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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-23 remain for examination. Claims 1-2, 5, 11-12, 16--17 have been amended. Claims 3, 13 and 18 have been cancelled. Claims 21-23 have been added. Applicant's arguments filed on 04/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by the amendments. Accordingly, this action has been made final.
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 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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims General are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Tuchman U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20130073403 A1 (hereinafter " Tuchman"), in view of SANTOS 20200137555 A1.
As to claim 1, Tuchman teaches an information processing method, comprising: performing, by a terminal, a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities of the terminal (Tuchman Pa. [0050]) [service activation module 201 is configured to determine, based on information obtained from product asset store 205 and service subscription store 206, whether the number of existing devices that have been activated with that particular subscribed service reaches a predetermined level allowed by the subscription. If so, service activation module 201 is configured to notify the user and to ask whether the user wishes to deactivate one of the existing devices in order to activate the same service on the new device]; wherein the subscriber data comprises at least one of the following: a certificate or subscription data (Tuchman Abstract) [Subscription information including credentials of a user who has subscribed the subscribed service is obtained for authentication], wherein the performing, by the terminal, a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities of the terminal comprises (Tuchman Pa. [0050]) [service activation module 201 is configured to determine, based on information obtained from product asset store 205 and service subscription store 206, whether the number of existing devices that have been activated with that particular subscribed service reaches a predetermined level allowed by the subscription. If so, service activation module 201 is configured to notify the user and to ask whether the user wishes to deactivate one of the existing devices in order to activate the same service on the new device]:
It is noted that Tuchman does not explicitly disclose determining, by the terminal, the number of subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously, based on a total number of device identities of the terminal, wherein the number of subscriber data able to be simultaneously activated by the terminal is less than and/or equal to the total number of device identifiers of the terminal.
However, SANTOS discloses determining, by the terminal, the number of subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously, based on a total number of device identities of the terminal (SANTOS Pa. [0014]) [the secure element comprising a communication interface controller for communicating with the host terminal and comprising a plurality of subscriber profiles, each subscriber profile authenticating a user in a mobile telephony network, and being configured to simultaneously activate a plurality of subscriber profiles, characterized in that the communication interface controller is configured to respectively associate a plurality of separate communication links with the host terminal with the plurality of active subscriber profiles] [0033] [the secure element is configured to simultaneously activate (i.e. to simultaneously maintain in an active state) a plurality of subscriber profiles managed under the same root security domain, known under the designation ISD-R in accordance with the GSMA standard. In a particular embodiment, the plurality of subscriber profiles present in the secure element is managed under a single root security domain, ISD-R. A single SM-SR (and therefore participating) is then necessary for managing the profiles.], wherein the number of subscriber data able to be activated by the terminal is less than and/or equal to the total number of device identifiers of the terminal (SANTOS Pa. [0001]) [control of a multitude of simultaneously active subscriber profiles to allow the user to access a mobile telephony network. Here, the terminal can track how many subscriber profiles can be activated at the same time]
Thus, it would have been recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, that applying the known technique taught by SANTOS to the information processing system of Tuchman and SANTOS would have yield predictable results and resulted in an improved system, namely, a system that provide plurality of active subscriber profiles at the same time within the same secure element integrated in a host terminal (SANTOS Abstract])
As to claim 2, the combination of Tuchman, and SANTOS teaches wherein the performing, by the terminal, a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities of the terminal further comprises at least one of the following (Tuchman Pa. [0050]) [service activation module 201 is configured to determine, based on information obtained from product asset store 205 and service subscription store 206, whether the number of existing devices that have been activated with that particular subscribed service reaches a predetermined level allowed by the subscription. If so, service activation module 201 is configured to notify the user and to ask whether the user wishes to deactivate one of the existing devices in order to activate the same service on the new device]: the terminal binds at most one device identity to one piece of subscriber data; the terminal determines the number of remaining subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously, based on the number of idle device identities of the terminal; the terminal presents, based on the number of device identities of the terminal, at least one of the following: the number of subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously; or the number of remaining subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously; the terminal binds one device identity to each piece of activated subscriber data; upon deactivation of one piece of subscriber data, the terminal releases binding of the subscriber data to a corresponding device identity; or in a case that the terminal needs to activate second subscriber data and no idle device identity is available, the terminal deactivates first subscriber data; wherein the first subscriber data comprises at least one of the following: already activated subscriber data; or subscriber data that has been bound to a device identity (SANTOS Pa. [0014]) [the secure element comprising a communication interface controller for communicating with the host terminal and comprising a plurality of subscriber profiles, each subscriber profile authenticating a user in a mobile telephony network, and being configured to simultaneously activate a plurality of subscriber profiles, characterized in that the communication interface controller is configured to respectively associate a plurality of separate communication links with the host terminal with the plurality of active subscriber profiles] [0033] [the secure element is configured to simultaneously activate (i.e. to simultaneously maintain in an active state) a plurality of subscriber profiles managed under the same root security domain, known under the designation ISD-R in accordance with the GSMA standard. In a particular embodiment, the plurality of subscriber profiles present in the secure element is managed under a single root security domain, ISD-R. A single SM-SR (and therefore participating) is then necessary for managing the profiles.]
