Art Rejection
1. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
2. Claims 26 and 42 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gulati, U.S. pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2021/0306815, in view of Lee, U.S. pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2022/0225156.
Per claim 26, Gulati discloses a communications network device hosting an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element (see par 0058), the communication network device comprising interface circuitry, at least one processor and memory comprising instructions cause the device to perform operations of:
a) receiving from a network node of a radio access network (RAN), e.g., user equipment (UE), an information message containing information about a sidelink (or D2D) connection (see par 0069); and
b) sending intercepted related information (IRI) containing the information about the sidelink connection to a delivery function (DF) for forwarding to a law enforcement management function (LEMF) (see par 0086, 0092).
Gulati does not explicitly teach receiving the sidelink information by the device hosting the AMF. Lee however teaches sending sidelink information to a core network device hosting the AMF (see Lee, par 0316).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement such sending of sidelink information to the core network device hosting the AMF in Gulati because it would have enabled the core network device to configure the network node for the sidelink connection (see Lee, par 0317).
Per claim 42, Gulati teaches that the system comprises at least a communication network device for hosting an AMF network element and a UPF network element (see par 0058).
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 27-37 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
4. Claims 22-25, 40-41 and 44 are allowed over prior art of record.
Response to Amendment
5. Applicant’s arguments filed June 15, 2026 with respect to claims 26 and 42 have been considered but are deemed moot in view of new ground of rejection set forth above.
Conclusion
6. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds of rejection. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See M.P.E.P. § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 C.F.R. § 1.136(a).
A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR RESPONSE TO THIS FINAL ACTION IS SET TO EXPIRE THREE MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THIS ACTION. IN THE EVENT A FIRST RESPONSE 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 EXTENSION FEE PURSUANT TO 37 C.F.R. § 1.136(a) WILL BE CALCULATED FROM THE MAILING DATE OF THE ADVISORY ACTION. IN NO EVENT WILL THE STATUTORY PERIOD FOR RESPONSE EXPIRE LATER THAN SIX MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THIS FINAL ACTION.
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Viet Vu whose telephone number is 571-272-3977. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 6:00pm. The Group general information number is 571-272-2400. The Group fax number is 571-273-8300.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Emmanuel Moise, can be reached at 571-272-3865.
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/Viet D Vu/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2455
7/13/26
Prosecution Insights