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 .
Response to Amendment
2. This is in response to the amendments filed on 08/20/2026. Claims 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 11 have been amended. Claims 1, 3-11, 31, and 32 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant’s arguments filed on 08/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. On the Remarks, Applicant argues that;
Liao does not teach or suggest claim 1.
Liao fails to disclose the features regarding the generation and sending of the first check value as recited in amended claim 1 of the present application.
He is silent on generation and sending of first check value.
The examiner respectfully disagrees.
First, in response to applicant's argument that Liao fails to disclose the features regarding the generation and sending of the first check value, it is noted that, Liao at FIG.10/ Para.0130, Para.0127 discloses, “Step 5: …. receives the …. message for a service …performs the user authentication … to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE and justifies the hash value of the message ….”, “… registers the PIN device and its services ….. i.e., authorized users of the services, e.g., with credential information of the allocated …. key of the authorized service, hash algorithm….” which the examiner interpreted as being the claimed “generating, …. a first check value for integrity protection verification….” because hash value of Liao is equivalent to the claimed ‘…a first check value…’. Also, Liao at Para.0092, Para.0130, discloses, “for each service of the ….. subscriber ….. to authenticate/authorize a User for accessing to the service …. and Credential information…. and hash ...”, “the service request message …. to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE and justifies the hash value of the message to ensure that the message was not modified”, which the examiner interpreted as being the claimed “sending, …..the first check value to the …..”.
Moreover, in response to applicant's argument that Liao does not teach or suggest claim 1. It is noted that Liao at Para.0042, Para.0128 discloses, “The UDM …. configured to store subscriber profiles”, “User Profile stores the credentials…. used for user authentication for the service” which the examiner interpreted as being the claimed ‘receiving…. an operator credential configured by a Unified Data Management (UDM)’. In addition, Liao at Para.0129, Para.0128 discloses, “When a user/UE requests a service from the PIN device …. the user/UE …. encrypt the message with … key of the service identified by an associated User Identifier based on the User Profile”, “User Profile stores the credentials….. of the services identified by User identifier….. used for user authentication for the service” which the examiner interpreted as being the claimed ‘encrypting, ….. the operator credential to obtain an encrypted credential’. Then, Liao at Para.0129, Para.0095, Para.0098, Para.0123 discloses, “When a user/UE requests a service from the PIN device connected to the gateway …. encrypt the message with …. key of the service identified by an associated User Identifier”, “the eRG determines if the PIN device is an authorized User identified by a User Identity”, “eRG authenticates User Identity of the PIN device based on its credentials”, “the eRG (5G residential gateway)”, which the examiner interpreted as being the claimed ‘…the encrypted credential is used for a PIN Element with Gateway Capability (PEGC)….’, as eRG (5G residential gateway) is equivalent to the claimed ‘PIN Element with Gateway Capability (PEGC)’.
Second, in response to applicant's argument that He is silent on generation … of first …. value, it is noted that, HE at Para.0581 discloses, “AUSF generates a ….value”, which is equivalent to the claimed ‘…. generating, by the AUSF, a ….. value…’.
It is clearly indicated that Liao and HE disclose the above-mentioned claim limitations, and the rejection of such is sustained below.
Applicant's further arguments with respect to the limitations “performed by an Authentication Server Function (AUSF)…. receiving, by the AUSF, …. credential…..encrypting, by the AUSF, the ….. credential……sending, by the AUSF, the ……to the UDM…. sending, by the AUSF, the …… value to the UDM………” have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Examiner noted that applicants’ arguments regarding claims 3,5,9-11 have not been addressed as these claims contain allowable subject matter.
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.
4. Claims 1-2,4,6-8,31-32 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao et al (US 20210368341 A1) in view of HE et al. (US 20200344604 A1) also in view of BARTOLOMÉ et al. (US 20220060897 A1)
Regarding Claim 1:
Liao discloses:
a. An information processing method, wherein the method ….. an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), (Para.0123, Para.0043; “method for the user authentication ….. to access services provided by an PIN device …via a ….UE”, “The AUSF …. store data for UE authentication”) and the method comprises:
receiving…. an operator credential configured by a Unified Data Management (UDM) (Para.0042, Para.0128; “The UDM …. configured to store subscriber profiles”, “User Profile stores the credentials…. used for user authentication for the service”) for a Personal Internet of Things Network Element (PINE); (Para.0088, Abstract; “For services/applications that are provided by PIN devices …. to authenticate/authorize a User for accessing to the service of the PIN device…..” “for enabling secure access for services provided by IoT Devices in 5G network ….. To provide secure access to an application running on a personal internet of things (IoT) network (PIN) device …..”)
