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 .
Response to Arguments
On pg. 9, par. 1, lines 6-10 of Applicant’s Response, applicant argues that Clark does not describe receiving a response from a server indicating that the server failed to perform requested operations, and Clark does not describe requesting mapping information responsive to such a failure. Clark also does not describe reliance on a cached mapping at a charging function. Instead, Clark's mapping server is consulted as part of ordinary request routing prior to sending a request.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s argument. Clark is combined with Wang and Collins to remedy the deficiency of not explicitly teaching that the mapping table is a mapping server. Clark does not need to teach limitations already taught by the other reference.
Clark states in pg. 24, par. 4, “Once the map is obtained, the interface servers ISl-2 can request from the local mapping servers MAP3-4 the location of a subscriber database server SDS, and each creates a connection to that server for use during subscriber-initiated processing”.
On pg. 9, par. 2, line 1 - pg. 10, par. 1, line 1 of Applicant’s Response, applicant argues that referring to Wang, the Office states that "when GUT/ fail (~response) is received from AMF, a request is made by CHF to a relation table of SUP/ and GUT/ (~mapping of a subscriber to a UDM (~SDS)) for a SUPI/GUTI." Office Action, 4. Wang describes scenarios in which a GUTI is determined to be invalid at an AMF and subscriber identity information is resolved using a correspondence table. For example, Wang explains that when an AMF cannot process a request using a GUTI, the AMF triggers identity resolution such that "the SUPI corresponding to the GUTI is obtained" using stored association information (Wang, pp. 9-10). Wang further explains that a correspondence table storing SUPI and GUTI relationships is used so that "the network can identify the subscriber when a temporary identifier cannot be used" (Id., pp. 10-11). The request described in Wang is directed to resolving subscriber identity, not to selecting or re-selecting a subscriber database server.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s argument. Applicant’s claim 1, line 10 states, “requesting, by the CHF responsive to the response indicating failure, a mapping of the subscriber”, wherein applicant’s own claim language is directed to resolving subscriber identity.
On pg. 10, par. 1, lines 1-2, applicant argues that Wang does not describe receiving a response from a subscriber database server indicating that the server failed to perform charging operations.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s argument.
Wang teaches in regard to claim 1, “receiving, by the CHF and from an AMF, a response indicating the AMF failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request” (Wang pg. 6, par. 3 and pg. 10, par. 3).
Wang states in pg. 6, par. 3, “the UDM (~subscriber database server) is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF”;.
Wang states in pg. 10, par. 3, “if the AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure. SMF receives the message in the SMF AMF Interaction signalling message”.
Wang does not explicitly teach that receiving a response from an AMF indicating the AMF failed is receiving a response from an SDS indicating the SDS failed and is combined with Collins to remedy the deficiency.
Collins teaches receiving a response from an SDS indicating the SDS failed (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~SDS) application, the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on)”, wherein the detecting of the failure requires receiving a response failure indication from the subscriber database (SDB) server (~SDS)).
On pg. 10, par. 1, lines 3-4, applicant argues that Wang does not describe requesting a mapping of a subscriber to a different subscriber database server responsive to such a failure.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s argument.
Wang teaches requesting a mapping of a subscriber to an SDS responsive to such a failure (when GUTI fail (~responsive) is received from AMF, a request is made by CHF to a relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of a subscriber to a UDM (~SDS)) for a SUPI/GUTI) (Wang pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2 and pg. 31, par. 3).
Wang states in pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS) according to the query request”.
Wang states in pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server application, the invention turns to detect the failure”; pg. 6, par. 3, “UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF, generating time point and AMF ID of GUTI, and according to the reported SUPI, generated GUTI, generating the GUTI generating time point and the AMF ID updating pre-stored SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS), wherein the SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table is used for storing the SUPI and the current GUTI corresponding to the SUPI, generating time point of the current GUTI”.
Wang does not explicitly teach that the SDS is a second SDS of the plurality of SDSs and is combined with Collins to remedy the deficiency.
