744DETAILED 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 Amendment
The Amendment filed November 17, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-11 and 13-21 are pending in the application. Applicant has submitted amendments to the claims along with other remarks. Claims 1-11 and 13-20 are still rejected by prior art references, refer to the following rejection for details.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and amendments, see pp. 12-15 of the response, filed November 17, 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under §§ 102, 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. However, upon further consideration for the amendments, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of new reference, please see the rejection for details.
Applicant requested specificity with regard to previously presented claim element (“identified false session drops”). Karapantelakis discusses a KPI related to call drop rate (CDR) (e.g., [0126]). The Non-final rejection cited Karapantelakis’s statement in [0035], which teaches that “A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice can be evaluated to detect whether the value is misreported.” In other words, is a false session drop.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 21 contains the negative limitation “the first wireless network does not have data indicating when user equipment device sessions are successfully migrated to the second wireless network and is unaware of successful user equipment device session migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network.” These elements are not provided for in the originally filed specification or further in relation to “prior to said communicating, by the correlator, the modified first OSS data to the first network core of the HINO wireless system.”
Applicant suggests that [0097] provides these elements; however, [0097] does not contain the terms, “prior to,” “before,” or “does not have data indicating.” This paragraph merely recites a problem solved, that “the MSO network OSS is unaware of when UEs and/or UE calls/sessions have been successfully transferred to the MNO network . . . .” The following paragraph specifically follows with: “to address [the aforementioned] problem.”
Therefore, the new matter is rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 13, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No. 2024/0388945 (hereinafter “Karapantelakis”) in view of Non-patent Literature entitled, “Architectural Guidelines for Multipath TCP Development” (hereinafter “Ford”).
Regarding claim 1, Karapantelakis teaches: A communications method comprising: receiving at a correlator from a cloud connection manager a plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations ([0126] Similarly, the network retainability (nret) measures the capability of the network to ensure services are up and running without interruption. This can use the network-level KPIs “ERABnormalRelease” and “ERABRelease”. In the above formula, the ratio “ERABnormalRelease” to “ERABRelease” provides a Call Drop Rate (CDR) which represents the capability of the system to provide services without interruption. [0172] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to) . . . network attach and detach data (i.e. when and for how long a UE stays attached to the network). [0006] In both cases, when it comes to 3GPP NEF and SCEF nodes, it is possible for the trust domain to involve a “business partner”, the capabilities of which can be exposed to a third party via the exposure function. In this case the “third party” node is an Application Server (AS) or Application Function (AF) in 3GPP terms. An AS or AF can request information about a UE or group of UEs, by supplying their International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or about a network slice by providing a network slice identifier (NSI). [0035] A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice)) from a first wireless network to a second wireless network ([0002] When the UE devices (e.g., mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets) move from the MVNO network to the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) network and vice versa, these UE devices may appear to have disappeared from the network they were originally on/connected to suggesting poor performance and declined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).); receiving, by the correlator, from a first network core of a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator (HMNO) wireless system first Operations Support System (OSS) data, said first OSS data including a first plurality of session data records ([0177] Such metrics/performance indicators can be obtained via the Operations Support System (OSS) of an MNO and are available to SCEF/NEF nodes, so the SCEF/NEF nodes can send these metrics to the control node 215, if requested to do so.); identifying one or more false session drops (e.g., [0126] call drop rate (CDR)) in the first OSS data using the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records and the first plurality of session data records ([0035] A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice can be evaluated to detect whether the value is misreported using a performance indicator profile that represents or indicates ‘correct’ values for the KPI. Certain embodiments provide for the training of a machine learning model that learns about a “common profile” for one or more subscribers or a network slice. This profile can be computed against a KPI or group of KPIs for a subscriber, or group of subscribers or a network slice. Upon reporting of a KPI from, for example, an SCEF and/or NEF node, a control node can compare this KPI with the corresponding profile. If the KPI does not match the profile, then it can be marked as suspicious, and either not reported to the requesting entity, or reported with a warning as to the (potential) unreliability.); modifying, by the correlator, the first OSS data to mark or remove in the first OSS data the identified false session drops ([0035] and filtering out the KPIs from the MNO reporting the KPI.); communicating, by the correlator, the modified first OSS data to the first network core of the HMNO wireless system ([0170] Then, after a period has passed in which KPI(s) from an MNO are still being misreported or are “suspicious” (e.g. a period where more than a threshold number of KPIs have been misreported), the KPIs to be reported to the third party node 217 in response to the request received in step 1501 are filtered to only include those KPIs determined in step 1505 to be reliable or sufficiently reliable (i.e. the control node 215 operates according to action (iii) above). In some cases, all KPIs from that MNO may be filtered out. In the case of filtering out unreliable KPI(s), the control node 215 may also notify the relevant MNO that the KPI(s) are not reliable (i.e. action (iv)). If an MNO for whom all KPIs are being filtered out due to too many unreliable KPIs starts to report reliable KPIs again (which can be determined based on one or both of some time having elapsed and/or a threshold number of “reliable” KPIs having been received by the control node 215), then the control node 215 can remove the filtering restriction for that MNO and KPIs can be forwarded to the third party node 217 again.); wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are operated independently ([0071]).
