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 Arguments
The Applicant argues that the effective priority date of the present application is March 20, 2020 based on Applicant’s foreign application KR 10-2020-0034405, filed March 20, 2020, and that Lee’s earliest priority application does not provide support for the portions of Lee cited by the office action. In particular, the contents of Lee’s paragraphs [134]-[0144] and [147]-[156] are not disclosed in Lee’s KR10-2019-0141234 (2016.11.06). (see pages 5-7 of Applicant’s arguments filed on 06/08/2026).
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant cannot rely upon the certified copy of the
foreign priority application to overcome this rejection because a translation of said application (KR 10-2020-0034405, filed March 20, 2020) has not been made of record in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55. When an English language translation of a non-English language foreign application is required, the translation must be that of the certified copy (of the foreign application as filed) submitted together with a statement that the translation of the certified copy is accurate. See MPEP §§ 215 and 216.
Therefore, given that a certified English translation of the foreign applications (e.g., KR 10-2020-0034405, filed March 20, 2020) does not appears on the record, the effective filing date of the present application is 09/19/2022. Lee’s publication and filing dates (May 6, 2021 and November 5, 2020) are prior to the effective filing date of present Application.
Further, the Applicant has not provided any evidence that Lee’s priority application, KR10-2019-0141234 (2016.11.06), description and/or drawings do not support the cited portions in the office action. Hence, for the reasons mentioned above, Lee’s reference is still valid as prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 26-30 and 33-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by LEE et al. (US 2021/0136675).
Regarding claim 26, Lee discloses a method, comprising:
receiving, by an Access and Mobility Management function (AMF), from a User Equipment (UE), a registration request including requested slice information comprising at least one Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) from a UE (User Equipment) (Fig. 5, operation 512; AMF receives registration request including a requested NSSAI, the registration request transmitted by UE 100 at operation 510);
determining, by the AMF, target slice information comprising a target S-NSSAO from the requested slice information based on i) the target S-NSSAI being currently unavailable and ii) the target S-NSSAI being available in a different frequency band (Fig. 5, operation 514; p. [0152]; when the requested NSSAI includes NSSAI-B (i.e., target S-NSSAI), the AMF knows that RAN1 to which the UE currently accesses cannot support S-NSSAI B (i.e., unavailable) and may determine to perform cell reselection, the AMF may add the NSSAI-B to rejected S-NSSAI with rejection cause value that the corresponding S-NSSAI is not temporarily serviced or corresponding S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or in another frequency); and
transmitting, by the AMF, the target slice information to a base station (Fig. 5, operation 516; p. [0151]; the AMF transmits N2 message to RAN1 including the rejected S-NSSAI(s) (i.e., target slice information)),
wherein the target slice information is for attempting to redirect the UE to a cell in the different frequency band that supports the target S-NSSAI (Fig. 5, operation 520; p. [0159], [0164]; in operation 520, when the UE receives the NAS message transmitted by the AMF including the rejection cause value of the rejected S-NSSAI B indicating that corresponding S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or another frequency, the UE may determine to use another RAN or another frequency and perform cell reselection).
Regarding claim 27, Lee discloses the method of claim 26, wherein the base station transmits cell selection information based on the target slice information (p. [0151]; p. [0154], lines 5-end; p. [0159], [0164], [0166]-[0167]; the AMF may add to the NAS message, the information about the frequency for supporting S-NSSAI B requested by the UE).
Regarding claim 28, Lee discloses the method of claim 26, wherein the slice information is transmitted to the base station, based on the UE subscribing to the target S-NSSAI (p. [0105],[0121],[0126], [0187]).
Regarding claim 29, Lee discloses the method of claim 27, wherein the cell selection information includes frequency information or priority information for connecting a cell which supports the target S-NSSAI (p. [0151]; p. [0154], lines 5-end; p. [0166]-[0167]; the AMF may add to the NAS message, the information about the frequency for supporting S-NSSAI B requested by the UE; p. [0146] – the AMF may include RAT Frequency Selection priority RFSP index information).
Regarding claim 30, Lee discloses the method of claim 26, wherein the slice information includes RAT Frequency Selection Priority (RFSP) information related to the target S-NSSAI (Fig. 5, step 516; p. [0144], [0145] the AMF sends N2 message that includes RFSP index).
Regarding claim 33, Lee discloses a method, comprising:
receiving, by a base station from a User Equipment (UE), a registration request including requested slice information comprising at least one Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) (Fig. 5, operation 510; UE transmits registration request including requested NSSAI to RAN 1 (i.e., base station));
transmitting, by the base station to an Access and Mobility Management function (AMF), the registration request (Fig. 5, operation 512; RAN 1 sends the registration request to AMF 121);
receiving, by the base station from the AMF, target slice information (Fig. 5, operation 516; p. [0151]; the AMF transmits N2 message to RAN1 including the rejected S-NSSAI(s) (i.e., target slice information) that is received by RAN 1 (i.e., base station)); and
wherein the target slice information comprises a target S-NSSAI, based on i) the target S-NSSAI being currently unavailable and ii) the target S-NSSAI being available in different frequency band (Fig. 5, operation 514; p. [0152]; when the requested NSSAI includes NSSAI-B (i.e., target S-NSSAI), the AMF knows that RAN1 to which the UE currently accesses cannot support S-NSSAI B (i.e., unavailable) and may determine to perform cell reselection, the AMF may add the NSSAI-B to rejected S-NSSAI with rejection cause value that the corresponding S-NSSAI is not temporarily serviced or corresponding S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or in another frequency),
wherein the target S-NSSAI is included in the requested slice information (Fig. 5, operation 510; p. [0133]; UE transmits registration request including requested NSSAI to RAN 1 (i.e., base station), the requested NSSAI may include S-NSSAI B (i.e., target S-NSSAI)), and
redirecting, by the base station, the UE to a cell in the different frequency band that supports the target S-NSSAI. (Fig. 5, operations 518-520; p. [0159], [0164]; in operation 520, when the UE receives the NAS message transmitted by the AMF including the rejection cause value of the rejected S-NSSAI B indicating that corresponding S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or another frequency, the UE may determine to use another RAN or another frequency and perform cell reselection).
