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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-5, 7-12, 14-18, and 20-23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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) 1-5, 7-12, 14-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Prabhakar et al. (hereinafter “Prabhakar”, US 2023/0030582) in view of Shen (US 2025/0081086).
Regarding claims 1, 8, and 15, Prabhakar discloses a method, a system, and a non-transitory, computer-readable storage media storing instructions, which, when executed by processors of a network device, comprising:
provisioning a network device with select network slice admission control (NSAC) criteria related to a first limit to a number of user equipment (UE) devices (i.e. NSQM keeps track of the number of wireless devices registered for a network slice as described in paragraphs 0108, and 0115-0117), and a second limit to a number of protocol data unit (PDU) sessions supportable on a network slice (i.e., NSQM maintains a count of the number of PDU sessions active and/or dormant PDU sessions (e.g., corresponding to PDU session with RRC connected/inactive/idle UEs) as described in paragraphs 0121-0122);
receiving, by the network device, an indication that a first UE device requests a first PDU session on the network slice (i.e., receiving by the network a PDU Session Establishment Request in step 1216 of Fig. 12);
applying, by the network device, at least one of the select NSAC criteria to at least one of the first UE device or the first PDU session (i.e., checking if quota available for new PDU session to be established in the S-NSSAI in step 1224 of Fig. 12);
determining, by the network device and based on the applying, that at least one of the first UE device is countable toward the first limit or the first PDU session is countable toward the second limit (i.e., in response to checking in step 1224, adding to fill the quota as described in paragraphs 0117-0119); and
generating, by the network device, an NSAC update response message indicating that the at least one of the first UE device or the first PDU session is countable (i.e., sending a response including an indication that in step 1226 of Fig. 12).
Prabhakar, however, does not expressly disclose the remaining features.
In a similar endeavor, Shen discloses information transmission method and apparatus, and communication device. Shen also discloses wherein the select NSAC criteria comprise at least one of:
a radio access technology (RAT)/frequency selection priority (RFSP) index;
a session and service continuity (SSC) mode; an
always-on PDU session type; or
location information associated with the UE device (i.e., SSC mode as described in paragraphs 0096 and 0201).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art to modify the teachings of the cited references, and arrive at the present invention.
The motivation/suggestion for doing so would have been to enable the UE to maintain optimal connections and on-going services during mobility or network changes.
Regarding claims 2, and 9, Prabhakar and Shen disclose all limitations recited within claims as described above. Prabhakar also discloses subscribing to a selective NSAC criteria service, for a data type, which indicates the select NSAC criteria corresponding to a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) identifier (i.e., the DNN corresponding to the S-NSSAI are in step 1216 of Fig. 12, and as described in paragraph 0122).
Regarding claims 3, 10, and 16, Prabhakar and Shen disclose all limitations recited within claims as described above. Prabhakar also discloses wherein, applying the at least one of the one or more select NSAC criteria, comprises: comparing fewer than all of the one or more select NSAC criteria when a match is determined for a first criterion (i.e., determining whether there is available quota for PDU sessions for that particular S-NSSAI and DNN as described in paragraphs 0117-0119, and 0122).
Regarding claims 4, 11, and 17, Prabhakar and Shen disclose all limitations recited within claims as described above. Prabhakar also discloses wherein, determining that at least one of the first UE device or the first PDU session is countable, comprises:
determining that results of the applying indicate that two or more of the select NSAC criteria are satisfied for the at least one of the first UE device or the first PDU session (i.e., the result in step 1226 is based on the use of both the DNN and S-NSSAI performed in step 1216 of Fig. 12).
Regarding claims 5, 12, and 18, Prabhakar and Shen disclose all limitations recited within claims as described above. Prabhakar also discloses incrementing a current number of registered UE devices or established PDU sessions (i.e., add to fill the quota as described in paragraphs 0117-0119).
Regarding claims 7, 14, and 20, Prabhakar and Shen disclose all limitations recited within claims as described above. Prabhakar also discloses wherein the network device comprises at least one of:
a network data analytics function (NWDAF),
a network slice admission control function (NSACF),
a session management function (SMF), or
an access and mobility management function (AMF) (i.e., AMF 1206, or SMF 1208 as show in Fig. 12).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21-23 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.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WAYNE CAI whose telephone number is (571)272-7798. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 7:00 AM-5:00 PM.
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/Wayne H Cai/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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