DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
1. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1 April 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant's arguments filed 1 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant asserts, on pages 4-5 of Remarks, that “Applicant respectfully disagrees with the above assertions. Specifically, Qiao, in FIG. 14 which is cited in the Office Action, merely describes that a UE2 receives a PLMN1 ID usable in a network disaster from AN1/AMF1 in an PLMN1 that is unregistered. Furthermore, Qiao describes that the UE2 sends registration request to the PLMN 1 after receiving the PLMN ID usable in the network disaster. Qiao, however, does not describe that the UE2 receives one or more PLMN IDs usable in the disaster condition from a Home PLMN accepting the registration. Thus, Qiao fails to disclose, teach, or suggest, at least, the feature of "receive, from a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), a registration accept message including one or more Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) IDs usable in a disaster condition," as recited amended independent claim 1.”
On the contrary, Qiao clearly discloses that a UE receives, from an HPLMN, a registration accept message that includes a disaster PLMN ID. Qiao states, in paragraph [0331]: “In an example action, the AMF may send to the UE via (R)AN registration accept message comprising at least one of: the allowed service type, the allowed service location area, the allowed service time duration, and/or the disaster PLMN ID.” [emphasis added]. Qiao further indicates, in paragraph [0267], that the AMF is part of the HPLMN: “The PLMN 2 may comprise base station (e.g. (R)AN 2), AMF 2, SMF 2, UPF 2, PCF 2, NEF 2, UDM2, OAM 2 and/or other network functions. In an example, a wireless device (e.g. UE 2) may subscribe to the second PLMN. As depicted in FIG. 13, the UE 2 may register to the home PLMN (e.g. PLMN 2) firstly, and access to an application server through the (R)AN 2 and core network (e.g. UPF 2) of the PLMN 2.” [emphasis added]. Therefore, Qiao discloses the claim 1 limitation “receive, from a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), a registration accept message including one or more Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) IDs usable in a disaster condition”.
Applicant asserts, on page 5 of Remarks, that “the UE receives the PLMN ID of the HPLMN with the disaster condition after receiving the PLMN IDs that are usable in the disaster condition. Thus, Qiao does not describe the timing at which the UE receives the PLMN ID that is usable in the disaster condition and the PLMN ID with the disaster condition, as described in amended claim 1. As such, Qiao fails to disclose, teach, or suggest, at least, the above recited features of amended independent claim 1.”
On the contrary, Qiao clearly discloses that the UE receives a disaster PLMN identifier in a broadcast during a disaster. Specifically, Qiao states, in paragraph [0270]: “An example embodiment of the present disclosure provides enhanced mechanisms to support a base station to receive disaster information (e.g. disaster information of an area) and broadcast a disaster PLMN identifier to the wireless devices in the coverage.” [emphasis added]. Therefore, Qiao discloses the claim 1 limitation “receive a PLMN ID of the HPLMN with the disaster condition, the PLMN ID of the HPLMN being broadcast during the disaster condition”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Qiao
et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0092577 (hereinafter Qiao).
Regarding claim 1, Qiao discloses a User Equipment (UE) (disclosed is a UE, according to [0286], Fig. 14) comprising:
transmission and reception circuitry (the UE sends and receives messages (and therefore comprises transmission and reception circuitry), according to Fig. 14), configured to:
receive, from a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), a registration accept message including one or more Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) IDs usable in a disaster condition (the UE receives, from an AMF (which is part of an HPLMN, according to [0267]), a registration accept message comprising a disaster PLMN ID, according to [0331]); and
in a case that the one or more PLMN IDs usable in the disaster condition are
received:
receive a PLMN ID of the HPLMN with the disaster condition, the PLMN
ID of the HPLMN being broadcast during the disaster condition (a disaster PLMN identifier is broadcast to the UE during a disaster, according to [0270]), and
transmit, to a PLMN usable in a disaster condition, a registration request message including a 5G System (5GS) registration type Information Element (IE) indicating that registration is for disaster roaming (the UE may participate in Disaster Inbound Roaming when a Disaster Condition is affecting its serving PLMN, according to [0266], whereby the UE transmits a registration request message comprising 5G identification information and a disaster PLMN indication indicating that said UE selects a first PLMN during the disaster that is affecting a second PLMN, according to [0286]).
Claim 2 recites the communication control method (disclosed is an associated communication control method, according to [0361]) that the User Equipment recited in claim 1 performs, and is therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 1.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW W GENACK whose telephone number is (571)272-7541. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony Addy can be reached at 571-272-7795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW W GENACK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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