DETAILED ACTION
Remarks
1. This Action is in response to Applicant’s Arguments filed on 02/12/2026. Claims 1-30 are still pending in the present application. This Action is made NON-FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
3. 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.
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 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10-14, 16-20, 23, 25, 26, and 28-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MAEDA et al (WO 2010106763 A1), hereinafter MAEDA, in view of RAO et al. (US 20170359693 A1), hereinafter RAO, and further in view of TAO et al. (US 20220322193 A1), hereinafter TAO.
Regarding claim 1, MAEDA discloses an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
memory (see par [0004] of the attached translated document, (not shown but inherent in all UEs such as the one disclosed); and
at least one processor (see par [0004] of the attached translated document, (not shown but inherent in all UEs such as the one disclosed); coupled to the memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the memory, the at least one processor isconfigured to: identify, based on a count of consecutive cell reselections, a UE mobility condition associated with cell coverage switching, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers (cell coverage switching) in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA does not disclose wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE.
In the same field of endeavor, RAO discloses wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE, ([0003] “For mobile broad band communication, service can be provided to mobile User Equipment (UE) through the management and handover between Access Points (AP) which provide connectivity of the UE with the communication network. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein at a first location 3 at time t=0 the UE is communicatively connected via AP-7 1 and subsequently the UE moves to a second location 4 at time t=1 and the UE can be communicatively connected with AP-6 2. As such handover of the connectivity of the UE is provided between AP-7 and AP-6 to ensure continual connectivity of the UE to the communication network independent of the movement of the UE”. Each AP has a coverage area (see 0046)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the continual connectivity of the UE, disclosed by RAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to realize a distinction between the UE movement and an uninterrupted connectivity between the UE and communication network, RAO [0003].
However, MAEDA as modified by RAO does not disclose perform a measurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching.
In the same field of endeavor, TAO discloses perform a measurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, as a result of this first variant of relaxation determination”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the UE mobility state and measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to illustrate the relationship between the UE mobility state and the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, TAO [0236].
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching further based on a cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching or further based on a UE measurement, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE; [0201] it is assumed that the higher the number of cell reselections, the higher the mobility level of the UE; [0283] One among a plurality of mobility states is determined for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. One or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located are determined […] The UE performs the radio measurements on the one or more neighbor radio cells according to radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the cell reselections feature, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the level of the UE mobility, TAO [0283].
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 2 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein the cell coverage region is associated with at least one of a geographic region, a signal strength of a cell associated with the cell coverage switching, or a signal quality of the cell associated with the cell coverage switching ([0203] “Another criterion for determining the mobility state of the UE is the fading situation regarding a radio measurement quantity of the serving cell in a past period of time. Here it is assumed that when a UE moves, the received signal strength more or less changes. Thus, the amount of change during a particular time allows distinguishing the different mobility states of the UE […] a low-mobility UE would experience only a little change in the relevant radio measurement quantity (reflecting the serving cell signal strength)”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the radio measurement quantity of the serving cell, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the amount of changes in the received signal strength, TAO [0203].
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the
combination of references also discloses wherein the measurement procedure comprises a relaxed measurement procedure ([0209] “The improved neighbor cell measurement procedure shall also provide the UE with opportunities to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements if possible. According to an exemplary implementation of the improved neighbor cell measurement procedure, relaxation of the neighbor cell measurements can be achieved by either not performing the neighbor cell measurements at all or performing the neighbor cell measurements according to relaxed radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the neighbor cell measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide the UE with opportunities to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements, if possible, TAO [0209].
Regarding claim 8, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein to perform the measurement procedure, the at least one processor is configured to perform the measurement procedure based further on at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching ([0006] “a user equipment comprising a processor, which determines one among a plurality of mobility states for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. The processor determines one or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located. The processor determines whether or not to relax radio measurements on one or more neighbor radio cells, based on the determined mobility state of the UE and the determined one or more radio measurement quantities of the serving radio cell”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the determined mobility states for the UE, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the processor determines whether or not to relax radio measurements, TAO [0006].
Regarding claim 10, as applied to claim 8 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching comprises a frequency associated with the cell coverage switching or a cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE; [0201] it is assumed that the higher the number of cell reselections, the higher the mobility level of the UE; [0283] One among a plurality of mobility states is determined for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. One or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located are determined […] The UE performs the radio measurements on the one or more neighbor radio cells according to radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the cell reselections feature, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the level of the UE mobility, TAO [0283].
