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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks filed on 06/16/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) under 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive in light new claim amendments. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of a new reference based on updated search and consideration. The applicant’s arguments are based primarily on the new amendments to the claims. It is acknowledged that claim 8 is cancelled. Therefore, prior rejection is converted from 102 to 103 (see below).
The attorney was told by examiner to include some dependent claim(s) along with allowable subject matter. The attorney however, indicated that the client could not be moved to get the amendments and requested an OA and shall continue prosecution at a later time. No agreement reached.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 – 3, 5 – 7, 9, 17 – 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rahman et al (US 20220216924), Rah and Lamas; Antia (US 20250038967), Lam.
Claim 1: Rah teaches a method for establishing secure communications with quantum entanglement, comprising: generating a stream of quantum entangled particles; ([0030]: backhaul communications of an active mobile communication session, e.g., providing one or more of mobile devices 124, 126 with access to backend services, may be secured according to one or more quantum processes, such as the exchange of qubits via the quantum channel 174. Quantum processes may include, without limitation, one or more of any of the quantum processes disclosed herein, such as generation of qubits, generation of quantum entangled particles or qubits, transmission and/or receipt of qubits and/or quantum entangled particles or qubits, entanglement swapping, quantum teleportation, sensing of quantum states, evaluation of qubit values, detection of tampering by evaluation of quantum states, quantum key distribution (QKD), storage of entangled particles and/or qubits, quantum processing of qubits, e.g., according to quantum gates, and the like.”; para 0049, “In at least some embodiments qubits, e.g., the photons, are generated and/or otherwise sourced locally at one or more of the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively or in addition, the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219);and transmitting at least part of the stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least a first node, a second node, and an intermediate node connected via a satellite communication network; (Fig. 2A, ref. no. 201 Quantum Aware WLAN, 216 quantum repeater, 214 Q-FES, 215 Q-Channel, 203 Core Cloud; [0048] “In at least some embodiments, the optical link may include one or more quantum repeaters 216. The quantum repeaters 216 are adapted to extend a usable range of the optical link as may be particularly useful for optical fiber cable embodiments, in which currently achievable ranges are from about 60 to about 120 miles. It is understood that free-space optical links may not be limited, with reported examples permitting quantum-enabled satellite communications links. Quantum repeaters 216 may include a quantum receiver, a qubit regenerator, and a quantum transmitter to effectively establish two independent quantum-enabled channels between the Q-WLAN 201 and the Q-FES 214.”; para 0049, “For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. In at least some embodiments, the exchange of quantum-enable information may be in one direction, e.g., from the Q-FES 214 to the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively, or in addition, the exchange of quantum-enabled information may be in both directions. Such bi-directional exchanges of quantum-enabled information may occur in a simplex fashion. Alternatively, or in addition, they may occur in a full-duplex fashion.”);wherein the stream of the quantum entangled particles is used to derive a quantum entangled value for use with a cryptographic protocol of secure communications between the first node and the second node via the satellite communication network. ([055] “It is understood that, without limitation, leveraging the qubits may include implementing a quantum key distribution over the quantum channel 215 to establish a secure encryption key that may be applied to user session communications over the classical communication channel, e.g., over the existing backhaul link 218.”; claim 9, “The system of claim 1, wherein the exchanging of the information between the wireless access point and the mobility core network via the qubits of the quantum communication channel further comprises: sharing an encryption key according to quantum key distribution via the quantum communications channel to obtain a shared key, the underlying data of the classical communication channel being encrypted according to the shared key.”).
Rah is silent on wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node;
But analogous art Lam teaches wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node; ([039] an entanglement distribution service includes intermediate nodes at varied geographic locations that enable entanglement distribution across continents. An entanglement distribution service includes satellite based intermediate nodes that enable entanglement distribution across continents and/or between continents (via satellite network links); [032] determine a path of network links and intermediate nodes that connect the set of endpoints, and cause sets of entangled quantum particle pairs of quantum particles to be distributed between intermediate nodes, via the determined network links, along the determined path to provide distributed quantum entanglement between the set of endpoints).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Rah to include the idea of using intermediate satellite links as taught by Low so that the distributed quantum entanglement provides a quantum secure connection between the set of endpoints that is protected against interference or eavesdropping along the path, either at trusted or non-trusted locations [032].
