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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nardini (US 20200344847 A1) hereafter Nardini.
Regarding Claim 1:
A communication system for a remote location, which is out of range of a telecom provider, the communication system comprising: a remote multi-access edge computer (RMEC) proximate to the remote location and communicative with the telecom provider,([Abstract] A terrestrial data communication gateway device for satellite communication comprising: at least one processor; memory accessible to the at least one processor; a LPWAN wireless communication subsystem for communication with multiple remote devices) the RMEC being configured to run software of the telecom provider whereby the RMEC is securely connectable with the telecom provider such that the RMEC is capable of providing cellular connectivity to a cell phone operably deployed at the remote location. ([Abstract] The memory stores program code executable by the processor to cause the processor to: perform server functions in relation to the multiple remote devices, and configure an edge computing module to perform data processing operations on signals received by the LPWAN communication subsystem.)
Regarding Claim 2:
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the remote location is on a body of water or at a remote land area. ([¶0001] Embodiments relate to gateway devices providing high-latency backhaul capability for edge devices located remotely.)
Regarding Claim 3:
The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a satellite, wherein: the RMEC is communicative with the telecom provider via the satellite, and the RMEC is directly communicative with the cell phone operably deployed at the remote location. ([¶0062] Some embodiments relate to a method of edge computing using a gateway device, the gateway device comprising: at least one processor; memory accessible to the at least one processor; a low power wide area network (LPWAN) wireless communication subsystem responsive to the at least one processor to allow wireless communication with multiple remote devices; a satellite communication subsystem to allow wireless communication with at least one low earth orbit satellite; and the memory storing program code instructions for: receiving by the satellite communication subsystem, from a low earth orbit satellite a first edge computing code module, storing in memory the received first edge computing code module, executing the first edge computing code module by the at least one processor to perform data processing operations on data received by a LPWAN wireless communication subsystem to determine a first edge computing code module output.)
Regarding Claim 4:
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the RMEC comprises an autonomous or remotely piloted vehicle. ([¶0122] Store and forward communication may be implemented by the satellite constellation 135 that periodically passes into a range where communication may be received from a gateway device 120 positioned in a remote location. Satellite 130 may gather data from the gateway device 120 and deliver it back to ground stations 140 that are connected to a network backbone or a network generally accessible over the internet. In some embodiments, the store and forward communication could be implemented by satellites or any type of air, ground or sea vehicles (carrying suitable communication and storage equipment) that intermittently travel within communications range of the gateway device 120. The transfers of data by the store and forward method may be bi-directional. The vehicles or satellites used to implement store and forward communication can be far less numerous than the number of gateway devices 120 that would be needed to cover a designated remote area. Further, vehicles or satellites used to implement store and forward communication can be more rapidly deployed, which can save time during the implementation of the remote backhaul system 100, reduce the duration of blackouts resulting from failure of gateway devices 120 and permit maintenance operations and system upgrades to be carried out using the core server 150 rather than on site in the field.)
Regarding Claim 5:
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: the software of the telecom provider comprises network functions, and the network functions comprise at least one or more of policy and charging functions, session and access management functions, network slice selection functions, evolved packet core functions, certificate authentication functions and management and orchestration functions. ([¶0143] A gateway server 430 may be implemented by the gateway device 120. The gateway server 430 is a software gateway server providing server functions while deployed in a remote environment as part of the remote backhaul system 100. The gateway server 430 comprises several software modules that provide specific functionality according to the needs of the remote backhaul system 100. [¶0169] Several software code modules or applications are stored in the memory 2772, including: a device management application 165, an edge computing code module library 2710, a code module deployment and configuration application 2720, and a code module publication application 2730. The various modules and applications stored in memory 2772 of the core server 2775 enable the publication, management and distribution of code modules to each gateway device 120. In effect, core server 2775 serves at least in part as an application or code module store or repository or library for gateway device 120. The code modules or applications stored in memory 2772 include instructions executable by the processor 2778 to perform computational, communication or data processing functions, for example.)
Regarding Claim 6:
The communication system according to claim 5, wherein: the RMEC is configured to establish a trusted execution environment (TEE), and the network functions run by the RMEC are offloaded to the RMEC by way of a transport layer security (TLS) channel with the TEE. ([¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. This logical categorization may allow one gateway device 120 to gather data or send control instructions with respect to two or more different problem domains.)
Regarding Claim 7:
The communication system according to claim 5, wherein a selection of which of the network functions is to be run on the RMEC is based on at least execution capacity and capability of the RMEC. ([¶0204] The edge computing capability of the gateway device 120 may according be scaled with deployment of multiple edge computing code modules to form multiple data processing models to provide a wide range of data processing capabilities.)
