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 .
Detail Action
2. This office action is response to the application filed on . Claims 1-11.31-32 are pending in this communication.
Election/Restrictions
3. Claims 12-15,21-23 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group 2-3, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/30/2026.
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)
Regarding Claim 1:
Liao discloses:
a. An information processing method, (Para.0123; “method for the user authentication ….. to access services provided by an PIN device …via a ….UE”) wherein the method is performed by a first network element, (Para.0041; “The AMF 132 can be used to manage access control …..The AMF 132 may provide UE-based authentication, authorization” AMF 132 is construed as a first network element) and the method comprises: receiving an operator credential (Para.0128, Abstract; “The …. UE stores the updated User Profiles…..User Profile stores the credentials….. of the services identified by User identifier, which is to be used for user authentication for the service”, “for enabling secure access for services provided ….. in 5G network ….” The AMF 132 provides UE-based authentication, authorization and UE stores the credentials of the services identified by user identifier, which is to be used for user authentication for the service, construed as the claimed ‘the method is performed by a first network element and the method comprises: receiving an operator credential’) configured by a second network element for a Personal Internet of Things Network Element (PINE); (Para.0041, Para.0042, Para.0088, Abstract; “The UPF 134 can provide …. Services…”, “The UPF 134 can be deployed in one or more configurations according to the desired service type”, “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 …..” UPF 134 is construed second network element)
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, which is to be 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 ….”)
c. 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)
however, Liao does not explicitly disclose:
….by a first ….. element, sending the encrypted …. to the second …..element,
In an analogous reference HE discloses:
….by a first ….. element, sending the encrypted …. to the second …..element, (Para.0110; “for performing verification by using encryption information ….. obtaining, by a first …..element, encryption information by encrypting….. on first network identifier information….. sending, by the first ….element, a deregistration message to a second ….. element, where the deregistration message includes the first network identifier information and the encryption information….”)
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 a second element initiates a registration message to the first element, the first element records related information of the second element. If the first element stores an address of an old second element, the first element further sends a deregistration message to the old second element, to request the old second element to delete user-related context information.
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 2:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
generating a first check value for integrity protection verification according to the
encrypted credential; (Liao, 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 …..network element, (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 PEGG 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)
….. sending the …. value to the second….. element… (HE, Para.0305, Para.0060, Para.0329; “sends a deregistration message to a second …..element,”, “the deregistration message includes first network identifier information”, “a hash value of the first network identifier information”)
Regarding Claim 4:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
generating …… acknowledgement ….. according to an identifier of the …. when receiving from the …. network element 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 gateway UE forwards 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,”, “The UPF 134 can be deployed …..according to the desired service type and …. connected with a ….network”, “service-based representations …. used to represent network functions ….. that enable ….. authorized network functions to access their services”) and
sending … acknowledgement …. to the second network element, (Liao, Para.0131, Claim.1, Para.0041; “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”, “The UPF 134 can provide a connection to a …..network …. for example, ….services, Internet access”) 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”)
Regarding Claim 6:
Liao in view of HE 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 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 discloses:
The method according to claim 7, wherein determining the credential encryption key comprises: determining the first key used for key derivation of the first network element as the credential encryption key. (Liao, Para.0130, Para.0041; “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”, “The AMF 132 may provide UE-based authentication, authorization”)
Claims 3,5,9-11 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) and further in view of NPL 3GPP TS (3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Security architecture and procedures for 5G system (Release 18)
Regarding Claim 3:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
The method according to claim 2, 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, ….. the encrypted credential, (disclosed in claim 2) ….and a first key used for key derivation of the first network element. (Para.0130, Para.0041; “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”, “The AMF 132 may provide UE-based authentication, authorization”)
however, Liao in view of HE does not explicitly disclose:
…. a length of the encrypted ….., a parameter update count value, a length of the parameter update count value….
In an analogous reference 3GPP TS discloses:
…. a length of the encrypted ….. (Page.32; “encryption …. algorithms …..having keys of length 128 bits”) …. a parameter update count value, (Page.56/ Page.123/Page.121; “Roaming or UE Parameter Update procedures; …..stores the latest KAusF ….. after successful completion of the latest primary authentication”, “key KAusF”, “Counter….. within the ….. Subscription data. ……The UE shall initialize the Counter…. The Counter…. shall be incremented …. for every new computation of …. to mitigate the replay attack”) a length of the parameter update count value…. (Page.124/Page.123; “The UE shall use the Counter…. received from the UDM….. for the UE Parameters Update”, “UE shall associate a 16-bit counter……with the key KAusF”)
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 3GPP TS’s authentication method.
The motivation: parameter update count value helps to track and secure updates to a subscriber’s profile or parameters stored in any network element.
Regarding Claim 5:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
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 ….. identifier of the PINE, (disclosed in claim 4) …… and a first key used for key derivation of the first network element. (disclosed in claim 3)
however, Liao in view of HE does not explicitly disclose:
….a length of the …… a parameter update count value, a length of the parameter update count value…..
In an analogous reference 3GPP TS discloses:
….a length of the …… a parameter update count value, a length of the parameter update count value…..(disclosed in claim 3)
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 3GPP TS’s authentication method.
The motivation: is the same as claim 3.
Regarding Claim 9:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
The method according to claim 7, wherein encrypting the operator credential to obtain the encrypted credential comprises:
based on the credential encryption key, …… operator credential, encrypting the operator credential to obtain the 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, which is to be used for user authentication for the service”)
however, Liao in view of HE does not explicitly disclose:
……a parameter update count value, a direction value, a bearer identifier, and a length value of the…. encrypted……
In an analogous reference 3GPP TS discloses:
……a parameter update count value, (disclosed in claim 3) a direction value, (Page.115; “The input parameters …. are …. the 1-bit direction of transmission ….”) a bearer identifier, (Para.0115; “a 5-bit bearer identity …which corresponds to the ….bearer identity”) and a length value of the…. encrypted…... (disclosed in claim 3)
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 3GPP TS’s authentication method.
The motivation: is the same as claim 3.
Regarding Claim 10:
Liao in view of HE and further in view of 3GPP TS discloses:
The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the direction value or the bearer identifier is a preset value. (3GPP TS, Page.115; “The input parameters …. are …. the 1-bit direction of transmission ….a 5-bit bearer identity …which corresponds to the ….bearer identity”)
Regarding Claim 11:
Liao in view of HE discloses:
The method according to claim 9, further comprising: sending, to the second network element, an identifier of the PEGC, (Liao, Para.0157, Para.0041; “the 5G network shall enable support for a gateway …..to authenticate a User Identity to a service with a User Identifier …..connected to a PIN device behind the gateway”, “The UPF 134 ….provide a connection to a ….network …. Include…. operator services, Internet access”) …. along with the encrypted credential. (Para.0129; “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”)
…. sending, an identifier of the PINE …(HE, Para.0110; “sending….a …. message …..message includes the first network identifier information ….”)
however, Liao in view of HE does not explicitly disclose:
…. the parameter update count value, the direction value, the bearer identifier and an algorithm identifier of the security algorithm ….
In an analogous reference 3GPP TS discloses:
…. the parameter update count value, the direction value, the bearer identifier (disclosed above) and an algorithm identifier of the security algorithm …. (Page.139; “provides the … algorithm identifiers … UE …. to verify the integrity …. derived using the algorithm identity”)
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 3GPP TS’s authentication method.
The motivation: is the same as claim 3.
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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/SAYEDA SALMA NAHAR/Examiner, Art Unit 2435
/BEEMNET W DADA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2435
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