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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
IDS(es) submitted on 8/18/2023, 6/13/2024, and 4/11/2025 have been considered.
Oath/Declaration
Oath/Declaration filed on 8/18/2023 has been acknowledged.
Drawings
Drawing(s) submitted on 8/18/2023 have been acknowledged.
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) 1-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liang et al. (US 2021/0076303; hereinafter Liang).
Regarding claim 1, Liang discloses a wireless communication method, comprising:
obtaining access-control configuration information (Abstract; [0004]-[0009]: obtaining a first unified access control (UAC) parameter for accessing the network); and
performing cell access control according to the access-control configuration information (Abstract; [0004]-[0009]; [0018]: determining whether access is barred based on the UAC parameter);
wherein the access-control configuration information indicates information related to a terminal barred from accessing a target network or allowed to access the target network (Abstract; [0004]-[0009], [0018]: UAC parameter will help indicate whether terminal access is barred from network).
Regarding claim 2, Liang discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the access-control configuration information comprises at least one of:
information of a terminal type barred from accessing the target network or allowed to access the target network;
geographic region information of the terminal barred from accessing the target network or allowed to access the target network; and
information related to a serving cell of the terminal barred from accessing the target network or allowed to access the target network (Abstract; [0004]-[0009], [0018], [0082]: UAC restriction parameters used to bar terminal from accessing network).
Regarding claim 3, Liang discloses the method of claim 2, wherein when the access-control configuration information indicates information related to a terminal allowed to access the target network, the access- control configuration information further comprises:
access-probability-control configuration information for the terminal to access the target network ([0027]: use of access probability value).
Regarding claim 4, Liang discloses the method of claim 3, wherein the access-probability-control configuration information comprises a probability configuration parameter for the terminal to access the target network ([0027]: use of access probability value).
Regarding claim 5, Liang discloses the method of claim 4, wherein the access-probability-control configuration information further comprises:
a back-off time parameter, wherein the back-off time parameter is used for determining a minimum waiting duration required before re-initiating a service after the terminal fails to access the target network ([0012]: use of access timer).
Regarding claim 6, Liang discloses the method of claim 3, wherein at least one of:
the information of the terminal type and the access-probability-control configuration information are in one-to-one correspondence or multiple-to-one correspondence;
the geographic region information and the access-probability-control configuration information are in one-to-one correspondence or multiple-to-one correspondence; and
the information related to the serving cell of the terminal and the access-probability- control configuration information are in one-to-one correspondence or multiple-to-one correspondence ([0004], [0031]-[0032], [0071]: UAC is a broadcast parameter).
Regarding claim 7, Liang discloses the method of claim 3, wherein any item in the access-control configuration information is configured at any one of:
cell granularity, public land mobile network (PLMN) granularity ([0074]-[0077] tables 1, 2: access based on PLMNs), stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) granularity, closed access group (CAG) granularity, or access category (AC) granularity.
Regarding claim 8, Liang discloses the method of claim 7, wherein when any item in the access-control configuration information is configured at the AC granularity, the access-control configuration information further comprises an AC identity (ID) ([0004]: use of AC and AI).
Regarding claim 9, Liang discloses the method of claim 8, wherein the AC ID and the access-probability-control configuration information are in one-to-one correspondence or multiple-to-one correspondence ([0004]: AC and AI are broadcasted parameter).
Regarding claim 10, Liang discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the terminal type (in a scenario if terminal type was selected which in claim 2 it doesn’t have to be to meet the claim) is classified according to at least one of:
a maximum transmission power level supported by the terminal ([0203]: transmit power);
an application scenario supported by the terminal;
a bandwidth size supported by the terminal;
whether the terminal is served in an operator network that the terminal subscribes to (Table 1: access based on PLMN); and
a number of transmit antennas and/or a number of receive antennas supported by the terminal ([0203]: antenna configuration).
Regarding claim 11, Liang discloses the method of claim 2 (in a scenario if terminal type was selected which in claim 2 it doesn’t have to be to meet the claim), wherein the geographic region information comprises:
coordinate information of a plurality of reference points, or latitude-longitude range information ([0203]: location information).
