Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 21, 2026
Application No. 17/624,484

Release, Suspend and Reconfiguration in Paging

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jan 03, 2022
Examiner
BLANTON, JOHN D
Art Unit
2466
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
OA Round
2 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
2-3
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allowance Rate
784 granted / 1014 resolved
+19.3% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 0m
Avg Prosecution
48 currently pending
Career history
1062
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.2%
-34.8% vs TC avg
§103
52.8%
+12.8% vs TC avg
§102
19.6%
-20.4% vs TC avg
§112
11.5%
-28.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1014 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 claim(s) 32, 34-44, and 46-54 have been 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, 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. Claim(s) 32, 34, 40, 41, 44, 46, 53, and 54 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas et al. (US 2018/0098269) (“Pradas”) in Hsu (US 2010/0216421). For claims 32, 44, 53, and 54; Pradas discloses: a wireless device for updating a stored configuration, the method comprising: monitoring a paging channel while the wireless device is in a power-saving state (paragraph 48: a wireless terminal may be configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle for monitoring paging,); when receiving a paging message on the paging channel, determining whether the paging channel includes a message relating to updating a stored configuration of the wireless device (paragraph 47: a paging message sent from a network to a user equipment (UE) indicates that there has been a change in system information but it does not carry further information. The UE does need to acquire master information block (MIB)/system information blocks (SIBs) to learn what system information that is new or updated); and when the paging channel includes the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device, performing actions associated with the message relating to updating the stored configuration (paragraph 47: a paging message sent from a network to a user equipment (UE) indicates that there has been a change in system information but it does not carry further information. The UE does need to acquire master information block (MIB)/system information blocks (SIBs) to learn what system information that is new or updated). Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Hsu from similar fields of endeavor teaches: the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprising information about updating the stored configuration of the wireless device transmitted separate from the paging message but transmitted in conjunction with the paging message (paragraph 57-64: If the paging message indicates that a configuration update has occurred, the processing logic 402 operates to control the transceiver 408 to receive the configuration update… a configuration update is received in a transmission frame that is part of a distribution waveform received over the forward link 414). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Hsu in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. For claims 34 and 46; Pradas discloses: wherein the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprises information indicating where the wireless device should look for information about updating the stored configuration of the wireless device (paragraph 98: The paging message may comprise an index associated with an entry in a table, the table comprising multiple different system information configurations mapped to respective indices, the index indicating system information configuration affected by the update). For claims 40; Pradas discloses: wherein determining whether the paging channel includes a message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprises: determining that the paging channel includes a message that may be a message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device; performing preparation actions and decoding the message included in the paging channel; and determining whether the message included in the paging channel is a message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device (paragraph 14-18: determining that a system information configuration has been updated, and transmitting a paging message comprising information indicating to a wireless terminal receiving the paging message whether the updated system information configuration is relevant and/or how to react to the update…The paging message may comprise an index associated with an entry in a table, the table comprising multiple different system information configurations mapped to respective indices, the index indicating system information configuration affected by the update). For claims 41; Pradas discloses: performing one or more of the following in response to determining that the paging channel includes a message that may be a message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device: verifying integrity of content of the message included in the paging channel; and restoring a configuration last used by the wireless device in a Connected state (paragraph 19: The paging message may comprise a validity value associated with the index, the validity value enabling to determine a validity of system information configuration indicated by the index). Claim(s) 35 and 47 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Liu et al. (US 2019/0387496) (“Liu”). For claims 35 and 47; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 32 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Liu from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the information about updating the stored configuration of the wireless device is received in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) (paragraph 98: the paging message may include PDCP PDU of DL small data into paging record. The paging message may further indicate UE whether to respond to the paging). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Liu in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 36 and 48 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Zheng et al. (US 2021/0014928) (“Zheng”). For claims 36 and 48; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 32 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Zheng from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprises a message re-configuring Inactive state parameters of the wireless device (paragraph 39: in a case that the terminal is in the inactive state, the terminal receives a RAN paging message transmitted by the network side device, wherein the inactive-state DRX parameter is carried in the RAN paging message). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Zheng in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 37 and 49 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu in view of Zheng as applied to claim 36 above, and further in view of Wang (US 2022/0124859). For claims 37 and 49; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 36 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Wang from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the message re-configuring the Inactive state parameters of the wireless device comprises one of the following: an RRCRelease message with a suspend configuration; an RRCRelease message without a suspend configuration; an RRCConnectionRelease message with a suspend configuration; or a RRCConnectionRelease message without a suspend configuration (paragraph 59: When a UE is in the inactive state, the network may configure inactive configuration parameters to the UE through RRC specific signaling (such as an RRC release message)). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Wang in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 38 and 50 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Selvanesan et al. (US 2021/0160890). For claims 38 and 50; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 36 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Selvanesan from similar fields of endeavor teaches: the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprises an RRCReconfiguration message that re-configures Connected state parameters of the wireless device for use when the wireless device resumes the Connected state (paragraph 280: store in the UE Inactive AS Context the received suspendConfig, all current parameters configured with RRCReconfiguration or RRCResume). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Selvanesan in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 39 and 51 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Wang. For claims 39 and 51; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 32 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Wang from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device comprises a message re-configuring one or more of the following: an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI) of the wireless device; cell reselection priorities of the wireless device; and a Radio Access Notification Area Configuration (RANAC) of the wireless device (paragraph 59: Main configuration parameters include: 1) an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI), which is configured to identify a UE inactive context of the UE in a base station and is unique in the base station). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Wang in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 42 and 52 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Zhang et al. (US 2019/0182693) (“Zhang”). For claims 42 and 52; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 32 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Zhang from similar fields of endeavor teaches: performing a random access procedure to acknowledge that said message relating to updating the stored configuration of the wireless device has been received by the wireless device (paragraph 114: The user equipment receives the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the NR BS, initiates a random access process to the eNodeB based on the RRC reconfiguration message, and then returns an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the eNodeB to be handed over to the eNodeB). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Zhang in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Claim(s) 43 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pradas in view of Hsu as applied to claim 32 above, and further in view of Shrestha et al. (US 2022/0167140) (“Shrestha”). For claims 43; Pradas discloses the subject matter in claim 32 as described above in the office action. Pradas does not expressly disclose, but Shrestha from similar fields of endeavor teaches: the paging channel is monitored during one paging opportunity per discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the wireless device (paragraph 205: paging can be monitored in all POs. Alternatively, in other implementations, paging can be monitoring in one PO per paging discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. Alternatively, in other implementations, paging can be monitored in at least one PO in a paging DRX cycle. Alternatively, in other implementations, paging can be monitoring in at least one PO in a given period). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Shrestha in the paging/update system as described by Pradas. The motivation is to improve small signaling efficiency. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Park et al. (US2021/0410107); Park discloses RRC message may indicate release/suspension of the RRC connection with the first wireless network. The RRC message may comprise an RRC release message (e.g., RRC connection release message) indicating the release and/or the suspension of the RRC connection of the wireless device with the first wireless network. In an example, the RRC release message may comprise suspension configuration parameters for the suspension of the RRC connection of the wireless device. 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN D BLANTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3933. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-6pm EST, Mon-Thu. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Faruk Hamza can be reached on 571-272-7969. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOHN D BLANTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 03, 2022
Application Filed
May 27, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Aug 15, 2024
Response Filed
Oct 23, 2024
Final Rejection — §103
Jan 24, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 29, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action

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Prosecution Projections

2-3
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+8.1%)
3y 0m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1014 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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