b. encrypting, ….. the operator credential to obtain an encrypted credential; (Para.0129, Para.0128; “When a user/UE requests a service from the PIN device …. the user/UE …. encrypt the message with … key of the service identified by an associated User Identifier based on the User Profile”, “User Profile stores the credentials….. of the services identified by User identifier….. used for user authentication for the service”) and
sending, …… the encrypted credential to the …… (Para.0130; “…. performs the user authentication for the requested user by using the …. key of the service to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE ….”)
wherein the encrypted credential is used for a PIN Element with Gateway Capability (PEGC) (Para.0129, Para.0095, Para.0098, Para.0123; “When a user/UE requests a service from the PIN device connected to the gateway …. encrypt the message with …. key of the service identified by an associated User Identifier”, “the eRG determines if the PIN device is an authorized User identified by a User Identity”, “eRG authenticates User Identity of the PIN device based on its credentials”, “the eRG (5G residential gateway)” eRG (5G residential gateway) is construed as PIN Element with Gateway Capability (PEGC)) to perform decryption to obtain the operator credential; (Para.0130, Para.0153, Para.0128; “the gateway ….performs the user authentication for the requested user by using the …. key of the service to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE”, “…. User Identifier…. or Credential information, e.g.… private and public pairs for encryption/decryption”, “the credentials, e.g., … key” the gateway/eRG performs the user authentication for the requested user by using the key, private and public pairs of keys are used for encryption/decryption as well as the credentials of the user contains key, which indicates that the operator credential is obtained after decryption is performed)
c. wherein the method further comprises:
generating, …. a first check value for integrity protection verification according to the encrypted credential; (FIG.10/ Para.0130, Para.0127; “Step 5: …. receives the …. message for a service …performs the user authentication … to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE and justifies the hash value of the message ….”, “… registers the PIN device and its services ….. i.e., authorized users of the services, e.g., with credential information of the allocated …. key of the authorized service, hash algorithm….” hash value is construed as a first check value) and
sending, …..the first check value to the ….. (Liao, Para.0092, Para.0130, Para.0048, Para.0041; “for each service of the ….. subscriber ….. contains ….Authentication/authorization policy …. to authenticate/authorize a User for accessing to the service …. and Credential information…. and hash ...”, “the service request message …. to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE and justifies the hash value of the message to ensure that the message was not modified”, “service-based …. network functions …. to access their services”, “The AMF 132 …. provide UE-based authentication, authorization”) wherein the first check value and the encrypted credential are provided to the PEGC together. (FIG.10/ Para.0130, Para.0127; “Step 5: When the gateway …receives the …. authentication for the requested user by using the …. key of the service …. and justifies the hash value of the message …”, “The gateway ….registers the PIN device …..the registration message includes the …. authorized users of the services, e.g., with credential information of the ….. key of the authorized service, hash ….. the result of the registration … to the gateway” the hash value is construed as the first check value)
However, Liao does not explicitly disclose:
a. …. the …..is performed by an Authentication Server Function (AUSF),….
…. receiving, by the AUSF, ….. credential…..
b. …..encrypting, by the AUSF, the ….. credential……
….. sending, by the AUSF, the ……to the UDM,
c. …. generating, by the AUSF, a ….. value ……
sending, by the AUSF, the …… value to the UDM………
In an analogous reference HE discloses:
c. …. generating, by the AUSF, a ….. value… (Para.0581; “AUSF generates a ….value”)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify Liao’s method for enabling secure access for services provided by IoT Devices in 5G network by enhancing Liao’s method to include HE’s method for performing verification using a shared key.
The motivation: When the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) in a 5G network generates a hash value during the authentication process, it enhances security, integrity, and privacy.
However, Liao in view of HE does not explicitly disclose:
a. …. the …..is performed by an Authentication Server Function (AUSF),….
