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 .
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.
Claims 14-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0212152 to Gupta et al. (“Gupta”).
Regarding claim 14, Gupta teaches a method comprising:
receiving a registration request message including capability information related to an unavailability period from a User Equipment (UE) (paragraph [0030] teaches receiving a message such as a registration request message that indicates that a UE 102 has finished the operation it intended to perform during the unavailability period);
transmitting a registration accept message including information that the unavailability period is supported to the UE, based on the capability information related to the unavailability period (paragraph [0035] teaches transmitting support information in a 5GS network feature support IE of a registration accept message);
receiving a message including the unavailability period information from the UE (see paragraph [0030] regarding information of the unavailability period ); and
based on that a loss of connectivity event subscription exists for the UE, transmitting an event notification message including time information based on the unavailability period information to a Network Exposure Function (NEF) (see paragraph [0027] regarding a message including an estimated duration of the unavailability period, measured in time units, and exchanging capability information and indicating it supports the UE’s capability to determine an unavailability period; see paragraph [0083] regarding 3GPP network such as a Network Exposure Function).
Regarding claim 15, Gupta teaches the method of claim 14, wherein the loss of connectivity event subscription for the UE is an event subscription by an Application Function (AF) (see paragraph [0019] regarding that at times a UE may need to perform an operation that makes the UE unavailable to some or all aspects of a 3GPP network, for example, unavailable to an Application Function).
Regarding claim 16, Gupta teaches the method of claim 15, wherein the time information is reported to the AF (see paragraph [00190]).
Regarding claim 17, Gupta teaches the method of claim 14, further comprising: based on that the registration request message including the unavailability period information is received from the UE, releasing the signaling connection with the UE after the registration procedure is completed (paragraph [0059] teaches the UE transmits to the network a release request indication and a registration request).
Regarding claim 18, Gupta teaches the method of claim 14, wherein the message including the unavailability period information is a registration request message (paragraph [0030] teaches a registration request message indicating that the UE has finished the operation it intended to perform during the unavailability period).
Regarding claim 19, Gupta teaches the method of claim 14, wherein the message including the unavailability period information is a deregistration request message (paragraph [0040] teaches the deregistration request message is transmitted to the 3GPP network).
Claims 20-23 are rejected similarly to claims 14-17.
Regarding claim 24, Gupta teaches a method comprising: transmitting a registration request message including capability information related to an unavailability period to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (see paragraph [0030] regarding registration request message and paragraph [0023] regarding messages are transmitted between a UE and network server such as AMF); receiving a registration accept message including information that the unavailability period is supported from the AMF (see paragraph [0035]); and transmitting a message including the unavailability period information to the AMF (see paragraph [0032]).
Regarding claim 25, Gupta teaches the method of claim 24, wherein the message including the unavailability period information is transmitted, based on that the unavailability period is supported is indicated by the AMF (see paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 26, Gupta teaches the method of claim 24, wherein the unavailability period information is used by the AMF to transmit an event notification message related to a loss of connectivity event subscription (see claim 14 above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMY R HSU whose telephone number is (571)270-3012. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lin Ye can be reached at (571)272-7372. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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AMY R. HSU
Examiner
Art Unit 2664
/AMY R HSU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2638
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