DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the application 18/682,957 filed on 02/12/2024.
Claims 1-20 have been examined and are pending in this application.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
For the record, the Examiner acknowledges that NO restrictions warranted at applicants initial time of filing for patent.
Priority
This application is related to and claimed the benefits of JP2021-131928, filed 08/13/2021 and 371 of PCT/JP2022/030801, filed on 02/21/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS), submitted on 02/12/2024, 03/15/2024 and 07/29/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Oath/Declaration
For the record, the Examiner acknowledges that the Oath/Declaration submitted on 02/12/2024 has been accepted.
Drawings
For the record, the Examiner acknowledges that the drawings filed on 02/12/2024 has been accepted.
Specification
For the record, the Examiner acknowledges that the Applicant's specification filed on 02/12/2024 has been accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Imamoto et al. (herein after Imamoto), Pub. No.: US 2006/0143453.
Referring to claim 1, Imamoto teaches an authentication system comprising a first authentication module and a second authentication module that are mutually communicably connected, wherein
the first authentication module comprises a first acquisition unit, the first acquisition unit configured to acquire first authentication data in which first authentication information and second authentication information are associated with each other, the first authentication information being generated by a first generation logic based on first identification information specific to the first authentication module and second identification information specific to the second authentication module, the second authentication information being generated by a second generation logic based on the first authentication information, the first identification information, and the second identification information (abstract, The client (corresponding to ‘first authentication module’) and the server (corresponding to ‘second authentication module’) check whether or not validity is established (Ps.sub.m+1, Pc.sub.m+1). Further in the authentication method above, there is a method for generating a onetime ID (corresponding to ‘first authentication information’), assuming that the onetime ID is identification information usable just one time in the authentication between a plurality of devices or application. In each of the devices or applications which carries out the authentication, a variable shared key which changes per predefined communication unit requiring the authentication is generated, a function value of one-way function is obtained in which the variable shared key is used as an argument, a onetime ID) hard to tap and superior in security is generated based on the function value, and the onetime ID is utilized; paras. 0197-0216 and fig. 8);
the second authentication module comprises:
a second acquisition unit configured to acquire second authentication data in a same configuration as the first authentication data in which the first authentication information and the second authentication information are associated with each other (paras. 0198, 0204-0205, the received data items match the computation results, and it is determined that the client 20 is valid, HASHs is obtained by computation. Then, the server 10 executes a process to transmit to the client 20 this HASHs and DH public value g.sup.y stored in the storage device 13, ); and
a second control unit configured to reply, when the first authentication information of the first authentication data is received from the first authentication module, to the first authentication module with the second authentication information, as reply information, which is associated with the first authentication information corresponding to the first authentication information received from the first authentication module in the second authentication data (paras. 0197-0198, 0204-0210, As a result of the above determination, if the received data items match the computation results, and it is determined that the client 20 is valid, HASHs is obtained by computation. Then, the server 10 executes a process to transmit to the client 20 this HASHs and DH public value g.sup.y stored in the storage device 13); and
the first authentication module comprises a first control unit configured to transmit the first authentication information of the first authentication data to the second authentication module, to receive the reply information from the second authentication module, to execute authentication by comparison between the reply information and the second authentication information, which is associated with the first authentication information transmitted from the first authentication module to the second authentication module in the first authentication data, and to decide whether or not to continue a communication session with the second authentication module based on a result of the authentication (abstract, paras. 0197-0216 and fig. 8, As a result of the above determination, if the received data items match the computation results, and it is determined that the client 20 is valid, HASHs is obtained by computation. Then, the server 10 executes a process to transmit to the client 20 this HASHs and DH public value g.sup.y stored in the storage device 13, together with the approved SA (step S3). On the other hand, if the received data items do not match the computation results, and it is determined that the client 20 is not valid, the access from the client 20 is rejected, and the authentication process is completed.).
Referring to claim 2, Imamoto teaches wherein the first authentication module and the second authentication module are mutually communicably connected via a network; and the first identification information and the second identification information include pieces of address information for identifying the first authentication module and the second authentication module on the network, respectively (para. 0198-0200).
Referring to claim 3, Imamoto teaches wherein the first authentication information is generated further based on variable information that changes synchronously between the first authentication module and the second authentication module each time a communication session between the first authentication module and the second authentication module starts (abstract, paras. 0197-0216 and fig. 8).
Referring to claim 4, Imamoto teaches wherein the variable information includes counter information that varies each time a communication session between the first authentication module and the second authentication module starts (abstract, paras. 0197-0216 and fig. 8).
Referring to claim 5, Imamoto teaches wherein the first-generation logic comprises generation of the first authentication information based on a pseudorandom number obtained by inputting a value based on at least the first identification information and the second identification information to a pseudorandom function (para. 0212).
Referring to claim 6, Imamoto teaches wherein the second-generation logic comprises generation of the second authentication information based on a hash value obtained by inputting the first authentication information and a value based on the first identification information and the second identification information to a hash function (paras. 0045-0048).
Referring to claim 7, This claim is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 8, This claim is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 9, This claim is similar in scope to claim 2, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 10, This claim is similar in scope to claim 3, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 11, This claim is similar in scope to claim 4, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 12, This claim is similar in scope to claim 5, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 13, This claim is similar in scope to claim 6, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 14, This claim is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 15, This claim is similar in scope to claim 1, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 16, This claim is similar in scope to claim 2, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 17, This claim is similar in scope to claim 3, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 18, This claim is similar in scope to claim 4, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 19, This claim is similar in scope to claim 5, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Referring to claim 20, This claim is similar in scope to claim 6, and is therefore rejected under similar rationale.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see the attached PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YONAS A BAYOU whose telephone number is (571)272-7610. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7AM-4PM.
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/YONAS A BAYOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2499 02/21/2026