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 .
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-7, 9-17, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0124497) in view of Sugawara (US Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0097873).
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system (Fig. 1), the method comprising:
storing information on a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) (SNPN stored on lists [Paragraphs 9, 24]) in a plurality of lists of forbidden SNPN (the lists comprising forbidden SNPN [Paragraphs 19, 24]), while operating in an SNPN access operation mode (while the UE is in a SNPN operative mode [Paragraphs 9, 19, 29]);
[
maintaining the plurality of lists of forbidden SNPN (the UE maintains the lists of forbidden SNPN [Paragraphs 5, 9, 21]).
However, Lin does not explicitly mention: deactivating the SNPN access operation mode.
Sugawara teaches, in a similar field of endeavor of communication systems, the following:
deactivating the SNPN access operation mode (the access operation mode of the SNPN is being deactivated upon the maintenance of forbidden SNPN [Paragraphs 153, 156]).
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 (as taught by Lin) by deactivating SNPN access operation mode (as taught by Sugawara) for the purpose of improving the performance of radio communication (Sugawara – Paragraph 23).
Regarding claim 2, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising: deleting the plurality of lists of forbidden SNPN ([Paragraphs 219-220]), upon expiry of a timer ([Paragraphs 140-142]), wherein the timer comprises T3245 ([Paragraphs 220-221]).
Regarding claim 3, Lin further teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lists of forbidden SNPN comprises a list of permanently forbidden SNPN ([Paragraph 21]) and a list of temporarily forbidden SNPN ([Paragraph 21]).
Regarding claim 4, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 1, wherein storing the information on the SNPN comprises:
selecting the SNPN while operating in the SNPN access operation mode ([Paragraphs 151-152, 204-205]), wherein the information on the SNPN is included in a service reject message ([Paragraphs 219-220, 253]).
Regarding claim 5, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising: setting a selected entry or a selected public land mobile network (PLMN) subscription ([Paragraphs 151-152]) to valid for 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access ([Paragraph 23]) and non-3GPP access ([Paragraph 25]); and performing cell selection ([Paragraphs 206-207, 213]).
Regarding claim 6, Lin teaches a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system (Fig. 1), the method comprising:
storing information on a public land mobile network (PLMN) (PLMN stored on lists [Paragraphs 9, 24]) in a plurality of lists of forbidden PLMN (the lists comprising forbidden PLMN [Paragraphs 19, 24]);
[
maintaining the plurality of lists of forbidden PLMN (the UE maintains the lists of forbidden PLMN [Paragraphs 5, 9, 21]).
However, Lin does not explicitly mention: activating a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) access operation mode.
Sugawara teaches, in a similar field of endeavor of communication systems, the following:
activating a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) access operation mode (the access operation mode of the SNPN is being activated upon the maintenance of forbidden PLMN [Paragraphs 153, 156]).
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 (as taught by Lin) by activating SNPN access operation mode (as taught by Sugawara) for the purpose of improving the performance of radio communication (Sugawara – Paragraph 23).
Regarding claim 7, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 6, further comprising: deleting the plurality of lists of forbidden PLMN ([Paragraphs 219-220]), upon expiry of a timer ([Paragraphs 140-142]), wherein the timer comprises T3245 ([Paragraphs 220-221]).
Regarding claim 9, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 6, wherein storing the information on the PLMN comprises selecting the PLMN while not in the SNPN access operation mode ([Paragraphs 151-152, 204-205]), and wherein the information on the PLMN is included in a registration reject message ([Paragraphs 219-220, 253]).
Regarding claim 10, Sugawara further teaches the method of claim 7, further comprising: setting a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) of the terminal (USIM [Paragraph 142]) to valid for 5th generation system (5GS) service ([Paragraph 36]) for 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access ([Paragraph 23]) and non-3GPP access; and performing cell selection ([Paragraph 25]).
Regarding claims 11-15, these claims are rejected as applied to claims 1-5.
Regarding claims 16-17, 19-20, these claims are rejected as applied to claims 6-7, 9-10.
Claims 8 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0124497) in view of Sugawara (US Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0097873) and further in view of Park et al. (US Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0276342).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Lin and Sugawara teaches all the limitations recited in claim 6.
However, the combination of Lin and Sugawara does not explicitly mention: wherein the plurality of lists of forbidden PLMN comprises a list of forbidden PLMN and a list of forbidden PLMN for general packet radio service (GPRS).
Park teaches, in a similar field of endeavor of communication systems, the following:
wherein the plurality of lists of forbidden PLMN comprises a list of forbidden PLMN and a list of forbidden PLMN for general packet radio service (GPRS) ([Paragraphs 188, 213]).
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 (as taught by Lin) by activating SNPN access operation mode (as taught by Sugawara) by including PLMN and GPRS (as taught by Park) for the purpose of improving communication services (Park – Paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 18, this claim is rejected as applied to claim 8.
Conclusion
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June 27, 2026
/FABRICIO R MURILLO GARCIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633
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