DETAILED ACTION
Applicant’s amendment filed 8/15/2025 has been fully considered.
Claims 1-2, 4-10, 12-18, 20-26, and 28-30 are pending and have been examined. Claims 3, 11, 19, and 27 have been canceled.
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 .
Response to Amendment
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The rejection under 35 USC § 112 is withdrawn.
Regarding the arguments against Zhang, Examiner respectfully points out that Zhang indicates the fields used for generating the authentication code as the list of fields used, as there is a preset order of fields to be processed to determine the authentication code, par.54-58, 64-65, 78-80.
Assuming arguendo this interpretation is not proper, Ujiie (20170109521) teaches a value/flag indicating whether a field is used for calculating an authentication code, par.47-48, 91-93, figs.10-12, par.111-116, as argued.
Avital (9747434) teaches using randomly picked header fields for authentication.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-2, 4, 7-10, 12, 15-18, 20, 23-26, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang (20220417750).
Regarding claims 1 and 17, Zhang teaches A packet transmission method, applied to a first device, comprising: / A packet transmission apparatus, comprising: a processor; a memory storing program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to (abstract):
determining a first packet, wherein a packet field of the first packet comprises an authentication identifier field, an authentication code field, and at least one candidate authentication field, and the authentication identifier field indicates a field that is in the at least one candidate authentication field corresponds to the authentication code field (par.76-78, 147-153),
wherein the authentication identifier field indicates, by using a preset value, whether the field in the at least candidate authentication field is used to generate the authentication code field (par.34-36, 54-58); and
sending the first packet (par.152-158).
Regarding claims 10 and 26, Zhang teaches A packet transmission method, applied to a terminal device, comprising: / A packet transmission apparatus, comprising: a processor;a memory storing program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to (abstract):
receiving a second packet from a second authentication device, wherein a packet field of the second packet comprises an authentication identifier field, an authentication code field, and at least one candidate authentication field, and the authentication identifier field indicates a field that is in the at least one candidate authentication field corresponds to the authentication code field (par.76-78, 147-153),
wherein the authentication identifier field indicates, by using a preset value, whether the field in the at least one candidate authentication field is used to generate the authentication code field (par.34-36, 54-58); and
verifying the authentication code field of the second packet (par.177-182).
Regarding claims 2 and 18, Zhang teaches wherein different types of first devices correspond to different authentication identifier fields. / wherein different types of packet transmission apparatuses correspond to different authentication identifier fields (par.64-70).
Regarding claims 4 and 20, Zhang teaches wherein the preset value comprises a plurality of values, and the plurality of values comprises a first value or a second value, wherein the first value indicates that the field in the candidate authentication field is used to generate the authentication code field, and the second value indicates that the field in the candidate authentication field is not used to generate the authentication code field (par.34-36, 54-58).
Regarding claims 7 and 23, Zhang teaches wherein the first device is a terminal device or a first authentication device. / wherein the packet transmission apparatus is a terminal device or a first authentication device (par.76-78, 147-153).
Regarding claims 8 and 24, Zhang teaches wherein the first device is the terminal device, and the candidate authentication field comprises one or more of the following: packet protocol indication information, a configuration information identifier, an identifier (ID) of a master key, a current value of the a sequence number, and the service data of the terminal device, wherein the packet protocol indication information indicates a communication protocol used for data exchange between the terminal device and a second device; the configuration information identifier indicates an algorithm used for generating an identity authentication key of the terminal device and an algorithm used for generating the authentication code field; and the ID of the master key is an identifier of a key used for generating the identity authentication key of the terminal device (par.76-78, 147-153).
Regarding claims 9 and 25, Zhang teaches wherein the first packet is an uplink packet (par.152-158).
Regarding claims 12 and 28, Zhang teaches wherein the preset value comprises a plurality of values and the plurality of values comprises a first value or a second value, wherein the first value indicates that the field in the candidate authentication field is used to generate the authentication code field, and the second value indicates that the field in the candidate authentication field is not used to generate the authentication code field (par.34-36, 54-58).
Regarding claim 15, Zhang teaches wherein the candidate authentication field comprises one or more of the following: packet protocol indication information, a configuration information identifier, an identifier (ID) of a master key, a current value of a sequence number, and service data of the-a second device, wherein the packet protocol indication information indicates a communication protocol used for data exchange between the terminal device and the second device; the configuration information identifier indicates an algorithm used for generating an identity authentication key of the terminal device and an algorithm used for generating the authentication code field; and the ID of the master key is an identifier of a key used for generating the identity authentication key of the terminal device (par.76-78, 147-153).
Regarding claim 16, Zhang teaches wherein the second packet is a downlink packet (par.177-182).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 5-6, 13-14, 21-22, and 29-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang, and further in view of Zemach (20200252320).
Regarding claims 5 and 21, Zhang does not expressly disclose, however, Zemach teaches wherein the first packet further comprises a sequence number of a terminal device, and the sequence number of the terminal device indicates a sequence of service data of the terminal device (par.51-63, 104-110).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to use timestamps/sequence information for verification/authentication as taught by Zemach.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to provide for additional authentication mechanisms for transmissions (Zemach, par.2-11, 45-65).
Regarding claims 6 and 22, Zhang/Zemach teaches wherein a verification node of the sequence number is a first authentication device, a verification node of the authentication code field is a second authentication device, and the first authentication device is different from the second authentication device (Zemach, par.51-63, 104-110).
Regarding claims 13 and 29, Zhang does not expressly disclose, however, Zemach teaches wherein the second packet further comprises a sequence number of a second device, the sequence number of the second device indicates a sequence of service data of the second device, and there is data exchange between the second device and the terminal device (par.51-63, 104-110).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to use timestamps/sequence information for verification/authentication as taught by Zemach.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to perform such a modification to provide for additional authentication mechanisms for transmissions (Zemach, par.2-11, 45-65).
Regarding claims 14 and 30, Zhang/Zemach teaches wherein the sequence number of the second device is determined by using a timestamp (Zemach, par.51-63, 104-110).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: the remaining references put forth on the PTO-892 form are directed to packet authentication. Avital (9747434) teaches using randomly picked header fields for authentication.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/David Garcia Cervetti/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409
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