DETAILED ACTION
It is hereby acknowledged that the following papers have been received and placed of record in the file: Amendment date 10/23/2025.
Claims 1-2, 4-6, 9-10, 12, 15-16, 18, 21-24 are presented for examination and claims 3, 7-8, 11, 13-14, 17 and 19-20 are cancelled.
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 Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 4-6, 9-10, 12, 15-16, 18, 21-24 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-6, 9-10, 12, 15-16, 18 and 21-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (US 2022/0167233 A1) in view of Wu (US 2023/0095601 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Shi teaches a method for processing a Secondary Node Radio Resource Control (SN RRC) message, comprising:
when User Equipment (UE) determines that a triggering condition is satisfied, performing, by the UE, a first Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) change (UE determine whether target PSCell fulfill trigger condition “In step S1060, the UE keeps connection with the source SN and evaluates whether the target PSCell fulfills the at least one mobility triggering condition and the at least one leaving message triggering condition received in the step S1050” see Shi: Fig.10 step S1060); and
stopping, by the UE, receiving a first SN RRC message from a source Secondary Node (SN) during the first PSCell change (UE send the leaving message (corresponding stopping) to the MN to stop receiving SN RRC message from S-SN at step S1070-S1080, where SN status transfer and data forwarding only to MN instead of UE to perform the transfer data “When determining that the target PScell fulfills the at least one leaving message triggering condition, the UE transmits an RRC message (e.g. ULInformationTranferMRDC), including a leaving message to MN and the MN transmits the leaving message included in the received RRC message to the source SN (steps 1070 and 1080)” see Shi: Fig.10 step S1070-S1090; ¶0159-0162]),
the RRC reconfiguration message carrying configuration information of a target PSCell and the triggering condition of the first PSCell change (the leaving message may include information capable of identifying the target PSCell. In an embodiment, the leaving message may include the identification information of the target PSCell received in the SN change type message see Shi: ¶[0161])
Shi does not explicitly discloses wherein the first SN RRC message is an SN RRC message transmitted on a Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3) and wherein the UE in a connected state receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message sent by the source SN on the SRB3.
However Wu teaches the wherein the first SN RRC message is an SN RRC message transmitted on a Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3) and wherein the UE in a connected state receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message sent by the source SN on the SRB3 (SRB3 between UE and TSN106B and S-SN 106A “As the UE 102 no longer needs to use the DAPS to continue communicating with the S-SN 106A, the T-SN 106B can transmit 1032A an RRC reconfiguration message that includes a DAPS release indicator to the UE 102, e.g., via an SRB (e.g., SRB3) between the UE 102 and the T-SN 106B or via the MN 104. In response to the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE 102 can transmit 1034A an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the T-SN 106B via the SRB (e.g., SRB3) between the UE 102 and the T-SN 106B or via the MN 104, and stop 1036A communicating with the S-SN 106A” see Wu: Fig.10A-10B; ¶[0245-0246]; ¶[0270]) in order to provides multiple DAPS configurations to the UE requiring the UE to utilize a maximum number of medium access control (MAC) entities (See Wu: ¶[0009]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to create the invention of Chen to include (or to use, etc.) the wherein the first SN RRC message is an SN RRC message transmitted on a Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3) and wherein the UE in a connected state receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message sent by the source SN on the SRB3 as taught by Wu in order to provides multiple DAPS configurations to the UE requiring the UE to utilize a maximum number of medium access control (MAC) entities (See Wu: ¶[0009]).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Shi taught the method of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Shi further teaches wherein the triggering condition is a triggering condition of the first PSCell change that is a conditional PSCell change (conditional indication change node change “the change required message comprises a conditional indication for indicating the master node a secondary node change procedure indicated by the change required message is a condition based procedure” see Shi: ¶[0039]; ¶[0107]).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Shi taught the method of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Shi further comprising: receiving, by the UE, a second SN RRC message from a source Master Node (MN) during the first PSCell change (UE receiving SN change type message at step S1050 via MN “In step S1060, the UE keeps connection with the source SN and evaluates whether the target PScell fulfills the at least one mobility triggering condition and the at least one leaving message triggering condition received in the step S1050” see Shi: ¶[0161]); and when the second SN RRC message comprises a PSCell change instruction, stopping the first PSCell change that is ongoing, and performing access according to a target PSCell indicated in the PSCell change instruction (the leaving message may include information capable of identifying the target PSCell. In an embodiment, the leaving message may include the identification information of the target PSCell received in the SN change type message see Shi: ¶[0161]).
Regarding claim 5, the modified Shi taught the method of claim 4 as described hereinabove. Shi further comprising: when the second SN RRC message carries a target field, determining, by the UE, that the second SN RRC message comprises the PSCell change instruction (leaving message includes trigger condition to identity a measurement configuration “the leaving message may include an identity of the fulfilled leaving message triggering condition when the identity is associated, by the MN in the step 1050, to the fulfilled leaving message triggering condition. The identity associated to the fulfilled leaving message triggering condition may be a new identity which is introduced for this purpose or may be the identity used to identify a measurement configuration” see Shi: ¶[0161]; Fig.10 step S1050-S1070).
Regarding claim 6, the modified Shi taught the method of claim 1 as described hereinabove. Shi further teaches wherein the first PSCell change is a PSCell change triggered based on a pre-configured condition (source SN configure triggering condition “the source SN may configure the at least one mobility triggering condition” see Shi: ¶[0150]).
Regarding claim 9, claim 9 is rejected for the same reason as claim 1 as described hereinabove. Claim 9 recites a device for processing secondary node radio resource control (SN RRC) that perform the same functionalities as method of claim 1 as set forth hereinabove.
Regarding claim 10, claim 10 is rejected for the same reason as claim 2 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 12, claim 12 is rejected for the same reason as claim 6 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 15, claim 15 is rejected for the same reason as claim 1 as described hereinabove. Claim 15 recites a non-transitory computer-readable medium for operation that perform the same functionalities as method of claim 1 as set forth hereinabove.
Regarding claim 16, claim 16 is rejected for the same reason as claim 2 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 18, claim 18 is rejected for the same reason as claim 6 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 21, claim 21 is rejected for the same reason as claim 4 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 22, claim 22 is rejected for the same reason as claim 5 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 23, claim 23 is rejected for the same reason as claim 4 as described hereinabove.
Regarding claim 24, claim 24 is rejected for the same reason as claim 5 as described hereinabove.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUANG W LI whose telephone number is (571)270-1897. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7AM-5PMET.
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GUANG W. LI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2478
January 21, 2026
/GUANG W LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478