeline ([0042], content delivery logic facilitates the stitching of primary and replacement content streams, [0067]); and e. repeating steps a)-d) using the set of amendment media clips added to the media timeline as part of the subset of media clips ([0106], the replacement clip (amendment media clips) selection process may repeat for subsequent candidate insertion points). Regarding claim14, Ahmed discloses the system of claim13, wherein the subset of media clips are selected based on proximity to a current temporal position within the media timeline ([0059-006], insertion point(temporal position),[0065], replacement media generation constraints 410 may include rules that can be used to match secondary content items with candidate insertion points of media content items. More particularly, the rules may include or be used to generate a “mapping” between compatible scene types (e.g., kitchen counter in comedy, billboard outside in drama) and attributes of compatible secondary content (e.g., product type, product category, brand)). Regarding claim17,Ahmed discloses the system of claim11, wherein adding the set of amendment media clips to the timeline comprises: determining a temporal position in the media timeline which temporally overlaps a media clip within the subset of media clips([0065], Replacement media generation constraints may include rules that can be used to match(overlap) secondary content items with candidate insertion points (temporal position) of media content items); and adding a clip of the set of amendment media clips to the media timeline at the temporal position([0065], replacement media/secondary content items to be placed in primary content). Allowable Subject Matter Claim2-3, 5-6, 8-10, 12-13,15-16, 18-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN whose telephone number is (571)270-1118. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-7:00 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, Thai 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. GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN Primary Examiner Art Unit 2484 /GIRUMSEW WENDMAGEGN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 12, 2024
Application Filed
Dec 27, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+21.4%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 968 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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