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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 14, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beach et al (US 11165954).
As to claim 1, Beach discloses a method for determining how well a camera system will perform a task, the camera system comprising a camera connected via a communication network to a controller arranged to control the camera (FIGS. 1-4, home monitoring system 104/304 including control unit 410, camera 107/307, detection model optimization system 102/302, network 301), the method comprises:
identifying a task to be performed by the camera system (col. 4, lines 21-27: objects detection);
obtaining a first setting parameter of the camera (col. 8, lines 11-15, 43-49: camera resolution settings);
obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller (col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104. Performance parameters including precision (e.g., a proportion of accurate detections), recall (e.g., a proportion of events that are detected), cloud costs (e.g., costs incurred by processing imaging data in the annotation module and training object detection models), and costs incurred per false positive detects vs false negative detections … object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings; see col. 25, lines 49-59); and
determining, as a function of the first and second setting parameters, a performance criterion of the camera system, wherein the performance criterion is indicative of how well the camera system will perform the identified task (col. 7, lines 44-56: Each performance parameter 140 can be weighted with respect to each other performance parameter … determine weights of various sets of performance parameters 140 … Performance parameters 140 are operating criteria for the particular camera 107 to achieve a particular operating goal, e.g., a relationship between system performance and a cost-optimal solution; col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104 … weighted performance parameters can include, for example, camera resolution settings, object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings).
As to claim 2, Beach further discloses wherein at least one of the first and second setting parameters is configurable as a function of the task to be performed based on images obtained from the camera (col. 2, lines 8-14; col. 10, lines 40-50).
As to claim 3, Beach further discloses wherein the method comprises determining, based on the performance criterion of the camera system, an indication of the expected performance of the camera system to perform the task, and/or an indication of a setting parameter of the camera system which is required to perform the task (col. 11, lines 6-10, 30-49).
As to claim 4, Beach further discloses wherein the method comprises displaying the indication to a user of the camera system, the indication comprises an instruction to a user to configure the camera system to satisfy the setting parameter (col. 6, lines 51-53; col. 8, lines 16-18; col. 9, lines 12-20; col. 10, lines 1-4, 31-35).
As to claim 5, Beach further discloses wherein the method comprises displaying the performance indication and/or the parameter indication to a user via a display apparatus of the camera system (col. 21, lines 46-50).
As to claim 6, Beach further discloses wherein the method comprises determining, based on the performance criterion of the camera system, a parameter control for configuring a component of the camera system to satisfy the setting parameter (col. 7, lines 16-19, 44-58).
As to claim 7, Beach further discloses wherein the first parameter comprises at least one of the following:
a position of the camera (FIG. 3, camera position to capture pool/camera position to capture driveway);
a camera type (col. 15, lines 60-67);
a camera lens type; and
an operating parameter of the camera.
As to claim 8, Beach further discloses wherein the operating parameter of the camera comprises at least one of: a gain value; a shutter speed value; an aperture size value; and an image encoding value (these features are not part of the BRI based on claim 7).
As to claim 9, Beach further discloses wherein the second parameter comprises at least one of the following: a type of processor of the controller; a memory capacity of a memory device of the controller; and an operating parameter of the controller (col. 8, lines 1-10).
As to claim 10, Beach further discloses wherein the second parameter comprises at least one of the following: a type of router of the communication network; a position of a router of the communication network; and an operating parameter of a router of the communication network (col. 23, lines 50-60: bridge/router; col. 25, lines 49-59).
As to claim 14, Beach discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions of a computer program for implementing a method for determining how well a camera system will perform a task (col. 25, lines 60-67), the camera system comprising a camera connected via a communication network to a controller arranged to control the camera (FIGS. 1-4, home monitoring system 104/304 including control unit 410, camera 107/307, detection model optimization system 102/302, network 301), the method comprises, the method comprising:
identifying a task to be performed by the camera system (col. 4, lines 21-27: objects detection);
obtaining a first setting parameter of the camera (col. 8, lines 11-15, 43-49: camera resolution settings);
obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller (col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104. Performance parameters including precision (e.g., a proportion of accurate detections), recall (e.g., a proportion of events that are detected), cloud costs (e.g., costs incurred by processing imaging data in the annotation module and training object detection models), and costs incurred per false positive detects vs false negative detections … object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings; see col. 25, lines 49-59); and
determining, as a function of the first and second setting parameters, a performance criterion of the camera system, wherein the performance criterion is indicative of how well the camera system will perform the identified task (col. 7, lines 44-56: Each performance parameter 140 can be weighted with respect to each other performance parameter … determine weights of various sets of performance parameters 140 … Performance parameters 140 are operating criteria for the particular camera 107 to achieve a particular operating goal, e.g., a relationship between system performance and a cost-optimal solution; col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104 … weighted performance parameters can include, for example, camera resolution settings, object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings).