Claim 2: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: splitting the stream of quantum entangled particles at the first node into a first stream portion and a first remaining stream portion of the quantum entangled particles, wherein transmitting the stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least the second node includes transmitting at least part of the first remaining stream portion from the first node to the intermediate node. (Rah: [062] the quantum state of each of the photons taken individually cannot be defined. For example, the entanglement generator 222 may receive photons from the photon source 221, split the photons using a nonlinear crystal, exhibiting spontaneous parametric down-conversion to obtain entangled photon pairs. The entangled photons may be processed within the entanglement generator 222 and/or the quantum processor 223 to obtain entangled photons. [066] the entanglement generator 222 provides one or more of the entangled photons for application to a source endpoint of a quantum teleportation system, e.g., a quantum transmitter, a destination endpoint of a quantum teleportation system, e.g., a quantum receiver or detector, and/or a quantum relay or repeater. Alternatively or in addition, the entanglement generator 222 provides one or both qubits of an entangled photon pair to a storage device. The quantum particles may be transported over a quantum channel via a quantum channel interface 226. classical information, e.g., identifying an observed quantum state may be conveyed to one or more communication nodes, e.g., the Q-WLAN and/or the Q-FES over a classical channel, via a classical channel interface 227. Data may be exchanged between the quantum-enabled communication node 220 and one or more external devices, such as the mobile communications device 209, and/or the backend servers).
Claim 3: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising: splitting the first remaining stream portion of the quantum entangled particles at the intermediate node into an intermediate stream portion and an intermediate remaining stream portion of the quantum entangled particles; wherein transmitting the stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least the second node includes transmitting the intermediate remaining stream portion from the intermediate node to the second node. (Rah: [049, 063] Adjustable spiral phase plates can be made by providing an adjustable separation, e.g., by moving a wedge between two sides of a split or cracked piece of plastic. It is envisioned that other devices can be used to produce vortices of a photon or photon beam, such as a hologram, a deformable mirror, a birefringent liquid crystal plate, sometimes referred to as a q-plate. For example, a q-plate with a topological charge “q” can generate a ±2q charge vortex in an optical beam based on polarization of an input beam. and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201.).
Claim 5: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first node, the second node, and the intermediate node are respective satellites in the satellite communication network. (Rah: Fig. 1 [025-26] a block diagram is shown illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a system 100 in accordance with various aspects described herein. For example, system 100 can facilitate in whole or in part, a provisioning, an establishment and/or an activation of a quantum-enabled communication channel between a wireless access point and a mobile core network responsive to a perceived security threat, and securing mobile backhaul communications according to an exchange of quantum entangled particles via the quantum channel. In particular, a communications network 125 is presented for providing broadband access 110 to a plurality of data terminals 114 via access terminal 112, wireless access 120 to a plurality of mobile devices 124 and vehicle 126 via base station or access point 122, voice access 130 to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via switching device 132 and/or media access 140 to a plurality of audio/video display devices 144 via media terminal 142. The wireless access point may be in communication with the communications network 125 via a backhaul network or backhaul link 182. In at least some embodiments, the communications network 125 provides communication access to wireless devices that may or may not be mobile, such as drones and/or appliances, e.g., home appliances, security systems, and the like. Wireless communications access may include, without limitation machine-to-machine or machine-type communications, e.g., according to Internet of Things (IoT) applications. In addition, communication network 125 is coupled to one or more content sources 175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/or other media. While broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130 and media access 140 are shown separately, one or more of these forms of access can be combined to provide multiple access services to a single client device (e.g., mobile devices 124 can receive media content via media terminal 142, data terminal 114 can be provided voice access via switching device 132, and so on… Ultrawideband network, personal area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communications network).
Claim 6: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first node and the second node are located on-Earth while connected to the satellite communication network. (Rah: FIG. 1 [0026] The communications network 125 includes a plurality of network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc., for facilitating the broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or the distribution of content from content sources 175. The communications network 125 can include a circuit switched or packet switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network, Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive or active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless access network, WIMAX network, Ultrawideband network, personal area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast satellite network and/or other communications network. [0027] In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices).
Claim 7: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, wherein an observation of the quantum entangled particles occurs exclusively at the first node and the second node to derive the quantum entangled value. (Rah: FIG. 1, 2A [0038] the base station or access point 122 can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station; [062] The entangled photons may be processed within the entanglement generator 222 and/or the quantum processor 223 to obtain entangled photons. By way of nonlimiting example, the processing may include filtering the photons according to different, e.g., orthogonal filters to selectively obtain entangled photons having a preferred polarization).
