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
Response to Amendment
Acknowledgement is made of the amendment filed on October 14, 2025, in which:
Claims 1 and 9 are currently amended.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending and an Office action on the merits follows.
Response to Arguments
On pages 6-9 of the applicant’s remarks, the applicant argues that Lee as modified by Luo fail to teach “receiving, from a node of the communication network, a broadcast message including information indicating either the NSSAI group information or a value corresponding to NSSAI identifying a network slice received in the list of the UE is allowed to use, comparing the list and the information included in the broadcast message.” The examine respectfully disagrees. The examiner admits that Lee fails to teach this limitation. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the present invention as taught by Lou. Lou Fig. 5 and paragraphs [0107]-[0110] teach the access network device, gNB, broadcasts 31 a first identifier RSA ID, then the UE determining whether a mapping relationship between the broadcasted RSA ID and the network slice identifier is obtained 32. As explained in paragraph [0110] this step can be repeated for each subsequent base station as the UE moves. Lou [0189] further explains that the terminal device determines whether the cell on which the terminal device currently camps supports the network slice with the highest priority by the access network device directly broadcasting supported S-NSSAI or indirectly using an RSA ID. Therefore, the determination is made by comparison of the network slice with the highest priority with the direct broadcast of S-NSSAI or indirectly using the RSA ID. Therefore, the examiner respectfully maintains the rejection of claims 1, 8, 9, and 15 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Lou as further described below.
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pub No.: US-20200229079-A1 (herein “Lee”), and further in view of Pub No.: US-20220394608-A1 (herein “Lou”).
Consider claim 1, Lee teaches a method performed by a user equipment, UE, in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:
transmitting a first message representing a registration request message to the communication network, especially via a node of the communication network (see Lee Fig. 5, [0081] note electronic device 101 sends registration request message 505 to access network 301);
receiving a second message from the communication network, wherein the second message includes a list comprising at least one Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, NSSAI, group information of or at least one value corresponding to NSSAI identifying a network slice the UE is allowed to use (see Lee Fig. 5, [0085] note electronic device 101 receives registration accept message 525 from access node 301 including allowed NSSAI);
storing the list (see Lee Fig. 5, [0086] note electronic device 101 stores the allowed NSSAI);
Lee fails to teach comprising: receiving, from a node of the communication network, a broadcast message including information indicating either the NSSAI group information or a value corresponding to NSSAI identifying a network slice received in the list the UE is allowed to use, comparing the list and the information included in the broadcast message; and determining, based on a result of the comparison, at least one NSSAI identifying a network slice the UE is allowed to use. Lou teaches the access network device broadcasts 31 a first identifier corresponding to one network slice set including at least one allowed network slice and determines whether the network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID is obtained for use by the terminal device (see Lou Fig. 5, [0107]-[0111], [0189]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee to include the recited teaching of Lou. Such a modification would improve Lee by allowing a network slice to adapt to communication requirements of a terminal device (see Lou [0004]).
Claim(s) 8, 9, and 15 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 1.
Consider claim 2, Lee as modified by Lou teach comprising requesting by the UE a service from the network using the determined NSSAI (see Lee [0100] note slice service type SST).
Consider claim 3, Lee as modified by Lou teach wherein the list includes a priority of the network slice to be used, wherein the priority of the list is advantageously a position of the list (see Lee [0106] note determining the priority of the S-NSSAIs).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 3.
Consider claim 4, Lee as modified by Lou teach wherein the second message is a registration accept message, a tracking area accept message, or a NAS message providing network slice related information (see Lee Fig. 5, [0085] note registration accept message 525).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 4.
Consider claim 5, Lee as modified by Lou teach wherein the information included in the broadcast message is indicated using a bitmap of bits, wherein each bit either identifies a network slice grouping or the value corresponding to the NSSAI, wherein the order of the bitmap preferably indicates the priority of the network slice to be used by the UE (see Lou [0080], [0095], [0173] identifiers identified using bits and indicating priorities of different network slices).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 5.
Consider claim 6, Lee as modified by Lou teach wherein receiving the broadcast message comprises: comparing a token pre-stored by the UE with a token comprised in the broadcast message; and if said tokens do not match, discarding the information included in the broadcast message; if said tokens match, performing the comparing of the list and the information included in the broadcast message to determine at least one NSSAI identifying a network slice the UE is allowed to use (see Lou [0108]-[0111] note the UE receives the RSA ID via broadcast and determines whether the network slice information corresponding to the RSA ID is obtained/known, when the network slice information is not obtained/known requesting the network slice information for the RSA ID, when the network slice information is obtained/known the UE may select an allowed network slice).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 6.
Consider claim 7, Lee as modified by Lou teach wherein the information respectively at least one value corresponding to the NSSAI included in the list identify network slices the UE is allowed to use in an area served by a first Next Generation-Radio Access Network, NG-RAN, in a particular tracking area, TA, and wherein the information respectively at least one value included in the broadcast message identifies a network slice the UE is allowed to use in an area served by a second NG-RAN in the same TA (see Lee Fig. 6, [0097] note the UE electronic device receives and stores the allowed/rejected NSSAI for each registration area).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected for at least the same reason(s) set forth in claim 7.
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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCUS C HAMMONDS whose telephone number is (571)270-3193. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00AM-6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ALISON T. SLATER can be reached at (571)270-0375. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARCUS HAMMONDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647