Karapantelakis does not explicitly teach: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices to coordinate the communication paths for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ford teaches: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud (Figure 5, “End Host” on the right) and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices (Figure 5, “End Host” on the left) to coordinate the communication paths (p. 13/28, MPTCP makes use of (what appear to the network to be) standard TCP sessions, termed "subflows", to provide the underlying transport per path, and as such these retain the network compatibility desired.) for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions (Figure 7, “Subflow (TCP)”) of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network (as shown in Karapantelakis, MNO1 201, MNOx 205).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karapantelakis to include the feature of multipath support at the networks and UEs and a combination of Karapantelakis with Ford renders the claim prima facie obvious within the described scope of the prior art and any indicated differences within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., telecommunications engineer) according to a combination of known prior art elements with known methods to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143(I)(A) (e.g., providing multipath support at networks and UEs).
Regarding claim 13, Karapantelakis teaches: A communications system comprising: a correlator including (virtualisation environment 600): memory (690-1), and a first processor (660), said first processor controlling the correlator to perform the following operations: receive from a cloud connection manager a plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations ([0126] Similarly, the network retainability (nret) measures the capability of the network to ensure services are up and running without interruption. This can use the network-level KPIs “ERABnormalRelease” and “ERABRelease”. In the above formula, the ratio “ERABnormalRelease” to “ERABRelease” provides a Call Drop Rate (CDR) which represents the capability of the system to provide services without interruption. [0172] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to) . . . network attach and detach data (i.e. when and for how long a UE stays attached to the network). [0006] In both cases, when it comes to 3GPP NEF and SCEF nodes, it is possible for the trust domain to involve a “business partner”, the capabilities of which can be exposed to a third party via the exposure function. In this case the “third party” node is an Application Server (AS) or Application Function (AF) in 3GPP terms. An AS or AF can request information about a UE or group of UEs, by supplying their International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or about a network slice by providing a network slice identifier (NSI). [0035] A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice)) from a first wireless network to a second wireless network ([0002] When the UE devices (e.g., mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets) move from the MVNO network to the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) network and vice versa, these UE devices may appear to have disappeared from the network they were originally on/connected to suggesting poor performance and declined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).); receive from a first network core of a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator (HMNO) wireless system first Operations Support System (OSS) data, said first OSS data including a first plurality of session data records ([0177] Such metrics/performance indicators can be obtained via the Operations Support System (OSS) of an MNO and are available to SCEF/NEF nodes, so the SCEF/NEF nodes can send these metrics to the control node 215, if requested to do so.); identify one or more false session drops in the first OSS data using the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records and the first plurality of session data records ([0035] A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice can be evaluated to detect whether the value is misreported using a performance indicator profile that represents or indicates ‘correct’ values for the KPI. Certain embodiments provide for the training of a machine learning model that learns about a “common profile” for one or more subscribers or a network slice. This profile can be computed against a KPI or group of KPIs for a subscriber, or group of subscribers or a network slice. Upon reporting of a KPI from, for example, an SCEF and/or NEF node, a control node can compare this KPI with the corresponding profile. If the KPI does not match the profile, then it can be marked as suspicious, and either not reported to the requesting entity, or reported with a warning as to the (potential) unreliability.); modifying, by the correlator, the first OSS data to mark or remove in the first OSS data the identified false session drops ([0035] and filtering out the KPIs from the MNO reporting the KPI.); and communicate the modified first OSS data to the first network core of the HMNO wireless system ([0170] Then, after a period has passed in which KPI(s) from an MNO are still being misreported or are “suspicious” (e.g. a period where more than a threshold number of KPIs have been misreported), the KPIs to be reported to the third party node 217 in response to the request received in step 1501 are filtered to only include those KPIs determined in step 1505 to be reliable or sufficiently reliable (i.e. the control node 215 operates according to action (iii) above). In some cases, all KPIs from that MNO may be filtered out. In the case of filtering out unreliable KPI(s), the control node 215 may also notify the relevant MNO that the KPI(s) are not reliable (i.e. action (iv)). If an MNO for whom all KPIs are being filtered out due to too many unreliable KPIs starts to report reliable KPIs again (which can be determined based on one or both of some time having elapsed and/or a threshold number of “reliable” KPIs having been received by the control node 215), then the control node 215 can remove the filtering restriction for that MNO and KPIs can be forwarded to the third party node 217 again.) wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are operated independently ([0071]).
