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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sahin et al. (US 2022/0070649 A1, hereinafter Sahin).
Regarding claim 1, Sahin teaches receiving, by a network device in a visited network ([Figure 1, device 121/122] and [0070] the communication device 121/122 communicates a communication link 127/128 request to the wireless base station 131,132 and/or 133, and [0068] when in wireless range of wireless base station 132, the communication device 121/122 has access to the remote network 190, i.e. remote network 190 is a visited network receiving data from a network device 121/122), a roaming request for a user equipment (UE) device to connect to the visited network ([Figure 8, operation 805] and [0132] a UE (device 121/122) sending a REGISTRATION REQUEST message (communications 805) to the visited network); determining, by the network device and based on a first access and mobility (AM) policy association request ([Figure 1, device 141/142] and [0048, 0052 and 0091] private wireless network 191/192 and corresponding communication management resource 141/142 includes hardware/software resources such as AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), i.e. control management resource 141/142 may include AM policy modules, and Figure 6 depicts (communications 525 and 530) the UE 121/122 performing policy association transmissions with the communication management resource 141/142 in accordance with the association request (communication 525)), whether a home network for the UE device has a subscriber-specific roaming policy ([0098] private wireless network 192 and corresponding communication management resource 142 includes hardware and software resources such as UDM/HSS (Unified Data Management/Home Subscriber Server), in order to allow [0008] the SoR type mechanism and SoR data notification to enable a PLMN/SNPN operator (service provider) to control their subscribers to what roaming SNPN network, i.e. the various transmissions depicted in FIG. 6 is to determine if the UE device 121/122 contains a "subscriber-specific roaming policy"); and when the home network for the UE device has a subscriber-specific roaming policy ([0142] if the HPLMN/HSNPN policy for the SOR-AF invocation is present, then the HPLMN/HSNPN UDM obtains the list of preferred SNPN/access technology combinations (roaming control information in list 265 of FIG. 2) or the secured packet from the SOR-AF using operations 3b and 3c (such as communications 830 and 832), i.e. the UE 121/122 includes a subscriber-specific roaming policy): sending a second AM policy association request to the home network ([Figure 1/5] and [0114] describes how a AM policy association requests or other unique network identifiers may be sent to the communication management resource 142 of the home network 190, and depicted in FIG. 8 operation 830); receiving from the home network the AM policy for the roaming UE device ([0099] FIG. 5 includes a depiction of registration path 172 (such as a SIP signaling path) supporting registration and establishment of requested connectivity, such as AM policy information, and depicted in FIG. 8 operation 832); and sending an AM policy association response to the first AM policy association request ([Figure 8, operation 840] depicts sending the AM policy association response from the home network to the roaming network’s AM module (depicted as VSNPN AMF)).
Regarding claim 2, Sahin teaches applying a general roaming policy for the roaming UE device, when the home network for the UE device does not have a subscriber-specific roaming policy ([0133] describes when the VSNPN AMF does not have subscription data for the UE, the VSNPN AMF invokes Nudm_SDM_Get service operation to the HPLMN/HSNPN UDM to get amongst other information the Access and Mobility Subscription data for the UE, i.e. if the UE does not have specific subscriber related roaming policies, other general information may be requested, i.e. a general roaming policy).
Regarding claim 3, Sahin teaches the network device includes an AM-policy control function (PCF) ([0091-0092] the communication management resources 141/142 may include a plurality of modules, such as hardware and software resources such as "V-NSSF (Visited-Network Slice Selection Function), V-PCF (Visited Policy Control Function), AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), V-SMF (Visited-Session Management Function), RAN (Radio Access Network), and UPF (User Plane Function)" and "AUSF (Authentication Server Function), UDM (Unified Data Management), H-NSSF (Home-Network Slice Selection Function), H-SMF (Visited-Session Management Function), H-PCF (Home- Policy Control Function), AF (Application Function), and UPF (User Plane Function)," i.e. AM policy control function PCF may be present).
Regarding claim 4, Sahin teaches sending the second AM policy association request ([Figure 8, operation 830]) includes: sending the second AM policy association request to an AM-PCF in the home network ([Figure 7] depicts a second AM policy association request being sent to request policy association to the home network communication management resource 142, which may include an AM-policy control function PCF [0091-0092] as described in claim 3).
Regarding claim 5, Sahin teaches sending the second AM policy association request ([Figure 8, operation 830]) includes: sending the second AM policy association request via a modified N24 interface ([0113] transmissions in accordance with policy association may be sent via N24 signaling, or a similar technique).
