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 Status
This office action is in response to the communication(s) filed on 09/26/2024.
Claim(s) 1-13, 15, and 18 is/are currently presenting for examination.
Claim(s) 1, 8, 15, and 18 is/are independent claim(s).
Claim(s) 8 and 18 is/are rejected.
Claims 1-7, and 15 is/are allowed.
Claim(s) 9-13 is/are objected to.
This action has been made NON-FINAL.
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) 8 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO_2020200207_A1_Wang (with English translation).
Regarding claim 8, Wang discloses a method for handling groups of User Equipment, UE, in a core network, the method being performed by a Unified Data Management, UDM, node in the core network (Wang, translation, page 30, 10th paragraph to page 31, 12th paragraph, UDM), the method comprising: obtaining a request from a Network Exposure Function, NEF, node, for at least one UE to be added to a group of UEs (Wang, translation, page 30, 13th paragraph, “Step 503: The NEF network element sends a second event registration request to the UDM network element, where the second event registration request includes the 5GLAN group identifier, and the second event registration request is used to request the UDM network element to obtain the group indicated by the 5GLAN group identifier. The IP addresses of all UEs in the group”, page 29, 3rd to 4th paragraphs) and to, for the group of UEs, allocate an External Group Identifier which will serve the group of UEs (Wang, translation, (Wang, translation, page 30, 13th paragraph; page 26, 11th paragraph, “…the NEF network element converts the External Group ID into a 5GLAN group identifier (such as 5GLAN DNN)”); allocating the External Group Identifier to the group of UEs (Wang, translation, page 30, last paragraph, “Step 504: After receiving the second event registration request, the UDM network element saves the UE ID and the 5GLAN group identifier, and sends a second event registration response to the NEF network element, indicating that the event registration is successful”); and sending the External Group Identifier for the group of UEs to the NEF node (Wang, translation, page 31, 8th paragraph, “Step 509: The UDM network element saves the UE ID, the 5GLAN group identifier, and the IP address of the UE as the context of the UE in the subscription information of the UE. The UDM network element determines whether the 5GLAN group identifier received from the SMF network element (or the 5GLAN group identifier in the UE’s subscription information) is consistent with the 5GLAN group identifier obtained from NEF, and if they are consistent, it returns the first to the NEF network element. 2. Event notification message”).
Regarding claim 18, Wang discloses the limitations as set forth in claim 8.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-13 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.
Claims 1-7, and 15 is/are allowed.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The reference US_20220360948_A1_Moon, teaches Upon receiving the group management request from the AF, the NEF transmits a UDM update request (UDM Update Req) message to the UDM. The UDM update request message may include at least one of a DNN and S-NSSAI allocated in a network in which the NEF is included and a network ID of a corresponding network, and the eVN DNN, the eVN S-NSSAI, and the eVN DNN received through the group management request message (Moon figure 5, paragraphs 118-119).
The reference US_20230037685_A1_Han, teaches A network exposure function (NEF) is responsible for transmitting or receiving events occurring in the mobile communication network and a support capability to or from the outside. For example, the NEF performs functions such as safely provisioning information of external applications to the core network, conversion of internal/external information, and storing and then redistributing functions received from other NFs in UDR. In relation to the virtual network, the NEF plays a role of transmitting data related to the virtual network configuration and operation from the AF. Parameters for managing the virtual network may include a virtual network group identifier, virtual network member information, virtual network group data, and the like (Han figures 3A, 4A, 5A, paragraph 46).
The art of record does not suggest the respective claim combinations together and nor would the respective claim combinations be obvious with: “associating all the received External Group Identifiers with the single virtual External Group Identifier” as stated in independent claim 1, and similar limitations as stated in independent claim 15.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WEIBIN HUANG whose telephone number is (571)270-3695. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30AM - 6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sujoy 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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/W.H/Examiner, Art Unit 2471
/SUJOY K KUNDU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2471
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