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 .
This office action is in response to Applicant’s preliminary amendment filed on 06/06/2024.
Claims 2-4 are currently pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
For claim 3, the claim depends upon claim 1, and claim 1 has been cancelled.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
For claim 2, the claim recites “not available in partial tracked area(s)” [on line 10], and it is not clearly shown was the “partial” modifier means with respect to the UE and the UE’s tracking area within the scope of claim 2.
For claim 3, the depending claim does not resolve the indefinite issue of the parent claim 2.
For claim 4, the claim recites “not available in partial tracked area(s)” [on line 7], and it is not clearly shown was the “partial” modifier means with respect to the UE and the UE’s tracking area within the scope of claim 4..
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 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WAFTA et al. (US 2023/0078002 A1; hereafter WAFTA).
With respect to claim 2, WAFTA discloses a User Equipment (UE) (UE of FIG. 4; UE of FIG. 5; UE of FIG. 6; UE of FIG. 7) comprising:
transmission and reception circuitry (1205, 1203 in FIG. 12; paragraph [0310] and [0311]);
controlling circuitry (1201 in FIG. 12; paragraphs [0028] and [0030], see the processor and general purpose computer); and
storage circuitry (paragraphs [0028] and [0030], see FPGA or ASIC),
wherein in a case that the transmission and reception circuitry is provisioned with a new configured NSSAI (Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) (Step 2 of FIG. 5; configuration update command),
the controlling circuitry is configured to delete a first NSSAI stored in the storage circuitry, the first NSSAI contains one or more S-NSSAIs (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) not available in partial tracking area(s) in a registration area (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the separation into {A} and {B}, and then the UE deletes the {B} for different access allowed), and
each of the one or more S-NSSAIs is associated with one or more tracking areas where the S-NSSAI is not available (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the separation into {A} and {B}, and then the UE deletes the {B} for different access allowed).
With respect to claim 3, WAFTA further discloses the UE according to claim 1, wherein the first NSSAI applies for 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access only (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the 3GPP access and non-3GPP access).
With respect to claim 4, WAFTA discloses a communication control method (Abstract; Title) performed by a User Equipment (UE) (UE of FIG. 4; UE of FIG. 5; UE of FIG. 6; UE of FIG. 7), the communication control method comprising:
when the UE is provisioned with a new configured NSSAI (Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) (Step 2 of FIG. 5; configuration update command),
deleting a first NSSAI stored in the UE (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the separation into {A} and {B}, and then the UE deletes the {B} for different access allowed),
wherein the first NSSAI contains one or more S-NSSAIs (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) not available in partial tracking area(s) in a registration area (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the separation into {A} and {B}, and then the UE deletes the {B} for different access allowed), and
each of the one or more S-NSSAIs is associated with one or more tracking areas where the S-NSSAI is not available (paragraphs [0254], [0255], [0256], [0257], [0258], [0259], [0260], and [0261], see the separation into {A} and {B}, and then the UE deletes the {B} for different access allowed).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian T O'Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-1081. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri Flex 10am-6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 July 1, 2026
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