Regarding claim 11, as applied to claim 10 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein the cell coverage region is associated with at least one of a geographic region, a signal strength of a cell associated with the cell coverage switching, or a signal quality of the cell associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0203] “Another criterion for determining the mobility state of the UE is the fading situation regarding a radio measurement quantity of the serving cell in a past period of time. Here it is assumed that when a UE moves, the received signal strength more or less changes. Thus, the amount of change during a particular time allows distinguishing the different mobility states of the UE […] a low-mobility UE would experience only a little change in the relevant radio measurement quantity (reflecting the serving cell signal strength)”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the radio measurement quantity of the serving cell, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the amount of changes in the received signal strength, TAO [0203].
Regarding claim 12, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein to perform the measurement procedure, the at least one processor is configured to perform the measurement procedure for a subset of cells, ([0108] “Measurements can be classified in at least three measurement types: [0109] Intra-frequency NR measurements, [0110] Inter-frequency NR measurements [0111] Inter-RAT measurements ([0006] “The processor determines whether or not to relax radio measurements on one or more neighbor radio cells, based on the determined mobility state of the UE and the determined one or more radio measurement quantities of the serving radio cell”). [Claim 27] …the determining of whether or not to relax radio measurements on the one or more neighbor radio cells is performed separately for each type of neighbor radio cell measurements or performed together for all or a subset of the types of neighbor radio cell measurements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the Measurements, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to identify at least the three types of measurements classification, TAO ([0006], [0108] - [0111]).
Regarding claim 13, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses wherein the measurement procedure is associated with one or more time-frequency resources associated with the cell coverage switching ([0197] “the improved measurement procedure could also be applied to a UE in Connected state. [0198] Moreover, the radio measurements on the neighbor cell and the serving cell can be performed to obtain parameters that reflect the respective radio cell quality, which can be reflected by corresponding radio measurement quantities. [0033] The physical layer (PHY) is for example responsible for coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of the signal to the appropriate physical time-frequency resources […] A physical channel corresponds to the set of time-frequency resources used for transmission of a particular transport channel”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to integrate the physical time-frequency resources, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the set of time-frequency resources corresponding to the physical channel can be used for transmission of a particular transport channel, TAO [0033].
Regarding claim 14, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: refrain from performing a second measurement procedure for a new cell associated with a cell reselection based on a duration associated with the cell reselection, ([0236] “a high-mobility UE will not have the opportunity to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements, because the second relaxation criterion does not apply to high-mobility UEs (see explanations for first variant) and because—even if additionally applied—the first relaxation criterion is most likely not fulfilled due to the UE being in a high-mobility state (where the serving cell signal strength changes often and continuously). [0172] if the UE is not at the cell edge, the UE is allowed to not perform neighbor radio cell measurements at all. However, this may result problematic for high-mobility UEs which can move to the cell edge in a short time (due to their high mobility), because in such a case cell selection/cell reselection may not be performed in a timely
manner due to the missing measurements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to integrate the second relaxation criterion, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the high-mobility UE may not save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements, TAO [0236] - [0172].
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the at least one processor is being further configured to: refrain from updating a signal strength reference level associated with low mobility detection for a cell associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0206] “the UE does not have to repeatedly perform any measurements and complex determinations to derive its mobility state. [0201] if the number of cell reselections of the UE is below the medium threshold, the UE could be determined to be in a low-mobility state (or normal-mobility state, which is used in 3GPP TS 38.304) [0202] if the number of beam changes of the UE is below the medium threshold, the UE could be determined to be in a low-mobility state”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to integrate the feature of cell reselections of the UE, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the UE could be determined to be in a low-mobility state if the
number of cell reselections is below the medium threshold, TAO [0201] - [0202].
Regarding claim 17, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the cell coverage switching is associated with a plurality of network energy saving states, ([0095] “Devices are required to be low cost and to have a very long battery life. From NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth parts is one possible solution to have power saving from UE perspective and enable long battery life. [0218] The improved neighbor cell measurement procedure shall provide the UE with opportunities to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements if possible. [0245] the solution of FIG. 12 provides great flexibility in finding a configurable trade-off between saving power and managing the negative impact on the mobility of a high-mobility UE, by appropriately defining the relaxed radio measurement requirements that the UE has to follow when
determining to relax the neighbor cell measurements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to integrate the improved neighbor cell measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to enable the UE to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements, TAO ([0218], [0245]).
