DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Amendment filed on December 09th, 2025.
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 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.
In the instant Amendment, claims 1, 3, 6-11, 13-16 & 18-20 have been amended; and claims 1, 11 & 16 are independent. Claims 1-20 have been examined and are pending. This Action is made FINAL.
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 Arguments
The rejection of claims 1-20 under 35 U.S.C 101 is withdrawn as claims have been amended.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 12-14, filed 12/09/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Lee.
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (Li), U.S. Pub. Number 2019/0356653, in view of Lee et al. (Lee), U.S. Pub. Number 2018/0124865.
Regarding claim 1; Li discloses a key material sending method performed by a network device connected to a network, comprising:
receiving, by the network device, first information (par. 0070; fig. 4A; a first terminal device sends an authorization credential immigration request for a trusted application to a service server.), wherein the first information is used to determine a first mapping relationship between a first terminal and a second terminal in communication with the first terminal (par. 0138; par. 0025; set up a mapping relationship between a device identifier of the first terminal device and an authorization credential of the trusted application.); and
sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal for the first terminal to securely access the network without generating the key material itself (par. 0081; fig. 4A; the second terminal device receives the first authorization verification code sent by the service server.),
wherein the key material of the first terminal comprises security information required by the first terminal for communication (par. 0079; generates the first authorization verification code based on the device identifier of the first terminal device in the queried authorization credential immigration request sent by the first terminal device and a random number generated by the processor 1011; the first authorization verification code may be a group of digits, and is generated by calculating the device identifier of the first terminal device and the random number by using an algorithm; for instance, the two numbers are calculated by using a hashed message authentication code (Hash-based Message Authentication Code, HMAC), to generate a group of digits to be displayed on the second terminal device.).
Li fails to explicitly disclose generating, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal for the first terminal according to the first mapping relationship.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Lee discloses techniques for securing PDCP control DPU comprising generating, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal for the first terminal according to the first mapping relationship (Lee: pars. 0143, 0167 & 0172; a new security parameter may be generated based on a modified version of a previous security parameter; for instance, a new security parameter such as a counter may be generated based on executing a handover procedure, and the new security parameter may be associated with a communication link being formed by the handover procedure; generate a protection key based on the security parameter, where securing the PDCP control PDU is based on the protection key; the security parameter includes a second protection key associated with the connection, or a counter associated with the connection, or context data.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of Lee into the method of Li comprising generating, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal for the first terminal according to the first mapping relationship to secure a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) control protocol data unit (PDU) (Lee: par. 0002).
Regarding claim 2; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses the first information comprises at least one of the following: a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is a device identifier or a user identifier of the first terminal; or a second identifier, wherein the second identifier is a device identifier or a user identifier of the second terminal (Li; par. 0072; a device identifier of the first terminal device, an SE identifier of the first terminal device, an application identifier of the trusted application, and personal information of the user.).
Regarding claim 3; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, Li further discloses comprising at least one of the following: determining, by the network device according to the first information, that there is the first mapping relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal; and determining, by the network device according to a pre-stored mapping relationship and the first information, that there is the first mapping relationship between the first terminal and the second terminal (Li: par. 0087; a stored mapping relationship between the device identifier of the second terminal device and the authorization credential of the electronic bank USB-key.).
Regarding claim 4; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses the first mapping relationship comprises at least one of the following: a mapping relationship between a device identifier of the first terminal and a device identifier of the second terminal; a mapping relationship between a device identifier of the first terminal and a user terminal of the second terminal; a mapping relationship between a user identifier of the first terminal and a user identifier of the second terminal; and a mapping relationship between a user identifier of the first terminal and a device identifier of the second terminal (Li: par. 0089; the second terminal device agrees the service server to revoke the authorization credential of the electronic bank USB-key; only when the authorization credential of the electronic bank USB-key is revoked from the second terminal device, the service server can set up a mapping relationship between the device identifier of the first terminal device and the authorization credential of the electronic bank USB-key, and the user completes self-service migration of the authorization credential of the application.).
Regarding claim 5; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses the security information comprises at least one of the following: a security key; a security parameter; or signing credential information, wherein the key material further comprises: a valid time, wherein the valid time is the valid time of the security information (Li: par. 0072; the authorization credential immigration request for the trusted application may be set to be valid within a period such as 30 minutes; if an authorization migration process is not completed over 30 minutes, the service server determines that the authorization migration fails, and the user needs to re-initiate the request.).
Regarding claim 6; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, Li further discloses comprising: deriving, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal based on a key material of the second terminal, wherein the key material of the second terminal comprises: security information required by the second terminal for communication (Li: par. 0077; before the processor 1011 of the service server can control the communication module 1012 to receive the authorization credential revocation request of the electronic bank USB-key that is sent by the second terminal device, the processor 1011 of the service server needs to control the communication module 1012 to receive the authorization credential immigration request for the electronic bank USB-key that is sent by the first terminal device, and control the memory 1013 to store the authorization credential immigration request of the electronic bank USB-key that is sent by the first terminal device.).
Regarding claim 7; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses the receiving the first information comprises at least one of the following: receiving, by the network device, the first information sent by the first terminal; receiving, by the network device, the first information sent by the second terminal; receiving, by the network device, the first information sent by a third-party function; receiving, by the network device, the first information through a network exposure function; or receiving, by the network device, the first information through a non-access stratum message (Li: par. 0073; a second terminal device signs first data of the trusted application, and sends an authorization credential revocation request for the trusted application to the service server over a secure channel.).
Regarding claim 8; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses before the network device sends the key material of the first terminal, the method further comprises: receiving, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal from a second network function; or sending an inquiry indication to the second terminal, and receiving an authorization indication sent by the second terminal, wherein the sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal comprises: sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal according to the authorization indication (Li: par. 0076; fig. 4A; the service server receives authorization credential revocation request for the trusted application that is sent by the second terminal device, determines that identity authentication succeeds, generates a first authorization verification code, and sends the first authorization verification code to the second terminal device over the secure channel.).
Regarding claim 9; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, wherein Li further discloses the sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal comprises any one of the following: sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal to the first terminal; sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal to a second terminal, and sending the key material of the first terminal to the first terminal through the second terminal; or sending, by the network device, the key material of the first terminal to a third-party function, and sending the key material of the first terminal to the first terminal through the third-party function (Li: par. 0083; fig. 4A; the first terminal device receives a second authorization verification code of the trusted application that is entered by a user on a trusted user interface, and sends, to the service server over the secure channel, the second authorization verification code entered by the user.).
Regarding claim 10; Li and Lee disclose the key material sending method according to claim 1, Li further discloses comprising: starting, by the network device, a first timer, wherein a timing period of the first timer is a valid time of the security information of the first terminal; and after the valid time is exceeded, the security information of the first terminal become invalid (par. 0096; the first verification code is valid in a specified period, and is used to verify whether the user immigrating the authorization credential and the user revoking the authorization credential are the same.).
Regarding claim 11; Claim 11 is directed to a key material obtaining method which has similar scope as claim 1. Therefore, claim 11 remains un-patentable for the same reasons.
Regarding claims 12-15; Claims 12-15 are directed to the key material obtaining method according to claim 11 which have similar scope as claims 2-10. Therefore, claims 12-15 remain un-patentable for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 16; Claim 12 is directed to an information transmission method which has similar scope as claim 1. Therefore, claim 16 remains un-patentable for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 17-20; Claims 17-20 are directed to the information transmission method according to claim 16 which have similar scope as claims 2-10. Therefore, claims 17-20 remain un-patentable for the same reasons.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
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/KHOI V LE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2436
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