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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
DETAILED ACTION
This communication is in response to Application No. 18/864,077 filed on 8 November 2024. This application claims 371 priority to PCT/EP2023/062688 filed on 11 May 2023, and claims FOR priority to EP22305714.2 filed on 13 May 2022. The response filed 27 October 2025 previously presented claims 3-10 and 13-16 and amends claim 12. Claims 1-16 are presented for examination.
Claim Interpretation
Claims 1, 11, and 12 recites “said coverage management network function responding to the requirements defined for a service-based architecture for a network function, this coverage management network function further being configured to collect coverage information by the satellite system.” For the purpose of this examination, Examiner will interpret both limitations to refer to the coverage management network function.”
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 1-16 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 1 recites “a network function referred to as coverage management integrated in a fifth-generation network core configured to operate in collaboration with a satellite system having dynamic coverage.” The claim fails to particularly point out the scope of the claim. It is not clear what “referred to as” is a claim limitation, is the preamble [MPEP 2111.02], or intended to recite an intended use. Thus, this claim is indefinite. For the purpose of this examination, Examiner will interpret the limitation to mean “a coverage management network function integrated in a fifth-generation network core configured to operate in collaboration with a satellite system having dynamic coverage.”
Claims 1, 11, and 12 recites the limitation "said coverage management network function responding to the requirements defined for a service-based architecture for a network function." There is insufficient antecedent basis for “the requirements” in the claim. Thus, this claim is indefinite. For the purpose of this examination, Examiner interprets this limitation to mean “said coverage management network function comprising architecture providing services.”
Claims 1, 11, and 12 recite plain language. For instance, claim 1 recites the limitation “also satisfying the requirements defined for a service-based architecture, in order to generate access network availability information in real time and provide it to this other network function of the core network.” The courts have held that one test for determining whether a claim is indefinite is whether "a person of ordinary skill in the art could not interpret the metes and bounds of the claim so as to understand how to avoid infringement". See Morton Int '1, Inc. v. Cardinal Chem. Co., 5 F.3d 1464, 1470 (Fed. Cir. 1993)); Halliburton Energy Servs., 514 F.3d at 1249. The examiner finds that the instant claims fail this test because a person of ordinary skill in the art would not be able to determine whether these phrases are an intended use of the positively recited functionality, an inherent causal effect of the positively recited functionality, or an actual positively recited functionality required for infringement. For instance, it is unclear whether these limitations are required for infringement or not. Therefore, the examiner finds these claims indefinite. For the purpose of this, Examiner interprets the claims to mean “the coverage management network function configured to generate access network availability information in real time and further the coverage management network function configured to provide it to an additional network function of the core network.”
Claims 2 – 10 and 13-16 fail to cure the deficiencies of their parent claim(s) and, therefore, inherit the rejections.
Claim 4 recites the limitation “so as to generate availability information of the access network in real time and provide it, taking into account the satellite coverage and the ground coverage.” The examiner finds this claim indefinite. For the purpose of this, Examiner interprets the claims to mean “wherein the coverage management network function configured to generate access network availability information in real time further comprises the satellite coverage and the ground coverage.”
Claim 9 recites the limitation “the coverage management network function according to claim 9.” A claim can not depend on itself. Therefore, the examiner finds these claims indefinite. For the purpose of this, Examiner interprets the claims to mean “the coverage management network function according to claim 1.”
Claim 11 recites the limitation “said network core comprising a coverage management network function according to one of the preceding claims.” The examiner finds this claim indefinite. For the purpose of this, Examiner interprets the claims to mean “said network core comprising a coverage management network function according to claim 1.”
Claim 12 recites “processing this coverage information based on at least one geographical area defined by another network function of the core network also satisfying the requirements defined for a service-based architecture.” The examiner finds this claim indefinite. For the purpose of this, Examiner interprets the claims to mean “processing this coverage information based on at least one geographical area defined by another network function of the core network in communication with a service-based architecture.”
Claims 13-16 fail to cure the deficiencies of their parent claim(s) and, therefore, inherit the rejections.