Regarding claim 18, as applied to claim 1 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, (FIG. 7), [0186] “The communication device may comprise a transceiver and processing circuitry. The transceiver in turn may comprise and/or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The processing circuitry may be one or more pieces of hardware such as one or more processors or any LSIs”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to integrate the transceiver and processing circuitry, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to equip the node with functions of a receiver and a transmitter, TAO ((FIG. 7), [0186]).
Regarding claim 19, MAEDA discloses a method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
identifying, based on a count of consecutive cell reselections, a UE mobility condition associated with cell coverage switching, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA does not disclose wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE.
In the same field of endeavor, RAO discloses wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE, ([0003] “For mobile broad band communication, service can be provided to mobile User Equipment (UE) through the management and handover between Access Points (AP) which provide connectivity of the UE with the communication network. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein at a first location 3 at time t=0 the UE is communicatively connected via AP-7 1 and subsequently the UE moves to a second location 4 at time t=1 and the UE can be communicatively connected with AP-6 2. As such handover of the connectivity of the UE is provided between AP-7 and AP-6 to ensure continual connectivity of the UE to the communication network independent of the movement of the UE” Each AP has a coverage area (see 0046)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the continual connectivity of the UE, disclosed by RAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to realize a distinction between the UE movement and an uninterrupted connectivity between the UE and communication network, RAO [0003].
However, MAEDA as modified by RAO does not disclose performing a measurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell
coverage switching.
In the same field of endeavor, TAO discloses performing a measurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, as a result of this first variant of relaxation determination”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the UE mobility state and measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to illustrate the relationship between the UE mobility state and the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, TAO [0236].
Regarding claim 20, as applied to claim 19 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching is identified further based on a cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching or further based on a UE measurement ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE; [0201] it is assumed that the higher the number of cell reselections, the higher the mobility level of the UE; [0283] One among a plurality of mobility states is determined for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. One or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located are determined […] The UE performs the radio measurements on the one or more neighbor radio cells according to radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the cell reselections feature, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the level of the UE mobility, TAO [0283].
Regarding claim 23, as applied to claim 20 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the cell coverage region is associated with at least one of a geographic region, a signal strength of a cell associated with the cell coverage switching, or a signal quality of the cell associated with the cell coverage switching ([0203] “Another criterion for determining the mobility state of the UE is the fading situation regarding a radio measurement quantity of the serving cell in a past period of time. Here it is assumed that when a UE moves, the received signal strength more or less changes. Thus, the amount of change during a particular time allows distinguishing the different mobility states of the UE […] a low-mobility UE would experience only a little change in the relevant radio measurement quantity (reflecting the serving cell signal strength)”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the radio measurement quantity of the serving cell, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the amount of changes in the received signal strength, TAO [0203].
Regarding claim 25, as applied to claim 19 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the measurement procedure comprises a relaxed measurement procedure ([0209] “The improved neighbor cell measurement procedure shall also provide the UE with opportunities to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements if possible. According to an exemplary implementation of the improved neighbor cell measurement procedure, relaxation of the neighbor cell measurements can be achieved by either not performing the neighbor cell measurements at all or performing the neighbor cell measurements according to relaxed radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the neighbor cell measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide the UE with opportunities to save power by relaxing the neighbor cell measurements, TAO [0209].
Regarding claim 26, as applied to claim 19 above, TAO as included in the combination of references also discloses, wherein the measurement procedure is performed based further on at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching ([0006] “a user equipment comprising a processor, which determines one among a plurality of mobility states for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. The processor determines one or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located. The processor determines whether or not to relax radio measurements on one or more neighbor radio cells, based on the determined mobility state of the UE and the determined one or more radio measurement quantities of the serving radio cell”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the determined mobility states for the UE, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the processor determines whether or not to relax radio measurements, TAO [0006].
Regarding claim 28, as applied to claim 26 above, TAO as included in the
combination of references also discloses, wherein the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching comprises a frequency associated with the cell coverage switching or a cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE; [0201] it is assumed that the higher the number of cell reselections, the higher the mobility level of the UE; [0283] One among a plurality of mobility states is determined for the UE, wherein the plurality of mobility states comprises at least three different mobility states. One or more radio measurement quantities of a serving radio cell in which the UE is located are determined […] The UE performs the radio measurements on the one or more neighbor radio cells according
to radio measurement requirements”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the cell reselections feature, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the level of the UE mobility, TAO [0283].
