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
This Office action is responsive to amendment filed 6/17/26. The Claims 9-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 6/17/26.
Claims 1-8 and 16-20 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/22/24 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) - 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
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Claims 1-8 and 16-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-8 and 16-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,095,768. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claims of the instant applicant are anticipated by the Patent. See chart below showing the Patent discloses each and every limitation of the instant application. Therefore, the claims 1-8 and 16-20 of the instant application are anticipated by claims of the Patent.
A later patent claim is not patentably distinct from an earlier patent claim if the later claim is obvious over, or anticipated by, the earlier claim. In re Longi, 759 F.2d at 896, 225 USPQ at 651 (affirming a holding of obviousness-type double patenting because the claims at issue were obvious over claims in four prior art patents); In re Berg, 140 F.3d at 1437, 46 USPQ2d at 1233 (Fed. Cir. 1998) (affirming a holding of obviousness-type double patenting where a patent application claim to a genus is anticipated by a 35 patent claim to a species within that genus). “ELI LILLY AND COMPANY v BARR LABORATORIES, INC., United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, ON PETITION FOR REHEARING EN BANC (DECIDED: May 30, 2001).
Instant Application
US Patent 12,095,768
1. A method comprising:
obtaining, by an application client on a user device, an authorization token from a computing platform that hosts one or more edge application devices;
initiating, by the application client, an edge discovery request to the computing platform using the authorization token; and
receiving, by the application client and in response to the edge discovery request, connection information of a particular edge application device among the one or more edge application devices.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by an application client on a user device, an internal request from within the application client, the internal request associated with one or more edge application devices hosted by a computing platform;
obtaining, by the application client and in response to the internal request, an authorization token from the computing platform;
initiating, by the application client, an edge discovery request to the computing platform using the authorization token;
receiving, by the application client and in response to the edge discovery request, connection information of a particular edge application device among the one or more edge application devices that is identified for the application client by the computing platform; and
establishing, by the application client, a connection between the application client and the particular edge application device using the connection information of the particular edge application device.
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)(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 1-8 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US Pub No 2021/0314391).
Prior art Lee teaches Claim:
1. A method comprising:
obtaining, by an application client on a user device, an authorization token from a computing platform that hosts one or more edge application devices (e.g., “in operation 803, the first server 510 may transmit access information of the second server 520 connected to the first server 510 in response to receiving a request for access information from the second server 520.” ¶ 0173 with the access information comprising “token information for authenticating access rights of the second server 520” ¶ 0175 & Fig. 8 #803);
initiating, by the application client, an edge discovery request to the computing platform using the authorization token (e.g., “in operation 805, the EEC 503 may transmit an edge service discovery request message for requesting access information of the third server 530 to the second server 520, based on the access information of the second server 520. The edge service discovery request message may include an identifier of the EEC 503, token information for authenticating access rights of the second server 520” ¶ 0175 & Fig. 8 #805); and
receiving, by the application client and in response to the edge discovery request, connection information of a particular edge application device among the one or more edge application devices (e.g., “in operation 807, in response to receiving the edge service discovery request message, the second server 520 may transmit an edge service discovery response message including access information of the third server 530 connected to the second server 520 to the EEC 503.” ¶ 0176 and discovery response including connection information “in operation 817, the second server 520 may transmit an edge service discovery response message to the EEC 503.” ¶ 0183).
Lee further teaches Claim:
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing, by the application client, a connection between the application client and the particular edge application device using the connection information (e.g., “in operation 821, the application 505 may perform a service using the third server 530 by transmitting or receiving application data to or from the third server 530 connected in operation 819” ¶ 0185 & Fig. 8 #821).
Lee further teaches Claim:
3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the application client on the user device is associated with an application; and each edge application device among the one or more edge application devices is a server instance associated with the application and implemented on a multi-access edge computing (MEC) device (e.g., “the second server 520 may activate the third server 530 using at least one of the MEC Platform Manager, MEC orchestrator, …” ¶ 0154 & 0182).
Lee further teaches Claim:
4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the computing platform is configured to identify the particular edge application device for the application client from the one or more edge application devices based at least on a geographical location of the user device (e.g., “The edge service discovery request message may include an identifier of the EEC 503, token information for authenticating access rights of the second server 520, and/or information (e.g., the identifier EAS ID of the third server 530, information indicating a specific application ACID installed in the electronic device 400, a service permission level, a desired service function, or an available location information of the third server 530)” ¶ 0175 and “At least one or more third servers 530 within the mobile communication network may be deployed at various locations to provide edge services to user terminals (UEs) in adjacent locations.” ¶ 0083 & 0085).
Lee further teaches Claim:
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the authorization token from the computing platform includes: performing, by the application client, an authorization process with the computing platform; and receiving, by the application client and from the computing platform, the authorization token generated based on the authorization process (e.g., provisioning procedure ¶ 0096 and authenticating access rights ¶ 0188).
Lee further teaches Claim:
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing of the authorization process with the computing platform includes performing one or more application authorization operations to verify that the application client is authentic (e.g., authentication process ¶ 0095-0098).
Lee further teaches Claim:
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the performing of the authorization process with the computing platform includes performing one or more application authorization operations to verify that the application client and the user device are not compromised (e.g., security and user authentication ¶ 0070 & 0095-0098).
Lee further teaches Claim:
8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the edge discovery request is an application programming interface (API) request; and the edge discovery request includes the authorization token and specifies one or more of a device identifier of the user device or an application endpoint identifier associated with the one or more edge application devices (e.g., “FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an operation of activating 900 a third server using transmission of an edge service discovery request message by an electronic device according to various embodiments.” ¶ 0186 and “the EEC 503 may transmit an edge service discovery request message requesting access information of the third server 530 to the second server 520, based on the access information of the second server 520. The edge service discovery request message may include an identifier of the 503, token information for authenticating access rights of the second server 520, and/or information (e.g., an identifier EAS ID of the third server 530 or an identifier ACID of an application installed on the electronic device 400) indicating a discovery condition of the third server 530 connected to the second server 520.” ¶ 0175 & 0214).
Claim 16 is substantially similar to claim 1 above, and therefore the claim is likewise rejected.
Claim 17 is substantially similar to claim 2 above, and therefore the claim is likewise rejected.
Claim 18 is substantially similar to claim 3 above, and therefore the claim is likewise rejected.
Claim 19 is substantially similar to claim 4 above, and therefore the claim is likewise rejected.
Claim 20 is substantially similar to claim 8 above, and therefore the claim is likewise rejected.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAU LE whose telephone number is (571)270-7217. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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/CHAU LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2408
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