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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 28-32, and 37-39 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 21-27, 33-36 and 40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by 3GPP TR 21.916 v0.6.0 (2020-09), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Release 16 Description; Summary of Rel-16 Work Items (Release 16), hereinafter “D1”, IDS disclosed by applicant).
Regarding claims 21, 33 and 40, D1 discloses a method, comprising: obtaining, by an access network device, first information, wherein the access network device supports a 3ʳᵈ generation partnership project (3GPP) access technology (see page 29, lines 1-3: "5G-RG: end user device replacing the UE which supports 5G capabilities (NAS protocol and procedure, USRP, IMS/, ATSSS) and extension of wireline access layer specific functionalities defined by Broadband forum and CableLabs. The 5G-RG may a/so support UE capability when connects via 3GPP Access" and page 28, third para.: "The 5G-RG can a/so be connected via 3GPP Access basically by means of supporting the specification defined for UE.This scenario is called Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). Furthermore the 5G-RG may simultaneously connect to 3GPP Access and to wireline access...", wherein it is clear that for any access connection to be established, first information about the involved terminal/5G-RG is to be obtained/received); establishing, by the access network device, a user plane connection to a first terminal device based on the first information (see page 28, same para.: "TS 23.316 has also specified the support of interworking with EPC via 3GPP Access via a MA PDU session with a PDN Connection as user-plane resource associated with a MA PDU Session", i.e. a user-plane UP connection involving an associated PDU session is established for a 5G-RG in the context of a 3GPP access; see fig. 1 showing the scenario and interfaces for a 5G-RG including 3GPP access (N1 interface) and W-AGF/wireless access (Y4 interface)); and obtaining, by the access network device, user plane data of the first terminal device via the user plane connection, and sending the user plane data to a first fixed network gateway device (see page 33, section 10.2, first para.: "The ATSSS feature enables a multi-access PDU Connectivitv Service. which can exchange PDUs between the UE and a data network bv simultaneously using one 3GPP access network and one non-3GPP access network and two independent N3/N9 tunnels between the PSA and RAN/AN. The multi-access PDU Connectivity Service is realized by establishing a Multi-Access PDU (MA PDU) Session, i.e. a PDU Session that may have user-plane resources on two access networks"; see also fig. 1: MA PDU session, and page 34, lines 14-16: "The ATSSS feature can be supported over 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses, including untrusted and trusted non-3GPP access networks, wireline 5G access networks, etc., as long as a MA PDU Session can be established over the given type of access network' i.e. data forwarding between the terminal/UE/RG and a server host= gateway of the fixed network is implemented through two tunnels N3/N9 with an established PDU session, which is clearly a UP connection).
Regarding claim 22, D1 discloses wherein the first information indicates that a type of the first terminal device is a target type or indicates that the first terminal device is allowed to obtain a service by using the first fixed network gateway device; and wherein the target type comprises one or more of a residential gateway, a home terminal, and customer-premises equipment (see page 28-29, UE or residential Gateway which is target type and 5G-RG is CPE).
Regarding claim 23, D1 discloses wherein the first information is from the first terminal device, and the first information indicates that the type of the first terminal device is the target type (see pages 28-29, the UE or residential gateway which is target type to support 5G).
Regarding claim 24, D1 discloses wherein the first information is pre-configured in the access network device or the first information is from the first fixed network gateway device; and wherein the first information comprises subscription data information corresponding to the first terminal device, and the subscription data information is used to determine that the first terminal device is allowed to obtain a service by using the first fixed network gateway device (see pages 28-29, user subscription to wireline access network).
Regarding claim 25, D1 discloses further comprising sending, by the access network device, second information to the first fixed network gateway device, wherein the second information requests to manage a connection between the first terminal device and the first fixed network gateway device (see pages 28-29, UE to 5G).
