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 Objections
Claims 1-4, 8-10, 14-19 are objected to because of the following informalities: the claims contain an excessive number of comma and delineation of limitations followed by acronyms. Applicant should improve the claim for readability by removing extraneous commas and acronyms where . 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)(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) 14 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Chen (2024/0107417).
Regarding claim 14, Chen discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) of a cellular communications system for providing URSP rule provisioning in roaming, the method comprising: determine, based on checking visiting public land mobile network generated RSP rules prior to rules received from a HPLMN (para 187 – UE can be configured locally at the UE prior to receiving any URSP as well as para 214, USRP is delivered previously before receiving current rules from the H-PLMN), where a single slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) is contained within the list of allowed S-NSSAI’s (para 171, determining if S-NSSAI are valid) and responsive to determining the S-NSSAI contained within the list of allowed S-NSSAIs, determine a route selection descriptor (RSD) component of the VPLMN generated USRP rule is valid (para 172 and 176, logic to select the rule by priority).
Regarding claim 19, Chen discloses a user terminal (Figure 17, UE 10) comprising one or more transmitters and receivers (para 429, communications interface is a transceiver) and processing circuitry (11) associated with the transmitter and receivers, configured to cause the UE to: : determine, based on checking visiting public land mobile network generated RSP rules prior to rules received from a HPLMN (para 187 – UE can be configured locally at the UE prior to receiving any URSP as well as para 214, USRP is delivered previously before receiving current rules from the H-PLMN), where a single slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) is contained within the list of allowed S-NSSAI’s (para 171, determining if S-NSSAI are valid) and responsive to determining the S-NSSAI contained within the list of allowed S-NSSAIs, determine a route selection descriptor (RSD) component of the VPLMN generated USRP rule is valid (para 172 and 176, logic to select the rule by priority).
Regarding claims 15-18, Chen further discloses receiving from a V-PCF of a VPLMN, the VPLMN generated URSP rules (para 212-213 and para 218-228) as well as wherein the UE was previously provisioned with the VPLMN-generated rules by a V-PCF, and the URSP rules received from a HPLM (para 214, rules could be delivered from the HPLM previously as well as receiving the URSP from the VPLMN, para 225-228). Chen also discloses the VPLMN generated rules by verifying that a PLMN-ID in a list of policy section identifiers includes the identifier of the VPLM (Table 2, note VPLMN identifier as part of the URSP rules).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8-9, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (2024/0107417) in view of Zhu (2020/0304983).
Regarding claim 1, Chen discloses a method performed by a H-PCF (figure 8, H-PCF para 212) of a HPLMN of a cellular communications system, for providing user equipment routing and selection policy (USRP) rule provisioning in roaming (abstract), the method comprising providing HPLMN policy subscription data to a V-PCF of a visiting PLMN (Figure 8, V-PCF para 212), the HPLM USRP comprising an indication of whether local breakout roaming is allowed for one or more specific combinations of data network name (DNN) and S-NSSAI (in particular note, tables 3-5, referring to both DNN and S-NSSAI as well as a LBO roaming mode in para 215) . Chen fails to disclose the use of a subscriber permanent identifier (SUCI/SUPI). However, Zhu teaches that a policy subscription data can use a SUPI to help determine a USRP policy (para 145-155). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a SUPI identifier in order to properly identify the user equipment and what type of network the UE requests to access, as taught by Zhu.
Regarding claim 4, Chen discloses a network node (Figure 15, 2000, para 379) implementing a home policy control function of a HPLMN of a cellular system for providing URSP rule provisioning in roaming (para 380) comprising one or more transmitters (2200, sending unit), one or more receivers (2300 receiving unit) and processing circuitry (2100) associated with the one or more transmitters and receivers, the processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to comprising provide HPLMN policy subscription data to a V-PCF of a visiting PLMN (Figure 8, V-PCF para 212), the HPLM USRP comprising an indication of whether local breakout roaming is allowed for one or more specific combinations of data network name (DNN) and S-NSSAI (in particular note, tables 3-5, referring to both DNN and S-NSSAI as well as a LBO roaming mode in para 215) . Chen fails to disclose the use of a subscriber permanent identifier (SUCI/SUPI). However, Zhu teaches that a policy subscription data can use a SUPI to help determine a USRP policy (para 145-155). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a SUPI identifier in order to properly identify the user equipment and what type of network the UE requests to access, as taught by Zhu.