Regarding Claim 8:
The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the RMEC is provided as multiple RMECs, with one designated as a lead RMEC and others designated as delegate RMECs. ([¶0126] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote backhaul system 200 according to some embodiments. The remote backhaul system 200 comprises multiple edge device arrays 115. Each edge device array 115 may be located at a specific remote site or remote geographic area. Each edge device 110 of the edge device array 115 may connect to one gateway device 120, which may be a part of a gateway device array 225. The gateway device array 225 is a set of proximally (adjacently) located gateway devices 120 that allow the extension of the coverage area of the gateway device array 225 over one or more continuous regions or land areas. This allows the horizontal scaling of a large number of edge devices 110 that may form part of the remote backhaul system 200. For example, if a gateway device 120 has a range of 15 km, two gateway devices may be positioned at a distance of 30 km from each other to cover an area stretching up to a maximum of 60 km. In some embodiments, several gateway devices 120 forming the gateway device array 225 may have overlapping coverage zones or regions to form a continuous region or area of communication with the edge device array 115.)
Regarding Claim 9:
A communication system, comprising: a telecom provider; a remote location on a body of water or at a remote land area, which is out of range of the telecom provider; a satellite; and a remote multi-access edge computer (RMEC) comprising an autonomous or remotely piloted vehicle, the RMEC being proximate to the remote location and communicative with the telecom provider via the satellite and configured to run software of the telecom provider([Abstract] A terrestrial data communication gateway device for satellite communication comprising: at least one processor; memory accessible to the at least one processor; a LPWAN wireless communication subsystem for communication with multiple remote devices. The memory stores program code executable by the processor to cause the processor to: perform server functions in relation to the multiple remote devices, and configure an edge computing module to perform data processing operations on signals received by the LPWAN communication subsystem. ) whereby the RMEC is securely connectable with the telecom provider such that the RMEC is capable of providing cellular connectivity to a cell phone operably deployed at the remote location. [¶0161] FIG. 23 is a flowchart 2300 of a series of steps performed by the gateway device 120 to provide high-latency backhaul services. At step 2310, the gateway device 120 receives a radio frequency signal from an edge device 110 within the range of the gateway device 120. The signal comprises information determined or generated by the edge device 110, for example from a sensor 470. Before transmitting the signal, the edge device 110 may encrypt the data to secure the signal from unauthorised access.)
Regarding Claim 10:
The communication system according to claim 9, wherein: the software of the telecom provider comprises network functions, and the network functions comprise at least one or more of policy and charging functions, session and access management functions, network slice selection functions, evolved packet core functions, certificate authentication functions and management and orchestration functions. ([¶0143] A gateway server 430 may be implemented by the gateway device 120. The gateway server 430 is a software gateway server providing server functions while deployed in a remote environment as part of the remote backhaul system 100. The gateway server 430 comprises several software modules that provide specific functionality according to the needs of the remote backhaul system 100. [¶0169] Several software code modules or applications are stored in the memory 2772, including: a device management application 165, an edge computing code module library 2710, a code module deployment and configuration application 2720, and a code module publication application 2730. The various modules and applications stored in memory 2772 of the core server 2775 enable the publication, management and distribution of code modules to each gateway device 120. In effect, core server 2775 serves at least in part as an application or code module store or repository or library for gateway device 120. The code modules or applications stored in memory 2772 include instructions executable by the processor 2778 to perform computational, communication or data processing functions, for example.)
Regarding Claim 11:
The communication system according to claim 10, wherein: the RMEC is configured to establish a trusted execution environment (TEE), and the network functions run by the RMEC are offloaded to the RMEC by way of a transport layer security (TLS) channel with the TEE. ([¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. This logical categorization may allow one gateway device 120 to gather data or send control instructions with respect to two or more different problem domains.)
Regarding Claim 12:
The communication system according to claim 10, wherein a selection of which of the network functions is to be run on the RMEC is based on at least execution capacity and capability of the RMEC. ([¶0204] The edge computing capability of the gateway device 120 may according be scaled with deployment of multiple edge computing code modules to form multiple data processing models to provide a wide range of data processing capabilities.)
Regarding Claim 13:
The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the RMEC is provided as multiple RMECs, with one designated as a lead RMEC and others designated as delegate RMECs. ([¶0126] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a remote backhaul system 200 according to some embodiments. The remote backhaul system 200 comprises multiple edge device arrays 115. Each edge device array 115 may be located at a specific remote site or remote geographic area. Each edge device 110 of the edge device array 115 may connect to one gateway device 120, which may be a part of a gateway device array 225. The gateway device array 225 is a set of proximally (adjacently) located gateway devices 120 that allow the extension of the coverage area of the gateway device array 225 over one or more continuous regions or land areas. This allows the horizontal scaling of a large number of edge devices 110 that may form part of the remote backhaul system 200. For example, if a gateway device 120 has a range of 15 km, two gateway devices may be positioned at a distance of 30 km from each other to cover an area stretching up to a maximum of 60 km. In some embodiments, several gateway devices 120 forming the gateway device array 225 may have overlapping coverage zones or regions to form a continuous region or area of communication with the edge device array 115.)
