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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I consisting of claims 1 and 2 in the reply filed on 7 Aug 2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the office has not demonstrated a serious search and examination burden. This is not found persuasive because MPEP 808.02 defines a burden as a separate classification, a separate status in the art when they are classifiable together, or a different field of search. Each group of claims can be classified under different CPC classifications and thus meets the burden as defined by the MPEP. The independent claims in each group (a method and associated apparatus) meet the requirement of MPEP 806 regarding distinctness where the inventions are related, but distinct as claimed. Each independent claim grouping (method and associated apparatus) receives an independent message from different sources and performs unique and distinct actions.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Poe (US 20240031790 A1) hereafter Poe)
Regarding Claim 1:
Poe discloses:
A method performed by a network node in a Visited Public Land Mobile Network, VPLMN, of a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving, from the UE, a request comprising information indicating a particular network slice that is subject to Network Slice Admission Control, NSAC;([¶0262] Step 1a. The roaming UEs' requests subject to admission control (e.g., registration to a set of S-NSSAI, PDU sessions establishment of a network slice) are managed and enforced by the serving PLMN (i.e., vPLMN) according to the network slice admission control functionalities concluded in 3GPP TR 23.700-40 against the initial RB of the associated slice SLA parameters of the associated S-NSSAI from the corresponding hPLMN. [¶0263] Step 1b. In parallel with network slice admission control operation in core network, the elastic quota management functionalities can be performed by a new entity of new NF, e.g., EQM Function (EQMF) for a network slice associated with roaming UEs of the corresponding hPLMN. The new entity, EQMF, exists in all PLMN to support roaming UEs' Budget or Quota adjustment or negotiation. Each EQMF pair (between vPLMN and hPLMN) communicates and exchange messages via a new interface.) obtaining subscription data that comprises information that indicates whether VPLMN or Home Public Land Mobile Network, HPLMN, control should be applied for NSAC;([¶0264] Step 1b.1. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the Roaming Budget of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of the associated hPLMN included in the initial Roaming Agreement or SLA between vPLMN and hPLMN. The EQMF can get this information from one of the Core NFs and/or the NF dedicated for the network slice Admission Control functionalities. [¶0265] Step 1b.2. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the statistical Analytics data of Roaming/Non-roaming UEs related to the S-NSSAI, including one or more of the followings: [¶0266] Statistical behaviors of roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the associated hPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF, MDAF), [¶0267] Statistical behaviors of non-roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the vPLMN from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF, MDAF). [¶0268] Step 1b.3. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the expected/predicted Analytics data of Roaming/Non-roaming UEs related to the S-NSSAI, including one or more of the followings: [¶0269] Expected behaviors and forecast of roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the associated hPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF), [¶0270] Expected behaviors and forecast of Non-roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the vPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF). [¶0271] Step 1b.4. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the resources of S-NSSAI from other NFs, including one or more of the followings: [¶0272] Overall available remaining resource of the network slice in vPLMN from Core NFs and/or OAM, [¶0273] Step 1b.5. The EQMF obtains in vPLMN obtains information related to the admission control of S-NSSAI from Core NFs, including one or more of the followings: [¶0274] The current remaining RB (or quota) of RB of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of the associated hPLMN from network slice Admission Control NF, [¶0275] Overall available remaining budget of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of vPLMN (i.e., total remaining budget for all Roaming/Non-roaming UEs allow to use the S-NSSAI) from network slice Admission Control NF.) and sending an update request to a Network Slice Admission Control Function, NSACF, in the VPLMN of the UE, wherein the update request comprises the information that indicates whether VPLMN or HPLMN control should be applied for NSAC. ([¶0286] Step 1b.10. Based on the response received from the EQMF of the hPLMN, the EQMF in vPLMN checks the response and determines whether to update the RB of the network slice of the associated hPLMN. If the corresponding update of an RB of a slice SLA parameter is required, the EQM sends the updated value of the RB(s) of particular Slice SLA parameter(s) of the network slice to the NF dedicated for the network slice Admission Control functionalities for the handling of roaming UEs of the hPLMN. The update may also be sent to the required Core NFs or OAM in vPLMN based on the management and business requirements.)
