CTNF 18/654,967 CTNF 92490 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 Amendment The Amendment filed 01/21/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-15 remain pending in the application. Response to Arguments 07-38-01 AIA Applicant’s arguments, see page 6 , filed 01/21/2026 , with respect to claims 1-15 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 102 rejection of claims 1-15 using the Kim reference has been withdrawn. Double Patenting 08-33 AIA The non-statutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A non-statutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg , 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman , 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi , 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum , 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel , 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington , 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969). A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on non-statutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b). The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a non-statutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13. The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA/25, or PTO/AIA/26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer. For example, comparing claims 1-5, 10, 12 and 14 of the current application and claims 1-5, 8, 22 and 25 of the co-pending application: Current Application 18/654,967(09/11/2025) Co-Pending Application 17/582,696 (09/09/2025) 1. A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining whether the UE transitioned between an international area and a national area, the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country, the UE supporting satellite access; and triggering public land mobile network (PLMN) selection for a higher priority PLMN in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing a high priority PLMN list over a most recently registered PLMN (RPLMN) during PLMN selection. 3. The method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) list. 4. The method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises an equivalent home public land mobile network (EHPLMN) list. 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising deleting an equivalent public land mobile network list, which was received from a last serving PLMN, prior to PLMN selection. 10. The method of claim 1, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access. 12. An apparatus for wireless communications performed by a wireless device, comprising: at least one processor, at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor; and instructions stored in the at least one memory and operable, when executed by the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus: to determine whether the UE transitioned between an international area and a national area, the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country, the UE supporting satellite access; and to trigger public land mobile network (PLMN) selection for a higher priority PLMN in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area. 14. The apparatus of claim 12, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access. 1. (Original) A method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) supporting satellite access, comprising: determining whether the UE supporting satellite access transitioned between an international area and a national area; and triggering a public land mobile network (PLN) selection of a network for receiving service, in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area. 2. (Original) The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing a high priority PLMN list over a most recently registered PLMN (RPLMN) during PLMN selection. 3. (Original) The method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) list. 4. (Original) The method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises an equivalent home public land mobile network (EHPLMN) list. 5. (Original) The method of claim 2, further comprising deleting an equivalent public land mobile network list, which was received from a last serving PLMN, prior to the PLMN selection. 8. (Original) The method of claim 1, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access. 22. (currently amended) An apparatus for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) supporting satellite access, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor configured: to determine whether the UE supporting satellite access transitioned between an international area and a national area; and to trigger a public land mobile network (PLN) selection of a network for receiving service, in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area. 25. (Original) The apparatus of claim 22, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access Claims 1-5, 10 and 14 are rejected on the ground of non-statutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-5, 8, 22 and 25 of Co Pending Application 17/582,696 in view of Lu et al. (US 20230134466 A1). Regarding claim 1 and 12 of the current application, claim 1 and claim 22 of the Co-Pending Application 17/582,696 teaches determining whether the UE transitioned between an international area and a national area, the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country, the UE supporting satellite access; and triggering public land mobile network (PLMN) selection for a higher priority PLMN in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area. However, the Co-Pending Application 17/582,696 does not teach the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country. In an analogous art, Lu teaches the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country (the satellite communication is not limited by user's geographic area, for example, general land communication cannot cover areas such as oceans, mountains, deserts, etc., [0038]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of the co-pending application with the network PLMN selection of Lu to provide a methods and a system to better perform network selection according to the candidate network information corresponding to the current first location information as suggested, Lu [0013]. Claims 2-5 of the present application are similar to 2-5 of the co-pending application as shown on the table above. Claim 10 of the present application is similar to claim 8 of the co-pending application as shown on the table above. Claim 14 of the present application is similar to claim 25 of the co-pending application as shown on the table above. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-4 and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hietalahti (US 20220303887 A1) in view of Lu et al. (US 20230134466 A1) . Regarding claim 1, Hietalahti teaches a method of wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) (method of Figs. 7-11)), comprising: determining whether the UE transitioned between an international area and a national area (when a user equipment has moved from a first geographic territory to a second geographic territory, [0210]), the UE supporting satellite access (After having moved to another country, under that country's legislation, the same user can be allowed to register by satellite, [0209]); and triggering public land mobile network (PLMN) selection (As part of the geo-location, the country may be determined. When the apparatus of the UE determines that the country has changed, this may cause the apparatus of the UE to trigger a re-registration process to change to a different PLMN, [0202]) for a higher priority PLMN in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area (UE only selects a PLMN if it is of a higher priority than those of the same country as the current serving PLMN which are stored in the equivalent PLMNs list, [0155]). However, Hietalahti does not clearly teach wherein the international area comprises extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country. In an analogous art, Lu teaches the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country (the satellite communication is not limited by user's geographic area, for example, general land communication cannot cover areas such as oceans, mountains, deserts, etc., where communication device cannot arranged or there is no communication coverage due to sparse population[0038]). Lu discloses that, in the satellite communication, because a satellite can cover a large ground area and the satellite can orbit the earth, every corner of the earth can be covered by the satellite communication theoretically. The satellite communication can cover remote mountainous areas and poor and backward countries or regions at a lower cost,[0038], implying coverage including extra territorial areas outside the jurisdiction of a country (see Fig. 4) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of Hietalahti with the network PLMN selection of Lu to provide a methods and a system to better perform network selection according to the candidate network information corresponding to the current first location information as suggested, Lu [0013] and ensuring communication coverage of all areas including remote and backward regions. Regarding claim 2, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing a high priority PLMN list over a most recently registered PLMN (RPLMN) during PLMN selection (UE only selects a PLMN if it is of a higher priority than those of the same country as the current serving PLMN which are stored in the equivalent PLMNs list, [0155]). Regarding claim 3, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) list (UE remains in the HPLMN coverage area for the whole journey and there is no need to select any other PLMN, [0154]). Regarding claim 4, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 2, in which the high priority PLMN list comprises an equivalent home public land mobile network (EHPLMN) list (The UE only considers the priorities of the equivalent PLMNs in the same country, [0155]). Regarding claim 10, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 1, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access (The RAT type may be a satellite RAT, [0197]). Regarding claim 11, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 1, Lu further teaches further comprising performing the PLMN selection without considering a last registered PLMN (RPLMN) as a highest priority PLMN (when the terminal device enters country 2 from the non-network coverage area, the terminal device does not preferentially select the stored registered PLMN, that is, the terminal device does not preferentially select PLMN 1. Instead, the terminal device performs network selection according to the available PLMN corresponding to country 2, that is, the terminal device selects PLMN 2, [0109]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of Hietalahti with the network PLMN selection of Lu to provide a methods and a system to better perform network selection according to the candidate network information corresponding to the current first location information as suggested, Lu [0013]. Regarding claim 12, Hietalahti teaches an apparatus for wireless communications performed by a wireless device (device 300 of Fig. 2), comprising: at least one processor (processor 301), at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor (memory 308); and instructions stored in the at least one memory and operable, when executed by the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus: to determine whether the UE transitioned between an international area and a national area (when a user equipment has moved from a first geographic territory to a second geographic territory, [0210]), the UE supporting satellite access (After having moved to another country, under that country's legislation, the same user can be allowed to register by satellite, [0209]); and to trigger public land mobile network (PLMN) selection (As part of the geo-location, the country may be determined. When the apparatus of the UE determines that the country has changed, this may cause the apparatus of the UE to trigger a re-registration process to change to a different PLMN, [0202]) for a higher priority PLMN in response to the UE having transitioned between the international area and the national area (UE only selects a PLMN if it is of a higher priority than those of the same country as the current serving PLMN which are stored in the equivalent PLMNs list, [0155]). However, Hietalahti does not clearly teach wherein the international area comprises extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country. In an analogous art, Lu teaches the international area comprising extraterritorial areas outside any jurisdiction of a country (the satellite communication is not limited by user's geographic area, for example, general land communication cannot cover areas such as oceans, mountains, deserts, etc., where communication device cannot arranged or there is no communication coverage due to sparse population [0038]). Lu discloses that, in the satellite communication, because a satellite can cover a large ground area and the satellite can orbit the earth, every corner of the earth can be covered by the satellite communication theoretically. The satellite communication can cover remote mountainous areas and poor and backward countries or regions at a lower cost,[0038], implying coverage including extra territorial areas outside the jurisdiction of a country (see Fig. 4) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of Hietalahti with the network PLMN selection of Lu to provide a methods and a system to better perform network selection according to the candidate network information corresponding to the current first location information as suggested, Lu [0013] and