…. receiving, by the AUSF, …. credential…..
b. …..encrypting, by the AUSF, the ….. credential……
….. sending, by the AUSF, the ……to the UDM,
c. …. sending, by the AUSF, the …… value to the UDM………
In an analogous reference BARTOLOMÉ discloses:
a. …. the …..is performed by an Authentication Server Function (AUSF),…. (Para.0084, Para.0014; “Authentication Server Function (AUSF) to perform authentication between the UE and 5GC”, “a 5G Core (5GC)”)
…. receiving, by the AUSF, …. credential….. (Abstract, Claim.16, Claim.18; “receiving …. a request to authenticate a user for access via a first CN….. a request to provide user authentication credentials associated with the first CN”, “A first core network, CN, comprising…. a first access management node”, “the first access management node comprises …. an authentication server function, AUSF”)
b. …..encrypting, by the AUSF, the ….credential…… (Para.0045, Claim.16, Claim.18; “the received user authentication credentials can be encrypted using an encryption mechanism associated with the first CN”, “A first core network, CN, comprising… a first access management node”, “the first access management node comprises ….an authentication server function, AUSF”)
….. sending, by the AUSF, the …… to the UDM, (FIG.6A/Para.0084; “In operation 1, the ….AUSF requests the UDM function to execute the authentication operation for the user. In operation 2, upon receiving the request, the UDM…..”)
c. …. sending, by the AUSF, the …… value to the UDM……… (FIG.6A/Para.0089, Para.0090, Para.0080; “in operation 8, the “….. generate the …. encrypted credential”, “In operation 9, ….. sends to the UDM the ….encrypted credentials”, “encrypted user credentials ….. corresponding encryption parameters (e.g., SQN)” FIG.6A, in operation 8 and 9, AUSF sends to the UDM the encrypted credentials corresponding to a value/encryption parameter (e.g., SQN))
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to modify Liao in view of HE’s method for enabling secure access for services provided by IoT Devices in 5G network by enhancing Liao in view of HE’s method to include BARTOLOMÉ’s method for managing user authentication credentials.
The motivation: In the 5G Core, AUSF (Authentication Server Function) and UDM (Unified Data Management) work together to authenticate users securely. The UDM securely stores the subscriber’s long-term secret key and related data, while the AUSF does not store secret key itself. When the AUSF needs to retrieve authentication material for a subscriber, it sends a request to the UDM, the UDM processes the request, performs cryptographic operations, and returns the authentication vector to the AUSF.
With respect to independent claims 31 and 32, a corresponding reasoning was given earlier in this section with respect to claim 1; therefore, claims 31 and 32 rejected, for similar reasons, under the grounds as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding Claim 4:
Liao in view of HE also in view of BARTOLOMÉ discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
generating …… acknowledgement ….. according to an identifier of the …. when receiving from the …. an indicator indicating that a credential reception confirmation from the PEGC is required; (Liao, Para.0131, Claim 10, Para.0048; “If the authentication is successful, the service request to the PIN device. Otherwise, the gateway UE rejects the service access request” forwarding the service based on a successful authentication is construed as generating a acknowledgement, “the service to the UE in response to successful authentication based on a …. user identifier”, “service-based representations …. used to represent network functions ….. that enable ….. authorized network functions to access their services”) and
sending … acknowledgement …. to the …. (Liao, Para.0131, Claim.1; “If the authentication is successful…. forwards the service …. to the PIN device”, “based on a UE subscription…. communication with a personal internet of things (IoT) network (PIN) device in a …. network ….. for secure access to the PIN device”) wherein the ….acknowledgement …..returned by the PEGC after the PEGC confirms reception of the operator credential. (Para.0131, Para.0127; “If the authentication is successful, the gateway UE forwards the service request to the PIN device. Otherwise, the gateway UE rejects the service access request”, “based on a 5G subscriber's …. the 5G network allocates …. keys to the authorized users …. i.e., authorized users of the services, e.g., with credential information of the allocated ….. key of the authorized service”)
…. generating a first ….. value ….. according to an identifier of the PINE (HE, Para.0305, Para.0060, Para.0329; “a …. message to a……”, “…. message includes first network identifier information”, “a hash value of the first network identifier information”) when receiving from the second …..element…. (HE, Para.0581; “AUSF generates a hash value”)
…. sending the first …. value to ……wherein the first …. value is used to be compared with a second …… value (HE/Para.0581; “AUSF obtains a …..AUSF generates a hash value ….compares the generated hash value with the received hash value”)
…. receiving from the UDM…… (BARTOLOMÉ, Para.0047; “receiving, from a data management node ….. a request to provide user authentication credentials …. the data management node can be a user data management (UDM) function ….”)
