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.
Claims 1-8 and 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 20240121588 (Tian et al).
Regarding claim 1, Tian et al. discloses: “a method of operating ([0006]: “FIG. 2 illustrates an example message flow diagram reflecting operations performed to effectuate deregistration of user equipment from a core network”) a wireless communication network (FIG. 1: 100; [0014]: “FIG. 1 illustrates an example cellular communication system 100”), comprising: in a first network element (FIG. 1: 130, 132; [0021]: “Core network 130 may include various virtualized network functions (NFs), including … Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 132”) that manages mobility of user devices within the wireless communication network (FIG. 1: 106, 130; [0014]: “Base station 106 is configured according to 5G standards and interfaces with core network 130 through an N1/N2 interface”; FIG. 1: 104, 106, 130, 132; [0021]: “AMF 132 may be the control node that processes the signaling between UEs 104, via base station 106 and core network 130”): deregistering the user devices from the wireless communication network (FIG. 1: 104a, 114, 112, 116, 120, 132; [0033]: “FIG. 1 shows UE 104a at first position 114, at which point the UE 104a is registered with AMF 132 for receiving 5G services. When UE 104a moves to second position 116, UE 104a moves out of the 5G coverage area 112 and needs to attach to EPC 120 to receive 4G/LTE services, which allows UE 104a to move from a first type of telecommunication network to a second type of telecommunication network”); determining causes of the deregistering and generating notification messages indicative of the causes of the deregistering of the user devices (FIG. 1: 104a, 120, 130, 132; [0034]: “Receipt of the deregistration notification may trigger the receiving AMF 132 to deregister UE 104a due to mobility from core network 130 to EPC 120”); and communicating the notification messages to a second network element that manages subscription data handling for the wireless communication network (FIG. 2: 134, 150; [0036]: “UDM 150 retrieves a current AMF access registration context data stored in UDR 134 corresponding to the UE identified by message 202. That is, UDM 150 may use the ueld extracted from message 202 to retrieve a corresponding AMF access registration context data for the identified UE. For example, UDM 150 may provide operation “subscription-data/{ueld}/context data/amf-3gpp-access” mapped to HTTP method “GET” to UDR 134. UDR 134 responds to UDM 150 with message 206, which includes the requested AMF access registration context data”); in the second network element (FIG. 2: 150) receiving the notification messages; responsively purging subscriber data (FIG. 2: 132, 150, 210; [0037]: “At 210, UDM 150 checks the current AMF access registration context data for a purge flag. The purge flag indicates whether or not the AMF has deregistered the UE. If the purge flag is absent from the AMF access registration context data or set to false, UDM 150 sends the deregistration notification to AMF 132 with message 212”) associated with the user devices from a data repository ([0039]: “The AMF 132 and UDR 134 may respond with to UDM 150 confirming completion with message 216 and 218, respectively); and updating subscriber profiles associated with the user devices with the causes of the deregistering” (FIG. 2: 214; [0039]: “UDM 150 also sets the purge flag in the access registration context data to true and updates access registration context data stored the UDR 134 with message 214. For example, the UDM 150 issues message 214 including operation subscription-data/{ueld}/context-data/amf-3gpp-access (purgeFlag) mapped to the HTTP method “PATCH”. In another example, UDM 150 may map the operation to HTTP method “PUT” to replace the data with the updated data”).
With respect to claim 13, Tian et al. discloses: “a wireless communication network (FIG. 1: 100; [0014]: “FIG. 1 illustrates an example cellular communication system 100”) comprising: a first network element comprising circuitry (FIG. 1: 130, 132; [0021]: “Core network 130 may include various virtualized network functions (NFs), including … Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 132”) configured to manage mobility of user devices within the wireless communication network network (FIG. 1: 106, 130; [0014]: “Base station 106 is configured according to 5G standards and interfaces with core network 130 through an N1/N2 interface”; FIG. 1: 104, 106, 130, 132; [0021]: “AMF 132 may be the control node that processes the signaling between UEs 104, via base station 106 and core network 130”) and to: deregister the user devices from the wireless communication network (FIG. 1: 104a, 114, 112, 116, 120, 132; [0033]: “FIG. 1 shows UE 104a at first position 114, at which point the UE 104a is registered with AMF 132 for receiving 5G services. When UE 104a moves to second position 116, UE 104a moves out of the 5G coverage area 112 and needs to attach to EPC 120 to receive 4G/LTE services, which allows UE 104a to move from a first type of telecommunication network to a second type of telecommunication network”); determine causes of the deregistering; generate notification messages indicative of the causes of the deregistering of the user devices (FIG. 1: 104a, 120, 130, 132; [0034]: “Receipt of the deregistration notification may trigger the receiving AMF 132 to deregister UE 104a due to mobility from core network 130 to EPC 120”); and communicate the notification messages to a second network element, wherein the second network element comprises circuitry configured to manage subscription data handling for the wireless communication network (FIG. 2: 134, 150; [0036]: “UDM 150 retrieves a current AMF access registration context data stored in UDR 134 corresponding to the UE identified by message 202. That is, UDM 150 may use the ueld extracted from message 202 to retrieve a corresponding AMF access registration context data for the identified UE. For example, UDM 150 may provide operation “subscription-data/{ueld}/context data/amf-3gpp-access” mapped to HTTP method “GET” to UDR 134. UDR 134 responds to UDM 150 with message 206, which includes the requested AMF access registration context data”); and the second network element, wherein the second network element (FIG. 2: 150) further comprises circuitry to: receive the notification messages; responsively purge subscriber data (FIG. 2: 132, 150, 210; [0037]: “At 210, UDM 150 checks the current AMF access registration context data for a purge flag. The purge flag indicates whether or not the AMF has deregistered the UE. If the purge flag is absent from the AMF access registration context data or set to false, UDM 150 sends the deregistration notification to AMF 132 with message 212”) associated with the user devices from a data repository ([0039]: “The AMF 132 and UDR 134 may respond with to UDM 150 confirming completion with message 216 and 218, respectively); and update subscriber profiles associated with the user devices with the causes of the deregistering” (FIG. 2: 214; [0039]: “UDM 150 also sets the purge flag in the access registration context data to true and updates access registration context data stored the UDR 134 with message 214. For example, the UDM 150 issues message 214 including operation subscription-data/{ueld}/context-data/amf-3gpp-access (purgeFlag) mapped to the HTTP method “PATCH”. In another example, UDM 150 may map the operation to HTTP method “PUT” to replace the data with the updated data”).
