DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is a response to Preliminary Amendment made to an Application No. 18/689,777 filed on 05/20/2024 in which claims 1-33, 36, and 38-42 are canceled and claims 34, 35, 37, and 43-49 are amended. Accordingly, Claims 34, 35, 37, and 43-49 are currently pending for examination.
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 .
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.
Priority
Acknowledgement is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of paper required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The Examiner contends that the drawings submitted on 03/06/2024 are acceptable for examination proceedings.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Examiner has considered the reference(s) listed on the Information Disclosure Statement submitted on 01/13/2025.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 34, 35, 37, and 43-49 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by ZHANG (US 2023/0308951 A1) hereinafter “Zhang”.
Regarding claims 34 and 44, Zhang discloses Claim 34 of a communication method, and Claim 44 of a communication apparatus, comprising: at least one processor , comprising:
receiving, by a communication apparatus, information from an edge application server discovery function network element, wherein the information comprises internet protocol (IP) address information of N edge application servers (EASs), and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2 (see FIG. 7; see ¶ [0090-91] [0126-27], the session management function receives a domain name system message report transmitted by an edge application server discovery function the domain name system message report including at least two edge application server addresses/IP addresses);
determining, by the communication apparatus, an EAS IP address information set based on the IP address information of the N EASs, wherein the EAS IP address information set comprises IP address information of M EASs, the IP address information of the M EASs corresponds a same data network access identifier (DNAI), and M is an integer less than or equal to N (see FIG. 7; see ¶ [0092-94] [0127-32], the session management function takes an edge application server address, having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier, in the at least two edge application server addresses an offloading edge application server address and offloading of edge application server addresses corresponding to the same data network access identifier); and
sending, by the communication apparatus, the EAS IP address information set to the edge application server discovery function network element (see FIG. 7; see ¶ [0135], the SMF transmits a DNS message processing rule request to the EASDF).
Regarding claims 35 and 45, Zhang discloses wherein determining the EAS IP address information set based on the IP address information of the N EASs comprises:
selecting first IP address information from the IP address information of the N EASs, wherein the first IP address corresponds to a first EAS of the N EASs; determining the DNAI corresponding to the first IP address information ; and determining, in the IP address information of the N EASs, the IP address information of the M EASs that corresponds to the DNAI, to obtain the EAS IP address information set (see ¶ [0131], the SMF will select one DNAI as a target DNAI, and then acquire an EAS IP address having a mapping relationship with the target DNAI the EAS IP address).
Regarding claim 37, Zhang discloses a communication method, comprising:
receiving, by a communication apparatus, information from an edge application server discovery function network element, wherein the information comprises an edge application server (EAS) internet protocol (IP) address information set, the EAS IP address information set comprises IP address information of M EASs, the IP address information of the M EASs corresponds to a same data network access identifier (DNAI), and M is an integer (see ¶ [0139], the EASDF transmits a DNS response message including an offloading edge application server address to the UE; see FIG. 7; see ¶ [0092-94] [0127-32], the session management function takes an edge application server address, having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier, in the at least two edge application server addresses an offloading edge application server address and offloading of edge application server addresses corresponding to the same data network access identifier; and see ¶ [0135], the SMF transmits a DNS message processing rule request to the EASDF); and
determining, by the communication apparatus, IP address information of a target EAS based on the EAS IP address information set (see ¶ [0082] [01], the UE may access the corresponding edge application server via the IP address of the offloading edge application sever to acquire an edge application service).
Regarding claim 43, Zhang discloses wherein the communication apparatus is a terminal device (see FIG. 2c and 7; see ¶ [0084], user equipment).
Regarding claims 46 and 48, Zhang discloses wherein determining the EAS IP address information set is further based on one or more of: policy information from a policy control function network element (see ¶ [0084], a session management function acquire edge application server deployment information through PDU session related policy information provide by a policy control function and select a corresponding edge application server discovery function according to a related rule).
Regarding claims 47 and 49, Zhang discloses wherein the communication apparatus is a session management function network element (see FIG. 2a and 12; see ¶ [0084], session management function).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record (see attached PTO-892) and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
LEE et al. (US 2022/0263788 A1) teaches a method performed by an edge application server discover function (EASDF) to discover an edge application server (EAS), includes receiving EAS domain configuration information including an enhanced domain name system (DNS) client subnet (ECS) option from an edge application service domain repository (EDR), receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session state report message including a DNS message processing rule from an session management function (SMF), receiving a DNS query message from a user equipment (UE), processing the DNS query message based on the EAS domain configuration information and the PDU session state report message, transmitting the processed DNS query message to a DNS server, receiving a DNS response message including an EAS internet protocol (IP) address from the DNS server in response to the processed DNS query message, and transmitting the DNS response message to the UE (see Abstract).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of the action. An extension of time may be obtained under 37 CFR 1.136(a). However, in no event, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7241. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm.
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, Yemane Mesfin can be reached at (571) 272-3927. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462
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