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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on July 21, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Examiner acknowledges receipt of applicant’s RCE filled on 01/05/2026.
In the RCE, applicant amended claims 1, 5, 10, 17 and 21.
Claims 6-7 are objected to.
Claims 1-5, 8, and 10-21 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Examiner has fully considered Applicant's amendment, filed on 12/01/2025, pages 8-14.
Applicant’s objection of the independent claims 1, 10, and 21, under 35 U.S.C. 103, which are amended have been considered and are persuasive. However, the claims have been amended and the following new grounds of rejection (using the previous references to Ianev) were necessitated by these amendments.
Regarding claims 1, 10 and 21 applicant’s argument is “all relate to configuration information provided to the UE by the network”, and stressed in the amendment done in the independent claims and in the light argues the claims are patentable.
The Examiner’s Response to the above argument
Ianev teaches: A UE triggers a registration procedure and if the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature, the UE indicates that the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature in the Registration Request message or in any other NAS message..." [¶0083]. Also, "...The UE supporting network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages…” [0150]. Here, any capability support or configuration information for slice grouping send by UE during registration request message is generated by UE.
Regarding claim 5, under 35 U.S.C. 103, applicant’s argument, is “These disclosures relate to network-generated configuration values that are delivered to the UE, not information generated by the UE to signal its own support for SRRM configurations”, and stressed in the amendment done in the claim and in the light argues the claim is patentable.
The Examiner’s Response to the above argument
Ianev teaches: "...In addition to the parameters that are disclosed by Aspects in this disclosure, following parameters may be included together in the registration request message. 5GS registration type, ngKSI, 5GS mobile identity, Non-current native NAS key set identifier, 5GMM capability, UE security capability, Requested NSSAI..." [¶0193-¶0194]). Here, any capability support information for SRRM configurations send by UE during registration request message is generated by UE.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 1, 5, 10-11, 13, 19 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Ianev et al. (US 20240323828 A1, hereinafter, Ianev).
Regarding Claim 1, Ianev discloses, A baseband processor (Controller, Element 33) of a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 10), comprising: one or more processors configured to:
determine capability support of the UE for slice-based cell re-selection (SCR), including capability support of the UE for slice grouping and capability support of the UE for slice prioritization ("...For example, the UE may determine whether at least one of the network slice priority and the network slice group priority is valid or not by using these indications. For example, the UE may determine whether at least one of the network slice priority and the network slice group priority is valid or not in a location or PLMN indicated by these indications..." [¶0102]);
generate a SCR information element (IE) that indicates the determined capability support of the UE for SCR ("1. A UE triggers a registration procedure and if the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature, the UE indicates that the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature in the Registration Request message or in any other NAS message..." [¶0083]),
wherein the SCR IE includes: a slice grouping support IE generated by the UE indicating the determined capability support of the UE for slice grouping ("...The UE supporting network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages. If the UE has also indicated support for network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature), the AMF may group the network slices in network slice groups where each network slice group can be identified with unique network slice group id and each network slice group may include one or more network slices. The UE supporting network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages..." [¶0150]), Here, any capability support information for slice grouping send by UE during registration request message is generated by UE. and
a slice priority support IE generated by the UE indicating the determined capability support of the UE for slice prioritization ("…The UE supporting network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages…" [0108], see also, "sending the registration accept message in a case where the registration request message including information which indicates the UE supports the priority." [¶0291]); Here, any capability support information for slice Prioritization send by UE during registration request message is also determined/ generated by UE.