Thus, it would have been recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, that applying the known technique taught by SANTOS to the information processing system of Tuchman and SANTOS would have yield predictable results and resulted in an improved system, namely, a system that provide plurality of active subscriber profiles at the same time within the same secure element integrated in a host terminal (SANTOS Abstract])
As to claim 4, Tuchman teaches wherein after the step of determining the number of subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously, at least one of the following is present: the number of subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously; or the total number of device identities; and/or after the step of determining the number of remaining subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously, at least one of the following is present: the number of remaining subscriber data able to be activated simultaneously; or the number of idle device identities (Tuchman Pa. [0055]) [if it is determined that the number of products that have been activated with a selected subscribed service reaches a predetermined threshold (e.g., maximum activations allowed on a particular service), processing logic may optionally display the existing products that have been associated with the subscribed service to allow the user to select one or more of them to be deactivated in order to make room for the newly registered product.]
As to claim 5, the combination of Tuchman, and SANTOS teaches wherein the subscriber data comprises at least one of the following: universal integrated circuit card (UICC) type subscriber data; non-UICC type subscriber data; or subscriber data stored on the terminal device; or, wherein the device identity comprises one of the following: a device identity dedicated to non-UICC type subscriber data; or a generic device identity for non-UICC subscriber data and UICC type subscriber data; wherein the type of device identity comprises at least one of the following: permanent equipment identifier (PEI); international mobile equipment identity (IMEI); or international mobile equipment identity and software version (IMEISv) (SANTOS Pa. [0002]) [ The secure elements that are conventionally used for authentication on mobile telephony networks include UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards, in particular SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards. Each card comprises subscription data, for example an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) identifier, cryptographic keys and algorithms, specific to a subscription provided by a mobile telephony operator]
Thus, it would have been recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, that applying the known technique taught by SANTOS to the information processing system of Tuchman and SANTOS would have yield predictable results and resulted in an improved system, namely, a system that provide plurality of active subscriber profiles at the same time within the same secure element integrated in a host terminal (SANTOS Abstract])
As to claim 6, Tuchman teaches wherein the performing, by the terminal, a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities of the terminal comprises at least one of the following (Tuchman Pa. [0050]) [service activation module 201 is configured to determine, based on information obtained from product asset store 205 and service subscription store 206, whether the number of existing devices that have been activated with that particular subscribed service reaches a predetermined level allowed by the subscription. If so, service activation module 201 is configured to notify the user and to ask whether the user wishes to deactivate one of the existing devices in order to activate the same service on the new device]: the terminal performs a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities under a first condition being satisfied (Tuchman Pa. [0055]) [if it is determined that the number of products that have been activated with a selected subscribed service reaches a predetermined threshold (e.g., maximum activations allowed on a particular service)]; wherein the first condition comprises at least one of the following: the network requires device identity verification of the terminal; or the number of subscriber data saved and/or inserted in the terminal exceeds the number of device identities of the terminal (Tuchman Pa. [0034]) [service center 102 further includes a security system 125 to authenticate a user of mobile device 101 in order to allow the user accessing services provided by any of systems 105-108. Security system 125 is configured to provide multiple login and authentication options to a mobile device to allow a user to select one or more of the options to access service center 102]
As to claim 7, Tuchman teaches wherein the method further comprises at least one of the following: receiving first indication information from the network, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating one of the following: a need for device identity verification of the terminal; or no need for device identity verification of the terminal; receiving a registration denial reason from the network, wherein the registration denial reason is used for indicating that the terminal device is not invalid; or receiving an identity request from the network, wherein the identity request is used for requesting the device identity of the terminal (Tuchman Pa. [0036]) [Once the service center has successfully authenticated the user, the user can obtain support services or access resources available from the service center as described above regarding one or more products or services that have been registered by the user.]