Karapantelakis does not explicitly teach: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices to coordinate the communication paths for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ford teaches: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud (Figure 5, “End Host” on the right) and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices (Figure 5, “End Host” on the left) to coordinate the communication paths (p. 13/28, MPTCP makes use of (what appear to the network to be) standard TCP sessions, termed "subflows", to provide the underlying transport per path, and as such these retain the network compatibility desired.) for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions (Figure 7, “Subflow (TCP)”) of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network (as shown in Karapantelakis, MNO1 201, MNOx 205).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karapantelakis to include the feature of multipath support at the networks and UEs and a combination of Karapantelakis with Ford renders the claim prima facie obvious within the described scope of the prior art and any indicated differences within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., telecommunications engineer) according to a combination of known prior art elements with known methods to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143(I)(A) (e.g., providing multipath support at networks and UEs).
Regarding claim 20, Karapantelakis teaches: A non-transitory computer readable medium (690-1) including a first set of computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a correlator (virtualisation environment 600) cause the correlator to perform the steps of: receiving from a cloud connection manager a plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations ([0126] Similarly, the network retainability (nret) measures the capability of the network to ensure services are up and running without interruption. This can use the network-level KPIs “ERABnormalRelease” and “ERABRelease”. In the above formula, the ratio “ERABnormalRelease” to “ERABRelease” provides a Call Drop Rate (CDR) which represents the capability of the system to provide services without interruption. [0172] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to) . . . network attach and detach data (i.e. when and for how long a UE stays attached to the network). [0006] In both cases, when it comes to 3GPP NEF and SCEF nodes, it is possible for the trust domain to involve a “business partner”, the capabilities of which can be exposed to a third party via the exposure function. In this case the “third party” node is an Application Server (AS) or Application Function (AF) in 3GPP terms. An AS or AF can request information about a UE or group of UEs, by supplying their International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), or about a network slice by providing a network slice identifier (NSI). [0035] A KPI value reported by a communication network for one or more subscribers and/or a network slice)) from a first wireless network to a second wireless network ([0002] When the UE devices (e.g., mobile devices such as cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets) move from the MVNO network to the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) network and vice versa, these UE devices may appear to have disappeared from the network they were originally on/connected to suggesting poor performance and declined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).); receiving from a first network core of a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator (HMNO) wireless system first Operations Support System (OSS) data, said first OSS data including a first plurality of session data records; identifying one or more false session drops in the first OSS data using the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records and the first plurality of session data records ([0177] Such metrics/performance indicators can be obtained via the Operations Support System (OSS) of an MNO and are available to SCEF/NEF nodes, so the SCEF/NEF nodes can send these metrics to the control node 215, if requested to do so.); modifying the first OSS data to mark or remove in the first OSS data the identified false session drops ([0035] and filtering out the KPIs from the MNO reporting the KPI.); and communicating the modified first OSS data to the first network core of the HMNO wireless system ([0170] Then, after a period has passed in which KPI(s) from an MNO are still being misreported or are “suspicious” (e.g. a period where more than a threshold number of KPIs have been misreported), the KPIs to be reported to the third party node 217 in response to the request received in step 1501 are filtered to only include those KPIs determined in step 1505 to be reliable or sufficiently reliable (i.e. the control node 215 operates according to action (iii) above). In some cases, all KPIs from that MNO may be filtered out. In the case of filtering out unreliable KPI(s), the control node 215 may also notify the relevant MNO that the KPI(s) are not reliable (i.e. action (iv)). If an MNO for whom all KPIs are being filtered out due to too many unreliable KPIs starts to report reliable KPIs again (which can be determined based on one or both of some time having elapsed and/or a threshold number of “reliable” KPIs having been received by the control node 215), then the control node 215 can remove the filtering restriction for that MNO and KPIs can be forwarded to the third party node 217 again.), wherein the first wireless network and the second wireless network are operated independently ([0071]).