cause transmission of a registration request comprising the SCR IE in response to determining the capability support of the UE for SCR (“A UE triggers a registration procedure and if the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature, the UE indicates that the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature in the Registration Request message or in any other NAS message. [¶0083], see also, ...” The UE supporting network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice priority (or network slice priority feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages...” [¶0150];
receive a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message comprising a slice radio resource management information (SRRMI) after transmitting the registration request (“In a case where the UE receives the Registration Accept message, the UE may update UE configuration. Updating the UE configuration may be expressed as UE configuration update(s) or storing network slice(s) along with its priority(ies) and associated NS Group ID, if available, and applying the updated UE configuration. The UE stores the network slices provided by the network along with their network slice priorities and the network slice groups…The network may be expressed as the AMF. The UE may utilise at least one of the network slice priority and the grouping information for service improvement and resource optimisation purposes…” [¶0092]); and
cause transmission of a REGISTRATION COMPLETE message in response to receiving the SRRMI (“...When the UE receives network slice priorities and network slice groups, the UE sends the Registration complete message to acknowledge the reception of the network slice priorities or the network slice groups. The network slice group may be expressed as a NS group. The network slice group id may be expressed as a NS group ID...” [¶0091], see also “Registration Complete message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters that are disclosed by Aspects in this disclosure, following parameters may be included together in the Registration Complete message.” [¶0197], see also, "...FIG. 5 discloses a mechanism for network slice priority information provisioning and further updates to the UE during a UE Configuration Update procedure." [¶0103], see also, "...FIG. 4 discloses a mechanism for network slice priority information provisioning and further updates to the UE during a UE Registration procedure..." ¶ [0081]).
Regarding Claim 5, Ianev teaches the baseband processor of claim 1.
Ianev also teaches, wherein determining capability support of the UE for SCR further includes determining support of the UE for slice radio resource management (SRRM) configurations ("...If the UE has also indicated support for network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature), the AMF may group the network slices in network slice groups where each of the network slice groups can be identified with unique network slice group id and each network slice group may include one or more network slices. The UE supporting network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature) may mean the UE has indicated support for network slice grouping (or network slice grouping feature) in the Registration Request message when registering to the network or in any other NAS messages..." [¶0108], see also, "...The UE requesting S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2 and S-NSSAI 3 in the Registration Request may be expressed as the UE including S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2 and S-NSSAI 3 in the Requested NSSAI. For example, in a case where the UE requests S-NSSAI 1, S-NSSAI 2 and S-NSSAI 3 in the Registration Request and the UE is subscribed to S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 3, the AMF makes network slice group 1 including S-NSSAI 1 and network slice group 3 including S-NSSAI 3..." [¶0091]), wherein the SCR IE further comprises:
a SRRM support IE generated by the UE indicating the determined capability support of the UE for SRRM configurations ("...In addition to the parameters that are disclosed by Aspects in this disclosure, following parameters may be included together in the registration request message. 5GS registration type, ngKSI, 5GS mobile identity, Non-current native NAS key set identifier, 5GMM capability, UE security capability, Requested NSSAI..." [¶0193-¶0194]). Here, any capability support information for SRRM configurations send by UE during registration request message is generated by UE.
Regarding Claim 10, Ianev further discloses, an access and mobility function (AMF) entity ("FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the AMF 70..." [¶0253]), configured to:
Regarding remaining claim 10 “AMF”, is rejected under the same reasoning as claim 1 “Baseband”, where Ianev teaches “AMF/ Baseband/ UE”.
Regarding Claim 11, Ianev disclose the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev also teaches, further configured to receive a REGISTRATION COMPLETE message in response to generating the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message ("The AMF provides the network slices along with their network slice priorities and the network slice groups, each of the network slice groups identified by unique network slice group id, to the UE within the Configured NSSAI or Allowed NSSAI or as separate parameters within the Registration Accept message or within any other NAS message from the AMF to the UE. When the UE receives network slice priorities and network slice groups, the UE sends the Registration complete message to acknowledge the reception of the network slice priorities or the network slice groups..." [¶0091]).
Regarding Claim 13, Ianev disclose the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev also discloses, wherein the SRRMI is determined based on the SCR IE (“A UE triggers a registration procedure and if the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature, the UE indicates that the UE supports at least one of the network slice priority feature and the network slice grouping feature in the Registration Request message or in any other NAS message.” [¶0083]); also see, “In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of a User Equipment (UE) includes sending a registration request message including information which indicates the UE supports a priority related to Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), and receiving a registration accept message including the priority.” [¶0021]; Here, registration request message contains SCR IE information (network capability info). In response to the registration request message AMF sends registration accept message which contains the SRRMI info (Priority). Therefore, SRRMI is indirectly based on SCR IE.
Regarding Claim 19, Ianev discloses the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev also discloses, wherein the registration request is received as an initial registration request or a mobility and periodic registration update (MRU) ("In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) apparatus includes receiving a registration request message from a User Equipment (UE), sending Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) related to the UE to a Unified Data Management (UDM) apparatus, receiving a priority related to Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI) from the UDM apparatus, and sending, to the UE, a registration accept message including the priority"[¶0019]).
