Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/646,931

NETWORK CONFIGURATION FEATURE EXTRACTION METHOD AND RELATED APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Apr 26, 2024
Priority
Oct 29, 2021 — CN 202111276035.4 +1 more
Examiner
BRUCKART, BENJAMIN R
Art Unit
2424
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
53%
Grant Probability
Moderate
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 2m
Est. Remaining
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 53% of resolved cases
53%
Career Allowance Rate
89 granted / 168 resolved
-5.0% vs TC avg
Strong +33% interview lift
Without
With
+32.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
4y 8m
Avg Prosecution
13 currently pending
Career history
184
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
9.8%
-30.2% vs TC avg
§103
57.1%
+17.1% vs TC avg
§102
13.9%
-26.1% vs TC avg
§112
10.5%
-29.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 168 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . 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 1-20 are pending in this Office Action. Claims 1, 5-6, 9-11, 15-16, 19-20 are amended. No claims are cancelled. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments filed in the amendment filed 9/2/2025, have been fully considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection. The reasons set forth below. Applicant’s invention as claimed: 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by U.S. Patent No. 11,178,009 by Mohanram et al in view of U.S. 2007/0294230 by Sinel et al. 1. (Currently Amended) A network configuration feature extraction method performed by a network configuration feature extraction apparatus including at least one processor and a memory, comprising: obtaining a first configuration feature according to a preset rule set and based on a network element configuration file (Mohanram: col. 3, line 61 – col. 4, line 35; preset because its L_model policy) comprising configurations corresponding to one or more network functions, wherein the preset rule set comprises a first rule and a second rule (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 36- col. 5, line 40; “L_model represents configurations of devices as objects of a configuration tree as well as their relationship”); and extracting a first configuration object and a second configuration object from the network element configuration file using the first rule (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; SDN provisioning and types of group config), wherein the second rule comprises a connection relationship between the first configuration object and the second configuration object, and the first configuration feature indicates parameter attributes and/or function attributes of the first configuration object and the second configuration object (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; the tree relationships and configurations; col. 5, lines 8-35; flat rules; Figure 5 illustrates parameters and attributes). The Mohanram reference fails to teach the configuration rules contain regular expressions. However, in analogous art, the Sinel reference teaches a configuration file containing regular expressions that specify how information is to supposed to be extracted from the source (Sinel: pages 8-9, para 154; Table 1; [regex] ) that reads on a first rule comprises a regular expression for extracting the first configuration object and the second configuration object from the network configuration file. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effectively filed date, to include the configuration table with regular expressions of Sinel into the network configuration of Mohanram in order to enhance accurate and effective ways of parsing data (Sinel: page 1, para 5-6). 2. (Original) The method according to claim 1, wherein the connection relationship comprises a semantic connection relationship and/or a topology connection relationship (Mohanram: col. 9, lines 59- col. 10, line 33). 3. (Currently Amended) The method according to claim 2, wherein the semantic connection relationship comprises relationship, a parameter matching relationship, a companion relationship, a logical operation matching relationship, a family commonality relationship, a collaboration relationship, and/or an inclusion relationship (Mohanram: col. 9, lines 59- col. 10, line 33; col. 11, lines 25-40). 4. (Original) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first configuration feature comprises values of the parameter attributes and/or quantities of function attributes of the first configuration object and the second configuration object (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; the tree relationships and configurations; col. 5, lines 8-35; flat rules; Figure 5 illustrates parameters and attributes of objects). 5. (Currently Amended) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a second configuration feature according to the preset rule set and based on the network element configuration file, wherein the preset rule set further comprises a third rule and a fourth rule, a third configuration object is extract from the network element configuration file using the third rule, the fourth rule comprises a connection relationship between attributes of the third configuration object, and the second configuration feature indicates a parameter attribute and/or a function attribute the third configuration object (Mohanram: col. 16, lines 30- col. 17, line 36; Mohanram teaches additional models Li_Model and Ci_Model, Hi_model which provide additional configurations that import or define configurations and attributes of switch or specific models and individual levels and their relationships). 6. (Currently Amended) The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprising: obtaining a plurality of configuration features according to the preset rule set and based on the network element configuration file (Mohanram: col. 3, lines 60- col. 4, lines 35; extract the configurations and build the L_model), wherein the plurality of configuration features comprises the first configuration feature (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; col. 5, lines 8-35; flat rules); and obtaining a processing result based on the plurality of configuration features (Mohanram: col. 3, lines 60- col. 4, lines 35;). 7. (Original) The method according to claim 6, wherein the obtaining a processing result based on the plurality of configuration features comprises: obtaining a first anomaly detection result based on an anomaly detection model and the plurality of configuration features (Mohanram: col. 5, lines 40-59; col. 21, lines 3-18). 8. (Original) The method according to claim 6, wherein the obtaining a processing result based on the plurality of configuration features comprises: obtaining a classification result based on the plurality of configuration features, wherein the classification result comprises one or more feature types (Mohanram: col. 21, lines 52-67; col. 23, lines 8-22). 9. (Original) The method according to claim 8, wherein the obtaining a classification result based on the plurality of configuration features comprises: classifying the plurality of configuration features based on one or more topology connection relationships comprised in the preset rule set, to obtain the one or more feature types, wherein the one or more topology connection relationships comprise a topology connection relationship of a network element involved in the network element configuration file in a network, and configuration features of a same connection relationship in the one or more topology connection relationships belong to a same feature type (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; the tree relationships and configurations; col. 5, lines 8-35; col. 22, lines 8-22). 10. (Original) The method according to claim 8, wherein the obtaining a classification result based on the plurality of configuration features comprises: classifying the plurality of configuration features based on one or more semantic connection relationships comprised in the preset rule set, to obtain the one or more feature types, wherein configuration features of a same connection relationship in the one or more semantic connection relationships belong to a same feature type (Mohanram: col. 4, lines 10-35; the tree relationships and configurations; col. 5, lines 8-35; col. 22, lines 8-22). Claims 11-20 are rejected as being substantially similar in scope to claims 1-10 above. Prior Art The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: U. S. Patent No. 11546217 Vishwakarma et al specifically col. 13, lines 1-18. U. S. Patent Publication No. 20180270109 by HOLLILS specifically para 60. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN R BRUCKART whose telephone number is (571)272-3982. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH: 7-6p. 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. 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. BENJAMIN R. BRUCKART Supervisory Patent Examiner Art Unit 2424 /BENJAMIN R BRUCKART/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2424
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Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
May 31, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 05, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Sep 02, 2025
Response Filed
Jan 30, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Apr 17, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 30, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
May 04, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
53%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+32.8%)
4y 8m (~2y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 168 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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