DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being Unpatentable over Rahman (US 2019/0394655) and in view of Zhao (US 2011/0295783) and in view of Hankins (US 2019/0268224).
Re Claim 1, Rahman discloses providing, by a controller orchestrator ([0007], data analytic management (DAM)), access to cross-domain probing via the controller orchestrator for a plurality of controllers ([0007]-[0009], performing the analysis with the one or more network devices and the results of the processing operations pertaining to one of the single network domains) across a plurality of different network domains with a respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability ([0011], sub-apparatuses configured to obtain and process respective network operating information of a first network domain, and a second, different network domain);
obtaining, by the controller orchestrator, domain-specific test results from each of the plurality of controllers ([0011], third one of the sub-apparatuses is configured to obtain and process the results of the first and second one of the sub-apparatuses from the first and second network domain); and
responding, by the controller orchestrator, to requests received from the plurality of controllers with the cross-domain data in order to cause respective domain-specific processing ([0072], the DAM entities will satisfy the received requests and provide the data analysis services to the respective consumers).
Rahman does not clearly disclose, however Zhao discloses standardizing, by the probe controller orchestrator, the domain-specific probe test results from respective different formats into cross-domain data in a common format understandable by each of the plurality of probe controllers regardless of the respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability ([0030]-[0032], assessing information with multiple domains and generating a normal data profile which includes transform, convert, and/or translating the new information data into a standardized format such that any anomaly detection system can analyze the standardized data).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the date the current invention was effectively filed to have modified the teachings of Rahman and Zhao’s data analytic data collection with Hankin’s communication of network devices. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings with one another in order to allow the devices to communicate via remote domains.
While Rahman discloses data analytic management, and Zhao discloses anomaly detection systems for multiple domains, Rahman and Zhao do not explicitly disclose a probe controller. However Hankins discloses in [0034]-[0035], network devices discover and request services available via other network devices while communicating via remote domains. The network devices can actively probe other network devices such as other a domain controller or other server responsible for a directory of broadcast domain features.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the date the current invention was effectively filed to have modified the teachings of Rahman and Zhao’s data analytic data collection with Hankin’s communication of network devices. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings with one another in order to allow the devices to communicate via remote domains.
Re Claim 2, Rahman discloses responding to an interrogation from a particular one of the plurality of probe controllers regarding probing capability of another of the plurality of probe controllers in a different network domain of the plurality of different network domains ([0078], respective consumer requests data analytics information, one or more of the DAM entities may respond to the consumers).
Re Claim 3, Rahman discloses wherein correlating is based on similarities across the domain-specific probe test results ([0081], DAM entities may collect and log data for the particular network layer that each DAM belongs to. Cross-NSI may only collect for the cross-NSI layer and the NSI DAM entities may collect and log data for the NSI layer, etc.).
Re Claim 4, Rahman discloses wherein correlating is based on mapping out all available measurements and key performance indicators according to an understanding of associated data formats and data types of the respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability of the plurality of different network domains ([0091], process of collecting management analytical KPIs (key performance indicator).
Re Claim 5, Rahman discloses identifying the respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability for each of the plurality of different network domains under management of the probe controller orchestrator ([0011], different sub-apparatuses handle different network domains and processes the results);
establishing an understanding of similarities, differences, and intersections between the respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability for each of the plurality of different network domains ([0281]-[0282], data collection begins and is collected. A request/response is used to understand NF log capabilities); and
producing, based on the understanding, a common access specification that is usable by the plurality of probe controllers operating in the plurality of different network domains ([0283]-[0284], report ID is used to access to the report in the database as an access grant).
Re Claim 6, Rahman discloses assigning unique identifiers to individual probes that can be used to identify the individual probes at the probe controller orchestrator ([0108], configuration manage configures DAM entities using configuration parameters such as the infrastructure type ID, service type ID, resource ID, etc.).
Re Claim 7, Rahman discloses wherein assigning occurs in response to registration of a respective probe controller of the plurality of probe controllers with the probe controller orchestrator ([0291], initiates database registration procedure).
Re Claim 8, Rahman discloses registering the plurality of probe controllers with the probe controller orchestrator to learn the respective different probing protocol and associated probing capability for each of the plurality of different network domains ([0091], the authorized MDAS consumer subscribes).
Re Claim 9, Rahman discloses wherein obtaining comprises: receiving particular domain-specific probe test results required to be published by certain ones of the plurality of probe controllers ([0106], configuration manage specified details of information required to configure the DAM for providing analyzed service for InfM, CSM, and CFM).
Re Claim 10, Rahman discloses wherein providing access to cross-domain probing via the probe controller orchestrator is based on an application programming interface ([0007], data analytic management is configured via the network interface configuration instructions.)
Re Claim 11, Rahman discloses wherein each of the plurality of different network domains has a respective controlling entity ([0054], DAM service for different network entities includes admission control).
Re Claim 12, Rahman discloses anonymizing the cross-domain data to prevent architecture-exposing results ([0091], collecting analytical KPI begins when the authorized MDAS consumer subscribes to prevent accesses).
Re Claim 13, Rahman discloses wherein the plurality of different network domains has a shared controlling entity, and wherein the plurality of probe controllers have different probing protocols and associated probing capabilities ([0011], Sub-apparatuses is configured to obtain and process a first network domain and a second sub-apparatus for different network domains. [0019], domain DAM entities, network function DAM entities, etc).
With respect to claims 14-20, they are similar claims to 1-13 and therefore are rejected for the same reasons above.
Conclusion
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 HO T SHIU whose telephone number is (571)270-3810. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri (9:00am - 5:00pm).
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/HO T SHIU/Examiner, Art Unit 2443
HO T. SHIU
Examiner
Art Unit 2443
/NICHOLAS R TAYLOR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2443