Regarding Claim 2:
Poe discloses:
A network node for a Visited Public Land Mobile Network, VPLMN, of a User Equipment, UE, the network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to:([¶0299] FIG. 10 shows a second network entity 110 for a second network according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The second network entity 110 may comprise processing circuitry (not shown) configured to perform, conduct or initiate the various operations of the second network entity 110 described herein. The processing circuitry may comprise hardware and software. The hardware may comprise analog circuitry or digital circuitry, or both analog and digital circuitry. The digital circuitry may comprise components such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or multi-purpose processors. The second network entity 110 may further comprise memory circuitry, which stores one or more instruction(s) that can be executed by the processor or by the processing circuitry, in particular under control of the software. For instance, the memory circuitry may comprise a non-transitory storage medium storing executable software code which, when executed by the processor or the processing circuitry, causes the various operations of the second network entity 110 to be performed. In one embodiment, the processing circuitry comprises one or more processors and a non-transitory memory connected to the one or more processors. The non-transitory memory may carry executable program code which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the second network entity 110 to perform, conduct or initiate the operations or methods described herein.) receive, from the UE, a request comprising information indicating a particular network slice that is subject to Network Slice Admission Control, NSAC; ([¶0262] Step 1a. The roaming UEs' requests subject to admission control (e.g., registration to a set of S-NSSAI, PDU sessions establishment of a network slice) are managed and enforced by the serving PLMN (i.e., vPLMN) according to the network slice admission control functionalities concluded in 3GPP TR 23.700-40 against the initial RB of the associated slice SLA parameters of the associated S-NSSAI from the corresponding hPLMN. [¶0263] Step 1b. In parallel with network slice admission control operation in core network, the elastic quota management functionalities can be performed by a new entity of new NF, e.g., EQM Function (EQMF) for a network slice associated with roaming UEs of the corresponding hPLMN. The new entity, EQMF, exists in all PLMN to support roaming UEs' Budget or Quota adjustment or negotiation. Each EQMF pair (between vPLMN and hPLMN) communicates and exchange messages via a new interface.)obtain subscription data that comprises information that indicates whether VPLMN or Home Public Land Mobile Network, HPLMN, control should be applied for NSAC; ([¶0264] Step 1b.1. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the Roaming Budget of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of the associated hPLMN included in the initial Roaming Agreement or SLA between vPLMN and hPLMN. The EQMF can get this information from one of the Core NFs and/or the NF dedicated for the network slice Admission Control functionalities. [¶0265] Step 1b.2. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the statistical Analytics data of Roaming/Non-roaming UEs related to the S-NSSAI, including one or more of the followings: [¶0266] Statistical behaviors of roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the associated hPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF, MDAF), [¶0267] Statistical behaviors of non-roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the vPLMN from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF, MDAF). [¶0268] Step 1b.3. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the expected/predicted Analytics data of Roaming/Non-roaming UEs related to the S-NSSAI, including one or more of the followings: [¶0269] Expected behaviors and forecast of roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the associated hPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF), [¶0270] Expected behaviors and forecast of Non-roaming UEs in admission control procedure (e.g., registration, session management, mobility) with respect to the network slice of the vPLMN(s) from Analytics function (e.g., NWDAF). [¶0271] Step 1b.4. The EQMF in vPLMN obtains information related to the resources of S-NSSAI from other NFs, including one or more of the followings: [¶0272] Overall available remaining resource of the network slice in vPLMN from Core NFs and/or OAM, [¶0273] Step 1b.5. The EQMF obtains in vPLMN obtains information related to the admission control of S-NSSAI from Core NFs, including one or more of the followings: [¶0274] The current remaining RB (or quota) of RB of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of the associated hPLMN from network slice Admission Control NF, [¶0275] Overall available remaining budget of slice SLA parameters of the network slice of vPLMN (i.e., total remaining budget for all Roaming/Non-roaming UEs allow to use the S-NSSAI) from network slice Admission Control NF.) and send an update request to a Network Slice Admission Control Function, NSACF, in the VPLMN of the UE, wherein the update request comprises the information that indicates whether VPLMN or HPLMN control should be applied for NSAC. ([¶0286] Step 1b.10. Based on the response received from the EQMF of the hPLMN, the EQMF in vPLMN checks the response and determines whether to update the RB of the network slice of the associated hPLMN. If the corresponding update of an RB of a slice SLA parameter is required, the EQM sends the updated value of the RB(s) of particular Slice SLA parameter(s) of the network slice to the NF dedicated for the network slice Admission Control functionalities for the handling of roaming UEs of the hPLMN. The update may also be sent to the required Core NFs or OAM in vPLMN based on the management and business requirements.)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUGH MARK ASHLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-0199. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-430.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUGH MARK ASHLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2463
/ASAD M NAWAZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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