Collins teaches an SDS which is a second SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
On pg. 10, par. 1, lines 4-5, applicant argues that Wang also does not describe reliance on a cached subscriber-to-SDS mapping at a charging function.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s argument.
Wang states in pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI (~GUTI and SUPI are cached in the CHF for the CHF to send them to UDM – GUTI and SUPI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format), the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) in CHF (~cache of CHF) since the query request containing the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) is sent to the UDM (~first SDS).
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 14-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang ("A 5G Charging Domain User Privacy Protection Method, Charging System And Core Network System", CN 111970695 A, pub. date 2020-11-20) in view of Collins ("System and Method for Distributed Call Processing and On-Line Upgrade Using Load Sharing Groups in a Telecommunication System", KR 100464350 B1, pub. date 2005-01-03), and further in view of Clark ("A System and Method for Large-Scale, Distributed, Personalized Media On Demand", WO 01/22725 A1, pub. date 2001-03-29).
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches a method comprising:
requesting, by a charging function (CHF) of a carrier network, that a first charging system perform operations associated with a charging request (pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”), wherein:
the charging request is associated with a subscriber in a subscriber database maintained by a first SDS (pg. 6, par. 2, “UDM (~first SDS) is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~SUPI and GUTI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format) according to the query request”; pg. 6, par. 8, “CHF is further used for judging whether the SUPI is newly registered in the CHF; and when the judging result is no, forming an extended charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier, the current addressing identification comprises the current GUTI and the current GUTI generation time point; the last addressing identification comprises the generation time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI”); and
the first SDS is mapped to the subscriber (pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI (~GUTI and SUPI are cached in the CHF for the CHF to send them to UDM – GUTI and SUPI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format), the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) based on a cached mapping stored by the CHF (~cache of CHF) since the query request containing the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) is sent to the UDM (~first SDS));
receiving, by the CHF and from an AMF, a response indicating the AMF failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 6, par. 3, “the UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF”; pg. 10, par. 3, “if the AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure. SMF receives the message in the SMF AMF Interaction signalling message”);
requesting, by the CHF responsive to the response indicating failure, a mapping of the subscriber to a SDS from a mapping table mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the respective SDS (when GUTI fail (~response) is received from AMF, a request is made by CHF to a relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of a subscriber to a UDM (~SDS)) for a SUPI/GUTI; pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS) according to the query request”; pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server application, the invention turns to detect the failure”; pg. 6, par. 3, “UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF, generating time point and AMF ID of GUTI, and according to the reported SUPI, generated GUTI, generating the GUTI generating time point and the AMF ID updating pre-stored SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS), wherein the SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table is used for storing the SUPI and the current GUTI corresponding to the SUPI, generating time point of the current GUTI”);
receiving, by the CHF and from the mapping table, the mapping of the subscriber to the SDS (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of the subscriber to the SDS) according to the query request, and returning the generated time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI corresponding to the last charging time to the CHF”); and
requesting, by the CHF, that the SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”; pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”).
Wang does not explicitly teach that the first charging system is a first subscriber database server (SDS), the subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including the first SDS, receiving a response from an AMF indicating the AMF failed is receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed, and the SDS is a second SDS of the plurality of SDSs.
Collins teaches a first subscriber database server (SDS) (pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first subscriber database server (SDS)) application”; pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
a subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including a first SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application, the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on)”, wherein the detecting of the failure requires receiving a response failure indication from the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS)), and
the SDS is a second SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that the mapping table is a mapping server.
However, Clark teaches a mapping server (pg. 24, par. 4, “Once the map is obtained, the interface servers ISl-2 can request from the local mapping servers MAP3-4 the location of a subscriber database server SDS, and each creates a connection to that server for use during subscriber-initiated processing”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Clark with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins in order to improve network planning through higher reliability with features like dynamic resource allocation, enhanced application performance due to low latency and high capacity, optimize antenna placement, predict coverage, and manage resource allocation for a robust and efficient network.