Regarding claim 6, Sahin teaches determining whether the home network for the UE device has a subscriber-specific roaming policy ([Figure 8, operation 825] and [0139-0140 and 0148] describes how step 3a (operation 825) determines, based on indicators from the UE, whether the home network for the UE device has a subscriber-specific roaming policy) includes: storing, in a memory of the network device, multiple Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identifiers (IDs) associated with a policy association approach ([0048] describes information may be used such as PLMN identifiers (IDs) in association with a policy and [0057] FIG. 1 depicts table 165 (network affiliation information) of repository 180 used for storing policy associated information or identifiers), and matching a home PLMN ID of the UE device with one of the PLMN IDs ([0063] FIG. 1, shows the table 165 (list of wireless networks, policy information) indicates other private wireless networks in the wireless network environment 100 that support guest wireless services/connectivity to the members of the (home) private wireless network 192, i.e. the ability to match/compare home PLMN IDs of the UE).
Regarding claim 7, Sahin teaches the AM policy for the roaming UE device differentiates between one or more service levels that the UE device may access ([0189] describes the AM policy for the roaming UE device may be associated with different service/priority levels of registration).
Regarding claim 8, Sahin teaches sending a second AM policy association request to the home network ([Figure 8, operation 830]) includes: sending a unique identifier of the UE device ([0110] describes how there may be a unique identifier associated with the UE device 121/122, i.e. unique device identifier value=XXXX).
Regarding claim 9, Sahin teaches sending the AM policy association response ([Figure 8, operation 832] depicts the policy association response from the guest network) includes: sending the AM policy association response to an access and mobility management function (AMF) in the visited network ([Figure 8, operation 835] depicts the response for the AMF in the visited network).
Regarding claim 10, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1, further in view of Sahin teaches one or more network devices ([Figure 1, device 121/122]), comprising: one or more processors configured execute instructions to: receive- (devices 121 and 122 may include [0020-0023] processors capable of executing instructions to receive/transmit data).
Regarding claim 11, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 2.
Regarding claim 12, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 3.
Regarding claim 13, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 4.
Regarding claim 14, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 5.
Regarding claim 15, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 6.
Regarding claim 16, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 9.
Regarding claim 17, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1, further in view of Sahin teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor of a device, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more instructions for: receiving- ([0021] a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be included in association with [0020-0023] instructions executable by at least one processor of a device to receive/transmit data).
Regarding claim 18, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 2.
Regarding claim 19, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 6.
Regarding claim 20, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 4.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hans, MARTIN (2022). Roaming control (US 2022/0182811 A1). Filed 2022-02-23. Discloses a method for accessing PLMNs in association with home PLMN and non-home PLMNs, and determining/communicating to the UE whether control of the UE should be handed over from the home PLMN to the non-home PLMN. (abstract)
Sun, Haiyang et al. (2022). Policy control function network element selection method, apparatus, system, and storage medium (US 2022/0159606 A1). Filed 2022-01-31. Discloses a policy control method in accordance with registration request messages of a terminal device. (abstract)
Liao, Ching-Yu (2022). Enabling interactive service for cloud renderting gaming in 5g systems (US 2022/0141662 A1). Filed 2020-02-06. Discloses determining service authorization information for a device with the service authorization information being associated with an interactive service on a wireless network. (abstract)
Kim, Jaehyun et al. (2021). Method for performing, by terminal, pdu session establishment request when information on ladn area has changed (US 2021/0307101 A1). Filed 2019-06-19. Discloses a UE performing a PDU session establishment request, in the event information on a LADN area is changed. (abstract)
Sun, Haiyang et al. (2021). Access and mobility management policy association termination method and apparatus (US 2021/0076191 A1). Filed 2020-11-19. Discloses a deletion request for requesting a first policy control function apparatus to delete an access and mobility management (AM) policy association between the first policy control function apparatus and the first access and mobility management function apparatus for a terminal device. (abstract)
Park, Sangmin et al. (2020). Method for registering terminal in wireless communication system and apparatus therefor (US 2020/0137675 A1). Filed 2018-06-18. Discloses a method for registering a terminal of an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a wireless communication system. (abstract)
Casati, Alessio (2020). Managing ue configuration in a serving plmn in the presence of a default configuration for the ue for all plmns (US 2020/0029201 A1). Filed 2019-07-22. Discloses managing user equipment configurations in association with network registrations. (abstract)
Xu, Richard H. et al. (2018). Policy control framework (US 2018/0077564 A1). Filed 2016-09-09. Discloses a method and corresponding apparatus performing roaming traffic detection and enforcement according to a roaming policy for user network devices. (abstract)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW JAMES DWYER whose telephone number is (571)272-5121. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. EST.
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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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/MATTHEW JAMES DWYER/Examiner, Art Unit 2649
/GEORGE ENG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2699