DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 8-12, 18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wong et al. (US 20110142078 A1) in view of Bruun et al. (US 20210273862 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Wong discloses: a computer-implemented method (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027), comprising:
monitoring, with a network time monitor deployed at a computer server coupled to a computer network, a plurality of computing devices described in network topology data of the computer network (i.e., a central network manager gathers node status, builds physical and synchronization topologies, and monitors clock performance for network nodes in Wong, ¶0027; ¶0030);
receiving, at the network time monitor, asynchronous network configuration data from a computing device of the plurality of computing devices, the asynchronous network configuration data including at least one timekeeping value (i.e., the manager receives network-node configuration and status data, including the active clock reference, reference quality, and timing-path status, over management messaging in Wong, ¶0027);
determining that the at least one timekeeping value exceeds a network timekeeping threshold (i.e., the manager evaluates clock stability and frequency-offset variation against preset or configurable thresholds and treats threshold failure as a timing-source problem in Wong, ¶0030);
responsive to the determining, comparing a root of time in the asynchronous network configuration data with the network topology data to identify at least one network timekeeping configuration error (i.e., the manager traces a node through its synchronization tree to a PRS clock source and compares that result with the node's reported source quality to expose a source or topology error in Wong, ¶0028).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bruun, in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions (¶0028), discloses:
generating a list of actions to repair the network timekeeping configuration error and directing the computing device to perform the list of actions (i.e., a service-assurance engine determines corrective actions, sends the closed-loop actions to a fulfillment engine, and the fulfillment engine executes them to heal the resource in Bruun, ¶0028; ¶0061).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bruun to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions.
With respect to claim 2, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bruun, in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions (¶0028), discloses: further comprising: after the directing, confirming that the network timekeeping configuration error is resolved (i.e., a closed loop executes corrective actions and then monitors the affected service to confirm intended operation, with event cycles recurring asynchronously in Bruun, ¶0013).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bruun to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions.
With respect to claim 8, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027),
wherein the network timekeeping threshold is a configurable time threshold (i.e., alarm behavior is configurable around clock-stability threshold ranges in Wong, ¶0030).
With respect to claim 9, Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bruun, in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions (¶0028), discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein directing the computing device to perform the list of actions comprises:
transmitting, to a repair service deployed at the computer server or at the computing device, the list of actions, wherein the repair service is configured to direct the computer device to perform at least one action within the list of actions (i.e., a service-assurance engine determines corrective actions, sends the closed-loop actions to a fulfillment engine, and the fulfillment engine executes them to heal the resource in Bruun, ¶0028; ¶0061).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bruun to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions.
With respect to claim 10, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 9 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bruun, in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions (¶0028), discloses: further comprising: responsive to the transmitting, confirming that the network timekeeping configuration errors are resolved (i.e., a closed loop executes corrective actions and then monitors the affected service to confirm intended operation, with event cycles recurring asynchronously in Bruun, ¶0013).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bruun to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions.
With respect to claim 11, Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bruun, in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions (¶0028), discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein confirming that the network timekeeping configuration errors are resolved comprises:
receiving, at the network time monitor, new asynchronous network configuration data from the computing device; and determining that the new asynchronous network configuration data contains timekeeping values within the network timekeeping threshold (i.e., a closed loop executes corrective actions and then monitors the affected service to confirm intended operation, with event cycles recurring asynchronously. in Bruun, ¶0013).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bruun to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve recovery consistency by converting selected timing corrections into executable fulfillment actions.
With respect to claim 12, the limitation(s) of claim 12 are similar to those of claim(s) 1. Therefore, claim 12 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 1.
With respect to claim 18, the limitation(s) of claim 18 are similar to those of claim(s) 9. Therefore, claim 18 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 9.
With respect to claim 20, the limitation(s) of claim 20 are similar to those of claim(s) 1. Therefore, claim 20 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 1.
Claim(s) 3-7, and 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wong et al. (US 20110142078 A1) in view of Bruun et al. (US 20210273862 A1), and further in view of Matsakis (US 20160043865 A1).
With respect to claim 3, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 1 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology. (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Matsakis, in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields (¶0002), discloses: wherein the network topology data describes a multi-layer stratum hierarchy having one or more roots of time at a time source layer of the stratum, the computer device at a device layer of the stratum, and the network time monitor at a monitor layer of the stratum, wherein the device layer is lower in the stratum hierarchy than the time source layer and the monitor layer is lower in the stratum hierarchy than the device layer (i.e., standard NTP client/server packets carry stratum, reference or source identification, and reference, origin, receive, and transmit timestamps in a hierarchical synchronization network in Matsakis, ¶0002; ¶0017).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Matsakis, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Matsakis to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields.
With respect to claim 4, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 3 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context. in Wong, ¶0027).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology. (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Matsakis, in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields (¶0002), discloses: wherein the multi-layer stratum hierarchy includes six layers, wherein the network time monitor is at the sixth layer, and wherein the second through fifth layers are device layers (i.e., standard NTP stratum numbering and hierarchy are provided in Matsakis, ¶0002; ¶0017).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Matsakis, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Matsakis to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields.
