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 filed 8/7/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
The rejection is based on Ying and Ying’s suggestion in [0134] for the first (new AMF) MMF to obtain related information from the UDM however not enumerating “identification information of a second MMF”. Talebi Fard lets it be known that it was known for the UDM to store the identity of the serving AMF, thereby presenting the specific data to obtain.
Although it is believed that the BRI of the claims is merely exchanging data, the contents or specifics of the data not lending toward patentability due to its nonfunctionality, a motivation for obtaining said specific data was nonetheless provided.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-9, and 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ying et al. (2020/0084613) hereinafter “Ying” and Talebi Fard et al. (2020/0314701).
As to claim 1, Ying discloses A method, comprising:
receiving, by a first mobility management function (New AMF), a registration request message (S201 / S303) sent by an access network device (RAN), wherein the registration request message requests to register a tag (UE) in a core network, (see Figs 2-3 [0115]-[0116], [0127]-0132]);
wherein the second mobility management function stores context information of the tag (see [0004]-[0006]);
and
obtaining, by the first mobility management function, the context information (S305) of the tag from the second mobility management function (old AMF), (see [0133]-[0136].
Ying suggests in [0134] the new AMF could contact the UDSF however fails to recite obtaining, by the first mobility management function, identification information of a second mobility management function from a unified data management function based on the registration request message.
In an analogous art, Talebi Fard discloses wherein the identity of a serving AMF may be registered in a UDM. See [0038]. Before the effective filing date of the instant invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Ying with the suggestion of Talebi Fard and thereby obtaining, by the first mobility management function, identification information of a second mobility management function from a unified data management function based on the registration request message for an alternative when the old AMF is unknown and the UDSF is unavailable or unable to help.
As to claim 2, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 1, Ying is silent to yet Talebi Fard discloses
wherein the registration request message comprises identification information of the tag (UE), the identification information of the tag comprises a subscription concealed identifier of the tag (SUCI), and a part of the subscription concealed identifier of the tag is plaintext information (SUPI); and
the obtaining, by the first mobility management function, the context information of the tag from the second mobility management function comprises:
obtaining, by the first mobility management function from the second mobility management function, the context information that is of the tag and that is indicated by the plaintext information (SUPI or SUCI), see [0085].
Before the effective filing date of the instant invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method of Ying wherein the registration request message comprises identification information of the tag (UE), the identification information of the tag comprises a subscription concealed identifier of the tag (SUCI), and a part of the subscription concealed identifier of the tag is plaintext information (SUPI); and the obtaining, by the first mobility management function, the context information of the tag from the second mobility management function comprises: obtaining, by the first mobility management function from the second mobility management function, the context information that is of the tag and that is indicated by the plaintext information, as taught by Talebi Fard for the purpose of utilizing known identification parameters according to system requirements.
As to claim 3, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 2, wherein the plaintext (SUPI) information comprises one or more of an electronic product code of the tag, a unique identifier of the tag, a permanent identifier of the tag, an external identifier of the tag, or a temporary identifier of the tag (MSIN).
As to claim 4, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining, by the first mobility
management function, identification information of a second mobility management function from a unified data management function (inherently) comprises:
sending, by the first mobility management function, a query message to the unified data management function, wherein the query message comprises the identification information of the tag; and
receiving, by the first mobility management function, permanent identification information of the tag and the identification information of the second mobility management function from the unified data management function; and
the obtaining, by the first mobility management function, the context information of the tag from the second mobility management function (inherently) comprises: obtaining, by the first mobility management function, the context information of the tag from the second mobility management function based on the permanent identification information of the tag and the identification information of the second mobility management function.
As to claim 7, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 1, is silent to yet the examiner takes official notice that it was known for network entities to take on roles in different systems such that before the effective filing date of the instant invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the method wherein the second mobility management function is the same as the first mobility management function for the purpose of optimizing the utilization of resources.
As to claim 8, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 1, Ying discloses wherein the method further comprises: sending, (S309) by the first mobility management function, the context information of the tag to the access network device, (see [0138]-[0143]).
As to claim 9, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for the method according to claim 1, wherein before the obtaining, by the first mobility management function, identification information of a second mobility management function from a unified data management function based on the registration request message, the method further comprises:
determining, by the first mobility management function, that the first mobility management function does not store the context information of the tag. See Ying S202 / [0117]-[0118], [0132].
As to claims 15-18, The combination of Ying and Talebi Fard provides for an apparatus comprising (Ying Fig 10) a transceiver (1010), at least one processor (1020), and at least one memory (1030) coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory stores programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to perform operations as applied above to claims 1-4, respectively. See Ying [0241].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 19-20 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
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 LESTER KINCAID whose telephone number is (571)272-7922. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 7-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuwen Pan can be reached at 571-272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LESTER G KINCAID/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
