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 .
Claim Objections
The claims are amended with indicators that are not enumerated in 37 CFR 1.121(c). (“In the claim listing, the status of every claim must be indicated after its claim number by using one of the following identifiers in a parenthetical expression: (Original), (Currently amended), (Canceled), (Withdrawn), (Previously presented), (New), and (Not entered).”). Correction in future communications is required.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed February 11, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 2, 4-6, 8, 9, 11-13, and 15-24 are pending in the application. Claims 1, 2, 4-6, 8, 9, 11-13, and 15-24 are still rejected by prior art references, refer to the following rejection for details.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and amendments, see pp. 10-14 of the response, filed February 11, 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 2, 4-6, 8, 9, 11-13, and 15-24 under § 102 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.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, and 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chinese Publication No. 104394525 (hereinafter “Wang”) in view of Non-patent Literature entitled, “Diagnosing Channel Issues Using GTP Protocol Messages in LTE Core Networks” (hereinafter “Feghhi”)
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches: A device, comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive, by a session management element of a core of a wireless network, a request to establish a communication session between a User Equipment ("UE") and a gateway of the core of the wireless network ([0015] The subscription data information of HSS can carry information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE. During the UE attachment request process, when the mobility management entity MME sends a location update request message to HSS, HSS will carry the information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE to P-GW through the serving gateway S-GW, ultimately achieving the purpose of allocating multiple IP addresses of the same type to UE.); output, by the session management element, to a UE information repository of the core of the wireless network, and based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network, a request for UE information associated with the UE ([0025] The P-GW receives a create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains information of multiple IP addresses of the same type of the UE from the message; [0029] The P-GW receives the create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses belonging to the same type); receive, by the session management element, from the UE information repository, and in response to the request for UE information , a response that indicates that the UE is authorized for a particular quantity of Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses ([0018] The HSS sends the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type to the UE by sending a location update response message to the mobility management entity MME.); identify, by the session management element, a particular set of IP addresses based on the response to the request for UE information , wherein a quantity of IP addresses included in the particular set of IP addresses is based on the particular quantity for which the UE is authorized, as indicated in the UE information received from the UE information repository ([0029] the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE); perform, by the session management element, a plurality of actions in response to receiving the request to establish the communication session and further based on identifying the particular set of IP addresses, wherein the plurality of actions include: facilitating establishment of the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway ([0005] Only when the UE initiates another PDN connection request will the P-GW allocate one or two IP addresses; [0023] The selected P-GW sends a session creation response message) and wherein facilitating establishment of the communication session includes providing an indication, to the gateway, that the communication session is associated with the particular set of IP addresses ([0030] The P-GW allocates a corresponding number of IP addresses to the UE based on the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the HSS for the UE, and uses the allocated IP addresses as the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type, including multiple IP addresses of the same type.).
Wang does not explicitly teach: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses (p. 2/6, col. 2, Additional EPS bearers (best-effort or dedicated) may also be established as the UE demands, each extra bearer being identified by a 4-bit EBI (EPS Bearer ID). Every bearer on a UE is assigned a separate IP address, so a UE will have an IP address for every EPS bearer it uses. These UE IP addresses are used by the PDN-GW to route the user’s traffic in and out of the core network, with all traffic to/from each UE IP address tunnelled using GTP-U based on TEIDs.).
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 Wang to include the feature of communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses).
Regarding claim 2, Wang teaches: receive an IP address pool request from the UE , wherein outputting the request for UE information is further based on the IP address pool request from the UE ([0072] receiving a create session request message sent by a serving gateway (S-GW), and obtaining from the message the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by a home subscription server (HSS) for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses of the same type).
