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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 February 13, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 13, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The argument features Velev and Karampatsis fail to disclose sending a first message to the second network node indicating the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber, thereby synchronizing the second wireless identifier between the first core network and the second network node.
The examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant’s statement and asserts that, using the broadest reasonable interpretation, Karampatsis discloses the UDM retrieving information from the AMF (par. 104, lines 3-4) and sending a first message to the second network node (e.g. HSS) about the information (par. 106, lines 1-4). Thereby synchronizing the first message between the first core network and the second network node (par. 45, lines 13-19; par. 106, lines 1-4). Velev discloses that this information can be a wireless device identifier such as an IMEI (par. 122, lines 9-17; par. 123, lines 7-9). It is known in the field of art for a network node, such as a UDM or HSS, to receive and store data.
In view of the above, the rejection using Velev and Karampatsis is maintained as repeated below.
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.
Claims 52-56, 107, 108 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Velev et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2019/0200285) in view of Karampatsis et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2020/0153875).
Consider claim 52; Velev discloses a second network node for use in a second core network of a telecommunication network (e.g. UDM/UDR), wherein the second network node is for managing data relating to subscribers of the second core network (e.g. UDM/UDR), wherein the telecommunication network further comprises a first core network having a first network node that is for managing data relating to subscribers of the first core network (e.g. AMF), wherein the data comprises a first wireless device identifier for a first subscriber (e.g. IMEI), wherein the second network node is configured to:
indicating the second wireless device identifier (e.g. IMEI based on a new device) for the first subscriber (par. 122, lines 9-17; par. 123, lines 1-3); and store the second wireless device identifier (e.g. IMEI) for the first subscribers. (par. 123, lines 7-9).
Velev discloses the claimed invention except: receive a first message from the first network node; thereby synchronizing the first message between the first core network and the second network node;
wherein the first network node comprises a home subscriber server (HSS) and the second network node comprises a unified data management (UDM) node, or the first network node comprises a UDM node and the second network node comprises an HSS.
In an analogous art Karampatsis discloses receive a first message from the first network node (par. 106); thereby synchronizing the first message between the first core network (par. 45, lines 13-19) and the second network node (par. 104, lines 3-4; par. 106);
wherein the first network node comprises a home subscriber server (HSS) and the second network node comprises a unified data management (UDM) node, or the first network node comprises a UDM node and the second network node comprises an HSS (par. 106).
It is an object of Velev’s invention to provide a method of mobility management. It is an object of Karampatsis’ invention to provide a method of establishing a connection. 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 the teaching of Velev by including a HSS and UDM, as taught by Karampatsis, for the purpose of effectively managing communication in a wireless network.
Consider claim 53, as applied in claim 52; Velev discloses the first message indicates that (i) a wireless device identifier for the first subscriber has changed to the second wireless device identifier; or (ii) the first wireless device identifier for the first subscriber has changed to the second wireless device identifier [e.g. via a new device (par. 122, lines 9-17; par. 123, lines 1-3)].
Consider claim 54, as applied in claim 52; Karampatsis discloses receive an identifier request for the wireless device identifier for the first subscriber from a third network node (e.g. IMS-AS) [it is known in the field of art that 5GS subscription includes a device identifier (par. 97; par. 98, lines 3-6)]; and send the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber to the third network node (e.g. IMS-AS) [it is known in the field of art that 5GS subscription includes a device identifier (par. 98, lines 3-6; par. 141-143)].
Consider claim 55, as applied in claim 54; Karampatsis discloses the third network node is an IP Multimedia Subsystem Application Server, IMS-AS (par. 98, lines 3-6; par. 143).
Consider claim 56, as applied in claim 52; Velev discloses receive a first subscription request from an exposure function, EF, node in the telecommunication network (par. 78), wherein the first subscription request requests notification of changes to the wireless device identifier for the first subscriber (par. 78; par. 122, lines 9-17); and after the change to the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber (par. 122, lines 9-17; par. 123, lines 1-3), notify the EF node of the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber (par. 78).
Consider claim 107, as applied in claim 1; Velev discloses change from the first wireless device identifier to the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. a new device that is used with the same subscription profile (par. 122, lines 9-20)]. Velev discloses the claimed invention except: sending the first message to the second network node indicating the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber synchronizes the second wireless device identifier between the first core network and the second network node because the first message notifies the second network node and thus the first network node and the second network node are both aware of the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber.
In an analogous art Karampatsis discloses sending the first message to the second network node indicating the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. subscription data (par. 72, lines 1-5; par. 106, lines 1-4)] synchronizes the second wireless device identifier between the first core network and the second network node {this information is synchronized with a core network because it can be retrieved from the core network, such as an AMF, by the UDM/UDR (par. 104, lines 3-4)} because the first message notifies the second network node and thus the first network node and the second network node are both aware of the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. subscription data (par. 72, lines 1-5; par. 106, lines 1-4)].
It is an object of Velev’s invention to provide a method of mobility management. It is an object of Karampatsis’ invention to provide a method of establishing a connection. 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 the teaching of Velev by including a HSS and UDM, as taught by Karampatsis, for the purpose of effectively managing communication in a wireless network.
Consider claim 108, as applied in claim 37; Velev discloses change from the first wireless device identifier to the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. a new device that is used with the same subscription profile (par. 122, lines 9-20)]. Velev discloses the claimed invention except: sending the first message to the second network node indicating the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber synchronizes the second wireless device identifier between the first core network and the second network node because the first message notifies the second network node and thus the first network node and the second network node are both aware of the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber.
In an analogous art Karampatsis discloses sending the first message to the second network node indicating the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. subscription data (par. 72, lines 1-5; par. 106, lines 1-4)] synchronizes the second wireless device identifier between the first core network and the second network node {this information is synchronized with a core network because it can be retrieved from the core network, such as an AMF, by the UDM/UDR (par. 104, lines 3-4)} because the first message notifies the second network node and thus the first network node and the second network node are both aware of the second wireless device identifier for the first subscriber [e.g. subscription data (par. 72, lines 1-5; par. 106, lines 1-4)].
It is an object of Velev’s invention to provide a method of mobility management. It is an object of Karampatsis’ invention to provide a method of establishing a connection. 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 the teaching of Velev by including a HSS and UDM, as taught by Karampatsis, for the purpose of effectively managing communication in a wireless network.
Allowable Subject Matter
Independent claims 1 and 37 contain patentable subject matter. However, what are the first and second core networks? What are the first and second wireless identifiers? These limitations should all be in the body of the independent claims. Dependent claims 45-47 contain patentable subject matter that will all need to be included in the independent claims.
Conclusion
Any response to this Office Action should be faxed to (571) 273-8300 or mailed to:
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Hand-delivered responses should be brought to
Customer Service Window
Randolph Building
401 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Joel Ajayi whose telephone number is (571) 270-1091. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 7:30am to 5:00pm.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Anderson can be reached on (571) 272-4177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free) or 703-305-3028.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist/customer service whose telephone number is (571) 272-2600.
/JOEL AJAYI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646