DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. 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.
3. Claims 1-3 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Won et al (US 20220361135 A1, hereinafter referred to as Won).
Re claim 1, Won teaches a wireless terminal (UE, Fig. 3A-B, Fig. 4) served by a public land mobile network (PLMN) (PLMN, Par 0030), the PLMN providing one or more network slices (S-NSSAI n, S-NSSAI m etc., Table 1-3) each of the one or more network slices providing a designated service within the PLMN (network slice providing a specific network capabilities/service, Par 0020-0021), the wireless terminal comprising:
(i) receiver circuitry (transceiver, Fig. 6B, Par 0059, Par 0065-0066) configured to:
(ii) receive a mapping configuration (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036), configuring one or more network slice groups (Allowed NSSAI, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI), each of the one or more network slice groups indicating grouping of one or more network slices (Allowed NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI n, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI m, Table 1-3), the mapping configuration being associated with area scope information (Registration area comprising TAI J, TAI K, Table 1-3) (Fig. 5A-B, Par 0026, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036, Par 0039, Par 0042), and;
(iii) receive, from a cell, a tracking area identity of the cell (receiving current TAI from the NG-RAN node broadcast, Par 0027, Par 0043);
(iv) processor circuitry (processor, Fig. 6B, Par 0059-0061) configured to determine, based on the area scope information (TAI list included in the registration area) and the tracking area identity (Current TAI), whether or not the mapping configuration is valid in the cell (allowed S-NSSAI valid in a registration area, Par 0024, determining allowed S-NSSAIs based on the list of TAIs, S-NSSAIs, and the current TAI, step 570, Fig. 5B; skipping registration within registration area, Par 0045) (Fig. 5B, Par 0026-0027, Par 0043-0045);
(v) wherein the area scope information indicates one or more tracking areas in which the mapping configuration is valid (Registration area includes a list of TAIs supporting S-NSSAIs; skipping registration procedure within the TAIs included in the registration area, Table 1-3, Par 0026-0031, Par 0043-0045).
Re claim 2, Won teaches that the mapping configuration and the area scope information are received by the wireless terminal during a registration procedure (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036, Par 0038-0042).
Re claim 3, Won teaches that the tracking area identity is comprised in system information (current tracking area identity is considered the system information) and received by a broadcast in the cell (receiving current TAI from the NG-RAN node broadcast, Par 0027, Par 0043).
Re claim 6, Won teaches that each of the one or more network slice groups is identified by a network slice grouping index (Allowed NSSAI, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI) (Table 1-3, Par 0028-31, Par 0034-0036, Par 0042).
Re claim 7, Won teaches to initiate a registration in a case that the mapping configuration is determined to be invalid (initiating registration procedure, step 585, Fig. 5B, Par 0044) (Par 0024, Par 0044).
Re claim 8, Won teaches an access node (RAN node/base station, Fig. 6A, Par 0047) of a public land mobile network (PLMN) (PLMN, Par 0030), the PLMN providing one or more network slices (S-NSSAI n, S-NSSAI m etc., Table 1-3), each of the one or more network slices providing a designated service within the PLMN (network slice providing a specific network capabilities/service, Par 0020-0021), the access node comprising:
(i) processor circuitry (Processor, Fig. 6A, Par 0047, Par 0049) configured to generate a tracking area identity of a cell (current TAI), and transmitter circuitry (Transceiver, Fig. 6A, Par 0047, Par 0053) configured to transmit, to a wireless terminal (UE), via the cell, the tracking area identity (broadcasting current TAI by the NG-RAN node, Par 0027, Par 0043); wherein
(ii) the tracking area identity is used to determine validity of a mapping configuration in the cell (allowed S-NSSAI valid in a registration area, Par 0024, determining allowed S-NSSAIs based on the list of TAIs, S-NSSAIs, and the current TAI, step 570, Fig. 5B; skipping registration within registration area, Par 0045) (Fig. 5B, Par 0026-0027, Par 0043-0045, the mapping configuration being configured to the wireless terminal (registration accept message to a UE providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036),
(iii) the mapping configuration (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036) configuring one or more network slice groups (Allowed NSSAI, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI), each of the one or more network slice groups indicating grouping of one or more network slices (Allowed NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI n, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI m, Table 1-3), the mapping configuration being associated with area scope information (Registration area comprising TAI J, TAI K, Table 1-3) (Fig. 5A-B, Par 0026, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036, Par 0039, Par 0042),
(iv) the area scope information indicating one or more tracking areas in which the mapping configuration is valid (allowed S-NSSAI valid in a registration area, Par 0024, Registration area includes a list of TAIs supporting S-NSSAIs; skipping registration procedure within the TAIs included in the registration area, Table 1-3, Par 0026-0031, Par 0043-0045).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claims 11-12 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Won et al (US 20220361135 A1, hereinafter referred to as Won) in view of Lee et al (US 20180317163 A1, hereinafter referred to as Lee).
Re claim 11, Won teaches a management entity (AMF, Fig. 6A, Par 0047) of a public land mobile network (PLMN) (PLMN, Par 0030), the PLMN providing one or more network slices (S-NSSAI n, S-NSSAI m etc., Table 1-3), each of the one or more network slices providing a designated service within the PLMN (network slice providing a specific network capabilities/service, Par 0020-0021), the management entity comprising:
(i) processor circuitry (Processor, Fig. 6A, Par 0047, Par 0049) configured to generate a mapping configuration (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036), configuring one or more network slice groups (Allowed NSSAI, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI), each of the one or more network slice groups indicating grouping of one or more network slices (Allowed NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI n, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI includes slice S-NSSAI m, Table 1-3), the mapping configuration being associated with area scope information (Registration area comprising TAI J, TAI K, Table 1-3) (Fig. 5A-B, Par 0026, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036, Par 0039, Par 0042),
(ii) the area scope information indicating one or more tracking areas in which the mapping configuration is valid (allowed S-NSSAI valid in a registration area, Par 0024, Registration area includes a list of TAIs supporting S-NSSAIs; skipping registration procedure within the TAIs included in the registration area, Table 1-3, Par 0026-0031, Par 0043-0045),
(iii) interface circuitry (Transceiver, Fig. 6A, Par 0047, Par 0053) configured to provide the mapping configuration and the area scope information (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036) to UE, whereby the mapping configuration and the area scope information are provided to a wireless terminal served by the radio access network (registration accept message sent to the UE) (Fig. 5A-B, Par 0034-0036, Par 0038-0042).
Won discloses that AMF sends the registration accept message including configuration information to a UE. However, Won does not disclose that the AMF sends the registration accept message to a UE via a radio access network.
Lee teaches that the AMF sends the registration accept message to a UE via a radio access network (Fig. 1A, Fig. 1G, Par 0093-0096).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Won by including the function that the AMF sends the registration accept message to a UE via a radio access network, as taught by Lee for the purpose of “facilitating a 5G terminal registration procedure”, as taught by Lee (Par 0009).
Re claim 12, Won teaches to signal the mapping configuration and the area scope information to the wireless terminal during a registration procedure (registration accept message providing information configuring registration area, NSSAI, TAI, Table 1-3, Par 0028-0031, Par 0034-0036, Par 0038-0042).
Re claim 15, Won teaches that each of the one or more network slice groups is identified by a network slice grouping index (Allowed NSSAI, partially allowed/rejected NSSAI) (Table 1-3, Par 0028-31, Par 0034-0036, Par 0042).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARUN UR R CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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/HARUN CHOWDHURY/Examiner, Art Unit 2473
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