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 .
This office action is responsive to the amendment filed 04/01/2026.
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.
Claim 27 is 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.
Claim 27 recites the limitation "AF entity" in lines 4 and 6, respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12-16, 19, and 21-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Xu et al. (US 20230345212) (hereinafter Xu).
Re claims 1 and 2, Xu discloses an access network device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program executable by the processor is stored on the memory, and the processor, when executing the computer program, causes the access network device to perform operations of:
receiving, from a first network element (RAN), identification information of at least one electronic tag, and an indication for obtaining information of the at least one electronic tag or information to be written (paras. 0103-0111, 0259-0261); and
in response to receiving the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag, obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag and sending the information of the at least one electronic tag to a second network element (middleware) (paras. 0112-0121); or in response to receiving the information to be written, writing the information to be written into the at least one electronic tag and sending a response of success in writing to a second network element (middleware) (paras. 0112-0121); and
wherein the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises at least one of: the identification information (paras. 0103, 0121), position information (para. 0259), status information (para. 0260), or stored information (paras. 0103, 0121).
Re claim 5, Xu further discloses wherein the processor further causes the access network device to receive, from the first network element (RAN), at least one of: information to be deleted, information to be modified, or modified information (paras. 0121-0123).
Re claim 7, Xu further discloses wherein the processor further causes the access network device to: obtain identification information of one or more electronic tags comprising the at least one electronic tag (paras. 0103, 0121); and send, to the first network element located in a core network, an identification of the access network device and the identification information of the one or more electronic tags (paras. 0103, 0121, 0258, 0260, 0284).
Re claims 8 and 14, Xu discloses a first network element (RAN), comprising a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program executable by the processor is stored on the memory, and the processor, when executing the computer program, causes the first network element to perform operations of: determining an identification of an access network device (server) associated with at least one electronic tag; and sending, to the access network device corresponding to the identification of the access network device, identification information of the at least one electronic tag, and an indication for obtaining information of the at least one electronic tag or information to be written; and wherein the identification information comprises an electronic product code (EPC). (See paras. 0103, 0112-0121, 0258, 0260, 0284)
Re claim 10, Xu further discloses wherein the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises at least one of: the identification information (paras. 0103, 0121), position information (para. 0259), or status information (para. 0260).
Re claim 12, Xu further discloses wherein the processor further causes the first network device element to send, to the access network device corresponding to the identification of the access network device at least one of: information to be deleted, information to be modified, or modified information (paras. 0121-0123).
Re claim 13, Xu further discloses wherein the processor further causes the first network element to: receive, from the access network device, the identification of the access network device and identification information of one or more electronic tags comprising the at least one electronic tag (paras. 0103, 0121, 0258, 0260, 0284).
Re claims 15 and 16, Xu discloses a second network element, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program executable by the processor is stored on the memory, and the processor, when executing the computer program, causes the second network element to perform operations of:
sending, to a first network element (RAN), identification information of at least one electronic tag, and an indication for obtaining information of the at least one electronic tag or information to be written (paras. 0103-0111, 0259-0261); and
in response to sending the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag, receiving, from an access network device (server), the information of the at least one electronic tag; or in response to sending the information to be written, receiving, from an access network device, a response of success in writing (paras. 0112-0121); and
wherein the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises at least one of: the identification information (paras. 0103, 0121), position information (para. 0259), status information (para. 0260) or stored information (paras. 0103, 0121).
Re claim 19, Xu further discloses wherein the processor further causes the second network element to: send, to the first network element (RAN), at least one of: information to be deleted, information to be modified, or modified information (paras. 0121-0123).
Re claim 21, Xu further discloses wherein the the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises reading information stored in the at least one electronic tag (paras. 0103, 0121).
Re claim 22, Xu further discloses wherein the second network element comprises a network exposure function (NEF) (para. 0233).
Re claim 23, Xu further discloses wherein the processor causes the first network element to: store an association relationship between the identification of the access network device and the identification information of the one or more electronic tags corresponding to the identification of the access network device (paras. 0258-0260).
Re claim 24, Xu further discloses wherein the processor causes the first network element to: receive, from a second network element, the identification information of the at least one electronic tag, and the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag or the information to be written (paras. 0103-0111, 0112-0121).
Re claim 25, Xu further discloses wherein the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises reading information stored in the at least one electronic tag (paras. 0103-0111, 0112-0121).
Re claim 26, Xu further discloses wherein the processor causes the second network element to: receive, from an application function (AF) entity, the identification information of the at least one electronic tag, and the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag or the information to be written (paras. 0258-0260, 0284).
Re claim 27, Xu further discloses wherein the processor causes the second network element to: in response to receiving, from the access network device, the information of the at least one electronic tag, send the information of the at least one electronic tag to the AF entity; or in response to receiving, from the access network device, the response of success in writing, send the response of success in writing to the AF entity (paras. 0258-0260, 0284).
Re claim 28, Xu further discloses wherein the indication for obtaining the information of the at least one electronic tag comprises reading information stored in the at least one electronic tag (paras. 0103, 0121).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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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/APRIL A TAYLOR/
Examiner, Art Unit 2876
/THIEN M LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2876
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