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
Applicants’ arguments filed on 13 January 2026 have been fully considered but they are not deemed to be persuasive.
Applicant contends that Nokia does not teach or suggest determining, by the terminal device, a random access type from a plurality of random access types including a two-step random access type and a four-step random access type, and further asserts that Xiaomi and Jiang do not remedy this deficiency.
However, the rejection does not rely on Nokia alone for these features. As set forth in the rejection, Wei from an analogous art discloses that random access procedures include two-step random access procedures and four-step random access procedures (paras. 65, 68), and further discloses that the terminal device determines which random access type to use based on operating conditions, such as signal quality thresholds (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; fig. 4, 2-step RA, 4-step RA; para. 64, 82, 83, 90, 101).
Thus, Wei teaches both (1) a plurality of random access types including two-step and four-step random access types, and (2) determining, by the terminal device, a random access type from the plurality of random access types.
Applicant’s arguments do not address the teachings of Wei, which are relied upon in the rejection to disclose the plurality of random access types including two-step and four-step procedures and the determination of the random access type by the terminal device. Accordingly, Applicant’s arguments are not responsive to the rejection as made and are not persuasive.
Applicant further contends that Nokia does not teach determining a random access type based on a type of the first network slice service, and that Xiaomi and Jiang do not remedy this deficiency.
This argument is not persuasive. As explained in the rejection, Jiang teaches that different network slices correspond to different random access configurations, and Wei teaches selecting a random access type based on conditions affecting performance. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the network slice service type, which reflects QoS requirements, as the condition for selecting the random access type, in order to optimize latency, reliability, and congestion control for different slices.
Applicant further argues that the cited combination does not teach or suggest initiating random access based on both (i) a random access time-frequency resource determined by the access stratum of the terminal device and (ii) a random access type determined by the terminal device.
This argument is not persuasive. As shown in the rejection of claim 1, Nokia teaches that the access stratum determines the random access time-frequency resource corresponding to the network slice service. Wei teaches that the terminal device determines the random access type (e.g., two-step or four-step random access) based on operating conditions. Thus, the cited combination teaches that different aspects of the random access procedure are determined by different entities, namely, the access stratum determines the resource and the terminal device determines the random access type.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that, in performing random access, the terminal device necessarily uses both the allocated time-frequency resource and the selected random access procedure type, since the resource defines where the access occurs and the procedure type defines how the access is performed. Accordingly, initiating random access based on both the determined resource and the determined random access type represents a predictable combination of prior art elements according to their established functions.
Therefore, Applicant’s arguments are not persuasive, and the rejection of claim 1 is maintained.
Claims 1-19 and 21 are pending.
Claims 1-19 and 21 are rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NOKIA et al., "Initial radio resource isolation for slicing," 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 #99, R2-1709202, Berlin, Germany, ugust 21-25, 2017, 4 pages, hereinafter “Nokia”, in view of XIAOMI, "PRACH partitioning, access and congestion control Consideration for Network Slicing,” 3GPP TSG-RAN G2 #97, R2-1700998, Athens, Greece, February 13-17, 2017, 3 pages, hereinafter “Xiaomi”, both as recited in the IDS filed 6 April 2023, and Jiang (US Pub. 2023/0094982), and further in view of Wei et al (US Pub. 2019/0335381).
Regarding claim 1, Nokia discloses a random access method, comprising:
sending, … a radio access network (RAN) slicing area Identity (RSA ID) of a first network slice service to an access stratum (AS) of the terminal device (sec. 1, Slice assistance information includes number of identifiers to allow differentiation and network slice selection (e.g. slice, service type, …; provide different PRACH for different slices in initial access);
wherein the first network slice service is a to-be-initiated network slice service,
(sec. 1, it remains open if it is possible to provide different PRACH for different slices in initial access before knowing slice assistance information).
(sec. 2.1 "Resource management and isolation" discusses the above open point.)
and wherein the RSA ID corresponds to one or more pieces of single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI);
(sec. 1, "[ ... ] Slice assistance information includes number of identifiers to allow differentiation and network slice selection (e.g. slice, service type, [ ... ], service differentiator/tenant identifiers[ ... ])";
sec. "Text Proposal to 38.300". "NSSAI (Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) includes one or more S-NSSAls (Single NSSAI). Each network slice is uniquely identified by a S-NSSAI [ ... ]";
it is noted that the term RSA ID has been interpreted in the broadest possible way as an ID related to NSSAI including several S-NSSAls, i.e. slices;
and wherein said ID is implicit in the cited text above)
… determining, by the AS of the terminal device, a first random access time-frequency resource corresponding to the first network slice service based on the RSA ID and a first mapping relationship,
wherein the first mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between a network slice service and a random access time-frequency resource;
(sec. 2.1, "... during the initial access procedure (registration procedure) without any PDU session established, the UE would provide the requested NSSAI information, which may contain several S-NSSAIs ... association of a slice-related query with a PRACH resource specifically might be inefficient ...").
The cited text above teaches against associating a single SNSSAI with a PRACH resource; instead, multiple slices are associated with a PRACH configuration or resources.
