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
1. 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)(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.
2. Claims 1-6, 10-13, 15-18, 20, and 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sabouri-Sichani et al. (US 2023/0232368).
Regarding claim 1, Sabouri-Sichani teaches a gap requesting method, performed by a terminal (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 3, paragraphs 42 – pages 4, paragraphs 67, where teaches for coordinating actions between networks for MUSIM operation, and when a UE is in RRC_CONNECTED with one USIM and cannot receive parallel paging from other networks (corresponding to the rest of its USIMs) without being configured with “gaps” in its connection or UE is in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE on all the USIMs and the paging occasions for two (or more) USIMs may collide), Sabouri-Sichani teaches that sending a request to a network side device (Fig. 5, 6, 7 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 3, paragraphs 54, where teaches transmitting registration with request to PLMN), and requesting the network side device to configure a gap (idle or stop period) for the terminal for multi-SIM card connection switching (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67, where teaches if one of the USIMs (second PLMN) radio connection transition to connected mode and establishes IP connectivity, this USIM radio connection may become the master link for forwarding paging for the other PLMNs of different USIMs in idle mode or gap, and here the current master node is informed to disable its (first PLMN) role as master link for paging and instead switch its paging to this link (second PLMN)).
Regarding claim 2, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that the terminal is provided with multiple SIM cards (Fig. 1, 2 and pages 2, paragraphs 24 – 28), the multiple SIM cards at least comprise a first SIM card and a second SIM card (abstract, Fig, 2, 6, and page 1, paragraphs 9 – 11), and the multi-SIM card connection switching comprises switching to the second SIM card for communication operations when the communication operations are performed through the first SIM card (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 3, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that the request comprises user equipment assistance information (UEAssitancelnformation) signaling, and the UEAssitanceInformation (coordinating notification) signaling carries assistance information for assisting the network side device to configure the gap for the terminal (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 4, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that the assistance information comprises at least one of the following: start time of the gap; a duration of the gap; end time of the gap; a type of gap; a period of the gap; and a purpose of requesting the gap (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 5, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that sending a release request to the network side device, and requesting the network side device to release (release of RRC connection) the configured gap (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 6, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that sending capability indication information (UE capable of multiple USIM to receive the paging in the idle mode) to the network side device, for indicating whether the terminal has a capability to send the request to the network side device (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 10, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that receiving configuration information (receive a paging notification for the second network at the first USIM of the user equipment) sent by the network side device (abstract, Fig. 5, 8, and pages 2, paragraphs 29 – pages 3, paragraphs 55), determining the gap based on the configuration information (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67), and switching to the second SIM card for communication operations during the gap (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 11, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claim 1. Furthermore, Sabouri-Sichani further teaches that receiving a request sent by a terminal (Fig. 5, 6, 7 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 3, paragraphs 54, where teaches UE for transmitting registration with request to PLMN), wherein the request is used to request the network side device to configure a gap for the terminal for multi-SIM card connection switching (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67, where teaches if one of the USIMs (second PLMN) radio connection transition to connected mode and establishes IP connectivity, this USIM radio connection may become the master link for forwarding paging for the other PLMNs of different USIMs in idle mode or gap, and here the current master node is informed to disable its (first PLMN) role as master link for paging and instead switch its paging to this link (second PLMN)).
Regarding claim 12, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 2 and 11.
Regarding claim 13, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 3 and 11. Furthermore, Sabouri-Sichani further teaches that obtaining assistance information from the UEAssitanceInformation signaling, and configuring the gap (obtaining idle or stop information based on notification) for the terminal according to the assistance information (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 15, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 5 and 11.
Regarding claim 16, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 6 and 11.
Regarding claim 17, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 1 and 11. Furthermore, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that sending a request configuration to the terminal for configuring the terminal to send the request to the network side device (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67, where teaches transmitting paging notification to the user equipment, and the UE is monitoring and configuring the paging notification and considering whether maintaining or switching communication link to the network for transmitting request signal, registration signal, according to a gap).
Regarding claim 18, Sabouri-Sichani teaches that the request configuration comprises at least one of the following: a duration of the blocking timer; a type of a gap that can be requested; whether the terminal is required to report assistance information; a trigger condition for the terminal sending the request; and a signaling configured to carry the request configuration (Fig. 4, 6 and pages 2, paragraphs 33 – pages 4, paragraphs 67).
Regarding claim 20, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 10 and 11.
Regarding claim 23, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 1 and 11. Furthermore, Sabouri-Sichani further teaches that a communication device, comprising a processor, a memory configured to store a computer program, wherein, when the computer program is executed by the processor (abstract, Fig. 2, and pages 5, paragraphs 75 – 77).
Regarding claim 24, Sabouri-Sichani teaches all the limitation as discussed in claims 1 and 11. Furthermore, Sabouri-Sichani further teaches that a processor, a memory configured to store a computer program, when the computer program is executed by the processor (abstract, Fig. 2, and pages 5, paragraphs 75 – 77).
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 7-9 are 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.
The prior art of record fails to disclose the limitation “a first SIM card and a second SIM card and multi-SIM cards connection switching comprises the terminal has the capability to send the request to the network side device, the method further comprises receiving a request configuration sent by the network side device, wherein, sending the request to the network side device comprises, and sending the request to the network side device according to the request configuration” as specified the claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
SELVAGANAPATHY et al. (US 2024/0056792) discloses Multiple User Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) User Equipment Switching Connection Between Networks.
Kim et al. (US 2024/0267814) discloses Transmission During GAP Time.
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J.L
February 7, 2026
John J Lee
/JOHN J LEE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649