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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/15/2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4-12, 14-17, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210037410 A1 herein Lee in view of WO 2021018420 A1 herein Ericsson.
Claim 1, Lee discloses a method (Abstract) comprising:
maintaining, by a radio access network (RAN) node or a user plane function (UPF) (0086, UPF adds MTNC-ID to the packet flows), a mapping between a plurality of color codes that indicate how to handle network packets in a transport domain (0054, implied, as the MTNC-ID (color code) is used for classifying packets based on Qos, CoS and other parameters, i.e., the various parameters related to QoS/CoS are considered behavior identifiers; 0081, 5QI related to CoS and QoS), and a plurality of behavior identifiers that correspond to respective target behaviors of the network packets in the transport domain (0054, CoS and QoS, the various parameters related to QoS/CoS are considered behavior identifiers; 0081, 5QI related to CoS and QoS);
obtaining, by the RAN node or the UPF, one or more parameters associated with a wireless device (0005, QoS and CoS along with other requirements for the path thus parameters);
based on the one or more parameters and the mapping, identifying, by the RAN node or the UPF, a particular color code of the plurality of color codes that indicates how to handle network packets associated with the wireless device in a transport domain between a radio access network and a core network (0004-0005, MTNC-ID for resources required for flows/packets across the backhaul transport networks);
obtaining, by the RAN node or the UPF, a network packet associated with the wireless device (0004, indicating that a data packet comprises a multi-transport network context-identifier (MTNC-ID));
inserting, by the RAN node or the UPF, the particular color code in the network packet (0004, inserting the MTNC-ID into a Generic UDP Encapsulation (GUE) header of the data packet; 0081, UPF inserts the color code); and
providing, by the RAN node or the UPF, the network packet to the transport domain, wherein the transport domain is configured to handle the network packet in the transport domain based on the particular color code (0004, transmission of the data packet on the backhaul/transport network). Lee clearly discloses the SMF provides an MTNC-ID
Lee may not explicitly disclose identifying from among the plurality of behavior identifiers of the mapping, a particular behavior identifier that corresponds to a target behavior of network packets associate with the wireless device in the transport domain; based on the particular behavior identifier identified by the mapping, identifying a particular code from among the plurality of color codes of the mapping in which the particular color code that indicates how to handle the network packets associated with the wireless device in the transport domain between a radio access network and a core network.
Ericsson discloses identifying from among the plurality of behavior identifiers of the mapping, a particular behavior identifier that corresponds to a target behavior of network packets associate with the wireless device in the transport domain (Pg. 1: 9-18, The Session Management Function (SMF) provisions a UPF with Packet Detection Rules (PDR) (behavior identifiers) which contain Quality of Service Enforcement Rules (QER) and Forwarding Action Rules (FAR) per Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) per session, the rules allow for matching PDR with FAR (color code) since matching thus mapping that allows for identifying behavior identifiers from among plurality behavior identifiers; Pg. 8: 6-20, UPF inspects packet and session parameters and matching PDRs, thus parameter selection of behavior identifier, Fig. 3: 304); based on the particular behavior identifier identified by the mapping, identifying a particular color code from among the plurality of color codes of the mapping in which the particular color code that indicates how to handle the network packets associated with the wireless device in the transport domain between a radio access network and a core network (Pg. 8: 6 – Pg. 9: 26, after a PDR is selected, UPF applies marking and forwarding rules, i.e. marks with a color code). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee to include PDR addition/deletion at a UPF in order to identify forwarding markings on packets for a transport network based on a treatment of the packets on the transport network as taught by Ericsson so as to flexibility in marking packets in different cases and transmissions (Pg. 7: 25-35).
Claim 2, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses based on the one or more parameters, identifying, from among the plurality of behavior identifiers, a behavior identifier that corresponds to a target behavior of the network packets associated with the wireless device in the transport domain (0054, latency, bandwidth, protection etc.); and in response to identifying the behavior identifier, identifying the particular color code from among the plurality of color codes based on the mapping (0054, MTNC-ID is provided based on the required resources for the packet, thus identifying the particular color code).
Claim 3, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses further comprising: at a network orchestrator (TPM), providing the particular color code to a radio access network controller (0098, The SMF may determine the MTNC-ID from a list of MTNC-IDs received from the TPM), a transport domain controller (0095, TPM provides MTNC-ID to SDN-C), and a core network controller (0086, a TPM may be able to enforce the corresponding transport context to subsequent control elements, such as a SMF and a UPF; UPF adds MTNC-ID to the packet flows), wherein the radio access network controller, the transport domain controller, and the core network controller are configured to provide the particular color code to the radio access network (0087, SMF provides the MTNV-ID to the base station/gNB), the transport domain (0095, The MTNC-IDs (and thus, the associated service class information, such as QoS requirements bandwidth, latency, etc., which is identified by the MTNC-IDs) are used by each SDN-C in each transport domain to program the respective transport network for providing transport services according to the MTNC-IDs), and the core network (0086, UPFs may be able to add an MTNC-ID), respectively.
Claim 4, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein inserting, by the RAN node or the UPF, the particular color code in the network packet includes: inserting the particular color code as a tunnel endpoint identifier of the network packet (0010, MTNC-ID).
Claim 5, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein inserting, by the RAN node or the UPF, the particular color code in the network packet includes: inserting the particular color code in an extension header of the network packet (0004, 0008).
Claim 6, Lee discloses the method of claim 5. Lee discloses wherein inserting the particular color code in the extension header of the network packet includes: inserting the particular color code in a first extension header of the network packet (0010).
Claim 7, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein the network packet is an uplink packet (0056).
Claim 8, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein and the network packet is a downlink packet (0086, 0095).
Claim 9, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein obtaining the one or more parameters includes: obtaining one or more of network slice selection assistance information associated with the wireless device (0066, 0089).
Claim 10, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein obtaining the one or more parameters includes: obtaining an indication of a target quality of service associated with the wireless device (0069).
Claim 11, Lee discloses the method of claim 1. Lee discloses wherein obtaining the one or more parameters includes: obtaining subscription information associated with the wireless device (0058, 0092).
Claim 12, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1.
Claim 13, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 2.
Claim 14, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 4.
Claim 15, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 5.
Claim 16, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 6.
Claim 17, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1. Lee discloses one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor (0017).
Claim 18, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 2.
Claim 19, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 4.
Claim 20, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 5.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20240048480 A1 - A communication method is disclosed. The method includes: A session management function network element sends a first path establish request to a transport network control network element, where the first path establish request includes an identifier of an access network device, an identifier of a mobile gateway selected for a session, and a first transport network (TN) Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of a first QoS flow in the session, and the first TN QoS parameter of the first QoS flow is determined based on a TN QoS parameter mapped to a first service type of the first QoS flow, the access network device, and the mobile gateway. The session management function network element receives a first path establish response from the transport network control network element, where the first path establish response includes information about a first TN transmission path of the first QoS flow.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mehmood B. Khan whose telephone number is (571)272-9277. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 am-6:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nishant Divecha can be reached on (571) 270-3125. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mehmood B. Khan/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2468