DETAILED ACTION
The instant application having application No 18/286,022 filed on 10/06/2023 is presented for examination by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1 and 3 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Hashmi et al. (U.S 20240305971, Sep. 12, 2024) in view of WON (US 20220264283, Aug. 18, 2022).
Regarding Claim 1, Hashmi discloses a User Equipment (UE) comprising a transmission and/or reception circuitry unit; and a controller (page 3, par (0030), line 10-12, the processor and the SOR-CMCI configuration controller implemented as processor. The communicator includes a transceiver (wherein transceiver has transmitting and receiving circuit)),
wherein the transmission and/or reception circuitry unit receives Steering of roaming connected mode control information (SOR-CMCI) from a control apparatus (page 3, par (0030), line 10-12, the SOR-CMCI configuration controller implemented as processor, the communicator includes a transceiver (wherein transceiver is a control apparatus to control the transmission and reception functions)),
in a case that a user controlled list of services exempted from release due to Steering of Roaming (SOR) is updated while one or more Tsor-cm timers are running (page 2, par (0020), line 1-10, initiating, by the UE, a Tsar-cm timer in response to receiving the SOR information from the network entity(information is a list of services due to SOR updates), includes detecting, by the UE(user controlled list detecting and exempting from release due to SOR), whether the UE is in an idle mode before expiry of the Tsar-cm timer(while timers are running)),
in a case that the ongoing service is not included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR, and a current value of a Tsor-cm timer of the one or more Tsor-cm timers corresponding to the ongoing service is configured to infinity (page 1, par (0003), line 1-10, initiating the Tsar-cm timer in response to receiving the SOR-CMCI configuration or the SOR information from the network entity, includes detecting the UE is in an idle mode before expiry of the Tsar-cm timer, includes aborting the ongoing service, stopping the Tsar-cm timer and performing a PLMN selection to obtain service on a higher priority PLMN),
the controller checks whether a matching criterion is included in the SOR-CMCI, and in a case that the matching criterion for the ongoing service is not included in the SOR-CMCI(page 5, par (0058), line 1-10, If SOR-CMCI availability indication sends to network which says SOR-CMCI information is not available in ME(ongoing service is not included) and doesn't receive SOR-CMCI information, the UE shall release Nl signaling connection and search for high priority PLMN when high priority service like emergency call is ongoing),
the controller configures a value of the Tsor-cm timer corresponding to the ongoing service to 0(page 6, par (0091), line 1-3, if Tsor-cm timer value is set to 0 in the SOR-CMCI rules, the UE 100 consider Tsor-cm is disabled).
Hashmi discloses all aspects of the claimed invention, except the controller checks whether ongoing service is included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR.
WON is the same field of invention teaches the controller checks whether ongoing service is included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR (page 1, par (0006), line 1-10, For UEs that do not support SOR-CMCI a legacy SOR transparent container provided to the UE and for UEs that do support the SOR-CMCI (exempt from release due to SOR) then a new format SOR transparent container provided to the UE(wherein new ongoing services is included in the updated list). The legacy SOR transparent container carry the PLMN-AT list. The new format SOR transparent container comprise a PLMN-AT list or SOR-CMCI).
Hashmi and WON are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor of access to a service device.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the based on ongoing service is included in the updated user-controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR the teaching of Hashmi to include the legacy SOR transparent container carry the PLMN-AT list. The new format SOR transparent container comprise a PLMN-AT list or SOR-CMCI teaching of WON because it is providing for the identification of a UE supports Connected Mode Control Information so as to facilitate controlling the UE's time to stay in a particular network.
Regarding Claim 3, Hashmi discloses a communication control method for a User Equipment (UE) (page 3, par (0030), line 10-12, the processor and the SOR-CMCI configuration controller implemented as processor. The communicator includes a transceiver), the communication control method comprising the steps of receiving Steering of roaming connected mode control information (SOR-CMCI) from a control apparatus (page 3, par (0030), line 10-12, the SOR-CMCI configuration controller implemented as processor, the communicator includes a transceiver);
in a case that a user controlled list of services exempted from release due to Steering of Roaming (SOR) is updated while one or more Tsor-cm timers are running (page 2, par (0020), line 1-10, initiating, by the UE, a Tsar-cm timer in response to receiving the SOR information from the network entity, includes detecting, by the UE, whether the UE is in an idle mode before expiry of the Tsar-cm timer),
in a case that the ongoing service is not included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR, and a current value of a Tsor-cm timer of the one or more Tsor-cm timers corresponding to the ongoing service is configured to infinity(page 1, par (0003), line 1-10, initiating the Tsar-cm timer in response to receiving the SOR-CMCI configuration or the SOR information from the network entity, includes detecting the UE is in an idle mode before expiry of the Tsar-cm timer, includes aborting the ongoing service, stopping the Tsar-cm timer and performing a PLMN selection to obtain service on a higher priority PLMN),
checking, by the UE, whether a matching criterion is included in the SOR-CMCI; and in a case that the matching criterion for the ongoing service is not included in the SOR-CMCI(page 5, par (0058), line 1-10, If SOR-CMCI availability indication sends to network which says SOR-CMCI information is not available in ME(ongoing service is not included) and doesn't receive SOR-CMCI information, the UE shall release Nl signaling connection and search for high priority PLMN when high priority service like emergency call is ongoing),
configuring, by the UE, a value of the Tsor-cm timer corresponding to the ongoing service to 0(page 6, par (0091), line 1-3, if Tsor-cm timer value is set to 0 in the SOR-CMCI rules, the UE 100 consider Tsor-cm is disabled).
Hashmi discloses all aspects of the claimed invention, except checking, by the UE, whether ongoing service is included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR.
WON is the same field of invention teaches checking, by the UE, whether ongoing service is included in the updated user controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR (page 1, par (0006), line 1-10, For UEs that do not support SOR-CMCI a legacy SOR transparent container provided to the UE and for UEs that do support the SOR-CMCI (exempt from release due to SOR) then a new format SOR transparent container provided to the UE. The legacy SOR transparent container carry the PLMN-AT list. The new format SOR transparent container comprise a PLMN-AT list or SOR-CMCI).
Hashmi and WON are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor of access to a service device.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the based on ongoing service is included in the updated user-controlled list of services exempted from release due to SOR the teaching of Hashmi to include the legacy SOR transparent container carry the PLMN-AT list. The new format SOR transparent container comprise a PLMN-AT list or SOR-CMCI teaching of WON because it is providing for the identification of a UE supports Connected Mode Control Information so as to facilitate controlling the UE's time to stay in a particular network.
Examiner Notice
Claim 1 would be allowable if (i) claim 2 is incorporated into the independent claim 1.
Claim 3 would be allowable if (i) claim 2 is incorporated into the independent claim 3.
The claims 1 and 3 have the limitation “and/or reception circuitry unit” and “whether a matching criterion” and “whether ongoing service” and “in a case that a user controlled” and “in a case that the ongoing service” and “in a case that the matching criterion”, please clarify the conditional language features from the limitations of the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure are:
Qiao et al. (US 20220386401, Dec. 1, 2022) teaches Multiple Access.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IQBAL ZAIDI whose telephone number is (571)270-3943. The examiner can normally be reached on M to Thu 8.a.m to 6.p.m..
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NGO RICKY can be reached on 571-272-3139. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/IQBAL ZAIDI/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464