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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1) discloses a core network of an IP multimedia communication network (IMS) connected to a 5G network comprising a satellite constellation with regenerative
satellites (see [0076], “regenerative operation in which the SV”) providing the radio cells and a 5G core network (see 5G, fig. 4 and [0004]), the IP multimedia core network IMS comprising at least one session control function (see session control function [0107]) and a session
management function (see session management function [0101]) and being configured to establish communication of the IP multimedia subsystem IMS (see IP multimedia subsystem [0107]) between two user equipment (UE) terminals each having IMS clients within the communication network (see multiple terminals in fig. 4, and [0107], “ sessions between UEs”), the communication being in local routing mode
where user data are routed directly at one or more interconnected satellites (see [0139], “Local communication between UEs 102 may also be supported in S&F Mode by an SV 104”),
without passing through the ground (see [0139], “could be allowed to communicate directly through the SV 104 without communication via a serving ground based PLMN”), the session control function of the IMS core network being configured to receive information in real time relating to the satellite
access networks of the calling and called terminals (see [0114], “The SFC 202-2 may connect to other networks 110, the Internet 112 and the PSTN 114 as if it was a ground based PLMN 108 supporting real time access by UEs 102.”),
both connected to a regenerative satellite of the constellation (see “regenerative”, [0076]), in messages according to the session initiation protocol SIP as predefined (see SIP [0107], inter alia), and to interrogate a server linked to the satellite constellation capable of determining, based on the information relating to the satellite access networks of the two terminals, whether a local routing of the
user plane without passing through the ground is available to connect the two
terminals directly (see [0139], “UEs 102 able to access the same SV 104 at the same time in S&F Mode could be allowed to communicate directly through the SV 104 without communication via a serving ground based PLMN 108 and SFC 202. Real time mode communication can be supported by first verifying if a destination address for an MO transaction initiated by a UE”), this server verifying that the regenerative satellites corresponding to the information relating to the satellite access networks of the
two terminals are connected by inter-satellite link ISL (see ISL, [0082]), the session control function
of the core network further being configured to transmit the IP addresses of the
two terminals to the session management function SMF (see [0087], “IP addresses assigned to a UE 102 by an SV 104 (e.g. by an SMF 216 in the SV 104) can be mapped to other IP addresses for the UE ”) for configuration of the local routing and implementation of the communication in local routing mode where user data are routed between the two terminals directly (see [0139] Local communication between UEs) at one or more interconnected satellites, without passing through the ground (see [0139], “UEs 102 able to access the same SV 104 at the same time in S&F Mode could be allowed to communicate directly through the SV 104 without communication via a serving ground based ”).
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) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1) in view of Edge (WO 2022/177859 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Edge discloses A method for establishing a communication of the IP multimedia
subsystem (IMS) between two user equipment (UE) terminals each having IMS clients within a
communication network comprising a core network and a satellite constellation (see fig. 4, with satellite and core network) comprising regenerative satellites providing the radio cells, the communication being established in a local routing mode where user data are routed directly at one or more interconnected satellites (see [0139], “ regenerative operation in which the SV”), without passing through the ground, the method comprising the following steps integrated in real time in a session initiation protocol SIP as predefined:
- for the calling terminal connected to a regenerative satellite (see [0063] “regenerative operation in which the SV 104 performs” and SV is a satellite as seen in fig. 4), via its IMS (see IMS [0076])
client,
- for the called terminal connected to a regenerative satellite (satellite is regenerative, [0063]), via its IMS client ((see IMS [0076])),
- a session control function of the core network, retrieving the information
related to the satellite access networks of the two terminals (see session control function, [0107], and at least two terminals in fig. 4),
- the session control function of the core network (see session control function, [0107]), interrogating a server linked to the satellite constellation able to determine, based on the information
relating to the satellite access networks of the two terminals, if local routing of
the user plan without passing through the ground is available to connect the
two terminals directly (see [0139], “With this, UEs 102 able to access the same SV 104 at the same time in S&F Mode could be allowed to communicate directly through the SV 104 without communication via a serving ground based PLMN”),
- for the server linked to the constellation (server [0013]), verifying that the regenerative
satellites corresponding to the information relating to the satellite access networks
of the two terminals are connected by inter-satellite link ISL (see [0099] “A Network Exposure Function (NEF) 420 may be included in 5GC 310-1, e.g., connected to the AMF 414. …the NEF 420 may be connected to communicate directly with a remote endpoint 116. The NEF 420 may support secure exposure of capabilities and events concerning 5GC 310-1 and a UE 102 to a remote endpoint 116 and may enable secure provision of information from a remote endpoint”, where remote endpoint thereby being another UE (see [0219]) ),