(sec 2.1, "... PRACH partitioning for generic purposes can meet the slice requirements ... Proposal 1: Multiple slices can be supported by a PRACH configuration within a PRACH partition ...").
"Multiple slices" implies the NSSAI mentioned above, and an ID related to said NSSAI is implicit.
determining, by the terminal device, a random access type corresponding to the first network slice service;
(It is implicit i that the PRACH partitioning provides different type of random access for different slices; Thus, sec. 1 discloses: "Network Slicing is a concept to allow differentiated treatment depending on each customer requirements. Slice assistance information includes number of identifiers to allow differentiation and network slice selection (e.g. slice, service type, which refers to the expected network behavior in terms of features and services, service differentiator/tenant identifiers, [ ... ]). The differentiation is feasible after POU session is established, however it remains open if it possible to provide different PRACH for different slices in initial access before knowing slice assistance information";
sec. 2.1, "[ ... ] FFS whether it is possible to provide different PRACH, access barring and congestion control information for different slices [ ... ]") and
initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the first random access time-frequency resource and the random access type.
(implicit as cited above)
Nokia does not specifically disclose:
sending, by a non-access stratum (NAS) of a terminal device, a RAN slicing area Identity (RSA ID) … to an access stratum (AS) of the terminal device.
However Nokia discloses, in sec. "Text proposal to 38.300", that the UE can only provide NSSAI to the network in an RRC message (which is part of the AS of the UE) if it has been provided by NAS: "[ ... ] UE should be able to provide assistance information for network slice selection in RRC message, if it has been provided by NAS [ ... ]".
Additionally Xiaomi discloses, in sec. 2.1 "PRACH partitioning" indicating: "[ ... ] Observation: To support PRACH partitioning, NAS needs to inform AS about about the network slice that trigger the RRC connection establishment [ ... ]".
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Xiaomi in the system of Nokia in order to support PRACH partitioning (Xiaomi, sec. 2.1).
Nokia–Xiaomi disclose transmitting a network-slice identifier and determining a random-access resource corresponding to the network-slice service as recited above. However, Nokia–Xiaomi do not specifically disclose that, in response to receiving the RSA ID from the NAS of the terminal device, the AS of the terminal device determines a first random-access time-frequency resource corresponding to the requested network-slice service.
Jiang from an analogous art teaches the first missing feature—when the NAS requests the AS to initiate an RRC connection for a given slice, the AS selects the random-access resource configured by the network device for that slice and initiates the random-access procedure (paras. 75–78).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to incorporate the teachings of Jiang into the combination of Nokia and Xiaomi to determine or assign random-access configurations (or types) corresponding to different network-slice services, thereby preventing inter-slice interference and congestion while improving random-access efficiency and slice isolation, as expressly suggested by Jiang (and further supported by Lou).
Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang does not specifically disclose wherein the plurality of random access types include a two-step random access type and a four-step random access type.
However, Wei from an analogous art discloses that random access procedures include two-step random access procedures and four-step random access procedures (paras. 65, 68), and further discloses that the terminal device determines which random access type to use based on operating conditions, such as signal quality thresholds (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; fig. 4, 2-step RA, 4-step RA; para. 64, 82, 83, 90, 101).
Thus, Wei teaches both (1) a plurality of random access types including two-step and four-step random access types, and (2) determining, by the terminal device, a random access type from the plurality of random access types.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang in view of Wei to have the terminal device determine a random access type from a plurality of random access types, including two-step and four-step types, based on the type of network slice service, because Jiang teaches that different network slices correspond to different random access configurations, and Wei teaches selecting a random access type based on conditions affecting performance. It would have been an obvious design choice to use network slice service type, which reflects QoS requirements, as the condition for selecting the random access type in order to optimize latency, reliability, and congestion control.
Regarding claim 2, Wei further discloses wherein:
the first random access time-frequency resource comprises a random access time-frequency resources corresponding to two-step random access and a random access time-frequency resources corresponding to four-step random access;
the first random access time-frequency resource comprises only a random access time-frequency resources corresponding to two-step random access; or
the first random access time-frequency resource comprises only a random access time-frequency resources corresponding to four-step random access (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; para. 81, 82, 2-step and 4-step random access procedures, network slice).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Wei in the system of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang in order to conserve radio resources (Wei, para. 8).
Regarding claim 3, Wei in view of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang further discloses wherein the first random access time-frequency resource comprises the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to two-step random access and the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to four-step random access, and wherein the determining, by the terminal device, a random access type corresponding to the first network slice service comprises:
obtaining, by the terminal device, signal quality of a reference signal; and
when the signal quality is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, determining, by the terminal device, that the random access type corresponding to the first network slice service is the two-step random access; or
when the signal quality is less than a preset threshold, determining, by the terminal device, that the random access type corresponding to the first network slice service is the four-step random access (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; para. 64, 101, 2-step and 4-step random access procedures, network slice). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Wei in the system of Nokia and Xiao in order to conserve radio resources (Wei, para. 8).