Claim 9: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic protocol includes use of a random number produced from a quantum-derived seed as input to a random number generator, and wherein the quantum-derived seed is based on the quantum entangled value. (Rah: [030] Quantum processes may include, without limitation, one or more of any of the quantum processes disclosed herein, such as generation of qubits, generation of quantum entangled particles or qubits, transmission and/or receipt of qubits and/or quantum entangled particles or qubits, entanglement swapping, quantum teleportation, sensing of quantum states, evaluation of qubit values, detection of tampering by evaluation of quantum states, quantum key distribution (QKD), storage of entangled particles and/or qubits, quantum processing of qubits, e.g., according to quantum gates, and the like. A qubit is quantum mechanical analogue of a classical bit embodied in one or more of ions, electrons, and/or photons).
Claim 17: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: generating another stream of quantum entangled particles; and transmitting at least part of the another stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least a third node and another intermediate node connected via the satellite communication network, wherein the another intermediate node is located between the second node and the third node; wherein the another stream of the quantum entangled particles is used to derive another quantum entangled value for use with the cryptographic protocol of secure communications between the second node and the third node via the satellite communication network. (Rah: FIG. 1, 2A, 2B [020] a first node may include a quantum-enabled WLAN (Q-WLAN) through which a wireless user may be attached, e.g., at an active Wi-Fi hotspot. A second node may include a Quantum Front End Server (Q-FES) at a central site, such as at core cloud, e.g., a mobility core network. A third node may include a Quantum Resource Manager (Q-RM), e.g., at and/or otherwise associated with the core cloud. [0030]: backhaul communications of an active mobile communication session, e.g., providing one or more of mobile devices 124, 126 with access to backend services, may be secured according to one or more quantum processes, such as the exchange of qubits via the quantum channel 174. Quantum processes may include, without limitation, one or more of any of the quantum processes disclosed herein, such as generation of qubits, generation of quantum entangled particles or qubits, transmission and/or receipt of qubits and/or quantum entangled particles or qubits, entanglement swapping, quantum teleportation, sensing of quantum states, evaluation of qubit values, detection of tampering by evaluation of quantum states, quantum key distribution (QKD), storage of entangled particles and/or qubits, quantum processing of qubits, e.g., according to quantum gates, and the like.”; para 0049, “In at least some embodiments qubits, e.g., the photons, are generated and/or otherwise sourced locally at one or more of the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively or in addition, the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219. fig. 2A, ref. no. 201 Quantum Aware WLAN, 216 quantum repeater, 214 Q-FES, 215 Q-Channel, 203 Core Cloud; [0048] “In at least some embodiments, the optical link may include one or more quantum repeaters 216. The quantum repeaters 216 are adapted to extend a usable range of the optical link as may be particularly useful for optical fiber cable embodiments, in which currently achievable ranges are from about 60 to about 120 miles. It is understood that free-space optical links may not be limited, with reported examples permitting quantum-enabled satellite communications links. Quantum repeaters 216 may include a quantum receiver, a qubit regenerator, and a quantum transmitter to effectively establish two independent quantum-enabled channels between the Q-WLAN 201 and the Q-FES 214.”; para 0049, “For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. In at least some embodiments, the exchange of quantum-enable information may be in one direction, e.g., from the Q-FES 214 to the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively or in addition, the exchange of quantum-enabled information may be in both directions. Such bi-directional exchanges of quantum-enabled information may occur in a simplex fashion. Alternatively or in addition, they may occur in a full-duplex fashion).
Claim 18: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 17, wherein use of the cryptographic protocol of secure communications between the first node and the second node, and between the second node and the third node, is used to establish secure communications between the first node and the third node. (Rah: [055] “It is understood that, without limitation, leveraging the qubits may include implementing a quantum key distribution over the quantum channel 215 to establish a secure encryption key that may be applied to user session communications over the classical communication channel, e.g., over the existing backhaul link 218.”; claim 9, “The system of claim 1, wherein the exchanging of the information between the wireless access point and the mobility core network via the qubits of the quantum communication channel further comprises: sharing an encryption key according to quantum key distribution via the quantum communications channel to obtain a shared key, the underlying data of the classical communication channel being encrypted according to the shared key).