Regarding claim 8, Wang teaches: A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions to: receive by a session management element of a core of a wireless network, a request to establish a communication session between a User Equipment ("UE") and a gateway of the core of the wireless network ([0015] The subscription data information of HSS can carry information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE. During the UE attachment request process, when the mobility management entity MME sends a location update request message to HSS, HSS will carry the information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE to P-GW through the serving gateway S-GW, ultimately achieving the purpose of allocating multiple IP addresses of the same type to UE.); output, by the session management element, to a UE information repository of the core of the wireless network, and based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network, a request for UE information associated with the UE ([0025] The P-GW receives a create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains information of multiple IP addresses of the same type of the UE from the message; [0029] The P-GW receives the create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses belonging to the same type); receive, by the session management element, from the UE information repository, and in response to the request for UE information , a response that indicates that the UE is authorized for a particular quantity of Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses ([0018] The HSS sends the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type to the UE by sending a location update response message to the mobility management entity MME.); identify, by the session management element, a particular set of IP addresses based on the response to the request for UE information , wherein a quantity of IP addresses included in the particular set of IP addresses is based on the particular quantity for which the UE is authorized, as indicated in the UE information received from the UE information repository ([0029] the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE); perform, by the session management element, a plurality of actions in response to receiving the request to establish the communication session and further based on identifying the particular set of IP addresses, wherein the plurality of actions include: facilitating establishment of the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway ([0005] Only when the UE initiates another PDN connection request will the P-GW allocate one or two IP addresses; [0023] The selected P-GW sends a session creation response message) and wherein facilitating establishment of the communication session includes providing an indication, to the gateway, that the communication session is associated with the particular set of IP addresses ([0030] The P-GW allocates a corresponding number of IP addresses to the UE based on the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the HSS for the UE, and uses the allocated IP addresses as the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type, including multiple IP addresses of the same type.).
Wang does not explicitly teach: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses (p. 2/6, col. 2, Additional EPS bearers (best-effort or dedicated) may also be established as the UE demands, each extra bearer being identified by a 4-bit EBI (EPS Bearer ID). Every bearer on a UE is assigned a separate IP address, so a UE will have an IP address for every EPS bearer it uses. These UE IP addresses are used by the PDN-GW to route the user’s traffic in and out of the core network, with all traffic to/from each UE IP address tunnelled using GTP-U based on TEIDs.).
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 Wang to include the feature of communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses).
Regarding claim 9, Wang teaches: receive an IP address pool request from the UE , wherein outputting the request for UE information is further based on the IP address pool request from the UE ([0072] receiving a create session request message sent by a serving gateway (S-GW), and obtaining from the message the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by a home subscription server (HSS) for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses of the same type).
Regarding claim 15, Wang teaches: A method, comprising: receiving, by a session management element of a core of a wireless network, a request to establish a communication session between a User Equipment ("UE") and a gateway of the core of the wireless network ([0015] The subscription data information of HSS can carry information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE. During the UE attachment request process, when the mobility management entity MME sends a location update request message to HSS, HSS will carry the information about multiple IP addresses of the same type required by UE to P-GW through the serving gateway S-GW, ultimately achieving the purpose of allocating multiple IP addresses of the same type to UE.); output, by the session management element, to a UE information repository of the core of the wireless network, and based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network, a request for UE information associated with the UE ([0025] The P-GW receives a create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains information of multiple IP addresses of the same type of the UE from the message; [0029] The P-GW receives the create session request message sent by the serving gateway S-GW, and obtains the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses belonging to the same type); receive, by the session management element, from the UE information repository, and in response to the request for UE information , a response that indicates that the UE is authorized for a particular quantity of Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses ([0018] The HSS sends the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type to the UE by sending a location update response message to the mobility management entity MME.); identify, by the session management element, a particular set of IP addresses based on the response to the request for UE information , wherein a quantity of IP addresses included in the particular set of IP addresses is based on the particular quantity for which the UE is authorized, as indicated in the UE information received from the UE information repository ([0029] the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the home subscription server HSS for the UE); perform, by the session management element, a plurality of actions in response to receiving the request to establish the communication session and further based on identifying the particular set of IP addresses, wherein the plurality of actions include: facilitating establishment of the communication session between the UE and the gateway of the core of the wireless network based on the request to establish the communication session between the UE and the gateway ([0005] Only when the UE initiates another PDN connection request will the P-GW allocate one or two IP addresses; [0023] The selected P-GW sends a session creation response message) and wherein facilitating establishment of the communication session includes providing an indication, to the gateway, that the communication session is associated with the particular set of IP addresses ([0030] The P-GW allocates a corresponding number of IP addresses to the UE based on the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by the HSS for the UE, and uses the allocated IP addresses as the UE's multiple IP address information of the same type, including multiple IP addresses of the same type.).