Regarding claim 2, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
wherein the charging request is one of an update charging request associated with a charging session associated with the subscriber (Wang pg. 5, pars. 7-8, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF (~session (~charging session) management function - SMF includes charging session management) ... forming an extended (~update) charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current (~update) addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier”) or a terminate charging request associated with the charging session.
Regarding claim 3, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
wherein the response from the AMF indicating the first SDS failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 10, par. 3, “AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure ... requesting the AMF to re-generate TMSI for the user. until the AMF generates a new TMSI for the user”).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the response from the AMF indicating that the subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database maintained by the first SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a response from a first SDS indicating that a subscriber was not found in a portion of a subscriber database maintained by the first SDS (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application (~subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database of the first SDS), the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide efficient redirection and load balancing, prompt fault isolation, optimized resource utilization, enhanced scalability and flexibility, and clearer data management.
Regarding claim 5, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
further comprising, prior to requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request: receiving, by the CHF, the charging request from a session management function (SMF) (Wang pg. 5, par. 7, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF”); and
retrieving a cached mapping of the subscriber to the first SDS from the cache of the CHF (Wang pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the SUPI (~subscriber) in CHF (~cache of CHF since it’s used for sending the query request)),
wherein the requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (Wang pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the requesting the UDM (~first SDS) to perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (~pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, sending to the UDM based on SUPI)).
Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the first SDS is of the plurality of SDSs.
However, Collins further teaches a first SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 (~first SDS of a plurality of SDSs) SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
Regarding claim 6, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
further comprising: receiving, by the CHF, a response from the SDS indicating the SDS performed the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the UDM (~SDS) responds to the CHF’s (~receiving, by the CHF) charge query request); and
sending, to an SMF associated with the charging request, a charging response indicating the charging request was performed (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the response to the charge query request is send to SMF that initiated the charge request).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the SDS is a second SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a second SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the y two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that performed the operations associated with the charging request is successfully performed the operations associated with the charging request.
However, Chai teaches successfully performed operations associated with a charging request (pg. 24, par. 10, “processing of the previous charging request is successful, returning the processing result of the charging request”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Chai with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to allow a service provider to accurately bill customers, enable flexible pricing models, ensure revenue generation, and provide data for billing, auditing, and network performance analytics.
Regarding claim 7, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
wherein the mapping of the subscriber to the SDS of the includes an identifier of the SDS (Wang pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI (~GUTI and SUPI are cached in the CHF for the CHF to send them to UDM – GUTI and SUPI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format), the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein an identifier of UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) in CHF (~cache of CHF) since the query request containing the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) is sent to the UDM (~first SDS) indicated by the identifier of the UDM).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the SDS is a second SDS of the plurality of SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a second SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
Regarding claim 8, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1,
wherein the charging request is associated with usage by the subscriber of 5G services of the carrier network (Wang pg. 9, par. 1, “charging system is connected with the CHF of the core network system through CGF; the core network system comprises: access and mobility management function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), session management function entity SMF (Session Management Function), the unified data management function entity (UDM) and the charging function entity (CHF), specifically, the terminal finishes the user authentication and registration in the home network. AMF can obtain the SUPI of the user, and periodically generating the corresponding GUTI, and recording the generation time point of generating the GUTI, wherein the GUTI of the 5G is composed of two parts”).
