DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is a response to an application filed on October 10, 2022 wherein claims 1-20 remain pending and ready for examination.
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 statements (IDS) submitted on October 19, 2022 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 8, and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities: the meanings of acronyms “drFlag” “singleRegindication” and “deregister-sn” are not disclosed in the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required:
“[T]he registration request of the AMF node to the second type of telecommunication network” in the limitation “wherein a drFlag attribute associated with the registration request of the AMF node to the second type of telecommunication network is set to false or absent” of claims 1, 13, and 20 is not disclosed in the remainder of the specification, which instead discloses the registration request from the UE transmitted to the second type of telecommunication network.
Additionally, “the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node” in the limitation “wherein the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node enables receiving a deregister-sn communication” of claims 1, 13, and 20 is not disclosed in the remainder of the specification, which instead discloses the transmission of the ”singleRegindication” being transmitted between the AMF and UDM.
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 1-20 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.
Regarding claims 1-20:
The recitations of “the AMF node” of claims 1, 13, 20, and their dependent claims renders claims 1-20 indefinite because it is unclear whether they refer to AMF in the limitation of “receive, at an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node of a second type of telecommunication network” or AMF in the limitation of “transmit, by a Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node of the second type of telecommunication network to a Unified Data Management (UDM) node,” when AMF node in the two limitations is different from each other. For the purpose of examination, “AMF node” in the two limitations is treated as being the same “AMF node”.
The limitations “wherein a drFlag attribute associated with the registration request of the AMF node to the second type of telecommunication network” of claims 1, 13, and 20 has insufficient antecedent basis as there is no prior recitation of a “registration request of the AMF node to a second type of telecommunication network.” In is unclear, therefore, whether “the registration request of the AMF node” is a typo of “a registration request of the AMF node” or not. If not, it is further unclear whether the prior recitation of “a registration request” in the limitation “UE has transmitted a registration request to the second type of telecommunication network” is further required to be somehow “of the AMF node.” For the purpose of examination, claimed “the registration request of the AMF node to the second type of telecommunication network” is treated as being “the registration request sent from the UE to the AMF node of the second type of telecommunication network”.
The limitations “wherein the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node enables” of claims 1, 13, and 20 has insufficient antecedent basis as there is no prior recitation of “transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node.”
In is unclear, therefore, whether “the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node” is a typo of “a transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node” or not. For the purpose of examination, claimed “the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node” is treated as being “a transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node.”
The limitation “The method of claim 12” of claims 14-19 has insufficient antecedent basis as claim 12 does not recite a “method” but instead recites “The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1”. For the purpose of examination, claimed “method of claim 12” is treated as being “method of claim 13”.
Claims 2-12, and 14-19 are rejected under 112(b) because they are dependent on claims 1 and 13, respectively, and do not cure the deficiency of their respective parent claim as stated above.
Allowable subject matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, and other objections set forth in this Office action.
Regarding claims 1, 13, and 20, 3GPP TS 23.632 (hereafter, 3GPP 632) disclose the following limitations:
when the UE is in a single registration mode, transmit, by a Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node of the second type of telecommunication network to a Unified Data Management (UDM) node, a singleRegindication attribute (initial registration flag) associated with the UE (3GPP 632: [Section 5.3.3 step 3] “If the dual registration flag is not set and the initial registration flag is set in the Nudm_UECM_Registration request … UDM uses the Nhss_UECM_SNDeregistration service operation indicating that the deregistration reason is due to Initial and Single Registration”), wherein a drFlag attribute associated with the registration request of the AMF node to the second type of telecommunication network is set to false or absent (3GPP 632: [Section 5.3.3 step 3] “If the dual registration flag is not set.”; the dual registration flag is used to notify the UDM of whether the UE is in dual registration mode or not, and is sent to the UDM when the UE sends a registration request to an AMF due to mobility from EPC to 5GC), and
wherein the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the UDM node enables receiving a deregister-sn communication at a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) node from the UDM initiates a deregistration process between the HSS node and the MME node of the first type of telecommunication network (3GPP 632: [Section 5.3.3 step 3] “If the dual registration flag is not set and the initial registration flag is set in the Nudm_UECM_Registration request … UDM uses the Nhss_UECM_SNDeregistration service operation indicating that the deregistration reason is due to Initial and Single Registration”).
3GPP 632 does not disclose:
Receiving, at an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node of a second type of telecommunication network, a notification identifying that a User Equipment (UE) has transmitted a registration request to the second type of telecommunication network from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) node of a first type of telecommunication network; and the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the UDM node comprises transmitting of the singleRegIndication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node.
However, 3GPP TS 23.502 (hereafter 3GPP 502) discloses Receiving, at an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node of a second type of telecommunication network, a notification from a Mobility Management Entity (MME) node of a first type of telecommunication network (3GPP 502: [Section 4.11.1.2.2.2] “Step 3 from clause 5.5.1.2.2 (S1-based handover, normal) in TS 23.401 [13] with the following modifications: An additional optional parameter Return preferred. Return preferred is an optional indication provided by the MME to indicate a preferred return of the UE to the last used EPS PLMN at a later access change to an EPS shared network.”; Figure 4.11.1.2.2.2-1 shows that at step 3 the MME sends a “Forward Relocation Request” to an initial AMF).
3GPP 632 and 3GPP 502 do not disclose the notification from the MME comprises a notification identifying that a User Equipment (UE) has transmitted a registration request to the second type of telecommunication network; and the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the UDM node comprises transmitting of the singleRegIndication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node.
However Kim et al. (EP 4224930 A1, hereafter Kim) discloses AMF receiving a notification that the UE transmitted the registration request to a second telecommunication network (Kim: [0270] “In addition, to inform the AMF of the target network that the UE has moved from another network, the UE may include a "Mobility from other network" indication in the registration request message.”; The AMF is notified by the registration request that the UE is moving from a different network, meaning that the AMF is part of the second network and the UE sent the request to the second network.)
It would not be obvious to combine the teachings of 3GPP 632 and 3GPP 502 with those of Kim. According to Kim, the AMF receives the notification of the request to a second telecommunication network through the registration request, which is sent by the UE, and the MMEs of 3GPP 632 and 3GPP 502 cannot be modified to notify the AMF as they do not send the registration request.
Furthermore, Kim, 3GPP 632, and 3GPP 502, neither alone nor in combination discloses the transmitting of the singleRegindication attribute between the AMF node and the UDM node comprises transmitting of the singleRegIndication attribute between the AMF node and the MME node.
Conclusion
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/AMEEN SAJID PATEL/Examiner, Art Unit 2418
/Moo Jeong/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2418