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 Restriction
Applicant’s Restriction arguments, see remark on page 1, filed on 02/19/2026, with respect to claims 1-11, 21-29 have been acknowledged. The applicant elects, without traverse, Group I, claims 1-11 and new claims 21-29.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-11, 21-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, in lines 4-6, the limitation A recites: “a Satellite Access Network (SAN) configured to process Satellite Digital Video Broadcast (DBB) waveforms, wherein an egress interface of a wireline access network of the SAN is the V interface”;
In lines 7-10, the limitation B recites: “a Satellite Access Node (sAN) configured with functionality of a ground station modem and portions of an existing network management system (NMS), wherein the NMS is configured with topology information of the satellite-based communications network and a remote satellite modem configured to connect a local network to a Satellite Network Operator Data Network;” and
In lines 12-15, the limitation C recites: “a Fixed Network-Residential Gateway (FN-RG) that comprises a logical representation of the remote satellite modem, the FN-RG located at a ground station and configured to manage connectivity and interworking with a 5G Core via an Access Gateway Function (AGF), wherein the FN-RG is configured to act as a proxy for the remote satellite modem.”
The limitations A-C seem to be standalone limitations and have no inter-relationships among each other. For example, it is unclear how the Satellite Access Network (SAN) in limitation A is related/connected to the Satellite Access Node (sAN) in limitation B; and how the Fixed Network-Residential Gateway (FN-RG) in limitation C is related/connected to the Satellite Access Network (SAN) and/or the Satellite Access Node (sAN).
Therefore, the claimed invention leaves a gap between the limitations A, B and C and the gap is considered essential to the claimed invention.
Thus, the applicant is suggested to amend the claim limitations to clearly define the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Depending claims 2-11 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on a rejected based claim.
Regarding claim 21, the claim is directed to a method step A for: “processing, by a Satellite Access Network (SAN), Satellite Digital Video Broadcast (DBB) waveforms, wherein an egress interface of a wireline access network of the SAN is the V interface;”; step B for “operating a Satellite Access Node (sAN) configured with functionality of a ground station modem and portions of an existing network management system (NMS), wherein the NMS is configured with topology information of the satellite-based communications network and a remote satellite modem configured to connect a local network to a Satellite Network Operator Data Network;” and step C for: “operating a Fixed Network-Residential Gateway (FN-RG) that comprises a logical representation of the remote satellite modem, the FN-RG located at a ground station and configured to manage connectivity and interworking with a 5G Core via an Access Gateway Function (AGF), wherein the FN-RG is configured to act as a proxy for the remote satellite modem.” The method steps A-C seem to be standalone limitations/steps and fail to provide inter-correlation among each other.
Therefore, the claimed invention leaves a gap between the steps A, B and C and the gap is considered essential to the claimed invention.
Thus, the applicant is suggested to amend the claim limitations to clearly define the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
Depending claims 22-29 are rejected by virtue of their dependency on a rejected based claim.
Regarding claim 4, the term “the remote modem” has no antecedent basis. Similar issue exists in claims 6, 8, 10, 11.
Regarding claim 9, the term “the FN-RG L2 connection initiation” has no antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 24, the term “the remote modem” has no antecedent basis. Similar issue exists in claims 26, 28.
Regarding claim 29, the term “the FN-RG L2 connection initiation” has no antecedent basis.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Maattanen et al. (Pub No.: 2022/0086713) discloses a system, method and non-transitory computer readable media for facilitating reduced signaling load with respect to UE location reporting in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) environment (100) interoperable with one or more terrestrial cellular communications networks. In one embodiment of an index-based location reporting scheme, a UE (105, 1200) may receive (402) a list of reference locations from a network node (1000, 1100), each identified with an index. Responsive to receiving the list of reference locations, the UE (105, 1200) may report to the network node (1000, 1100) an index or a subset of indices of one or more reference locations that match a specific reporting criterion. In an example implementation, reporting of index-based location information by the UE (105, 1200) may be configurably triggered, e.g., periodically or in response to the occurrence of a particular event, condition, etc.
Shi et al. (Pub No.: 2023/0261739) discloses a mobility management method includes: obtain a terminal a first position of a terminal from a geo-synchronous orbit (GEO) positioning satellite; the terminal searches for a first communication calendar according to the first position, and determines a network connection mode of the terminal; when it is determined that the network connection mode is an NGSO satellite connection, the terminal accesses a network by means of a first NGSO satellite and sends, by means of the first NGSO satellite, a first request message carrying the first position to the network.
Wang et al. (Pub No.: 2022/0217589) discloses an information transmission method, an apparatus, and a system. The method includes user equipment receives first indication information sent by a first network device, where the first indication information includes a polarization method of a target cell, and the user equipment performs cell measurement on the target cell based on the polarization method of the target cell. According to the method, the user equipment can obtain the polarization method of the target cell before entering the target cell. In this way, when performing cell handover and reselection, the user equipment can enable, based on the polarization method of the target cell, only a port corresponding to the polarization method of the target cell, to receive a satellite signal, and perform cell measurement on the target cell, to complete cell handover and reselection procedures.
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/KAN YUEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464