Regarding Claim 21, Ianev further discloses, a User Equipment (UE) ("FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the UE 3 (mobile device 3)..." [¶0219]), comprising:
a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory ("...A controller 33 controls the operation of the UE 3 in accordance with software stored in a memory 36..." [¶0219]), and configured to:
Regarding remaining claim 21 “UE”, is rejected under the same reasoning as claim 1 “Baseband”, where Ianev teaches “AMF/ Baseband/ UE”.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claims 2, 4, 8, 14-15, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ianev in view of Ishii; Atsushi (US 20240397392 A1, hereinafter, Ishii).
Regarding Claim 2, Ianev teaches the baseband processor of claim 1.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein after receiving the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message, the SRRMI is communicated from a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol of the UE to an access stratum (AS) protocol of the UE (Ishii, in analogous art discloses, wherein after receiving the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message, the SRRMI is communicated from a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol of the UE to an access stratum (AS) protocol of the UE.
Ishii, in analogous art discloses, wherein after receiving the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message, the SRRMI is communicated from a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol of the UE to an access stratum (AS) protocol of the UE (Ishii, in analogous art discloses, wherein after receiving the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message, the SRRMI is communicated from a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol of the UE to an access stratum (AS) protocol of the UE (...wherein the wireless terminal sends a non-access stratum, NAS, request message, e.g., Registration Request message, to a management entity, e.g., AMF management entity 26, via a currently serving cell, the NAS request message may comprise a Requested NSSAI with S-NSSAI(s) of desired network slices. In response, the management entity 26 may send to the wireless terminal a NAS response message, e.g., Registration Accept message or Registration Reject message. Upon receipt of the NAS response message the wireless terminal may make a determination of one of the aforementioned conditions (a), (b) and (c) for each of the desired S-NSSAIs, for each of the S-NSSAIs in the Requested NSSAI... [¶0329]). The signaling related to radio network control between a mobile station MS, a base station BS and a radio network controller RNC is done on protocol layers called radio access network protocols (RAN protocols), i.e., Access Stratum.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of communicating SRRMI from a non-access stratum (NAS) protocol of the UE to an access stratum (AS) protocol of the UE after receiving the registration accept message, thereby, helps establishing, configuring, maintaining and releasing radio links between the mobile station MS and the radio network in an effective manner.
Regarding Claim 4, Ianev teaches the baseband processor of claim 1.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the SCR IE is indicated by a single bit field in a fifth-generation of mobile telecommunications technology (5G) mobility management (MM) capability IE and further indicates support for SCR while the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle (RRCIDLE) state and RRC inactive (RRCINACTIVE) state.
Ishii, in analogous art discloses, wherein the SCR IE is indicated by a single bit field in a fifth-generation of mobile telecommunications technology (5G) mobility management (MM) capability IE and further indicates support for SCR while the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle (RRCIDLE) state and RRC inactive (RRCINACTIVE) state (“…The RFSP Index is an index specific to the wireless terminal, associated with the Allowed NSSAI, and to be used by the access node for Radio Resource Management (RRM) purposes. The AMF may also generate a Registration Accept message comprising the Allowed NSSAI, the Configured NSSAI and/or the NSSRG information. The AMF may further generate a customized mapping configuration from the Configured NSSAI and incorporate the customized mapping information into the Registration Accept message.” [¶0473]). See also, (FIG. 48 illustrates a scenario where the wireless terminal obtains multiple sets of parameters for the network slice-related information, including a first set of parameters provided by broadcast and referred as common network slice-related information as well as a second set provided by an RRC dedicated signaling and referred as dedicated network slice-related information. At the beginning, as act 48-0 the wireless terminal 30(47) is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, and as act 48-1 (re)selects a cell served by an access node (e.g., a gNB). [¶0423]). See also, “One or more of the preceding embodiments disclose NetworkSliceBandAssociationInfo. NetworkSliceBandAssociationInfo may comprise one or more fields or information elements of Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-NSSAIs, each of which may be associated with a supported frequency band(s)…” [¶0345]. Similarly, SCR IE could also be indicated by a single bit field. In 5G networks, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is a crucial control plane network function responsible for managing user equipment (UE) registration, authentication, authorization, and mobility, ensuring seamless connectivity and secure access to the 5G core network.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of including SCR IE information in mobility management (MM) capability information and single bit field, thereby, allowing for dynamic allocation of radio resources based on real-time traffic demands, slice requirements and reduce overhead.
