Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 19/108,299

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING IDENTITY-BASED CRYPTOGRAPHY FOR SIGNALLING MESSAGE PROTECTION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Mar 03, 2025
Priority
Sep 01, 2022 — IN 202241050089 +1 more
Examiner
ULLAH, SHARIF E
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allowance Rate
393 granted / 464 resolved
+24.7% vs TC avg
Strong +22% interview lift
Without
With
+21.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
481
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
13.6%
-26.4% vs TC avg
§103
60.4%
+20.4% vs TC avg
§102
6.8%
-33.2% vs TC avg
§112
11.9%
-28.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 464 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/03/2025 and 01/16/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. 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 4, 8 & 12 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. In regards to claims 4, 8 & 12 the claims recite "…at short intervals/at long intervals" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear because the boundary between a “short” and a “long” interval is not ascertainable with reasonable certainty. Claims 7 &15 recite the limitation “the RRC message”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-15 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The closest prior are made of record are: Agiwal et al. (US 2017/0295489) The present invention provides for converging a 5.sup.th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4.sup.th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for internet of things (IoT) are provided. The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A system and a method for validating authenticity of a base station and/or information received from the base station are provided. The method for determining authenticity of system information received from a base station and a cell operated by the base station includes receiving, from a base station, system information, receiving, from a base station, system information, receiving, from the base station, first authenticity information associated with the system information, determining whether the system information is authentic based on the first authenticity information, and determining that a cell operated by the base station is authentic if the system information is authentic. Kolekar et al. (US 2019/0349765) The present invention relates to fake gNB/eNB detection using identity-based authentication and encryption. An embodiment of an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) to perform an identity-based authentication and encryption process includes one or more baseband processors to generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Verify-Request message to an Evolved Node B (eNB) or Next Generation Node B (gNB) in response to receiving an RRCConnectionRelease message in a Cell Reselection process, the UE being in RRC idle mode, process an RRC Verify-Response message received from the eNB in response to the RRC Verify-Request message, and verify authenticity of the eNB or gNB by verifying the RRC Verify-Response message; and a memory to store the messages for the identity-based authentication and encryption process. Nakarmi et al. (US 2022/0167169) The present invention techniques for performed by a UE in a communications system. The UE provides information indicating its SI protection capability to a node. The SI protection capability is associated with the UE's capability and need to verify SI signatures. The UE obtains SI protection information from the node, and uses the SI protection information. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHARIF E ULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-5453. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:00-5:30. 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, Farid Homayounmehr can be reached at 571-272-3739. 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. /SHARIF E ULLAH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2495
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 03, 2025
Application Filed
Jul 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+21.5%)
2y 6m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 464 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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