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
Applicant’s amendment, filed 11/13/2025, has been entered and carefully considered. Claims 16-17, 19-22 AND 24 are pending. Claims 16 and 21 are independent claims. Claims 16, 19, 21 and 24 are amended.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/13/2025 have been fully considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 of this title, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 16-17, 19-22 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sang et al. (US 2019/0089579 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 2022/0116802 A1) and further in view of Deenoo et al. (US 2020/0274657 A1).
Regarding claim 16 and 21, Sang discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver; and one or more processors connected to the transceiver, wherein the one or more processors are configured to (Fig. 1 discloses UE comprising a processor and a memory, I/O interface for performing transmitting and receiving circuitry):
receive a configuration information related including (Paragraph 0240, 0275, 0286 disclose receiving network configured indication regarding RLM. Paragraph 0131, 0133 disclose a device may measure a reference signal received over one or more communication paths of a radio link to estimate the link quality for radio link operations (BFR/LR) and RLM. Based on configured criteria, the device may generate RLM or BFR/LR indications based on an assessed link quality metric or a link recovery operation status, combine or filter the indications and metrics from multiple paths of each module or from multiple modules, and send the filtered or combined results from a physical layer of the device to assist the RLF operations) at least one value for a criterion related to a radio link monitoring (RLM) relaxtion (Paragraphs 0131 discloses a device may measure a reference signal received over one or more communication paths of a radio link to estimate the link quality for radio link operations (BFR/LR) and RLM. Based on configured criteria, the device may generate RLM or BFR/LR indications based on an assessed link quality metric or a link recovery operation status, combine or filter the indications and metrics from multiple paths of each module or from multiple modules, and send the filtered or combined results from a physical layer of the device to assist the RLF operations. Paragraph 0154 disclose in NR, a beam failure event may occur when the quality of one or more beam pair links (BPLs) of an associated control channel falls low enough (e.g. compared with a threshold, or upon time-out of an associated timer (threshold value and time related to the specific condition)).
Sang as stated above discloses the criterion. Sang does not explicitly disclose the mechanism of performing the RLM relaxation based on the link quality satisfying the criterion, based on the UE performing the RLM relaxation, transmitting information indicating a relaxation state of the RLM to a base station (BS), wherein the relaxation state indicates that the UE is performing the RLM relaxation
In an analogous art, Kim discloses performing the RLM relaxation based on the link quality satisfying the criterion (Paragraphs 0176-0180 disclose the switching of the measurement operation based on the signal quality of the radio link may be performed based on whether a beam is changed. For example, a condition for a beam change (e.g., TCI state change) or a condition for a beam failure detection (or beam failure recovery) is satisfied in a preconfigured time interval (e.g., a window or a time interval according to a timer), the terminal may perform the relaxed measurement operation, the operation for switching the normal measurement operation to the relaxed measurement operation, or the operation of transmitting a message requesting switching from the normal measurement operation to the relaxed measurement operation); and based on the UE performing the RLM relaxation, transmitting information indicating a relaxation state of the RLM to a base station (BS), wherein the relaxation state indicates that the UE is performing the RLM relaxation (Fig. 8, steps: 803-805, paragraphs 0234-0237 disclose when the measurement result of the step S803 satisfies the relaxed measurement condition(s), the terminal may switch the normal measurement operation to the relaxed measurement operation, and perform the relaxation measurement operation based on the configuration information obtained from the base station (S805). For example, the terminal may perform a radio link monitoring operation based on the configuration information for the relaxed measurement operation. That is, the terminal may perform the relaxed measurement operation. The terminal may transmit to the base station a message (e.g., control message) indicating that the normal measurement operation has been switched to the relaxed measurement operation or a message (e.g., control message) indicating that the relaxed measurement operation is performed. The base station may identify that the relaxed measurement operation is performed in the terminal based on the message received from the terminal).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the technique of Kim to the system of Sang to provide channel quality measurement in a communication system, and more particularly, to techniques of channel quality measurement for supporting mobility of a terminal, and reducing power consumption of the terminal (Abstract, Kim).
