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 § 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 1-20 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.
Claims 1-20 recite a “computing device”.
As recited, the “computing device” is said to have “programming” “comprising instructions to” perform recited functionality.
However, the “computing device” is said to perform steps that appear to be external to the “computing device”.
For example, in claims 1-9, the “computing device” is said to “receive, at a first access point, first network traffic for a first client device”. There is no express involvement of the “computing device” in this limitation. The same is said for “transmit, from the first access point to a network management system, a first classification request for classification information for the first network traffic”, “receive, at the first access point from the network management system, a null response indicating that the network management system lacks classification information for the first network traffic”, and “obtain, by the first access point in response to the null response, the classification information for the first network traffic from a network traffic classification service”. In fact, the last limitation recites “process the first network traffic according to the classification information for the first network traffic”. However, the “first access point” is the element that “obtains” the “classification information”, not the “computing device”.
The same can be said for claims 10-19 in which the “computing device” is said to “receive, at a network management system, a first classification request from a first access point of the plurality of access points for first network traffic associated with a first client device of the first access point”.
The same can be said for claim 20 in which the “computing device” is said to “receive, at a network management system, a first classification request from a first access point of the plurality of access points for first network traffic associated with a first client device of the first access point” and “receive, by the network management system from the first access point, the classification information for the first network traffic, the first access point having obtained the classification information for the first network traffic from a network traffic classification service in response to the null response from the network management system” and then somehow “store” “the classification information for the first access point in the centralized cache” “in response to receiving the classification information for the first network traffic from the first access point” when the “receiving the classification information for the first network traffic from the first access point” is performed by the “network management system”, not the “computing device”.
Therefore, these claims are unclear as the “instructions” said to be performed by the “computing device” appear to be performed by other elements within the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 1-9 recite a computing device, comprising one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing programming for execution by the one or more processors, the programming comprising instructions to receive, at a first access point, first network traffic for a first client device; transmit, from the first access point to a network management system, a first classification request for classification information for the first network traffic; receive, at the first access point from the network management system, a null response indicating that the network management system lacks classification information for the first network traffic; obtain, by the first access point in response to the null response, the classification information for the first network traffic from a network traffic classification service; and process the first network traffic according to the classification information for the first network traffic.
Claim 10-19 recite a computing device, comprising a centralized cache storing classification information for network traffic associated with a plurality of access points managed by the computing device; one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing programming for execution by the one or more processors, the programming comprising instructions to receive, at a network management system, a first classification request from a first access point of the plurality of access points for first network traffic associated with a first client device of the first access point; determine, in response to the first classification request, whether the centralized cache includes classification information for the first network traffic; obtain, in response to determining that the centralized cache includes the classification information for the first network traffic, the classification information for the first network traffic from the centralized cache; obtain, in response to determining that the centralized cache does not include the classification information for the first network traffic, the classification information for the first network traffic from a network traffic classification service; and transmit the classification information for the first network traffic to the first access point.
Claim 20 recites a computing device, comprising: a centralized cache storing classification information for network traffic associated with a plurality of access points managed by the computing device; one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing programming for execution by the one or more processors, the programming comprising instructions to receive, at a network management system, a first classification request from a first access point of the plurality of access points for first network traffic associated with a first client device of the first access point; determine, in response to the first classification request, whether the centralized cache includes classification information for the first network traffic; transmit, in response to determining that the centralized cache includes the classification information for the first network traffic, the classification information for the first network traffic to the first access point; transmit, in response to determining that the centralized cache does not include the classification information for the first network traffic, a null response to the first access point, the null response indicating that the network management system lacks classification information for the first network traffic; receive, by the network management system from the first access point, the classification information for the first network traffic, the first access point having obtained the classification information for the first network traffic from a network traffic classification service in response to the null response from the network management system; and store, in response to receiving the classification information for the first network traffic from the first access point, the classification information for the first access point in the centralized cache.
After search and consideration, these limitations are found to be distinguished from the cited prior art. The closest prior art of record is US 20230035399 A1 to Bhadravati Ramakrishna Bhat et al. which generally teaches cache management and retrieval of network classification information in response to requests from clients at access points, however, it fails to reasonably teach or suggest the entirety of the claimed invention when considered as a whole.
This indication of allowable subject matter is contingent upon the anticipated resolution of the remaining issues detailed in this action.
In the event that any amendment made to the claims changes the scope of the indicated allowable subject matter, further reconsideration of whether the claims continue to distinguish from the prior art and/or are subject to further rejection under applicable statutes may be deemed necessary.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR § 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/G. C. Neurauter, Jr./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2459
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