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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s submission filed on 04/27/2026 has been entered. Applicant’s submission overcomes prior objections to the specification and claims. Therefore, the corresponding objections are withdrawn. Applicant’s submission overcomes prior claim rejections under 35 USC § 112. Therefore, the corresponding rejections are withdrawn. Claims 1-16 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/28/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: "302" in Fig. 3.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 7 and 14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
in each of claims 7 and 14, the limitation “wherein at least one IOC attribute from the plurality of IOC attribute” should read “wherein at least one IOC attribute from the plurality of IOC attributes” (emphasis added)
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 9 each recite the limitation “wherein the plurality of IOC attributes are used to identify that a management service (MnS) consumer is authorized for a part of management capabilities”. There is support for IOC attributes representing operations and information that the consumer is authorized to access in the Applicant’s specification in pars. [0054-0064], but there is no indication of explicitly using the IOC attributes to identify a part of management capabilities for which a MnS consumer is authorized, as claimed. Dependent claims 2-8 are rejected due to their dependency on independent claim 1. Dependent claims 10-16 are rejected due to their dependency on independent claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5, 7-12, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang et al. (US 2023/0403190), hereinafter “Tang”, in view of Yao et al. (US 2021/0037400), hereinafter “Yao ‘400”.
Regarding claims 1, 9, Tang teaches:
A method performed by an exposure governance management function (EGMF) in a wireless communication system or an exposure governance management function (EGMF) in a wireless communication system, the method or the EGMF comprising:
a transceiver (see Tang, Fig. 8, par. [0225]: Reference sign 202 and 203 denote input/output (I/O) units or functions (interfaces) connected to the processor or processing function 201. The I/O units 202 may be used for communicating with a data producer, in particular a non-3GPP based data producer like those shown in FIG. 1. The I/O units 203 may be used for communicating with network parts located, for example, in the management system. The I/O units 202 and 203 may be combined units including communication equipment towards several entities, or may include a distributed structure with a plurality of different interfaces for different entities, and see par. [0093]: For executing their respective processing, correspondingly used devices, nodes, functions or network elements may include several means, modules, units, components, etc. (not shown) which are required for control, processing and/or communication/signaling functionality. Such means, modules, units and components may include, for example, one or more processors or processor units including one or more processing portions for executing instructions and/or programs and/or for processing data, storage or memory units or means for storing instructions, programs and/or data, for serving as a work area of the processor or processing portion and the like (e.g. ROM, RAM, EEPROM, and the like), input or interface means for inputting data and instructions by software (e.g. floppy disc, CD-ROM, EEPROM, and the like), a user interface for providing monitor and manipulation possibilities to a user (e.g. a screen, a keyboard and the like), other interface or means for establishing links and/or connections under the control of the processor unit or portion (e.g. wired and wireless interface means, radio interface means including e.g. an antenna unit or the like, means for forming a radio communication part etc.) and the like, wherein respective means forming an interface, such as a radio communication part, can be also located on a remote site (e.g. a radio head or a radio station etc.)); and
a controller coupled with the transceiver and configured (see Tang, Fig. 8, par. [0225]: The management control element or function 20 shown in FIG. 8 may include a processing circuitry, a processing function, a control unit or a processor 201, such as a CPU or the like, which is suitable for executing instructions given by programs or the like related to the control procedure) to:
receive, from a network entity, a create managed object instance (MOI) request comprising at least one of a consumer identification (ID) or a consumer data type (see Tang, Fig. 2, par. [0169]: In S220, the DCCF 24 informs the configuration MnS 26 that a MOI is to be created for provisioning the MnS. In this connection, the DCCF 24 informs that an image related job (e.g. a JPEG job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof the ID of the non-3GPP-standard data producer 1 with data type=JPEG is indicated. Furthermore, in the present example, the DCCF 24 informs that a text related job (e.g. a text job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof the ID of the non-standard data producer 2 with data type=news feed (or text) is indicated. As consumer of the data, the DCCF is indicated; in this case, the data type corresponds to a consumer data type);
generate, based on the received createMOI request, an instance for an exposure governance control information object class (IOC) (see Tang, Fig. 2, pars. [0170-0171]: In S225 to S240, the configuration MnF 26 communicates with the respective data producers 1 and 2 for creating the MOI. In detail, in S225, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 1 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with an image related job (e.g. a JPEG job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=JPEG is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S230, the data producer 1 confirms the successful MOI creation. On the other hand, in S235, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 2 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with a news feed (or text) related job (e.g. a newsfeed job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=news feed is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S240, the data producer 2 confirms the successful MOI creation; in this case, MOI creation corresponds to generation of an instance); and
transmit, to the network entity, a response upon successful creation of the instance for the exposure governance control IOC (see Tang, Fig. 2, par. [0172]: In S245, the configuration MnF 26 confirms to the DCCF 24 the successful MOI creation indicated in S220).
