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 .
Priority
Should applicant desire to obtain the benefit of foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) prior to declaration of an interference, a certified English translation of the foreign application must be submitted in reply to this action. 37 CFR 41.154(b) and 41.202(e).
Failure to provide a certified translation may result in no benefit being accorded for the non-English application.
Applicant cannot rely upon the certified copy of the foreign priority application to overcome this rejection because a translation of said application has not been made of record in accordance with 37 CFR 1.55. When an English language translation of a non-English language foreign application is required, the translation must be that of the certified copy (of the foreign application as filed) submitted together with a statement that the translation of the certified copy is accurate. See MPEP §§ 215 and 216.
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) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Casati (WO 2024115043 A1) (Machine Translation).
Regarding claims 1 and 8; Casati discloses a method and wireless device comprising:
sending, by a wireless device to a base station associated with an evolved packet system (EPS) (see request message, bottom of page 11), a request message requesting a packet data network (PDN) connectivity (see bottom of page 21, “while the UE is in EPS and it attempts to establish a PDN connection”), wherein:
the request message comprises an indication (see bottom of page 11, “the request comprising information indicating whether the user equipment supports network slice specific authentication and authorization; determining whether a network slice associated with the requested connection is subject to network slice specific authentication and authorization; determining, based on the request, whether the user equipment supports network slice specific authentication and authorization; and responsive to determining that the network slice is subject to network slice specific authentication and authorization and determining that the user equipment supports network slice specific authentication and authorization”) of support for network slice specific authentication and authorization (NSSAA) over the EPS (see NSSAA and EPS in third para. page 23); and
the PDN connectivity (see PDN connection, page 23 throughout) is associated with a network slice of a 5G system (5GS) (see 5GS top of page 21).
Regarding claim 15, Casati discloses the method comprising:
receiving, by a session management function (see SMF page 20, 3rd para.) and packet data network (see packet data network, page 21, para 4) gateway control function
(SMF+PGW-C) from a service gateway (SGW) (see PGW-C, SMF+PGW-C in para. 4, page 21), a create session request message requesting to establish a
packet data network (PDN) connection wherein (see request para. 2, page 4):
the PDN connection (see PDN connection, para 4, page 21) is associated with a network slice of a 5G system (5GS) (para 2, page 20);
the create session request message comprises an indication (see para. 2, page 4, “a request for a network connection, the request comprising information indicating whether the user equipment supports network slice specific authentication and authorization”) of support for network slice specific
authentication and authorization (NSSAA) (see NSSAA on page 21, para. 3)over an evolved packet system (EPS) (see EPS, page 21, para 4); determining, by the SMF+PGW-C that the network slice requires NSSAA;
sending, by the SMF+PGW-C to a network slice-specific and standalone non-public network (SNPN)
authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF) and based on the indication of support for NSSAA over
EPS, an authentication request for the network slice;
receiving, by the SMF+PGW-C from the NSSAAF (see NSSAAF, bottom of page 24), an authentication message for the network slice ; and
sending by the SMF+PGW-C to the SGW, an update bearer request message comprising the
authentication request for the network slice (top of page 28, “At 814 the first entity sends a bearer update request to the MME via the SGW. The bearer update request may comprise PCO I ePCO including an indication of whether the authentication was successful or failed, and information indicating the network slice for which NSSAA is being performed.”).
Regarding claims 2 & 9, Casati discloses the method of claim 1 and device of claim 8, and device of claim 8 wherein the request message comprises a protocol configuration option (PCO) information element (IE) (see bottom of page 26, “IE in the PCO”) with the indication of support for NSSAA over the EPS.
Regarding claims 3 & 10, Casati discloses the method of claim 2 and device of claim 9, wherein the PCO IE comprises a container identifier for the indication of support for NSSAA over the EPS (see NSSAA and EPS at bottom of page 21).
Regarding claims 4 & 11, Casati discloses the method of claim 3 and device of claim 10, wherein the indication of support for NSSAA over the EPS is encoded into the container identifier (see container, 3rd para. page 23).
Regarding claims 5 & 12, Casati discloses the method of claim 2 and device of claim 9, wherein the PCO IE is an extended PCO (see ePCO, top of page 27).
Regarding claims 6 & 13, Casati discloses the method of claim 1 and device of claim 8, wherein the indication of support for NSSAA over the EPS is based on inclusion of a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI) in the request message (fourth para page 27).
Regarding claims 7 & 14, Casati discloses the method of claim 6 and device of claim 13, wherein the GPSI is encoded into a protocol configuration option (PCO) information element (IE) (see bottom of page 26, “IE in the PCO”).
Regarding claim 16, Casati discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the SMF+PGW-C sends the authentication request for the network slice to the NSSAAF (see NSSAAF, page 28 throughout) via an interface (see third para. page 29, “network connection”).
Regarding claim 17, Casati discloses the method of claim 16, wherein the interface is a service-based interface (NSSAAF, page 28, is a service related to authentication).
Regarding claim 18, Casati discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the create session request message comprises a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI) (see “GPSI”, para. 4).
Regarding claim 19, Casati discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the authentication request for the network slice comprises the indication of support for NSSAA over the EPS (see EPS middle of page 21, fourth para.).
Regarding claim 20, Casati discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the update bearer request message comprises a slice identifier associated with the network slice (see para 6, page 26, “network slice identity information”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chun et al. (US 2023/0146162 A1) - discloses communication method using network slice without some prevailing features of the instant application.
Le et al. (US 2023/0379704 A1) - discloses communication method using network slice without some prevailing features of the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to K. WILFORD SHAHEED whose telephone number is (469) 295-9175. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 9 am-6pm; CST; ALT Friday. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. The examiner’s Supervisor, Jinsong Hu, can be reached at (571)272-3965, where attempts to reach the examiner are unsuccessful.
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/KHALID W SHAHEED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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