DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The applicant has amended the following:
Claims: 1, 6-8 and 11-12 have been amended.
Claims: 2-5, 9-10, 13-14 and 52 have not been amended.
EXAMINER’S NOTES:
The examiner notes that the previous claim objections indicated on pages 2-3 of the previous office action filed on 05/08/25 has been withdrawn in view of the applicant’s current amendments filed on 07/29/25.
In addition, the examiner notes that the applicant’s amendments have changed the scope of the claims and necessitated the new grounds of rejection presented herein.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-14 and 52 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Independent claim 1 and Independent claim 6 and Independent claim 11 recites, inter alia, the limitations reciting “… wherein the relocation request comprises an indication comprising at least one of that a user equipment, UE, supports a user plane (UP) integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a fifth generation core, 5GC, and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS; generating a handover request comprising an indication of at least one of that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a fifth- generation core, 5GC, and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS based on the indication, wherein the indication is based on the indication in the received relocation request; …” which recites “generating a handover request comprising an indication … based on the indication, wherein the indication is based on the indication in the received relocation request” specifying that the highlighted claim limitations “the indication” refer back to a previous recitation of “an indication”.
However, a review of the previous limitations specifies two instances reciting “an indication”, a first instance indicating an indication in the relocation request and a second instance indicating an indication in the handover request and as the applicant’s claim language requires the indication in the handover request to be based on “the indication” that is itself based on the indication in the received relocation request, the claims are rendered indefinite as it is unclear to the examiner as to what the recited “the indication” is directed towards as it seems to be directed towards a third instance of “an indication” that is currently not recited in the applicant’s claimed invention.
For the purpose of the examination and the rejection provided below, the examiner will interpret the claims to have the indication in the handover request message to be based on the indication in the received relocation request message (i.e. “and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS ).
Dependent claims 2-5, 7-10, 12-14 and 52 are dependent upon rejected Independent claim 1 and Independent claim 6 and Independent claim 11 and are similarly rejected for the same reasons as indicated above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-14 and 52 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 5-6, 10-11 and 52 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0127272 herein after referenced as Zhao) in view of PALANIGOUNDER et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0105612 herein after referenced as Pala) and further in view of PARK et al. (US Patent Publication 2018/0270809 herein after referenced as Park).
Regarding claim 1 and claim 6 and claim 11, Zhao discloses:
A host computer, comprising: processing circuitry configured to and A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor in a host computer of a communication system, cause the host computer to perform operations comprising: and A method performed by a host computer in a communication system, comprising: (Zhao, [0457] discloses when uplink data sent by the UE and received by the PGW (i.e. reads on host computer) satisfies preset policy, the PGW may trigger setup of the dedicated bearer between the UE and the first base station; Zhao, [0661] discloses steps of the methods disclosed with reference to this application may be directly performed and accomplished by a hardware processor; Zhao, [0666] discloses all or some of the steps of the foregoing method embodiments may be implemented by a program instructing related hardware and the foregoing program may be stored in a readable memory and when the program is executed, the steps in the foregoing method embodiments are performed. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the combination of the cited teachings together as a whole that the PGW would need to include a processor, memory storing instructions and a communication interface in order to perform the disclosed functionalities).
(Zhao, [0502] discloses the UE receives (i.e. reads on for transmission to a user equipment), over the bearer, downlink data sent by the base station (i.e. reads on cellular network); Zhao, Fig. 1 & [0250]-[0252] discloses the communications system includes a network device and a plurality of UEs and discloses the network device may include a 4G radio base station eNB and the network device may further include a 5th generation mobile communication technology 5G radio base station gNB and discloses the UE may be a mobile phone or cellular phone and Fig. 1 shows the network device 101 communicating with the plurality of UEs in a cell; Zhao, [0003] discloses a user equipment UE).
wherein the cellular network comprises an access and mobility node configured to perform operations (Zhao, [0298] discloses the mobility management entity shown in the embodiments of this application may be a mobility management entity MME, or may be an access and mobility management function AMF (i.e. reads on access and mobility node)).