However, Tang does not teach:
wherein the instance for the exposure governance control information object class (IOC) comprising a plurality of IOC attributes, wherein the plurality of IOC attributes are used to identify that a management service (MnS) consumer is authorized for a part of management capabilities;
Yao ‘400, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
wherein the instance for the exposure governance control information object class (IOC) comprising a plurality of IOC attributes, wherein the plurality of IOC attributes are used to identify that a management service (MnS) consumer is authorized for a part of management capabilities (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0122-0124]: 5G management is based on Service Based Architecture (SBA) where each management function is a producer that produces management services to be consumed by other management functions. FIG. 6 illustrates management services in accordance with some embodiments. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. In FIG. 6, the NFMF provides NF management services to the NSSMF; the NSSMF consumes NF management services to provide NSS management services to NSMF; and the NSMF consumes NSSMF management services to provide NS management services to other management entity. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components, and see par. [0138]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C; in this case, a management service with management service components corresponds to an IOC with IOC attributes);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the IOC of Tang with the IOC attributes of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao ‘400, par. [0050]).
Regarding claims 2, 10, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method or EGMF.
Tang does not teach, but Yao ‘400 teaches:
wherein the plurality of IOC attributes comprise at least one of:
the consumer ID (optional limitation),
information on a list of operations related to the MnS consumer (optional limitation),
information on IOCs or attributes related to the MnS consumer (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0122-0124]: 5G management is based on Service Based Architecture (SBA) where each management function is a producer that produces management services to be consumed by other management functions. FIG. 6 illustrates management services in accordance with some embodiments. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. In FIG. 6, the NFMF provides NF management services to the NSSMF; the NSSMF consumes NF management services to provide NSS management services to NSMF; and the NSMF consumes NSSMF management services to provide NS management services to other management entity. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components, and see par. [0138]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C; in this case, a management service with management service components corresponds to an IOC with IOC attributes related to the MnS consumer), or
information on a performance related to the MnS consumer (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0124-0125]: A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. FIG. 7 illustrates a management service in accordance with some embodiments. A management service may include a management service component type A and management service component type B: a management service component type A, management service component type B, and management service component type C, and see par. [0135]: Management service component type C includes the following information: 1. Alarm information as defined in 3GPP TS 28.546; 2. Performance data as defined in 3GPP TS 28.552, 3GPP TS 28.553, 3GPP TS 28.554, and 3GPP TS 32.425 v16.4.0).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the IOC of Tang with the IOC attributes of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao ‘400, par. [0050]).
Regarding claims 3, 11, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method or EGMF.
Tang does not teach, but Yao ‘400 teaches:
wherein the information on the performance is associated with alarm information or notification information (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0124-0125]: A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. FIG. 7 illustrates a management service in accordance with some embodiments. A management service may include a management service component type A and management service component type B: a management service component type A, management service component type B, and management service component type C, and see par. [0135]: Management service component type C includes the following information: 1. Alarm information as defined in 3GPP TS 28.546; 2. Performance data as defined in 3GPP TS 28.552, 3GPP TS 28.553, 3GPP TS 28.554, and 3GPP TS 32.425 v16.4.0).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the exposure governance of Tang with the specific parameters of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao ‘400, par. [0050]).
Regarding claims 4, 12, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method or EGMF.
Tang does not teach, but Yao ‘400 teaches:
wherein the plurality of IOC attributes comprise information on an authorized MnS indicating a list of management services and capabilities (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0122-0124]: 5G management is based on Service Based Architecture (SBA) where each management function is a producer that produces management services to be consumed by other management functions. FIG. 6 illustrates management services in accordance with some embodiments. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. In FIG. 6, the NFMF provides NF management services to the NSSMF; the NSSMF consumes NF management services to provide NSS management services to NSMF; and the NSMF consumes NSSMF management services to provide NS management services to other management entity. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components, and see par. [0138]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C; in this case, a management service with management service components corresponds to an IOC with IOC attributes indicating management services and capabilities),
wherein the information on the authorized MnS includes:
a type of the MnS defined as one of PROVISIONING, FAULT_SUPERVISION, or PERFORMANCE_ASSURANCE (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0124-0125]: A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. FIG. 7 illustrates a management service in accordance with some embodiments. A management service may include a management service component type A and management service component type B: a management service component type A, management service component type B, and management service component type C, and see par. [0135]: Management service component type C includes the following information: 1. Alarm information as defined in 3GPP TS 28.546; 2. Performance data as defined in 3GPP TS 28.552, 3GPP TS 28.553, 3GPP TS 28.554, and 3GPP TS 32.425 v16.4.0).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the IOC of Tang with the IOC attributes of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao ‘400, par. [0050]).
