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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (Claims 1-8, 17 and 18) in the reply filed on 10/13/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 9-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/13/2025. A complete reply to the non-final rejection must include cancellation of nonelected claims or other appropriate action (37 CFR 1.144) See MPEP § 821.01.
Priority
This application is a U.S. National Stage of International Patent Application PCT/EP2022/053191, filed on February 10, 2022, which claims priority to EP Application Serial No. 21191552.5, filed on August 16, 2021 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/148,238, filed on February 11, 2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) is submitted on 8/9/2023, 8/28/2024, 8/28/2024 and 5/30/2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. According, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because it appears that the Figure 1 in greyscale. Examiner suggests provide corrected drawing in black and white format. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The use of the term Wi-Fi, 3GPP, Bluetooth, etc., which is a trade name or a mark used in commerce, has been noted in this application. The term should be accompanied by the generic terminology; furthermore the term should be capitalized wherever it appears or, where appropriate, include a proper symbol indicating use in commerce such as ™, SM , or ® following the term.
Although the use of trade names and marks used in commerce (i.e., trademarks, service marks, certification marks, and collective marks) are permissible in patent applications, the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected and every effort made to prevent their use in any manner which might adversely affect their validity as commercial marks.
Appropriate correction is required.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract recites an abbreviation “MCI”. Examiner suggest changing the phrase to “mass casualty incident (MCI)”. Further the abstract recites “e.g., base stations”, Examiner suggest delete the phrase.
A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3 recites “the coverage area of an access device”. Examiner suggest changing the limitation to “[[the]] coverage area of an access device”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as not falling within one of the four statutory categories of invention. Claim 18 recites “A computer program product”. The product may be implemented in software only, which is program per se, and is not any tangible, physical articles or objects so as to constitute a manufacture within the meaning of 35 USC §101, and therefore do not fit into any of the four statutory categories listed above.
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.
Claim 1-4, 6-8, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Qiao et al. (US 20220030495 A1 and Qiao hereinafter).
Regarding claim 1, Qiao teaches an apparatus (Figure 14; (R)AN 1) for supporting establishment of a wireless communication network (Figure 12 and Paragraph 0267; due to disaster and other problems, the (R)AN 2 may not be able to provide connectivity to the wireless devices in its coverage, the UE 2 may try to register to the PLMN 1, and access to the application server through PLMN 1. Figure 14 and Paragraphs 0284-0286; determine parameters of access control and send registration request for establishing connection to a wireless network), wherein the apparatus is configured to:
connect to a network controller device (Figure 14; AMF 1/SMF 1) of the wireless communication network (Figure 12 and Paragraph 0267; PLMN 1) and provide wireless connectivity to wireless communication devices within a target geographical area (Paragraph 0273; the failed/disaster network location may indicate the location (e.g. a geography location, tracking area, routing area, and/or the like) of the failed/disaster network functions (e.g. at least one of the first network functions). Paragraphs 0283 and 0284; in response to the message received from the AMF 1, the base stations of the first PLMN (e.g. (R)AN 1) may take one or more actions);
receive information about the target geographical area (Paragraph 0283; the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more tracking areas supporting the second PLMN/disaster PLMN, e.g. supporting a wireless device of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN accessing to the one or more tracking areas of the first PLMN. For example, the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more cells supporting the second PLMN/disaster PLMN, e.g. supporting a wireless device of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN accessing to the one or more cells of the first PLMN. For example, the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate a wireless device of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN may access the PLMN 1 in a geographic area for 2 hours, e.g. considering the resource condition of the PLMN 1. Paragraph 0284; the base station of the first PLMN may transmit a SIB and/or a MIB message to one or more wireless devices in the coverage area. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the first PLMN. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN. In an example, the SIB and/or MIB message may comprise at least one of: the network fail/disaster indication, the identifier of the second PLMN, and/or the identifier of the disaster PLMN, the allowed service type (e.g. eMBB), the allowed service location area (e.g. a tracking area), the allowed service time duration (e.g. 24 hours), the parameters of access control, or the identifier of the first PLMN/serving PLMN);
receive from the network controller device information about a network configuration to setup a communication channel with wireless communication devices (Paragraphs 0283 and 0284; the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more tracking areas supporting the second PLMN/disaster PLMN; the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more cells supporting the second PLMN/disaster PLMN, e.g. supporting a wireless device of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN accessing to the one or more cells of the first PLMN); and
invite or trigger wireless communication devices located in the target geographical area to register via the communication channel or other communication channel to a core network operated by the network controller device (Figure 14 and Paragraph 0284; the base station of the first PLMN may transmit a SIB and/or a MIB message to one or more wireless devices in the coverage area. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the first PLMN. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN. In an example, the SIB and/or MIB message may comprise at least one of: the network fail/disaster indication, the identifier of the second PLMN, and/or the identifier of the disaster PLMN, the allowed service type (e.g. eMBB), the allowed service location area (e.g. a tracking area), the allowed service time duration (e.g. 24 hours), the parameters of access control, or the identifier of the first PLMN/serving PLMN).
