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 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11, 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20180132117 A1 herein Senarath in view of US 20200322367 A1 herein Lozano.
Claim 1, Senarath discloses an apparatus (figure 3: 304; figure 5: 104; paragraph; 0055 network manager (NM)) comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus at least to: receive key performance indicator data from a plurality of different domains (figure 5: 545a, 545b, 545c; paragraph 0106, " ... Each OM 108a, 108b and 108c receives the performance reports and aggregates 540 them before sending OM performance reports 545a, 545b and 545c to the SOM 106");
extract, per a domain, from the time-series data stream, values of key performance indicators (0106, " ... each OM aggregates the performance reports from each EM and reports on a domain basis ... ", the receiver 104 thus to extract the received KPI values – 0105, " ... performance data/reports can include .... KPI data (such as QoS)"); and
determine, per a key performance indicator, using a preset rule for the key performance indicator, based on the extracted values of the key performance indicator in the different domains, an end-to-end value for the key performance indicator, said end-to-end value being usable for end-to-end performance monitoring of a network (figure 5: 550; 0116, " ... SOM 106 receives the OM performance reports 545a, 545b and 545c and aggregates 550 the data for the entire slice (which SOM 106 manages). NN 104 can then transmit a NM performance report 560 aggregated on a per service-per slice basis to the customer 146 of the slice").
Senarath may not explicitly disclose adapt the key performance indicator data received to be a time-series data stream.
Lozano discloses adapt the key performance indicator data received to be a time-series data stream (0039, " ... to adapt to all the different time scales across domains 21). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include adapting the time series as taught by Lozano so as to develop an effective anomaly detection and troubleshooting system.
Claim 2, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: determine, per a domain, a delivery type of the key performance indi-cator data (0018, transmitting performance data on an aggregated basis includes transmitting performance aggregated on a per service-per slice basis aggregated over at least one of: per service class; and per slice type. In some embodiments network components includes at least one of subnetworks, data storages, network elements, physical network functions and virtual network function);
subscribe, when the delivery type of a domain is a batch, or a data stream, the key performance indicator data from the domain to receive the key performance indicator data (0048-0050, Case 1, requested performance data); and
poll periodically, when the delivery type of a domain is a request based delivery, the domain to receive the key performance indicator data (0068, periodic reporting the data).
Claim 3, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 1. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: access report configuration information (0106, reports are based on QoS level basis, per service basis, etc.);
determine, per a report, based on the report configuration infor-mation, at least key performance indicators whose end-to-end values are to be included in the report (0106, "Accordingly each OM can transmit performance reports aggregated on one of the following basis, for its entire domain: a per service basis; a per QoS level basis; a per slice basis; a per service basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels; a per slice basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels; a per service-per slice basis; and a per service-per slice basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels");
generate reports by including, per a report, at least end-to-end values of the key performance indicators determined; and transmit the reports. (0106, since reports are transmitted based on report configuration information and key performance indicators, thus the reports are generated).
Claim 4, Senarath in view of Lozano disclose the apparatus of claim 3. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: determine, per a report, based on the report configuration infor-mation, whether to include to the report any of the values of the key perfor-mance indicators extracted (0116, " ... NN 104 can then transmit a NM performance report 560 aggregated on a per service-per slice basis to the customer 146 of the slice"; 0105, performance data/reports can include fault management data, service performance data, service traffic load data, QoS data, KPI data (such as QoS), data rate statistics, as well as data regarding the usage of network resources (such as computing, storage, transport, data storage)); and
include, when a value extracted is determined to be included, the val-ue to the report, when generating the report (0116, NM performance report is transmitted and can contain performance data; 0105, performance data/reports can include fault management data, service performance data, service traffic load data, QoS data, KPI data (such as QoS), data rate statistics, as well as data regarding the usage of network resources (such as computing, storage, transport, data storage).
Claim 5, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 3. Senarath discloses wherein the report configuration infor-mation comprises a plurality of report configurations, a report configuration per a predetermined use case for the end-to-end values ([106]: "Accordingly each OM can transmit performance reports aggregated on one of the following basis, for its entire domain: a per service basis; a per QoS level basis; a per slice basis; a per service basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels; a per slice basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels; a per service-per slice basis; and a per service-per slice basis for each of a plurality of QoS levels"),
predetermined use cases comprising use cases for performance management, use cases for data analytics, use cases for security management, use cases for network configuration man-agement, or use cases for event-based management (Case 1: 0049-0050).
Claim 6, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 3. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: determine, per a report recipient, whether a reception type is a batch or a stream (0099, implied customer request; 0116, aggregated reports based on customer); and
transmit, per a report, the report using batch delivery to recipients whose reception type is the batch and using streaming to recipients whose re-ception type is the stream (00116, aggregated reports sent to customers, thus batch operation based on aggregated reports to individual customers).
Claim 7, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 3. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: receive, from a report recipient, a subscription of a report, the sub-scription defining one or more use cases to report (0016, customer can request for a per slice or multiple slices); and update the report configuration information correspondingly (0099, customer can request to receive reports, report(s) provided).
