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 .
1. Claims 1-3, 5-7, 9-11 and 13-14 are pending. Claims 4, 8, 12 and 15 are cancelled.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/30/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 05/15/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, 9-11 and 13-14 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge, US 2022/0046424 hereafter Edge in view of Huang-Fu et al, US 2019/0357116 hereafter Huang-Fu.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries 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.
4. Claim(s) 1-2, 5-6, 9-10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge, US 2022/0046424 hereafter Edge in view of Huang-Fu et al, US 2019/0357116 hereafter Huang-Fu.
As for claim 1, Edge discloses:
A user equipment (UE) (Edge, Fig. 12, [0174], The UE) for performing communication in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising:
a transceiver; and a processor connected to the transceiver (Edge, Fig. 12, [0174], The UE) and configured to:
based on selection of a public land mobile network (PLMN), transmit to an access and mobility management function (AMF),a registration request message (Edge, Fig. 9, [0132], [0138], At stage 10, UE 105 sends an RRC Setup Complete message to the gNB 106/202/307 and includes an indication (e.g. MCC and MNC) of the selected PLMN. At stage 13, if the UE 105 is in the correct country or may be in the correct country, the gNB 106/202/307 forwards the NAS Registration Request to an AMF 122 in the selected PLMN) through a satellite radio access network (RAN) (Edge, Fig. 2, [0122], The SVs 202 including the gNBs correspond to the satellite RAN),
receive, from the AMF, a registration reject message (Edge, Fig. 2, Fig. 9, [0122], [0143], At stage 18, the AMF 122 may return a NAS Registration Reject message to UE 105 via gNB 106/202/307) including cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location (Edge, FIG. 9, steps 11 and 12, [0137], [0143],The RRC Reject or RRC Release message may indicate the country (e.g. using an MCC) that the UE 105 is located in as determined at stage 11.) through the satellite RAN (Edge, Fig. 2, [0122], Through the SVs 202 including the gNBs correspond to the satellite RAN).
Edge explicitly discloses the cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location (Edge, FIG. 9, steps 11 and 12, [0137], [0143],The RRC Reject or RRC Release message may indicate the country (e.g. using an MCC) that the UE 105 is located in as determined at stage 11.)
Edge does not explicitly disclose based on the cause value, store the PLMN not allowed for the UE in the current location as a forbidden PLMN.
However, Huang-Fu discloses based on the cause value, (Huang-Fu, Fig. 5, [0022], [0030], [0032], In step 512, UE 501 receives an ATTACH Reject message (or a TAU/service Reject message) with error code, e.g., EMM #11 for PLMN not allowed, and EMM #35 for requested service option not authorized in the PLMN.)
store the PLMN not allowed for the UE in the current location as a forbidden PLMN. (Huang-Fu, Fig. 5, [0022], [0030], [0032], In step 512, UE 501 receives an ATTACH Reject message (or a TAU/service Reject message) with error code, e.g., EMM #11 for PLMN not allowed, and EMM #35 for requested service option not authorized in the PLMN. Upon receiving the ATTACH Reject message and the error cause, in step 513, the UE 501 adds the PLMN ID to a temporary forbidden PLMN list. The Examiner interprets “adds” to correspond to store and the “error code” corresponds to the cause value. [0027], The Forbidden PLMN list be stored in SIM/USIM)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Edge with based on the cause value, store the PLMN not allowed for the UE in the current location as a forbidden PLMN as taught by Huang-Fu to provide more effective and efficient decision on network selection and thus enhance service recovery performance. (Huang-Fu, [0033])
As for claim 5, Edge discloses:
An access and mobility management function (AMF) (Edge, Fig. 14, [0202], The AMF 1400 includes, e.g., hardware components such as an external interface 1402 configured to be communication with a gNB 106 or earth station 104. The AMF 1400 includes one or more processors 1404, memory 1416, and non-transitory computer readable medium 4118, which may be coupled together with bus 1407.) for performing communication in a wireless communication system, the AMF comprising: a transceiver; and a processor connected to the transceiver and configured to:
based on selection of a public land mobile network (PLMN),receive, from a user equipment (UE), a registration request message through a satellite radio access network (RAN) (Edge, Fig. 9, [0132], [0138], At stage 10, UE 105 sends an RRC Setup Complete message to the gNB 106/202/307 and includes an indication (e.g. MCC and MNC) of the selected PLMN. At stage 13, if the UE 105 is in the correct country or may be in the correct country, the gNB 106/202/307 forwards the NAS Registration Request to an AMF 122 in the selected PLMN. Fig. 2, [0122], The SVs 202 including the gNBs correspond to the satellite RAN),and
in case that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in a current location, (Edge, FIG. 9, steps 11 and 12, [0137], [0143], The RRC Reject or RRC Release message may indicate the country (e.g. using an MCC) that the UE 105 is located in as determined at stage 11.) transmit a registration reject message including cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location (Edge, FIG. 9, steps 11 and 12, [0137], [0143], At stage 12, if the UE country determined at step 11 is not supported by the gNB 106/202/307 or does not match the country for the selected PLMN, the gNB 106/202/307 may return an RRC Reject or RRC Release message to UE 105. The RRC Reject or RRC Release message may indicate the country (e.g. using an MCC) that the UE 105 is located in as determined at stage 11. [0122], [0143], At stage 18, the AMF 122 may return a NAS Registration Reject message to UE 105 via gNB 106/202/307).
