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 with respect to pending claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 3-5, 11, 14 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma et al(US 2024/0064511 A1) in view of Shih et al(US 2021/0377850 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 11 and 14, Ma ‘511 teaches, an apparatus comprising([0041], [0152] and Figs. 4, 15, terminal device): a memory operable to store computer-readable instructions; and a processor circuitry operable to read the computer-readable instructions([0041], [0057], [0152] and Figs. 4, 15, terminal device comprising, memory, processing unit, and transceiver unit), the processor circuitry when executing the computer-readable instructions is configured to:
receive the specific SIB broadcasted by a wireless communication node([0041], [0125], [0152] and Figs. 4, 15, the terminal device receives a second SIB( specific SIB) broadcast from the access network device); wherein the specific SIB includes a list([0037]-[0039], [0152] and Figs. 4, 15, the second SIB includes two lists, first list is identifiers of m credential holder(CH) groups and second list is n bitmap entries);
wherein each element of the list is associated with a network identifier (ID) that is broadcasted in a first SIB ([0041], [0152]-[0153] and Figs. 4, 15, the n bitmaps are sequentially in a one-to-one correspondence with identifiers of the n networks included in the first SIB and each bitmap indicates a credential holder group supported by a corresponding network); and wherein each element of the list includes one or more group identifiers ([0037]- [0039], [0041], second SIB includes identifiers of m credential holder groups and n bitmaps) and is associated with at least one of: one or more groups of credential holders (CHs), or one or more groups of subscription owners (SOs) or on-boarding networks for on-boarding([0037]-[0039], [0041] and Figs. 5-9. each bitmap indicates a credential holder (CH) group supported by a corresponding network, Notice, the claim limitation is written in alternative form thus examiner is required to show only one of the alternative claim limitations).
Ma ‘511 does not explicitly teach, send, from a non-access stratum, NAS, layer of a wireless communication device to an access stratum, AS, layer of the wireless communication device, an indication to read a specific System Information Block, SIB, or to report information in the specific SIB for network selection or cell selection;
in response to the indication, determine, at the AS layer of the wireless communication device, that the specific SIB has been scheduled; in response to determining that the specific SIB has been scheduled.
Shih ‘850 teaches, send, from a non-access stratum, NAS, layer of a wireless communication device to an access stratum, AS, layer of the wireless communication device, an indication to read a specific System Information Block, SIB, or to report information in the specific SIB for network selection or cell selection( [0007], [0098]-[0100], AS layer reporting a first indication and CAG identity to the NAS layer when a request from the NAS layer is receive);
in response to the indication, determine, at the AS layer of the wireless communication device, that the specific SIB has been scheduled([0096], [0098]-[0101], when the AS layer is requested by the NAS layer( receives Boolean indicator ‘1”), the AS layer checking whether SIB10 is (being) broadcast by the cell based on si-BroadcastStatus IE and the associated sib-MappingInfo IE)); in response to determining that the specific SIB has been scheduled( [0096], [0098]-[0100], when the AS layer determines that the SIB10 is scheduled based on si-BroadcastStatus IE and the associated sib-MappingInfo IE receiving the SIB10 )
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the communication system of Ma ‘511 by incorporating the teaching of Shih ‘850, since such modification would provide a method of performing a closed access group (CAG) selection in a non-public network (NPN) and a related device, as suggested by Shih ‘850([0006]).
Regarding claims 3 and 16, the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches, all of the claim limitations Ma ‘511 further teaches, wherein the first SIB is configured to broadcast one or more network IDs and indicate whether accessing the CHs or on-boarding function is supported by each of the one or more network IDs( [0101], [0102] and Fig. 4, the first SIB includes information about each of the n networks which includes an identifier of the network and first indication information corresponding to the network. The first indication information indicates that the network supports a terminal device in performing access by using a credential of a credential holder (CH), notice the claim limitation is written in alternate form thus examiner is required to show only one of the alternative claim limitations); and
each element of the list is associated to a corresponding one of the one or more network IDs that indicates support for at least one of the accessing the CH or the on- boarding function( [0101], [0102] and Fig. 4-9, an identifier of the network and first indication information corresponding to the network. The first indication information indicates that the network supports a terminal device in performing access by using a credential of a credential holder (CH), notice the claim limitation is written in alternate form thus examiner is required to show only one of the alternative claim limitations).
