COMMUNICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

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 . Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 1/21/25 and 6/18/25 are being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. 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) 21-24, 28-31 and 35-38 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Raval et al. (US 2021/0022059 A1) in view of Centonza et al. (US 2017/0251396 A1). Consider claims 21, 28 and 35, Raval teaches a method, the method comprising: receiving, by a first access network device, first information from a first core network device (paragraph 6 and 42, stand alone (SA) BS), establishing, by the first access network device, a connection to the second core network device via the first core network device (paragraph 44, the IWF acts like an AMF tworkds the 5G SA gNB and acts like an MME towards EPC core. The gNB’s signaling to the EPC is relayed through the IWF. The gNB communicates with the EPC through the first core network device). Raval does not teach wherein the first information indicates to the first access network device to associate with a first public land mobile network (PLMN) via the first core network device, and the first PLMN corresponds to a second core network device. Centonza further teaches wherein the first information indicates to the first access network device to associate with a first public land mobile network (PLMN) via the first core network device (paragraph 164 and 171, a core network device signaling information to an access network device the information is the selected PLMN ID), and the first PLMN corresponds to a second core network device (paragraph 185, PLMN to core device correspondence). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify and include the above teachings for the purposes of furnishing the PLMN indication and PLMN to core correspondence so the base station associates with the correct PLMN served through the IWF and reaches the corresponding EPC device through the IWF). Consider claims 22, 29 and 36, Raval also teaches wherein there is a direct communication interface between the first access network device and the first core network device, and there is no direct communication interface between the first access network device and the second core network device (paragraph 6 and 44). Consider claims 23, 30 and 37, Centonza further teaches wherein the first information comprises a correspondence between the first core network device and at least one PLMN that comprises the first PLMN, and the first information further comprises a correspondence between the first PLMN and the second core network device (paragraph 180 and 185). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify and include the above teachings for the purposes of furnishing the PLMN indication and PLMN to core correspondence so the base station associates with the correct PLMN served through the IWF and reaches the corresponding EPC device through the IWF). Consider claims 24, 31 and 38, Centonza further teaches wherein the first information comprises a correspondence between the first core network device and at least one PLMN that comprises the first PLMN (paragraph 171, 180 and 185). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify and include the above teachings for the purposes of furnishing the PLMN indication and PLMN to core correspondence so the base station associates with the correct PLMN served through the IWF and reaches the corresponding EPC device through the IWF). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 25-27, 32-34 and 39-40 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. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN YE LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5258. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-8:00. 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For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JUSTIN Y LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644 9/29/26