DETAILED ACTION
Status of Case
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
This Office Action is in response to the claims filed on 11/9/2023.
Claims 1-4 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) filed on 11/9/202, 8/13/2024, 9/13/2024, and 6/13/2025 have been considered by Examiner.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitations are “request means,” “prohibition means,” and “check means” in claim 2, “request means” and “prohibition means” in claim 3, and “check means” and “rejection means” in claim 4.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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, 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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Haran (USPAN 2007/0155384) in view of Ore (USPAN 2009/0070694).
Consider claim 1, Haran discloses a communication method performed in a mobile communication system which comprises specific user equipments, base stations, and a base station controller managing an access made by the user equipments to the base stations (see figure 1 and paragraph 12: communication system comprising mobile stations, base station controller, PDSN, and base stations), comprising: checking in the base station controller whether access made by the user equipments to the base stations is allowed (see paragraphs 25-26: checking to see if access made by mobile station MS 100 is authorized or not); and rejecting access in a case where access it not allowed and prohibiting request of the access (see paragraph 25: if access is permitted, then the packet is forwarded to the destination IP address but if access is not permitted, the data packet is discarded silently).
Haran does not specifically disclose a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments, requesting an update of a tracking area from the user equipments to the base station controller through the base stations, rejecting an update of a tracking area from the base station controller to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed; and prohibiting request of an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected.
Ore discloses a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments, requesting an update of a tracking area from the user equipments to the base station controller through the base stations, rejecting an update of a tracking area from the base station controller to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed; and prohibiting request of an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected (see paragraph 58: the UE 210 knows which (if any) CSGs in which it is a regular member, and knowing (from 302 or 304) that the CSG ID of the home Node B 220 enables it to send 310 its membership type (regular member, guest member, administrator) to the core network 230, such as during a tracking area update. Note that the tracking area updates occur routinely, so one tracking area update signalling 302 may provide the CSG network name/ID to the UE 210 and another might provide the UE's membership type 310 to the core network 230. Then the core network signals 312 the membership type to the home Node B 230. Alternatively, the UE 210 can provide its membership type to the home Node B 220 directly such as within a RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message 314, according to the seventh aspect noted above. In any case, the home Node B 220 decides to accept or reject the guest UE 210 at block 316, such as for example whether it has capacity for another connection; also, see figure 3 (reproduced below for convenience)).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was made to modify the invention of Haran and combine it with the noted teachings of Ore. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method of transmitting an access mode indicator that indicates whether a closed subscriber group network is being operated as open or closed (see paragraph 21 of Ore).
Consider claim 2, Haran discloses a mobile communication system comprising specific user equipments, base stations, and a base station controller managing an access made by the user equipments to the base stations (see figure 1 and paragraph 12: communication system comprising mobile stations, base station controller, PDSN, and base stations) comprising: check means for checking whether access made by the user equipments to the base stations is allowed (see paragraphs 25-26: checking to see if access made by mobile station MS 100 is authorized or not); and rejecting access in a case where access it not allowed and prohibiting request of the access (see paragraph 25: if access is permitted, then the packet is forwarded to the destination IP address but if access is not permitted, the data packet is discarded silently).
Haran does not specifically disclose request means for requesting an update of a tracking area to the base station controller through the base stations, and prohibition means for prohibiting request of an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected, and rejection means for rejecting an update of a tracking area to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed.
Ore discloses request means for requesting an update of a tracking area to the base station controller through the base stations, and prohibition means for prohibiting request of an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected, and rejection means for rejecting an update of a tracking area to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed (see paragraph 58: the UE 210 knows which (if any) CSGs in which it is a regular member, and knowing (from 302 or 304) that the CSG ID of the home Node B 220 enables it to send 310 its membership type (regular member, guest member, administrator) to the core network 230, such as during a tracking area update. Note that the tracking area updates occur routinely, so one tracking area update signalling 302 may provide the CSG network name/ID to the UE 210 and another might provide the UE's membership type 310 to the core network 230. Then the core network signals 312 the membership type to the home Node B 230. Alternatively, the UE 210 can provide its membership type to the home Node B 220 directly such as within a RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message 314, according to the seventh aspect noted above. In any case, the home Node B 220 decides to accept or reject the guest UE 210 at block 316, such as for example whether it has capacity for another connection; also, see figure 3 (reproduced below for convenience)).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was made to modify the invention of Haran and combine it with the noted teachings of Ore. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method of transmitting an access mode indicator that indicates whether a closed subscriber group network is being operated as open or closed (see paragraph 21 of Ore).
