DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 47-72 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
When Examiner rejected the application, Examiner did not apply the claimed to specification of application. Examiner rejected based on claim language.
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 47-48, 53-58, 64-65, 68-70, and 72 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dao et al. (US 20210274392 A1).
Considering claim 47, Dao teaches a method implemented at a first Network Function (NF) node for managing event subscription to prevent attempts to deliver messages to an unreachable user equipment (UE) ([0010]), the method comprising:
receiving a subscription request of an event for a user equipment (UE} from a third NF node (Fig.2-4, [0072] Step 41 of FIG. 4, a NF-1 404, which may be an SMF, AMF, UDM, PCF or other network function, sends event notifications to a source NEF (S-NEF) 402);
transmitting, to a second NF node (S-AMF) that serves the UE (201 A, Fig.2-4, [0055] FIG. 2. An AMF (source AMF, or S-AMF 204) may select an SMF (source SMF or S-SMF 206) to serve a protocol data unit (PDU) session of a UE 201A if the UE location is within the core service area of the S-SMF 206), a subscription report request for the event for the UE (Fig.2-4, [0055], [0058] aware of UE location and/or UE mobility information, [0089]);
receiving, from a fourth NF node (target AMF or T-AMF 205) that currently serves the UE ([0055] S-SMF 206 may transfer the UE context or PDU session context to a T-SMF 207 that could serve the UE. The UE location may be within the core service area or extended service area of the new T-SMF 207), a UE registration request for the UE, including an indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Fig.2-4, [0089] the S-NEF 402 may send an event subscription context transfer request to the T-NEF 403…); and
determining whether to transmit a notification for the event to the third NF node based on the UE registration request (Fig.2-4, [0099]-[0100]).
Considering claim 55, Dao teaches a method implemented at a first Network Function (NF) node for managing event subscription to prevent attempts to deliver messaqes to an unreachable user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving, from a second NF node (S-AMF) that serves a UE registration request including an indication indicating that service area restriction information for the UE is unknown (Fig.2-4, [0075]-[0076] Step 42 of FIG. 4, the source NEF (S-NEF) 402 forwards the received event notifications to the AF 401, [0080] If the UE location is outside of service area, or outside the core service area of the S-NEF 402, the NF-1 404 or NF-2 405, or S-NEF 402 may decide to perform a reselection to select T-NEF 403 to send event notifications to…); and
checking whether there is service area restriction information for the UE (Fig.2-5, [0141] determination could be that the AF 501 receives location information of the UE that moves to a new location, that could be outside the service area, or outside the core service area, or outside the extended service area of the S-NEF 502).
Considering claim 64, Dao teaches a method implemented at a second Network Function (NF) node for managing event subscription to prevent attempts to deliver messages to an unreachable user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving a UE registration request originated from a UE (Fig.2-4, [0072] Step 41 of FIG. 4, a NF-1 404, which may be an SMF, AMF, UDM, PCF or other network function, sends event notifications to a source NEF (S-NEF) 402);
receiving, from a first NF node (NF-1), a subscription report request of an event for the UE (Fig.2-5);
determining whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Fig.2-5, [0080], [0141]); and
transmitting, to the first NF node (NF-1), a UE registration request for the UE, including an indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Fig.2-5, [0070], [0077]-[0080] If the UE location is outside of service area, or outside the core service area, [0141]).
Considering claim 68, Dao teaches a method implemented at a second Network Function (NF) node for managing event subscription to prevent attempts to deliver messages to an unreachable user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving, from a first NF node (NF-1 404, which may be an SMF, AMF, UDM, PCF or other network function), a subscription report request of an event for a UE (Fig.2-5, [0072]); and
transmitting, to the first NF node (NF-1), a UE registration request for the UE, the UE registration request including an indication indicating that service area restriction information for the UE is unknow (Fig.2-5, [0070] check whether the UE location… [0077]-[0080] If the UE location is outside of service area, or outside the core service area, [0141]).
Considering claim 48, Dao teaches wherein determining whether to transmit a notification for the event to the third NF node based on the UE registration request comprises:
transmitting a notification for the event to the third NF node (AF) when the UE registration request indicates that the UE is in an allowed service area (Fig.2-5, [0099]-[0100]).
Considering claim 53, Dao teaches transmitting, to the fourth NF node (Target NEF), an indication indicating that the first NF node supports a service area restriction status feature Fig.2-5, [0099]).
Considering claim 54, Dao teaches wherein the fourth NF node (Target NEF) is the second NF node (source NEF) when no change of serving NF node occurs due to UE mobility, and the fourth NF node is different from the second NF node when a change of serving NF node occurs due to UE mobility (Fig.2-8, [0055], [0058]).
Considering claim 56, Dao teaches checking whether there is a subscription request of an event for the UE from a third NF node in response to there is no service area restriction information for the UE (Fig.2-5, [0070] check whether the UE location… [0077]-[0080] If the UE location is outside of service area, or outside the core service area, [0141]); and transmitting a notification for the event to the third NF node (Fig.2-8, [0099]-[0100]).
Considering claim 57, Dao teaches transmitting, to the second NF node, an indication indicating that the first NF node supports service area restriction status feature in response to there is service area restriction information for the UE (Fig.2-8, [0070]-[0100]); receiving, from the second NF node, an update indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]); and determining whether to transmit a notification for an event for the UE to a third NF node based on the update indication (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100], [0141]).
Considering claim 58, Dao teaches wherein determining whether to transmit a notification for the event for the UE to a third NF node based on the update indication comprises: transmitting a notification for the event to the third NF node when the update indication indicates that the UE is in an allowed service area (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100], [0141]).
Considering claim 63, Dao teaches transmitting, to the second NF node, an indication indicating that the first NF node supports a service area restriction status feature (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100], [0141]).
Considering claims 65, 70, Dao teaches determining whether the UE moves from an allowed service area (CSA-1 and ESA-1, Fig.2) to a restricted service area (CAS-2 and ESA-2, Fig.2); and transmitting an update indication to the first NF node indicating that the UE is in the restricted service area when it is determined that the UE moves from the allowed service area to the restricted service area (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]).
Considering claim 69, Dao teaches receiving, from the first NF node, an indication indicating that the first NF node supports a service area restriction status feature and service area restriction information for the UE (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]); determining whether the UE is in a restricted service area based on the service area restriction information (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]); and transmitting to the first NF node an update indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]).
Considering claim 72, Dao teaches wherein: transmitting, to the first NF node, the update indication, including an indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area or in an allowed service area, is performed in response to a determination that the first NF node supports the service area restriction status feature (Fig.2-8, [0081]-[0100]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 49-52, 59-62, 66-67, and 71 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 KHAI MINH NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-7923. The examiner can normally be reached 6-3.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached at 571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KHAI M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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