ensuring communication coverage of all areas including remote and backward regions. Regarding claim 13, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the apparatus of claim 12, in which the at least one processor causes the apparatus to prioritize a high priority PLMN list over a most recently registered PLMN during PLMN selection (the network may issue a recommended PLMN code or a list of recommended PLMNs for the UE to attempt registration to in priority order for the present UE location, [0163]). Regarding claim 14, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the apparatus of claim 12, in which the PLMN selection is for non-terrestrial network (NTN) access (The RAT type may be a satellite RAT, [0197]). Regarding claim 15, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the apparatus of claim 12, Lu further teaches in which the at least one processor causes the apparatus to perform the PLMN selection without considered a last registered PLMN (RPLMN) as a highest priority PLMN (when the terminal device enters country 2 from the non-network coverage area, the terminal device does not preferentially select the stored registered PLMN, that is, the terminal device does not preferentially select PLMN 1. Instead, the terminal device performs network selection according to the available PLMN corresponding to country 2, that is, the terminal device selects PLMN 2, [0109]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of Hietalahti with the network PLMN selection of Lu to provide a methods and a system to better perform network selection according to the candidate network information corresponding to the current first location information as suggested, Lu [0013] . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 5-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hietalahti in view of Lu and Wu et al. (US 20170142645 A1) . Regarding claim 5, Hietalahti as modified by Lu teaches the method of claim 2. However, Hietalahti and Lu do not teach further comprising deleting an equivalent public land mobile network list, which was received from a last serving PLMN, prior to PLMN selection. In an analogous art, Wu teaches further comprising deleting an equivalent public land mobile network list, which was received from a last serving PLMN, prior to PLMN selection (When the registration succeeds, the processor may store the current registration data (for example, the RPLMN ID, LAC, RAC, TAC, cell ID, location information, and so on) as a record corresponding to the currently used IMSI in the registration database (Step S806). When the registration fails, the processor may delete the current registration data corresponding to the currently used IMSI from the registration database if it exists, [0077]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the PLMN selection of Hietalahti and Lu with the network recommended MCC of Wu to provide a methods and a system to control the validity of the network recommended MCC information. Advantageously, the UE maintaining the MCC information for an unnecessarily long time can be avoided, thereby allowing the UE to obtain mobile services earlier as suggested. Regarding claim 6, Hietalahti as modified by Lu and Wu teaches the method of claim 5, further comprising: determining the UE is located in the international area (UE determines or receive information relating to the geo-location of the UE. This geo-location will comprise at least country information, [0168]); and selecting a PLMN from a list dedicated to international area searching (UE may perform PLMN selection. When performing PLMN selection, the apparatus of the UE may limit its selection to the available PLMNs of the country of the present UE geo-location, Hietalahti [0169]). Regarding claim 7, Hietalahti as modified by Lu and Wu teaches the method of claim 5, further comprising: determining the UE is located in the international area (UE determines that the country of the geo-location is different to the country of the PLMN to which the UE is currently joined, Hietalahti [0173]); and selecting a PLMN based on an indication that the PLMN is eligible for selection in the international area (UE may select a new PLMN selection. When performing PLMN selection, the apparatus of the UE will limit its selection to the available PLMNs of the country of the present UE geo-location, Hietalahti [0174]). Regarding claim 8, Hietalahti as modified by Lu and Wu teaches the method of claim 7, further comprising retrieving the indication from a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) (For example, the candidate network information set is configured by the operator and written into the SIM card, and the terminal device can obtain the candidate network information set by using the SIM card produced by the operator, Lu [0066]). Regarding claim 9, Hietalahti as modified by Lu and Wu teaches the method of claim 7, further comprising receiving the indication on a broadcast channel of a radio cell of the PLMN (UE is mandated to consider PLMNs of the same country based on the MCC that is broadcast by the available networks, Hietalahti [0158]) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Su et al. (US 20170019846 A1): The UE may store a PLMN eSIM priority look up table and the search may be based on the look up table. Additionally, the UE may track received signal strength and geographic location in a first data structure that the UE may send to a server. The UE may receive a second data structure from the server that includes received signal strength at geographic locations compiled from a plurality of UEs, including the UE. The UE may also use the second data structure in searches for a new cell. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS whose telephone number is (571)270-0671. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday. 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, Charles Appiah can be reached at 571-272-7904. 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. /NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2641 /CHARLES N APPIAH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 2 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 3 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 5 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 6 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 7 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 8 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 9 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 10 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 11 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 12 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 13 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 14 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 15 Art Unit: 2641 Application/Control Number: 18/654,967 Page 16 Art Unit: 2641
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