receiving a relocation request from a mobility management node, wherein the relocation request comprises an indication comprising at least one of that a user equipment, UE, supports a user plane (UP) integrity protection mode (Zhao, Fig. 7 & [0376] discloses the second mobility management entity sends a forward relocation request message to a first mobility management entity (i.e. reads on receiving a relocation request from a mobility management node) and the forward relocation request message includes the user plane integrity protection information (i.e. reads on wherein the relocation request comprises an indication comprising at least one of that a user equipment, UE, supports a user plane (UP) integrity protection mode); Zhao, [0374] discloses a third base station sends a handover required message to a second mobility management entity and the handover required message includes user plane integrity protection information of UE; Zhao, [0431] discloses the fourth base station may be a 4G base station and the first base station may be a 5G base station; Zhao, [0298] discloses the mobility management entity shown in the embodiments of this application may be a mobility management entity MME, or may be an access and mobility management function AMF. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the combination of the cited teachings together as a whole that the second mobility management entity may be an MME and the first mobility management entity may be an AMF).
and sending the (Zhao, Fig. 7 & [0377] discloses the first mobility management entity sends a second handover request message to a first base station (i.e. reads on sending the handover request to a radio access node) and the second handover request message includes the user plane integrity protection information (i.e. reads on the handover request comprises the indication comprising at least one of that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode); Zhao, [0431] discloses the fourth base station may be a 4G base station and the first base station may be a 5G base station; Zhao, [0298] discloses the mobility management entity shown in the embodiments of this application may be a mobility management entity MME, or may be an access and mobility management function AMF).
Zhao discloses a gateway receiving data from the UE and a base station sending data to the UE but fails to explicitly disclose that said gateway provides user data via the base station and therefore fails to disclose “provide user data;” and “forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE),”.
In addition, Zhao discloses that the mobility management entity may be an MME or an AMF and that the base station may be a 4G base station or a 5G base station and also discloses the AMF receiving a relocation request message that includes a user plane integrity protection information and transmitting a handover request message that includes the user plane integrity protection information but fails to explicitly that a handover occurs from 4G to 5G and that the user plane integrity protection includes protection for both 4G and 5G and that the handover request message is generated based on the relocation request message and therefore fails to disclose “for an interworking handover from an evolved packet system, EPS, to a fifth-generation system, 5GS,” and “an indication comprising at least one of that a user equipment, UE, supports a user plane (UP) integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a fifth generation core, 5GC, and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS; generating a handover request comprising an indication of at least one of that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a fifth- generation core, 5GC, and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS based on the indication in the received relocation request; and sending the generated handover request to a radio access node”.
In a related field of endeavor, Pala discloses:
provide user data; forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), (Pala, [0054] discloses a wireless device may connect to the eNB and send/receive user plane data to the eNB (i.e. reads on provide user data; forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment UE) which may send/receive the user plane data to the EPC via the S1-U interface with the P/SGW server).
an indication comprising at least one of that a user equipment, UE, supports a user plane (UP) integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a fifth generation core, 5GC, and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS; (Pala, [0078]-[0080] discloses the UE computing device determination module may be configured to determine whether the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA connections established between the wireless device and the RAN and determine whether the wireless device supports UP IP for NR connections established between the wireless device and the RAN and discloses security capability IE generating module may be configured to generate one or more security capability IEs including a one or more UP IP support indications (i.e. reads on an indication comprising a least one of) and the UP IP support indication may indicate whether the wireless device support UP IP for eUTRA connections established between the wireless device and the RAN (i.e. reads on and that the UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to the EPS) and whether the wireless device supports UP IP for NR connections established between the wireless device and the RAN (i.e. reads on UE supports a UP integrity protection mode over the radio access network connected to a 5GC) and the UP IP support indication may indicate UP IP support with several integrity algorithms and the first UP IP support indication may be a setting of an EPS integrity algorithm and discloses send the security capability IEs to base stations; Pala, [0082] discloses determine whether the security capability IE indicates that the wireless device supports UP IP for eUTRA connections based at least in part on the UP IP support indication; Pala, [0033] discloses 5G wireless device support of UP IP over NR is signalled to the 5GC network; Pala, [0004] discloses methods for supporting user plane integrity protection UP IP for communications with a radio access network RAN includes indicating whether or not a wireless device supports UP IP over Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications system UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access eUTRA by setting one of the evolved packet system EPS encryption algorithm and the same bit may also be used to indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP over new radio NR and in some aspects a different bit may indicate that the wireless device supports UP IP over NR; Pala, [0055] discloses an enhanced LTE eLTE base station; Pala, [0002] discloses long term evolution LTE).