Regarding claim 2, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches wherein the apparatus is configured to restrict registration invitations or triggers to at least one of a predetermined group and/or type of the wireless communication devices, a network service and a network slice of the wireless communication network (Figure 14 and Paragraph 0284; the (R)AN 1 may determine parameters of access control, where the parameters of access control may comprise cell barring (e.g. AC Barring for MO Data), access class barring (e.g. access class 12 is barred), and/or service specific access control barring (e.g. video over LTE is barred)).
Regarding claim 3, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches wherein the apparatus is configured to receive information about the target geographical area, the target geographical area being an area smaller than the coverage area of an access device (Figure 14 and Paragraph 0283; the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more tracking areas supporting the second PLMN/disaster PLMN, e.g. supporting a wireless device of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN accessing to the one or more tracking areas of the first PLMN. Paragraphs 0284 and 0285; the SIB and/or MIB message may comprise at least one of: the network fail/disaster indication, the identifier of the second PLMN, and/or the identifier of the disaster PLMN, the allowed service location area (e.g. a tracking area)).
Regarding claim 4, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches wherein the apparatus comprises a relay node function that can be activated by the network controller device (Figure 14 and Paragraphs 0283 and 0284; the AMF 1 may send to the (R)AN 1 a configuration message to indicate one or more tracking areas supporting the second PLMN, and in response to the message received from the AMF 1, (R)AN 1 may take one or more actions such as determine parameters of access control, and Paragraphs 0286 and 0287; the UE may send a registration request message to (R)AN 1, and the (R)AN 1 relay the registration request message to AMF 1/SMF 1).
Regarding claim 6, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches further configured to include information about an emergency situation in an invitation signal or message sent to the wireless communication devices (Figure 14 and Paragraphs 0284 and 0285; the base station of the first PLMN (e.g., (R)AN 1) may transmit a SIB and/or a MIB message to one or more wireless devices in the coverage area. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the first PLMN. The one or more wireless devices may be wireless devices of the second PLMN/disaster PLMN. In an example, the SIB and/or MIB message may comprise at least one of: the network fail/disaster indication, the identifier of the second PLMN, and/or the identifier of the disaster PLMN, the allowed service type (e.g. eMBB), the allowed service location area (e.g. a tracking area), the allowed service time duration (e.g. 24 hours), the parameters of access control, or the identifier of the first PLMN/serving PLMN).
Regarding claim 7, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches further configured to fetch identity information of a wireless communication device and to identify a user of the wireless communication device by matching the identity information of the wireless communication device to a user information stored in a cellular device platform (Paragraph 0288; in response to the N2 message received from the (R)AN 1, the AMF 1 make take one or more actions. In an example action, the AMF 1 may perform authentication for the UE 2. In an example action, based on the received registration request message and/or the message received from the SMF 1/NEF 1/PCF 1 and/or the result of the authentication, the AMF 1 may determine a result of the registration request message).
