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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 4/30/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-6 have been cancelled.
Claims 7 and 9-12 have been amended.
Claims 7-12 remain pending in the application.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: “… the measurement result of Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) is greater than another of the threshold values” should be read as “… the measurement result of Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) is greater than the other of the threshold values”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaikkonen et al. (US 2021/0392525 A1); in view of Xu (WO 2020/132871).
Regarding claims 7 and 12; Kaikkonen discloses performing the RRM measurement relaxing based on the information indicating a type of the measurement result and the information related to the threshold value (when specific conditions apply, the UE measures RRM with relaxed periodicity; the conditions include the signal level/quality of SSB is above absolute threshold; the signal level/quality of SSB is SS-RSRP/SS-RSRQ; see paragraphs [0049], [0066], [0101], [0107]-[0108] and [0135]), wherein the RRM measurement relaxing, which is related to a measurement period, is reducing a frequency at which the processor performs measurement (a relaxed measurement period allows UE to perform less frequently measurement; see paragraph [0151]).
Kaikkonen discloses a UE performs the RRM measurement relaxing when a signal level/quality (RSRP/RSRQ) is above a threshold. The RSRP/RSRQ are related to RRM measurement relaxing.
Kaikkonen does not explicitly disclose the signal level/quality and its threshold value are transmitted via a SIB.
Xu discloses receiving, from a base station, a system information block, including: first information indicating a type of a measurement result related to radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxing; and second information, which is different from the first information, related to a threshold value corresponding to the type (the terminal device receives first indication information sent by the network device, the first indication information is indicative of the threshold corresponding to the at least one measurement parameter (e.g. RSRP); the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message (e.g., SIB); therefore, the first information in the first indication information is a measurement parameter (e.g., RSRP), the second information in the first indication information is a threshold corresponding to the RSRP; RSRP is used for RRM measurement relaxing; see paragraphs [0050], [0073] and [0109] - [0110]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kaikkonen and Xu to receive information indicating a type of a measurement result and its corresponding threshold via a SIB to determine RRM measurement relaxing (see paragraph [0005] of Xu).
Regarding claim 8; Kaikkonen discloses wherein the processor performs the RRM measurement relaxing in a case where the measurement result satisfies a condition including the threshold value corresponding to the type of the measurement result (when specific conditions apply, the UE measures RRM with relaxed periodicity; the conditions include the signal level (RSRP)/quality (RSRQ) of SSB is above absolute threshold; the signal level/quality of SSB is SS-RSRP/SS-RSRQ; see paragraphs [0049], [0066], [0101], [0107]-[0108] and [0135]).
Regarding claim 9; Kaikkonen discloses a UE receives a type of measurement result and its corresponding threshold value.
Kaikkonen does not explicitly disclose there are two types of measurements results and corresponding threshold values.
Xu discloses wherein the condition is that the measurement result of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is greater than one of threshold values and that the measurement result of Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) is greater than another of the threshold value (when the RSRP of the serving cell of the terminal device is greater than the first RSRP threshold and/or the RSRQ of the serving cell is greater than the first RSRQ threshold, the terminal device performs RRM measurement relaxing; see paragraphs [0075], [0087] and [0103]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kaikkonen and Xu to compare both RSRP and RSRQ to corresponding threshold values to reduce power consumption of a terminal (see paragraph [0004] of Xu).
Regarding claim 10; Kaikkonen discloses a base station (gNB, see Fig. 2), comprising: a transmitter (Tx; see Fig. 2), coupled to a processor (processors; see Fig. 2); wherein the RRM measurement relaxing, which is related to a measurement period, is reducing a frequency at which the processor performs measurement (when specific conditions apply, the UE measures RRM with relaxed periodicity; the conditions include the signal level (RSRP)/quality (RSRQ) of SSB is above absolute threshold; the signal level/quality of SSB is SS-RSRP/SS-RSRQ; a relaxed measurement period allows UE to perform less frequently measurement; paragraphs [0049], [0066], [0101], [0107]-[0108], [0135] and [0151]).
Kaikkonen discloses a UE performs the RRM measurement relaxing when a signal level/quality (RSRP/RSRQ) is above a threshold. The RSRP/RSRQ are related to RRM measurement relaxing.
Kaikkonen does not explicitly disclose the signal level/quality and its threshold value are transmitted via a SIB.
Xu discloses transmits to a terminal a system information block (SIB) including: first information indicating a type of a measurement result used for radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxing; and second information, which is different from the first information, related to a threshold value corresponding to the type (a network device transmits first indication information sent by the network device, the first indication information is indicative of the threshold corresponding to the at least one measurement parameter (e.g. RSRP); the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message (e.g., SIB); therefore, the first information in the first indication information is a measurement parameter (e.g., RSRP), the second information in the first indication information is a threshold corresponding to the RSRP; RSRP is used for RRM measurement relaxing; see paragraphs [0050], [0073] and [0109] - [0110]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kaikkonen and Xu to transmit information indicating a type of a measurement result and its corresponding threshold via a SIB to determine RRM measurement relaxing (see paragraph [0005] of Xu).
Regarding claim 11; Kaikkonen discloses a system (a wireless communication system; see Fig. 2) comprising: a base station and a terminal (gNB and UE; see Fig. 2), and the terminal includes: a receiver (Rx; see Fig. 2) that receives the information from the base station (the UE receives a measurement configuration from a base station; see paragraph [0026] and Fig. 2); a processor (processors; see Fig. 2) that performs the RRM measurement relaxing based on the first information indicating a type of the measurement result and the second information related to the threshold value (when specific conditions apply, the UE measures RRM with relaxed periodicity; the conditions include the signal level/quality of SSB is above absolute threshold; the signal level/quality of SSB is SS-RSRP/SS-RSRQ; see paragraphs [0049], [0066], [0101], [0107]-[0108] and [0135]), wherein the RRM measurement relaxing, which is related to a measurement period, is reducing a frequency at which the processor performs measurement (a relaxed measurement period allows UE to perform less frequently measurement; see paragraph [0151]).
Kaikkonen discloses a UE performs the RRM measurement relaxing when a signal level/quality (RSRP/RSRQ) is above a threshold. The RSRP/RSRQ are related to RRM measurement relaxing.
Kaikkonen does not explicitly disclose the signal level/quality and its threshold value are transmitted via a SIB.
Xu discloses transmit to the terminal a system information block (SIB) including:, first information indicating a type of a measurement result related to radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxing; and second information, which is different from the first information, related to a threshold value corresponding to the type (a network device transmits first indication information sent by the network device, the first indication information is indicative of the threshold corresponding to the at least one measurement parameter (e.g. RSRP); the first indication information is carried in a broadcast message (e.g., SIB); therefore, the first information in the first indication information is a measurement parameter (e.g., RSRP), the second information in the first indication information is a threshold corresponding to the RSRP; RSRP is used for RRM measurement relaxing; see paragraphs [0050], [0073] and [0109] - [0110]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kaikkonen and Xu to receive information indicating a type of a measurement result and its corresponding threshold via a SIB to determine RRM measurement relaxing (see paragraph [0005] of Xu).
Response to Arguments
In response to the applicant’s arguments that Kaikkonen fails to teach signal level/quality
of SSB are corresponding to RSRP and RSRQ; the examiner respectfully disagrees.
Kaikkonen discloses the measured quality for SSB are SS-RSRP or RSRQ (see paragraph [0135]).
Applicant’s other arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot in view of a new reference Xu (WO 2020/132871) being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/MANSOUR OVEISSI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
/N.L/Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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