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 .
DETAILED OFFICE ACTION
This action is responsive to the communication received August 20th, 2025. Claim 6 has been canceled. Claims 1-5, 7-21 have been entered and are presented for examination.
Application 17/870,396 is a Continuation of PCT/CN2020/119667 09/30/2020 and has Chinese Application 202010075317.7 01/22/2020.
Response to Arguments
Applicant argues “First, claim 1 requires a first BIER packet comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field comprises a first identifier, and wherein a value of the second field indicates that the first field carries the first identifier. Claims 10 and 20 require the same limitations” and “Qualcomm's source device 120 uses the reserved field 623 to parse the data packet header 610 or the payload data 650, not to indicate that the data packet header 610 or payload data 650 comprises a specific identifier”.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees.
JP-2015512171 discloses future versions of a particular protocol (identified in version field 621) may utilize reserved field 623, in which case source device 120 may parse data packet header 610 and / or Information in reserved field 623 may be used to parse payload data 650. Reserved field 623, in conjunction with version field 621, potentially provides functionality for extending features and adding features to the data packet format (paragraph 00 112 ).
JP-2015512171 shows based on the version field, the reserved field will be used is disclosing Applicant’s “wherein a value of the second field indicates that the first field carried the first identifier.” The information in the reserved field can be considered an identifier.
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, 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, 10, 13, 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wijnands et al. (US 2015/0078379) in view of JP-2015512171.
Regarding claims 1, 8-9, 10, 16-17, 20, Wijnands et al. discloses a method implemented by a network device (see Figure 2 [MDC 230]), and comprises: obtaining a first bit index explicit replication (BIER) packet comprising a first identifier (paragraphs 0054-0055 [MDC receiving signaling message from ER with the BIER network; signaling message includes multicast group ID that is to be received or ceased]); detecting, based on the first identifier, a multicast flow to which the first BIER packet to obtain detection data (paragraph 0054 [MDC receiving signaling message from ER with the BIER network; signaling message includes multicast group ID that is to be received or ceased]); and sending, to a controller, the detection data (paragraph 0055 [rather than the controller creating and maintaining a group membership table, the group membership table is created and maintained by an ingress router or a host. When the GMT is created and maintained by an IR or host, the controller forwards the signaling information to the IR or host that creates and maintains the GMT; IR or host controls the GMT]).
Wijnands et al. does not explicitly disclose packet comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field comprises a first identifier, and wherein a value of the second field indicates that the first field carries the first identifier and obtaining the first identifier from the first field based on the second field.
However, of JP-2015512171 discloses packet comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field comprises a first identifier, and wherein a value of the second field indicates that the first field carries the first identifier (paragraph 00112 [future versions of a particular protocol (identified in version field 621) may utilize reserved field 623, in which case source device 120 may parse data packet header 610 and / or Information in reserved field 623 may be used to parse payload data 650. Reserved field 623, in conjunction with version field 621, potentially provides functionality for extending features and adding features to the data packet format]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to recognize based on the version field of the packet, the reserved field could be used to show value that can be used to show the multicast group ID such that the multicast group ID can be monitored.
Regarding claims 4, 13, Wijnands et al. further discloses obtaining, based on the first identifier, first information about an interface for transmitting the first BIER packet; and sending, to the controller, the first information (paragraph 0054 [MDC receiving signaling message from ER with the BIER network; signaling message includes multicast group ID that is to be received or ceased]).
Regarding claim 21, Wijnands et al. further discloses wherein the first identifier indicates to detect the first BIER packet (paragraph 0054 [MDC receiving signaling message from ER with the BIER network; signaling message includes multicast group ID that is to be received or ceased]).
Claim(s) 7, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wijnands et al. (US 2015/0078379) in view of JP-2015512171 as applied to claims 1, 10 above, and further in view of RFC 8296.
Regarding claims 7, 15, the references as applied above disclose all the recited subject matter in claims 6, 10, but do not explicitly disclose wherein the first field is either an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) field or a reserved field.
However, RFC 8296 discloses the reserved field of the BIER packet contains 2 bits that are currently unused (page 11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to recognize the reserved field could be used to send the information regarding the multicast flow information.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 5, 11-12, 14, 18-19 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.
The prior art of record does not disclose:
wherein the network device is an ingress node of a BIER network, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the controller, a detection instruction comprising a multicast flow identifier, wherein the detection instruction instructs the ingress node to add the first identifier to a second BIER packet that carries the multicast flow identifier; and adding, according to the detection instruction, the first identifier to the second BIER packet to obtain the first BIER packet, or
wherein after receiving the detection instruction, the method further comprises: generating a correspondence between the multicast flow identifier and first indication information; obtaining the second BIER packet; obtaining, based on the multicast flow identifier and the correspondence, the first indication information instructing to add the first identifier to the second BIER packet; and adding, based on the first indication information, the first identifier to the second BIER packet to obtain the first BIER packet, or
wherein the first BIER packet further comprises a sequence number, and wherein the method further comprises: obtaining, based on the first identifier, the sequence number; and obtaining, based on the sequence number, packet loss information or sequence error information of a multicast flow to which the first BIER packet belongs.
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 CHRISTOPHER T WYLLIE whose telephone number is (571)270-3937. The examiner can normally be reached 4pm-11:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayman Abaza can be reached at (571)270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER T WYLLIE/Examiner, Art Unit 2465