CTNF 19/100,812 CTNF 84967 DETAILED ACTION Claims 1-14, 21, 23-27 are examined and pending. Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Examiner Note The Applicant defines the “Application function” is a network element that provides data plane functions for a network element in the network. (see Spec. para. [0023]) Therefore this definition of Application function in the Applicants specification appears to denote a device in the network. Further, Applicant defines the “Network Function” as a network element that discovers and uses the AF in the network for data processing. (see Spec. para. [0025]) Therefore this definition of Network function in the Applicants specification appears to denote a device in the network. Further, Applicant defines the “Application repository function” (APRF) as a network element used to register application functions in the network (see spec. para. [0027]). Therefore this definition of Application repository function in the Applicants specification appears to denote a device in the network. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 4, 6, 8-14, 21, 23-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Wang et al. ( CN112566072A, hereinafter “Wang”) . As to claims 1, 8, 11 and 21, 23-27 , Wang discloses an application method for an application function, performed by an application repository function (APRF), comprising: receiving, by an application repository function (APRF), an application function (AF) calling request sent by a first network function (NF) (page 9, Step 202 wherein the NF sends a message request to the network storage network element) , wherein the calling request comprises a first type identifier of an AF to be used (page 9, paragraph 9; discloses the message includes requests for specific services such as authentication service or session service requests etc. The parameters includes in the first message may be the type of NF provider that provides services for terminal device ) ; traversing, by the APRF, a preset AF data table based on the first type identifier, wherein the AF data table stores description information of available Afs (page 10, “In step 501, the NF requester determines a target NF provider from one or more NF providers that match the parameters) ; and sending, by the APRF, description information of a first AF to the first NF in response to the description information of the first AF in the AF data table comprising the first type identifier (page 10, para 6; discloses service acquisition request includes type of NF provider, type of service and other information that can provide services to the terminal device). As to claim 2 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the description information comprises at least one of: a type identifier (page 10, para. 6; type information of a NF provider) , an instance identifier, a public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, a network slice identifier, a network address or provided function service information of an AF. As to claim 3 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a registration request sent by the first AF, wherein the registration request comprises the description information of the first AF; and storing the description information of the first AF in the AF data table (page 10, network storage element receives a registration request to the NF provider and the request includes description information of the NF provider and be stored in the network storage element). As to claim 4 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 3, further comprising: sending indication information to respective NFs, wherein the indication information indicates that data in the AF data table has been changed (page 14, para 4, discloses the indication information is a preset bit and the corresponding relationship between the indication information and the identifier of the second part of the description information is queried: the identifier of the second part of the description information is the number segment information, so the content corresponding to the number segment information of the NF provider). As to claim 6 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 2, further comprising: returning an AF calling failure indication to the first NF in response to description information of each AF in the AF data table not comprising the first type identifier (page 17, para 3; discloses determining the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF). As to claim 9 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving an AF calling failure indication sent by the APRF (page 17, para 3; discloses determining the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF). As to claim 10 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving indication information sent by the APRF, wherein the indication information indicates that data in an AF data table in the APRF has been changed (page 14, para 4, discloses the indication information is a preset bit and the corresponding relationship between the indication information and the identifier of the second part of the description information is queried: the identifier of the second part of the description information is the number segment information, so the content corresponding to the number segment information of the NF provider). As to claim 12 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 11, further comprising: sending an AF change request to the APRF, wherein the change request comprises the instance identifier of the AF (page 11, para 8; discloses service discovery request can include a change request that includes a bit carried by extension of the service discovery request). As to claim 13 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 12, wherein, the change request is a registration request, and the registration request further comprises a type identifier (page 10, para. 6; type information of a NF provider) , a public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, a network slice identifier, a network address and provided function service information of the AF; or the change request is a deregistration request, and the deregistration request further comprises a deregistration cause. As to claim 14 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 12, further comprising: receiving a change response returned by the APRF (page 12, para 8-9; discloses receiving service acquisition response can include the service scope covered by the target NF provider) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Aggarwal et al. (U.S. 2022/0104162 A1, hereinafter “Aggarwal”) . As to claim 5 , Wang discloses the method according to claim 3, further comprising: returning a registration response to the first AF, wherein the registration response indicates that registration of the first AF is completed. In an analogous art, Aggarwal discloses returning a registration response to the first AF, wherein the registration response indicates that registration of the first AF is completed. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ferdowski by create a snapshot of entities and is used in an URI as taught by Burkhardt in order to help manage concurrency and/or access controls on an object, property, collection, or namespace.(Burkhardt, para. [0031]) Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim 7 is 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 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Butler (U.S. 10834604 B1) discloses a wireless base station serves a wireless network sector over a frequency channel. The wireless base station shares the frequency channel with an Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service in a subsector of the wireless network sector. A Fifth Generation (5G) radio beamforms 5G signals over the frequency channel to User Equipment (UEs) that are located in the wireless network sector. The beamforming attenuates the 5G signals below a signal threshold before the 5G signals enter the subsector. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOE CHACKO whose telephone number is (571)270-3318. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ario Etienne can be reached at 5712724001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOE CHACKO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 2 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 3 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 4 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 5 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 6 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 7 Art Unit: 2457 Application/Control Number: 19/100,812 Page 8 Art Unit: 2457
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