Regarding claim 4, Wei in view of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang further discloses wherein:
the first random access time-frequency resource comprises only the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to two-step random access, and the determining, by the terminal device, a random access type corresponding to the first network slice service comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that the random access type corresponding to the first network slice service is the two-step random access; or
the first random access time-frequency resource comprises only the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to four-step random access, and the determining, by the terminal device, a random access type corresponding to the first network slice service comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that the random access type corresponding to the first network slice service is the four-step random access (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; para. 64, 101, 2-step and 4-step random access procedures, network slice). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Wei in the system of Nokia and Xiao in order to conserve radio resources (Wei, para. 8).
Regarding claim 5, Wei in view of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang further discloses wherein the first random access time-frequency resource comprises the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to two-step random access and the random access time-frequency resources corresponding to four-step random access, and wherein the initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the first random access time-frequency resource and the random access type comprises:
determining, by the terminal device, that a second random access time-frequency resource is a random access time-frequency resource corresponding to the determined random access type in the first random access time-frequency resource; and
initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the second random access time-frequency resource access (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; para. 64, 101, 2-step and 4-step random access procedures, network slice). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Wei in the system of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang in order to conserve radio resources (Wei, para. 8).
Regarding claim 6, Wei in view of Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang further discloses wherein:
the second random access time-frequency resource comprises only one random access time-frequency resource, and the initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the second random access time-frequency resource comprises: initiating, by the terminal device, random access by using the second random access time-frequency resource; or
the second random access time-frequency resource comprises a plurality of random access time-frequency resources, and the initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the second random access time-frequency resource comprises: selecting randomly, by the terminal device, one random access time-frequency resource from the second random access time-frequency resource; and initiating, by the terminal device, random access based on the selected random access time-frequency resource access (fig. 2, two steps; fig. 3, four steps; para. 64, 101, 2-step and 4-step random access procedures, network slice). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Wei in the system of Nokia and Xiao in order to conserve radio resources (Wei, para. 8).
Regarding claim 7, Xiaomi in view of Nokia, Jiang, and Wei further discloses wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, by the terminal device, a first message, wherein the first message comprises the first mapping relationship (sec. 2.1, RAN can indicate PRACH-config/RACH-config per network slice in SIB and dedicated signaling). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Xiaomi in the system of Nokia in order to support PRACH partitioning (Xiaomi, sec. 2.1).
Regarding claim 8, Xiaomi in view of Nokia, Jiang, and Wei further discloses wherein the first message comprises a physical random access channel mask index, and the physical random access channel mask index indicates the first mapping relationship (sec. 2.1, RAN can indicate PRACH-config/RACH-config per network slice in SIB and dedicated signaling). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Xiaomi in the system of Nokia, Jiang, and Wei in order to support PRACH partitioning (Xiaomi, sec. 2.1).
Regarding claim 9, Xiaomi in view of Nokia, Jiang, and Wei further discloses wherein the first message is a radio resource control (RRC) message, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) message, or a system message (sec. 2.1, RAN can indicate PRACH-config/RACH-config per network slice in SIB and dedicated signaling). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teaching of Xiaomi in the system of Nokia, Xiaomi, and Wei in order to support PRACH partitioning (Xiaomi, sec. 2.1).
Regarding claim 10, Nokia further discloses wherein the method further comprises:
if the terminal device has a plurality of to-be-initiated network slice services, determining, by the terminal device from the plurality of to-be-initiated network slice services based on priorities of the network slice services, to initiate the first network slice service, wherein the first network slice service is a network slice service with a highest priority in the plurality of to-be-initiated network slice services.
Claim 11 recites a communication apparatus, corresponding to the system of claim 1, and is thus further rejected.
Claims 12-16 recite substantially identical subject matter as claims 2-6, and are thus similarly rejected.
Claims 17-19 recite substantially identical subject matter as claims 7-9, and are thus similarly rejected.
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Nokia in view of Xiaomi, Jiang, and Wei, and further in view of Gao (US 2023/0029004 A1).
Regarding claim 21, Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang-Wei discloses that slice identifiers, including S-NSSAI, are used to identify and differentiate network slice services and are used in signaling between the terminal device and the network for slice selection and access procedures (Nokia, sec. 1).
Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang-Wei does not specifically disclose wherein a correspondence between the RSA ID and the one or more pieces of S-NSSAI is valid within a range of a tracking area (TA).
Gao from an analogous art discloses that network slice information, including S-NSSAI, is configured and provided per tracking area (TA). In particular, Gao discloses that the NG-RAN provides supported S-NSSAIs per tracking area to the AMF, thereby defining the validity and applicability of S-NSSAI information within a given tracking area (Gao, para. [0168]).
Thus, Gao teaches that S-NSSAI-related information is scoped and valid within a tracking area.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Nokia-Xiaomi-Jiang-Wei in view of Gao to define that the correspondence between the RSA ID and the one or more pieces of S-NSSAI is valid within a range of a tracking area, since Gao teaches that S-NSSAI information is maintained and communicated on a per-tracking-area basis, and applying such scope ensures consistent slice identification and reduces signaling overhead within mobility management regions.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure (see form 892).
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.
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/Luat Phung/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2468
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