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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/17/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
3. The drawings were received on 03/17/2023. These drawings are considered by examiner.
Election/Restrictions
4. Applicant’s election Group I, relating to claims 1-9, and 20-27 in the reply filed on 09/30/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-6, 8-9, 20-25, 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (US 2020/0359212), hereinafter “Chen“, in view of Huang et al (US 2021/0266780), hereinafter “Huang“.
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a cellular architecture for enhanced privacy regarding identity and location of a computing device (Fig. 3 teaches a cellular architecture), the architecture comprising:
a privacy gateway (Fig. 3 shows a RSP Platform #360 which reads on a privacy gateway) connected to the core packet forwarding gateway (Fig. 3 shows a RSP Platform connected to the core packet network #330), the privacy gateway configured to authenticate the computing device while hiding the identity of the computing device by verifying authentication tokens that represent units of access (pars [0035] [0052-0055] teach the RSP configured to authenticate with the electronic device); and an over-the-air (OTA) gateway configured to select an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) from a pool of valid IMSIs and deliver the selected IMSI to a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the computing device (pars [0009-0011] teach over-the-air through a process called remote SIM provisioning RSP),
Chen does not explicitly teach the SIM card to periodically shuffle the pool of valid IMSIs.
Huang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches the SIM card to periodically shuffle the pool of valid IMSIs (pars [0034-0036] [0040-0042]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Chen to Huang, in order to provide the different types of radio access networks and/or core networks such as identifying information of the UE (as suggested by Huang in paragraph [0002]).
Regarding claims 2 and 21, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein the OTA gateway is further configured to select the IMSI the pool randomly (pars [0015-0017]), incrementally (pars [0017] [0025]), algorithmically (pars [0010] [0017]), or pseudo- randomly (par [0025]).
Regarding claims 3 and 22, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein the OTA gateway is further configured to select a new IMSI when an IMSI collision occurs (pars [0010] [0020] [0025]).
Regarding claims 4 and 23, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein IMSI selection is triggered periodically using a centralized timer based on a clock time of the computing device (pars [0048-0049]).
Regarding claims 5 and 24, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein IMSI selection is triggered periodically on a per-computing device basis based on a period of time since previous IMSI selection (pars [0048-0049]).
Regarding claims 6 and 25, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein IMSI selection is triggered based on events related to the computing device (pars [0048-0049]).
Regarding claims 8 and 27, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein the authentication tokens are distributed via an oblivious transfer protocol (pars [0035] [0058] teach the authentication tokens that distributed via the transfer protocols).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen further teaches wherein the units of access comprise at least one of a fixed period of time and a fixed unit of data (pars [0048-0049]).
Regarding to claim 20, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 1.
8. Claims 7, 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al (US 2020/0359212), hereinafter “Chen“, in view of Huang et al (US 2021/0266780), hereinafter “Huang“, and further in view of Everett (US 2012/0239566), hereinafter “Everett”.
Regarding claims 7 and 26, the combination of Chen and Huang teach the cellular architecture of claims 1, 20, Chen and Huang do clearly teach wherein the authentication tokens are verified by being blind signed using Chaum's scheme by a billing system.
Everett, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the authentication tokens are verified by being blind signed using Chaum's scheme by a billing system (pars [0012-0013] [0070]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Chen and Huang to Everett, in order to provide the authentication process by using David Chaum’s scheme to operate on-line services for making payments by securely system (as suggested by Everett in paragraph [0003]).
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL T VU whose telephone number is (571)272-8131. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00AM to 6:00PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, Applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached on (571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL T VU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641