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 § 103
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 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 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.
Claims [1,3,6,7,8,11,12,13,15,18,19 and 20] are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20220053602 A1) in view of Zhang (US 20240259341 A1).
In regards to claims 1, 13 and 20 Kim teaches a method for transmitting address information, applied to a session management function (SMF), the method comprising: receiving a first identifier [0153] the S-EES 100 may determine the T-EES 200 by asking an ECS 30 using movement information and identification information about the UE 300, edge computing service identification information, or the like or based on information provided by the UE 300, transmitted by a terminal in a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message; [0111] In operation S304, when being notified the completion of the relocation from the EEC 53 and completely transmitting the PDU session modification command ACK to the SMF1 441, the modem 51 of the UE 300 may perform a UE-initiated PDU session establishment request to configure a new user plane path to the T-EAS 201 and the T-EES 200. Here, a new SMF may be selected and a UPF2 432 may be configured and activated, selecting a first EASDF [0054] According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the edge configuration server 30 knows deployment information about the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 and may perform a function of transmitting configuration information for using an edge computing service to the UE 50, for the terminal according to the first identifier; [0153] In operation S704, the S-EES 100 may determine a T-EES. To determine the T-EES, various factors may be used. For example, the S-EES 100 may determine the T-EES 200 by asking an ECS 30 using movement information and identification information about the UE 300, edge computing service identification information, or the like or based on information provided by the UE 300, and transmitting address information of the first EASDF to the terminal. [0057] According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the UE 50 may obtain information about a connectable edge enabler server based on specific location information, for example, a specific base station, a specific data network, or a specific physical location, from the edge configuration server 30, a memory storing computer program instructions (see memory 903 in figure 9); and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer program instructions and perform, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by at least one processor (see processor 902 in figure 9), the PDU session establishment message carrying the first identifier in a first information element of the PDU session establishment request message, [0015] a protocol data unit (PDU) session modification command including first information instructing modification of a PUD session for the MEC service and valid time of the PDU session through the modem, the first identifier including at least one of an edge computing (EC) identifier or an edge application server discovery function (EASDF) identifier; [0156] When the selection of the T-EAS is completed, the T-EES 200 may transmit a context relocation response message to the S-EES 100 in operation S707. The context relocation response message may include at least one of the availabilities of the T-EAS and information about the selected T-EAS.
Kim does not teach the transmitting the address information of the first EASDF comprising transmitting a PDU session establishment accept to the terminal, the PDU session establishment accept carrying the address information of the first EASDF as an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first EASDF in an information element of an extended protocol configuration option (ePCO) of the PDU session establishment accept.
However, Zhang does teach the transmitting the address information of the first EASDF comprising transmitting a PDU session establishment accept to the terminal, [0182] At step 1406, SMF sends PDU session establishment accept to UE. In this message, if requested by UE and the local DNS server is available, local DNS server IPv6 address and/or local DNS server IPv4 address are included in extended PCO the PDU session establishment accept carrying the address information of the first EASDF [0173] At step 1306, SMF may send PDU session establishment accept to UE. In the extended PCO of this message, DNS Server IPv6 Address and/or DNS Server IPv4 address may be included which indicate the local DNS server if available or the remote DNS server, as an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first EASDF [0173] At step 1306, SMF may send PDU session establishment accept to UE. In the extended PCO of this message, DNS Server IPv6 Address and/or DNS Server IPv4 address may be included which indicate the local DNS server if available or the remote DNS server, in an information element of an extended protocol configuration option (ePCO) of the PDU session establishment accept. [0107] At block 402, the network node receives, from the UE, a DNS server address request. The DNS server address request may be sent in various ways. For example, the DNS server address request may be sent during a PDN connection establishment procedure or a PDU session establishment procedure. For example, in 5GS, UE may initiate a PDU session establishment procedure and send a PDU session establishment request to SMF. In the message, DNS Server IPV6 Address Request and/or DNS Server IPv4 address Request may be indicated in extended PCO. In an embodiment, the term “PCO” may be similar to the PCO as described in 3GPP specification such as 3GPP TS 23.502 V16.1.1.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Kim and Zhang before him or her, to modify the method of Kim to include ePCO as taught by Zhang.
The motivation to do so would be to the improved network transmission. (0097 by Zhang).
In regards to claim 3 and 15, Kim and Zhang teach the limitations of the parent claim.
Kim teaches wherein the first identifier is used for indicating that a PDU session requested to be established this time belongs to an edge connection of edge computing (EC). [0082] A UE upper layer coordination requested indication: when a PDU session corresponding to the PDU session ID is connected to an edge data network (EDN), an indication of reporting this information and of possibly requiring interworking with the upper layer (edge enabling layer) may be included and transmitted in the N1 SM container.
In regards to claim 8, Kim and Zhang teach the limitations of the parent claim.
Kim teaches wherein the second information element is an Internet Protocol (IP) address request information element of the EASDF. [0056] According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the edge enabler server connection information may be, for example, a uniform resource identifier (URI) or an endpoint address, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address.
In regards to claim 11, Kim and Zhang teach the limitations of the parent claim.
Kim teaches further comprising: receiving, after the PDU session is established, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request transmitted by the terminal; [0133] In operation S606, the SMF 441 may transmit a new IP prefix address (IP@2) corresponding to the UPF2 432 on the newly configured UP path to the UE 300. Specifically, new IP prefix information may be input to the operating system kernel 333 including the network stack in the UE 300, and may be provided from the network stack to the AC 53 or the EEC 52, and transmitting a DHCP response to the terminal, the DHCP response carrying the address information of the first EASDF. [0134] In operation S607, the SMF 441 may transmit an RA for updating an existing IP prefix address (IP@1) to the UE 300 via the UPF1 431. Here, in the RA for updating the existing IP prefix address, a preferred lifetime field is configured to be a value of 0, and a valid lifetime field may be configured to be a valid value (how long the SMF 441 maintains the existing IP prefix address (IP@1)).
In regards to claim 12, Kim and Zhang teach the limitations of the parent claim.
Kim teaches wherein the address information of the first EASDF is carried in a fourth information element of an ePCO of the DHCP response. [0134] in the RA for updating the existing IP prefix address, a preferred lifetime field is configured to be a value of 0, and a valid lifetime field may be configured to be a valid value (how long the SMF 441 maintains the existing IP prefix address (IP@1)). When determining the value of the valid lifetime field, a value suggested by a device (e.g., an EES (reference numeral 100 or 200 described in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) or an EAS (reference numeral 101 or 201 described in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3)) of an edge enabling layer may also be used.
In regards to claims 7 and 19, Kim and Zhang teach the limitations of the parent claim.
Kim does not teach wherein the first identifier is carried in a second information element of an extended protocol configuration option of the PDU session establishment request.
Zhang teaches, wherein the first identifier is carried in a second information element of an extended protocol configuration option of the PDU session establishment request. [0180] At step 1402, UE initiates PDU session establishment procedure and sends PDU session establishment request to SMF. In this message, if UE supports local DNS server in PCO function, UE indicates local DNS Server IPv6 address request and/or local DNS server IPv4 address request in the extended PCO.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Kim and Zhang before him or her, to modify the method of Kim to include ePCO as taught by Zhang.
The motivation to do so would be to the improved network transmission. (0097 by Zhang).
Response to Argument
Applicant’s arguments filed on 01/28/2026 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new rejections stated above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEHAB A ALAWDI whose telephone number is (571)270-3203. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/SHEHAB A ALAWDI/Examiner, Art Unit 2466
/JAY P PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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