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)(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.
Claims 1-2, 10-11, 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Sugawara (2026/0173005).
Regarding claims 1 and 18, Sugawara discloses a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication (see abstract, figs.1-2, element UE_A10 paragraphs [0011-0012], [0020-0021], [0023], [0043] and its description), the user equipment comprising: a memory (see abstract, fig.3, element 340 paragraphs [0013], [0046] and its description); a transceiver that communicates with a mobile communication network that manages network slices within more than one tracking area, each tracking area supporting one or more network slices (see abstract, fig.3, element 320, paragraphs [0007], [0013], [0046] and its description); and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver and which is configured to cause the UE to (see abstract, fig.3, elements 300, 340, 320, paragraphs [0013], [0046-0047] and its description): send a registration request message to the mobile communication network, wherein the registration request message contains a core network capability indication that the device supports a partial registration of at least one network slice that is within all of the tracking areas in a registration area (see abstract, fig.5, fig.6, EU, AN, AMF, steps S600-S604, paragraphs [0007], [0015-0016], [0046-0047], [0158], [0226] [0233] and its description); receive, from the mobile communication network, a mobility management message comprising parameters for (i) one or more allowed network slices supported by each tracking area of the registration area, and (ii) a partial network slice registration identifying at least one local network slice that is supported in at least one tracking area but not supported within all of the tracking areas in the registration area (see abstract, fig.5, fig.6, EU, AN, AMF, steps S610, paragraphs [0007], [0015-0016], [0046-0047], [0158], [0161], [0226] [0233], [0239-0241], [0245] and its description); and configure the device to use the local network slice of the partial network slice registration when the device is located in the tracking area supporting the local network slice (see abstract, fig.6, elements UE step S612, paragraphs [0007], [0016], [0284-0285], and its description).
Regarding claim 2, Sugawara further discloses wherein: the received mobility management message is one of a registration accept message or a device configuration update command (see paragraph [0096]; and the at least one local network slice is a partially allowed or partially rejected network slice (see abstract, paragraphs [0096-0098]).
Regarding claim 10, Sugawara discloses a base station for wireless communication (see abstract, fig.1, element A80/B120, fig.2, elements 80/120, fig.4, paragraph [0014], [0020-0023] and its description), the base station comprising: a transceiver that communicatively connects to a user equipment (UE) that registers with the network device for connectivity to a network, the transceiver receiving from the user equipment a registration request message comprising a core network capability indication that the user equipment supports partial registration with network slices (see abstract, fig.4, element 530, fig.6, elements UE, AN, AMF, fig.6, steps S600-S604, paragraphs [0014-0016], [0020-0023] [0046-0047], [0051], [0158], [0226] [0233] and its description); and an access controller that is communicatively connected to the transceiver and which, in response to receipt of the core network capability indication configures the base station to: identify a registration area including more than one tracking area and in which network slices are not supported within all of the more than one tracking area within the registration area (see abstract, fig.4, element 530, fig.6, elements UE, AN, AMF, fig.6, steps S600-S604, paragraphs [0007], [0014-0016], [0020-0023] [0046-0047], [0051-0052], [0158], [0161], [0226] [0233], [0239-0241], [0245] and its description); and transmit, to the equipment, a mobility management message comprising: parameters for the registration area, a partial network slice registration identifying at least one local network slice that is not available in all tracking areas within the registration area, and an associated list of tracking areas in which the local network slice is one of allowed or rejected (see abstract, fig.5, fig.6, EU, AN, AMF, steps S610, paragraphs [0007], [0015-0016], [0046-0047], [0158], [0161], [0226] [0233], [0239-0241], [0245] and its description).
Regarding claim 11, Sugawara discloses wherein: the core network capability indication is received as one of (a) a parameter within a core network capability message or (b) a new parameter (see paragraphs [0044], [0220]); and the access controller is configured to cause the base station to generate the mobility management message to include at least one allowed network slice and to include the partial network slice registration within one of (i) in a single parameter together with the at least one allowed network slice or (ii) a separate parameter from the at least one allowed network slice (see abstract, fig.5, fig.6, EU, AN, AMF, steps S610, paragraphs [0007], [0015-0016], [0044] [0046-0047], [0158], [0161], [0220], [0226] [0233], [0239-0241], [0245] and its description).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-9, 12-17 and 19-20 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.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular 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.
When responding to this Office Action, Applicant is advised to clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present, in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. He or she must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections See 37 CFR 1.111(c).
Conclusion
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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
/CONGVAN TRAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
Prosecution Insights