DETAILED ACTION
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 .
The instant office action is in response to communication filed on 09/11/2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending of which claims 1 and 14 are independent.
The IDS(S) submitted on 09/17/2025 is being considered.
Internet Communications
Applicant is encouraged to submit a written authorization for Internet communications (PTO/SB/439, http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf) in the instant patent application to authorize the examiner to communicate with the applicant via email. The authorization will allow the examiner to better practice compact prosecution. The written authorization can be submitted via one of the following methods only: (1) Central Fax which can be found in the Conclusion section of this Office action; (2) regular postal mail; (3) EFS WEB; or (4) the service window on the Alexandria campus. EFS web is the recommended way to submit the form since this allows the form to be entered into the file wrapper within the same day (system dependent). Written authorization submitted via other methods, such as direct fax to the examiner or email, will not be accepted. See MPEP § 502.03.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 –
Claim(s) 1, 2, 10, 11, 14 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by YouYang et al (WO 2025167310 A1, herein after referred to as YouYang) .
Regarding claim 1, YouYang discloses a communications method (See Fig. 4 and 5) comprising:
storing a certificate corresponding to a user plane function (UPF) in the UPF of a
network core (See Fig. 4 step 401 wherein the terminal receives security certification to establish a secured IP tunnel between the terminal and the UPF. Per Paragraph 132 the certification can be Internet Key Exchange, IKE, amongst many info including address of the UPF as detailed in paragraphs 125-132 and the certification info is sent to the UPF for storage) ;
operating the UPF to use the stored certificate corresponding to the UPF to
establish a secure connection between a first user equipment (UE) and the UPF ( See paragraphs 144 and 203-208 how the UPF uses the stored certificate/Key received to establish a secured IP tunnel between the UPF and the terminal in Fig. 5 steps 501a,b and 502); and
operating an authentication server function (AUSF) (see Fig. 5 AUSF) included in the network core to perform an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication procedure to authenticate the first UE based on information communicated via the secure communication connection. (See Paragraph 196 stating “…UPF elements then instruct SMF elements to trigger AUSF elements to authenticate UE, thereby establishing a secure channel between UE and UPF network elements through authentication….” Wherein the secure communication is the secured IP tunnel between the terminal and the UPF. Per paragraph 211 in Fig. 5 S504, SMF network element sends authentication message #1 to AUSF network element. Per paragraph EAP authentication procedure is done by the AUSF when it returns per paragraph 215 in Fig. 5 S506 the AUSF network element sends authentication message #2 to the SMF network element and per paragraph 216 Authentication message #2 may contain EAP message #2, which can contain the UE's authentication information, i.e., authentication information communicated from the UE on the secured IP tunnel between the UE and UPF.)
Regarding claim 14, YouYang discloses a communications system (See Figs. 4, 5 and 9) comprising:
a network core (Fig. 5 UPF, SMF and AUSF constitute the core network as shown in Fig. 5) including:
a user plane function (UPF) (Fig. 5 UPF and Device Structure explained in Fig. 9) including a first processor (See Paragraph 351 Processor 901) and a first
memory (Paragraph 352 and Memory 902); and an authentication server function (AUSF) (Fig. 5 AUSF) including a second processor(i.e. Paragraph 352 Memory 902);
and wherein said first processor is configured to operate the UPF to:
store in said first memory a certificate corresponding to the user
plane function (UPF) a certificate corresponding to the user plane
function (UPF); (See Fig. 4 step 401 wherein the terminal receives security certification to establish a secured IP tunnel between the terminal and the UPF. Per Paragraph 132 the certification can be Internet Key Exchange, IKE, amongst many info including address of the UPF as detailed in paragraphs 125-132 and the certification info is sent to the UPF for storage)
use the stored certificate corresponding to the UPF to establish a
secure connection between a first user equipment (UE) and the UPF; ( See paragraphs 144 and 203-208 how the UPF uses the stored certificate/Key received to establish a secured IP tunnel between the UPF and the terminal in Fig. 5 steps 501a,b and 502);and
wherein said second processor is configured to operate the AUSF to: perform an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication procedure to authenticate the first UE based on information communicated via the secure communication connection. (See Paragraph 196 stating “…UPF elements then instruct SMF elements to trigger AUSF elements to authenticate UE, thereby establishing a secure channel between UE and UPF network elements through authentication….” Wherein the secure communication is the secured IP tunnel between the terminal and the UPF. Per paragraph 211 in Fig. 5 S504, SMF network element sends authentication message #1 to AUSF network element. Per paragraph EAP authentication procedure is done by the AUSF when it returns per paragraph 215 in Fig. 5 S506 the AUSF network element sends authentication message #2 to the SMF network element and per paragraph 216 Authentication message #2 may contain EAP message #2, which can contain the UE's authentication information, i.e., authentication information communicated from the UE on the secured IP tunnel between the UE and UPF.)
Regarding claim 2, YouYang discloses the method of claim 1, wherein using the stored certificate corresponding to the UPF to establish a secure connection involves communicating crypto key information as part of a handshake between the first UE and UPF. (See Fig. 5 steps 501a,b and 502 as detailed in paragraphs 203-207 establishing a secured IP tunnel between the UE and UPF using IKE as crypto key information.)
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 is rejected in the same scope as claim 2.
Regarding claim 10, YouYang discloses the method of claim 1,the method of claim 1, further comprising: operating the first UE to perform a UE authentication procedure with the network core via the secure connection. (Fig. 4 S405: After the authentication of the first terminal is passed, the user interface network element establishes a secure channel with the first terminal. Teaches establishing a secured IP tunnel/channel. See Paragraphs 16, 29, 115)
11. Regarding claim 10, YouYang discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: operating the first UE to obtain the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UPF
prior to operating the UPF to use the stored certificate to establish the secure
communications connection between the first UE and UPF. (See Paragraph 131 stating the limitations verbatim “…For example, the first terminal can obtain the address information of the user's network element in advance, such as the IP address of the user's face network element. For example, the first terminal can obtain the address information of the user's face network element from the network through prior 3GPP access, or the address information of the user face network element can be preconfigured locally in the first terminal through protocol predefinitions,)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9, 12-13, 16-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HABTE MERED whose telephone number is (571)272-6046. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 12-10 PM EST.
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/HABTE MERED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474
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