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 .
1. Claims 52, 59, 66 and 71 have been amended. Claims 52-71 have been examined.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/22/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 52, 59, 66 and 71 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
4. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Interpretation
5. For claims 53-54, 56-57, 60-61, 63-64 and 67-68, the “and/or” and “or” limitations have been given the broadest, reasonable interpretation of only requiring a single element from the given options in order to satisfy the requirements of the limitation.
6. 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. Claims 52-53, 55, 57-60, 62, 64-67 and 69 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Suzuki et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0046416; hereafter “Suzuki”), and further in view of Kunz et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0247423; hereafter “Kunz”).
For claims 52 and 71, Suzuki teaches a communication device and method performed by a communication device, comprising:
communication circuitry (note paragraph [0027], communication unit); and
processing circuitry (note paragraph [0026], processor) configured to:
generate a cryptographic key (note paragraph [0052], UE derives performs AKA) an intermediate communication network via which the communication device authenticates a subscription to a subscribed communication network (note paragraphs [0037], [0043]-[0046], UE authenticates to AAA server of 3rd party network, i.e. subscribed communication network, via AUSF, UDM and NEF of Home PLMN, i.e. intermediate network), wherein the communication device is served by a serving communication network that differs from the intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0037], UE is served by Serving PLMN, which is a different communication carrier than HPLMN and 3rd party network);
wherein each of intermediate communication network, the subscribed communication network, and the serving communication network comprise a core network (note paragraphs [0028], [0034], [0037] and [0040], Serving PLMN, Home PLMN and 3rd party network managed by different communication carriers providing registration and authentication to a core network device, i.e. each comprise a core network).
Suzuki differs from the claimed invention in that they fail to teach:
generate a cryptographic key as a function of information bound to an intermediate communication network; and
protect communication for the communication device based on the generated cryptographic key.
Kunz teaches:
generate a cryptographic key as a function of information bound to an intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0071]-[0079] and [0089], rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are generated using HNID, Home Network ID); and
protect communication for the communication device based on the generated cryptographic key (note paragraphs [0096]-[0098] and [0104]-[0108], rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are used to derive security keys to protect subsequent traffic).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the access to a 3rd party network via a home PLMN of Suzuki and generation of a key based on the a Home Network ID of Kunz to form a combination where a UE connects to their home network through serving network generating a key to protect communication using the Home Network ID (Kunz) where a 3rd party network is access via the home network (Suzuki). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Suzuki and Kunz because the key generation method Kunz supports re-authentication of the UE during mobility between serving network gateways while mitigating security breach due to static rIK leakage (note paragraph [0047] of Kunz).
For claim 59, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches a method performed by a network node in a subscribed communication network to which a communication device has a subscription, the method comprising:
generating a cryptographic key as a function of information bound to an intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0071]-[0079] of Kunz, rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are generated using HNID, Home Network ID) via which the communication device authenticates the subscription to the subscribed communication network (note paragraphs [0037], [0043]-[0046] of Suzuki, UE authenticates to AAA server of 3rd party network, i.e. subscribed communication network, via AUSF, UDM and NEF of Home PLMN, i.e. intermediate network), wherein the communication device is served by a serving communication network that differs from the intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0037], UE is served by Serving PLMN, which is a different communication carrier than HPLMN and 3rd party network); and
sending the cryptographic key to the intermediate communication network (note paragraph [0080] of Kunz, rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are sent to AMF/SEAF of home network);
wherein each of intermediate communication network, the subscribed communication network, and the serving communication network comprise a core network (note paragraphs [0028], [0034], [0037] and [0040] of Suzuki, Serving PLMN, Home PLMN and 3rd party network managed by different communication carriers providing registration and authentication to a core network device, i.e. each comprise a core network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the access to a 3rd party network via a home PLMN of Suzuki and generation of a key based on the a Home Network ID of Kunz to form a combination where a UE connects to their home network through serving network generating a key to protect communication using the Home Network ID (Kunz) where a 3rd party network is access via the home network (Suzuki). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Suzuki and Kunz because the key generation method Kunz supports re-authentication of the UE during mobility between serving network gateways while mitigating security breach due to static rIK leakage (note paragraph [0047] of Kunz).
