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 Objections
Claim 1-6 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1 line 6, “that which” should be corrected as either ‘that’ or ‘which’.
Regarding claim 1 line 3, pronoun ‘it’ should be replaced with the actual limitation (e.g. control unit), for clarity sake.
Claims 2-6 are also objected for their dependency of objected independent claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Li (WO 2022/236448) in view of Mori (US 2024/0155734).
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Li describes a core network device/method performed by a core network device that manages a multicast/broadcast service (MBS) session (fig. 5, MB-SMF being a network node used as part of MBS creation, title), comprising:
a control unit (fig. 9 & p. 15 para. 2, a network node having a processor 900 (control unit)) that checks whether or not it is necessary to make an interact regarding a policy to be applied to the MBS session to a first core network device that controls the policy upon configuring the MBS session (fig. 5 & p. 11, MB-SMF (core network device) awaits until receipt of Multicast session request in step 507 before necessary contact (interact) with MB-PCF (first core network) that controls policy for the MBS session in step 508); and
a communication unit (fig. 9 & p. 15 para. 2, a network node having a communication unit 920) that/which receives first given information indicating that it is necessary to interact with the first core network device regarding the policy upon configuring the MBS session from a third core network device that determines to interact with the first core network device based on configuration information related to the policy (fig. 5 & p. 11-12, MB-SMF (core network device) receives Multicast session request in step 507, making it necessary to contact (interact with) MB-PCF (first core network) that controls policy for the MBS session in step 508, the request sent from NEF (third core network device) that is (determined) to contact (interact) with MB-PCF (first core network device) in step 513 “SM policy association establishment request/response” as part of connection process flow (configuration information related to the policy).
Li fails to further explicitly describe:
the third core network device interacts with a second core network device that discovers a function present in a core network to select the first core network device.
Mori also describes core network managing MBS session (title & abstract), further describing:
the third core network device interacts with a second core network device that discovers a function present in a core network to select the first core network device (fig. 5-7 & para. 14-16, NEF 36 (third core network device) interacts with NRF 42 (second core network device) in step S120 for a MB-SMF (function) discovery + a PCF discovery & selection (first core network device) in step S132 or S195).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to specify that the third core network device in Li to interact with a second core network device that discovers a function present in a core network to select the first core network device as in Mori.
The motivation for combining the teachings is that this ensures a proper policy control in multicast/broadcast communication (Mori, para. 7).
Regarding claims 2 and 8, Li and Mori combined describe:
wherein the third core network device interacts with the second core network device to discover candidates for the first core network device upon selecting the first core network device (Mori, fig. 5-7 & para. 14-16, NEF 36 (third core network device) interacts with NRF 42 (second core network device) in step S120 for a MB-SMF (first core network device) discovery).
Regarding claim 3, Li and Mori combined describe:
wherein the communication unit acquires the first given information included in a temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) allocation request message transmitted from the third core network device (Li, fig. 5 & 9 + p. 11, MB-SMF’s communication unit 920 receives (acquires) information in a TMGI allocation Request message in step 503). Note: Mori also depicts such limitaitons in fig. 5-7.
Regarding claim 4, Li and Mori combined describe:
wherein the communication unit acquires the first given information included in a message for requesting creation of the MBS session transmitted from the third core network device (Li, fig. 5 & 9 + p. 11, MB-SMF’s communication unit 920 receives (acquires) information in a TMGI allocation Request message in step 503 as part of creating a MBS session). Note: Mori also depicts such limitations in fig. 5-7.
Regarding claim 5, Li and Mori combined describe:
wherein when information related to the policy is not configured in the core network device concerned, the control unit recognizes that it is necessary to interact with the first core network device regarding the policy (Li, p. 3 para. 6, “the establishment is associated with a policy associated between the multicast broadcast session management function [MB-SMF] (core network device) and the policy control function [PCF] (first core network function)”).
Regarding claim 6, Li and Mori combined describe:
wherein when second given information indicating that it is necessary to perform dynamic policy control is configured in the core network device concerned, the control unit recognizes that it is necessary to interact with the first core network device regarding the policy (Li, p. 3 para. 6, “the establishment is associated with a policy associated between the multicast broadcast session management function [MB-SMF] (core network device) and the policy control function [PCF] (first core network function)”. Note: New MBS session creation (see title) = network node loads/accesses policy [dynamically] from the PCF).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Dao (US 2019/0158985) describing MBS session establishment process (fig. 5-8), Ling (US 2024/0430861) describing MB-SMF discovery for multicast session (para. 21), Lu (US 2025/0338090) describing new service & service operations for 5MBS (title, abstract, fig. 27), Ling (US 2024/0147191) describing multicast session setup process flow (fig. 1-2), Vesely (US 2023/0096763) describing 5GC (5G Core) interactions for MB (Multicast/Broadcast) sessions (abstract), Belling (US 2023/0319511) describing policy control for 5MBS (title & fig. 2), Ayaz (US 2021/0120627) describing setting 5G MBS sessions (fig. 3), and Wu (US 2023/0397233) describing method in a base station for managing communication of MBS (title).
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WARNER WONG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2469
/WARNER WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469