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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-18 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.
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.
Claim(s) 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jiang (US 2023/0056855) in view of Fu et al. (hereinafter “Fu”, US 2023/0328599).
Regarding claims 16 and 18, Jiang discloses a wireless terminal configured to communicate with an access node of a radio access network (RAN) (i.e., a plurality of base stations 12 configured to communicate with terminal 11 as shown in Fig. 1), the RAN being configured to support at least one network slice, the at least one network slice providing a designated service within a public land mobile network (PLMN), the wireless terminal comprising:
receiver circuitry (i.e., communication component 816 as shown in Fig. 9) configured to receive neighboring cell network slice information via system information (i.e., the terminal receives a candidate cell via SIB3, SIB4 or SIB5 as described in paragraphs 0083-0085. Also, the terminal receives a correspondence table between serving cells and network slices supported by a frequency and/or a neighbor cell of the frequency broadcast by the base station as described in paragraphs 0227-0229), the neighboring cell network slice information comprising:
a first list including at least one first information element, the s-NSSAI-List indicating the at least one network slice (i.e., a list of network slices as described in paragraphs 0227-0230),
a second list including at least one of inter-frequency carrier frequency information elements (i.e., a list of network slices supported by the neighbor cell is indicated in intra-system inter-frequency cell information (InterFreqNeighCellInfo) in intra-system inter-frequency cell carrier frequency information (InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo) as described in paragraph 0229), the at least one inter-frequency carrier frequency information elements including a radio frequency and an identity of least one neighboring cell on the radio frequency (i.e., a list of network slices supported by the neighbor cell is indicated in intra-system inter-frequency cell information (InterFreqNeighCellInfo) in intra-system inter-frequency cell carrier frequency information (InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo) as described in paragraph 0229), and
a network slice band association information element indicating an association between the at least one first information element and the radio frequency included in at least one inter-frequency carrier frequency information element (i.e., a correspondence table between (a) serving cells and (b) network slices supported by a frequency and/or a neighbor cell of frequency broadcast by the base station as described in paragraphs 0227-0230); and
processor circuitry (i.e., processing component 802 as shown in Fig. 9) configured to:
select, at least, the s-NSSAI-List (i.e., the UE determines the serving cell and the network slice supported by the frequency and/or the neighbor cell of the frequency based on the correspondence table as described in paragraph 0227), and
perform a cell reselection procedure based on the selected s-NSSAT-List and the neighboring cell network slice information (i.e., the UE determines the serving cell and the network slice supported by the frequency and/or the neighbor cell of the frequency based on the correspondence table as described in paragraph 0227, and reselecting as described in paragraphs 0223-0226), wherein
upon selecting a plurality of s-NSSAI-Lists, including the selected s-NSSAT-List, a plurality of radio frequencies, including the radio frequency, corresponding to a plurality of identities of the plurality of s-NSSAI-Lists, including the identity of the s-NSSAI-List, is prioritized based on a plurality of priorities of the plurality of s-NSSAI-Lists, including the priority of the s-NSSAI-List (i.e., selecting based on the priority information of a combination of a frequency point and a network slice supported by the frequency point is received as described in paragraphs 0033-0037, 0046-0048, and 0227).
Jiang, however, does not expressly disclose the remaining features of this claim.
In a similar endeavor, Fu discloses method for indicating slice information. Fu also discloses:
a first list including at least one first information element (i.e., information element as described in paragraph 0249), the at least one first information element including an identity (i.e., a slice identification list (SliceIDlist) includes at least one slice identification as described in paragraph 0249) and a priority of a single network slice selection assistance information list (s-NSSAI-List) (i.e., a correspondence between the slice identification (S-NSSAI) and a slice priority as described in paragraph 0276), the s-NSSAI-List indicating the at least one network slice (i.e., slice identification S-NSSAI and slice priority list as described in paragraphs 0250-0254, 0276, and 0292).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art to modify the teachings of the cited references, and arrive at the present invention.
The motivation/suggestion for doing so would have been to enable an appropriate network slice for services.