Karapantelakis does not explicitly teach: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices to coordinate the communication paths for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Ford teaches: wherein the cloud connection manager is located in a cloud (Figure 5, “End Host” on the right) and operates in connection with connection managers on each of a plurality of user equipment devices (Figure 5, “End Host” on the left) to coordinate the communication paths (p. 13/28, MPTCP makes use of (what appear to the network to be) standard TCP sessions, termed "subflows", to provide the underlying transport per path, and as such these retain the network compatibility desired.) for the plurality of user equipment devices as communications sessions (Figure 7, “Subflow (TCP)”) of the plurality of user equipment devices are transferred between the first wireless network and second wireless network (as shown in Karapantelakis, MNO1 201, MNOx 205).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karapantelakis to include the feature of multipath support at the networks and UEs and a combination of Karapantelakis with Ford renders the claim prima facie obvious within the described scope of the prior art and any indicated differences within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., telecommunications engineer) according to a combination of known prior art elements with known methods to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143(I)(A) (e.g., providing multipath support at networks and UEs).
Claim(s) 2-12, 14-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karapantelakis in view of Ford and further in view of European Publication No. EP 2526710 B1 (hereinafter “Clark”).
Regarding claim 2, Karapantelakis teaches: prior to receiving at the correlator from the cloud connection manager the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network, generating a first user equipment snapshot data record at the first network core . . . at a first time ([0008] In various embodiments, each of said user equipment snapshot data records includes a timestamp, user equipment device identification information, session identification information, and location information. [0007] (e.g., user equipment device identifier information, time information, location information, and/or session identifier information) [0173] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to) [0171-172]), said first user equipment snapshot data record being one of the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network [0173] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to).
The combination of Karapantelakis and Ford does not explicitly teach: based on information received from a first user equipment device connected to a first base station of the first wireless network . . . and transmitting the first user equipment snapshot data record from the first network core to the cloud connection manager.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Clark teaches: based on information received from a first user equipment device connected to a first base station of the first wireless network ([0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, various data is acquired in the mobile telephone and is processed into an Event Notification. Each Event Notification type has an associated probability factor associated with it. Each time an Event Notification is generated, a randomising function derives a number, for example in the range 0 to "probability", where probability is related to the probability factor. If the random number generated is zero then the Event notification is added to the memory (buffer) for transmission to the network operator as a report. [0036] So, for example, a relatively common event such as an "expected end of call" (e.g. where one of the parties to a call willfully terminates the connection) will have associated with it a weighting factor such that a notification is relatively unlikely to be issued when the event is detected. However, a less common event such as an "unexpected end of call" (e.g. a "dropped call")) . . . and transmitting the first user equipment snapshot data record from the first network core to the cloud connection manager ([0062] the Event notification is added to the memory (buffer) for transmission to the network operator as a report. [0054]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karapantelakis to include the feature of information gathered by a user equipment device and a combination of Karapantelakis with Clark renders the claim prima facie obvious within the described scope of the prior art and any indicated differences within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., telecommunications engineer) according to a combination of known prior art elements with known methods to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143(I)(A) (e.g., gathering the information at the user equipment and sending it to the correlator).
