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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment made dated 3/5/2026 does not contain any new matter, and has been accepted.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/22/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Hill in view of Khan does not disclose all the particulars of amended claims 1 and 9, specifically the limitation of,
“wherein the first private communication network is a private communications network isolated from a public land mobile network (PLN) and is different from the PLMN;
the information of the first private communications network comprises a PLMN identity of the first private communications network and an identity of the first private communications network” (Remarks Pages 11-14).
Examiner would like to introduce a newly cited reference of Mukherjee to disclose said argued limitation of,
wherein the first private communication network is a private communications network isolated from a public land mobile network (PLN) and is different from the PLMN (Fig. 1: depicting the Private Core Network 140 being isolated from MNO EPC Network 145);
the information of the first private communications network comprises a PLMN identity of the first private communications network and an identity of the first private communications network ([0024]: private network identification may include a dedicated PLMN ID, PCI, CSG, wherein the private network identifier is both a unique identifier and an indication of the support of private network operation by gnB).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of invention to incorporate Mukherjee’s plurality of ways to identify the private network to further identify private networks to establish communication.
Due to the broadness of the claim language, the claims are still not yet in condition for allowance, and are still rejected as shown below in light of the newly incorporated Mukherjee reference.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, and 9-13 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hill et al. (US 2018/0014340; hereinafter Hill) in view of Mukherjee (US 2019/0246335).
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Hill discloses a processing method, applied to a second network element and comprising:
obtaining first information from a terminal, wherein the first information comprises information of a first private communications network that the terminal requests to access ([0073]: UE providing to gateway 404 network identifiers requesting access; [0079]: wherein the terminal interact with PN gateway 422 to access private network 424; [0014]: network identifiers include PLMNs);
based on the obtained first information, determining an operation of selecting a CN network element ([0081], [0123]: validating the UE for access to the private networks);
wherein the determining an operation of selecting a CN network element comprises selecting a CN network element that supports the first private communications network which is requested by the terminal ([0124]: once validated and authenticated, UE can now have access to selected various endpoints through PN gateway(s) with PLMN 406).
Hill discloses all the particulars of the claim but is unclear about the limitation of wherein the information of the private communications network comprises a public land mobile network (PLMN) identity of the first private communication network and an identity of the first private communications network; and
the information of the first private communications network comprises a PLMN identity of the first private communications network and an identity of the first private communications network
However, Mukherjee does disclose the limitation of wherein the first private communication network is a private communications network isolated from a public land mobile network (PLN) and is different from the PLMN (Fig. 1: depicting the Private Core Network 140 being isolated from MNO EPC Network 145); and
the information of the first private communications network comprises a PLMN identity of the first private communications network and an identity of the first private communications network ([0024]: private network identification may include a dedicated PLMN ID, PCI, CSG, wherein the private network identifier is both a unique identifier and an indication of the support of private network operation by gnB).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of invention to incorporate Mukherjee’s plurality of ways to identify the private network to further identify private networks to establish communication.
Regarding claims 2 and 10, Hill discloses wherein the information of the private communications network further comprises
a type of the first private communications network ([0014]: PLMN, APN etc. [0122]-[0125]: VPN).
Regarding claims 3 and 11, Hill discloses wherein the first information further comprises at least one of the following:
a private communications service capability of a terminal, information of a private communications service that the terminal requests to access, a private-communications-service-capability supported by a CN network element, information of a private communications network supported by the CN network element, information of a private communications service accessed by the terminal, information of a private communications network accessed by the terminal, a private-communications-service-capability supported by a RAN network element, and information of a private communications network supported by the RAN network element ([0018]-[0020]: private network information and identifications)
Regarding claims 4 and 12, Hill discloses further comprising:
based on the obtained first information, determining an operation of whether to allow the access of the terminal ([0081], [0123]: validating the UE for access to the private networks);
wherein the determining an operation of whether to allow the access of the terminal comprises at least one of the following:
when the RAN network element does not support the private communications network and the terminal requests to access a type-B private communications network, prohibiting the access of the terminal; when the RAN network element supports a first private communications network and the terminal requests to access the first private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal ([0018]-[0020], [0027]: UE being able to access the private networks); when the RAN network element supports the first private communications network and the terminal requests to access a type-A second private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal; when the RAN network element supports the first private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first private communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal; when the RAN network element supports a first public communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first public communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal; when the RAN network element supports the first private communications network, the terminal comes from a second private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first private communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal; and when the second network element supports the first public communications network, the terminal comes from the first private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first public communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, allowing the access of the terminal.
Regarding claims 5 and 13, Hill discloses wherein the determining an operation of selecting a CN network element comprises at least one of the following:
selecting a CN network element supporting the private communications network that the terminal requests to access ([0018]-[0019]: upon identifying the destination network is the network the UE is configured to communicate with, the UE identify the private network information and select the private network to access); selecting a CN network element supporting the private communications service that the terminal requests to access; when the RAN network element supports the first private communications network and the terminal requests to access a type-A second private communications network, selecting a CN network element that supports the first private communications network; when the second network element supports the first private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first private communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, selecting a CN network element that supports the first private communications network; when the RAN network element supports a first public communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first public communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, selecting a CN network element that supports the first public communications network; when the RAN network element supports the first private communications network, the terminal comes from a second private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first private communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, selecting a CN network element that supports the first private communications network; and when the second network element supports the first public communications network, the terminal comes from the first private communications network, the terminal is allowed to roam to the first public communications network, and the terminal requests to access a type-A private communications network, selecting a CN network element that supports the first public communications network.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUCK HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)272-7866. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am - 6pm.
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/CHUCK HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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