Regarding claim 9, Wang teaches a system comprising: one or more computing devices of a first carrier configured to perform actions (pg. 9, par. 1, “charging system is connected with the CHF of the core network system through CGF; the core network system comprises: access and mobility management function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), session management function entity SMF (Session Management Function), the unified data management function entity (UDM) and the charging function entity (CHF), specifically, the terminal finishes the user authentication and registration in the home network. AMF can obtain the SUPI of the user, and periodically generating the corresponding GUTI, and recording the generation time point of generating the GUTI, wherein the GUTI of the 5G is composed of two parts”) comprising:
requesting, by a charging function (CHF) of a carrier network, that a first charging system perform operations associated with a charging request (pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”),
wherein: the charging request is associated with a subscriber in a subscriber database maintained by a first SDS (pg. 6, par. 2, “UDM (~first SDS) is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~SUPI and GUTI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format) according to the query request”; pg. 6, par. 8, “CHF is further used for judging whether the SUPI is newly registered in the CHF; and when the judging result is no, forming an extended charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier, the current addressing identification comprises the current GUTI and the current GUTI generation time point; the last addressing identification comprises the generation time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI”); and
the first SDS is mapped to the subscriber based on a cached mapping maintained by the CHF (pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI (~GUTI and SUPI are cached in the CHF for the CHF to send them to UDM – GUTI and SUPI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format), the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) based on a cached mapping maintained by CHF (~cache of CHF) since the query request containing the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) is sent to the UDM (~first SDS));
receiving, by the CHF and from an AMF, a response indicating the AMF failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 6, par. 3, “the UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF”; pg. 10, par. 3, “if the AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure. SMF receives the message in the SMF AMF Interaction signalling message”);
requesting, by the CHF responsive to the response indicating failure, a mapping of the subscriber to a SDS from a mapping table mapping subscriber of the carrier network to respective SDS (when GUTI fail (~response) is received from AMF, a request is made by CHF to a relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of a subscriber to a UDM (~SDS)) for a SUPI/GUTI; pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS) according to the query request”; pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server application, the invention turns to detect the failure”; pg. 6, par. 3, “UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF, generating time point and AMF ID of GUTI, and according to the reported SUPI, generated GUTI, generating the GUTI generating time point and the AMF ID updating pre-stored SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS), wherein the SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table is used for storing the SUPI and the current GUTI corresponding to the SUPI, generating time point of the current GUTI”);
receiving, by the CHF and from the mapping table, the mapping of the subscriber to the SDS (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of the subscriber to the SDS) according to the query request, and returning the generated time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI corresponding to the last charging time to the CHF”); and
requesting, by the CHF, that the SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”; pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”).
Wang does not explicitly teach that the first charging system is a first subscriber database server (SDS), the subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including the first SDS, receiving a response from an AMF indicating the AMF failed is receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed, and the SDS is a second SDS of the plurality of SDSs.
Collins teaches a first subscriber database server (SDS) (pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first subscriber database server (SDS)) application”; pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
a subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including a first SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application, the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on)”, wherein the detecting of the failure requires receiving a response failure indication from the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS)), and
the SDS is a second SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that the mapping table is a mapping server.
However, Clark teaches a mapping server (pg. 24, par. 4, “Once the map is obtained, the interface servers ISl-2 can request from the local mapping servers MAP3-4 the location of a subscriber database server SDS, and each creates a connection to that server for use during subscriber-initiated processing”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Clark with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collin in order to improve network planning through higher reliability with features like dynamic resource allocation, enhanced application performance due to low latency and high capacity, optimize antenna placement, predict coverage, and manage resource allocation for a robust and efficient network.
Regarding claim 10, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the system of claim 9,
wherein the charging request is one of a update charging request associated with a charging session associated with the subscriber (Wang pg. 5, pars. 7-8, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF (~session (~charging session) management function - SMF includes charging session management) ... forming an extended (~update) charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current (~update) addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier”) or a terminate charging request associated with the charging session.
Regarding claim 11, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the system of claim 9,
wherein the response from the AMF indicating the first SDS failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 10, par. 3, “AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure ... requesting the AMF to re-generate TMSI for the user. until the AMF generates a new TMSI for the user”).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the response from the AMF indicating that the subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database maintained by the first SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a response from a first SDS indicating that a subscriber was not found in a portion of a subscriber database maintained by the first SDS (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application (~subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database of the first SDS), the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide efficient redirection and load balancing, prompt fault isolation, optimized resource utilization, enhanced scalability and flexibility, and clearer data management.
