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) 34-53 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 § 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 –
Claim(s) 34-53 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by JIN, Yinghao (WO 2019/048021).
Claim 34, JIN discloses an apparatus (network entity, see page 7, line 1) comprising at least one processor, and memory storing instructions which (processor and memory on page 27, lines 23-32) , when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: provide, to a first network entity (See Fig. 1 “provide network entity 114), a first message comprising an indication that the apparatus supports non-uniformly supported network slices in a registration area wherein the registration area is defined as one or more tracking areas comprising one or more cells that cover a geographical area (See page 10 lines 25-32, page 11 lines 1-12 Tracking Area and is identified by a Tracking Area identity, TAI. A TAI list comprises the TAI of each Tracking Area comprised in the registration area, wherein comprises allocating a registration area to the user equipment for the registration of the user equipment with the communication network. The registration area comprises at least one slice support area of the communication network, and page 6 lines 1-7, transmitting to the UE a list of the network slices supported or not supported by the tracking area to registration area 200 as shows in Fig. 2 registration area 200); receive, from a second network entity (See Fig. 1, and 4), a second message comprising group mapping information for a tracking area of the registration area, wherein the apparatus is operable to be registered in a registration area (page 20 lines 28-31, the registration area 200 is defined by a TAI list 22 comprises the TAI 202 of all slice support areas in the registration area 200”), wherein the group mapping information maps the tracking area to at least one group (Fig. 3 shows network slices divided into “slice support areas”) , the at least one group comprising a list of network slices that are non-uniformly supported in the tracking area , (page 8 lines 23-32, defining the registration area by heterogeneous (non-uniform) slices network).
Claim 35, 46, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the second message comprises group mapping information for a tracking area neighbouring the registration area (page 21 lines 13-17 support information 116 for at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200), wherein the group mapping information maps the tracking area to at least one group, the at least one group comprising a list of network slices that are non-uniformly supported in the tracking area (page 21 lines 20-23).
Claim 36, 47, 50, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the second message comprises further group mapping information for the tracking area neighbouring the registration area (page 21 lines 13-17 support information 116 for at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200), wherein the further group mapping information comprises a further group, the further group comprising a list of network slices that are uniformly supported in the respective tracking area that is neighbouring the registration area (page 8 lines 23-32, defining the registration area by heterogeneous (non-uniform) slices) network.
Claim 37, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the group mapping information and/or the further group mapping information comprises at least one frequency associated with at least one group (page 23 lines 23-25 the RAN 406 forwards the registration request to the network entity 414 in step 3).
Claim 38, 51, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from at least one base station serving at least one cell, a broadcast message comprising cell mapping information for: a current tracking area of the at least one cell, wherein the cell mapping information maps a list of cells of the tracking area to the at least one group (See Fig. 4, and page 23 lines 6-11 support or tracking area that is located outside of the registration area 200).
Claim 39, 52, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the broadcast message comprises cell mapping information for a tracking area that neighbours the current tracking area of the at least one cell, wherein the cell mapping information maps a list of cells of the tracking area that neighbours the current tracking area to the at least one group (page 21 lines 13-17 support information 116 for at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200).
Claim 40, JIN further discloses the apparatus of according to claim 38, wherein the list of cells of the tracking area that neighbours the current tracking area are neighbour cells of a current cell where the apparatus is camping (page 8 lines 23-32, defining the registration area by slices network wherein at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200).
Claim 41, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: determine whether there is at least one cell that neighbours the current cell which supports at least one non-uniformly supported network slice using the received group mapping information and cell mapping information camping (page 8 lines 20-32, defining the registration area by slices network wherein at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200).
Claim 42, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: in response to determining that the at least one cell that neighbours the current cell supports at least one non-uniformly supported network slice, select the at least one cell that neighbours the current cell during a cell selection or cell reselection process (pages 22 lines 17-23 the network slice NS2 via the second slice support area TA2 enters the coverage of the second slice support area TA2).
Claim 43, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the at least one group comprises at least two groups, each group of the at least two groups comprising a list of network slices that are non-uniformly supported in the tracking area (See Fig. 2, and page 22 lines 10-15 support area TA1 and area TA2 when the UE leaves the second slice support area).
Claim 44, JIN discloses an apparatus (network entity, see page 7, line 1) comprising at least one processor, and memory storing instructions which (processor and memory on page 27, lines 23-32), when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a user equipment, a first message, wherein the first message comprises an indication that the user equipment supports non-uniformly supported network slices in a registration area (page 6 lines 1-7, transmitting to the UE a list of the network slices supported or not supported by the tracking area to registration area 200 as shows in Fig. 2 registration area 200); provide a second message (See page 10 lines 25-32, page 11 lines 1-12 Tracking Area and is identified by a Tracking Area identity, TAI. A TAI list comprises the TAI of each Tracking Area comprised in the registration area, wherein comprises allocating a registration area to the user equipment for the registration of the user equipment with the communication network. The registration area comprises at least one slice support area of the communication network , wherein the second message comprises group mapping information per tracking area of the registration area of the user equipment area (page 20 lines 28-31, the registration area 200 is defined by a TAI list 22 comprises the TAI 202 of all slice support areas in the registration area 200”), wherein the group mapping information comprises at least one group(Fig. 3 shows network slices divided into “slice support areas”), the at least one group comprising a list of network slices that are non-uniformly supported in the respective tracking area (page 8 lines 23-32, defining the registration area by heterogeneous (non-uniform) slices network).
Claim 45, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the second message is provided to one of: the user equipment, and a base station (See Fig. 1, slice support information UE 102, 116).
Claim 48, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the second message is a non-access stratum registration response message (See Fig. 4, registration request in step 3).
Claim 49, JIN discloses an apparatus (network entity, see page 7, line 1) comprising at least one processor, and memory storing instructions (processor and memory on page 27, lines 23-32) which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
serve at least one cell (see Fig. 1); provide, to a user equipment, a second message, wherein the second message comprises group mapping information for a tracking area of a registration area of the user equipment (See page 10 lines 25-32, page 11 lines 1-12 Tracking Area and is identified by a Tracking Area identity, TAI. A TAI list comprises the TAI of each Tracking Area comprised in the registration area, wherein comprises allocating a registration area to the user equipment for the registration of the user equipment with the communication network. The registration area comprises at least one slice support area of the communication network , and page 6 lines 1-7, transmitting to the UE a list of the network slices supported or not supported by the tracking area); wherein the group mapping information maps the tracking area to at least one group (figure 3 shows network slices divided into “slice support areas”), the at least one group comprising a list of network slices that are non-uniformly supported in the tracking area, (page 8 lines 23-32, defining the registration area by heterogeneous (non-uniform) slices).
Claim 53, JIN further discloses the apparatus according to claim 52, wherein the broadcast message comprises cell mapping information for a tracking area that neighbours the current tracking area of the at least one cell, wherein the cell mapping information maps a list of cells of the tracking area that neighbours the current tracking area to the at least one group (page 21 lines 13-17 support information 116 for at least one slice support area that is neighbouring a slice support area of the registration area 200).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 PHUOC HUU DOAN whose telephone number is (571)272-7920. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM - 4:00PM.
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/PHUOC H DOAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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