Therefore, at the time before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Zhao to incorporate the teachings of Pala for the purpose of providing the system with a means to indicate multiple different user plane integrity protection that the mobile device’s support in order to allow the network device to make the proper determination of which user plane integrity protection are supported (Pala, [0078]-[0080] & [0082]) and allow the wireless device to send and receive user data (Pala, [0054]) and for the purpose of making the system more dynamic and adaptable by providing the system with various different alternatives in design and functionality, thereby allowing the system to handle a number of various different combination of specific design structure and scenarios and preventing the system from being limited to a single specific design structure and scenario and furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the guidelines to rationales supporting a conclusion of obviousness seen on MPEP 2143, that the modification would involve use of a simple substitution of one known element and base device (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE that is utilized by a network node in making a selection of what user plane integrity protection information to utilize as taught by Zhao) with another known element and comparable device utilizing a known technique (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE that is utilized by a network node in making a selection of what user plane integrity protection information to utilize, wherein the user plane integrity protection information of the UE includes various multiple user plane integrity protection indicating support for 4G EPS Eutra systems and 5G New Radio systems and wherein the network node includes an enhanced LTE base station and wherein the wireless device sends and receives data to and from the P/SGW server via the base station as taught by Pala) to improve the similar devices in the same way and to obtain the predictable result of the system performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE that is utilized by a network node in making a selection of what user plane integrity protection information to utilize (i.e. as taught by Zhao & Pala) and is dependent upon the specific intended use, design incentives, needs and requirements (i.e. such as due to teachings of a known standard, current technology, conservation of resources, personal preferences, economic considerations, etc.) of the user and the system as has been established in MPEP 2144.04.
Zhao in view of Pala fails to disclose “for an interworking handover from an evolved packet system, EPS, to a fifth-generation system, 5GS,” and “generating a handover request comprising an indication based on the indication in the received relocation request;”.
In a related field of endeavor, Park discloses:
for an interworking handover from an evolved packet system, EPS, to a fifth-generation system, 5GS (Park, Fig. 14 & [0122]-[0123] discloses the EPC may receive the handover required message from the eNB and identify the NGC to which the gNB is connected based on the information included in the handover required message and discloses if the handover procedure from the eNB to the gNB (i.e. reads on an interworking handover from an evolved packet system, EPS, to a fifth-generation system, 5GS) is admitted, the gNB may prepare the handover procedure using the source-to-target transparent container included in the handover request message, and generate a handover request acknowledgment ACK message; Park, Fig. 14 & [0119] discloses the communication system A may comprise the EPC, the eNB, the NGC, the gNB, the UE, and the like and the operation of the EPC may be performed by a communication node such as MME, S-GW, etc. included in the EPC and the operation of the NGC may be performed by a communication node such as NG-C, NG-U, etc. included in the NGC; Park, [0066]-[0068] discloses a communication system may comprise an evolved packet core EPC, an eNB, a new generation core NGC, a gNB, a user equipment UE, and the like and the EPC may be referred to as an ‘EPC network’, the NGC may be referred to as an ‘NGC’, each of the eNB and the gNB may be referred to as a ‘base station’, and the UE may be referred to as a ‘terminal’ and discloses the EPC may support 4G communication technologies and may include at least one mobility management entity MME, at least one gateway GW, and the like and the eNB may support the 4G communication technology and the communications between the eNB and the EPC may be performed based on an S1 interface and discloses the NGC may support 5G communication technologies and may include at least one NG-C, at least one NG-U, and the like and the NG-C may support the same or similar functions as the functions of the MME of the EPC, and the NG-U may support the same or similar functions as the functions of the S-GW of the EPC).
generating a handover request comprising an indication based on the indication in the received relocation request; (Park, Fig. 14 & [0122]-[0123] discloses the relocation request message may include the identifier of the gNB, the source-to-target transparent container, and the like (i.e. reads on the indication in the received relocation request) and discloses the NGC may receive the relocation request message from the EPC and the NGC may generate a handover request message based on the relocation request message (i.e. reads on generating a handover request comprising an indication based on the indication in the received relocation request) and may transmit the handover request message to the gNB and the handover request message may include the source-to-targeted transparent container or the like; Park, Fig. 14 & [0119] discloses the communication system A may comprise the EPC, the eNB, the NGC, the gNB, the UE, and the like and the operation of the EPC may be performed by a communication node such as MME, S-GW, etc. included in the EPC and the operation of the NGC may be performed by a communication node such as NG-C, NG-U, etc. included in the NGC).