Regarding Claim 8, Ianev teaches the baseband processor of claim 1.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the SRRMI comprised in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message includes all of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S- NSSAI group ID, a S-NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S- NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI.
Ishii, in analogous art teaches, wherein the SRRMI comprised in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message includes all of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S- NSSAI group ID, a S-NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S- NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI (“…Table 3 shows an example format of the RRCSetupComplete message, wherein the information element s-NSSAI-List carries the NSSAI (e.g. Requested NSSAI). Table 4 shows an example format of the Registration Request message of act 3-4. Table 5 shows an example format of the Registration Accept message…” [¶0186], see also “The Allowed NSSAI and the Rejected NSSAI may be comprised in the Registration Accept message shown in Table 5…” [¶0505]”). Table 4 contains NSSAI Information Element (IE) and also Network Slicing indication IE. This two IE contains all the parameters and related to Network Slicing including network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S- NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S- NSSAI.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev ’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of including number of single network slice specific assistance information in SSRMI message, thereby, help optimized resource allocation, by maximizing network efficiency and resource utilization and provide guaranteed performance.
Regarding Claim 14, Ianev discloses the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the slice group configuration information includes one or more of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S- NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, or a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI.
Ishii, in analogous art discloses, wherein the slice group configuration information includes one or more of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S- NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, or a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI (The DedicatedSliceRelatedInfo may be associated with the Allowed NSSAI and may be used for a cell reselection for some of the network slices in the Allowed NSSAI. Specifically, the wireless terminal may choose a prioritized carrier frequency list(s) associated with a network slice group including an allowed network slice(s) of the wireless terminal's choice, then perform a cell reselection procedure using the chosen prioritized carrier frequency list(s) to find a more suitable cell.” [¶0495], see also “A management entity of the core network, e.g., management entity 26 or an AMF, may determine which requested network slices of the Requested NSSAI to allow. Such determination of allowed network slices may be performed based on various factors, including availability of the requested network slices in the registration area, support of the requested network slices within the PLMN, and/or the wireless terminal's network slice subscriptions.” [¶0504]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of including in the slice group configuration information, one or more of a number of single network slice specific assistance information, thereby, help provide tailored services, improve performance and enhance flexibility.
Regarding Claim 15, Ianev discloses the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the slice group configuration information comprised in the determined SRRMI includes all of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S-NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI.
Ishii, in analogous art teaches, wherein the slice group configuration information comprised in the determined SRRMI includes all of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S-NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI (“…Table 3 shows an example format of the RRCSetupComplete message, wherein the information element s-NSSAI-List carries the NSSAI (e.g. Requested NSSAI). Table 4 shows an example format of the Registration Request message of act 3-4. Table 5 shows an example format of the Registration Accept message…” [¶0186], see also “The Allowed NSSAI and the Rejected NSSAI may be comprised in the Registration Accept message shown in Table 5…” [¶0505]”). Table 4 contains NSSAI Information Element (IE) and also Network Slicing indication IE. This two IE contains all the parameters and related to Network Slicing including network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S- NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S- NSSAI.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of having all those NSSAI in the slice group configuration information, thereby, help optimized resource allocation, by maximizing network efficiency and resource utilization and provide guaranteed performance.
Regarding Claim 18, Combination of Ianev and Ishii teach the AMF entity of claim 15.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teaches, wherein the registration request includes SRRMI information elements (IEs) including one or more of the S-NSSAI, the S-NSSAI value, the S-NSSAI group ID, the S-NSSAI priority, the number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI.