Regarding claims 5, 16, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method or EGMF. Tang further teaches:
wherein the generating the instance for exposure governance control IOC comprises:
determining exposure governance regulation parameters for one of the consumer ID or the consumer type (see Tang, Fig. 2, par. [0169]: In S220, the DCCF 24 informs the configuration MnS 26 that a MOI is to be created for provisioning the MnS. In this connection, the DCCF 24 informs that an image related job (e.g. a JPEG job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof the ID of the non-3GPP-standard data producer 1 with data type=JPEG is indicated. Furthermore, in the present example, the DCCF 24 informs that a text related job (e.g. a text job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof the ID of the non-standard data producer 2 with data type=news feed (or text) is indicated. As consumer of the data, the DCCF is indicated; in this case, receiving information regarding the creation of MOI for a data type corresponds to determining parameters for the consumer type); and
initiating creation of the instance for the exposure governance control IOC having the plurality of the IOC attributes based on the determined exposure governance regulation parameters (see Tang, Fig. 2, pars. [0170-0171]: In S225 to S240, the configuration MnF 26 communicates with the respective data producers 1 and 2 for creating the MOI. In detail, in S225, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 1 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with an image related job (e.g. a JPEG job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=JPEG is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S230, the data producer 1 confirms the successful MOI creation. On the other hand, in S235, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 2 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with a news feed (or text) related job (e.g. a newsfeed job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=news feed is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S240, the data producer 2 confirms the successful MOI creation; in this case, MOI creation corresponds to initiating creation of an instance).
Regarding claims 7, 14, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method.
Tang does not teach, but Yao ‘400 teaches:
wherein the controller is further configured to:
provide one or more values by the network entity to the plurality of IOC attributes, wherein at least one IOC attribute from the plurality of IOC attribute is created in the instance for exposure governance control IOC based on the provided one or more values by the network entity, and wherein the one or more values is provided according to a data type related to the corresponding plurality of IOC attributes (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0138-0140]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C. As shown by FIG. 9, when there is a Management Service A exposure without exposure governance, Management Service A′ Consumer can access all management capability offered by Management Service A′ Producer. When Management Service A is exposed with applied exposure governance it becomes Management Service A′. Management Service A′ Consumer can access Management Service A′ after following steps: Management Service A, exposed by Management Service A′ Producer, is consumed by Management Service A′ Consumer; Management Service B, exposed by Management Service B Producer, is consumed by Operator who applies exposure governance on exposed Management Service A: Management Service A′ Producer produces Management Service A. The Management Service A′ Consumer, that consumes Management Service A, the Management Service B and Management Service A′ Producer, that produces Management Service B (with management capability exposure governance) and Management Service A, can be represented as one management function entity (e.g., EGMF); in this case, the management services are communicated (i.e. one or more values corresponding to a type of the attributes) as part of producing management services)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the exposure governance of Tang with the creation based on a value of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao, par. [0050]).
Regarding claims 8, 15, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method. Tang further teaches:
wherein the controller is further configured to ascertain one or more values by an MnS producer to the plurality of IOC attributes based on a predefined network policy (see Tang, Fig. 2, pars. [0170-0171]: In S225 to S240, the configuration MnF 26 communicates with the respective data producers 1 and 2 for creating the MOI. In detail, in S225, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 1 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with an image related job (e.g. a JPEG job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=JPEG is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S230, the data producer 1 confirms the successful MOI creation. On the other hand, in S235, the configuration MnF 26 informs the data producer 2 in a provisioning MnS indication that a MOI with a news feed (or text) related job (e.g. a newsfeed job) is to be created wherein as scope thereof a list of related cells (e.g. cells 1 to 8) is provided. Also the required data type=news feed is indicated and the DCCF is identified as data consumer. In S240, the data producer 2 confirms the successful MOI creation; in this case, the producer performs operations for MOI creation (corresponding to ascertaining one more value) using data type and a scope of related cells (corresponding to based on a predefined network policy)),
Tang does not teach, but Yao ‘400 teaches:
wherein at least one IOC attribute from the plurality of IOC attribute is created in the instance for the exposure governance control IOC based on the provided one or more values by the network entity (see Yao ‘400, pars. [0138-0140]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C. As shown by FIG. 9, when there is a Management Service A exposure without exposure governance, Management Service A′ Consumer can access all management capability offered by Management Service A′ Producer. When Management Service A is exposed with applied exposure governance it becomes Management Service A′. Management Service A′ Consumer can access Management Service A′ after following steps: Management Service A, exposed by Management Service A′ Producer, is consumed by Management Service A′ Consumer; Management Service B, exposed by Management Service B Producer, is consumed by Operator who applies exposure governance on exposed Management Service A: Management Service A′ Producer produces Management Service A. The Management Service A′ Consumer, that consumes Management Service A, the Management Service B and Management Service A′ Producer, that produces Management Service B (with management capability exposure governance) and Management Service A, can be represented as one management function entity (e.g., EGMF); in this case, the management services are communicated (i.e. one or more values corresponding to a type of the attributes) as part of producing management services)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the exposure governance of Tang with the creation based on a value of Yao ‘400 with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicating (see Yao, par. [0050]).