Claim 19: Rah teaches at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by processing circuitry of a first node in a computing network, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations comprising: generating a stream of quantum entangled particles; and transmitting at least part of the stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least a first node, a second node, and an intermediate node connected via a satellite communication network; wherein the stream of the quantum entangled particles is used to derive a quantum entangled value for use with a cryptographic protocol of secure communications between the first node and the second node via the satellite communication network. ([0030]: backhaul communications of an active mobile communication session, e.g., providing one or more of mobile devices 124, 126 with access to backend services, may be secured according to one or more quantum processes, such as the exchange of qubits via the quantum channel 174. Quantum processes may include, without limitation, one or more of any of the quantum processes disclosed herein, such as generation of qubits, generation of quantum entangled particles or qubits, transmission and/or receipt of qubits and/or quantum entangled particles or qubits, entanglement swapping, quantum teleportation, sensing of quantum states, evaluation of qubit values, detection of tampering by evaluation of quantum states, quantum key distribution (QKD), storage of entangled particles and/or qubits, quantum processing of qubits, e.g., according to quantum gates, and the like.”; para 0049, “In at least some embodiments qubits, e.g., the photons, are generated and/or otherwise sourced locally at one or more of the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively or in addition, the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219; fig. 2A, ref. no. 201 Quantum Aware WLAN, 216 quantum repeater, 214 Q-FES, 215 Q-Channel, 203 Core Cloud; [0048] “In at least some embodiments, the optical link may include one or more quantum repeaters 216. The quantum repeaters 216 are adapted to extend a usable range of the optical link as may be particularly useful for optical fiber cable embodiments, in which currently achievable ranges are from about 60 to about 120 miles. It is understood that free-space optical links may not be limited, with reported examples permitting quantum-enabled satellite communications links. Quantum repeaters 216 may include a quantum receiver, a qubit regenerator, and a quantum transmitter to effectively establish two independent quantum-enabled channels between the Q-WLAN 201 and the Q-FES 214.”; para 0049, “For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. In at least some embodiments, the exchange of quantum-enable information may be in one direction, e.g., from the Q-FES 214 to the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively or in addition, the exchange of quantum-enabled information may be in both directions. Such bi-directional exchanges of quantum-enabled information may occur in a simplex fashion. Alternatively or in addition, they may occur in a full-duplex fashion; [055] “It is understood that, without limitation, leveraging the qubits may include implementing a quantum key distribution over the quantum channel 215 to establish a secure encryption key that may be applied to user session communications over the classical communication channel, e.g., over the existing backhaul link 218.”; claim 9, “The system of claim 1, wherein the exchanging of the information between the wireless access point and the mobility core network via the qubits of the quantum communication channel further comprises: sharing an encryption key according to quantum key distribution via the quantum communications channel to obtain a shared key, the underlying data of the classical communication channel being encrypted according to the shared key).
Rah is silent on wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node;
But analogous art Lam teaches wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node; ([039] an entanglement distribution service includes intermediate nodes at varied geographic locations that enable entanglement distribution across continents. An entanglement distribution service includes satellite based intermediate nodes that enable entanglement distribution across continents and/or between continents (via satellite network links); [032] determine a path of network links and intermediate nodes that connect the set of endpoints, and cause sets of entangled quantum particle pairs (of quantum particles) to be distributed between intermediate nodes, via the determined network links, along the determined path to provide distributed quantum entanglement between the set of endpoints).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Rah to include the idea of using intermediate satellite links as taught by Low so that the distributed quantum entanglement provides a quantum secure connection between the set of endpoints that is protected against interference or eavesdropping along the path, either at trusted or non-trusted locations [032].
