DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to communications filed December 16th, 2025.
Claims 1-10 are currently pending. Claims 1 and 7 are currently amended. And claim 11 is currently canceled.
The present application claims priority to Taiwan patent application no. TW11218635 filed on May 19th, 2023.
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 § 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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheong et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2022/0256453, hereinafter Cheong) in view of Jaulin et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2022/0361261, hereinafter Jaulin).
With respect to claims 1 and 7, Cheong discloses a method and device for establishing a virtual private network (VPN) connection (paragraph [0034], lines 1-11), comprising:
establishing, by a network device, a connection with a main routing device in a first place to construct a mesh network (paragraph [0035], lines 1-7, multi-link traffic routing), wherein the network device is a sub-routing device of the mesh network (paragraph [0028], lines 8-14, one or more routers 232, may be implemented, individually or in combination);
receiving, by the network device, a VPN configuration from the main routing device, wherein the main routing device is a VPN server corresponding to the VPN configuration (paragraph [0036], configuration policy respectively associated with each identified VPN);
determining, by the network device, whether to be connected to Internet through the main routing device (paragraph [0065], context-aware AP selection operation broadly refers to any operation whose performance may assist a mobile device in selecting an available AP based upon certain context aware information associated with the operation of the wireless device and certain wireless network infrastructure); and
in response to not being connected to the Internet through the main routing device, deciding, by the network device, to establish a VPN connection with the main routing device according to the VPN configuration (paragraph [0039], assign, or reassign, existing network traffic queues to the previously identified VPNs).
But Cheong does not disclose the sub-routing device being moved from the first place to a second place, and the sub-routing device not being connected to the internet through the main routing device in the second place.
However, Jaulin discloses the sub-routing device (paragraph [0059], lines 1-7, backhaul subnetwork comprising a set of interconnected node N1 121, N2 122, N3 123) being moved from the first place to a second place (paragraph [0059], lines 7-15, the node N2 122 was moved by a user who took it to his holiday site), and the sub-routing device not being connected to the internet through the main routing device in the second place (paragraph [0063], lines 19-21, node N2 determines that it has been moved; paragraphs [0106], and [0109]-[0110]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to combine the network and context aware AP and band switching of Cheong with the method for connecting a communication node of Jaulin. The motivation to combine being to improve coverage of a secure wireless communication system. The coverage of the wireless communication system being improved by allowing a node that has moved locations to securely connect to it’s master node at the moved nodes original locations (abstract: Jaulin).
With respect to claims 2 and 8, the combination of Cheong and Jaulin discloses the method for establishing the VPN connection according to claims 1 and 7, Cheong further discloses: in response to being connected to the Internet through the main routing device, deciding, by the network device, not to establish the VPN connection with the main routing device (paragraph [0039], network tunnel for non-VPN network traffic).
With respect to claims 3 and 9, the combination of Cheong and Jaulin discloses the method for establishing the VPN connection according to claims 1 and 7, Cheong further discloses: recording, by the network device, the VPN configuration to a storage device of the network device (paragraph [0036], configuration policy respectively associated with each identified VPN).
With respect to claims 4 and 10, the combination of Cheong and Jaulin discloses the method for establishing the VPN connection according to claims 1 and 7, Cheong further discloses: after establishing the VPN connection with the main routing device, transmitting, by the network device, a packet from a terminal device to the main routing device according to the VPN connection (paragraph [0039], assign, or reassign, existing network traffic queues to the previously identified VPNs).
With respect to claims 5, the combination of Cheong and Jaulin discloses the method for establishing the VPN connection according to claim 1, Cheong further discloses wherein determining whether to be connected to the Internet through the main routing device comprises: determining, by the network device, whether to be connected to the Internet through the main routing device according to a routing path of a packet (paragraph [0036], configuration policy respectively associated with each identified VPN).
With respect to claim 6, the combination of Cheong and Jaulin discloses the method for establishing the VPN connection according to claim 1, Cheong further discloses:
establishing, by the main routing device, the VPN server to generate the VPN configuration (paragraph [0036], configuration policy respectively associated with each identified VPN); and
in response to generating the VPN configuration, synchronously transmitting, by the main routing device, the VPN configuration to the network device in the mesh network (paragraph [0039], assign, or reassign, existing network traffic queues to the previously identified VPNs).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-10 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
McCord Pat. Pub. 2023/0254284
Lefevre Pat. Pub. 2023/0308453
Fish Patent no. 11,962,503
Olson Pat. Pub. 2022/0141190
Dowlatkhah Pat. Pub. 2018/0035291
Alarcon Pat. Pub. 2022/0417831
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 BLAKE J RUBIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3802. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ario Etienne can be reached on 571-272-4001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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3/5/26
/BLAKE J RUBIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2457