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 .
Claim status in the amendment received on 4/21/2026:
Claims 1, 7, 11-15 and 19 have been amended.
Claims 6 and 18 have been cancelled.
Claims 1-5, 7-17 and 19-20 are pending.
Response to Amendments
Applicant’s amendments have been considered and in response to the amendments:
The previous 101 rejections have been withdrawn.
The objection to the title of the disclosure have been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
The new amendments are addressed in the following rejections.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-5, 7-17 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As to claim 1, the claim recites the limitation “and the correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server querying for the SEALDD server corresponding to the EAS”. It is not clear how the “correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD” itself is querying for the SEALD server. Appropriate correction is required.
As to claim 11,
There is insufficient antecedent basis for “the first message”, in line 14.
The claim further recites the limitation “and the correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server querying for the SEALDD server corresponding to the EAS”. It is not clear how the “correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD” itself is querying for the SEALD server
As to the claim(s) that are dependent on claim(s) 1 or 11, the dependent claim(s) are also rejected under 112(b) for the same reason of their base claim(s).
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-17 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al. (Pub. No.: US 20240298286 A1).
As to claim 1, Xu teaches a communication method, comprising:
receiving, by the EAS, a message for the service request message from the SEALDD server (paragraph [0167], “second network function (such as the EAS 422) may receive, from the third network function (such as the EAS 423 or 424), a registration request, for registering the third network function in the second network function”).
sending, by the EAS, a first message to an edge enabler server (EES) (fig. 6, “2. Edge Application Server Registration Request” ), the first message reporting a correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server, and the correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server querying for the SEALDD server corresponding to the EAS (paragraph [0151], “the EAS 422 may transmit its EAS profile including the first list of associated EAS information (which may indicate the association of the EAS 422 with other EAS 423” and paragraph [0181], “the second network function (such as the EAS 422) is implemented as Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) server for the vertical application, and the third network function is implemented as Vertical Application Layer (VAL) server (such as the EAS 423, 424)”);
receiving, by the EES, the first message (paragraph [0110], “The EAS 422 sends an edge application server registration request to the EES 421”); and
storing, by the EES, the correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server (paragraph [0113], “Upon successful authorization, the EES 421 stores the EAS Profile for later use”).
Xu does not explicitly teach sending a request message to the server.
However, Xu further teaches sending, by a device, a service request message to a service enabler architecture layer data delivery (SEALDD) server, the service request message comprising information about the EAS (paragraph [0189], “the first network function may receive receiving, from a functional component of a User Equipment (UE) 401, a first message for discovering at least one second network function implementing Edge Application Server (EAS) in the EDN 402”); receiving, by the device, a response message for the service request message from the SEALDD server (paragraph [0208], “the first network function may transmit, to the functional component of the UE, a second message including information indicating a first list of associated EAS information”).
Therefore, based on the teachings of Xu, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate sending a request message to the server with receiving message from the SEALDD server in order to enable the EAS server to discover other EAS/SEALDD servers.
As to claim 2, Xu teaches receiving, by the EES, a first query message from a first network element, wherein the first query message comprises information about the EAS (paragraph [0122], “The EEC 411 sends an EAS discovery request to the EES 421”); and
sending, by the EES based on the correspondence between the EAS and the SEALDD server, information about the SEALDD server corresponding to the EAS to the first network element (paragraph [0129], “If the processing of the request was successful, the EES 421 sends an EAS discovery response to the EEC 411, which includes information about the discovered EASs 422, 423, 424”).
As to claim 3, Xu teaches sending, by the first network element, the first query message (paragraph [0122], “The EEC 411 sends an EAS discovery request to the EES 421”); receiving, by the first network element, the information about the SEALDD server corresponding to the EAS (paragraph [0129], “If the processing of the request was successful, the EES 421 sends an EAS discovery response to the EEC 411, which includes information about the discovered EASs 422, 423, 424”).
As to claim 4, Xu teaches wherein the first message is an EAS registration request message (paragraph [0110], “The EAS 422 sends an edge application server registration request to the EES 421”).
As to claim 5, Xu teaches wherein the first message comprises one or more of:
information about the SEALDD server, the information about the EAS, or a service type provided by the SEALDD server for the EAS (paragraph [0113], “For example, the information regarding the EAS profile in the above table 1 or table 2 may be included in the request”).
