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
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 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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shrestha et al. (Pub. No. US 2024/0284534).
Regarding claim 1. Shrestha teaches a method (Shrestha, the Abstract), comprising:
performing, by a processor of a user equipment (UE), a non-access stratum (NAS) procedure with a network (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: an UE in communication with a network node via a non-access stratum procedure); and
providing, by the processor responsive to a request from the network, UE location information to the network while the NAS procedure is ongoing (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: while in the NAS procedure, the UE provides location information in an NAS uplink).
Regarding claim 11. Shrestha teaches a method (Shrestha, the Abstract), comprising:
performing, by a processor of a user equipment (UE), an attach procedure with a network (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: an UE in communication with a network node via a non-access stratum procedure); and
providing, by the processor, UE location information to the network while the attach procedure with the network is ongoing (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: while in the NAS procedure, the UE provides location information in an NAS uplink).
Regarding claim 16. Shrestha teaches an apparatus implementable in a user equipment (UE) (Shrestha, the Abstract, Fig. 2, the UE 120), comprising:
a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly (Shrestha, Fig. 2, TX MIMO 266, DEMOD/MOD 254r, pp [55]); and
a processor (Shrestha, Fig. 2, controller/processor 280, pp [55]), coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations comprising:
performing, via the transceiver, an attach procedure with a network (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: an UE in communication with a network node via a non-access stratum procedure); and
providing, via the transceiver, UE location information to the network while the attach procedure with the network is ongoing (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [80]-[82]: while in the NAS procedure, the UE provides location information in an NAS uplink).
Regarding claim 2. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the NAS procedure comprises an attach procedure, a registration procedure, a tracking area update (TAU) procedure or a security mode control procedure (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [82]).
Regarding claim 3. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises including UE coarse location information into an uplink (UL) NAS message (Shrestha, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 4. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 3, wherein the UL NAS message comprises an ATTACH REQUEST message, an ATTACH COMPLETE message, a TAU REQUEST message or a SECURITY MODE COMPLETE message (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [82]).
Regarding claim 5. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises:
providing, in a first NAS message transmitted by the UE to the network, an indication of UE capability of delivery of UE coarse location information via NAS signaling (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]); and
providing, in a second NAS message transmitted by the UE to the network, the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 6. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the first NAS message comprises an ATTACH REQUEST message, and wherein the second NAS message comprises a SECURITY MODE COMPLETE message in response to receiving from the network a SECURITY MODE COMMAND message requesting for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [82]).
Regarding claim 7. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 5, wherein the first message comprises an ATTACH REQUEST message, and wherein the second message comprises an ATTACH COMPLETE message in response to receiving from the network an ATTACH ACCEPT message requesting for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, pp [78]-[80]).
Regarding claim 8. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises providing the UE location information in an initial message transmitted by the UE to the network as part of the procedure (Shrestha, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 9. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 8, wherein the providing of the UE location information in the initial message comprises providing the UE location information in an ATTACH REQUEST message or a tracking area update (TAU) REQUEST message transmitted by the UE to the network (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [82]).
Regarding claim 10. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises providing the UE location information in a new information element (IE) specific to transmit UE coarse location information to the network (Shrestha, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 12. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 11, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises:
transmitting an ATTACH REQUEST message to the network with an indication of UE capability of delivery of UE coarse location information via NAS signaling (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]);
receiving a SECURITY MODE COMMAND message from the network with a request for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]); and
transmitting a SECURITY MODE COMPLETE message to the network with the UE coarse location information in response to receiving the SECURITY MODE COMMAND message (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 13. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving an ATTACH ACCEPT message from the network in response to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the network determining that the UE is allowed to operate at its current location (Shrestha, pp [74], [76], [78]-[80]).
Regarding claim 14. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising:
receiving an ATTACH REJECT message from the network in response to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the network determining that the UE is not allowed to operate at its current location (Shrestha, pp [74], [76], [78]-[80]).
Regarding claim 15. Shrestha teaches the method of claim 11, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises:
transmitting an ATTACH REQUEST message to the network with an indication of UE capability of delivery of UE coarse location information via NAS signaling (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]);
receiving an ATTACH ACCEPT message from the network with a request for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]); and
transmitting an ATTACH COMPLETE message to the network with the UE coarse location information in response to receiving the ATTACH ACCEPT message (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 17. Shrestha teaches the apparatus of claim 16, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises:
transmitting an ATTACH REQUEST message to the network with an indication of UE capability of delivery of UE coarse location information via NAS signaling (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]);
receiving a SECURITY MODE COMMAND message from the network with a request for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]); and
transmitting a SECURITY MODE COMPLETE message to the network with the UE coarse location information in response to receiving the SECURITY MODE COMMAND message (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]).
Regarding claim 18. Shrestha teaches the apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving an ATTACH ACCEPT message from the network in response to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the network determining that the UE is allowed to operate at its current location (Shrestha, pp [74], [76], [78]-[80]).
Regarding claim 19. Shrestha teaches the apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving an ATTACH REJECT message from the network in response to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the network determining that the UE is not allowed to operate at its current location (Shrestha, pp [74], [76], [78]-[80]).
Regarding claim 20. Shrestha teaches the apparatus of claim 16, wherein the providing of the UE location information comprises:
transmitting an ATTACH REQUEST message to the network with an indication of UE capability of delivery of UE coarse location information via NAS signaling (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]);
receiving an ATTACH ACCEPT message from the network with a request for the UE to provide the UE coarse location information (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]); and
transmitting an ATTACH COMPLETE message to the network with the UE coarse location information in response to receiving the ATTACH ACCEPT message (Shrestha, Fig. 4, pp [81]-[82]).
Relevant References to the claims but not used in the rejection above:
Blommaert et al. (Pub. No. US 2009/0111428), teaches the user equipment (UE) and the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an evolved 3GPP system generate authentication material that can be carried inside a packet switched network temporary mobile station identifier (P-TMSI) signature field of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) signaling message from the UE to a UMTS/GPRS serving GPRS support node (SGSN) in a UMTS or GPRS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) or in a GSM/Edge Radio Access Network (GERAN), as well as from the SGSN to the MME of the evolved 3GPP system. The MME authenticates a context transfer request from the UTRAN/GERAN system based on the transferred authentication material and knowledge of how to create or to verify the authentication material. Additionally, the MME and the UE derive or verify authentication material, based on at least one user-specific key, for embedding in the P-TMSI signature field in legacy 3GPP signalling.
Gupta et al. (Pub. No. US 2022/0132455), teaches systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media for use in a wireless network for communicating data over control plane in a 5G system. For example, some embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE). The UE includes processor circuitry and radio front end circuitry. The processor circuitry can be configured to transmit, using the radio front end circuitry, a first message for connecting to a 5G network and indicating a capability of the UE relating to Cellular Internet of Things (CIOT). The processor circuitry can be further configured to transmit, using the radio front end circuitry and via a control plane to the 5G network, a second message comprising mobile originated data. The processor circuitry can be further configured to receive, using the radio front end circuitry, a third message from the 5G network.
Velev et al. (Pub. No. US 2025/0024403), teaches apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for exchanging a multiple-SIM (MUSIM) capability. One apparatus includes a UE comprising at least one processor coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: register a first SIM with a first mobile communication network; register a second SIM with a second mobile communication network; and transmit a MUSIM capability to at least one of the first mobile communication network or the second mobile communication network. In such embodiments, the MUSIM capability indicates that the UE supports a single connection release type or multiple connection release types for a respective SIM.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUY C HO whose telephone number is (571)270-1108. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8AM-5PM.
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/HUY C HO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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