Regarding claim 17, Jiang discloses an access node of a radio access network (RAN) configured to communicate with a wireless terminal (i.e., a plurality of base stations 12 configured to communicate with terminal 11 as shown in Fig. 1), the RAN being configured to support at least one network slice, the at least one network slice providing a designated service within a public land mobile network (PLMVN), the access node (i.e., base station 900 as shown in Fig. 10) comprising:
transmitter circuitry (i.e., network interface 950 as shown in Fig. 10) configured to transmit neighboring cell network slice information via system information (i.e., the terminal receives a candidate cell via SIB3, SIB4 or SIB5 as described in paragraphs 0083-0085. Also, the terminal receives a correspondence table between serving cells and network slices supported by a frequency and/or a neighbor cell of the frequency broadcast by the base station as described in paragraphs 0227-0229), the neighboring cell network slice information comprising:
a first list including at least one first information element, the s-NSSAI-List indicating the at least one network slice (i.e., a list of network slices as described in paragraphs 0227-0230),
a second list including at least one inter-frequency carrier frequency information elements (i.e., a list of network slices supported by the neighbor cell is indicated in intra-system inter-frequency cell information (InterFreqNeighCellInfo) in intra-system inter-frequency cell carrier frequency information (InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo) as described in paragraph 0229), the at least one inter-frequency carrier frequency information elements including a radio frequency and an identity of at least one neighboring cell on the radio frequency (i.e., a list of network slices supported by the neighbor cell is indicated in intra-system inter-frequency cell information (InterFreqNeighCellInfo) in intra-system inter-frequency cell carrier frequency information (InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo) as described in paragraph 0229), and
a network slice band association information element indicating an association between the at least one first information element and the radio frequency included in the at least one inter-frequency carrier frequency information element (i.e., a correspondence table between (a) serving cells and (b) network slices supported by a frequency and/or a neighbor cell of frequency broadcast by the base station as described in paragraphs 0227-0230), wherein
the neighboring cell network slice information causes the wireless terminal to:
select, at least, the s-NSSAI-List (i.e., the UE determines the serving cell and the network slice supported by the frequency and/or the neighbor cell of the frequency based on the correspondence table as described in paragraph 0227); and
perform a cell reselection procedure based on the selected s-NSSAI- List (i.e., the UE determines the serving cell and the network slice supported by the frequency and/or the neighbor cell of the frequency based on the correspondence table as described in paragraph 0227, and reselecting as described in paragraphs 0223-0226), and wherein
upon selecting a plurality of s-NSSAI-Lists, including the selected s-NSSAI-List, the wireless terminal prioritizes a plurality of radio frequencies, including the radio frequency, corresponding to a plurality of identities of the plurality of s-NSSAI-Lists, including the identity of the s-NSSAI-List, based on a plurality of priorities of the plurality of s-NSSAI- Lists, including the priority of the s-NSSAI-List (i.e., selecting based on the priority information of a combination of a frequency point and a network slice supported by the frequency point is received as described in paragraphs 0033-0037, 0046-0048, and 0227).
Jiang, however, does not expressly disclose the remaining features of this claim.
In a similar endeavor, Fu discloses method for indicating slice information. Fu also discloses:
a first list including at least one first information element (i.e., information element as described in paragraph 0249), the at least one first information element including an identity (i.e., a slice identification list (SliceIDlist) includes at least one slice identification as described in paragraph 0249) and a priority of a single network slice selection assistance information list (s-NSSAI-List) (i.e., a correspondence between the slice identification (S-NSSAI) and a slice priority as described in paragraph 0276), the s-NSSAI-List indicating the at least one network slice (i.e., slice identification S-NSSAI and slice priority list as described in paragraphs 0250-0254, 0276, and 0292).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art to modify the teachings of the cited references, and arrive at the present invention.
The motivation/suggestion for doing so would have been to enable an appropriate network slice for services.
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 WAYNE CAI whose telephone number is (571)272-7798. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 7:00 AM-5:00 PM.
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/Wayne H Cai/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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