With respect to claim 5, Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology. (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Matsakis, in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields (¶0002), discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the asynchronous network configuration data comprises asynchronous network timekeeping protocol (NTP) packets comprising: a stratum value; a current time value; and a source of time (i.e., standard NTP client/server packets carry stratum, reference or source identification, and reference, origin, receive, and transmit timestamps in a hierarchical synchronization network in Matsakis, ¶0004; ¶0017).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Matsakis, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Matsakis to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields.
With respect to claim 6, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 5 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027), and
wherein the source of time is either a local source of time or a networked source of time (i.e., a manager monitors a central or active network clock reference and the frequency offset of a local DPLL oscillator, providing networked and local time-source alternatives in Wong, ¶0028; ¶0030).
Wong discloses a topology-aware timing manager receives clock-source and configuration data, analyzes thresholds, and automatically reconfigures the timing topology (¶0027; ¶0028; ¶0030). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Matsakis, in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields (¶0002), discloses:
wherein the current time value is a time value received from the source of time at the computer device (i.e., standard NTP client/server packets carry stratum, reference or source identification, and reference, origin, receive, and transmit timestamps in a hierarchical synchronization network in Matsakis, ¶0004; ¶0017).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Matsakis, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Matsakis to improve upon those of Wong in order to improve timing diagnosis by exposing standard NTP stratum, source or reference, and timestamp fields.
With respect to claim 7, Wong discloses: the computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the identified network timekeeping configuration error includes at least one of: an error in the local source of time or an error in the networked source of time. (i.e., a manager detects source or topology inconsistency by tracing to the PRS, evaluates local-oscillator or upstream-source problems, and selects a better source in Wong, ¶0028; ¶0030).
With respect to claim 14, the limitation(s) of claim 14 are similar to those of claim(s) 3. Therefore, claim 14 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 3.
With respect to claim 15, the limitation(s) of claim 15 are similar to those of claim(s) 3. Therefore, claim 15 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 3.
With respect to claim 16, the limitation(s) of claim 16 are similar to those of claim(s) 6. Therefore, claim 16 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 6.
With respect to claim 17, the limitation(s) of claim 17 are similar to those of claim(s) 7. Therefore, claim 17 is rejected with the same reasoning as claim(s) 7.
Claim(s) 13 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wong et al. (US 20110142078 A1) in view of Bruun et al. (US 20210273862 A1), and further in view of Bothwell et al. (US 20230198860 A1).
With respect to claim 13, Wong discloses: the network timekeeping system of claim 12 (i.e., a network manager and OSS software operate in a multi-node packet network and provide the computer-implemented timing-management context in Wong, ¶0027).
Wong discloses a network timing manager builds and uses physical and synchronization topology models (¶0027; ¶0028). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bothwell, in order to keep timing diagnosis accurate by updating the topology model as links and nodes change (¶0148), discloses: further comprising a configuration database coupled to the one or more computer servers, wherein the configuration database is operable to maintain current network topology data for the computer network (i.e., a Network Topology Service determines the overall topology and maintains and updates a topology database containing neighbor-link information in Bothwell, ¶0148; ¶0007), and
further comprising a manager service deployed at the computer server, wherein the manager service is configured to detect changes in network topology of the computer network based on the received network topology data, and wherein the operations further comprise responsive to the detected changes, iteratively monitoring, with the network time monitor, one or more computing devices described in the detected changes (i.e., a topology service reports link or node changes, gathers telemetry per node or port at repeated intervals, and repeats the topology and monitoring cycle in Bothwell, ¶0007; ¶0160).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Bothwell, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bothwell to improve upon those of Wong in order to keep timing diagnosis accurate by updating the topology model as links and nodes change.
With respect to claim 19, Wong discloses a network timing manager builds and uses physical and synchronization topology models (¶0027; ¶0028). Wong and Bruun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Bothwell, in order to keep timing diagnosis accurate by updating the topology model as links and nodes change (¶0148), discloses: the network timekeeping system of claim 12, further comprising a manager service deployed at the computer server, wherein the manager service is configured to detect changes in network topology of the computer network based on the received network topology data, and wherein the operations further comprise responsive to the detected changes, iteratively monitoring, with the network time monitor, one or more computing devices described in the detected changes (i.e., a topology service reports link or node changes, gathers telemetry per node or port at repeated intervals, and repeats the topology and monitoring cycle in Bothwell, ¶0007; ¶0160).
Based on Wong in view of Bruun, and further in view of Bothwell, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Bothwell to improve upon those of Wong in order to keep timing diagnosis accurate by updating the topology model as links and nodes change.
Conclusion
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Sherman Lin
9/27/2026
/S. L./Examiner, Art Unit 2447
/JOON H HWANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2447