Regarding claim 8, Chen discloses a method performed by visiting policy control function (V-PCF) of a visiting PLMN of a cellular communication system for providing URSP rule provision in roaming, the method comprising: responsive to a UE registering in the V-PLMN and a UE policy being established between a H-PCF and the V-PCF, receiving the HPLMN UE policy subscription data (Figure 7, step 710 UE is in a VPLMN and para 208-212, H-PCF establishes USRP to the V-PCF), generating USRP rules in the VPLMN (para 215-220), determine based on the HPLMN USRP, where local breakout roaming is allowed for one or more combinations of DNN and S-NSSAI, in one or more route descriptor components in the URSP rules (para 215-217, the use of rules and RSD which are based on DNN and S-NSSAI), and responsive to LBO roaming, transmitting the rules to the UE. (para 183-184). Chen fails to disclose the use of a subscriber permanent identifier (SUCI/SUPI). However, Zhu teaches that a policy subscription data can use a SUPI to help determine a USRP policy (para 145-155). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a SUPI identifier in order to properly identify the user equipment and what type of network the UE requests to access, as taught by Zhu.
Regarding claim 10, Chen discloses a network node (Figure 15, 2000, para 379) implementing a visiting policy control function of a VPLMN of a cellular system for providing URSP rule provisioning in roaming (para 380, 388) comprising one or more transmitters (2200, sending unit), one or more receivers (2300 receiving unit) and processing circuitry (2100) associated with the one or more transmitters and receivers, the processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to : responsive to a UE registering in the V-PLMN and a UE policy being established between a H-PCF and the V-PCF, receiving the HPLMN UE policy subscription data (Figure 7, step 710 UE is in a VPLMN and para 208-212, H-PCF establishes USRP to the V-PCF), generating USRP rules in the VPLMN (para 215-220),determine based on the HPLMN USRP, where local breakout roaming is allowed for one or more combinations of DNN and S-NSSAI, in one or more route descriptor components in the URSP rules (para 215-217, the use of rules and RSD which are based on DNN and S-NSSAI), and responsive to LBO roaming, transmitting the rules to the UE. (para 183-184). Chen fails to disclose the use of a subscriber permanent identifier (SUCI/SUPI). However, Zhu teaches that a policy subscription data can use a SUPI to help determine a USRP policy (para 145-155). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a SUPI identifier in order to properly identify the user equipment and what type of network the UE requests to access, as taught by Zhu.
Regarding claims 2-3, Chen further discloses wherein providing the HPLMN policy subscription data for the SUPI to the V-PCF is responsive to the UE registering in the VPLMN and a UE policy association being established between the H-PCF and the V-PCF (para 4-8, background discloses that the HPLMN and VPLMN interact to allow roaming in a UE registration also para 26) as well as the policy providing for a new public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID – para 185, PLMN descriptors are PLMN ID or name).
Regarding claim 9, Chen further discloses the generating of URSP rules for the UE comprises providing a list of policy section identifiers including an identifier of the VPLMN (Table 2, note VPLMN identifier as part of the URSP rules).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee (2023/0362623) discloses URSP rule generation based on UE registration within a cellular communication network and the interaction between H-PCF and V-PCF.
Lin (12133155) discloses URSP rules in a PDU network with pre-configured rules.
Kumar (2020/0389931) disclose HPLMN and VPLMN interaction in a roaming network.
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WILLIAM GEORGE TROST IV
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2641
/WILLIAM G TROST IV/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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