Regarding claim 12, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the actions further comprise, prior to requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request: receiving, by the CHF, the charging request from a session management function (SMF) (Wang pg. 5, par. 7, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF”); and
retrieving a cached mapping of the subscriber to the first SDS from the cache of the CHF (Wang pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the SUPI (~subscriber) in CHF (~cache of CHF since it’s used for sending the query request)),
wherein the requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (Wang pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the requesting the UDM (~first SDS) to perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (~pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, sending to the UDM based on SUPI)).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the first SDS is of the plurality of SDSs.
However, Collins further teaches a first SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 (~first SDS of a plurality of SDSs) SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
Regarding claim 14, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the charging request is associated with usage by the subscriber of 5G services of the carrier network (Wang pg. 9, par. 1, “charging system is connected with the CHF of the core network system through CGF; the core network system comprises: access and mobility management function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), session management function entity SMF (Session Management Function), the unified data management function entity (UDM) and the charging function entity (CHF), specifically, the terminal finishes the user authentication and registration in the home network. AMF can obtain the SUPI of the user, and periodically generating the corresponding GUTI, and recording the generation time point of generating the GUTI, wherein the GUTI of the 5G is composed of two parts”).
Regarding claim 15, Wang teaches a non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions (pg. 9, par. 1, “charging system is connected with the CHF (~comprises non-transitory computer readable media storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions) of the core network system through CGF; the core network system comprises: access and mobility management function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), session management function entity SMF (Session Management Function), the unified data management function entity (UDM) and the charging function entity (CHF), specifically, the terminal finishes the user authentication and registration in the home network. AMF can obtain the SUPI of the user, and periodically generating the corresponding GUTI, and recording the generation time point of generating the GUTI, wherein the GUTI of the 5G is composed of two parts”) comprising:
requesting, by a charging function (CHF) of a carrier network, that a first charging system perform operations associated with a charging request (pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”),
wherein: the charging request is associated with a subscriber in a subscriber database maintained by a first SDS (pg. 6, par. 2, “UDM (~first SDS) is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~SUPI and GUTI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format) according to the query request”; pg. 6, par. 8, “CHF is further used for judging whether the SUPI is newly registered in the CHF; and when the judging result is no, forming an extended charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier, the current addressing identification comprises the current GUTI and the current GUTI generation time point; the last addressing identification comprises the generation time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI”); and
the first SDS is mapped to the subscriber based on a cached mapping stored by the CHF (pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI (~GUTI and SUPI are cached in the CHF for the CHF to send them to UDM – GUTI and SUPI both comprises subscriber information, but in a different format), the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) based on a cached mapping stored by the CHF (~cache of CHF) since the query request containing the subscriber (~SUPI/GUTI) is sent to the UDM (~first SDS));
receiving, by the CHF and from an AMF, a response indicating the AMF failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 6, par. 3, “the UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF”; pg. 10, par. 3, “if the AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure. SMF receives the message in the SMF AMF Interaction signalling message”);
requesting, by the CHF responsive to the response indicating failure, a mapping of the subscriber to a SDS from a mapping table mapping subscriber of the carrier network to respective SDS (when GUTI fail (~response) is received from AMF, a request is made by CHF to a relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of a subscriber to a UDM (~SDS)) for a SUPI/GUTI; pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS) according to the query request”; pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server application, the invention turns to detect the failure”; pg. 6, par. 3, “UDM is further used for periodically receiving the SUPI, generated GUTI reported by the access and mobility management function entity AMF, generating time point and AMF ID of GUTI, and according to the reported SUPI, generated GUTI, generating the GUTI generating time point and the AMF ID updating pre-stored SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table (~mapping subscriber of the carrier network to the SDS), wherein the SUPI and GUTI corresponding relation table is used for storing the SUPI and the current GUTI corresponding to the SUPI, generating time point of the current GUTI”);
receiving, by the CHF and from the mapping table, the mapping of the subscriber to the SDS (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time; the UDM is used for inquiring the pre-stored corresponding relation table of SUPI and GUTI (~mapping of the subscriber to the SDS) according to the query request, and returning the generated time point of the last GUTI and the last GUTI corresponding to the last charging time to the CHF”); and
requesting, by the CHF, that the SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request (pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”; pg. 5, par. 9, “CHF is further used for sending the extended charging request to the charging system”).