Claims 6 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang in view of Yao ‘400, as applied to claims 1-5, 7-12, and 14-16 above, and further in view of Weiss et al. (US 2021/0165898), hereinafter “Weiss”.
Regarding claims 6, 13, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 teaches the method.
However, the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 does not teach:
wherein the plurality of IOC attributes comprises information on a list of attribute permissions,
wherein the information on the list of attribute permissions includes:
an attPermission indicating a permission type, wherein the permission type includes one of read-only permission or a writeable permission for the MnS consumer.
Weiss, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
wherein the plurality of IOC attributes comprises information on a list of attribute permissions (see Weiss, par. [0067]: the group manager 115 can send a confirmation 122 that includes the Group ID, specific User IDs 113 of current members, and one or more permissions associated with each User ID 113. The permissions may indicate a level of access or roles for each user, e.g., administrator rights versus regular user rights),
wherein the information on the list of attribute permissions includes:
an attPermission indicating a permission type, wherein the permission type includes one of read-only permission or a writeable permission for the MnS consumer (see Weiss, par. [0060]: The system 100 enables users of a group to share secret data with other members of the group. Access to the secret data stored on the server 120 is based on a user's membership status with a particular group associated with the secret data. Thus, as users join a particular group, the group members are able to gain access, e.g., read and/or write permissions, to the secret data that is stored in association with that group. When users leave the group, the server 120 can communicate with the group manager 115 to verify each member's status, and see par. [0067]: The permissions may indicate a level of access or roles for each user, e.g., administrator rights versus regular user rights. The permissions may also indicate specific access rights, e.g., read and/or write permissions. In other embodiments, the permissions may also indicate specific access rights, e.g., read and/or write permissions, that apply to individual files or groups of files. Based on the permissions defined in the confirmation 122, the server 120 can determine if each user can write data to the vault 109).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method or EGMF of the combination of Tang in view of Yao ‘400 with the type of permission of Weiss with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of mitigating or eliminating manual administrative tasks (see Weiss, par. [0004]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues “While Tang and Yao disclose management capabilities for a specific service or an object in its entirety, the present invention is clearly distinguishable in its granular approach”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees and points to Yao ‘400 in pars. [0122-0124]: 5G management is based on Service Based Architecture (SBA) where each management function is a producer that produces management services to be consumed by other management functions. FIG. 6 illustrates management services in accordance with some embodiments. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components. In FIG. 6, the NFMF provides NF management services to the NSSMF; the NSSMF consumes NF management services to provide NSS management services to NSMF; and the NSMF consumes NSSMF management services to provide NS management services to other management entity. A management service offers management capabilities. These management capabilities are accessed by management service consumers via standardized service interface composed of individually specified management service components, and par. [0138]: FIG. 9 illustrates management capability exposure governance applied on exposed Management Service A in accordance with some embodiments. Management capability exposure governance provides exposure governance on basic elements of management function service-based interface: 1) Management service component type A, 2) Management service component type B, 3) Management service component type C.
These sections teach information used to represent management service and capability for a consumer. Allowing access to entire management services and capabilities includes allowing access to at least a part of management services and capabilities and therefore teaches authorization for a part of management capabilities as claimed.
Regarding Applicant’s argument that “features have been incorporated into the dependent claims specifying that detailed attributes related to Component B and Component C are included in the access control information. These elements constitute unique features of the present claims and cannot be seen as disclosed by Yao, which only discusses the subject of application on a broad component basis” (see Applicant’s remarks, page 14), Applicant's arguments fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.111(b) because they amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Bykampadi et al. (US 2022/0248225) teaches improved techniques for secure access control including determining whether the service consumer is authorized to access the service type and the one or more resources associated with the service type.
Vaishnavi et al. (US 2025/0150540) teaches aspects related to changing third parties for access to management services.
Yao et al. (US 2021/0022024) teaches a device includes one or more processors to collect data corresponding to network function (NF) performance measurements by one or more network element and generate and cause transmission through a management service interface of one or more reports on the NF performance measurements to a service consumer to be used by the service consumer to manage the 5GS.
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 CALEB J BALLOWE whose telephone number is (571)270-0410. The examiner can normally be reached MON-FRI 7:30-5.
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, Nishant B. Divecha can be reached at (571) 270-3125. 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.
/C.J.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/Nishant Divecha/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419
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