Wang does not explicitly teach: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: outputting, to the UE, information indicating the identified particular set of IP addresses, wherein the UE and the gateway communicate via the communication session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses (p. 2/6, col. 2, Additional EPS bearers (best-effort or dedicated) may also be established as the UE demands, each extra bearer being identified by a 4-bit EBI (EPS Bearer ID). Every bearer on a UE is assigned a separate IP address, so a UE will have an IP address for every EPS bearer it uses. These UE IP addresses are used by the PDN-GW to route the user’s traffic in and out of the core network, with all traffic to/from each UE IP address tunnelled using GTP-U based on TEIDs.).
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 Wang to include the feature of communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., communication via the session using one or more of the particular set of IP addresses).
Regarding claim 16, Wang teaches: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with the plurality of IP addresses specifies a particular quantity, wherein the identified quantity of IP addresses is a same quantity as the particular quantity specified in the request ([0072] receiving a create session request message sent by a serving gateway (S-GW), and obtaining from the message the number of multiple IP addresses pre-set by a home subscription server (HSS) for the UE, including the number of multiple IP addresses of the same type).
Regarding claim 23, Wang does not explicitly teach: wherein the communication session includes a particular tunnel, wherein when communicating with the UE via the particular communication session, the gateway forwards first traffic, associated with a first IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel, and further forwards traffic, associated with a second IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: wherein the communication session includes a particular tunnel, wherein when communicating with the UE via the particular communication session, the gateway forwards first traffic, associated with a first IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel, and further forwards traffic, associated with a second IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel (p. 2/6, col. 1, All control and data packets travelling through GTP tunnels are routed using TEIDs (Tunnel Endpoint IDs), unique identifiers within each mobile network. TEIDs are generated and maintained using GTP-C messages. Fig. 2 shows the GTP protocol stacks for GTP-C and GTP-U packets. It is important to note that all user-plane traffic is encapsulated inside GTPU packets. There are a variety of GTP-C control messages to control GTP tunnels, which usually come in Request/Response pairs.).
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 Wang to include the feature of communication via tunnel and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., communication via tunnel).
Regarding claim 24, Wang does not explicitly teach: wherein the communication session includes a particular tunnel, wherein when communicating with the UE via the particular communication session, the gateway forwards first traffic, associated with a first IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel, and further forwards traffic, associated with a second IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: wherein the communication session includes a particular tunnel, wherein when communicating with the UE via the particular communication session, the gateway forwards first traffic, associated with a first IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel, and further forwards traffic, associated with a second IP address of the particular set of IP addresses, to the UE via the particular tunnel (p. 2/6, col. 1, All control and data packets travelling through GTP tunnels are routed using TEIDs (Tunnel Endpoint IDs), unique identifiers within each mobile network. TEIDs are generated and maintained using GTP-C messages. Fig. 2 shows the GTP protocol stacks for GTP-C and GTP-U packets. It is important to note that all user-plane traffic is encapsulated inside GTPU packets. There are a variety of GTP-C control messages to control GTP tunnels, which usually come in Request/Response pairs.).
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 Wang to include the feature of communication via tunnel and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., communication via tunnel).
Regarding claim 24, Wang does not explicitly teach: wherein the UE is communicatively coupled to a routing device, wherein the UE delegates a particular IP address, of the particular set of IP addresses, to the routing device, wherein the gateway of the core of the wireless network uses the particular IP address to send traffic to the routing device via the UE.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Feghhi teaches: wherein the UE is communicatively coupled to a routing device, wherein the UE delegates a particular IP address, of the particular set of IP addresses, to the routing device, wherein the gateway of the core of the wireless network uses the particular IP address to send traffic to the routing device via the UE (p. 2/6, col. 1, We discuss the two main protocols: GTP-U for user traffic between UEs and the gateway, and GTP-C for control traffic to coordinate bearers and GTP tunnels (Fig. 3) between different core nodes, thus abstracting the physical nodes required to route traffic. The QoS characteristics of bearers are defined by the radio-specific settings applied to those bearers, with different QoS templates available for selection when a bearer is set up or modified.).