Wang does not explicitly teach that the first charging system is a first subscriber database server (SDS), the subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including the first SDS, receiving a response from an AMF indicating the AMF failed is receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed, and the SDS is a second SDS of the plurality of SDSs.
Collins teaches a first subscriber database server (SDS) (pg. 31, par. 3, “if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first subscriber database server (SDS)) application”; pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
a subscriber in a subscriber database is maintained by a plurality of SDSs including a first SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, “even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB)”),
receiving a response from the first SDS indicating the first SDS failed (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application, the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on)”, wherein the detecting of the failure requires receiving a response failure indication from the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS)), and
the SDS is a second SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that the mapping table is a mapping server.
However, Clark teaches a mapping server (pg. 24, par. 4, “Once the map is obtained, the interface servers ISl-2 can request from the local mapping servers MAP3-4 the location of a subscriber database server SDS, and each creates a connection to that server for use during subscriber-initiated processing”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Clark with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collin in order to improve network planning through higher reliability with features like dynamic resource allocation, enhanced application performance due to low latency and high capacity, optimize antenna placement, predict coverage, and manage resource allocation for a robust and efficient network.
Regarding claim 16, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the charging request is one of a update charging request associated with a charging session associated with the subscriber (Wang pg. 5, pars. 7-8, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF (~session (~charging session) management function - SMF includes charging session management) ... forming an extended (~update) charging request according to the extended charging data request, wherein the extended charging request carries the current (~update) addressing identifier and the last addressing identifier”) or a terminate charging request associated with the charging session.
Regarding claim 17, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the response from the AMF indicating the first SDS failed to perform the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 10, par. 3, “AMF generates GUTI failure for the user, then CHF to SMF feedback charging data confirmation message, notifying the SMF charging failure ... requesting the AMF to re-generate TMSI for the user. until the AMF generates a new TMSI for the user”).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the response from the AMF indicating that the subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database maintained by the first SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a response from a first SDS indicating that a subscriber was not found in a portion of a subscriber database maintained by the first SDS (pg. 31, pars. 2-3, “subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 ... if a failure occurs on the subscriber database (SDB) server (~first SDS) application (~subscriber was not found in a portion of the subscriber database of the first SDS), the invention turns to detect the failure and automatically to the new main subscriber database (SDB) server (~second SDS) application (the previous backup subscriber database (SDB) was a server application on).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide efficient redirection and load balancing, prompt fault isolation, optimized resource utilization, enhanced scalability and flexibility, and clearer data management.
Regarding claim 18, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15,
wherein the actions further comprise, prior to requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request: receiving, by the CHF, the charging request from a session management function (SMF) (Wang pg. 5, par. 7, “CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF”); and
retrieving a cached mapping of the subscriber to the first SDS from the cache of the CHF (Wang pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI (~subscriber), and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM (~first SDS); the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the UDM (~first SDS) is mapped to the SUPI (~subscriber) in CHF (~cache of CHF since it’s used for sending the query request)),
wherein the requesting the first SDS perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (Wang pg. 5, par. 11 - pg. 6, par. 2, “the CHF is further used for obtaining the last charging time corresponding to the SUPI, and sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM; the query request carries the SUPI, the current GUTI, the current GUTI generating time point and the last charging time”, wherein the requesting the UDM (~first SDS) to perform the operations associated with the charging request is based at least in part on the cached mapping (~pg. 5, par. 11- pg. 6, par. 1, sending to the UDM based on SUPI)).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the first SDS is of the plurality of SDSs.