Ishii discloses, wherein the registration request includes SRRMI information elements (IEs) including one or more of the S-NSSAI, the S-NSSAI value, the S-NSSAI group ID, the S-NSSAI priority, the number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI ("RAN supports policy enforcement between slices as per service level agreements. It should be possible for a single RAN node to support multiple slices. The RAN should be free to apply the best Radio Resource Management (RRM) policy for the SLA in place to each supported slice."[¶0157], see also, "...As act 10B-3, the wireless terminal 30 sends a Registration Request message through access node 28 to management entity 26. The Registration Request message may comprise the chosen S-NSSAI(s) as at least a part of the Requested NSSAI. In response to the Registration Request message, as act 10B-4 the wireless terminal 30 receives a Registration Accept message. In the Registration Accept message, each S-NSSAI in the Allowed NSSAI and/or the Configured NSSAI information element(s) may be associated with supported band(s)..."[¶0220]);
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of including S-NSSAI attributes in the SSRMI information elements (IEs) in the registration request message, thereby, helps to indicate which network slice the user equipment (UE) intends to access.
Regarding Claim 20, Ianev discloses the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly disclose, wherein the SCR IE is indicated by a single bit field in a fifth-generation of mobile telecommunications technology (5G) mobility management (MM) capability IE and further indicates support for SCR while the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle (RRCIDLE) state and RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state.
Ishii, in analogous art teaches, wherein the SCR IE is indicated by a single bit field in a fifth-generation of mobile telecommunications technology (5G) mobility management (MM) capability IE and further indicates support for SCR while the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle (RRCIDLE) state and RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state (“…The RFSP Index is an index specific to the wireless terminal, associated with the Allowed NSSAI, and to be used by the access node for Radio Resource Management (RRM) purposes. The AMF may also generate a Registration Accept message comprising the Allowed NSSAI, the Configured NSSAI and/or the NSSRG information. The AMF may further generate a customized mapping configuration from the Configured NSSAI and incorporate the customized mapping information into the Registration Accept message.” [¶0473]). See also, (FIG. 48 illustrates a scenario where the wireless terminal obtains multiple sets of parameters for the network slice-related information, including a first set of parameters provided by broadcast and referred as common network slice-related information as well as a second set provided by an RRC dedicated signaling and referred as dedicated network slice-related information. At the beginning, as act 48-0 the wireless terminal 30(47) is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, and as act 48-1 (re)selects a cell served by an access node (e.g., a gNB). [¶0423]). See also, “One or more of the preceding embodiments disclose NetworkSliceBandAssociationInfo. NetworkSliceBandAssociationInfo may comprise one or more fields or information elements of Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-NSSAIs, each of which may be associated with a supported frequency band(s)…” [¶0345]). Similarly, SCR IE could also be indicated by a single bit field.
In 5G networks, the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is a crucial control plane network function responsible for managing user equipment (UE) registration, authentication, authorization, and mobility, ensuring seamless connectivity and secure access to the 5G core network.
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Ishii’s idea of including SCR IE information in mobility management (MM) capability information, thereby, allowing for dynamic allocation of radio resources based on real-time traffic demands and slice requirements.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ianev in view of Tamura et al. (US 12096348 B2, hereinafter, Tamura).
Regarding Claim 3, Ianev teaches the baseband processor of claim 1.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the registration request is sent as an initial registration request, a mobility and periodic registration update (MRU), or a change based event.
Tamura, in analogous art discloses, wherein the registration request is sent as an initial registration request, a mobility and periodic registration update (MRU), or a change based event (First timer information may be a timer value set to a timer 1. The timer 1 may be a timer with which the UE manages (transmits or prevents transmission of) a registration request message (the registration request message is an initial registration request, mobility registration update, or periodic registration update) using S-NSSAI included in the third network slice information and S-NSSAI associated with the first reason value... [¶0059]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Tamura’s idea of having registration request is sent as an initial registration request, a mobility and periodic registration update (MRU), thereby, allows the UE to update its serving cell and mobility information during initial registration update.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ianev in view of Jung et al. (US20230055788, hereinafter, Jung).
Regarding Claim 12, Ianev discloses the AMF entity of claim 10.
Ianev doesn’t explicitly disclose, wherein the SRRMI enables SCR between the UE and a base station (BS).
Jung, in analogous art teaches, wherein the SRRMI enables SCR between the UE and a base station (BS) (“In operation 565, the gNB 502 may perform radio resource management (RRM) based on the RFSP index received from the AMF 503. In operation 570, the gNB 502 may transmit an RRCRelease message for migrating to a cell which supports the network slice requested by the UE 501. The RRCRelease message may include at least one of one cell reselection priority information based on the RAT (e.g., NR, EUTRA) per frequency and timer values commonly applied regardless of the RAT” [¶0139-¶0140]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev’s teaching by including Jung’s idea of enables SCR between a UE and a base station (BS) via SRRMI, thereby, the network operators could tailor network resources to meet the diverse needs of different applications.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ianev and Ishii in view of Park et al. (US 20210014893, hereinafter, Park).
