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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shimoda et al. (Pub. No. 20230161538).
- With respect to claims 1, 9-11, Shimoda teaches a base station system (e.g. gNB shows in fig. 3 block 213) comprising: a first unit having a function of processing a radio signal (e.g. block 408 in Fig. 9); and a plurality of second units each having a function of a higher layer than the function of the first unit (e.g. block 412, 401, 402 in fig. 9), wherein each of the plurality of second units provides one or more network slices, one of the plurality of second units is an initial unit that executes random access processing for a user equipment (e.g. Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 shows network slices), and the initial unit includes: a setting unit configured to set a communication connection to the user equipment upon receiving, from the user equipment, a communication request that includes identification information indicating a first network slice (e.g. par. 86 discloses UE register and request slice that UE request), a determination unit configured to determine a providing unit that provides the first network slice from among the plurality of second units (see par. 212 discloses “the AMF may determine a RAN slice to be allowed for the communication with the UE. The AMF may make the determination using information on RAN slices supported by the cell to which the UE is connected”), and a processing unit configured to execute processing for performing a handover of the communication connection to the providing unit when the initial unit and the providing unit are different from each other (e.g. step ST1954, ST1956, ST1957, ST1960 in Fig. 20 shows step of handover).
- With respect to claim 2, Shimoda teaches wherein radio resources dedicated to the random access within the radio signal that is processed by the first unit are allocated only to the initial unit (e.g. Fig. 21 discloses in ST1620, ST1722 and Fig. 267-268).
- With respect to claims 3-4, Shimoda teaches further comprising a storing unit configured to store determination information indicating network slices that are provided by the plurality of second units, wherein the determination unit determines the providing unit based on the identification information indicating the first network slice and the determination information (see par. 305 and Fig. 9-10).
- With respect to claims 5-6, Shimoda teaches further comprising a communication unit configured to communicate with a control apparatus that holds determination information indicating network slices that are provided by the plurality of second units, wherein the determination unit determines the providing unit by notifying the control apparatus of the identification information, and obtaining information indicating the providing unit from the control apparatus (see par. 295-302 discloses “he AMF notifies the base station of information on a surrounding base station that can support predetermined RAN slices. The AMF may give the notification in a procedure for the NG Setup. The AMF may give the notification, for example, via the signaling for the NG SETUP RESPONSE disclosed in Non-Patent Document 23 (TS38.413). Alternatively, the AMF may give the notification via another N2 signaling, for example, the signaling for notifying the registration acceptance of the UE, or the signaling for notifying the registration rejection of the UE. New N2 signaling for the notification may be provided. This can, for example, reduce the signaling between the UE and the base station”).
- With respect to claim 7, Shimoda teaches wherein each of the plurality of second units includes a third unit and a fourth unit that has a function of a higher layer than a function of the third unit (e.g. units in fig. 9).
- With respect to claim 8, Shimoda teaches wherein the first unit is a radio unit (RU), the third unit is a distributed unit (DU), and the fourth unit is a central unit (CU) (see Fig. 3 and 9).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
. Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs or columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUC H TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3172. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 Flex.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sujoy K. Kundu can be reached at 571-272-8586. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUC H TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471
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