As to claim 8, Tuchman teaches wherein: activating subscriber data or subscriber data being activated comprises at least one of the following: the state of the subscriber data is valid or enabled; the subscriber data is able to trigger the terminal to search for a network corresponding to the subscriber data; the terminal is able to access or register on the network using the subscriber data; the terminal accesses the network using the subscriber data and is in a registered state on the network; the terminal accesses the network using the subscriber data and is in a state on the network other than a deregistered state caused by invalid subscriber data; or a subscriber corresponding to the subscriber data is in a deregistered state on the network and the deregistered state excludes a deregistered state caused by invalid subscriber data; and/or deactivating subscriber data or subscriber data being deactivated comprises at least one of the following: the state of the subscriber data is invalid; the subscriber data is unable to trigger the terminal to search for a network corresponding to the subscriber data; the terminal accesses the network using the subscriber data and is in a deregistered state on the network or in a deregistered state caused by invalid subscriber data; or the subscriber corresponding to the subscriber data is in a deregistered state on the network, or the subscriber corresponding to the subscriber data is in a deregistered state on the network caused by invalid subscriber data (Tuchman Pa. [0049]) [A user can also elect to terminate a subscribed service (e.g. Pandora) thus removing any or all credential information about the service from service center 102. In the case that a selected service (e.g. Pandora) is terminated (deleted) from service center 102, a user will have to reregister the service information with service center 102 to enable the service on any device.]
As to claim 9, Tuchman teaches wherein: the subscriber data further comprises at least one of the following: terminal subscriber identity, or information about a network corresponding to the subscriber data (Tuchman Pa. [0006]) [mobile subscriber identity]
As to claim 10, the combination of Tuchman, and SANTOS teaches wherein the performing, by the terminal, a related operation for activating and/or deactivating subscriber data based on the number of device identities of the terminal comprises at least one of the following: the terminal performs a related operation for activating and/or deactivating non-UICC type subscriber data based on the number of non-UICC type device identities of the terminal; or the terminal performs a related operation for activating and/or deactivating UICC type subscriber data based on the number of UICC type device identities of the terminal (SANTOS Pa. [0002]) [ The secure elements that are conventionally used for authentication on mobile telephony networks include UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards, in particular SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards. Each card comprises subscription data, for example an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) identifier, cryptographic keys and algorithms, specific to a subscription provided by a mobile telephony operator]
Thus, it would have been recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, that applying the known technique taught by SANTOS to the information processing system of Tuchman and SANTOS would have yield predictable results and resulted in an improved system, namely, a system that provide plurality of active subscriber profiles at the same time within the same secure element integrated in a host terminal (SANTOS Abstract])
As to claims 11-12, claims 11-12 recite the claimed that contain respectively similar limitations as claims 1-2; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale.
As to claims 16-17, claims 16-17 recite the claimed that contain respectively similar limitations as claims 1-2; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale.
As to claims 14 & 19, claims 14 and 19 recite the claimed that contain respectively similar limitations as claim 6; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale.
As to claims 15 & 20, claims 15 and 20 recite the claimed that contain respectively similar limitations as claim 8; therefore, they are rejected under the same rationale.
As to claims 21-23, claims 21-23 recite the claimed that contain respectively similar limitations as claim 5; therefore, it is rejected under the same rationale.
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 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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/EVANS DESROSIERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2491
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