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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 24-30, 32 is/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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With respect to the claim(s), the prior art of record fails to disclose singly or in combination or render obvious all the limitations of the claim(s).
The closest prior art relating to Applicant' s claimed invention is:
US 20240121710 A1 Cheng; Peng et al.
US 20230056855 A1 Jiang; Xiaowei
US 20240073761 A1 Fu; Zhe et al.
Cheng discloses wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may receive, from a base station, supported slice information. The UE may perform, in connection with a determination that one or more intended slices for the UE include a high priority slice, at least one of cell selection or cell reselection based at least in part on the supported slice information. Numerous other aspects are described. As shown in FIG. 6, example 600 includes communication between a UE 120, a serving cell, and one or more neighbor cells. In some aspects, the UE 120 and base stations (e.g., base station 110) associated with the serving cell and the one or more neighbor cells may be included in a wireless network, such as wireless network 100. The UE 120 may communicate with the serving cell (e.g., with a base station associated with the serving cell) and/or each neighbor cell (e.g., a base station associated with each neighbor cell) via a wireless access link, which may include an uplink and a downlink.
Jiang discloses a cell reselection method and apparatus, an information transmission method and apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium. The cell reselection method is applied to a terminal, and comprises: receiving first priority information of a frequency point and a network slice combination supported by the frequency point; and performing cell reselection according to the first priority information. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the method can be applied in various terminals supporting network slices. The terminals may include normal terminals, IoT terminals, vehicle-mounted terminals or light-weight terminals. The normal terminals may include mobile phones and the like, for another example, long term evolution (LTE) terminals or the like. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the terminal may receive the first priority information from a base station. The first priority information here is priority information of a combination of a frequency point and a network slice supported by the frequency point, indicating a combined priority of the frequency point and the network slice supported by the frequency point. In the embodiments of the disclosure, the base station issues the first priority information to the terminal, and the terminal performs the cell reselection in consideration of the first priority information corresponding to the priority of a combination of a frequency point and a network slice supported by the frequency point rather than merely based on a cell priority or a frequency point priority, such that the reselection of a resident cell of the terminal may reduce occurrence of a phenomenon where a resident cell of the terminal cannot provide a network slice required or supported by the terminal and which may cause that a communication quality of the terminal cannot reaches expectations, thus improving the communication quality.
Fu discloses a method for using slice information includes that: at least one of cell selection, cell measurement, cell search, or cell reselection is performed based on slice information. During performing at least one of the cell selection, the cell measurement, the cell search, or the cell reselection, the slice information can be used to perform a more reasonable cell selection, cell measurement, cell search, and cell reselection in the case of different slice information, such that a UE is more likely to camp on a target cell that can provide a desired slice service.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
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 35-42 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.
Claim 35 recites the limitation "by first the network node" in line 9 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claim recites a first network node and a second network node, therefore, “the network node” is ambiguous with respect to which node is being referenced or if an entirely different node is being referenced. The Examiner notes that Applicant likely intended to recite “by the first network node” (i.e., the word “first” should be after “the”).
Similar rationale applies to claims 36-42 due to their dependency upon claim 35.
Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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.
(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) 23, 31, 33, 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20230056855 A1 to Jiang; Xiaowei
Re: Claim(s) 23, 33, 34
Jiang discloses a method (Fig. 3)
comprising: receiving, by a user device, slice specific cell reselection information including slice group specific frequency priorities for one or more slice groups, wherein each slice group is associated with one or more network slices (Fig. 3 – S110);
performing, by the user device, a slice specific cell reselection procedure based on the slice specific cell reselection information (Fig. 3 – S120);
during the performing of the cell reselection procedure, logging, by the user device, information related to the slice specific cell reselection procedure; and transmitting, by the user device to a network node, the information related to the slice specific cell reselection procedure to enable setting or adjusting the slice group specific frequency priorities for one or more slice groups for one or more cells (0113 - In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the second priority information of the network slice or a network slice group supported by the terminal based on a service occurring frequency on the network slice. 0119-0120 - reporting the second priority information of the network slice supported by the terminal includes reporting updated second priority information of the network slice supported by the terminal in response to an update of a priority of the network slice supported by the terminal. The second priority information is reported when the priority of the network slice supported by the terminal is updated, such that unnecessary reporting can be reduced. 0128-0130 - reporting the second priority information of the network slice supported by the terminal includes: switching the terminal to a connected state in response to the terminal being in an idle state or an inactive state and an update of the priority of the network slice supported by the terminal; and reporting updated second priority information of the network slice supported by the terminal during the switching to the connected state. In the embodiment, if the terminal is in the idle state or the inactive state and a change of the priority of the network slice supported by the terminal is monitored, i.e., the priority of the network slice supported by the terminal is updated, the terminal is automatically switched to the connected state, such that the updated second priority information may be reported timely, thus facilitating the update of the first priority information of the terminal at the network side. 0183-0186 - the apparatus further includes a fourth determining module configured to determine the second priority information of the network slice or a network slice group supported by the terminal based on a service occurring frequency on the network slice … The reporting module is configured to report the second priority information of the network slice supported by the terminal based on the priority request information. The Examiner notes that the terminal is determining that priority information is updated and thus reports (i.e., logs) the updated priority information to the network).
Jiang further discloses an apparatus (Fig. 9) comprising a processor (Fig. 9 – 820) and memory comprising computer program code (Fig. 9 – 804 and [0253]) as required by claims 33 and 34.
Re: Claim(s) 31
Jiang discloses wherein the information related to the cell reselection procedure that is logged by the user device comprises: a slice group and a slice group specific frequency priority used by the user for the slice specific cell reselection procedure (sic. Fig. 3 – the priority information comprises priority of a frequency point and network slice. Therefore, regarding the updated priority information as noted in the rejection of claim 23, it is implicit that such updated priority information would include updated priorities for a frequency point and network slice).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KASHIF SIDDIQUI whose telephone number is (571)270-3188. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R 6:00 EST to 16:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached on 571-270-1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KASHIF SIDDIQUI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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