DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is a Non-final action for application number 18/725,366 in response to an original application filed on 06/28/2024.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Claims 1, 15, 18 and 20 are independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS), submitted on 06/24/2024 and 04/28/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on 06/28/2024.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 15, 18 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
[.
[Please replace S-NSSAI with Single Network Slice Selection Assistance information (S-NSSAI)].
[Please replace PDU with Packet Data Unit (PDU)].
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
[Please replace 5QI with 5G QoS Indicator (5QI)].
[Please replace QFI with QoS flow ID (QFI)].
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-6, 9 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao et al. (WO 2021/119627 A1) in view of Choe et al. (US 2023/0300924 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 15, a terminal device [Figure 14, Ref # 1410] comprising:
a processor, [Figure 14, Ref # 1411], and a transceiver, [Figure 14, Ref # 1414 & 1415],
wherein the processor, through the transceiver, transmits a request, [the UE 100 for the PLMN has a configured NSSAI or an allowed NSSAI, the UE 100 may provide to the network in RRC and NAS layer a requested NSSAI comprising the S-NSSAI(s) corresponding to the slice(s) to which the UE 100 attempts to register, a temporary user ID if one was assigned to the UE, and/or the like. The requested NSSAI may be configured-NSSAI, allowed-NSSAI, (Paragraph 91)], associated with one PDU session, [a PDU session may belong to one specific network slice instance per PLMN. In an example, different network slice instances may not share a PDU session. Different slices may have slice- specific PDU sessions using the same DNN, (Paragraph 85)],
receives an S-NSSAI allocated to the one network slice to which the plurality of QoS flows is mapped, [the Allowed NSSAI may take precedence over the configured NSSAI for a PLMN. The UE 100 may use the S-NSSAIs in the allowed NSSAI corresponding to a network slice for the subsequent network slice selection related procedures in the serving PLMN, (Paragraph 89)], and establishes the one PDU session associated with the one network slice to which the plurality of QoS flows is mapped, [if the UE 100 does not have a PDU session established with the specific S-NSSAI, the UE 100 may request a new PDU session corresponding to the S-NSSAI and with the DNN that may be provided by the application, (Paragraph 96)],
Qiao et al. fails to explicitly teach for mapping a plurality of QoS flows to one network slice,
Choe et al. teaches mapping between a QoS flow and a data radio bearer; marking QoS flow ID (QFI) in both DL and UL packets. A single protocol entity of SDAP is configured for each individual PDU session, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Qiao et al. by mapping a plurality of QoS flows to one network slice, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110), in order to reduce user and provider costs, improve service quality, and expand and improve coverage and system capacity, (Choe et al., Paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 2, the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor
allocates identification information for each of the plurality of QoS flows, [A QoS flow ID, QFI, may be employed to identify the QoS flow in the 5G system, (Paragraph 67)],
and maps data transmitted and received on the one PDU session to any one of the plurality of QoS flows on a basis of the identification information, [In an example, user plane traffic with the same QFI within a PDU session may receive the same traffic forwarding treatment, (Paragraph 67)].
Regarding claim 3, the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor receives, through the transceiver, a QoS rule applied to data transmitted and received on the one PDU session, [a default QoS rule may be required for every PDU session, (Paragraph 68)].
Regarding claim 4, the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor
allocates identification information for each of the plurality of QoS flows to be processed by an application using data transmitted and received through the transceiver, and includes the identification information in the request, [A QoS flow ID, QFI, may be employed to identify the QoS flow in the 5G system. In an example, user plane traffic with the same QFI within a PDU session may receive the same traffic forwarding treatment, (Paragraph 67)].
Regarding claims 5 and 19, the terminal device wherein the identification information is S-NSSAI, 5QI, or QFI, [A QoS flow ID, QFI, may be employed to identify the QoS flow in the 5G system, (Paragraph 67)].
Regarding claim 6, the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor
sets the number of QoS flows to be processed by an application using data transmitted and received through the transceiver, and includes the number of QoS flows to be processed in the request, [5G QoS flow may be a granularity for QoS forwarding treatment in the 5G system. Traffic mapped to the same 5G QoS flow may receive the same forwarding treatment (e.g. scheduling policy, queue management policy, rate shaping policy, RLC configuration, and/or the like). In an example, providing different QoS forwarding treatment may require separate 5G QoS flows, (Paragraph 69)].