For claim 66, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches a method performed by a network node in an intermediate communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a serving communication network serving a communication device, a first authentication request message requesting authentication of a subscription of the communication device to a subscribed communication network (note paragraphs [0053]-[0054] of Suzuki, Home PLMN, i.e. intermediate network, receives an authentication request from Serving PLMN requesting authentication of a UE to a 3rd party network); and
responsive to receiving the first authentication request message, transmitting, to the subscribed communication network, a second authentication request message requesting authentication of the subscription of the communication device to the subscribed communication network (note paragraph [0058] of Suzuki, Home PLMN forwards authentication request to AAA server of 3rd party network), wherein the second authentication request message includes information bound to the intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0096]-[0098] and [0104]-[0108] of Kunz, traffic is protected using keys generated using HNID, i.e. including information bound to intermediate network);
wherein each of intermediate communication network, the subscribed communication network, and the serving communication network comprise a core network (note paragraphs [0028], [0034], [0037] and [0040] of Suzuki, Serving PLMN, Home PLMN and 3rd party network managed by different communication carriers providing registration and authentication to a core network device, i.e. each comprise a core network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the access to a 3rd party network via a home PLMN of Suzuki and generation of a key based on the a Home Network ID of Kunz to form a combination where a UE connects to their home network through serving network generating a key to protect communication using the Home Network ID (Kunz) where a 3rd party network is access via the home network (Suzuki). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Suzuki and Kunz because the key generation method Kunz supports re-authentication of the UE during mobility between serving network gateways while mitigating security breach due to static rIK leakage (note paragraph [0047] of Kunz).
For claims 53, 60 and 67, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches claims 52, 59 and 66,
wherein the intermediate communication network is a public network and/or the serving communication network is a public network (note paragraphs [0031] and [0037] of Suzuki, serving network may be a public network).
For claims 55, 62 and 69, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches claims 52, 59 and 66, wherein the information bound to the intermediate communication network is an identity of the intermediate communication network (note paragraphs [0071]-[0079] of Kunz, rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are generated using HNID, Home Network ID).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the access to a 3rd party network via a home PLMN of Suzuki and generation of a key based on the a Home Network ID of Kunz to form a combination where a UE connects to their home network through serving network generating a key to protect communication using the Home Network ID (Kunz) where a 3rd party network is access via the home network (Suzuki). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Suzuki and Kunz because the key generation method Kunz supports re-authentication of the UE during mobility between serving network gateways while mitigating security breach due to static rIK leakage (note paragraph [0047] of Kunz).
For claims 57 and 64, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches claims 52 and 59, wherein the information bound to the intermediate communication network is included in, or encoded within, a serving network name parameter (note paragraphs [0071]-[0079] of Kunz, rRk, EMSKname and Kausfname are generated using SNN, Serving Network Name).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the access to a 3rd party network via a home PLMN of Suzuki and generation of a key based on the a Home Network ID of Kunz to form a combination where a UE connects to their home network through serving network generating a key to protect communication using the Home Network ID (Kunz) where a 3rd party network is access via the home network (Suzuki). One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine Suzuki and Kunz because the key generation method Kunz supports re-authentication of the UE during mobility between serving network gateways while mitigating security breach due to static rIK leakage (note paragraph [0047] of Kunz).
For claims 58 and 65, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz teaches claims 52 and 59, wherein the intermediate communication network serves the subscribed communication network (note paragraph [0043] of Suzuki, Home PLMN relays data to AAA server of 3rd party network).
8. Claims 54, 61 and 68 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Suzuki and Kunz as applied to claims 52, 59 and 66 above, and further in view of Kunz et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0231851; hereafter “Kunz ‘851”)
For claims 54, 61 and 68, the combination of Suzuki and Kunz differs from the claimed invention in that they fail to teach:
wherein the intermediate communication network is a non-public network and/or the serving communication network is a non-public network.
Kunz ‘851 teaches:
wherein the intermediate communication network is a non-public network and/or the serving communication network is a non-public network (note Fig. 1 and paragraph [0043], serving network is a Standalone Non-Public Network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the combination of Suzuki and Kunz and the non-public network SNN of Kunz ‘851. It would have been obvious because a simple substitution of one known element (non-public serving network of Kunz ‘851) for another (public serving network of Suzuki) would yield the predictable results of a UE accessing a 3rd party network via a Home PLMN (Suzuki) while being served by a non-public network (Kunz ‘851).
Allowable Subject Matter
9. Claims 56, 63 and 70 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
For claims 56 and 63, the prior art of record, alone or in combination, fails to teach the following limitations in conjunction with the rest of the claimed limitations:
wherein the cryptographic key is, or is generated also as a function of, a key shared between the communication device and an authentication server in the subscribed communication network
For claim 70, the prior art of record, alone or in combination, fails to teach the following limitations in conjunction with the rest of the claimed limitations:
receiving, from the subscribed communication network, an authentication response message that includes a cryptographic key which is based on the information
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J PEARSON whose telephone number is (571)272-0711. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 - 6:00 pm; Monday through Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Catherine Thiaw can be reached at (571)270-1138. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DAVID J. PEARSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2407
/David J Pearson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2407