Regarding claim 8, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches an access device (Figures 12 and 14; (R)AN 1) for providing wireless connectivity to wireless communication devices in a wireless communication network (Figure 12 and Paragraph 0267; due to disaster and other problems, the (R)AN 2 may not be able to provide connectivity to the wireless devices in its coverage, the UE 2 may try to register to the PLMN 1, and access to the application server through PLMN 1. Figure 14 and Paragraphs 0284-0286; determine parameters of access control and send registration request for establishing connection to a wireless network), the access device comprising an apparatus of claim 1 (Please refer to the claim rejection above regarding claim 1).
Regarding claim 17, claim 17 recites similar features as claim 1, therefore is rejected for at least the same reason as discussed above regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 17, as described above. Further, Qiao teaches a computer program product comprising code means for producing the steps of claim 17 (Please refer to the claim rejection above regarding claim 17) when run on a computer device (Paragraph 0358; many of the elements described in the disclosed Examples may be implemented as modules. A module is defined here as an isolatable element that performs a defined function and has a defined interface to other elements. The modules described in this disclosure may be implemented in hardware, software in combination with hardware, firmware, wetware (e.g. hardware with a biological element) or a combination thereof. For example, modules may be implemented as a software routine written in a computer language configured to be executed by a hardware machine).
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 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 of this title, 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 factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao, as applied in claim 1 above, further in view of Desai et al. (US 10911131 B1 and Desai hereinafter).
Regarding claim 5, Qiao teaches all of the limitations of claim 1, as described above.
Qiao does not explicitly teach further configured to perform measurements in the target geographical area and forward corresponding measurement parameters to the network controller device for prediction of a total number of access devices or relay devices or wireless communication devices needed in a mass casualty incident, MCI, or emergency area. In an analogous art, Desai teaches further configured to perform measurements in the target geographical area and forward corresponding measurement parameters to the network controller device for prediction of a total number of access devices or relay devices or wireless communication devices needed in a mass casualty incident, MCI, or emergency area (Figure 1 and Col 1 Lines 55-67; first, a user density value at an Access Point (AP) disposed above a ground level may be determined. Then a user density value at an AP-relay disposed at the ground level may be determined. Next, it may be determined that a difference between the user density value at the AP and the user density value at the AP-relay is greater than a predetermined threshold. The AP-relay may then be switched from a sensor mode to an AP-relay mode in response to determining that the difference between the user density value at the AP and the user density value at the AP-relay is greater than the predetermined threshold. Col 3 Lines 5-25; network controller 105 may provision and configure the WLAN devices by proactively monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing the WLAN. Radio Resource Management (RRM) processes may be performed by network controller 105 to provide real-time RF management of operating environment 100. RRM processes may allow network controller 105 to continually monitor AP 115 and AP-relay 120, for example, for the following: channel utilization, client count, signal strength between AP-relay 120 and other AP-relays, traffic load, interference, noise, coverage, and other information such as the number of nearby APs. Using this information, RRM processes on controller 105 may periodically reconfigure AP 115 and AP-relay 120 in operating environment 100 to improve efficiency by providing radio resource monitoring, AP-relay mode, transmit power control, dynamic channel assignment, and coverage hole detection and correction). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Qiao and Desai because it would improve efficiency in operating environment by providing radio resource monitoring, AP-relay mode, transmit power control, dynamic channel assignment, and coverage hole detection and correction (Col 3 Lines 20-25).
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Aghili et al. (US 20240080791 A1) discloses a wireless device registered to a first network and receives information indicating a value to be used during a registration to a second network, and perform registration to the second network.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jing Gao whose telephone number is (571)270-7226. The examiner can normally be reached on 9am - 6pm M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Alison Slater can be reached on (571) 270-0375. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jing Gao/
Examiner
Art Unit 2647