As to claim 16, Beach discloses an apparatus for determining an ability of a camera system to perform a task, the camera system comprising a camera connected via a communication network to a controller arranged to control the camera (FIGS. 1-4, home monitoring system 104/304 including control unit 410, camera 107/307, detection model optimization system 102/302, network 301), the apparatus comprising a processor configured to (col. 25, lines 60-67) carry out the method steps of:
identifying a task to be performed by the camera system (col. 4, lines 21-27: objects detection);
obtaining a first setting parameter of the camera (col. 8, lines 11-15, 43-49: camera resolution settings);
obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller (col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104. Performance parameters including precision (e.g., a proportion of accurate detections), recall (e.g., a proportion of events that are detected), cloud costs (e.g., costs incurred by processing imaging data in the annotation module and training object detection models), and costs incurred per false positive detects vs false negative detections … object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings; see col. 25, lines 49-59); and
determining, as a function of the first and second setting parameters, a performance criterion of the camera system, wherein the performance criterion is indicative of how well the camera system will perform the identified task (col. 7, lines 44-56: Each performance parameter 140 can be weighted with respect to each other performance parameter … determine weights of various sets of performance parameters 140 … Performance parameters 140 are operating criteria for the particular camera 107 to achieve a particular operating goal, e.g., a relationship between system performance and a cost-optimal solution; col. 8, lines 1-15: Factors for weighting the performance parameters 140 can include, for example, cost considerations for operating the home monitoring system 104 … weighted performance parameters can include, for example, camera resolution settings, object detection latency settings, familiar object recognition settings, face detection and recognition latency settings, and notification delay settings).
As to claim 17, Beach discloses a camera system comprising a camera, a controller according to claim 16 (see rejection of claim 16), and a communication network for connecting the controller to the camera (FIGS. 1-4, home monitoring system 104/304 including control unit 410, camera 107/307, detection model optimization system 102/302, network 301).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Beach does not disclose “identifying a task to be performed by the camera system; and obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller.” The examiner respectfully disagrees.
First, it is noted that Applicant is using paragraph numbers (e.g. [0007], [0048], [0062]), however the Beach reference cited by the Examiner is a patent which uses column and lines not paragraphs.
Second, the claims recite “the communication network and/or the controller” and the broadest interpretation of “and/or” is “or”. Therefore, any of a setting parameter of the controller or a setting parameter the communication network reads the limitation.
Third, in response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., determining the task) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
Regarding Applicant argument that Beach does not disclose “identifying a task to be performed by the camera system,” the examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant’s published specification recites, in [0071], that the task may include objects detection/monitoring. Furthermore, based on Applicant’s paragraph [0019], the task that the camera system is configured to perform is identified by the user. Based on Applicant’s disclosure, “identifying” is interpreted to encompass the task assigned to the camera system or which is performed by the camera system. Therefore, since in Beach, the camera system is configured to perform the task of objects detection/monitoring, it reads on “identifying a task to be performed by the camera system.”
Regarding Applicant argument that Beach does not disclose “obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller,” the examiner respectfully disagrees. As explained above, obtaining any of a setting parameter of the controller or a setting parameter the communication network reads the limitation since the claim uses “and/or”. Applicant’s published specification recites, in [0077], the second setting parameter may relate to a performance characteristic of a component (e.g., processor) of the controller 140. Beach discloses performance parameters (see col. 8, lines 1-15). Furthermore, Bear also discloses in col. 25, lines 49-59, bandwidth availability which is a setting parameter the communication network,
Therefore, Beach discloses “identifying a task to be performed by the camera system; and obtaining a second setting parameter of the communication network and/or the controller.”
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BOUBACAR ABDOU TCHOUSSOU whose telephone number is (571)272-7625. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-4pm.
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/BOUBACAR ABDOU TCHOUSSOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2482
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