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 Amendment
Amendment filed on 05/20/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-6, 8, 10-16, 20, and 23 are pending.
The rejections of claims 7, 8, and 17 under 35 U.S.C. 112 have been withdrawn in view of the amendments to the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 11-13, 15, 16, and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU (US 2024/0340963 A1, hereinafter “LIU”), in view of LEE et al. (US 2024/0172296 A1, hereinafter “LEE”).
Regarding claim 1:
LIU discloses a random access resources isolation method for radio access network slicing (e.g., Fig. 1), comprising: receiving, by a terminal device (e.g., [0032], a user equipment (UE)), random access configuration information sent by a network equipment (e.g., [0033], a base station), the random access configuration information comprising information indicating that the random access resources are used for at least one of: slice-based random access resources and common random access resources (e.g., Fig. 1, 101, [0033]-[0040], resource configuration information for common random access resource and specified random access resource corresponding to at least one network slice resource).; the common random access resources are for common 4-step random access and/or common 2-step random access; the slice-based random access resources are for contention based 4-step random access and/or contention based 2-step random access (e.g., [0034], [0035]).
LIU is silent regarding the common random access resources are corresponding to: R contention based preambles for common 4-step random access and/or Q contention based preambles for common 2-step random access; the slice-based random access resources are corresponding to: R1 contention based 4-step random access preambles for network slice and/or Q1 contention based 2-step random access preambles for network slice; wherein R, Q. RI and Q1 are all positive integers.
LEE teaches common random access resources corresponding to: R contention based preambles for common 4-step random access and/or Q contention based preambles for common 2-step random access; slice-based random access resources are corresponding to: R1 contention based 4-step random access preambles for network slice and/or Q1 contention based 2-step random access preambles for network slice; wherein R, Q. RI and Q1 are all positive integers (e.g., [0202]-[0203], [0205]-[0208], [0217]-[0219], [0249]-[0250], [0255]-[0256], [0258], UE selects random access preamble in the selected PRACH resource set from the common PRACH resource set and slice-specific PRACH resource set, which suggests the common PRACH resource set or the slice-specific PRACH resource set are corresponding to a positive integer number of contention based preambles).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of LIU based on the teaching from LEE to include the features the common random access resources are corresponding to: R contention based preambles for common 4-step random access and/or Q contention based preambles for common 2-step random access; the slice-based random access resources are corresponding to: R1 contention based 4-step random access preambles for network slice and/or Q1 contention based 2-step random access preambles for network slice; wherein R, Q. RI and Q1 are all positive integer, in order to optimize random access resources usage and reduce latency in random access.
Regarding claim 2:
LIU further discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein, the method further comprises: determining, by the terminal device, random access resources to be used based on relevant parameters and the random access configuration information (e.g., Fig. 1, 102 and 103, [0041]-[0043], [0052]-[0060]); and initiating, by the terminal device, a random access request based on the random access resources to be used (e.g., Fig. 1, 104, [0044]-[0045]).
Regarding claim 3:
LIU further discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein, the relevant parameters comprise: at least one of single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI, slice group and no slicing related configuration information (e.g., [0058]).
Regarding claim 5:
LIU is silent regarding preambles of the slice-based random access resources and preambles of the common random access resources are various.
LEE teaches preambles of the slice-based random access resources and preambles of the common random access resources are various (e.g., [0205], [0224], [0238], random access preambles within common PRACH resource set, [0219], [0220], [0237], random access preamble within slice-specific PRACH resource set).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of LIU based on the teaching from LEE to include the feature preambles of the slice-based random access resources and preambles of the common random access resources are various, in order to optimize random access resources usage and reduce latency in random access.
Regarding claim 6:
LIU is silent regarding the random access configuration information further comprises at least one of preambles associated with the slice-based random access resources and preambles associated with the common random access resources.
LEE teaches the random access configuration information further comprises at least one of preambles associated with the slice-based random access resources and preambles associated with the common random access resources (e.g., [0217]-[0219], [0220], [0224], [0237], [0238]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of LIU based on the teaching from LEE to include the feature the random access configuration information further comprises at least one of preambles associated with the slice-based random access resources and preambles associated with the common random access resources, in order to optimize random access resources usage and reduce latency in random access.
Regarding claims 11-13:
See rejection of similar features with respect to claims 1-3.
Regarding claim 15 and 16:
See rejection of similar features with respect to claims 5 and 6.
Regarding claim 23:
LIU discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., Fig. 7, 704), with computer programs stored thereon that, when executed by a processor (e.g., Fig. 7, 720), cause the processor to execute a random access resources isolation method, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal device, random access configuration information sent by a network equipment, the random access configuration information comprising information indicating that the random access resources are used for at least one of slice-based random access and common random access. (See rejection of similar features with respect to claims 1-3.)
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIU in view of LEE, and further in view of CHENG et al. (US 2024/0015798 A1, hereinafter “CHENG”).
Regarding claims 4 and 14:
LIU is silent regarding the slice group can be determined in one of the following ways: notifying, by the network equipment, the terminal device of the relationship between S-NSSAI and slice group through non-access stratum NAS signaling; using slice/service type SST as slice group; or using user access control UAC as slice group.
CHENG teaches the slice group can be determined in one of the following ways: notifying, by the network equipment, the terminal device of the relationship between S-NSSAI and slice group through non-access stratum NAS signaling; using slice/service type SST as slice group; or using user access control UAC as slice group (e.g., [0132]-[0133]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of LIU based on the teaching from CHENG to include the feature the slice group can be determined in one of the following ways: notifying, by the network equipment, the terminal device of the relationship between S-NSSAI and slice group through non-access stratum NAS signaling, using slice/service type SST as slice group, or using user access control UAC as slice group, in order to enhance random access for a specified group of network slices.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10, and 20 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.
Response to Arguments
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 over LIU
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claim 1 as amended (Remarks, pages 11-15) have been considered but are moot in view of a new ground of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 over LIU and LEE.
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 Alvin ZHU whose telephone number is (571)270-1086. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6am-9am and 2pm-7pm.
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/BO HUI A ZHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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