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)(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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Liu et al US 20240292298 (hereinafter Liu).
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses a first network device (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]), comprising:
at least one memory (see [0007]-[0008], [0125]); and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory (see [0007]-[0008], [0125]) and configured to cause the first network device to:
receive network repository function (NRF) level information (Response to Nnssf_NSSelection_Get, see step 12, fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]) from a second network device (NSSF 414, see fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]);
transmit an identity request message (step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]) to a third network device (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]), wherein the identity request message comprises target access and mobility management function (AMF) information, selection information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), an AMF reallocation indication, or a combination thereof (see [0104]);
receive an identity response message from the third network device, wherein the identity response message comprises a global unique temporary identifier (GUTI), the SUPI, or a combination thereof (step 18, see fig. 4, [0108]);
transmit a registration accept message to a user equipment (UE), wherein the registration accept message comprises the GUTI, a reroute indication, or a combination thereof (step 19, see fig. 4, [0109]); and
receive a registration complete message from the UE (step 20, see [0110]).
Regarding claim 2 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the first network device comprises an initial AMF (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]).
Regarding claim 3 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the second network device comprises a network slice selection function (NSSF) (NSSF 414, see fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]).
Regarding claim 4 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the third network device comprises a NRF, a core network function (CNF), or a combination thereof (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]).
Regarding claim 5 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the first network device to select an NRF based on the NRF level information (see [0096], [0098]-[0099]).
Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the first network device to transmit a deregistration request message to the UE, wherein the deregistration request message comprises the reroute indication (step 21, se fig. 4, [0111]-[0113]).
Regarding claim 7 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the first network device to receive a deregistration response message from the UE (Step 22, see fig. 4, [0116]).
Regarding claim 8 as applied to claim 6, Liu further discloses wherein the deregistration request message comprises a non-access stratum (NAS) message transmitted to the UE (see [0056], [0072], [0117]).
Regarding claim 9 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the third network device selects another network device based on the identity request message (see [0102]-[0104]).
Regarding claim 10 as applied to claim 1, Liu further discloses wherein the NRF level information indicates whether the NRF belongs to a public land mobile network (PLMN) level, a shared-slice level, or a slice-specific level (see [0095]-[0096]).
Regarding claim 11, Liu discloses a third network device (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]), comprising:
at least one memory (see [0007]-[0008], [0125]); and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory (see [0007]-[0008], [0125]) and configured to cause the third network device to:
receive an identity request message (step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]) from a first network device (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]), wherein the identity request message comprises target access and mobility management function (AMF) information, selection information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), an AMF reallocation indication, or a combination thereof (see [0104]);
transmit the identity request message (step 16, see [0105]) to a fourth network device (target AMF, see [0105]);
receive an identity response message from the fourth network device, wherein the identity response message comprises a global unique temporary identifier (GUTI), the SUPI, or a combination thereof (step 17, see fig. 4, [0107]); and
transmit the identity response message to the first network device (step 18, [0108]).
Regarding claim 12 as applied to claim 11, Liu further discloses wherein the first network device comprises an initial AMF (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]).
Regarding claim 13 as applied to claim 11, Liu further discloses wherein the third network device comprises a NRF, a core network function (CNF), or a combination thereof (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]).
Regarding claim 14 as applied to claim 11, Liu further discloses wherein the fourth network device comprises a target AMF (target 410, see [0036], [0105]).
Regarding claim 15 as applied to claim 11, Liu further discloses wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the third network device to select another network device based on the identity request message (selecting the target AMF, see fig. 4, [0098]-[0102]).
Regarding claim 16, Liu discloses a method of performing a network function at a first network device (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]), the method comprising:
receiving network repository function (NRF) level information (Response to Nnssf_NSSelection_Get, see step 12, fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]) from a second network device (NSSF 414, see fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]);
transmitting an identity request message (step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]) to a third network device (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]), wherein the identity request message comprises target access and mobility management function (AMF) information, selection information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), an AMF reallocation indication, or a combination thereof (see [0104]);
receiving an identity response message from the third network device, wherein the identity response message comprises a global unique temporary identifier (GUTI), the SUPI, or a combination thereof (step 18, see fig. 4, [0108]);
transmitting a registration accept message to a user equipment (UE), wherein the registration accept message comprises the GUTI, a reroute indication, or a combination thereof (step 19, see fig. 4, [0109]); and
receiving a registration complete message from the UE (step 20, see [0110]).
Regarding claim 17 as applied to claim 16, Liu further discloses wherein the first network device comprises an initial AMF (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]).
Regarding claim 18 as applied to claim 16, Liu further discloses wherein the second network device comprises a network slice selection function (NSSF) (NSSF 414, see fig. 4, [0095]-[0096]).
Regarding claim 19, Liu discloses a method of performing a third network device (NRF 416, see fig. 4, [0036]), the method comprising:
receiving an identity request message (step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]) from a first network device (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]), wherein the identity request message comprises target access and mobility management function (AMF) information, selection information, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), an AMF reallocation indication, or a combination thereof (see [0104]);
transmitting the identity request message (step 16, see fig. 4, [0105]) to a fourth network device (target AMF, see [0105]);
receiving an identity response message from the fourth network device, wherein the identity response message comprises a global unique temporary identifier (GUTI), the SUPI, or a combination thereof (step 17, see fig. 4, [0107]); and
transmitting the identity response message to the first network device (step 18, [0108]).
Regarding claim 20 as applied to claim 19, Liu further discloses wherein the first network device comprises an initial AMF (initial AMF, step 15, see fig. 4, [0104]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Velev et al US 20240236912 discloses a method for resolving race conditions during a Network Slice Admission Control (“NSAC”) update.
Viswanath et al US 20230138108 discloses transmitting a registration request message comprising a request to register to a set of single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAIs) to a network. A response to the registration message is received, where the response indicates that the request is rejected to register the set of S-NSSAIs. The set of single S-NSSAIs is stored in a rejected NSSAI list locally at a user equipment (UE) (110). An indication of a network slice subscription change for the UE is received after storing the S-NSSAIs in the list.
Long US 20230121491 discloses if a UE's 5G-GUTI (5G Globally Unique Temporary Identifier) is included in the Registration Request and the serving AMF has changed since last Registration procedure, new AMF and old AMF are in the same AMF Set and UDSF is deployed, the new AMF retrieves the stored UE's SUPI and UE context directly from the UDSF using Nudsf_UnstructuredDataManagement_Query service operation or they can share stored UE context via implementation specific means if UDSF is not deployed. This includes also event subscription information by each NF consumer for the given UE. In this case, the new AMF uses integrity protected complete Registration request NAS message to perform and verify integrity protection.
Hong et al US 20250008422 discloses selecting an NSACF for a network slice based on service area information of the NSACF. The service area information comprises tracking area identification list and the AMF service area information. The NSACF is selected for the network slice, if there is a selected NSACF for the network slice and the service area information of the NSACF indicates that the selected NSACF is used for the network slice.
Stojanovski et al US 20210168751 discloses utilization of user equipment (UE) identifiers for registration in fifth generation (5G) systems. An apparatus of a user equipment includes processing circuitry to: retrieve a first 5G-GUTI from a memory; generate a registration request message that includes the first 5G-GUTI; encode the registration request message for transmission to a fifth-generation core (5GC) network of a second PLMN; receive a registration accept message that includes a second 5G-GUTI; and access the second PLMN using the second 5G-GUTI.
Lee US 20190230556 discloses a method for network function profile management.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLUMIDE T AJIBADE AKONAI whose telephone number is (571)272-6496. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM.
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/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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