Regarding claim 3, Karapantelakis teaches: prior to generating the first user equipment snapshot data record at the first network core based on information received from the first user equipment device connected to the first base station of the first wireless network at the first time, determining at the first network core to generate the first user equipment snapshot data record based on one or more of the following: location information received from the first user equipment device ([0186] there can be more than one record per KPI, for example marked by one or more contextual pointers. For example, one of these contextual pointers can be time of day. For different times of day, different ranges of KPIs may be considered normal. Another pointer can be the date, for example on weekends and on special occasions such as holidays, there may be different ranges of KPIs that are considered normal. Other contextual pointers can be weather, temperature and humidity, geographical location, etc.) or signaling information received from the first user equipment device.
Regarding claim 4, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein determining at the first network core to generate the first user equipment snapshot data record based on one or more of the following: location information received from the first user equipment device or signaling information received from the first user equipment device includes: determining to generate the first user equipment snapshot data record when a first criteria is met ([0069] The request for subscribing to one or more events (KPIs) contains identifiers for one or more subscriptions that the event relates to . . . For example the monitoring functionality can relate to any of loss of connectivity, reachability, location, communication failure, roaming status, etc.).
Regarding claim 5, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein the first criteria is met when at least one of the following is true: the location information received from the first user equipment device indicates the first user equipment device is within a first distance of a perimeter of the wireless coverage area of the second wireless network or the signaling information received from the first user equipment device is below a first threshold level ([0069] The KPI may be a single event, or a combination of events, provided by a “monitoring” functionality of the relevant endpoint 207, 209 (exposure function). For example the monitoring functionality can relate to any of loss of connectivity . . . . The response may be asynchronous (i.e. the response occurs some time later when information is available, and not just as a reaction to receiving the request) and contains information about the event(s) that have been triggered.).
Regarding claim 6, Karapantelakis teaches: prior to receiving at the correlator from the cloud connection manager a plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from a first wireless network to a second wireless network, receiving, at the cloud connection manager, user equipment snapshot data records from the first network core, said user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core including the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0071] The control node 215 is a logical entity, which means that it can be a single point of contact (SPOC) and either reside within one of the mobile communication networks 201, 203 of one of the MNOs, or be cloud service that is hosted in an external data centre. . . . The single point of contact arrangement is shown in FIG. 2 , and this configuration is more likely to be the case for local deployments, and can involve both MNOs and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). [0068]); determining, at the cloud connection manager, which of the user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core correspond to a successful user equipment device migration from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0080] The subscriber information contained in each block of the Layer 2 blockchains 721, 722 can be in the form of a list of subscriber identifiers that are connected to and/or disconnected from the respective network.); and transmitting the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0125] It is based on the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol call setup success rate (CSSR), which evaluates how many connections where established as a fraction of the total number of connection attempts).
Regarding claim 7, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein said determining, at the cloud connection manager, which of the user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core correspond to a successful user equipment device migration from the first wireless network to the second wireless network includes: determining a first user equipment snapshot data record for a first user equipment device corresponds to a successful first user equipment device migration from the first wireless network to the second wireless network (In step 1112, the control node 1104 receives an update from the first mobile communication network via the first endpoint 1102 relating to a previously-requested monitoring event. Thus, in step 1112, the control node 1104 may receive an update including an indication of the monitoring event type, the subscriber(s) (IMSI(s))/network slice(s) (NSI IDs) that the monitoring event relates to, and updated content for the monitoring event.) when a first confirmation message (step 1112) indicating a successful migration from the first wireless network to the second wireless network has been completed is received at the cloud connection manager (control node 1104) from the first user equipment device in a first period of time ([0112] FIG. 9 shows signalling between the first mobile communication network 904 and the distributed ledger 903, this information will be added to the distributed ledger 903 by the control node 901. Step 912 may occur any time that there is a change to a connection status of a subscriber in the first mobile communication network 904 or a change to a state of a network slice in the first mobile communication network 904, but alternatively an update can occur periodically and/or once a sufficient number of changes have occurred.).