Claim 8, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 3. Senarath may not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: store at least the end-to-end values to a data warehouse; and access at least data comprising the end-to-end values in the data warehouse when generating the reports.
Lozano discloses store at least the end-to-end values to a data warehouse; and access at least data comprising the end-to-end values in the data warehouse when generating the reports (0039, store metric in the database for retrieval). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include adapting the time series as taught by Lozano so as to develop an effective anomaly detection and troubleshooting system.
Claim 9, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 8. Senarath may not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the appa-ratus further to: store, per a domain, the values of the key performance indicators ex-tracted to the data warehouse.
Lozano discloses store, per a domain, the values of the key performance indicators ex-tracted to the data warehouse (0039, store metric in the database for retrieval). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include adapting the time series as taught by Lozano so as to develop an effective anomaly detection and troubleshooting system.
Claim 10, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 9. Senarath discloses wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the ap-paratus further to: determine from the plurality of the different domains, based on a preset rule, domains whose values are to be stored (0060, filtered services thus DMs are filtered before stored).
Claim 11, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the ap-paratus further to: receive, from an orchestration entity of the network, a request for key performance indicators (0048-0053, Case 1, receiving request from Network manager for performance management/fault management);
determine domains comprised in the network (0023, implied since aggregated performance on domains is transmitted to a network manager);
acquire, per a domain, key performance indicators to which values are determined in the domain (0023, receiving performance data from plurality of data managers for the slice); and
transmit in a response to the request information of the key perfor-mance indicators (0023, send to network manager).
Claim(s) 12 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senarath in view of Lozano and in view of US 20170264488 A1 herein Ami.
Claim 12, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 11. Senarath discloses repeat determining domains comprised in the network and acquiring the key performance indicators (0068, periodic transmission of performance measurement (PM) data).
Senarath in view of Lozano may not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the ap-paratus further to: transmit, upon detecting a change in one or more key performance indicators in a domain or a change in the domains, change information indicating said change to the orchestration entity.
Ami discloses transmit, upon detecting a change in one or more key performance indicators in a domain or a change in the domains, change information indicating said change to the orchestration entity (0033-0034, 0040, generate additional PM/FM data in support of pull and pub/sub operations; 0046, actication of policies triggered by a network event such as network attach or status change in a given domain; 0048, progressive integration of domains). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include scaling with new domains as taught by Ami so as to provide more flexibility of service definition and policies (0047).
Claim 13, Senarath in view of Lozano discloses the apparatus of claim 11, Senarath in view of Lozano may not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the ap-paratus further to: receive from the orchestration entity of the network one or more end-to-end key performance service models; and determine from the one or more end-to-end key performance service models one or more preset rules for the key performance indicators.
Ami discloses receive from the orchestration entity of the network one or more end-to-end key performance service models (0035, Level D (orchestration entity) control/configuration information that characterizes an E2E service to Level C); and
determine from the one or more end-to-end key performance service models one or more preset rules for the key performance indicators (0036, Level C translates control/configuration from Level D and provides it to Level B domain controllers). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include scaling with new domains as taught by Ami so as to provide more flexibility of service definition and policies (0047).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Senarath in view of Lozano in view of Ami and US 20200287800 A1 herein Xu.
Claim 14, Senarath in view of Lozano in view of Ami disclose the apparatus of claim 13. Senarath in view of Lozano in view of Ami may not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus fur-ther to: update, when an instructions to update an end-to-end key performance service model is received from the orchestration entity of the network, the model and corresponding one or more preset rules according to the instruction; and delete, when an instructions to delete an end-to-end key performance service model is received from the orchestration entity of the network, the model and corresponding one or more preset rules according to the instruction.
Xu discloses update, when an [sp: instructions] to update an end-to-end key performance service model is received from the orchestration entity of the network, the model and corresponding one or more preset rules according to the instruction (0139, updating subnet fault/performance configuration data); and
delete, when an [sp: instructions] to delete an end-to-end key performance service model is received from the orchestration entity of the network, the model and corresponding one or more preset rules according to the instruction (0139, deletion of subnet fault/performance configuration data). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Senarath to include modification of configuration data as taught by Xu so as to allow for greater efficiency of network management (0004).
Claim 15, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1. Senarath discloses a method (Title).
Claim 16, as analyzed with respect to the limitations as discussed in claim 1. Senarath discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instruc-tions (0090).
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20200044943 A1 – A communication service manager (CSM) apparatus for monitoring a communication network is provided. The CSM receives configuration instruction message from a higher-level device, and creates or modifies a set of tasks based on the configuration instruction message. The CSM is thus configured to interact with data provider devices to obtain specific information, process the information, and report the results of the processing operations toward a specified device or database. The data provider devices monitor network operations and may include network functions and data analytics manager (DAM) functions. A format for configuration instruction messages, for configuring the CSM, is also provided.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mehmood B. Khan whose telephone number is (571)272-9277. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 am-6:30 pm.
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/Mehmood B. Khan/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
MEHMOOD B. KHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
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