- for the session control function of the core network, transmitting the IP
addresses of the two terminals to a session management function SMF for
configuration of the local routing (see [0087], “any IP addresses assigned to a UE 102 by an SV 104 (e.g. by an SMF 216 in the SV 104) can be mapped to other IP addresses for the UE 102”),
- for the session management function, configuring the local routing and
implementing the communication in local routing mode where user data are
routed (see [0101], “0101] As illustrated, a Session Management Function (SMF) 416 connects to the AMF 414 and the UPF 418. The SMF 416 may have the capability to control both a local and a central UPF within a PDU session.”) directly at one or more interconnected satellites (see [0139], “communicate directly through the SV”), without passing through the ground, between the two terminals (see [0219], “[0219] The remote endpoint 116 or a user of the remote endpoint 116 may determine to transfer various MT data types back to the UE 102.”);
Edge does not best disclose however Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1) best discloses insert information relating to its satellite access network into a message according to the SIP session initiation protocol (“SIP invite message, that includes an indication of satellite access”, abstract),
Edge does not best disclose however Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1) best discloses insert information relating to its satellite access network into a message according to the SIP session initiation protocol (“SIP invite message, that includes an indication of satellite access”, abstract),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to combine the teachings of Edge (Edge US 2025/0056229 A1) with that of Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1). Doing so would conform to well-known techniques in the field of invention.
Regarding claim 2, Edge in view of Edge discloses the method according to claim 1,
Edge (Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1)) does not specifically disclose however WO 2022/177859 A1 discloses wherein the information relating to the access networks is inserted into a P-Access-Network-Info field as predefined in the session initiation protocol SIP (see [0151], “P-Access-Network-Info”);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to combine the teachings of Edge (Edge US 2025/0056229 A1) with that of Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1). Doing so would conform to well-known techniques in the field of invention.
Regarding claim 3, Edge discloses the method according to claim 1,
Edge does not specifically does not specifically disclose however Edge WO 2022/177859 A1 discloses wherein the information relating to the access network of the calling terminal is inserted into a
communication invitation message (see [0097], “he indication of satellite access can be included in a SIP INVITE header that may also include the identity of the serving satellite radio cell for the UE 105”) as predefined in the session initiation protocol SIP and the information relating to the proxy access (see proxy [0097]) of the called terminal is inserted into the ringing message for setting up the communication as predefined in the session initiation protocol SIP (see [0097], “NCGI is then inserted into the SIP INVITE (e.g. in the P- Access- Network-Info header field) by the first network node, as defined in TS 24.229, from where it can be retrieved by a third network node, such as an Emergency - Call Session Control Function (E-CSCF) or Location Retrieval Function (e.g. LRF 125) which may use the NCGI to assist routing of the SIP INVITE to a PSAP”);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to combine the teachings of Edge (Edge US 2025/0056229 A1) with that of Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1). Doing so would conform to well-known techniques in the field of invention.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1) in view of Edge (WO 2022/177859 A1) in further view of Hsu et al. (US 2018/0139329 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Edge in view of Edge discloses the method according to claim 1,
Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1) wherein the information relating to the access network of the called terminal is inserted into the established ringing message of the communication as predefined in the session initiation protocol SIP (see abstract, “Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INVITE message to a network node, such as a P-CSCF, that includes an indication of satellite access for the UE”) and
Edge et al. (US 2025/0056229 A1) in view of Edge (WO 2022/177859 A1) does not specifically disclose however Hsu discloses the information relating to the access network of the calling terminal is inserted into an acknowledge of receipt message for a communication agreement as predefined in the session initiation protocol SIP (see SIP ACK, [0070]);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to combine the teachings of Edge (US 2025/0056229 A1) and Edge et al. (WO 2022/177859 A1) with that of Hsu (US 2018/0139329 A1). Doing so would conform to well-known techniques in the field of invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to K. WILFORD SHAHEED whose telephone number is (469) 295-9175. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9 am-6pm; CST; ALT Friday. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. The examiner’s Supervisor, Jinsong Hu, can be reached at (571)272-3965, where attempts to reach the examiner are unsuccessful.
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/KHALID W SHAHEED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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