Regarding claim 8, Karapantelakis teaches: receiving, at the cloud connection manager, user equipment snapshot data records from the first network core, said user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core including the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0134] Finally, there may also be the issue of a third party node 1101 producing an incorrect verification of the KPI data provided by the MNO. For example a “malicious” third party node 1101 may always report that updated content from an MNO has been misreported, resulting in a very low trust index for that MNO. Therefore, the control node 1104 may also verify whether the trust index has been calculated correctly by the third party node 1101 prior to adding it to the distributed ledger 1105. This verification can comprise comparing the trust index with trust indices for the same MNO from other third party nodes, on the same reporting timeframe. If the verification is found to be incorrect, then a notification can be sent to the third party node 1101 by the control node 1104 that it will not be added into the distributed ledger 1105.); receiving, at the connection manager, from each user equipment device which has successfully migrated from the first wireless network to the second wireless network a confirmation message indicating the completion of the successful migration of the user equipment device, said confirmation message including information from which corresponding user equipment snapshot data records can be identified; and identifying, at the cloud connection manager, which of the user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core correspond to successful migrations of user equipment devices from the first wireless network to the second wireless network using information included in the received confirmation messages and a time when the confirmation message was received at the cloud connection manager ([0145] In some embodiments, the first distributed ledger 221 comprises a first list of network slice identifiers for network slices provided by the first communication network 201 and a second list of network slice identifiers for network slices provided by the second communication network 203. In these embodiments, a timestamp may be associated with the first list. The timestamp may indicate the time at which the list was added to the first distributed ledger 221. In some embodiments, the first list is stored in the first distributed ledger 221 as a respective block 732 of a first blockchain 731 for the first communication network 201, and the second list is stored in the first distributed ledger 221 as a respective block 221 of a second blockchain for the second communication network 203. [0181] deployment, teardown and update time for the network slice).
Regarding claim 9, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein the confirmation messages are received, at the cloud connection manager, from the user equipment devices via the second wireless network ([0071] The control node 215 is a logical entity, which means that it can be a single point of contact (SPOC) and either reside within one of the mobile communication networks 201, 203 of one of the MNOs, or be cloud service that is hosted in an external data centre. In some embodiments, the distributed ledger 221 stores access information, such as the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)-based address, port, etc., for the endpoint/exposure function 207, 209 of each MNO/mobile communication network, as well as subscriber information. The single point of contact arrangement is shown in FIG. 2, and this configuration is more likely to be the case for local deployments, and can involve both MNOs and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).).
Regarding claim 10, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein each of said user equipment snapshot data records includes a timestamp (Fig. 7a, “timestamp”), user equipment device identification information (Fig. 7a, IMSI range), session identification information ( [0187] As an example, consider the following performance indicator profile P for a network slice as well as the definition of the ranges. The KPI IDs KPI1, KPI2, KPI3, KPI4, KPIs correspond to load, availability, setup, teardown and update KPIs respectively, as described above.), and location information ([0186] . . . geographical location, etc.); wherein session drops are a key performance indicator used for monitoring network performance of the first wireless network ([0126] Similarly, the network retainability (nret) measures the capability of the network to ensure services are up and running without interruption. This can use the network-level KPIs “ERABnormalRelease” and “ERABRelease”. In the above formula, the ratio “ERABnormalRelease” to “ERABRelease” provides a Call Drop Rate (CDR) which represents the capability of the system to provide services without interruption.); and wherein the communications method further includes: implementing, by an Operations Service System of the first network core an automated network operation to optimize performance of the first wireless network based on the modified session drop information included in the modified first OSS data ([0177]).