Regarding claim 34, Lee discloses the method of claim 33, transmitting, by the base station to the UE, cell selection information based on the target slice information (Fig. 5, operation 518; p. [0151]; p. [0154], lines 5-end; p. [0159], [0164], [0166]-[0167]; the AMF may add to the NAS message, the information about the frequency for supporting S-NSSAI B requested by the UE).
Regarding claim 35, Lee discloses the method of claim 33, wherein the step of receiving the target slice information is performed, based on the UE subscribing to the target S-NSSAI (p. [0105],[0121],[0126], [0187]).
Regarding claim 36, Lee discloses the method of claim 33, wherein the slice information includes RAT Frequency Selection Priority (RFSP) information related to the target S-NSSAI (Fig. 5, step 516; p. [0144], [0145] the AMF sends N2 message that includes RFSP index).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claims 31-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LEE et al. (US 2021/0136675) in view of OHLSSON et al. (US 2021/0195509).
Regarding claim 31, Lee discloses a method, comprising:
transmitting, by a User Equipment (UE), a first registration request including requested slice information comprising at least one Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) via a first base station to a first Access and Mobility Management function (AMF) (Fig. 5, steps 510 and 512; the UE transmits a registration request to AMF 121 via RAN 1 (i.e., first base station), the registration request includes a requested NSSAI);
receiving, by the UE, target slice information from the first base station (p. [0151]-[0152]; the UE receives a N2/NAS message that may include rejected S-NSSAI and rejection cause value),
wherein the target slice information comprises a target S-NSSAI, based on i) the target S-NSSAI being currently unavailable and ii) the target S-NSSAI being available in a different frequency band (Fig. 5, operation 514; p. [0152]; when the requested NSSAI includes NSSAI-B (target S-NSSAI), the AMF knows that RAN1 to which the UE currently accesses cannot support S-NSSAI B (i.e., unavailable) and may determine to perform cell reselection, the AMF may add the NSSAI-B to rejected S-NSSAI with rejection cause value that the corresponding S-NSSAI is not temporarily serviced or corresponding S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or in another frequency),
wherein the target S-NSSAI is included in the requested slice information (Fig. 5, operation 510; p. [0133]; UE transmits registration request including requested NSSAI to RAN 1 (i.e., base station), the requested NSSAI may include S-NSSAI B (i.e., target S-NSSAI)),
reselecting, by the UE, a cell in the different frequency band that supports the target S-NSSAI, based on the target slice information (Fig. 5, step 520; p. [0159], [0164], [0166]-[0168]; at step 520 performs cell reselection based on the information from the AMF that indicates that the requested S-NSSAI is serviced by another RAN or another frequency); and
transmitting, by the UE, a second registration request message, via a second base station which serves the cell, to AMF (Fig. 5, steps 522, 524; p. [0169]-[0172]; after the reselection, the UE transmits a registration request to the AMF via RAN 2 (i.e., second base station)).
But, Lee does not particularly disclose wherein the second registration request is sent to a second AMF.
However, Ohlsson teaches wherein a registration is sent to a second AMF (p. [0009]; the NSSAI information enables RAN to select a suitable AMF, i.e., an AMF that supports the network slices the UE subscribes to. The NSSAI is included in network registration triggered due to mobility when the UE enters a new registration area…the new registration area may be served by a different AMF pool which requires a new AMF to be selected. Figure 2 shows where the registration request is sent to a new AMF (i.e., second AMF) due to mobility– p. [0051]-[0053]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Lee with the teachings of Ohlsson, since such a modification would allow transmitting the registration request to an AMF that support the requested NSSAI by the UE.
Regarding claim 32, the combination of Lee and Ohlsson disclose the method of claim 31, Lee discloses wherein the target slice information includes frequency information or priority information for connecting the cell which supports the target S-NSSAI (p. [0151]; p. [0154], lines 5-end; p. [0166]-[0167]; the AMF may add to the NAS message, the information about the frequency for supporting S-NSSAI B requested by the UE; p. [0146] – the AMF may include RAT Frequency Selection priority RFSP index information).
Prior Art of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
disclosure.
(a)Mildh G (WO 2018/083664) – Handling Limited Network Slice Availability
(b)Zhu et al. (2021/0037426) – Network Slice Availability Check and Indication
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 MARISOL FIGUEROA whose telephone number is (571)272-7840. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 8:00am-4:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jinsong Hu can be reached at 571-272-3965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARISOL FIGUEROA/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2643
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