Regarding claim 4 and 17, the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches, all of the claim limitations Ma ‘511 further teaches, wherein a first element of the list is associated with a first network ID in the first SIB that indicates support for at least one of accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function( [0101], [0102] and Fig. 4-9, the first indication information received via first SIB indicates that the network supports a terminal device in performing access by using a credential of a credential holder (CH), notice the claim limitation is written in alternate form thus examiner is required to show only one of the alternative claim limitations), the second element of the list of group identifiers is associated to the second network ID in the first SIB that indicate supporting of the accessing the CH or supporting of on-boarding( [0101], [0102] and Fig. 4-9, n bitmaps that are sequentially in a one-to-one correspondence with identifiers of the n networks).
Regarding claims 5 and 18, the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches, all of the claim limitations Ma ‘511 further teaches, wherein the element of the list can be set to absent if the associated network ID support accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function but is not associated with any group identifier ([0101], [0102], [0114] and Fig. 4-9, the first indication information received via first SIB may indicate access using a credential holder (CH) but its bitmap may be empty (no group identifiers)).
Claims 6, 7, 13, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 as applied to claims above, and further in view of Nokia Shanghai Bell, Draft Stage 2 CR: Non-Public Network enhancements, May 19-27, 2021, pp. 1-11, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #114 Electronic, R2-2106553. Submitted by Applicant via IDS hereinafter referred as Nokia.
Regarding claims 6 and 19 the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches, all of the claim limitations, Ma ‘511 further teaches, the specific SIB includes 2 lists of group identifiers, and wherein each element of the list is associated with an network ID that broadcast in first SIB([0037]-[0039], [0152] and Figs. 4, 15, the second SIB includes two lists, first list is identifiers of m credential holder(CH) groups and second list is n bitmap entries), and wherein each element of the first list includes one or more group identifiers of credential holder (CH)s([0037]- [0039], [0041], second SIB includes identifiers of m credential holder groups and n bitmaps).
The combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 does not explicitly teach, while each element of the second list include one or more group identifiers of Subscription owners for the on-boarding.
Nokia teaches, while each element of the second list include one or more group identifiers of Subscription owners for the on-boarding (section 16.6.Y, group IDs for onboarding related information being provided via SIB).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined communication system of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 by incorporating the teaching of Nokia, since such modification would enable UE NAS layer to make informed decision on which SNPN to select, as suggested by Nokia (section 16.6.X).
Regarding claims 7 and 13, the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches all the claim limitations, Ma ‘511 further teaches, reporting, by an AS layer of the wireless communication device to a NAS layer of the wireless communication device ([0120- [0121] and Fig. 10, reporting from UE AS layer to UE NAS layer information about an SNPN).
The combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 does not explicitly teach, one or more elements associated with each network ID that supports at least one of accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function.
Nokia teaches, one or more elements associated with each network ID that supports at least one of accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function (section A.2, UE AS forwards the onboarding indication (Group IDs) per SNPN to UE NAS for onboarding network selection).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined communication system of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 by incorporating the teaching of Nokia, since such modification would enable UE NAS layer to make informed decision on which SNPN to select, as suggested by Nokia (section 16.6.X).
Regarding claim 20. the combination of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 teaches, all of the claim limitations except, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: report one or more elements associated with each network ID that supports at least one of accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function.
Nokia teaches, wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to: report one or more elements associated with each network ID that supports at least one of accessing the CHs or an on-boarding function (section A.2, UE AS forwards the onboarding indication (Group IDs) per SNPN to UE NAS for onboarding network selection).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combined communication system of Ma ‘511 and Shih ‘850 by incorporating the teaching of Nokia, since such modification would enable UE NAS layer to make informed decision on which SNPN to select, as suggested by Nokia (section 16.6.X).
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 AWET A HAILE whose telephone number is (571)270-3114. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST.
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/AWET HAILE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474