The combination of Sang and Kim don’t disclose the mechanism of measuring a link quality based on a reference signal related to an RLM.
In an analogous art, Deenoo discloses measuring a link quality based on a reference signal related to an RLM (Paragraph 0104-0107, 0159, 0174 disclose the WTRU may be configured to perform RLM on one or more RLM-RS resources. In some embodiments, the conditions for generating one or more in-sync indications and/or one or more out-of-sync indications may be as follows: [0105] (1) when a WTRU is configured to perform RLM on one or multiple RLM-RS resources; [0106] (i) Periodic in-sync (IS) may be indicated if the estimated link quality corresponding to a hypothetical PDCCH BLER based on at least Y RLM-RS resource among all configured X RLM-RS resources is above Q_in threshold).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the technique of Deenoo to the modified system of Sang and Kim to provide methods, apparatus, and systems for communications in an advanced or next generation wireless communications system, including communications for Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) and/or reconfigurations of RLM process in 5G New Radio (NR) (Paragraph 0002).
Regarding claim 20, Sang discloses a non-volatile computer readable medium in which program code for performing the method of claim 16 is recorded (Paragraph 0136).
Regarding claims 17 and 22, Sang discloses wherein the at least one value includes a threshold value and a first time related to the criterion (Paragraphs 0131 discloses a device may measure a reference signal received over one or more communication paths of a radio link to estimate the link quality for radio link operations (BFR/LR) and RLM. Based on configured criteria, the device may generate RLM or BFR/LR indications based on an assessed link quality metric or a link recovery operation status, combine or filter the indications and metrics from multiple paths of each module or from multiple modules, and send the filtered or combined results from a physical layer of the device to assist the RLF operations. Paragraph 0154 disclose in NR, a beam failure event may occur when the quality of one or more beam pair links (BPLs) of an associated control channel falls low enough (e.g. compared with a threshold, or upon time-out of an associated timer (threshold value and time related to the specific condition. See also paragraphs 0157, 0216, 0257, 0275).
Regarding claims 19 and 24, Sang discloses based on the link quality not satisfy the criterion, performing the RLM based on information related to normal RLM for the existing radio link quality measurement (Paragraph 0162 discloses the first phase 810 may be triggered in a phase 812 where the UE is in a normal operation communicating with a network over a radio link. The first phase 810 includes a phase 814 where the UE performs radio problem detection, e.g., by counting, at the RLF layer, consecutive RLF OOS indications sent from the physical layer against a N310 threshold. When the UE detects a problem on the link in the phase 814, e.g., when N310 consecutive OOS indications are observed, timer T1 (e.g., T310) is started, and the UE enters a phase 816 for link recovery).
Sang does not explicitly discloses where the relaxation state indicates that RLM relaxation is not performed.
In an analogous art, Kim discloses where the relaxation state indicates that RLM relaxation is not performed (Fig. 8, steps: 803-805, paragraphs 0231-0237 disclose when the measurement result of the step S803 does not satisfy the relaxed measurement condition(s) or the normal measurement condition(s), the terminal may perform the step S803 again, thus perform normal measurement operation)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the technique of Kim to the system of Sang to provide channel quality measurement in a communication system, and more particularly, to techniques of channel quality measurement for supporting mobility of a terminal, and reducing power consumption of the terminal (Abstract, Kim).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Hosseini et al. (US 2019/0357064 A1) discloses a user equipment (UE) may identify first set of metrics associated with a radio link monitoring procedure on a radio link and identify a second set metrics associated with a procedure for monitoring whether communications of a first service type or having a first quality of service requirement are supportable. The UE may monitor the radio link based on the first set of metrics to assess for radio link failure and monitor at least a portion of the radio link based on the second set of metrics. The UE may determine that a component of the radio link fails to satisfy the second set of metrics, and the UE may transmit an indication of the determination to the base station. The UE and the base station may update the radio link without declaring radio link failure (Abstract).
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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/ROMANI OHRI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413