Regarding claim 9, the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processor
selects at least one available S-NSSSAI for each of the QoS flows to be processed by an application using data transmitted and received through the transceiver, on a basis of subscription information, sets a relative priority of each of the selected S- NSSAI, and generates a list including the selected S-NSSAI and the relative priority, and includes the list in the request, [an AMF 155 may select an SMF 160 in a network slice instance based on S-NSSAI, DNN and/or other information e.g. UE 100 subscription and local operator policies, and/or the like, when the UE 100 triggers the establishment of a PDU session. The selected SMF 160 may establish the PDU session based on S-NSSAI and DNN, (Paragraph 97)].
Regarding claim 15, a base station device [Figure 14, Ref # 1420] comprising: a processor, [Figure 14, Ref # 1424] and transceiver, [Figure 14, Ref # 1424 & 1425] wherein the processor, through the transceiver, establishes one PDU session associated with one network slice, , [if the UE 100 does not have a PDU session established with the specific S-NSSAI, the UE 100 may request a new PDU session corresponding to the S-NSSAI and with the DNN that may be provided by the application, (Paragraph 96)],
and receives a QoS profile configured for each of the plurality of QoS flows, [the QoS parameters of a QoS flow may be provided to the (R)AN 105 as a QoS profile over N2 at PDU session establishment, QoS flow establishment, or when NG-RAN is used at every time the user plane is activated, (Paragraph 68)],
Qiao et al. fails to explicitly teach to which a plurality of QoS flows is mapped,
Choe et al. teaches mapping between a QoS flow and a data radio bearer; marking QoS flow ID (QFI) in both DL and UL packets. A single protocol entity of SDAP is configured for each individual PDU session, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Qiao et al. by including to which a plurality of QoS flows is mapped, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110), in order to reduce user and provider costs, improve service quality, and expand and improve coverage and system capacity, (Choe et al., Paragraph 2).
Regarding claim 16, the base station device according to claim 15, wherein the processor in a case where one QoS flow included in the plurality of QoS flows cannot be supported, transmits a request for mapping another QoS flow instead of the one QoS flow to the one network slice, through the transceiver, [an AMF 155 may select an SMF 160 in a network slice instance based on S-NSSAI, DNN and/or other information e.g. UE 100 subscription and local operator policies, and/or the like, when the UE 100 triggers the establishment of a PDU session. The selected SMF 160 may establish the PDU session based on S-NSSAI and DNN, (Paragraph 97)].
Regarding claim 17, the base station device according to claim 16, wherein the processor acquires a set of S-NSSAI or 5QI available to a terminal device using the one network slice, and a QoS flow corresponding to S-NSSAI or 5QI selected from the set is the another QoS flow, [an AMF 155 may select an SMF 160 in a network slice instance based on S-NSSAI, DNN and/or other information e.g. UE 100 subscription and local operator policies, and/or the like, when the UE 100 triggers the establishment of a PDU session. The selected SMF 160 may establish the PDU session based on S-NSSAI and DNN, (Paragraph 97)].
Regarding claims 18 and 20, a processing device comprising a processor, wherein the processor receives a request for mapping a plurality of QoS flows to one network slice associated with one PDU session, [the UE 100 for the PLMN has a configured NSSAI or an allowed NSSAI, the UE 100 may provide to the network in RRC and NAS layer a requested NSSAI comprising the S-NSSAI(s) corresponding to the slice(s) to which the UE 100 attempts to register, a temporary user ID if one was assigned to the UE, and/or the like. The requested NSSAI may be configured-NSSAI, allowed-NSSAI, (Paragraph 91)],
acquires subscription information of a terminal device to which the one PDU session is to be established, [the selection and traffic steering may be based on the UE's 100 subscription data, UE 100 location, the information from application function AF 145, policy, other related traffic rules, (Qiao et al., Paragraph 71)],
and allocates identification information for each of plurality of QoS flows, [A QoS flow ID, QFI, may be employed to identify the QoS flow in the 5G system, (Paragraph 67)],
Qiao et al. fails to explicitly teach maps the plurality of QoS flows to the one network slice in a case where the plurality of QoS flows is available on a basis of the subscription information,
Choe et al. teaches marking QoS flow ID (QFI) in both DL and UL packets. [A single protocol entity of SDAP is configured for each individual PDU session, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Qiao et al. by mapping the plurality of QoS flows to the one network slice in a case where the plurality of QoS flows is available on a basis of the subscription information, (Choe et al., Paragraph 110), in order to reduce user and provider costs, improve service quality, and expand and improve coverage and system capacity, (Choe et al., Paragraph 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 8, 10-14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shukri Taha whose telephone number is 571-270-1921. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri.
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/SHUKRI TAHA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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