DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
This is in response to Applicants Preliminary Amendment filed 06/20/2023 which has been entered. Claims 1-16 have been amended. No Claims have been cancelled. No Claims have been added. Claims 1-16 are still pending in this application, with Claims 1, 6, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 16 being independent.
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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 6, 7, 11, 14 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 6 recites in part …obtaining the emergency number table in a signalling message received from the visited network following the attachment of the terminal of the user. Please correct the misspelling. Claims 7, 11, 14 and 16 also have the same issue. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 5-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kunz et al (2018/0191786 A1).
As per Claim 1, Kunz teaches a method of processing a registration request from a user terminal of a communication network, referred to as a home network (Abstract; Figure 1 – References 3 and 40; Figure 4: Step 2; Page 2, Paragraph [0033]; Page 5, Paragraph [0067]), the home network being configured to provide multimedia services to the terminal, the terminal being attached to another communication network, referred to as a visited network, interconnected with the home network, wherein the method is implemented at a local facility of the home network (Figure 1 – References 17 and 30; Page 2, Paragraph [0033]; Page 3, Paragraphs [0035], [0041] and [0042]; Page 4, Paragraph [0053]).
Kunz also teaches on reception of a registration request from the terminal of the user, the registration request having been transmitted by the visited network, obtaining an emergency number table of the visited network, the table associating with at least one emergency number local to the visited network a uniform resource identifier, and in that the emergency number table being received from the visited network by the home network following reception of the registration request or a previous registration request from a user terminal attached to the visited network (Figure 4: Steps 3-5; Page 5, Paragraphs [0068] – [0071]; Page 6, Paragraph [0085]; Page 7, Paragraph [0127]; Page 9, Paragraph [0139]).
(Note: In paragraphs [0067] and [0068], Kunz describes user equipment [UE] located in a visited public land mobile network [VPLMN] registering with the IP multimedia subsystem [IMS] and sending a SIP REGISTER message to a proxy call service control function [P-CSCF] located in a home public land mobile network [HPLMN]. The P-CSCF uses the PLMN ID to determine local emergency numbers associated with the identified location [e.g. VPLMN])
(Note: In paragraph [0071], Kunz describes determining the UE is roaming in a VPLMN and initiating a query for local emergency numbers from a connected database [i.e. obtaining an emergency number table of the visited network, the table associating with at least one emergency number local to the visited network]. In paragraph [0139], Kunz indicates the local emergency number could be in the form of a telephone URI, a SIP URI or any other format to enable proper addressing to a public safety answering point [PSAP])
As per Claim 2, Kunz teaches sending a request for transmission of the emergency number table to a control facility of the home network for relaying to the visited network, the control facility being configured to manage network resources provided for the terminal of the user, and receiving a response comprising the table as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 5, Kunz teaches wherein the request for transmission of the emergency number table is inserted in a request message for obtaining the identifier of the visited network, the message being transmitted following reception of the registration request of the terminal of the user by the local facility as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 6, Kunz teaches a method of providing in a communication network of a user terminal as described in Claim 1. Claim 6 differs from Claim 1 in that Claim 1 is directed to a registration request whereas Claim 6 is directed to providing information associated with an emergency number table to a P-CSCF in the home network.
As per Claim 7, Kunz teaches wherein the signaling message received from the visited network further comprises a request for the creation of a session for the terminal of the user as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 8, Kunz teaches wherein the method comprises, upon reception of a request from the local facility of the home network, transmitting the table to the local facility as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 9, Kunz teaches wherein the method comprises receiving a request for transmission of the table from the local facility and relaying the request to the visited network as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 10, Kunz teaches a method of managing a table of emergency numbers of a communication network as described in Claim 1. Kunz also teaches a mobility management facility of the terminal of the visited network (Figure 1 – Reference 7; Page 3, Paragraphs [0036] and [0037]).
As per Claim 11, Kunz teaches wherein the table is transmitted in a signaling message comprising a request for the creation of a session for the terminal of the user with the home network as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 12, Kunz teaches wherein the table is transmitted upon reception of a request from the home network, the request having been received following the transmission by the visited network to the home network of a registration request from the terminal of the user as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 13, Kunz teaches a device for processing a registration request from a user terminal of a communication network as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 14, Kunz teaches a device for providing by a communication network of a user of a terminal as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 15, Kunz teaches a device for managing an emergency number table of a communication network as described in Claim 1.
As per Claim 16, Kunz teaches a system for managing a registration request for a user terminal to a communication network to which it is subscribed, referred to as a home network, the terminal of the user being attached to another communication network, referred to as a visited network, as described in Claims 1 and 13.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kunz et al (2018/0191786 A1) in view of Bakker (2020/0100202 A1).
As per Claim 3, Kunz teaches the method of processing according to Claim 2; but does not teach upon reception of an identifier from the visited network, checking that an emergency number table is already available in the home network for that identifier; and sending the transmission request when no emergency number table is available or when the available emergency number table is associated with an out-of-date validity indicator.
However, Bakker teaches upon reception of an identifier from the visited network, checking that an emergency number table is already available in the home network for that identifier; and sending the transmission request when no emergency number table is available or when the available emergency number table is associated with an out-of-date validity indicator (Page 5: Table 2; Page 5, Paragraph [0026]; Page 6, Paragraph [0028]; Page 9, Paragraph [0070]).
(Note: As described above in Claim 1, Kunz teach obtaining a PLMN ID associated with a VPLMN. In paragraphs [0026] and [0028], Bakker describes procedures for the presence of emergency numbers in a PLMN checking and making a determination as to the validity of the obtained emergency numbers)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught by Kunz with the method taught by Bakker to leverage a public land mobile network identifier which uniquely identifies the mobile network a user is connected to which helps route emergency calls to the correct local public safety answering point to allow emergency responders to respond in a timely fashion if called upon.
As per Claim 4, the combination of Kunz and Bakker teaches wherein the request for transmission of the emergency number table is transmitted in a message comprising the identifier of the visited network. (Note: It is found to be obvious to associate the relevant emergency number information in a message along with the PLMN ID of the visited network to ensure that the correct information is paired with the correct network)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught by Kunz with the method taught by Bakker to leverage a public land mobile network identifier which uniquely identifies the mobile network a user is connected to which helps route emergency calls to the correct local public safety answering point to allow emergency responders to respond in a timely fashion if called upon.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lauster (2018/0049010 A1), Bakker et al (2019/0208393 A1), Milinski et al (2013/0148550 A1), BUCKLEY et al (2018/0288582 A1) and Bakker (2020/0323001 A1). Each of these describes systems and methods of registering mobile devices in public land mobile networks.
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KHARYE POPE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2693
/KHARYE POPE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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