Regarding claim 29, MAEDA discloses an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
means for identifying, based on a count of consecutive cell reselections, a UE mobility condition associated with cell coverage switching, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA does not disclose wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE.
In the same field of endeavor, RAO discloses wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the UE associated with a motion of the UE, ([0003] “For mobile broad band communication, service can be provided to mobile User Equipment (UE) through the management and handover between Access Points (AP) which provide connectivity of the UE with the communication network. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein at a first location 3 at time t=0 the UE is communicatively connected via AP-7 1 and subsequently the UE moves to a second location 4 at time t=1 and the UE can be communicatively connected with AP-6 2. As such handover of the connectivity of the UE is provided between AP-7 and AP-6 to ensure continual connectivity of the UE to the communication network independent of the movement of the UE” Each AP has a coverage area (see 0046)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the continual connectivity of the UE, disclosed by RAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to realize a distinction between the UE movement and an uninterrupted connectivity between the UE and communication network, RAO [0003].
However, MAEDA as modified by RAO does not disclose means for performing a measurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching.
In the same field of endeavor, TAO discloses means for performing a m
easurement procedure based on the UE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, as a result of this first variant of relaxation determination”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the UE mobility state and measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to illustrate the relationship between the UE mobility state and the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, TAO [0236].
Regarding claim 30, MAEDA discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code at a user equipment (UE) (see par [0004] of the attached translated document, (not shown but inherent in all UEs such as the one disclosed), the code when executed by a processor (see par [0004] of the attached translated document, (not shown but inherent in all UEs such as the one disclosed) causes the processor to:
identify, based on a count of consecutive cell reselections, a UE mobility condition associated with cell coverage switching, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA does not disclose wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the lE associated with a motion of the lE.
In the same field of endeavor, RAO discloses wherein the cell coverage switching is distinct from a mobility of the lE associated with a motion of the lE, ([0003] “For mobile broad band communication, service can be provided to mobile User Equipment (UE) through the management and handover between Access Points (AP) which provide connectivity of the UE with the communication network. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein at a first location 3 at time t=0 the UE is communicatively connected via AP-7 1 and subsequently the UE moves to a second location 4 at time t=1 and the UE can be communicatively connected with AP-6 2. As such handover of the connectivity of the UE is provided between AP-7 and AP-6 to ensure continual connectivity of the UE to the communication network independent of the movement of the UE” Each AP has a coverage area (see 0046)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the continual connectivity of the UE, disclosed by RAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to realize a distinction between the UE movement and an uninterrupted connectivity between the UE and communication network, RAO [0003].
However, MAEDA as modified by RAO does not disclose perform a measurement procedure based on the lE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching.
In the same field of endeavor, TAO discloses perform a measurement procedure based on the lE mobility condition associated with the cell coverage switching, ([0236] “FIG. 10 illustrates, in a similar manner as FIG. 6, a diagram showing in a simplified and exemplary manner the relationship between the UE mobility state and the serving cell quality as well as the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, as a result of this first variant of relaxation determination”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO to include the UE mobility state and measurement procedure, disclosed by TAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to illustrate the relationship between the UE mobility state and
the resulting neighbor cell measurement performed by the UE, TAO [0236].
Claims 3, 4, 6, 9, 15, 21, 22, 24, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MAEDA et al (WO 2010106763 A1), hereinafter MAEDA, in view of RAO et al. (US 20170359693 A1), hereinafter RAO, further in view of TAO et al. (US 20220322193 A1), hereinafter TAO, and further in view of Suzuki et al. (US 20110201279 A1), hereinafter Suzuki.
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 2 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the at least one processor is being further configured to: receive an indication of the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the at least one processor is being further configured to: receive an indication of the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node, ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state
indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document), as modified by RAO [0003] and TAO [0236] to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Regarding claim 4, as applied to claim 2 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching is preconfigured.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching is preconfigured ([0087] “The process 800 illustrated in FIGS. 8A-B corresponds to an example implementation in which the UE 105 and the network support configuration of both out of coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, and back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds […] the process 800 can be divided into two separate processes, with the processing in FIG. 8A utilizing out of coverage activation and deactivation thresholds being performed independently of the processing in FIG. 8B utilizing back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, […] each threshold comparison operation (as well as time comparison operation) described above is performed if the corresponding threshold (or timer) value is preconfigured or configured by the network via the MDT configuration information”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) as modified by RAO and TAO to include the implementation illustrated in FIGS. 8A-B, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the UE 105 and the network are able to support configuration of both out of coverage, and back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, and each threshold is performed if the corresponding threshold value is preconfigured by the network, Suzuki [0087].