Regarding claim 11, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein said identifying one or more false session drops in the first OSS data using the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records and the first plurality of session data records includes: comparing information contained in the user equipment snapshot data records which correspond to a successful user equipment device migration to the session data records which include information on whether or not the session was dropped ([0132] In step 1116, the updated content is verified by the third party node 1101. In one embodiment, the third party node 1101 can do their own test on the updated content, for example, by detecting which of their subscribers/wireless devices lost connectivity from an application-level protocol, and comparing that to the reported KPIs. In another embodiment, customers (the third party node 1101) can also perform a correlation of KPIs within a KPI update and between KPIs reported from different MNOs.).
Regarding claim 14, Karapantelakis teaches: prior to receiving at the correlator from the cloud connection manager the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network, generating a first user equipment snapshot data record at the first network core . . . at a first time ([0008] In various embodiments, each of said user equipment snapshot data records includes a timestamp, user equipment device identification information, session identification information, and location information. [0007] (e.g., user equipment device identifier information, time information, location information, and/or session identifier information) [0173] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to) [0171-172]), said first user equipment snapshot data record being one of the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network [0173] mobility data (i.e. how long the UE stays attached in every cell of the mobile communication network and to which cells it handovers to).
Karapantelakis does not explicitly teach: based on information received from a first user equipment device connected to a first base station of the first wireless network . . . and transmitting the first user equipment snapshot data record from the first network core to the cloud connection manager.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Clark teaches: based on information received from a first user equipment device connected to a first base station of the first wireless network ([0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, various data is acquired in the mobile telephone and is processed into an Event Notification. Each Event Notification type has an associated probability factor associated with it. Each time an Event Notification is generated, a randomising function derives a number, for example in the range 0 to "probability", where probability is related to the probability factor. If the random number generated is zero then the Event notification is added to the memory (buffer) for transmission to the network operator as a report. [0036] So, for example, a relatively common event such as an "expected end of call" (e.g. where one of the parties to a call willfully terminates the connection) will have associated with it a weighting factor such that a notification is relatively unlikely to be issued when the event is detected. However, a less common event such as an "unexpected end of call" (e.g. a "dropped call")) . . . and transmitting the first user equipment snapshot data record from the first network core to the cloud connection manager ([0062] the Event notification is added to the memory (buffer) for transmission to the network operator as a report. [0054]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Karapantelakis to include the feature of information gathered by a user equipment device and a combination of Karapantelakis with Clark renders the claim prima facie obvious within the described scope of the prior art and any indicated differences within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art (e.g., telecommunications engineer) according to a combination of known prior art elements with known methods to yield predictable results. MPEP 2143(I)(A) (e.g., gathering the information at the user equipment and sending it to the correlator).
Regarding claim 15, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein prior to the first user equipment snapshot data record being generated, said entity in the first network core determining to generate the first user equipment snapshot data record based on one or more of the following: location information received from the first user equipment device ([0186] there can be more than one record per KPI, for example marked by one or more contextual pointers. For example, one of these contextual pointers can be time of day. For different times of day, different ranges of KPIs may be considered normal. Another pointer can be the date, for example on weekends and on special occasions such as holidays, there may be different ranges of KPIs that are considered normal. Other contextual pointers can be weather, temperature and humidity, geographical location, etc.) or signaling information received from the first user equipment device.
Regarding claim 16, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein prior to receiving at the correlator from the cloud connection manager a plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from a first wireless network to a second wireless network, the cloud connection is operated by a processor included in the cloud connection manager to perform the following operations: receive user equipment snapshot data records from the first network core, said user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core including the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0071] The control node 215 is a logical entity, which means that it can be a single point of contact (SPOC) and either reside within one of the mobile communication networks 201, 203 of one of the MNOs, or be cloud service that is hosted in an external data centre. . . . The single point of contact arrangement is shown in FIG. 2 , and this configuration is more likely to be the case for local deployments, and can involve both MNOs and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). [0068]); determine which of the user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core correspond to a successful user equipment device migration from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0080] The subscriber information contained in each block of the Layer 2 blockchains 721, 722 can be in the form of a list of subscriber identifiers that are connected to and/or disconnected from the respective network.); and transmit the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0125] It is based on the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol call setup success rate (CSSR), which evaluates how many connections where established as a fraction of the total number of connection attempts).
