CTNF 18/723,726 CTNF 94026 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-27 AIA 2. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. PCT/CN2022/142905, filed on December 28, 2022, that claims foreign priority to 202111680673.2 , filed on December 31, 2021 . Information Disclosure Statement 3. The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on June 24, 2024, and October 14, 2025, were filed before the mailing of a first Office action on the merits. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections 4. Claims 11 and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 11 (line 8) and claim 13 (line 5) recite “the UE assistance information message” and it should be - - a UE assistance information message - -, as “the UE assistance information message” lacks antecedent basis. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 5. 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. 07-21-aia AIA 6. Claim s 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang-Fu ‘155 (US 2021/0212155, “Huang-Fu ‘155”), in view of 3GPP ‘145 (Nokia, Nokia Shanghai Bell, "UE capability and additional scenarios related to MUSIM switching scenarios", R2-2110145, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #116 Electronic Online, 01 - 12 November 2021, “3GPP ‘145”) . Regarding claims 11 and 13, Huang-Fu ‘155 discloses a User Equipment (UE) ( FIG. 1, para 36-37; UE 110 ), comprising: one or more processors; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors ( FIG. 2, para 53-65; UE includes a controller that is a processor, where the controller controls operations, and a memory that stores instructions for operations ) to: in response to determining that the UE is configured to provide Multi-Subscriber Identity Module assistance information, that the UE has a preference to release and that a timer is not running, initiate transmission of the UE assistance information message; and start the timer ( FIGS. 1 and 4A-4B, para 2, 4-14, 78-82, and 89-98; UE is a multi-subscriber identity module (multi-SIM) device that is configured to communicate with a first network, over a first radio access technology (RAT) and using a first SIM, and with a second network, over a second RAT and using a second SIM; when leaving the first network and switching to the second network, the UE requires a release of a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the first network, release request message that is a UE assistance information message; as it sends the assistance information message, the UE starts a timer for the purpose of releasing the RRC connection at timer expiration, when the UE does not receive a RRC connection release message from the first network; thus, the UE is configured to provide multi-SIM assistance information, requiring release of the RRC connection with the first network, sending the UE assistance information message, and starting a new timer for the purpose of releasing the RRC connection at timer expiration ). Although Huang-Fu ‘155 discloses in response to determining that the UE is configured to provide Multi-Subscriber Identity Module assistance information, that the UE has a preference to release and that a timer is not running, initiate transmission of the UE assistance information message; and start the timer, Huang-Fu ‘155 does not specifically disclose the UE is configured to provide Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) assistance information, the UE has a preference to release a Secondary Cell Group (SCG), wherein a musim-ReleaseScgRequest is included in the message to indicate the UE's preference on the SCG to be released for the MUSIM. 3GPP ‘145 teaches the UE is configured to provide Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) assistance information ( Section 1: Introduction, Sections 2.1 and 2.2; UE is configured for MUSIM operation, where the UE provides MUSIM-related UE assistance information via a switching request message ), the UE has a preference to release a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) ( Section 1: Introduction, Sections 2.1 and 2.2; UE indicates its preference to release a SCG within a leave indication structure of the UE assistance information ), wherein a musim-ReleaseScgRequest is included in the message to indicate the UE's preference on the SCG to be released for the MUSIM ( Section 1: Introduction, Sections 2.1 and 2.2; UE indicates its preference to release the SCG through the UE assistance information in the switching request message, where the switching request is for switching between networks in MUSIM operation ). Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Huang-Fu ‘155’s UE that transmits a UE assistance information message, to include 3GPP ‘145’s UE’s indication of preference to release a SCG within a leave indication structure of the UE assistance information. The motivation for doing so would have been to avoid performance degradation in MUSIM scenarios ( 3GPP ‘145, Section 1: Introduction ). Regarding claim 12 , Huang-Fu ‘155 in combination with 3GPP ‘145 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 11, as outlined above. Further, Huang-Fu ‘155 teaches wherein the at least one memory stores further instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: in response to determining that the timer expires, consider that the SCG is released ( FIGS. 1 and 4A-4B, para 2, 4-14, 78-82, and 89-98; UE starts a timer for the purpose of the UE releasing the RRC connection at timer expiration, when the UE does not receive a RRC connection release message from the first network; thus, in response to determining that the timer expires, the UE considers that the connection is released, and that the UE can release the connection at the UE’s end ) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA 7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shrivastava U.S. Pub. No. 2024/0089918 – Paging collision avoidance by UE comprising a plurality of RAT networks and SIMs Araujo U.S. Pub. No. 2024/0195594 – UE’s preferred mode of operation associated with a SCG Internet Communication Applicant is encouraged to submit a written authorization for Internet communications (PTO/SB/439, https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf) in the instant patent application to authorize the examiner to communicate with the applicant via email. The authorization will allow the examiner to better practice compact prosecution. The written authorization can be submitted via one of the following methods only. (1) Central Fax which can be found in the Conclusion section of this Office action; (2) regular postal mail; (3) EFS WEB; or (4) the service window on the Alexandria campus. EFS web is the recommended way to submit the form since this allows the form to be entered into the file wrapper within the same day (system dependent). Written authorization submitted via other methods, such as direct fax to the examiner or email, will not be accepted. See MPEP § 502.03 . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NEVENA SANDHU whose telephone number is (571) 272-0679. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 9AM-5PM EST, Friday variable. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Thier can be reached on (571) 272-2832. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /NEVENA ZECEVIC SANDHU/Examiner, Art Unit 2474 /Michael Thier/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2474 Application/Control Number: 18/723,726 Page 2 Art Unit: 2474 Application/Control Number: 18/723,726 Page 3 Art Unit: 2474 Application/Control Number: 18/723,726 Page 4 Art Unit: 2474 Application/Control Number: 18/723,726 Page 5 Art Unit: 2474 Application/Control Number: 18/723,726 Page 6 Art Unit: 2474
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