Regarding Claim 14:
A method of operating a communication system for a remote location, which is out of range of a telecom provider, the method comprising: initializing, at a remote multi-access edge computer (RMEC), a trusted execution environment (TEE) that establishes communications with the telecom provider; receiving, via the TEE, software of the telecom provider; and running the software of the telecom provider within the TEE to securely connect the RMEC to the telecom provider such that the RMEC is capable of providing cellular connectivity to a cell phone operably deployed at the remote location. ([¶0143] A gateway server 430 may be implemented by the gateway device 120. The gateway server 430 is a software gateway server providing server functions [¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. This logical categorization may allow one gateway device 120 to gather data or send control instructions with respect to two or more different problem domains.)
Regarding Claim 15:
The method according to claim 14, wherein the remote location is on a body of water or at a remote land area. ([¶0001] Embodiments relate to gateway devices providing high-latency backhaul capability for edge devices located remotely.)
Regarding Claim 16:
The method according to claim 14, wherein the RMEC comprises an autonomous or remotely piloted vehicle. ([¶0122] Store and forward communication may be implemented by the satellite constellation 135 that periodically passes into a range where communication may be received from a gateway device 120 positioned in a remote location. Satellite 130 may gather data from the gateway device 120 and deliver it back to ground stations 140 that are connected to a network backbone or a network generally accessible over the internet. In some embodiments, the store and forward communication could be implemented by satellites or any type of air, ground or sea vehicles (carrying suitable communication and storage equipment) that intermittently travel within communications range of the gateway device 120. The transfers of data by the store and forward method may be bi-directional. The vehicles or satellites used to implement store and forward communication can be far less numerous than the number of gateway devices 120 that would be needed to cover a designated remote area. Further, vehicles or satellites used to implement store and forward communication can be more rapidly deployed, which can save time during the implementation of the remote backhaul system 100, reduce the duration of blackouts resulting from failure of gateway devices 120 and permit maintenance operations and system upgrades to be carried out using the core server 150 rather than on site in the field.)
Regarding Claim 17:
The method according to claim 14, wherein the communications comprise an attestation quote. ([¶0143] A gateway server 430 may be implemented by the gateway device 120. The gateway server 430 is a software gateway server providing server functions [¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. This logical categorization may allow one gateway device 120 to gather data or send control instructions with respect to two or more different problem domains.)
Regarding Claim 18:
The method according to claim 17, wherein the communications further comprise: hardware information of the RMEC sent from the RMEC to the telecom provider; and network function software of the telecom provider sent from the telecom provider to the RMEC. ([¶0143] A gateway server 430 may be implemented by the gateway device 120. The gateway server 430 is a software gateway server providing server functions [¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. This logical categorization may allow one gateway device 120 to gather data or send control instructions with respect to two or more different problem domains.)
Regarding Claim 19:
The method according to claim 14, wherein the running of the software of the telecom provider within the TEE comprises receiving initialization data for the software of the telecom provider. ([¶0192] In some embodiments, the edge device or node management module 438 may also perform the function of over-the-air device activation of edge devices or nodes 110. The edge device or node management module 438 may also perform management of network layer security and management of nodes 110 into higher level logical hierarchies or categories. The logical categorisation may allow logical bifurcation or separation of services provided by one gateway device 120 configured to operate with an edge device array 115 into separate services. [¶0197] Data transmission 2904 from the satellite 130 confirms the receipt of information by the satellite. In some embodiments, data transmission 2904 may comprise edge computing code modules to be deployed on the gateway device 120, or software updates for the software in the gateway device 120 or software updates for the software in the edge device 110.)
Regarding Claim 20:
The method according to claim 14, further comprising providing the cellular connectivity to the cell phone operably deployed at the remote location, wherein the providing of the cellular connectivity comprises: enabling the software of the telecom provider running within the TEE to connect the RMEC to the telecom provider upon a call being placed from the cell phone; setting up a user session for the call; and routing the call. ([Abstract] perform server functions in relation to the multiple remote devices, and configure an edge computing module to perform data processing operations on signals received by the LPWAN communication subsystem.)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUGH MARK ASHLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-0199. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUGH MARK ASHLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2463
/ASAD M NAWAZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2463