However, Collins further teaches a first SDS of a plurality of SDSs (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the only two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 (~first SDS of a plurality of SDSs) SDB2, the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
Regarding claim 20, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the charging request is associated with usage by the subscriber of 5G services of the carrier network (Wang pg. 9, par. 1, “charging system is connected with the CHF of the core network system through CGF; the core network system comprises: access and mobility management function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), session management function entity SMF (Session Management Function), the unified data management function entity (UDM) and the charging function entity (CHF), specifically, the terminal finishes the user authentication and registration in the home network. AMF can obtain the SUPI of the user, and periodically generating the corresponding GUTI, and recording the generation time point of generating the GUTI, wherein the GUTI of the 5G is composed of two parts”).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Collins, further in view of Clark, and further in view of Allan ("Local Identifier Locator Network Protocol (ILNP) Breakout", WO 2020/096594 A1, pub. date 05-14-2020).
Regarding claim 4, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the method of claim 1.
The combination does not explicitly teach wherein the mapping server is a domain name system (DNS) server.
However, Allan teaches wherein a mapping server is a domain name system (DNS) server ([0047], “where the mapping server is a DNS server”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Allan with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide lower latency by locating the server at the network edge, improved performance for real-time applications, and enhanced scalability and reliability through edge deployment, and necessary mapping for distributed architecture, allowing users to connect to resources without needing to know IP addresses.
Claims 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Collins, further in view of Clark, and further in view of Chai ("Charging Method, Device and System", CN 112312340 A, pub. date 2021-02-02).
Regarding claim 13, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the system of claim 9,
wherein the actions further comprise: receiving, by the CHF, a response from the SDS indicating the SDS performed the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the UDM (~SDS) responds to the CHF’s (~receiving, by the CHF) charge query request); and
sending, to an SMF associated with the charging request, a charging response indicating the charging request was performed (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the response to the charge query request is send to SMF that initiated the charge request).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the SDS is a second SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a second SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the y two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that performed the operations associated with the charging request is successfully performed the operations associated with the charging request.
However, Chai teaches successfully performed operations associated with a charging request (pg. 24, par. 10, “processing of the previous charging request is successful, returning the processing result of the charging request”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Chai with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to allow a service provider to accurately bill customers, enable flexible pricing models, ensure revenue generation, and provide data for billing, auditing, and network performance analytics.
Regarding claim 19, Wang in view of Collins, and further in view of Clark teaches the non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the actions further comprise: receiving, by the CHF, a response from the SDS indicating the SDS performed the operations associated with the charging request (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the UDM (~SDS) responds to the CHF’s (~receiving, by the CHF) charge query request); and sending, to an SMF associated with the charging request, a charging response indicating the charging request was performed (Wang pg. 5, par. 7-11, “the CHF is used for receiving extended charging data request sent by the SMF” ... sending the query request to the unified data management function entity UDM”, wherein the response to the charge query request is send to SMF that initiated the charge request).
The combination of Wang and Clark does not explicitly teach that the SDS is a second SDS.
However, Collins further teaches a second SDS (pg. 31, par. 2, ”even if the technology ... the y two subscriber database (SDB) application server, and SDB1 SDB2 (~second SDS of a plurality of SDSs), the invention should not be limited to the use of two application servers a subscriber database (SDB). The number of the subscriber database (SDB) subscriber database (SDB) which is part of the group of application servers, there is no limitation or restriction”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Collins with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to provide high availability and reliability, enhanced scalability, improved performance, low latency, efficient resource utilization, load balancing, simplified data management, and deployment flexibility.
The combination does not explicitly teach that performed the operations associated with the charging request is successfully performed the operations associated with the charging request.
However, Chai teaches successfully performed operations associated with a charging request (pg. 24, par. 10, “processing of the previous charging request is successful, returning the processing result of the charging request”).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Chai with the teaching of Wang as modified by Collins and Clark in order to allow a service provider to accurately bill customers, enable flexible pricing models, ensure revenue generation, and provide data for billing, auditing, and network performance analytics.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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/ALEXANDER J YI/Examiner, Art Unit 2643
/JINSONG HU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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