Office Action Predictor
Last updated: April 15, 2026
Application No. 18/551,503

ENCAPSULATING AN SCTP PACKET IN A UDP PACKET

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Sep 20, 2023
Examiner
ROBERTS, BRIAN S
Art Unit
2466
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (PUBL)
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 8m
To Grant
65%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allow Rate
620 granted / 730 resolved
+26.9% vs TC avg
Minimal -20% lift
Without
With
+-20.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
21 currently pending
Career history
751
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
§103
32.0%
-8.0% vs TC avg
§102
20.5%
-19.5% vs TC avg
§112
31.5%
-8.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 730 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 1-15 and 20-21 have been examined. Claim Objections Claims 1-15 and 20-21 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1 line 2 “protocol, SCTP, packet” should read --Protocol (SCTP) packet— Claim 1 line 2 “Protocol, UDP, packet” should read --Protocol (UDP) packet— Claim 2 line 2 “protocol, SCTP, packet” should read --Protocol (SCTP) packet— Claim 2 line 2 “Protocol, UDP, packet” should read --Protocol (UDP) packet- Claim 7 line 2-3 “for 3GPP, 3:rd generation partnership project, X2” should read --3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) X2— Claim 9 line 2 “protocol, SCTP, packet” should read --Protocol (SCTP) packet— Claim 9 line 3 “Protocol, UDP, packet” should read --Protocol (UDP) packet- Claim 14 line 2-3 “for 3GPP, 3:rd generation partnership project, X2” should read --3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) X2— Claim 20 line 2 “protocol, SCTP, packet” should read --Protocol (SCTP) packet— Claim 20 line 3 “Protocol, UDP, packet” should read --Protocol (UDP) packet Claim 21 line 2-3 “for 3GPP, 3:rd generation partnership project, X2” should read --3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) X2— Dependent claims 3-6, 8, 10-13, and 15 are objected to because they depend on an objected parent claim. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 20-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. In reference to claim 20 Claim 20 recites the limitation "the port number" in lines 9-10 and “the source port” in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim. In reference to claim 21 Claim 21 recites the limitation "the predefined port number" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-15 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the objections, set forth in this Office action. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are: "RFC 6951: UDP Encapsulation of Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) Packets for End-Host to End-Host Communication" pertains to encapsulating Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) packets into UDP packets. US 2010/0057929 pertains to a Network Address Translator (NAT) arranged to translate between a public NAT address and a plurality of private NAT addresses. A network element has a plurality of network interfaces each of which corresponds to a private NAT address. A connection processor sets up a connection for data communication which is capable of supporting a plurality of network interfaces of the network element. An identifier processor initialises a network interface identifier for identifying individual network interfaces for the connection. The network interface identifier is distributed to the NAT and the network elements of the connection. Incoming data packets for the network elements are then adapted to include the network interface identifier and the NAT uses this to address the data packets in response to the first network interface identifier. US 2004/0088537 pertains to a port float algorithm that permits UDP encapsulated ESP traffic to traverse an IPSec-aware NAT. The NAT is connected to a plurality of client computers on a private network and provides an interface between the client computers and a server connected to a public network. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN S ROBERTS whose telephone number is (571)272-3095. The examiner can normally be reached M to F, 9am to 5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Faruk Hamza can be reached at (571) 272-7969. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. BRIAN S. ROBERTS Primary Examiner Art Unit 2466 /BRIAN S ROBERTS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 20, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 19, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Mar 30, 2026
Response Filed

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
65%
With Interview (-20.1%)
2y 8m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 730 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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