Claim 20: Rah teaches a node in a computing network, the node comprising: processing circuitry; and memory, including instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations to: control generation of a stream of quantum entangled particles; and control transmission of at least part of the stream of the quantum entangled particles to at least a first node, a second node, and an intermediate node connected via a satellite communication network; wherein the stream of the quantum entangled particles is used to derive a quantum entangled value for use with a cryptographic protocol of secure communications between the first node and the second node via the satellite communication network. ([0030]: backhaul communications of an active mobile communication session, e.g., providing one or more of mobile devices 124, 126 with access to backend services, may be secured according to one or more quantum processes, such as the exchange of qubits via the quantum channel 174. Quantum processes may include, without limitation, one or more of any of the quantum processes disclosed herein, such as generation of qubits, generation of quantum entangled particles or qubits, transmission and/or receipt of qubits and/or quantum entangled particles or qubits, entanglement swapping, quantum teleportation, sensing of quantum states, evaluation of qubit values, detection of tampering by evaluation of quantum states, quantum key distribution (QKD), storage of entangled particles and/or qubits, quantum processing of qubits, e.g., according to quantum gates, and the like.”; para 0049, “In at least some embodiments qubits, e.g., the photons, are generated and/or otherwise sourced locally at one or more of the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively, or in addition, the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219; fig. 2A, ref. no. 201 Quantum Aware WLAN, 216 quantum repeater, 214 Q-FES, 215 Q-Channel, 203 Core Cloud; [0048] “In at least some embodiments, the optical link may include one or more quantum repeaters 216. The quantum repeaters 216 are adapted to extend a usable range of the optical link as may be particularly useful for optical fiber cable embodiments, in which currently achievable ranges are from about 60 to about 120 miles. It is understood that free-space optical links may not be limited, with reported examples permitting quantum-enabled satellite communications links. Quantum repeaters 216 may include a quantum receiver, a qubit regenerator, and a quantum transmitter to effectively establish two independent quantum-enabled channels between the Q-WLAN 201 and the Q-FES 214.”; para 0049, “For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201. In at least some embodiments, the exchange of quantum-enable information may be in one direction, e.g., from the Q-FES 214 to the Q-WLAN 201. Alternatively, or in addition, the exchange of quantum-enabled information may be in both directions. Such bi-directional exchanges of quantum-enabled information may occur in a simplex fashion. Alternatively or in addition, they may occur in a full-duplex fashion; [055] “It is understood that, without limitation, leveraging the qubits may include implementing a quantum key distribution over the quantum channel 215 to establish a secure encryption key that may be applied to user session communications over the classical communication channel, e.g., over the existing backhaul link 218.”; claim 9, “The system of claim 1, wherein the exchanging of the information between the wireless access point and the mobility core network via the qubits of the quantum communication channel further comprises: sharing an encryption key according to quantum key distribution via the quantum communications channel to obtain a shared key, the underlying data of the classical communication channel being encrypted according to the shared key).
Rah is silent on wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node;
But analogous art Lam teaches wherein the intermediate node is a satellite located between the first node and the second node and the stream of the quantum entangled particles travels in the satellite communication network from the first node to the second node via the intermediate node; ([039] an entanglement distribution service includes intermediate nodes at varied geographic locations that enable entanglement distribution across continents. An entanglement distribution service includes satellite based intermediate nodes that enable entanglement distribution across continents and/or between continents (via satellite network links); [032] determine a path of network links and intermediate nodes that connect the set of endpoints, and cause sets of entangled quantum particle pairs (of quantum particles) to be distributed between intermediate nodes, via the determined network links, along the determined path to provide distributed quantum entanglement between the set of endpoints).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Rah to include the idea of using intermediate satellite links as taught by Low so that the distributed quantum entanglement provides a quantum secure connection between the set of endpoints that is protected against interference or eavesdropping along the path, either at trusted or non-trusted locations [032].
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rah and Lam as applied to claims above, and further in view of Wang et al (US 12225116), Wan.
Claim 4: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 3, but is silent on wherein splitting the stream of quantum entangled particles at the first node comprises using a first beamsplitter at the first node, and wherein splitting the stream of quantum entangled particles at the intermediate node comprises using an intermediate beamsplitter at the intermediate node.
But analogous art Wan teaches wherein splitting the stream of quantum entangled particles at the first node comprises using a first beamsplitter at the first node, and wherein splitting the stream of quantum entangled particles at the intermediate node comprises using an intermediate beamsplitter at the intermediate node. (C3L15-40: a node for a quantum key distribution network includes an optical input, first and second beamsplitter, a modulator, a photodetector, an optical delay, a qubit encoder, a phase calibrator, and an optical output. The optical input receives, from a hub of the quantum key distribution network, a user-node pulse train of optical-pulse pairs, each of the optical-pulse pairs comprising a first pulse and a second pulse that is temporally delayed relative to the first pulse, where the second pulse has an optical phase shift relative to the first pulse. The first beamsplitter is configured. to split the user-node pulse train into first and second pulse trains. The modulator blocks the second pulse of each of the optical-pulse pairs of the second pulse train to generate a filtered pulse train. The second beamsplitter is configured to split the filtered pulse train into a timing pulse train and a pre-qubit pulse train. The photodetector detects the timing pulse train to generate an electronic timing signal. The optical delay delays the pre-qubit pulse train into a delayed pulse train).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined inventions of Rah and Lam to include the idea of using beamsplitter as taught by Wan so that enable scalable MDI-QKD networks by eliminating the need for auxiliary channels. (C5L24-26).
Claim(s) 10 – 13, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rah and Lam as applied to claims above, and further in view of Lowans et al (WO 2012072983), Low.