…..sending the …. to the UDM….. (BARTOLOMÉ, Para.0090; “sends to the UDM the …. encrypted credentials”)
Regarding Claim 6:
Liao in view of HE also in view of BARTOLOMÉ discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
receiving security capability information of the PEGC; (Liao, Para.0124, Para.0092, Para.0128; “security mechanism using private/public keys pairs may be used …. for user authentication”, “Authentication/authorization policy …. used to authenticate/authorize a User for accessing to the service of the PIN device…. for the authorized service, security keys for encryption/decryption….”, “The gateway …. stores the credentials, …. of the services identified by User identifier, which is to be used for user authentication for the service”) and
selecting a security algorithm for protecting the operator credential according to the security capability information. (Para.0128; “….. the credentials, …..and hash algorithm…. of the services identified by User identifier, which is to be used for user authentication for the service”)
Regarding Claim 7:
Liao in view of HE also in view of BARTOLOMÉ discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
determining a credential encryption key. (Liao, Para.0092; “Authentication/authorization policy …. used to authenticate/authorize a User for accessing to the service of the PIN device; and Credential information …. security keys for encryption”)
Regarding Claim 8:
Liao in view of HE also in view of BARTOLOMÉ discloses:
The method according to claim 7, wherein determining the credential encryption key comprises: determining the first key used for key derivation of the …… as the credential encryption key. (Liao, Para.0130; “UE performs the user authentication for the requested user by using the private key of the service to ensure that the message is sent by a legitimate user/UE”)
…. determining the …. key used for …. of the AUSF as the credential encryption ….. (BARTOLOMÉ, Para.0044, Para.0077; “managing user authentication credentials ….include …. authenticate a user …..from an Authentication Support Function (AUSF)”, “user credentials….the encryption … key parameters is SQN….. to authenticate the user”)
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3,5,9-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim/rejected dependent claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
In interpreting the currently amended claims, in light of the specification, the Examiner finds the claimed invention to be patentably distinct from the prior art of record.
Liao et al (US 20210368341 A1) discloses enabling secure access for services provided by IoT Devices in 5G network. To provide secure access to an application running on a personal internet of things (IoT) network (PIN) device through another PIN device that acts as an evolved residential gateway (eRG).
HE et al. (US 20200344604 A1) discloses performing verification using a shared key to avoid a spoofing attack from the visited network.
BARTOLOMÉ et. Al (US 20220060897 A1) discloses managing user authentication credentials in relation to different types of core networks, receiving user authentication credentials associated with the first CN and based on the received user authentication credentials, authenticating the user for access via the first CN.
The prior art of record fails to teach or suggest, individually or in combination, each and every limitation of the claimed invention. For example, Liao - HE - BARTOLOMÉ in combination do not disclose, “The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the first check value for integrity protection verification according to the encrypted credential comprises: generating the first check value according to the encrypted credential, a length of the encrypted credential, a parameter update count value, a length of the parameter update count value and a first key used for key derivation of the AUSF”, “The method according to claim 4, wherein generating the first acknowledgement value according to the identifier of the PINE comprises: generating the first acknowledgement value according to the identifier of the PINE, a length of the identifier of the PINE, a parameter update count value, a length of the parameter update count value, and a first key used for key derivation of the AUSF”, “The method according to claim 7, wherein encrypting the operator credential to obtain the encrypted credential comprises: based on the credential encryption key, a parameter update count value, a direction value, a bearer identifier, and a length value of the operator credential, encrypting the operator credential to obtain the encrypted credential.”, “The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the direction value or the bearer identifier is a preset value.”, “The method according to claim 9, further comprising: sending, to the UDM, an identifier of the PEGC, an identifier of the PINE, the parameter update count value, the direction value, the bearer identifier and an algorithm identifier of the security algorithm along with the encrypted credential”, within the context of the claimed invention as a whole, as recited in claims 3,5,9-11.
Thus, the Examiner finds that the prior arts do not provide sufficient teaching or motivation for anticipating or rendering obvious the claimed invention as a whole, without the usage of impermissible hindsight reasoning. Therefore, claims 3,5,9-11 would be allowed if the base claim would be amended to traverse the rejections above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply 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 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAYEDA SALMA NAHAR whose telephone number is (703)756-4609. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amir Mehrmanesh can be reached on (571) 270-3351. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SAYEDA SALMA NAHAR/Examiner, Art Unit 2435
/BEEMNET W DADA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2435