With respect to claims 2 and 14, Tian discloses: “determining the causes of the deregistering comprises, for each of the user devices, determining a cause of the deregistering from among a plurality of possible causes” ([0037]: “UDM 150 sends the deregistration notification to AMF 132 with message 212”; “Prior to sending message 212, UDM 150 sets a deregistration reason attribute in the deregistration notification to: (1) “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY_UE_INITIAL_REGISTRATION”, in the case that “UE_INITIAL_REGISTRATION” was received in the deregistration instruction from the HSS 140; or (2) “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY”, in a case that “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY” or an unexpected reason is received in the deregistration instruction”).
With respect to claims 3 and 15. Tian discloses: ”generating the notification messages comprises, for each of the user devices, generating a notification message comprising a cause code indicative of the cause of the deregistering” ([0037]: “UDM 150 sends the deregistration notification to AMF 132 with message 212”; “Prior to sending message 212, UDM 150 sets a deregistration reason attribute in the deregistration notification to: (1) “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY_UE_INITIAL_REGISTRATION”, in the case that “UE_INITIAL_REGISTRATION” was received in the deregistration instruction from the HSS 140; or (2) “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY”, in a case that “5GS_TO_EPS_MOBILITY” or an unexpected reason is received in the deregistration instruction”).
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Tian discloses: “the wireless communication network comprises a Fifth- Generation (5G) network, and wherein the first network element comprises an Access and Mobility Management function (AMF) of a 5G network” ([0012]: “A mobile network can be thought of as comprising two component networks, the radio access network (RAN) and the core network. In 5G cellular networking systems these components are a 5G access network (5G-AN) and a 5G core network (5GC) and in 4G/LTE cellular networking systems these components are radio access network (RAN) and an Evolved Packet Core Network (EPC). The 5GC may include various virtualized network functions (NFs), including, for example, Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in communication with a Unified Data Manager (UDM)”).
With respect to claims 5 and 16, Tian discloses: “the second network element comprises a Unified Data Management function of the 5G network” ([0012]: “The 5GC may include various virtualized network functions (NFs), including, for example, Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in communication with a Unified Data Manager (UDM)”)).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, Tian discloses: “the wireless communication network further comprises a long-term evolution (LTE) network ([0003]: “5G provides for interworking with the existing 4G/LTE cellular networks that enables user equipment (UE) mobility between 5G and 4G/LTE cellular networks as UEs move into and out of 5G coverage areas”), and wherein the plurality of possible causes includes a handover request from a Mobility Management Element of the LTE network” ([0025]: “the AMF instance may authenticate the UE and manage, e.g., handovers, for the UE between access points, base stations, and gNB”).
With respect to claims 7 and 18, Tian discloses: “the plurality of possible causes further includes: an initial attachment by the user device to a data repository element of the LTE network” ([0056]: “UDR in 5G (or other relevant types of telecommunications networks”; “send a deregistration instruction to the UDM (HSS) only when its necessary (e.g., based on the attachment status of the UE”).
Regarding claim 8 and 19, Tian discloses: “the plurality of possible causes further includes: a registration of the user device with a second AMF (FIG. 4: AMF2) of the 5G network different from the AMF” (FIG. 4: AMF1; [0053]: “the deregistration process illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, as a UE moves about the 4G/LTE cellular network, the UE may attach to different MMEs and legacy MMDs (e.g., Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN), Visitor Location Register (VLR), etc.). Although current 5G and 4G/LTE network systems provide for the above mobility therebetween, the current systems generate deregistration instructions corresponding to each attachment within the 4G/LT”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-12 and 20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MYRON K WYCHE whose telephone number is (571)272-3390. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 am - 3:30 pm.
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/Myron Wyche/ 17 April 2026
Primary Examiner AU2644
Prosecution Insights