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 Wang to include the feature of routing data and a combination of Wang with Feghhi 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., routing data).
Claims 4-5, 11-12, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Feghhi in view of Non-patent literature entitled, “4G and 5G Migration and Interworking Strategy” (hereinafter “Shetty”)
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein outputting the request for UE information includes outputting the request for UE information via an N10 interface.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Shetty teaches: wherein outputting the request for UE information includes outputting the request for UE information via an N10 interface(Figure 1, N10 connection between SMF and UDM).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of an N10 interface and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Shetty 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 a connection between the UDM and SMF).
Regarding claim 5, Wang discloses a P-GW, S-GW, and MME. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not disclose an SMF.
Shetty discloses that components of the P-GW, S-GW, and MME are interworkable with an SMF configuration during a migration from 4G to 5G (Figure 1: 4G-5G interworking Architecture):
Thus, the combination of Wang and Feghhi and Shetty each disclose a device, non-transitory computer-readable medium, or core networking functions. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the SMF of Shetty could have been substituted for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME of Wang because both perform the function of providing similar core network functions. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the substitution. Finally, the substitution achieves the predictable result of an SMF in place of core 4G functions using the methods known in Shetty.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the SMF in Shetty for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME techniques in Wang according to known methods to yield the predictable result of providing the functionality of ab SMF or P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein outputting the information request includes outputting the information request via an N10 interface.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Shetty teaches: wherein outputting the request for UE information includes outputting the request for UE information via an N10 interface(Figure 1, N10 connection between SMF and UDM).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of an N10 interface and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Shetty 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 a connection between the UDM and SMF).
Regarding claim 12, Wang discloses a P-GW, S-GW, and MME. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not disclose an SMF.
Shetty discloses that components of the P-GW, S-GW, and MME are interworkable with an SMF configuration during a migration from 4G to 5G (Figure 1: 4G-5G interworking Architecture):
Thus, the combination of Wang and Feghhi and Shetty each disclose a device, non-transitory computer-readable medium, or core networking functions. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the SMF of Shetty could have been substituted for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME of Wang because both perform the function of providing similar core network functions. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the substitution. Finally, the substitution achieves the predictable result of an SMF in place of core 4G functions using the methods known in Shetty.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the SMF in Shetty for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME techniques in Wang according to known methods to yield the predictable result of providing the functionality of ab SMF or P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME.
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein outputting the information request includes outputting the information request via an N10 interface.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Shetty teaches: wherein outputting the request for UE information includes outputting the request for UE information via an N10 interface(Figure 1, N10 connection between SMF and UDM).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of an N10 interface and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Shetty 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 a connection between the UDM and SMF).
Regarding claim 18, Wang discloses a P-GW, S-GW, and MME. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not disclose an SMF.
Shetty discloses that components of the P-GW, S-GW, and MME are interworkable with an SMF configuration during a migration from 4G to 5G (Figure 1: 4G-5G interworking Architecture):
Thus, the combination of Wang and Feghhi and Shetty each disclose a device, non-transitory computer-readable medium, or core networking functions. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the SMF of Shetty could have been substituted for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME of Wang because both perform the function of providing similar core network functions. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the substitution. Finally, the substitution achieves the predictable result of an SMF in place of core 4G functions using the methods known in Shetty.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the SMF in Shetty for the P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME techniques in the combination of Wang and Feghhi according to known methods to yield the predictable result of providing the functionality of ab SMF or P-GW, S-GW, and/or MME.
Claims 6, 13, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Feghhi in view of U.S. Patent No. 11,611,529 (hereinafter “Rubin-Smith”)
Regarding claim 6, Wang teaches: a request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Rubin-Smith teaches: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request (Abstract - a request is received to allocate a particular network address block. The request specifies one or more attributes and at least one of a prefix or a size for the particular network address block).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a prefix within the request and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Rubin-Smith 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 a prefix within the request).
