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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the amendments filed on 01/05/2026.
Claims 1, 3-8, 10-13, 15, 17-22 and 28-29 are currently pending.
Claims 1, 3-8, 10-13, 15, 17-22 and 28-29 are rejected.
Claims 1 and 15 are independent claims.
Response to Amendment
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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 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.
6. 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.
7. The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
8. Claims 1, 3-8, 10-12, 15, 17-21 and 28-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Per Beming et al. (US 2006/0106865 A1), hereinafter Beming, in view of Hong WANG et al. (US 2022/0322291 A1), hereinafter WANG.
For claim 1, Beming teaches a broadcast/multicast service management method, comprising:
sending first information to a second communication unit, wherein the first information is used to instruct the second communication unit to execute an operation related to broadcast/multicast service management (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503); and
receiving second information sent by the second communication unit, wherein the second information is used to indicate an execution result of the operation related to the broadcast/multicast service management to a first communication unit (Beming, Fig. 5 step 504 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC receives an MBMS bearer release response to the CN in step 503),
wherein the first information comprises a broadcast/multicast service establishment request message, a broadcast/multicast service modification request message, or a broadcast/multicast service release request message (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503), and
wherein the second information comprises a broadcast/multicast service establishment response message, a broadcast/multicast service modification response message, or a broadcast/multicast service release response message (Beming, Fig. 5 step 504 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC receives an MBMS bearer release response to the CN in step 503).
WANG further teaches a broadcast/multicast service management method, performed by a first communication unit of a generation Node B (gNB), comprising:
sending first information to a second communication unit, wherein the first information is used to instruct the second communication unit to execute an operation related to broadcast/multicast service management (WANG, Fig. 22, steps 2201, 2206 and paragraphs 445-475.); and
receiving second information sent by the second communication unit, wherein the second information is used to indicate an execution result of the operation related to the broadcast/multicast service management to the first communication unit (WANG, Fig. 22, steps 2202, 2209 and paragraphs 445-475.),
wherein the first communication unit is a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU) the second communication unit is a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) (WANG, Fig. 1 and paragraph 200.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught in Beming with a MBMS management method performed by gNB-CU and gNB-DU taught in WANG, in this way, under the separated architecture, the MBMS bearer is successfully established and the MBMS data is effectively transmitted [WANG: paragraph 13.].
For claim 3, instant claim is proviso upon limitation “the broadcast/multicast service establishment request message or the broadcast/multicast service modification request message” not required by the claim 1; therefore, the limitation “the broadcast/multicast service establishment request message or the broadcast/multicast service modification request message” of instant claims do not come into force.
For claim 4, it depends on claim 3, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 5, it depends on claim 4, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 6, it depends on claim 3, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 7, it depends on claim 3, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 8, Beming and WANG further teach the method of claim1, wherein in a case where the first information comprises the broadcast/multicast service release request message, the first information comprises at least one of the following:
a first interface identifier assigned by the first communication unit on a communication interface between the first communication unit and the second communication unit for a broadcast/multicast service; a second interface identifier assigned by the second communication unit on a communication interface between the first communication unit and the second communication unit for a broadcast/multicast service; or a reason for releasing a broadcast/multicast service (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503, wherein the MBMS bearer release request comprise MC address, TLA and Iu transport ass. See also WANG, Fig. 22 and paragraphs 445-475.).
For claim 10, instant claim is proviso upon limitation “the second information comprises the broadcast/multicast service establishment response message or the broadcast/multicast service modification response message” not required by the claim 1; therefore, the limitation “the broadcast/multicast service establishment request message or the broadcast/multicast service modification request message” of instant claims do not come into force.
For claim11, it depends on claim 10, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 12, it depends on claim 10, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 15, Beming teaches a broadcast/multicast service management method, comprising:
sending third information to a first communication unit, wherein the third information is used to instruct the first communication unit to execute an operation related to broadcast/multicast service management (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503); and
receiving fourth information sent by the first communication unit, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate an execution result of the operation related to broadcast/multicast service management to a second communication unit (Beming, Fig. 5 step 504 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC receives an MBMS bearer release response to the CN in step 503),
wherein the third information comprises a broadcast/multicast service modification request message or a broadcast/multicast service release request message (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503.).
WANG further teaches a broadcast/multicast service management method, performed by a first communication unit of a generation Node B (gNB), comprising:
sending third information to a first communication unit, wherein the third information is used to instruct the first communication unit to execute an operation related to broadcast/multicast service management (WANG, Fig. 22, steps 2201, 2206 and paragraphs 445-475.); and
receiving fourth information sent by the first communication unit, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate an execution result of the operation related to broadcast/multicast service management to a second communication unit (WANG, Fig. 22, steps 2202, 2209 and paragraphs 445-475.),
wherein the first communication unit is a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU) the second communication unit is a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) (WANG, Fig. 1 and paragraph 200.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught in Beming with a MBMS management method performed by gNB-CU and gNB-DU taught in WANG, in this way, under the separated architecture, the MBMS bearer is successfully established and the MBMS data is effectively transmitted [WANG: paragraph 13.].
For claim 17, instant claim is proviso upon limitation “the third information comprises the broadcast/multicast service modification request message” not required by the claim 15; therefore, the limitation “the broadcast/multicast service establishment request message or the broadcast/multicast service modification request message” of instant claims do not come into force.
For claim18, it depends on claim 17, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim19, it depends on claim 17, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim20, it depends on claim 17, thus it is rejected for the same reason.
For claim 21, Beming and WANG further teach the method of claim15, wherein in a case where the third information comprises the broadcast/multicast service release request message, the third information comprises:
a first interface identifier assigned by the first communication unit on a communication interface between the first communication unit and the second communication unit for a broadcast/multicast service; a second interface identifier assigned by the second communication unit on a communication interface between the first communication unit and the second communication unit for a broadcast/multicast service; and a reason for releasing a broadcast/multicast service (Beming, Fig. 5 step 503 and paragraph 93 teach the CRNC sends an MBMS bearer release request to the CN in step 503, wherein the MBMS bearer release request comprise MC address, TLA and Iu transport ass, which can be interface identifier. See also WANG, Fig. 22 and paragraphs 445-475.).
For claim 28, Beming and WANG further teach an electronic device, comprising:
at least one processor (Beming, Fig. 2 paragraph 20); and
a memory (Beming, Fig. 2 paragraph 20) configured to store at least one program, wherein executed by the at least one processor, the at least one program causes the at least one processor to implement the method of claim1.
For claim 29, Beming and WANG further teach a non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method of claim1 (Beming, Fig. 2 paragraph 20).
Response to Arguments
9. Applicant's arguments filed 01/05/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot because of the new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
10. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILL W LIN whose telephone number is (571)272-8749. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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, Charles Jiang can be reached at 571-270-7191. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILL W LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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