Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/524,158

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONSUMER NETWORK SLICE SELECTION

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Nov 30, 2023
Examiner
DUONG, DUC T
Art Unit
2467
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 0m
To Grant
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allow Rate
671 granted / 751 resolved
+31.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+1.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
33 currently pending
Career history
784
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.1%
-32.9% vs TC avg
§103
34.1%
-5.9% vs TC avg
§102
37.1%
-2.9% vs TC avg
§112
11.4%
-28.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 751 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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. Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 9-11, 14, 16-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yang (US Publication 2023/0354172 A1). Regarding to claims 1, 10, and 17, Yang discloses a system 10 (fig. 10) comprising: at least one network device 101 including a processor 91 (fig. 9) configured to: receive S804 (fig. 8), from a user device 102, a slice selection (page 5 paragraphs 0063-0064; terminal select slices of target network) to associate an application on the user device with a network slice (page 3 paragraph 0040); generate S806, a slice recommendation (available network slices) based on at least one of device parameters or network parameters (page 5 paragraph 0066; GSP positioning/network identifier); and provide S808, to the user device, the slice recommendation for presentation to a user (page 5 paragraph 0068). Regarding to claim 2, Yang discloses providing, to the user via the user device, a slice selection menu, and receiving user input via the slice selection menu (fig. 3 page 3 paragraph 0043). Regarding to claim 3, Yang discloses the slice selection menu includes options for the user to associate a network slice descriptor with individual applications on the user device (fig. 3 page 3 paragraph 0043). Regarding to claims 5 and 14, Yang discloses receiving an application ID (S-NSSAI) for the application (page 4 paragraph 0051). Regarding to claims 6, 11, and 18, Yang discloses generate the slice recommendation based on a location of the UE device (page 5 paragraph 0066). Regarding to claims 9 and 16, Yang discloses receiving, by the network device, a different slice recommendation (network slices a-h) from the slice recommender device; and providing, by the network device and to the user device, the different slice recommendation for presentation to the user (fig. 3 page 3 paragraph 0043). Regarding to claim 20, Yang discloses generate an updated slice recommendation; and provide to the user device, the updated slice recommendation for presentation to the user (page 2 paragraph 0026). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, and 19 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 Duc T Duong whose telephone number is (571)272-3122. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 9am-6pm. 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, Hassan Phillips can be reached at (571)272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /DUC T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 30, 2023
Application Filed
Feb 19, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+1.9%)
3y 0m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 751 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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