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.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US PGPUB 2021/0376919 A1 to Lin et al and in view of US PGPUB 2022/0322414 A1 to Khoshkholgh Dashtaki et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Lin discloses a network function referred to as coverage management integrated in a fifth-generation network core (Fig. 2 and 0071-0074 provides for the core network 204 includes a plurality of function units) configured to operate in collaboration with a satellite system having dynamic coverage (0078 provides for core network in collaboration with satellite system 303 with coverage of areas 306-308), said coverage management network function responding to the requirements defined for a service-based architecture for a network function (0004 provides for a satellite network can provide services), this coverage management network function further being configured to collect coverage information by the satellite system (0078 provides for the core network collecting communication loads of the satellites), to process this coverage information according to at least one geographical area defined by another network function of the core network (FIG. 3 and 0089 provides for the UPF collects statistics on traffics of the three satellite base stations in 3 areas), also satisfying the requirements defined for a service-based architecture, in order to generate access network availability information in real time and provide it to this other network function of the core network (0089-0091 provides for collecting statistics on traffics in a pre-specified time interval and communicating with the AMF function of the core network). Lin doesn’t explicitly disclose the network core collaborating with an access network (RAN). Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, in a similar field of endeavor, discloses the network core collaborating with an access network (RAN) (FIG. 1B and 0062-0063 provides for 5G-CN 152 may be a service-based architecture communication with NG-RAN 154). One of ordinary skill in the art before the effectively filed date of the claimed invention would have recognized the ability to utilize the teachings of Khoshkholgh Dashtaki for another example communication network. The 5G-CN of Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, when implemented with the core network of the Lin system, will allow one of ordinary skill in the art to define network functions in order to offer services via interfaces to other network functions (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0063). Therefore, the examiner concludes it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to utilize the 5G-CN of Khoshkholgh Dashtaki with the core network of the Lin system for the desirable purpose of virtualizing functions on a platform to offer services.
Regarding Claim 2, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 1, wherein the processing of the information comprises an extrapolation of the satellite coverage according to the collected satellite coverage information, the availability information being a function of this extrapolation (Lin, 0089-0091 provides for collecting statistics on traffics in a pre-specified time interval and communicating with the AMF function of the core network).
Regarding Claim 3, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 1, wherein the coverage information includes satellite operation and maintenance information (Lin, 0100 provides for cell identifier), ephemerides of the satellites (Lin, 0100 provides for a satellite ephemeris), beams orientation information (Lin, 0106 provides for generated beam to satisfy a communication requirement of the cell).
Regarding Claim 4, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 1, further configured to additionally collect ground coverage information, the processing of the coverage information integrating this ground coverage information so as to generate availability information of the access network in real time and provide it, taking into account the satellite coverage and the ground coverage (Lin, 0078 provides for coverage area is dense, sparse, or no man’s area).
Regarding Claim 5, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 1, further configured for: - receiving an availability request from another network function according to the service-based architecture, this availability request including a geographical area (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0111 provides for receiving a handover request based on the UE’s current serving cell), - generating in real time and providing, in response to the availability request, availability information comprising a coverage status at the time of receipt of the request (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0269 provides for expiry of an SR prohibit timer). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 6, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 5, wherein the availability information further comprises timing elements of coverage and absence of coverage over the geographical area (Lin, FIG. 6 and 0117 provides for geographical area with different population distribution levels).
Regarding Claim 7, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 5, wherein, the availability request further comprising an indication of total or partial coverage, the availability information then further comprises total or partial coverage information (Lin, FIG. 6 and 0117 provides for geographical area with different population distribution levels).
Regarding Claim 8, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 5, further configured for: - receiving a registration request from another network function according to the service-based architecture, to be registered with a service for sending availability notification (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0062-0063 provides for 5G-CN 152 may be a service-based architecture communication with NG-RAN 154), these registration requests including a geographical area (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0111 provides for receiving a handover request based on the UE’s current serving cell), - during a change in the status of coverage over the geographical area of the registration, generating in real time and providing a notification to the network functions registered on the service, this notification comprising availability information including timing elements of coverage and absence of coverage over the geographical area (Khoshkholgh Dashtaki, 0115-0116 provides for tacking areas for the Core network to track a UE’s new location). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 9, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 9, wherein the availability information includes timing elements of coverage and absence of coverage over the geographical area (Lin, 0078 provides for coverage area is dense, sparse, or no man’s area).
Regarding Claim 10, the Lin/Khoshkholgh Dashtaki system discloses the coverage management network function according to claim 8, wherein, the registration request further comprising an indication of total or partial coverage, the availability information then further comprises total or partial coverage information (Lin, 0078 provides for coverage area is dense, sparse, or no man’s area).
Regarding Claim 11, similar rejection where the network function of claim 1 teaches the fifth-generation network core of claim 11.
Regarding Claim 12, similar rejection where the network function of claim 1 teaches the method of claim 12.
Regarding Claim 13, similar rejection where the network function of claim 2 teaches the method of claim 13.
Regarding Claim 14, similar rejection where the network function of claim 4 teaches the method of claim 14.
Regarding Claim 15, similar rejection where the network function of claim 5 teaches the method of claim 15.
Regarding Claim 16, similar rejection where the network function of claim 8 teaches the method of claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US PGPUB 2024/0224217 A1 to Pan et al discloses a 5th generation network architecture supporting access to a core network.
US PGPUB 2022/0247678 A1 to Atwal et al discloses a low earth orbit (LEO) system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCHQUITA GOODWIN whose telephone number is (571)272-5477. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am - 5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tonia Dollinger can be reached on (571) 272-4170. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SCHQUITA D GOODWIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2459
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