As to claim 7, Xu teaches receiving, by the SEALDD server, the service request message from the EAS (paragraph [0189], “first network function may receive receiving, from a functional component of a User Equipment (UE) 401, a first message for discovering at least one second network function implementing Edge Application Server (EAS) in the EDN 402”); and sending, by the SEALDD server, the response message for the service request message to the EAS (paragraph [0208], “the first network function may transmit, to the functional component of the UE, a second message including information indicating a first list of associated EAS information”). The limitations of claim 7 are rejected in view of the analysis of claim 6 above, and the rationale to combine, as discussed in claim 6, applies here as well.
As to claim 8, Xu teaches wherein before the sending, by the SEALDD server, the response message to the EAS, the method further comprises: determining, by the SEALDD server, to provide a service enabler architecture layer data service for the EAS (“first network function may perform an EAS discovery process to discover the EAS”).
As to claim 9, Xu teaches wherein the service request message comprises the service enabler architecture layer data delivery service type requested by the EAS, and the determining, by the SEALDD server, to provide a service enabler architecture layer data service for the EAS comprises: determining, by the SEALDD server, to provide, for the EAS, services of one or more types in the service enabler architecture layer data delivery service type requested by the EAS (paragraph [0194], “the information indicating the first list of associated EAS information may be included in the EAS profile of the second network function. The EAS profile of the second network function (such as EAS 422) may further include information indicating the EAS ID and information indicating the EAS endpoint of the second network function”).
As to claim 10, Xu teaches wherein the response message for the service request message comprises a service type provided by the SEALDD server for the EAS, and the service type provided by the SEALDD server for the EAS is one or more types in the service enabler architecture layer data delivery service type requested by the EAS (paragraph [0194], “the information indicating the first list of associated EAS information may be included in the EAS profile of the second network function. The EAS profile of the second network function (such as EAS 422) may further include information indicating the EAS ID and information indicating the EAS endpoint of the second network function” and paragraph [0208]).
As to claim 11, Xu further teaches a communication system comprising:
an edge enabler server (EES); and an edge application server (EAS) in communication with the EES (fig. 6), the EAS comprising: a memory storing instructions; a transceiver; and at least one processor in communication with the transceiver and the memory (paragraph [0297]); and the EES is comprising: a memory storing instructions; a transceiver; and at least one processor in communication with the transceiver and the memory (paragraph [0297]). Therefore, the limitations of claim 11 are substantially similar to claim 1. Please refer to claim 1 above.
As to claim 12, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar to claim 2. Please refer to claim 2 above.
As to claim 13, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar to claim 3. Please refer to claim 3 above.
As to claim 14, Xu teaches wherein the SEALDD server comprises:
a memory storing instructions; a transceiver; and at least one processor in communication with the transceiver and the memory, the at least one processor configured, upon execution of the instructions, to cause the SEALDD server to perform the following steps: send a response message for the service request message to the EAS (paragraph [0167], “second network function (such as the EAS 422) may receive, from the third network function (such as the EAS 423 or 424), a registration request, for registering the third network function in the second network function”).
Xu does not explicitly teach receiving a request message by the server.
However, Xu further teaches receive a service request message from the EAS, wherein the service request message comprises the information about the EAS and/or a service enabler architecture layer data delivery service type requested by the EAS (paragraph [0189], “the first network function may receive receiving, from a functional component of a User Equipment (UE) 401, a first message for discovering at least one second network function implementing Edge Application Server (EAS) in the EDN 402”); and
send a response message for the service request message to the EAS (paragraph [0208], “the first network function may transmit, to the functional component of the UE, a second message including information indicating a first list of associated EAS information”).
Therefore, based on the teachings of Xu, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate receiving a request message by the server with receiving message from the SEALDD server in order to enable the EAS server to discover other EAS/SEALDD servers.
As to claim 15, Xu teaches wherein the at least one processor of the SEALDD server further executing the instructions to cause the SEALDD server to determine to provide a service enabler architecture layer data service for the EAS (“first network function may perform an EAS discovery process to discover the EAS”).
As to claim 16, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar to claim 4. Please refer to claim 4 above.
As to claim 17, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar to claim 5. Please refer to claim 5 above.
As to claim 19, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar or broader in scope to claim 9. Please refer to claim 9 above.
As to claim 20, the limitations of the claim are substantially similar or broader in scope to claim 10. Please refer to claim 10 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 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABDULKADER M ALRIYASHI whose telephone number is (313)446-6551. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM Alt, Friday, EST.
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/Abdulkader M Alriyashi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2447 6/28/2026
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