Regarding claim 13, Wang teaches: a request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Rubin-Smith teaches: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request (Abstract - a request is received to allocate a particular network address block. The request specifies one or more attributes and at least one of a prefix or a size for the particular network address block).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a prefix within the request and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Rubin-Smith 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 a prefix within the request).
Regarding claim 19, Wang teaches: a request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Rubin-Smith teaches: wherein the request to associate the particular UE with a plurality of IP addresses includes an IP prefix delegation request (Abstract - a request is received to allocate a particular network address block. The request specifies one or more attributes and at least one of a prefix or a size for the particular network address block).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a prefix within the request and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Rubin-Smith 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 a prefix within the request).
Regarding claim 20, Wang teaches: a request for a quantity of IP addresses. The combination of Wang and Feghhi does not teach: , wherein identifying the particular quantity of IP addresses includes identifying at least one of: a quantity of IP prefixes, or an IP prefix length.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Rubin-Smith teaches: wherein identifying the particular quantity of IP addresses includes identifying at least one of: a quantity of IP prefixes, or an IP prefix length (13:53-60 - In box 306, the address allocation API 215 receives a request to allocate a particular network address block 254 via the allocate function 223 (FIG. 2 ). The request may indicate a network prefix in CIDR notation for the particular network address block 254 and/or a prefix length (e.g., size) for the address block 254 to be allocated).
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a prefix length within the request and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Rubin-Smith 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 a prefix length within the request).
Claims 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang and Feghhi in view of U.S. Publication No. 2025/0193150 (hereinafter “Zhang”)
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Wang and Feghhi does not explicitly teach: wherein the UE is a first UE, wherein the quantity of IP addresses is a first quantity of IP addresses, wherein the method further comprises: identifying a second quantity of IP addresses associated with a second UE, wherein the second quantity is different from the first quantity; and providing the identified second quantity of IP addresses to the second UE.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Zhang teaches: identifying a second quantity of IP addresses associated with a second UE ([0083] As mentioned above, the operator would like to reuse their IP addresses for different UEs,), wherein the second quantity is different from the first quantity ([0083] This NAT-1 may translate an IPv4 address in a private IP address range “10.0.*.*” into an IPv4 address in a public IP address range “202.106.0.*” and vice versa. Similarly, another NAT rule, NAT-2, may be configured at UPF-2 232, which serves UE-3 213 and UE-4 214.); and providing the identified second quantity of IP addresses to the second UE ([0189] After that, a PDU session is successfully established for the UE-1 211, and UE-1 211 may communicate its uplink/downlink data with the Internet 295 via the firewall/NAT at the selected UPF 231, as shown in FIG. 2.)
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a second UE and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Zhang 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 a second UE).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Wang and Feghhi does not explicitly teach: wherein the UE is a first UE, wherein the quantity of IP addresses is a first quantity of IP addresses, wherein the method further comprises: identifying a second quantity of IP addresses associated with a second UE, wherein the second quantity is different from the first quantity; and providing the identified second quantity of IP addresses to the second UE.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Zhang teaches: identifying a second quantity of IP addresses associated with a second UE ([0083] As mentioned above, the operator would like to reuse their IP addresses for different UEs,), wherein the second quantity is different from the first quantity ([0083] This NAT-1 may translate an IPv4 address in a private IP address range “10.0.*.*” into an IPv4 address in a public IP address range “202.106.0.*” and vice versa. Similarly, another NAT rule, NAT-2, may be configured at UPF-2 232, which serves UE-3 213 and UE-4 214.); and providing the identified second quantity of IP addresses to the second UE ([0189] After that, a PDU session is successfully established for the UE-1 211, and UE-1 211 may communicate its uplink/downlink data with the Internet 295 via the firewall/NAT at the selected UPF 231, as shown in FIG. 2.)
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 the combination of Wang and Feghhi to include the feature of a second UE and a combination of Wang and Feghhi with Zhang 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 a second UE).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Publication No. 2015/0382295 (Hassan) related to a method for group update of associations between addresses of a mobile terminal
U.S. Publication No. 2010/0020942 (Olshansky) related to an E911 location server
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/JAB/ Examiner, Art Unit 2643
/JINSONG HU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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