Therefore, at the time before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Zhao in view of Pala to incorporate the teachings of Park for the purpose of providing the system with a means to implement the invention in all types of handover scenarios including a handover from a 4G system to a 5G system and providing the means to include information from the received relocation request to the transmitted handover request (Park, Fig. 14 & [0122]-[0123]) and for the purpose of making the system more dynamic and adaptable by providing the system with various different alternatives in design and functionality, thereby allowing the system to handle a number of various different combination of specific design structure and scenarios and preventing the system from being limited to a single specific design structure and scenario and furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the guidelines to rationales supporting a conclusion of obviousness seen on MPEP 2143, that the modification would involve use of a simple substitution of one known element and base device (i.e. performing a process of a first mobility management entity receiving a relocation request from a second mobility management entity and the first mobility management entity transmitting a handover request as taught by Zhao) with another known element and comparable device utilizing a known technique (i.e. performing a process of a first mobility management entity receiving a relocation request from a second mobility management entity and the first mobility management entity transmitting a handover request, wherein the process is a EPS to 5GS handover where the second mobility management entity is an MME and the first mobility management entity is an AMF and the AMF generates the handover request based on the information received from the relocation request transmitted by the MME as taught by Park) to improve the similar devices in the same way and to obtain the predictable result of the system performing a process of a first mobility management entity receiving a relocation request from a second mobility management entity and the first mobility management entity transmitting a handover request (i.e. as taught by Zhao & Park) and is dependent upon the specific intended use, design incentives, needs and requirements (i.e. such as due to teachings of a known standard, current technology, conservation of resources, personal preferences, economic considerations, etc.) of the user and the system as has been established in MPEP 2144.04.
Regarding claim 5 and claim 10 and claim 52, Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park discloses:
The host computer of claim 1, (see claim 1) and The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 (see claim 6) and The method of claim 11 (see claim 11).
wherein the radio access node is an evolved long term evolution radio access node (Pala, [0055] discloses an enhanced LTE eLTE base station; Pala, [0002] discloses long term evolution LTE; Zhao, [0251] discloses a 4G radio base station eNodeB eNB).
Claim(s) 2, 7 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0127272 herein after referenced as Zhao) in view of PALANIGOUNDER et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0105612 herein after referenced as Pala) in view of PARK et al. (US Patent Publication 2018/0270809 herein after referenced as Park) and further in view of WIFVESSON et al. (US Patent Publication 2019/0394651 herein after referenced as Wif).
Regarding claim 2 and claim 7 and claim 12, Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park discloses:
The host computer of claim 1, wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 1) and The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 6) and The method of claim 11, further comprising: wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 11).
Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park discloses sending user plane integrity information but fails to explicitly disclose that said information includes a security policy and therefore fails to disclose “information comprising a user plane, UP, security policy per an EPS packet data network, PDN, connection that the radio access node and the mobility management node have established with the UE.”
In a related field of endeavor, Wif discloses:
information comprising a user plane, UP, security policy per an EPS packet data network, PDN, connection that the radio access node and the mobility management node have established with the UE (Wif, [0345] discloses a handover form a source eNB to a target eNB including an MME change and hence a transfer of the UE security capabilities and the UP integrity protection mode; Wif, [0277] discloses if the AMF accepts to use UP integrity protection then the AMF will include an indication to the RAN and this indication may be for all UP data or for data to be exchanged with a specific network slice identifier such as a data network; Wif, [0342] discloses the source base station could be a LTE eNB and the target base station could be a gNB).
