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
The Amendment filed on 11/24/2025 has been entered. Claims 1-8, 10 and 11 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments on pages 7-11 with respect to claims 1, 8, 10 and 11 have been considered but are moot upon a further consideration and a new ground of rejection made under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Dayan in view of Kohli (US PGPub 2010/0131671), as set forth below.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8, 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by TS 23.502 (3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Procedures for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 15), 3GPP TS 23.502, V15.12.0, 17 December 2020).
Regarding claims 1, 8, 10 and 11, TS 23.502 teaches a method (TS 23.502, see figure 4.3.2.2.1-1 on page 64, UE-requested PDU Session Establishment for non-roaming and roaming with local breakout) comprising:
managing an activation request to activate a packet data session for a user terminal capable of transmitting and receiving data over a communications network organized into network slices (TS 23.502, see page 64, The procedure assumes that the UE has already registered on the AMF thus unless the UE is Emergency Registered the AMF has already retrieved the user subscription data from the UDM), the user terminal comprising a subscription identifier for at least one of the slices of the network (TS 23.502, see page 66, SMF receives SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier) from AMF), the managing being implemented by at least one network device (TS 23.502, see figure 4.3.2.2.1-1 on page 64, SMF), and comprising:
receiving the activation request to activate the packet data session from the user terminal for a requested slice of the network (TS 23.502, see page 66, From AMF to SMF: Either Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request (SUPI, DNN, S-NSSAI(s), PDU Session ID, AMF ID, Request Type, PCF ID, Priority Access, N1 SM container (PDU Session Establishment Request), User location information, Access Type, PEI, GPSI, UE presence in LADN service area, Subscription For PDU Session Status Notification, DNN Selection Mode, Trace Requirements) or Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request (SUPI, DNN, S-NSSAI(s), SM Context ID, AMF ID, Request Type, N1 SM container (PDU Session Establishment Request), User location information, Access Type, RAT type, PEI)), the activation request comprising an identifier of the requested slice, obtained from a parameter comprising at least one identifier of at least one user-subscribed slice (TS 23.502, see page 67, The AMF sends the S-NSSAI of the Serving PLMN from the Allowed NSSAI to the SMF. For roaming scenario in local breakout (LBO), the AMF also sends the corresponding S-NSSAI of the HPLMN from the Mapping Of Allowed NSSAI to the SMF);
obtaining, from the subscription identifier, at least one piece of information allowing determining an authorization for the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 67, If Session Management Subscription data for corresponding SUPI, DNN and S-NSSAI of the HPLMN is not available, then SMF retrieves the Session Management Subscription data using Nudm_SDM_Get (SUPI, Session Management Subscription data, DNN, S-NSSAI of the HPLMN)); and
verifying the authorization for the requested slice taking into account the at least one piece of information allowing determining the authorization for the obtained requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, The SMF checks the validity of the UE request: it checks whether the UE request is compliant with the user subscription and with local policies) and, in response to the verification being negative, rejecting the request to activate the packet data session for the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, If the UE request is considered as not valid, the SMF decides to not accept to establish the PDU Session), wherein verifying the authorization for the requested slice is triggered by the activation request (TS 23.502, see figure 4.3.2.2.1-1 on page 64, the verification of the authorization for the requested slice is performed automatically based on the request from the UE. Therefore, verifying the authorization for the requested slice is triggered by the activation request).
Regarding claim 2, TS 23.502 teaches where verifying the authorization for the requested slice takes also account of at least one piece of data relating to a current location of the user terminal and/or a type of access used by the user terminal (TS 23.502, see page 68, The SMF checks the validity of the UE request: it checks (If the DNN corresponds to an LADN), whether the UE is located within the LADN service area based on the "UE presence in LADN service area" indication from the AMF).
Regarding claim 3, TS 23.502 teaches comprising, in response to the verification being positive and a subscription piece of data comprising an indicator requiring the authentication of the authorized slice, authenticating the authorized slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, Optional Secondary authentication/authorization), and
if the authenticating is positive, carrying on the procedure for managing the request to activate the packet data session for the authorized slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, If the Request Type in step 3 indicates "Existing PDU Session", the SMF does not perform secondary authentication/authorization); or
if the authentication is negative, rejecting the request to activate the packet data session for the authorized slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, If the SMF needs to perform secondary authentication/authorization during the establishment of the PDU Session by a DN-AAA server as described in TS 23.501 [2] clause 5.6.6, the SMF triggers the PDU Session establishment authentication/authorization as described in clause 4.3.2.3).
Regarding claim 4, TS 23.502 teaches comprising, before verifying the authorization for the slice and in response to a subscription piece of data comprising an indicator requiring the authentication of the slice, authenticating the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, Optional Secondary authentication/authorization), and in response to authentication being negative, rejecting the request to activate the packet data session for the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, If the Request Type in step 3 indicates "Existing PDU Session", the SMF does not perform secondary authentication/authorization).
Regarding claim 5, TS 23.502 teaches where the obtaining comprises transmitting a query request intended for a subscription data management network device, the request comprising the subscription identifier, and receiving a reply from the subscription data management network device comprising the at least one piece of information allowing determining the authorization for the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 67, If Session Management Subscription data for corresponding SUPI, DNN and S-NSSAI of the HPLMN is not available, then SMF retrieves the Session Management Subscription data using Nudm_SDM_Get (SUPI, Session Management Subscription data, DNN, S-NSSAI of the HPLMN) and subscribes to be notified when this subscription data is modified using Nudm_SDM_Subscribe (SUPI, Session Management Subscription data, DNN, S-NSSAI of the HPLMN)).
Regarding claim 6, TS 23.502 teaches where verifying the authorization for the slice comprises transmitting a query request intended for a slice instance selection network device, the request comprising the at least the identifier of the requested slice and a subscription piece of data comprising the identifiers of the subscribed slices, and receiving a reply from the slice instance selection network device comprising a piece of information representative of an authorization or a rejection for the requested slice (TS 23.502, see page 68, Optional Secondary authentication/authorization. If the Request Type in step 3 indicates "Existing PDU Session", the SMF does not perform secondary authentication/authorization. If the Request Type received in step 3 indicates "Emergency Request" or "Existing Emergency PDU Session", the SMF shall not perform secondary authentication\authorization).
Regarding claim 7, TS 23.502 teaches where the authorization for the slice is followed by selecting a session control network device and controlling, by the selected session control network device, the validity of the request to activate the packet data session for the user terminal and the authorized slice, taking into account the at least one subscription piece of data and a policy of the selected session control network device (TS 23.502, see page 68, If dynamic PCC is to be used for the PDU Session, the SMF performs PCF selection as described in TS 23.501 [2], clause 6.3.7.1. If the Request Type indicates "Existing PDU Session" or "Existing Emergency PDU Session", the SMF shall use the PCF already selected for the PDU Session. Otherwise, the SMF may apply local policy).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 CHONG G KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-0619. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri @ 9am - 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicholas R. Taylor can be reached at 571-272-3889. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHONG G KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 2443
/NICHOLAS R TAYLOR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2443