Regarding claim 12, Liang discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the information related to the serving cell of the terminal comprises at least one of:
a cell global identity (CGI);
a tracking area code (TAC) ID;
a radio access network area code (RANAC) ID;
frequency-point information;
a physical cell identity (PCI);
beam information;
bandwidth configuration information ([0009]: knowing the required resource consumption load for determining access control) ;
radio access technology (RAT) information; and
core-network type information.
Regarding claim 13, Liang discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the access-control configuration information further comprises an ID of the target network, wherein the target network is any one of: a PLMN network ([0074]-[0077] tables 1, 2: access based on PLMNs), an SNPN network, or a CAG network.
Regarding claim 14, Liang discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the access-control configuration information is carried in a system broadcast message or dedicated signaling ([0004]: AC AI UAC broadcasted parameters).
Regarding claim 15. Liang discloses the method of claim 14, wherein when the access-control configuration information is carried in the dedicated signaling, the access-control configuration information further comprises timer information;
wherein the access-control configuration information in the dedicated signaling is valid before expiry of the timer ([0012]: use of access timer); otherwise, the access-control configuration information in the dedicated signaling is invalid.
Regarding claim 16, Liang discloses the method of claim 15, wherein when the access-control configuration information is carried in the dedicated signaling and the access-control configuration information in the dedicated signaling is invalid, the method further comprises:
receiving the system broadcast message ([0004]: AC AI UAC broadcasted parameters); and
performing cell access control according to the access-control configuration information carried in the system broadcast message ([0004]-[0009]: AC AI UAC broadcasted parameters).
Regarding claim 18, Liang discloses a wireless communication method, comprising:
sending access-control configuration information, wherein the access-control configuration information is used by a terminal device to perform cell access control (Abstract; [0004]-[0009]: obtaining a first unified access control (UAC) parameter for accessing the network);
wherein the access-control configuration information indicates information related to a terminal barred from accessing a target network or allowed to access the target network (Abstract; [0004]-[0009], [0018]: UAC parameter will help indicate whether terminal access is barred from network).
Regarding claim 20, Liang discloses the network device, comprising:
a transceiver (Fig. 7, 8);
a memory configured to store computer programs (Fig. 7, 8); and
a processor configured to execute the computer programs stored in the memory, to perform the method of claim 18 (Fig. 7, 8).
Regarding claim 19, Liang discloses a terminal device (Figs. 7 and 8), comprising:
a transceiver (Figs. 7 and 8);
a memory configured to store computer programs (Figs. 7 and 8); and
a processor configured to execute the computer programs stored in the memory (Figs. 7 and 8), to:
cause the transceiver to obtain access-control configuration information (Abstract; [0004]-[0009]: obtaining a first unified access control (UAC) parameter for accessing the network); and
perform cell access control according to the access-control configuration information (Abstract; [0004]-[0009]: obtaining a first unified access control (UAC) parameter for accessing the network);
wherein the access-control configuration information indicates information related to a terminal barred from accessing a target network or allowed to access the target network (Abstract; [0004]-[0009], [0018]: UAC parameter will help indicate whether terminal access is barred from network).
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) 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liang in view of Wallentin et al. (US 2020/0178162; hereinafter Wallentin).
Regarding claim 17, Liang discloses all the particulars of the claim except for the limitation of the method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the access-control configuration information comprises:
obtaining the access-control configuration information via an access stratum (AS); and
wherein the method further comprises:
transferring the access-control configuration information to a non-access stratum (NAS) via the AS.
However, Wallentin does disclose the limitation of wherein obtaining the access-control configuration information comprises:
obtaining the access-control configuration information via an access stratum (AS) ([0035]: use of Access Stratum); and
wherein the method further comprises:
transferring the access-control configuration information to a non-access stratum (NAS) via the AS ([0020]: may be signaled through NAS).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art at the time of invention to incorporate Wallentin’s disclosure to better transmit access control information.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUCK HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)272-7866. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am - 6pm.
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/CHUCK HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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