Claim 10: the combination of Rah and Lam teaches the method of claim 9, but silent on wherein the random number generator produces the random number based on measurements of the quantum-derived seed from the quantum entangled particles, and wherein the first node measures a first particle in a pair of quantum entangled particles and wherein the second node measures a second particle in the pair of quantum entangled particles.
But analogous art Low teaches wherein the random number generator produces the random number based on measurements of the quantum-derived seed from the quantum entangled particles, and wherein the first node measures a first particle in a pair of quantum entangled particles and wherein the second node measures a second particle in the pair of quantum entangled particles. (Pg. 2, Paras 25-30: Were simple 30 QKD protocols to be used in this scenario, Alice would establish a quantum key, i.e. a key derived through QKD using a string of mutually agreed random photons, with Mallory (thinking it was Bob). Bob would likewise establish a quantum key with Mallory (which may be the same key, as Mallory can send a bit string based on the string agreed with Alice)).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined inventions of Rah and Lam to include the idea of random number generation as taught by Low so that that it allows 'Key Escrow' by a key management centre, which can be required by bodies (e.g. network management or security standards bodies) to have access to traffic keys used by participants communicating across the network. (Pg. 4, para. 30).
Claim 11: the combination of Rah, Lam and Low teaches the method of claim 10, wherein the measurements of the quantum-derived seed are based on measuring a spin state for each electron in a stream of entangled electron pairs, ([002] one spin influences the other instantaneously, in a predictable manner without regard to their distance of separation. If a first recipient allows one of the entangled particles to interact with a memory qubit that holds the information to be exchanged, the interaction changes the state of the photon).
Low teaches and wherein each measurement provides a corresponding bit value of the random number. (Pg. 18, para. 20: information indicative of the signal itself (i.e. the full bit stream) or it may be a 'starting point' or seed for a pseudo random number generator (wherein
both N, and KMC contain equivalent pseudo random number generators).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined inventions of Rah and Lam to include the idea of random number generation as taught by Low so that that it allows 'Key Escrow' by a key management centre, which can be required by bodies (e.g. network management or security standards bodies) to have access to traffic keys used by participants communicating across the network. (Pg. 4, para. 30).
Claim 12: the combination of Rah, Lam and Low teaches the method of claim 10, but silent on wherein the measurements of the quantum-derived seed are based on detecting a path of single photons sent through a beamsplitter having two output paths, wherein detecting a first single photon at a first output path of the beamsplitter provides a first bit value of the random number, and wherein detecting a second single photon at a second output path of the beamsplitter provides a second bit value of the random number, the first bit value being different than the second bit value.
But analogous art Low teaches wherein the measurements of the quantum-derived seed are based on detecting a path of single photons sent through a beamsplitter having two output paths, wherein detecting a first single photon at a first output path of the beamsplitter provides a first bit value of the random number, and wherein detecting a second single photon at a second output path of the beamsplitter provides a second bit value of the random number, the first bit value being different than the second bit value. (Pg. 9, Paras 15: increasing the bit loss factor, hashing the bits used in establishing a key, increasing the rate at which keys are replaced, providing a plurality of paths through the network, sending portions of the quantum signal along different paths or the like).
Therefore, it is prima facie obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined inventions of Rah and Lam to include the idea of using different paths to send qubit portions as taught by Low so that that it allows 'Key Escrow' by a key management centre, which can be required by bodies (e.g. network management or security standards bodies) to have access to traffic keys used by participants communicating across the network. (Pg. 4, para. 30).
Claim 13: the combination of Rah, Lam and Low teaches the method of claim 10, wherein the measurements of the quantum-derived seed are based on measuring a polarization state for each photon in a stream of entangled photon pairs, and wherein each measurement provides a corresponding bit value for the random number. (Rah: [049] the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219. For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201).
Claim 16: the combination of Rah, Lam and Low teaches the method of claim 10, wherein the measurements of the quantum-derived seed are based on measuring a polarization state for each photon in a stream of entangled photon pairs, and wherein each measurement provides a corresponding bit value for the random number. (Rah: [049] the qubits, e.g., the photons, may be generated and/or otherwise sourced from a remote entity, such as the example qubit source 219. For example, the qubit source 219 may generate entangled photons, e.g., having orthogonal polarization states, and transmit a first one of the entangled pair to the Q-FES 214 and a second one of the entangled pair to the Q-WLAN 201. The qubits, by their quantum states, may facilitate a quantum-enabled exchange of information between the Q-FES 214 and the Q-WLAN 201).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14 – 15 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
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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/BADRINARAYANAN /Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2494.
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