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 .
This action is in response to the preliminary amendment filed on 2/5/2025. Claims 1-4, 8-17 are pending and have been considered below.
Claim Objections
Claims 1,4,8,13 are objected to because of the following informalities: in claim 1, line 13, “between the terminal device any gateway device” should be changed to “between the terminal device and any gateway device”.
In claim 4, lines 1-2 “wherein the is further configured to” should be changed to “wherein the terminal device is further configured to”.
in claim 8, line 15, “between the terminal device any gateway device” should be changed to “between the terminal device and any gateway device”.
in claim 13, line 13, “between the terminal device any gateway device” should be changed to “between the terminal device and any gateway device”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-3, 8-11, 13,14,16,17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Youn et al. (US 2025/0168801).
Regarding claim 1:
Youn discloses a system and method for a terminal device (abstract; see figures), comprising:
at least one processor (fig 2; fig 3 [processor 102]); and at least one memory including computer program code (fig 2-3 [memory 104]; para 76-82); the computer program code configured to, when executed by the at least one processor (fig 12-17; para 361-366, 369), cause the terminal device to:
determine a target non-3GPP access device via which the terminal device is to communicate with a target gateway device (para 317, partially reproduced herein with emphasis {… switch the traffic from a source non-3GPP access path to a target non-3GPP access path}; figures 5-8 [RAN is access network device via which UE communicates]);
transmit, to a source gateway device with which the terminal device communicates via a source non-3GPP access device, a message indicating a handover from the source non-3GPP access device to the target non-3GPP access device (para 329 {transmitting a registration request message of a second registration procedure to an AMF over a second non-3GPP access. The registration request message comprises i) information about access switching from the first non-3GPP access to the second non-3GPP access} [here first is source, and second is target non-3gpp]; see para 443 {transfer the non-3GPP access path of the MA PDU session from a source non-3GPP access (N3IWF/TNGF) to a target non-3GPP access}; figure 12 [1220]); and
communicate with the target gateway device using a context associated with the terminal device, wherein the context associated with the terminal device is a context used for communications between the terminal device any gateway device, including the source gateway device and the target gateway device (para 159 {UE context request which indicates that a UE context including security information}; para 161-162, para 275; figure 15 [redirection procedure]; fig 16; para 428 {new AMF retrieves UE context from the old AMF}; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claims 8,13:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above in claim 1, and further discloses a source gateway device and a target gateway device (para 317,329; figures 12-17), comprising: at least one processor (fig 2-3 [processor 102,202]); and at least one memory including computer program code (fig 2,3 [memory 104,204]; and see throughout the disclosure), the computer program code configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gateway device to perform the functions similar to described above, thus claims 8,13 are rejected with similar rationale under teachings of the prior art.
Regarding claim 2:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the context comprises at least one of: security information to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target non-3GPP access device; and parameters associated with internet protocol security, wherein the parameters are to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target gateway device (para 159 [UE context including security information]; para 275,428; figures; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 3:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the message comprises at least one of: an identifier of the terminal device; and an identifier of the target non-3GPP access device (para 148,151; and throughout).
Regarding claim 9:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the message comprises at least one of: an identifier of the terminal device; and an identifier of the target non-3GPP access device (para 148,151; and throughout disclosure).
Regarding claims 10, 14:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the request comprises at least one of: the identifier of the terminal device; an identifier of the source non-3GPP access device; the identifier of the target non-3GPP access device; and an internet protocol address of the target gateway device (para 148-151 [identifier or UE]; and throughout disclosure).
Regarding claim 11:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the context comprises at least one of: security information to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target non-3GPP access device; and parameters associated with internet protocol security, wherein the parameters are to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target gateway device (para 159 [UE context including security information]; para 275,428; figures; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 16:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the request comprises at least one of: the identifier of the terminal device; the identifier of the source non-3GPP access device; the identifier of the target non-3GPP access device; and an internet protocol address of the target gateway device (para 148-151 [identifier or terminal or ue]; and throughout disclosure).
Regarding claim 17:
Youn discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the context comprises at least one of: security information to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target non-3GPP access device; and parameters associated with internet protocol security, wherein the parameters are to be used for communications between the terminal device and the target gateway device (para 159 [UE context including security information]; para 275,428; figures; and see throughout the disclosure).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4,12,15 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhu et al. (US 2021/0211958) discloses a system and method for gateway reselection and handover.
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/HIRDEPAL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631
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