Regarding claim 17, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein the cloud connection manager includes a processor that controls the cloud connection manager to perform the following operations: receive user equipment snapshot data records from the first network core, said user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core including the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records corresponding to successful user equipment device migrations from the first wireless network to the second wireless network ([0134] Finally, there may also be the issue of a third party node 1101 producing an incorrect verification of the KPI data provided by the MNO. For example a “malicious” third party node 1101 may always report that updated content from an MNO has been misreported, resulting in a very low trust index for that MNO. Therefore, the control node 1104 may also verify whether the trust index has been calculated correctly by the third party node 1101 prior to adding it to the distributed ledger 1105. This verification can comprise comparing the trust index with trust indices for the same MNO from other third party nodes, on the same reporting timeframe. If the verification is found to be incorrect, then a notification can be sent to the third party node 1101 by the control node 1104 that it will not be added into the distributed ledger 1105.); receive from each user equipment device which has successfully migrated from the first wireless network to the second wireless network a confirmation message indicating the completion of the successful migration of the user equipment device, said confirmation message including information from which corresponding user equipment snapshot data records can be identified ([0145] In some embodiments, the first distributed ledger 221 comprises a first list of network slice identifiers for network slices provided by the first communication network 201 and a second list of network slice identifiers for network slices provided by the second communication network 203. In these embodiments, a timestamp may be associated with the first list. The timestamp may indicate the time at which the list was added to the first distributed ledger 221. In some embodiments, the first list is stored in the first distributed ledger 221 as a respective block 732 of a first blockchain 731 for the first communication network 201, and the second list is stored in the first distributed ledger 221 as a respective block 221 of a second blockchain for the second communication network 203. [0181] deployment, teardown and update time for the network slice); and identify which of the user equipment snapshot data records received from the first network core correspond to successful migrations of user equipment devices from the first wireless network to the second wireless network using information included in the received confirmation messages and a time when the confirmation message was received at the cloud connection manager.
Regarding claim 18, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein each of said user equipment snapshot data records includes a timestamp (Fig. 7a, “timestamp”), user equipment device identification information (Fig. 7a, IMSI range), session identification information ( [0187] As an example, consider the following performance indicator profile P for a network slice as well as the definition of the ranges. The KPI IDs KPI1, KPI2, KPI3, KPI4, KPIs correspond to load, availability, setup, teardown and update KPIs respectively, as described above.), and location information ([0186] . . . geographical location, etc.); wherein session drops are a key performance indicator used for monitoring network performance of the first wireless network ([0126] Similarly, the network retainability (nret) measures the capability of the network to ensure services are up and running without interruption. This can use the network-level KPIs “ERABnormalRelease” and “ERABRelease”. In the above formula, the ratio “ERABnormalRelease” to “ERABRelease” provides a Call Drop Rate (CDR) which represents the capability of the system to provide services without interruption.); and wherein the communications method further includes: implementing, by an Operations Service System of the first network core an automated network operation to optimize performance of the first wireless network based on the modified session drop information included in the modified first OSS data ([0177]).
Regarding claim 19, Karapantelakis teaches: wherein said operation to identify one or more false session drops in the first OSS data using the plurality of user equipment snapshot data records and the first plurality of session data records includes: comparing information contained in the user equipment snapshot data records which correspond to a successful UE migration to the session data records which include information on whether or not the session was dropped ([0132] In step 1116, the updated content is verified by the third party node 1101. In one embodiment, the third party node 1101 can do their own test on the updated content, for example, by detecting which of their subscribers/wireless devices lost connectivity from an application-level protocol, and comparing that to the reported KPIs. In another embodiment, customers (the third party node 1101) can also perform a correlation of KPIs within a KPI update and between KPIs reported from different MNOs.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WIPO Publication No. 2024/018257 (Bader) regarding early detection of irregular patterns in mobile networks
U.S. Publication No. 2019/0239101 (Ouyang) regarding network anomaly detection and network performance status determination
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN BARRY whose telephone number is (571)272-0201. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am EST to 5:00pm EST.
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/JAB/ Examiner, Art Unit 2643
/JINSONG HU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2643