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
1. This action is responsive to: an original application filed on 12 November 2024.
2. Claims 1-16 are currently pending and claims 1 and 9 are independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12 November 2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
4. Priority claimed date has been considered.
Pre-Amendment
5. Preliminary amendment has been noted.
Drawings
6. The drawings filed on 12 November 2024 are accepted by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §112
7. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The limitation recites in claims 5-7 and 13-15 “a first piece of information”, a second piece of information, or “a third piece of information”. Its not clear what is that mean, therefore it renders the claim vague and indefinite. For examination purpose it has been omitted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
8. 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 –
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
(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, 3-9 and 11-16 are rejected 35 U.S.C §102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Saghir et al. (US Publication No. 20200145294), hereinafter Saghir.
Regarding claim 1:
A method for provisioning a terminal in a radio communication network, the method comprising (Saghir, ¶1, Fig.1):
receiving an initial connection prompt for the terminal to connect to the radio communication network (Saghir, ¶36), Small cell wireless station 105 requests establishment (shown with a “3” within a circle) of a secure tunnel with SeGW 125 for connecting to controlled access network 130. The tunnel establishment request includes the small cell wireless station 105's network address and its assigned certificate.
providing the network address of a provisioning server (Saghir, ¶36), provisioning system 140 may query the small cell wireless station 105, or another node that maintains network address information, to retrieve the network address (e.g., MAC address) of the new small cell wireless station 105. FIG. 6 depicts provisioning system 140 obtaining a network address (e.g., a MAC address) for the new small cell wireless station 105, and sending a message 610 that includes the network address (e.g., MAC address) of the small cell wireless station 105 to validation entity 135.
and cryptographic information for authenticating the provisioning server to the terminal from the radiocommunication network (Saghir, ¶45, ¶47), wherein The secure tunnel may be a bi-directional tunnel, with the tunnel establishing the secure conveying of traffic from small cell wireless station 105 to SeGW 125, and from SeGW 125 to small cell wireless station 105. In one implementation, the secure tunnel may be an Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) tunnel in which traffic (e.g., packets) sent between the small cell wireless station 105 and the SeGW 125 is encrypted over the tunnel using the IPSec protocol.
Regarding claim 3:
further comprising providing an identifier to the terminal from the radio communication network, the identifier indicating which provisioning protocol or which provisioning method is to be used (Saghir, ¶23).
Regarding claim 4:
further comprising providing a configuration parameter to the terminal from the radio communication network, the configuration parameter indicating how the terminal is to adapt the provisioning protocol or the provisioning method to a given application context of the terminal (Saghir, ¶24).
Regarding claim 5:
further comprising providing a first piece of information to the terminal from the radio communication network, the first piece of information indicating which authentication credential or which authentication method is to be used by the terminal for authentication with respect to the provisioning server (Saghir, ¶15).
Regarding claim 6:
further comprising providing a second piece of information to the terminal from the radio communication network, the second piece of information indicating what is to be configured in the terminal (Saghir, ¶35).
Regarding claim 7:
further comprising providing a third piece of information is provided to the terminal from the radio communication network, the third piece of information indicating how a plurality of provisioning processes are to be carried out (Saghir, ¶36).
Regarding claim 8:
Wherein the radio communication network is comprises a 5G network; and the terminal initially connects to a node of the 5G network (Saghir, fig.1).
Regarding claim 9:
a terminal (Saghir, ¶15), wherein mobile device is the terminal.
and a radio communication network (Saghir, Fig.1)
wherein, upon initial connection of the terminal to the radio communication network (Saghir, fig.1), the radio communication network provide the network address of a provisioning server (Saghir, ¶36,) wherein, provisioning system 140 may query the small cell wireless station 105, or another node that maintains network address information, to retrieve the network address (e.g., MAC address) of the new small cell wireless station 105. FIG. 6 depicts provisioning system 140 obtaining a network address (e.g., a MAC address) for the new small cell wireless station 105, and sending a message 610 that includes the network address (e.g., MAC address) of the small cell wireless station 105 to validation entity 135.
and cryptographic information for authenticating the provisioning server to the terminal (Saghir, ¶45, ¶47), wherein The secure tunnel may be a bi-directional tunnel, with the tunnel establishing the secure conveying of traffic from small cell wireless station 105 to SeGW 125, and from SeGW 125 to small cell wireless station 105. In one implementation, the secure tunnel may be an Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) tunnel in which traffic (e.g., packets) sent between the small cell wireless station 105 and the SeGW 125 is encrypted over the tunnel using the IPSec protocol.
Regarding claim 11:
further comprising providing an identifier to the terminal from the radio communication network, the identifier indicating which provisioning protocol or which provisioning method is to be used (Saghir, ¶23).
Regarding claim 12:
further comprising providing a configuration parameter to the terminal from the radio communication network, the configuration parameter indicating how the terminal is to adapt the provisioning protocol or the provisioning method to a given application context of the terminal (Saghir, ¶24).
Regarding claim 13:
further comprising providing a first piece of information to the terminal from the radio communication network, the first piece of information indicating which authentication credential or which authentication method is to be used by the terminal for authentication with respect to the provisioning server (Saghir, ¶15).
Regarding claim 14:
further comprising providing a second piece of information to the terminal from the radio communication network, the second piece of information indicating what is to be configured in the terminal (Saghir, ¶35).
Regarding claim 15:
further comprising providing a third piece of information is provided to the terminal from the radio communication network, the third piece of information indicating how a plurality of provisioning processes are to be carried out (Saghir, ¶36).
Regarding claim 16:
Wherein the radio communication network is comprises a 5G network; and the terminal initially connects to a node of the 5G network (Saghir, Fig.1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
9. 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.
Claims 2 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C §103 as being unpatentable over Saghir and in view of Xiangyang Yang (US Publication No. 20160277051), hereinafter Yang.
Regarding claim 2 and claim 10:
Saghir does not explicitly suggest, wherein the cryptographic information includes at least one of: the public key of the provisioning server, the Subject Key Identifier (SKID) of the provisioning server, the certificate of the provisioning server, or a check value formed depending on the certificate; however, in a same field endeavor Yang discloses this limitation (Yang, ¶28).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to include the method of device provisioning in a radio network of Saghir with the use of public key disclosed in Yang to enhance security, stated by Yang. at para.37.
Conclusion
10. 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 Monjour Rahim whose telephone number is (571)270-3890.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shewaye Gelagay can be reached on 571-272-4219. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Monjur Rahim/
Patent Examiner
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Art Unit: 2436; Phone: 571.270.3890
E-mail: monjur.rahim@uspto.gov
Fax: 571.270.4890