DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 47-48, 53-56, 63-64, 68-69, and 72 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over IANEV et al. (US 20220039046 A1) in view of Chun (US 20200229069 A1).
Considering claim 47, Ianev teaches a method implemented at a first Network Function (NE) node (UDM) for managing event subscription, the method comprising:
receiving a subscription request of an event for a user equipment (UE) from a third NE node (NEF) (Fig.2, [0102] Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe service to the UDM/UDR 75);
transmitting, to a second NE node (AMF) that serves the UE, a subscription report request for the event for the UE (Fig.2, [0103] Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service to the AMF 71);
receiving, from a fourth NE node (AMF) that currently serves the UE (Fig.2, [0113]), a UE registration request for the UE, including an indication indicating whether the UE is in a service area (Fig.2, [0113] message like Periodic RAU/TAU Update message or Periodic Registration message, [0051]-[0053] UE in/out of a designated area—entering or leaving designated areas); and
determining whether to transmit a notification for the event to the third NE node (NEF) based on the UE registration request (Fig.2, [0119] The AMF 71 sends the Namf_EventExposure_Notify message to the NEF 76).
Ianev do not clearly teach restricted service area of the UE.
Chun teaches restricted service area of the UE ([0633] Service Area Restriction information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling date of the application to provide above teaching of Chun to Ianev, in order to provide a technology for supporting performance improvements and supervision of the mobile terminals.
Considering claim 48, Ianev and Chun further teach wherein determining whether to transmit a notification for the event to the third NE node based on the UE registration request (Ianev: Fig.2, [0114] The UDM/UDR 75 sends the Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe response message to the NEF 76) comprises: transmitting a notification for the event to the third NE node when the UE registration request indicates that the UE is in an allowed service area (Ianev: [0042] identify a designated area (e.g. a cell, list of cells, TA or any other way defined geographical area), [0100]).
Considering claim 53, Ianev and Chun further teach transmitting, to the fourth NE node (AMF), an indication indicating that the first NE node (UDM) supports a service area restriction status feature (Chun: [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]).
Considering claim 54, Ianev and Chun further teach wherein the fourth NE node (new AMF) is the second NE node (old AMF) when no change of serving NE node occurs due to UE mobility (Chun: [0453] if the UE registers to the same AMF), and the fourth NE node (new AMF) is different from the second NE node (old AMF) when a change of serving NE node occurs due to UE mobility (Chun: [0483], [0485]).
Considering claim 55, Ianev teaches a method implemented at a first Network Function (NF) node (UDM) for managing event subscription, the method comprising:
receiving, from a second NF node (AMF) that serves a User Equipment (UE) a UE registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the UE (Fig.2, [0100], [0113] The AMF 71 sends the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe response message to the UDM/UDR 75); and
checking whether there is service area information for the UE ([0192]-[0196] E analytics report status verification with the UDM/UDR 75 to check for subscription and user consent status…UE in/out of a designated area).
Ianev do not clearly teach registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the is unknown.
Chun teaches registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the is unknown ([0453] the new AMF registers with the UDM using Nudm_UECM_Registration, [0633]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling date of the application to provide above teaching of Chun to Ianev, in order to provide a technology for supporting performance improvements and supervision of the mobile terminals.
Considering claim 64, Ianev teaches a method implemented at a second Network Function (NF) node (AMF) for managing event subscription, the method comprising:
receiving a UE registration request originated from a User Equipment (UE) (Fig.2, [0096] The registration procedure has been successfully performed among the UE 30, the AMF 71);
receiving, from a first NF node (UDM), a subscription report request of an event for the UE (Fig.2, [0103] The UDM/UDR 75 invokes the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service to the AMF 71);
determining whether the UE is in a service area ([0042] identify a designated area, [0100]); and
transmitting, to the first NF node (UDM), a UE registration request for the UE, including an indication indicating whether the UE is in a service area (Fig.2, [0100], [0113] The AMF 71 sends the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe response message to the UDM/UDR 75).
Ianev do not clearly teach service area restriction information for the UE.
Chun teaches service area restriction information for the UE ([0633] Service Area Restriction information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling date of the application to provide above teaching of Chun to Ianev, in order to provide a technology for supporting performance improvements and supervision of the mobile terminals.
Considering claim 68, Ianev teaches a method implemented at a second Network Function (NF) node (AMF) for managing event subscription, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first NF node (UDM) (Fig.2, [0103] UDM/UDR 75 invokes the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe service to the AMF 71), a subscription report request of an event for a User Equipment (UE) and transmitting, to the first NF node (Fig.2, [0113] The AMF 71 sends the Namf_EventExposure_Subscribe response message to the UDM/UDR 75), a UE registration request for the UE, the UE registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the UE (Fig.2, [0100], [0113], [0118] UE analytics report information may be a data structure with designated fields for each type of analytics information, [0120]).
Ianev do not clearly teach registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the is unknown.
Ianev do not clearly teach registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the is unknown.
Chun teaches registration request including an indication indicating that service area information for the is unknown ([0453] the new AMF registers with the UDM using Nudm_UECM_Registration, [0633]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filling date of the application to provide above teaching of Chun to Ianev, in order to provide a technology for supporting performance improvements and supervision of the mobile terminals.
Considering claim 56, Ianev and Chun further teach checking whether there is a subscription request of an event for the UE from a third NF node (NEF) in response to there is no service area restriction information for the UE (Ianev: Fig.2, [0102] NEF 76 invokes the Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe service to the UDM/UDR 75, Chun: [0014] transmitted when a location where the UE performs communication or a location where the UE is expected to perform the communication correspond to a restricted area where the UE cannot perform the communication); and transmitting a notification for the event to the third NF node (Ianev: Fig.2, steps 6-10, Chun: [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]).
Considering claim 63, Ianev and Chun further teach transmitting, to the second NF node (AMF), an indication indicating that the first NF node supports a service area restriction status feature (Chun: [0014] a restricted area where the UE cannot perform the communication, [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]).
Considering claim 69, Ianev and Chun further teach 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 (Chun: [0014] a restricted area where the UE cannot perform the communication, [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]); determining whether the UE is in a restricted service area based on the service area restriction information; and transmitting to the first NF node an update indication indicating whether the UE is in a restricted service area (Chun: [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]).
Considering claim 72, Ianev and Chun further teach 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 (Chun: [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]), is performed in response to a determination that the first NF node supports the service area restriction status feature (Chun: [0468] If the AMF notifies the Mobility Restrictions (e.g. UE location), [0633]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 49-52, 57-62, 65-67, and 70-71 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
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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/KHAI M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641