Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/830,116

MONITORING PROCESS

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Sep 10, 2024
Examiner
SUH, JOSEPH JINWOO
Art Unit
2485
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Offender Smartphone Monitoring LLC
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 7m
To Grant
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allow Rate
399 granted / 514 resolved
+19.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
531
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
§103
59.6%
+19.6% vs TC avg
§102
13.0%
-27.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.7%
-25.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 514 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §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 Status This Office Action responds to application 18/830116 filed on 12/22/25. Claims 1-8 and 19 are pending. Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for a provisional application filed on 4/16/2015. 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 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)(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. 1. Claims 1 - 3, 5, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gemer, US 2013/0035602 A1 (hereinafter Gemer). As for claim 1, Gemer discloses a monitoring method comprising: monitoring ([0019], e.g., monitoring) one or more sensor(s) ([0020], e.g., image capturing device and [0036], e.g., ethanol level sensor to take air sample and measure the alcohol level), wherein the one or more sensor(s) are configured to collect personally identifiable information ([0020], e.g., identity of the monitored person is verified), wherein the personally identifiable information pertains to a monitored individual ([0020], e.g., monitored person) and enables the monitored individual to be uniquely identified ([0020], e.g., identity), wherein the one or more sensor(s) includes a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) sensor ([0019], e.g., blood alcohol level and [0036], e.g., alcohol level sensor); and enabling a wireless transmitter ([0031], e.g., wireless and/or [0045], e.g., wireless) to transmit a progress report ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result) on the monitored individual. As for claim 2, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. In addition, Gemer further discloses the personally identifiable information includes biometric data, wherein the biometric data includes one or more of a DNA analysis, an earlobe geometry analysis, a facial recognition analysis ([0057], e.g., face recognition), a fingerprint analysis ([0020], e.g., fingerprint), a hand geometry analysis, an eye patterns analysis ([0020], e.g., iris), a signature analysis and a voice waveform analysis. As for claim 3, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. In addition, Gemer further discloses the one or more sensor(s) include a camera, wherein the camera is configured to capture a real-time image of the monitored individual ([0020], e.g., camera), wherein the real-time image is personally identifiable information ([0020], e.g., identity of the monitored person is verified). As for claim 5, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. In addition, Gemer further discloses the progress report on the monitored individual is periodically transmitted, randomly transmitted, transmitted based upon a sensor output ([0045], e.g., if the alcohol levels exceed a threshold) or an alert, transmitted based upon a predefined schedule, transmitting in response to a prompt from a monitoring network, or at the initiation of the monitored individual. As for claim 7, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. In addition, Gemer further discloses determining the monitored individual’s compliance with one or more monitored requirements, wherein the monitored requirements include one or more of an abstinence requirement ([0002], e.g., a person placed under alcohol supervision as an alternative to incarceration may be required to have their blood alcohol level tested at regular or random times and [0003], e.g., abstinence), a curfew requirement, a probation requirement, compliance with a protection order, compliance with a court order ([0003], e.g., court-ordered), compliance with a self-medication requirement, compliance with one or more geographical constraints, attendance of one or more self-help meetings, attendance at one or more court hearings, attendance at one or more probation officer meetings, and one or more individual proximity restrains; and administering a reward system, wherein the reward system is configured to modify one or more reporting requirements by the monitored individual. 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 of this title, 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. 2. Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gemer in view of Keppler, US 2016/0012249 A1 (hereinafter Keppler). As for claim 4, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. In addition, Gemer further discloses comparing the real-time image of the monitored individual with a reference image of the monitored individual ([0020], e.g., reference image). Gemer does not explicitly disclose, but Keppler teaches recording the real-time image of the monitored individual ([0049], e.g., recorded); and storing personally identifiable information ([0049], e.g., store). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer and Keppler before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of method for collecting and securing physiological, biometric and other data in a personal database method for collecting and securing physiological, biometric and other data in a personal database of Keppler with a motivation to retrieve the data later for further processing of the data in subsequent steps such as double checking and more precise verification with more time and/or processing power process the data later for various purposes such as verification and research. 3. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gemer in view of Hutz, US 8786425 B1 (hereinafter Hutz). As for claim 6, most of limitations of this claim have been noted in the rejection of Claim 1. Gemer does not explicitly disclose, but Hutz teaches generating a personal passcode (Col. 5, lines 25 – 49, e.g., passcode and prompt); and prompting the monitored individual for the personal passcode (Col. 5, lines 25 – 49, e.g., passcode and prompt). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer and Hutz before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of aberration engine of Hutz with a motivation to reduce the chance of reporting a false alarm as taught by Hutz (Col. 5, lines 25 – 49). 4. Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gemer in view of Firminger et al., US 2010/0131446 A1 (hereinafter Firminger), Roos et al., US 2009/0270690 A1 (hereinafter Roos), and further in view of Dolin et al., US 2014/0025593 A1 (hereinafter Dolin). As for claim 8, Gemer discloses a monitoring method comprising: monitoring ([0019], e.g., monitoring) one or more sensor(s) ([0020], e.g., image capturing device and [0036], e.g., ethanol level sensor to take air sample and measure the alcohol level), wherein the one or more sensor(s) are configured to collect personally identifiable information ([0020], e.g., identity of the monitored person is verified), wherein the personally identifiable information pertains to a monitored individual ([0020], e.g., monitored person) and enables the monitored individual to be uniquely identified ([0020], e.g., identity), analyzing to provide real-time insights ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result) and alerts ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result); and enabling a wireless transmitter ([0031], e.g., wireless and/or [0045], e.g., wireless) to transmit a progress report ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result) on the monitored individual. Gemer does not explicitly disclose, but Firminger teaches the personally identifiable information includes location data ([0084], e.g., global positioning system). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer and Firminger before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of action execution based on user modified hypothesis of Firminger with a motivation to allow a quick physical contact to the monitored person by another person by using the location data. Gemer as modified by Firminger does not explicitly teach, but Roos teaches analyzing the personally identifiable information using artificial intelligence ([0009], e.g., artificial intelligence) to detect trends ([0009], e.g., trends). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer, Firminger, and Roos before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of system and method for using interactive voice-recognition to automate a patient-centered best practice approach to disease evaluation and management of Roos with a motivation to obtain a trend information for better monitoring easily and accurately by using the artificial intelligence for trend finding. Gemer as modified by Firminger and Roos does not explicitly teach, but Dolin teaches analyzing to detect trends around the monitored individual’s compliance ([0047], e.g., if trend is recognized, the compliance analysis). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer, Firminger, Roos, and Dolin before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of compliance analysis system of Dolin with a motivation to notify to a person of the trend and a possible cause allowing corrective action as taught by Dolin ([0047]). 5. Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gemer in view of Roos, Dolin, Ronnholm, US 2005/0190065 A1 (hereinafter Ronnholm), and further in view of Spennemann et al., US 2012/0062879 A1 (hereinafter Spennemann). As for claim 19, Gemer discloses a monitoring system comprising: at least one processor device ([0033], e.g., CPU); at least one memory architecture ([0033], e.g., CPU, note a memory for the CPU) coupled with the at least one processor device; a first software module ([0020], e.g., image capturing device and [0036], e.g., ethanol level sensor, note a software for the sensor data) executable by the at least one processor and the at least one memory architecture, wherein the first software module is configured to monitor one or more sensor(s) ([0020], e.g., image capturing device and [0036], e.g., ethanol level sensor to take air sample and measure the alcohol level), wherein the one or more sensor(s) are configured to collect personally identifiable information ([0020], e.g., identity of the monitored person is verified), wherein the personally identifiable information pertains to a monitored individual ([0020], e.g., monitored person) and enables the monitored individual to be uniquely identified ([0020], e.g., identity), and wherein the first software module is configured to analyze the personally identifiable information ([0020], e.g., identity of the monitored person is verified) and to provide real-time insights ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result) and alerts ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result); and a second software module ([0031], e.g., wireless and/or [0045], e.g., wireless, note a software for the transmission) executed by the at least one processor and the at least one memory architecture, wherein the second software module is configured to enable a wireless transmitter ([0031], e.g., wireless and/or [0045], e.g., wireless) to transmit a progress report ([0036], e.g., regular intervals and [0055], e.g., alarm and/or alcohol level result) on the monitored individual a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) sensor ([0019], e.g., blood alcohol level and [0036], e.g., alcohol level sensor). Gemer does not explicitly disclose, but Roos teaches analyze using artificial intelligence ([0009], e.g., artificial intelligence) to detect trends ([0009], e.g., trends). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer and Roos before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of system and method for using interactive voice-recognition to automate a patient-centered best practice approach to disease evaluation and management of Roos with a motivation to obtain a trend information for better monitoring easily and accurately by using the artificial intelligence for trend finding. Gemer as modified by Roos does not explicitly teach, but Dolin teaches analyze to detect trends around the monitored individual’s compliance ([0047], e.g., if trend is recognized, the compliance analysis). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer, Roos, and Dolin before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of compliance analysis system of Dolin with a motivation to notify to a person of the trend and a possible cause allowing corrective action as taught by Dolin ([0047]). Gemer as modified by Roos and Dolin does not explicitly teach, but Ronnholm teaches a wristlet tether ([0042], e.g., wrist-band), wherein the wristlet tether includes a body temperature sensor ([0042], e.g., body temperature sensor). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer, Roos, Dolin, and Ronnholm before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of natural alarm clock of Ronnholm with a motivation to provide a mobile terminal having capability to determine when a user should be stimulated toward an awake state by using the sensor and wrist band. Gemer as modified by Roos, Dolin, and Ronnholm does not explicitly teach, but Spennemann teaches the BAC sensor is a Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor ([0003], e.g., spectroscopy in the near-infrared). Therefore, given the teachings as a whole, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the references of Gemer, Roos, Dolin, Ronnholm, and Spennemann before him/her to modify the mobile remote alcohol monitoring device mobile remote alcohol monitoring device of Gemer with the teaching of measuring instrument for determining the tissue alcohol concentration of Spennemann with a motivation to to reduce the measurement time or improve signal-to-noise ratio and reduce the required installation space as taught by Spennemann ([0006]). Citation of Pertinent Prior Art The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 20110032096 A1 discloses system and method for alcohol monitor based on driver status. US 20020029350 A1 discloses web based human services conferencing network US 20070144812 A1 discloses vehicle sobriety interlock system with personal identification element Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH SUH whose telephone number is 571-270-7484. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 7:30 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, Jay Patel can be reached on 571-272-2988. 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. /JOSEPH SUH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2485
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 10, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604035
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI VIEW VIDEO ENCODING AND DECODING, AND METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING BITSTREAM GENERATED BY THE MULTI VIEW VIDEO ENCODING METHOD
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12603991
VIDEO ENCODING AND DECODING USING INTRA BLOCK COPY
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12603992
VIDEO ENCODING AND DECODING USING INTRA BLOCK COPY
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12603993
VIDEO ENCODING AND DECODING USING INTRA BLOCK COPY
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12603994
VIDEO ENCODING AND DECODING USING INTRA BLOCK COPY
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+8.1%)
2y 7m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 514 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month