Regarding claim 6, as applied to claim 2 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO further discloses wherein the count of consecutive cell reselections is associated with the one or more cells, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive an indication of one or more cells associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive an indication of one or more cells associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node, ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) as modified by RAO and TAO to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Regarding claim 9, as applied to claim 8 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the at least one processor is being further configured to: receive an indication associated with the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the at least one processor is being further configured to: receive an indication associated with the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node, ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) as modified by RAO and TAO to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Regarding claim 15, as applied to claim 1 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: refrain from performing a cell reselection based on a frequency associated with the cell coverage switching.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: refrain from performing a cell reselection based on a frequency associated with the cell coverage switching, ([TABLE 1])
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Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) as modified by RAO and TAO to include the first and second threshold for excessive inter-RAT frequency cell reselections, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the threshold value to stop measurement and logging maybe specified depending on the EU mobility state, Suzuki ([TABLE 1]).
Regarding claim 21, as applied to claim 20 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, further comprising: receiving an indication of the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses further comprising: receiving an indication of the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Regarding claim 22, as applied to claim 20 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, wherein the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching is preconfigured.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses wherein the cell coverage region associated with the cell coverage switching is preconfigured ([0087] “The process 800 illustrated in FIGS. 8A-B corresponds to an example implementation in which the UE 105 and the network support configuration of both out of coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, and back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds […] the process 800 can be divided into two separate processes, with the processing in FIG. 8A utilizing out of coverage activation and deactivation thresholds being performed independently of the processing in FIG. 8B utilizing back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, […] each threshold comparison operation (as well as time comparison operation) described above is performed if the corresponding threshold (or timer) value is preconfigured or configured by the network via the MDT configuration information”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the implementation illustrated in FIGS. 8A-B, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the UE 105 and the network are able to support configuration of both out of coverage, and back to coverage activation and deactivation thresholds, and each threshold is performed if the corresponding threshold value is preconfigured by the network, Suzuki [0087].
Regarding claim 24, as applied to claim 20 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO further discloses, wherein the count of consecutive cell reselections is associated with the one or more cells, (see par [0123] of the attached translated document, “(1) Count the number of consecutive reselections between the same cells by the mobile terminal. If the number of consecutive reselections exceeds the threshold (threshold_ping-pong phenomenon) (or even above the threshold), it is assumed that the ping-pong phenomenon has been detected. You may also count the number of handovers in the same cel”).
However, MAEDA, RAO, and TAO do not disclose, further comprising: receiving an indication of one or more cells associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses further comprising: receiving an indication of one or more cells associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node, ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Regarding claim 27, as applied to claim 26 above, MAEDA as modified by RAO and TAO does not disclose, further comprising: receiving an indication associated with the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node.
In the same field of endeavor, Suzuki discloses further comprising: receiving an indication associated with the at least one criterion associated with the cell coverage switching from a network node ([0031] “a commercial UE obtains configuration information from a network element to configure an MDT positioning measurement, with the configuration information including an indication that the commercial UE is to perform or request the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. The commercial UE then initiates the MDT positioning measurement when the UE returns to the coverage area (e.g., which may be detected by the UE as a suitable cell being found, …) […] on the network side, the network element includes an indication in configuration information to be sent to the commercial UE to configure the MDT positioning measurement, with the indication indicating that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area. [0046] measurement configuration for MDT can be performed in connected mode and idle mode in the 3GPP communication system 100 depending on one or more validity state indications configured by the network”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the mobile terminal disclosed by MAEDA (see par [0123] of the attached translated document) to include the configuration information from a network, disclosed by Suzuki. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to indicate that the UE is to perform the MDT positioning measurement upon returning to a coverage area, Suzuki [0031].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 02/12/2026, with respect to the rejection of independent claims 1, 19, 29, and 30 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made over MAEDA et al (WO 2010106763 A1), hereinafter MAEDA, in view of RAO et al. (US 20170359693 A1), hereinafter RAO, and further in view of TAO et al. (US 20220322193 A1), hereinafter TAO.
Conclusion
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/GILBERT M. GRANT/Examiner, Art Unit 2642
/Rafael Pérez-Gutiérrez/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2642
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