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 .
Preliminary Amendment Acknowledgement
The Preliminary Amendment filed on 12/02/2024 has been acknowledged and considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 1-14 and 22-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (Pub. No. US 2023/0109814).
Regarding claim 1. Lee teaches a method (Lee, the Abstract), comprising:
establishing via a first communication device, a communication session in a network slice through a first network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [64]-[67], [77]-[78]: a UE registers for slice access via a 3GPP access network);
transitioning through a radio access network (RAN) from the first network attachment type to a second network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 240-254, pp [79]-[81], [87]-[88]: the UE registers for slice access via a non-3GPP access network); and
continuing, via a second communication device, the communication session in the network slice through the second network attachment type simultaneously with the communication session in the network slice through the first network attachment type (Lee, pp [60]: a UE simultaneously connected to a 3GPP radio access network BS and a non-3GPP under the 5G system to access to an allowed NSSAI as a network slice).
Regarding claim 8. Lee teaches a communication system (Lee, the Abstract), comprising:
a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network attachment interface (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [64]-[67], [77]-[78]: a UE registers for slice access via a 3GPP access network);
a non-3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) network attachment interface (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 240-254, pp [79]-[81], [87]-[88]: the UE registers for slice access via a non-3GPP access network); and
a core network including a non-transitory memory including instructions for implementing a telemetry coordination manager (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[52]), the telemetry coordination manager configured to:
bind the 3GPP network attachment interface and the N3IWF network attachment interface to a same network slice of the core network (Lee, pp [60]: a UE simultaneously connected to a 3GPP radio access network BS and a non-3GPP under the 5G system to access to an allowed NSSAI as a network slice).
Regarding claim 21. Lee teaches a method (Lee, the Abstract), comprising:
requesting, by a first communication device, a first service of a core network, wherein the first communication device receives network connectivity via a first network attachment type, and wherein the first communication device is bound to a network slice (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [64]-[67], [77]-[78]: a UE registers for slice access via a 3GPP access network);
communicating, by the first communication device, first data to the network slice in the core network via the first network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [64]-[67], [77]-[78]: a UE registers for slice access via a 3GPP access network);
requesting, by a second communication device, a second service of the core network, wherein the second communication device receives network connectivity via a second network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 240-254, pp [79]-[81], [87]-[88]: the UE registers for slice access via a non-3GPP access network), wherein the first and second network attachment types are different (Lee, Fig. 2, 3GPP and non-3GPP network types), and wherein the second communication device is bound to the network slice such that the first and second communication devices using different network attachment types are bound to the same network slice (Lee, pp [60]: a UE simultaneously connected to a 3GPP radio access network BS and a non-3GPP under the 5G system to access to an allowed NSSAI as a network slice); and
communicating, by the first communication device, second data to the network slice in the core network via the second network attachment type (Lee, pp [60]: a UE simultaneously connected to a 3GPP radio access network BS and a non-3GPP under the 5G system to access to an allowed NSSAI as a network slice).
Regarding claim 2. Lee teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first network attachment type is a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) network attachment type, and the second network attachment type is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 3. Lee teaches the method of claim 1, wherein a destination of the network slice is an application function located outside of the core network, wherein the application function tracks activities of both the first communication device and the second communication device via the network slice (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[54]).
Regarding claim 4. Lee teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising binding the first network attachment type as a first entry to the network slice and the second attachment type as a second entry to the network slice (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[54], [60], [187], 292]).
Regarding claim 5. Lee teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is established between a first user equipment and a core network via the first network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 6. Lee teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the communication session is continued between the first user equipment and the core network via the second network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 7. Lee teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the communication session is continued between a second user equipment and the core network via the second network attachment type (Lee, Fig. 2, pp [60], [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 9. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 8, further comprising a first user equipment, wherein the first user equipment connects to the network slice via the non-3GPP network attachment interface at a first time (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[53]; and Fig. 2, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 10. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 9, wherein the first user equipment connects to the network slice via the 3GPP network attachment interface at a second time (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [66]-[69], [77]-[78]).
Regarding claim 11. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 10, wherein the first user equipment connects to the network slice via the non-3GPP network attachment interface at a third time (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 240-254, pp [79]-[81], [87]-[88]).
Regarding claim 12. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 9, further comprising a second user equipment, wherein the second user equipment connects to the network slice via the 3GPP network attachment interface at a second time (Lee, Fig. 2, Steps 210-224, pp [66]-[69], [77]-[78]).
Regarding claim 13. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 8, further comprising an application server, wherein the application is allocated to the network slice (Lee, pp [93]).
Regarding claim 14. Lee teaches the communication system of claim 8, wherein the 3GPP network attachment interface is a radio access network (RAN) (Lee, Fig. 8, pp [177]-[178]).
Regarding claim 22. Lee teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the first and second communication devices are different communication devices (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[54]).
Regarding claim 23. Lee teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the first and second communication devices are a same communication device communicating via the different network attachment types at different times (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[54]).
Regarding claim 24. Lee teaches the method of claim 21, wherein the first network attachment type is a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) network attachment interface, and wherein the second network attachment type is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network attachment interface (Lee, Fig. 1, pp [51]-[53]; and Fig. 2, pp [66]-[67]).
Regarding claim 25. Lee teaches the method of claim 24, wherein the 3GPP network attachment interface is a radio access network (RAN) (Lee, Fig. 8, pp [177]-[178]).
Regarding claim 26. Lee teaches the method of 21, wherein the first data is inventory data captured by an industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band system implemented in a static location, and wherein the second data is mobile telemetry data (Lee, pp [4]-[5], [7], [51], [55]).
Related reference(s) but not used in the rejection above:
Qiao et al. (Pub. No. US 2019/0150081) teaches a radio access network (RAN) receives a first registration request from a wireless device. The RAN sends a first message to a network repository function in response to receiving the first registration request. The first message comprises at least one single network slice selection assistance information of at least one network slice. The first message comprises network slice isolation information for the at least one single network slice selection assistance information. The network repository function selects an access and mobility management function based on the network slice isolation information. The RAN receives a second message from the network repository function. The second message comprises an Internet protocol address of the access and mobility management function. The RAN sends a second message to the access and mobility management function. The second registration request may be for the first registration request.
More specifically, Qiao in one of the embodiments, teaches an AMF may support non-3GPP access networks through N2 interface with N3IWF , NAS signaling with a UE over N3IWF , authentication of UEs connected over N3IWF , management of mobility, authentication, and separate security context state(s) of a UE connected via non3GPP access or connected via 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses, simultaneously, support of a coordinated RM context valid over 3GPP and non 3GPP accesses, support of CM management contexts for the UE for connectivity over non-3GPP access. Some of functionalities described above may be supported in an instance of a network slice.
Conclusion
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/HUY C HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644