Regarding claims 26, and 36, D1 discloses further comprising: receiving, by the access network device, third information from the first fixed network gateway device, wherein the third information comprises at least one of the following: identification information of the first terminal device (see page 32, W-AGF identity information); authentication information of the first terminal device, wherein the authentication information indicates that the first terminal device passes authentication of a fixed network corresponding to the first fixed network gateway device; subscription data information of the first terminal device, wherein the subscription data information comprises one or more pieces of fixed network service information, quality of service (QoS) information, or priority information (see page 29, QoS control is based on user subscription); or security context information of the first terminal device, wherein the security context information is used to establish a security connection between the access network device and the first terminal device; and performing, by the access network device, a user plane connection management procedure based on the third information, wherein the user plane management procedure comprises at least one of the following operations: establishing a user plane resource, modifying a user plane resource, or releasing a user plane resource (see page 28, same para.: "TS 23.316 has also specified the support of interworking with EPC via 3GPP Access via a MA PDU session with a PDN Connection as user-plane resource associated with a MA PDU Session", i.e. a user-plane UP connection involving an associated PDU session is established for a 5G-RG in the context of a 3GPP access; see fig. 1 showing the scenario and interfaces for a 5G-RG including 3GPP access (N1 interface) and W-AGF/wireless access (Y4 interface)).
Regarding claim 27, D1 discloses further comprising: establishing, by the access network device, a connection with at least one fixed network gateway device, wherein the at least one fixed network gateway device comprises the first fixed network gateway device (see page 33, section 10.2, first para.: "The ATSSS feature enables a multi-access PDU Connectivitv Service. which can exchange PDUs between the UE and a data network bv simultaneously using one 3GPP access network and one non-3GPP access network and two independent N3/N9 tunnels between the PSA and RAN/AN. The multi-access PDU Connectivity Service is realized by establishing a Multi-Access PDU (MA PDU) Session, i.e. a PDU Session that may have user-plane resources on two access networks"; see also fig. 1: MA PDU session, and page 34, lines 14-16: "The ATSSS feature can be supported over 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses, including untrusted and trusted non-3GPP access networks, wireline 5G access networks, etc., as long as a MA PDU Session can be established over the given type of access network' i.e. data forwarding between the terminal/UE/RG and a server host= gateway of the fixed network is implemented through two tunnels N3/N9 with an established PDU session, which is clearly a UP connection).
Regarding claim 34, wherein the first information indicates that a type of the first terminal device is a target type or indicates that the first terminal device is allowed to obtain a service by using the first fixed network gateway device, and the target type comprises one or more of a residential gateway, a home terminal, and customer-premises equipment (see page 28-29, UE or residential Gateway which is target type and 5G-RG is CPE); and wherein: the first information is from the first terminal device, and the first information indicates that the type of the first terminal device is the target type, or the first information is pre-configured in the access network device or the first information is from the first fixed network gateway device (see pages 28-29, the UE or residential gateway which is target type to support 5G), and the first information comprises subscription data information corresponding to the first terminal device, and the subscription data information is used to determine that the first terminal device is allowed to obtain the service by using the first fixed network gateway device (see pages 28-29, user subscription to wireline access network).
Regarding claim 35, wherein the communication interface is further configured to: send second information to the first fixed network gateway device, wherein the second information requests to manage a connection between the first terminal device and the first fixed network gateway device (see page 33, section 10.2, first para.: "The ATSSS feature enables a multi-access PDU Connectivitv Service. which can exchange PDUs between the UE and a data network bv simultaneously using one 3GPP access network and one non-3GPP access network and two independent N3/N9 tunnels between the PSA and RAN/AN. The multi-access PDU Connectivity Service is realized by establishing a Multi-Access PDU (MA PDU) Session, i.e. a PDU Session that may have user-plane resources on two access networks"; see also fig. 1: MA PDU session, and page 34, lines 14-16: "The ATSSS feature can be supported over 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses, including untrusted and trusted non-3GPP access networks, wireline 5G access networks, etc., as long as a MA PDU Session can be established over the given type of access network' i.e. data forwarding between the terminal/UE/RG and a server host= gateway of the fixed network is implemented through two tunnels N3/N9 with an established PDU session, which is clearly a UP connection).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD S ANWAR whose telephone number is (571)270-5641. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6-5 EST.
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MOHAMMAD S. ANWAR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
/MOHAMMAD S ANWAR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463