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 .
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/19/2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “segment” in line 5 should be – segments --. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The independent claims 1, 8, and 15 recite maintaining one or more mapping tables, wherein the one or more mapping tables map one or more wireless devices to the one or more data management segments; and communicating directly with the one or more data management segments indicated in the one or more mapping tables corresponding to the one or more wireless devices to authenticate the one or more wireless devices. The limitations of maintaining one or more mapping tables, wherein the one or more mapping tables map one or more wireless devices to the one or more data management segments; and communicating directly with the one or more data management segments indicated in the one or more mapping tables corresponding to the one or more wireless devices to authenticate the one or more wireless devices, as drafted is a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers concepts performed in the human mind. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers concepts performed in the human mind but for recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. Therefore, the claims recite an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, the claim only recites one additional element – using an electronic processor to perform the maintaining and communicating steps. The processor in the steps is recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function of maintaining one or more mapping tables, wherein the one or more mapping tables map one or more wireless devices to the one or more data management segments; and communicating directly with the one or more data management segments indicated in the one or more mapping tables corresponding to the one or more wireless devices to authenticate the one or more wireless devices) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Accordingly, this additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using a processor to perform the maintaining and communicating steps amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. Therefore, claims 1-20 are not patent eligible.
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 Liu (US Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0306849 A1) hereinafter Liu in view of Castellanos Zamora et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0060325 A1) hereinafter Zamora.
Regarding claims 1 and 8, Liu discloses a method and system (fig. 3, 5G system) comprising:
one or more data managements (fig 3, unified data management (UDM) and unified data repository (UDR)); and
an authentication server (fig. 3, AUSF and para 0059, The AUSF provides Authentication Server Function (AUSF)) including at least one electronic processor (fig. 26, processing device 2800) configured to perform operations including:
maintaining one or more mapping tables (para 0089 the mapping table may be stored in … at other functions or nodes, such as the AUSF); and
communicating directly (fig. 3, AUSF connecting N13 UDM) with the one or more data management indicated in the mapping table to authenticate the one or more wireless devices (para 0062, After receiving the 5G-AIR message from the SEAF, the AUSF prepares “Auth-Info-Req” message and sends to the UDM/ARPF. The UDM/ARPF first generates an authentication vector with Authentication Management Field (AMF) separation bit=1. The UDM/ARPF then compute CK′ and IK′. After that ARPF sends (RAND, AUTN, XRES, CK′, IK′) to the AUSF using the Auth-Info-Rsp message. The AUSF responds to the SEAF by sending 5G-AIA message which in turn includes EAP-Request/AKA′-Challenge message. The SEAF transparently forwards the EAP-Request/AKA′-Challenge message to the UE in a NAS message Auth-Req message. After receiving a response from the UE for the Auth-Req message, the SEAF forwards the EAP Response to the AUSF, and the AUSF validates the same with the stored information. In case of successful verification, AUSF sends EAP-SUCCESS and Anchor key to SEAF and then SEAF responds to UE with EAP-SUCCESS. If the AUSF received SUCI from SEAF when the authentication was initiated, then the AUSF also includes the SUPI while sending EAP-SUCCESS message), but does not explicitly disclose, however, Zamora discloses one or more data management segments (Fig. 6, UDM and UDR segment#1 and UDM and UDR segment#2), and mapping one or more wireless devices to the one or more data management segments (fig. 6, Routing DB which can keep the mapping of SUPI/HN Pub Key ID with the Routing ID and/or the AUSF/UDM Group ID). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of claimed invention to modify the teachings of Liu to include mapping the wireless device with the data management segments as taught by Zamora in order to facilitate the wireless devices’ access to and/use of the service provided , or via, the wireless network (Zamora, para 0092).
Regarding claim 15, Liu discloses a method of authenticating one or more wireless devices (fig. 11, UE), the method comprising:
maintaining, by an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (fig. 3, AUSF and para 0059, The AUSF provides Authentication Server Function (AUSF)), one or more mapping tables (para 0089 the mapping table may be stored in … at other functions or nodes, such as the AUSF); and
communicating, by the AUSF, without requiring a Service Communication Proxy or a Subscriber Locate Function, (fig. 3, AUSF connecting N13 UDM) with the one or more data management indicated in the mapping table to authenticate the one or more wireless devices (para 0062, After receiving the 5G-AIR message from the SEAF, the AUSF prepares “Auth-Info-Req” message and sends to the UDM/ARPF. The UDM/ARPF first generates an authentication vector with Authentication Management Field (AMF) separation bit=1. The UDM/ARPF then compute CK′ and IK′. After that ARPF sends (RAND, AUTN, XRES, CK′, IK′) to the AUSF using the Auth-Info-Rsp message. The AUSF responds to the SEAF by sending 5G-AIA message which in turn includes EAP-Request/AKA′-Challenge message. The SEAF transparently forwards the EAP-Request/AKA′-Challenge message to the UE in a NAS message Auth-Req message. After receiving a response from the UE for the Auth-Req message, the SEAF forwards the EAP Response to the AUSF, and the AUSF validates the same with the stored information. In case of successful verification, AUSF sends EAP-SUCCESS and Anchor key to SEAF and then SEAF responds to UE with EAP-SUCCESS. If the AUSF received SUCI from SEAF when the authentication was initiated, then the AUSF also includes the SUPI while sending EAP-SUCCESS message), but does not explicitly disclose, however, Zamora discloses one or more data management segments (Fig. 6, UDM and UDR segment#1 and UDM and UDR segment#2), and mapping one or more wireless devices to the one or more data management segments (fig. 6, Routing DB which can keep the mapping of SUPI/HN Pub Key ID with the Routing ID and/or the AUSF/UDM Group ID). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before effective filing date of claimed invention to modify the teachings of Liu to include mapping the wireless device with the data management segments as taught by Zamora in order to facilitate the wireless devices’ access to and/use of the service provided , or via, the wireless network (Zamora, para 0092).
Regarding claims 2, 9, and 16, the combination Liu and Zamora discloses the system of claim 8, wherein the one or more wireless devices are identified by a globally unique identifier and the one or more mapping tables map one or more ranges of globally unique identifiers to one of the data management segments (Zamora, fig. 6, para 0088, the mapping of SUPI Ranges).
Regarding claims 3, 10, and 17, the system of claim 9, wherein the globally unique identifiers are International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSI) (Liu, para 0109, IMSI).
Regarding claims 4, 11, and 18, the system of claim 9, wherein the globally unique identifiers are Network Access Identifiers (Liu, para 0109, NAI).
Regarding claims 5, 12, and 19, the system of claim 8, the operations further comprising: updating, at the authentication server, the one or more mapping tables (Liu, fig. 11, para 0094, the mapping table is updated by the AUSF).
Regarding claims 6, 13, and 20, the system of claim 8, wherein the one or more data management segments comprise: a Unified Data Management (UDM) server and a Unified Data Repository (UDR) (Zamora, fig. 6, segment#1(UDM and UDR) and segment#2 (UDM and UDR)).
Regarding claims 7 and 14, the system of claim 13, wherein the UDM and UDR are collocated, allowing traffic between the UDM and UDR to be direct, without leaving the data management segment (Zamora, fig. 6, UDM connecting UDR in segment#1 and UDM connecting UDR in segment#2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (see PTO-892).
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/BAOTRAN N TO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2435