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 filed on 12/17/2025 have been fully considered but they are moot because claims 1 and 2 have been amended with new limitations, i.e., “in a case that the UE is operating in an SNPN…” and the arguments are not persuasive for the following reasons.
With respect to the arguments that Starsinic fails to teach, disclose or suggest all the features recited by unamended independent claims 1 and 2, i.e., a User Equipment (UE) comprising:
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to select a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) for an onboarding service in a case of operating in an SNPN access mode to be provisioned with SNPN credentials, based on Default UE credentials, and
a mode for selecting the SNPN for the onboarding service includes an automatic SNPN selection mode and a manual SNPN selection mode.
The examiner respectfully disagrees because Starsinic teaches:
a User Equipment (UE) (Starsinic, Fig. 9B), comprising:
a controller (Starsinic, Fig. 9B, processor 118),
wherein the controller is configured to select a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) for an onboarding service in a case that the UE is operating in an SNPN access mode to be provisioned with SNPN credentials, based on Default UE credentials (Starsinic, pp [3]: A user equipment (UE) operating in an “Onboarding Mode” may search for a network broadcasting Onboarding Capability Information (OCI), then send a registration request to the network with onboarding credentials. The UE may also send information to the RAN node to help the RAN node select an AMF that supports onboarding. The UE then receives SNPN credentials from the network, and thereafter exits onboarding mode, enters Manual Network Selection or Automatic Network Selection mode, and connects to the SNPN; pp [35]-[36]: For automatic network selection, the UE selects and attempts to register with the available SNPN identified by a PLMN ID and NID for which the UE has SUPI and credentials. If multiple SNPNs are available that the UE has respective SUPI and credentials for, then the priority order for selecting and attempting to register with SNPNs is based on UE implementation; pp [69]: a UE that operates in SNPN mode performs automatic network selection or manual network selection; pp [79]: when a UE is operating in Onboarding Mode, the UE will check for a RAN node that is broadcasting an Onboarding Support Indicator (OSI), which is an explicit indicator included in a system information to indicate support for Onboarding by a given RAN node. If a RAN node is broadcasting an Onboarding Support indicator, the UE will read the Onboarding Capability Information OCI and check if the information in the OCI is aligned with the type of network that the UE needs to onboard with. The UE may also be provisioned with credentials, or certificates, that the UE can use to authenticate the SNPN); and
a mode for selecting the SNPN for the onboarding service includes an automatic SNPN selection mode and a manual SNPN selection mode (Starsinic, pp [69]: a UE that operates in SNPN mode performs automatic network selection or manual network selection; pp [79]: when a UE is operating in Onboarding Mode, the UE will check for a RAN node that is broadcasting an Onboarding Support Indicator (OSI), which is an explicit indicator included in a system information to indicate support for Onboarding by a given RAN node. If a RAN node is broadcasting an Onboarding Support indicator, the UE will read the Onboarding Capability Information OCI and check if the information in the OCI is aligned with the type of network that the UE needs to onboard with. The UE may also be provisioned with credentials, or certificates, that the UE can use to authenticate the SNPN; pp [112]: the UE will Enter Automatic Selection Mode or Manual Network Selection Mode and attempt to use the SNPN credentials to connect to the SNPN).
As such, the argued features and limitations were written such that they are read upon the reference as explained 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(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Starsinic et al. (Publication No. US 2024/0224163).
Regarding claim 1. (Currently Amended) Starsinic teaches a User Equipment (UE) (Starsinic, the Abstract), comprising:
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to select a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) for an onboarding service in a case that the UE is operating in an SNPN access mode to be provisioned with SNPN credentials, based on Default UE credentials (Starsinic, the Abstract, Fig. 5, pp [104]-[109]; pp [35]-[36], [69], [79]), and
a mode for selecting the SNPN for the onboarding service includes an automatic SNPN selection mode and a manual SNPN selection mode (Starsinic, the Abstract, Fig. 5, pp [111]-[112]; pp [69], [79]).
Regarding claim 2. (Currently Amended) Starsinic teaches a communication control method performed by a User Equipment (UE) (Starsinic, the Abstract), the communication control method comprising:
selecting a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN) for an onboarding service in a case that the UE is operating in an SNPN access mode to be provisioned with SNPN credentials, based on Default UE credentials (Starsinic, the Abstract, Fig. 5, pp [104]-[109]; pp [35]-[36], [69], [79]),
wherein a mode for selecting the SNPN for the onboarding service includes an automatic SNPN selection mode and a manual SNPN selection mode (Starsinic, the Abstract, Fig. 5, pp [111]-[112]; pp [69], [79]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 HUY C HO whose telephone number is (571)270-1108. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
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/HUY C HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644