Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/348,653

FIRST NETWORK ELEMENT, FIRST DEVICE, AND SECOND DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jul 07, 2023
Priority
Jan 15, 2021 — continuation of PCTCN2021072181
Examiner
LEE, CHI HO A
Art Unit
2475
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
92%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 92% — above average
92%
Career Allowance Rate
1269 granted / 1378 resolved
+34.1% vs TC avg
Minimal +5% lift
Without
With
+4.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
1408
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.6%
-35.4% vs TC avg
§103
43.6%
+3.6% vs TC avg
§102
21.9%
-18.1% vs TC avg
§112
14.6%
-25.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1378 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1, 3-5 and 7-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by KAWASAKI et al PG PUB 2023/0397147. Re Claims 1, 10 and 15, KAWASAKI et al teaches in figure 8, S900, an AMF (a first network element comprising a transceiver, memory and processor) receiving a NAS message (a first container) transmitted by UE (a first device) containing a PDU session establishment request (a first request message) being configure to request invocation of a service of a SMF (a second device a network element in a core network); S904 transmit the NAS message to the SMF (the second device) wherein the AMF extracts the PDU session establishment request and selects the SMF based each piece of identification information contained in a message header of the NAS message (the first container) [0356-0361]. Re Claims 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 16 and 17, KAWASAKI et al teaches in S910, the AMF receiving a PDU session establishment accept (a second container…a first reply message) based on the PDU session establishment request and S912 transmit the PDU session establishment accept (the second container) to the UE (the first device) wherein the the PDU session establishment request is recognizable by the SMF (the second device) [0293]. Re Claim 4, KAWASAKI et al the AMF determines the UE according to identification information of the UE contained in the PDU session establishment accept (a message header of the second container) [0367-0368]. Re Claim 7, KAWASAKI et al teaches S904, the AMF for generating and transmitting a PDU establishment request (a second request message) used to request invocation of the service to SMF (the second device) based on S900 (the first container). Re Claims 12, 18, KAWASAKI et al teaches in figure 8, S912, the UE (the first device) receive PDU session establishment accept (a second reply message) generated the AMF (the first network element) according to S910 (a first reply message) wherein S910 is a reply message received by AMF (the first network element) from SMF (the second device) wherein S912 is generated by AMF (the first network element) according to S900 (the first request message) wherein S904 (the second request message) is used to request invocation of the service of the SMF (the second device). Re Claims 13 and 19, KAWASAKI et al teaches in figure 8, S910/922 (the first/second reply message) is unrecognizable/recognizable by the UE [0292]. Re Claims 14 and 20, KAWASAKI et al teaches S900 (the first request message) contains identification information of the SMF (the second device). Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-5 and 7-20 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-3130. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30AM-5PM ET. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, KASSIM KHALAD can be reached at 5712703770. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ANDREW LEE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 07, 2023
Application Filed
Jul 14, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Oct 13, 2025
Response Filed
Nov 24, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §102
Jan 21, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 23, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Mar 13, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
May 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
92%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+4.6%)
2y 3m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 1378 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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