Therefore, at the time before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park to incorporate the teachings of Wif for the purpose of providing the system with a means to include security capabilities when performing a handover (Wif, [0345]) and for the purpose of making the system more dynamic and adaptable by providing the system with various different alternatives in design and functionality, thereby allowing the system to handle a number of various different combination of specific design structure and scenarios and preventing the system from being limited to a single specific design structure and scenario and furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the guidelines to rationales supporting a conclusion of obviousness seen on MPEP 2143, that the modification would involve use of a simple substitution of one known element and base device (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE as taught by Zhao) with another known element and comparable device utilizing a known technique (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE, wherein the information also includes UE security capabilities as taught by Wif) to improve the similar devices in the same way and to obtain the predictable result of the system performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE (i.e. as taught by Zhao & Wif) and is dependent upon the specific intended use, design incentives, needs and requirements (i.e. such as due to teachings of a known standard, current technology, conservation of resources, personal preferences, economic considerations, etc.) of the user and the system as has been established in MPEP 2144.04.
Claim(s) 3-4, 8-9 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0127272 herein after referenced as Zhao) in view of PALANIGOUNDER et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0105612 herein after referenced as Pala) in view of PARK et al. (US Patent Publication 2018/0270809 herein after referenced as Park) and further in view of SHARMA et al. (US Patent Publication 2021/0153012 herein after referenced as Sharma).
Regarding claim 3 and claim 8 and claim 13, Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park discloses:
The host computer of claim 1, wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 1) and The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 6) and The method of claim 11, further comprising: wherein the relocation request further comprises (see claim 11).
Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park discloses a target base station determining the user plane integrity protection utilized by the source base station but fails to explicitly disclose that said information is sent to the target base station and therefore fails to disclose “a UP security activation status per the EPS PDN connection.” In a related field of endeavor, Sharma discloses:
a UP security activation status per the EPS PDN connection (Sharma, [0034] discloses the system is configured to include in at least one message transmitted between at least two of the wireless communication device, the source base station and the target base station an information element indicating that the integrity protection of user data transmitted to or received from the mobile communications network via one or both of the source infrastructure equipment or the target infrastructure equipment is enabled or disabled; Sharma, [0048] discloses an IP scheme configuration can be signalled per UE per PDU session. Applicant’s Claim 4 recites “wherein the UP security activation status comprises an indication of one of: the UP integrity protection was activated in a source cell; and the UP integrity protection was not activated in the source cell”).
Therefore, at the time before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Zhao in view of Pala and further in view of Park to incorporate the teachings of Sharma for the purpose of providing the system with a means to determine whether the user plane integrity protection is enabled or disabled (Sharma, [0034] & Zhao, [0381]) and for the purpose of making the system more dynamic and adaptable by providing the system with various different alternatives in design and functionality, thereby allowing the system to handle a number of various different combination of specific design structure and scenarios and preventing the system from being limited to a single specific design structure and scenario and furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize based on the guidelines to rationales supporting a conclusion of obviousness seen on MPEP 2143, that the modification would involve use of a simple substitution of one known element and base device (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE as taught by Zhao) with another known element and comparable device utilizing a known technique (i.e. performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE, wherein the information also includes an indication that the user plane integrity protection information was enabled as taught by Sharma) to improve the similar devices in the same way and to obtain the predictable result of the system performing a process of transmitting a user plane integrity protection information of the UE (i.e. as taught by Zhao & Sharma) and is dependent upon the specific intended use, design incentives, needs and requirements (i.e. such as due to teachings of a known standard, current technology, conservation of resources, personal preferences, economic considerations, etc.) of the user and the system as has been established in MPEP 2144.04.
Regarding claim 4 and claim 9 and claim 14, Zhao in view of Pala in view of Park and further in view of Sharma discloses:
The method of Claim host computer of claim 3, wherein the UP security activation status comprises (see claim 3) and The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the UP security activation status comprises (see claim 8) and The method of claim 13, wherein the UP security activation status comprises (see claim 13).
an indication of one of: the UP integrity protection was activated in a source cell; and the UP integrity protection was not activated in the source cell (Sharma, [0034] discloses the system is configured to include in at least one message transmitted between at least two of the wireless communication device, the source base station and the target base station an information element indicating that the integrity protection of user data transmitted to or received from the mobile communications network via one or both of the source infrastructure equipment or the target infrastructure equipment is enabled or disabled).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/MICHAEL Y MAPA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645