Consider claim 3, Haran discloses a user equipment in a mobile communication system comprising specific user equipments, base stations, and a base station controller managing an access made by the user equipments to the base stations (see figure 1 and paragraph 12: communication system comprising mobile stations, base station controller, PDSN, and base stations).
Haran does not specifically disclose a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments, request means for requesting an update of a tracking area to the base station controller through the base stations, and prohibition means for prohibiting an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected.
Ore discloses a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments, request means for requesting an update of a tracking area to the base station controller through the base stations, and prohibition means for prohibiting an update of a tracking area in a case where the update of the tracking area is rejected (see paragraph 58: the UE 210 knows which (if any) CSGs in which it is a regular member, and knowing (from 302 or 304) that the CSG ID of the home Node B 220 enables it to send 310 its membership type (regular member, guest member, administrator) to the core network 230, such as during a tracking area update. Note that the tracking area updates occur routinely, so one tracking area update signalling 302 may provide the CSG network name/ID to the UE 210 and another might provide the UE's membership type 310 to the core network 230. Then the core network signals 312 the membership type to the home Node B 230. Alternatively, the UE 210 can provide its membership type to the home Node B 220 directly such as within a RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message 314, according to the seventh aspect noted above. In any case, the home Node B 220 decides to accept or reject the guest UE 210 at block 316, such as for example whether it has capacity for another connection; also, see figure 3 (reproduced below for convenience)).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was made to modify the invention of Haran and combine it with the noted teachings of Ore. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method of transmitting an access mode indicator that indicates whether a closed subscriber group network is being operated as open or closed (see paragraph 21 of Ore).
Consider claim 4, Haran discloses a base station controller in a mobile communication system comprising specific user equipments, base stations, and the base station controller managing an access made by the user equipments to the base stations (see figure 1 and paragraph 12: communication system comprising mobile stations, base station controller, PDSN, and base stations), comprising: check means for checking whether access made by the user equipments to the base stations is allowed in a case where an update of a tracking area through the base stations is requested (see paragraphs 25-26: checking to see if access made by mobile station MS 100 is authorized or not); and rejecting access in a case where access it not allowed and prohibiting request of the access (see paragraph 25: if access is permitted, then the packet is forwarded to the destination IP address but if access is not permitted, the data packet is discarded silently).
Haran does not specifically disclose a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments rejection means for rejecting an update of a tracking area to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed.
Ore discloses a tracking area for tracking location of the user equipments rejection means for rejecting an update of a tracking area to the user equipments through the base stations in a case where access made by the user equipments to the base stations is not allowed (see paragraph 58: the UE 210 knows which (if any) CSGs in which it is a regular member, and knowing (from 302 or 304) that the CSG ID of the home Node B 220 enables it to send 310 its membership type (regular member, guest member, administrator) to the core network 230, such as during a tracking area update. Note that the tracking area updates occur routinely, so one tracking area update signalling 302 may provide the CSG network name/ID to the UE 210 and another might provide the UE's membership type 310 to the core network 230. Then the core network signals 312 the membership type to the home Node B 230. Alternatively, the UE 210 can provide its membership type to the home Node B 220 directly such as within a RRC CONNECTION REQUEST message 314, according to the seventh aspect noted above. In any case, the home Node B 220 decides to accept or reject the guest UE 210 at block 316, such as for example whether it has capacity for another connection; also, see figure 3 (reproduced below for convenience)).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the invention was made to modify the invention of Haran and combine it with the noted teachings of Ore. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method of transmitting an access mode indicator that indicates whether a closed subscriber group network is being operated as open or closed (see paragraph 21 of Ore).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jamal Javaid whose telephone number is 571-270-5137 and email address is Jamal.Javaid@uspto.gov.
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/JAMAL JAVAID/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412