Regarding Claim 17, Combination of Ianev and Ishii teach the AMF entity of claim 15.
Combination of Ianev and Ishii don’t explicitly teach, wherein the S-NSSAI priority is based on protocol data unit (PDU) session information and associated available network slices.
Park, in analogous art teaches, wherein the S-NSSAI priority is based on protocol data unit (PDU) session information and associated available network slices (the first wireless device uses at the second cell and/or the second base station and/or that the first wireless device is recommended to use at the first cell and/or the first base station, session configuration parameters (e.g., PDU session identifier, QoS configuration, QoS flow identifier, 5QI/QCI, ARP, priority information, latency, network slice information, S-NSSAI, NSSAI, reliability, etc.) of one or more PDU sessions (e.g., bearers, QoS flows, sidelink/PC5 sessions, etc.), security information, configured grant resource information (e.g., periodicity, timing offset, and/or size for sidelink communication), session tunnel endpoint identifier (e.g., for uplink/downlink), the at least one measurement report of the first wireless device, and/or the like. [¶0300]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev, Ishii’s teaching by including Park’s idea of making S-NSSAI priority based on protocol data unit (PDU) session information and associated available network slices, thereby, the network could use the S-NSSAI associated with a PDU session to determine which network slice to use for that session, enabling slice-specific policies and resource allocation.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ianev, Ishii in view of Hedman et al. (US 20240196316 A1, hereinafter, Hedman).
Regarding Claim 16, Combination of Ianev, and Ishii teach the AMF entity of claim 15.
Combination of Ianev, and Ishii don’t teach, wherein the S-NSSAI that are associated with a same frequency in a tracking area (TA) or a registration area (RA) are grouped together and have a same S-NSSAI priority.
Hedman, in analogous art discloses, wherein the S-NSSAI that are associated with a same frequency in a tracking area (TA) or a registration area (RA) are grouped together and have a same S-NSSAI priority (“The NG-RAN and AMF exchange support of S-NSSAIs as per current specifications i.e., AMF indicates the S-NSSAIs the AMF supports and the NG-RAN indicates the S-NSSAIs the NG-RAN support per TA; 3. The UE has a subscription for one or more S-NSSAIs and at least one S-NSSAI has specific requirements in relation to specific cells the S-NSSAI is to be available or specific frequency band requirements S-NSSAI; 4. The S-NSSAIs requiring specific NG-RAN control are assigned Radio Resource Slice Group (RRSG) values...” [¶0187-¶0189], see also, “6. When the NG-RAN release the UE with RRC release message, the NG-RAN may, as per current specifications, indicate dedicated cell reselection priorities corresponding to the S-NSSAIs that the UE currently uses (Allowed NSSAI or S-NSSAIs of PDU Sessions with active UP), the NG-RAN may in addition indicate dedicated cell reselection priorities per RRSG” [¶0191]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Ianev and Ishii’s teaching by including Hedman’s idea of making same frequency in a tracking area (TA) having the same priority, thereby, simplifies the network management and ensures consistent Quality of Service (QoS) for network slices across that area.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the cited references fail to anticipate or render the claimed subject matter (combined with other limitations claimed in the claimed subject matter) obvious over any of the prior art of record, either alone or in combination. Therefore, when taken as a whole application, and incorporating all the respective limitations, none of the prior art discloses the features as claimed.
Claim 6: “further configured to determine SRRMI including information elements (IEs) comprising of a number of single network slice specific assistance information (S-NSSAI), a S-NSSAI value, a S-NSSAI group ID, a S-NSSAI priority, a number of frequencies associated with the S-NSSAI, a frequency value associated with the S-NSSAI, and a frequency priority associated with the S-NSSAI; and generating the registration request to include the IEs.”
Claim 7, depends on claim 6.
Conclusion
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/MUHAMMAD AINUL HUDA/Examiner, Art Unit 2467
/HASSAN A PHILLIPS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2467