Response to Amendment
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 .
The amendment and/or response dated 6/2/26 has received and made of record.
Applicant’s argument with respect claims 34, 42, 50 and 52 have fully considered but are moot in view of new grounds of rejection necessitated by the newly submitted IDFS dated 6/2/26.
For example, applicant alleges the cited art fails to disclose "wherein reconfiguration comprises a switch of a service link supporting the beam from a source satellite to a target satellite without changing a physical cell identity of a cell served by the beam”
In response examiner asserts Newly submitted IDS reference “Beihang University: Foreign Document No. 101022668” discloses selecting different switching modes according to different switching types, and the switching mode can be flexibly selected according to switching requirements, in order to achieve the optimization of star-ground link switching(SEE THE ABSTRACT).
Claims 56-63 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.
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.
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.
Claims 34, 36, 38-40, 42, 44 and 47, 50, 52, and 54-55 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iana Siomina U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0337497[hereinafter Siomina] in view of Ulupinar et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0323032[hereinafter Ulupinar] and further in view Beihang University: Foreign Document No. 101022668[hereinafter Beihang University].
As per claim 34, 42, 50 and 52 Siomina discloses a method performed by a wireless device configured for use in non-terrestrial wireless communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a network node in the wireless communication network, signaling that indicates reconfiguration of a beam serving the wireless device(par. 0174-0175); and
based on the signaling, reacquiring time and/or frequency synchronization for the beam, to account for the indicated reconfiguration of the beam(see par 0076, signals/channels are transmitted via a beam by the transmitting node and can be received and used by a radio node for performing synchronization (e.g., time and/or frequency synchronization, synchronization to a cell, or synchronization to a beam)
Siomina does not explicitly disclose wherein reconfiguration comprises a switch of a service link supporting the beam from a source Satellite to a target satellite, wherein the beam serves the same cell before and after the switch of the service link (see par. 0104 where UT can support two satellites at the same time. A different number of satellites (e.g., three or more) could be supported in other implementations(that is beam serves the same cell before and after the switch of the service link )
Ulupinar discloses wherein reconfiguration comprises a switch of a service link supporting the beam from a source Satellite to a target satellite, wherein the beam serves the same cell before and after the switch of the service link(see par. 0091-0093, 0123, 0256, where an inter-satellite handoff is described where a UT is handed-off from the current serving satellite (referred to as the source satellite) to another satellite (referred to as the target satellite). For example, a UT may be handed-off to the target satellite as the source satellite moves away from the UT and the target satellite moves toward the UT.). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Ulupinar into the system of Siomina as this mechanism enables a same beam to cover a particular geographic region within the footprint, when a UT is handed-off from the current serving satellite (referred to as the source satellite) to another satellite (referred to as the target satellite).
The system of Siomina -Ulupinar does not explicitly disclose switching source satellite to a target satellite without changing a physical cell identity of a cell served by the beam .
Beihang University disclose switching source satellite to a target satellite without changing a physical cell identity of a cell served by the beam(see the abstract ). Therefore,, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to
effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of Beihang University into the system of Siomina -Ulupinar thus, enabling selecting different switching modes according to different switching types, and the switching mode can be flexibly selected according to switching requirements, in order to achieve the optimization of star-ground link switching.
As per claim 36, Ulupinar discloses the method of claim 34 wherein the signaling indicates a change in an ephemeris of a satellite providing the beam. (i.e. the position of the satellite in the sky at given times)(see par. 0092, 0121).
As per claim 38, Ulupinar discloses the method of claim 34, wherein the signaling is broadcasted to wireless devices served by the beam(see par. 0067, 0121)
As per claim 39, Ulupinar discloses The method of claim 34, wherein the reconfiguration: changes a footprint of and/or elevation angle of the beam(see par. 0004); and/or comprises a reconfiguration of a gain or pointing direction of an antenna providing the beam.(see par. 0046).
As per claim 40, and 47 Siomina discloses the method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting or receiving a transmission on the beam based on the reacquired time and/or frequency synchronization for the beam(see par. 0075-0076).
as per claim 44 Siomina discloses the method of claim 34, wherein the signaling indicates a change in a reference location of the beam, wherein the reference location is a location which serves as a common reference for time and/or frequency synchronization(see par. 0015, 0021).
As per claims 54 and 55 Ulupinar discloses the method of claim 34, wherein the signaling indicates that the reconfiguration of the beam is to occur at or after a certain time(see par. 0256, where for example, at a particular point in time, the circuit/module for performing handoffs 2222 can use the information in Table 1 to determine whether the user terminal should switch to a different satellite beam. As another example, triggers may be set up at beam/satellite transitions times (e.g., frame numbers) indicated in Table 1. In order to reconfigure communication parameters to cause communication with an SNP to be conducted via the identified satellite and beam).
Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with the timing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 6/2/26 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 609.04(b). 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABDULLAHI ELMI SALAD whose telephone number is (571)272-4009. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30AM-6:PM.
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.
/ABDULLAHI E SALAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ABDULLAHI ELMI SALAD whose telephone number is (571)272-4009. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30AM-6:PM.
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 at 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.
/ABDULLAHI E SALAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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