Edge explicitly discloses the cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location (Edge, FIG. 9, steps 11 and 12, [0137], [0143],The RRC Reject or RRC Release message may indicate the country (e.g. using an MCC) that the UE 105 is located in as determined at stage 11.)
Edge does not explicitly disclose wherein the PLMA not allowed of the UE in the current location is stored as a forbidden PLMN, based on the cause value.
However, Huang-Fu discloses wherein the PLMA not allowed of the UE in the current location is stored as a forbidden PLMN, based on the cause value. (Huang-Fu, Fig. 5, T3247, [0010], [0022], [0030], [0032], In step 512, UE 501 receives an ATTACH Reject message (or a TAU/service Reject message) with error code, e.g., EMM #11 for PLMN not allowed, and EMM #35 for requested service option not authorized in the PLMN. Upon receiving the ATTACH Reject message and the error cause, in step 513, the UE 501 adds the PLMN ID to a temporary forbidden PLMN list. The Examiner interprets “adds” to correspond to store and the “error code” corresponds to the cause value. [0027], The Forbidden PLMN list be stored in SIM/USIM)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Edge with wherein the PLMA not allowed of the UE in the current location is stored as a forbidden PLMN, based on the cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location, based on the cause value indicating that the PLMN is not allowed for the UE in the current location as taught by Huang-Fu to provide more effective and efficient decision on network selection and thus enhance service recovery performance. (Huang-Fu, [0033])
As for claim 9, this claim is analyzed and rejected for the same reasons as claim 1 because the corresponding apparatus claim 1 can be used to practice the method of claim 9.
As for claim 13, this claim is analyzed and rejected for the same reasons as claim 5 because the corresponding apparatus claim 5 can be used to practice the method of claim 13.
5. Claim(s) claims 2, 6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge in view of Huang-Fu as applied to claims 1, 5, 9 and 13 above, and further in view of Schmidt et al, US 2010/0261478 hereafter Schmidt.
As for claims 2, 6 and 10, the combination of Edge and Park does not explicitly disclose access for the PLMNs is not attempted.
Schmidt discloses an access for at least one of the PLMNs in the list is not attempted (Schmidt, [0051]-[0052], The PALIM function 130 can be configured so that the wireless network operator can choose one of the following rejection causes depending on the requirements of that operator's network: "PLMN not allowed" (in which case host PLMN 102 will be added to the "Forbidden PLMN List" stored in the visitor's SIM card to prevent the mobile from any further registration attempt with the host PLMN 102), "LA not allowed" (in which case the mobile will not attempt to register with the host PLMN 102 again, unless the mobile has changed its location area)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the combination of the teachings of Edge and Huang-Fu with an access for at least one of the PLMNs in the list is not attempted as taught by Schmidt to provide improved network control (Schmidt, [0051],).
6. Claim(s) 3, 7, 11 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge in view of Huang-Fu as applied to claims 1, 5, 9 and 13 above, and further in view of Park et al, 2021/0410107 hereafter ‘0107.
As for claims 3, 7, 11 and 14, the combination of Edge and Huang-Fu does not explicitly disclose the registration reject message includes a value of a GPRS timer 2.
However, ‘0107 the registration reject message includes a value of a GPRS timer 2 (‘0107, [0289], The reject message includes Non-3GPP de-registration timer value (e.g., GPRS timer 2)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the combination of the teachings of Edge and Huang-Fu with the registration reject message includes a value of a GPRS timer as taught by ‘0107 to increase resource utilization efficiency and decrease service latency (‘0107, [0165]).
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tiwari, US 8,681,702 FIG. 2, S204.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JENEE HOLLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-7196. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, IAN MOORE can be reached at (571)272-3085. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JENEE HOLLAND
Examiner
Art Unit 2469
/JENEE HOLLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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