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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
1. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/29/2024 has been considered by Examiner and made of record in the application file.
2. Claims 1-50 are canceled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §103
3. 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.
4. Claims 51-70 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ("MUSIM Network Switching", 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting # 114 Electronic, R2-2105085, Online, May 19–27, 2021, pp. 1-5., hereinafter “3GPP”; provided by the Applicant’s IDS filed on 01/29/2024) in view of Olsson (U.S PAT. 8,577,360).
Consider claim 51, 3GPP teaches a method for a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of public land mobile networks (PLMNs), the method comprising: while registered in first and second PLMNs and having a first connection with the first PLMN, releasing the first connection (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
3GPP does not explicitly show that logging information relating to the release of the first connection; and after subsequently establishing a second connection with the first PLMN, sending to the first PLMN a first report including the logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN.
In the same field of endeavor, Olsson teaches logging information relating to the release of the first connection (col. 8, lines 6-26); and after subsequently establishing a second connection with the first PLMN, sending to the first PLMN a first report including the logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN (col. 3 lines 4-21 and col. 6, lines 25-46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to use, logging information relating to the release of the first connection; and after subsequently establishing a second connection with the first PLMN, sending to the first PLMN a first report including the logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN, as taught by Olsson, in order for UE-based minimizing drive time (MDT) measuring and reporting in a cellular radio access network.
Consider claim 52, 3GPP further teaches transmitting to the first PLMN a request to release the first connection with the first PLMN (2.2 Network Switching Signalling Aspects); and initiating a first timer upon transmitting the request to release the first connection with the first PLMN, wherein releasing the first connection and logging the information is performed upon expiration of the first timer without receiving from the first PLMN a response to the request to release the first connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signalling).
Consider claim 53, Olsson further teaches initiating a second timer upon expiration of the first timer; and stopping the second timer upon establishing the second connection with the first PLMN, wherein the value of the second timer upon stopping is included in the logged information (col. 6, lines 25-46).
Consider claim 54, Olsson further teaches wherein one or more of the following applies: the UE is not configured to request release of the first connection by the first PLMN; the logged information includes an indication of whether the UE is configured to request release of the first connection by the first PLMN; and the logged information includes a cause of the release request (col. 8, lines 6-26).
Consider claim 55, Olsson further teaches wherein: the UE is configured to request release of the first connection by the first PLMN; the method further comprises refraining from requesting release of the first connection by the first PLMN before releasing the first connection; and the logged information includes an indication that the UE did not request release of the first connection before the UE released the first connection (col. 5, line 55 through col. 6, line 24).
Consider claim 56, Olsson further teaches receiving a request for the logged information from the first PLMN after establishing the second connection with the first PLMN, wherein the first report is sent in response to the request for the logged information (col. 7, line 60 through col. 8, line 8).
Consider claim 57, Olsson further teaches after establishing the second connection with the first PLMN, sending to the first PLMN a presence indication for logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN, wherein the request is received from the first PLMN in response to the presence indication (col. 6, lines 25-46).
Consider claim 58, Olsson further teaches after releasing the first connection with the first PLMN: establishing a first connection with the second PLMN; and sending to the second PLMN a second report including at least a portion of the logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN (col. 5, line 55 through col. 6, line 24).
Consider claim 59, Olsson further teaches receiving from the second PLMN a request for the logged information after establishing the first connection with the second PLMN, wherein the second report is sent in response to the request for the logged information (col. 8, lines 6-26).
Consider claim 60, Olsson further teaches after establishing the first connection with the second PLMN, sending to the second PLMN a presence indication for logged information relating to the UE's release of the first connection with the first PLMN, wherein the request is received from the second PLMN in response to the presence indication (col. 6, lines 25-46).
Consider claim 61, the subject-matter of independent claim 61 relates to a method for a first network node configured to operate in a first public land mobile network (PLMN) and to manage a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of PLMNs with features fully corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1. Therefore, the same argumentation presented in relation to claim 1 is, mutatis mutandis, of application to claim 61.
Consider claim 62, 3GPP further teaches refraining from sending, for at least a preconfigured duration, a response to the request to release the UE's first connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
Consider claim 63, 3GPP further teaches the logged information includes an indication of a duration between the following: when the UE released the first connection with the first PLMN, and establishing the UE's second connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
Consider claim 64, the subject-matter of independent claim 64 relates to a method for a second network node configured to operate in a second public land mobile network (PLMN) and to manage a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of PLMNs with features fully corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1. Therefore, the same argumentation presented in relation to claim 1 is, mutatis mutandis, of application to claim 64.
Consider claim 65, the subject-matter of independent claim 65 relates to a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with features fully corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1. Therefore, the same argumentation presented in relation to claim 1 is, mutatis mutandis, of application to claim 65.
Consider claim 66, 3GPP further teaches wherein the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are further configured to: transmit to the first PLMN a request to release the first connection with the first PLMN; and initiate a first timer upon transmitting the request to release the first connection with the first PLMN, wherein the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are configured to release the first connection and log the information upon expiration of the first timer without receiving from the first PLMN a response to the request to release the first connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
Consider claim 67, 3GPP further teaches wherein the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are further configured to, after releasing the first connection with the first PLMN: establish a first connection with the second PLMN; and send to the second PLMN a second report including at least a portion of the logged information relating to the release of the first connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
Consider claim 68, the subject-matter of independent claim 68 relates to a first network node configured to operate in a first public land mobile network (PLMN) and to manage a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of PLMNs with features fully corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1. Therefore, the same argumentation presented in relation to claim 1 is, mutatis mutandis, of application to claim 68.
Consider claim 69, 3GPP further teaches wherein the processing circuitry and the communication interface circuitry are further configured to refrain from sending, for at least a preconfigured duration, a response to the request to release the UE's first connection with the first PLMN (2.1.1 RRC Vs MAC CE Signaling).
Consider claim 70, the subject-matter of independent claim 70 relates to a second network node configured to operate in a second public land mobile network (PLMN) and to manage a user equipment (UE) configured with user credentials for a plurality of PLMNs, the second network node comprising: communication interface circuitry configured to communicate with at least the UE; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the communication interface circuitry with features fully corresponding to the characteristics of claim 1. Therefore, the same argumentation presented in relation to claim 1 is, mutatis mutandis, of application to claim 70.
Conclusion
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/TUAN H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649