DETAILED ACTION
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, filed October 2, 2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-4 under 35 USC § 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of 35 USC § 102.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rugeland et al. (US 20220007255 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Rugeland et al. teaches a communication control method comprising: performing, by a remote user equipment, communication with a source base station via a relay user equipment (Paragraph 177, Teaches that a UE can perform communication with a base station, including via another relay UE in the system); detecting, by the remote user equipment, communication failure in a radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment (Paragraph 145, Describes that the UE detects a communication failure (e.g., RLF or handover failure) before triggering reestablishment, which corresponds to detecting a radio link failure between devices); starting, by the remote user equipment, Radio Resource Control (RRC) reestablishment procedure to a target base station in response to the detection of the communication failure in the radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment (Paragraph 146, Clearly shows that once the UE detects failure, it begins an RRC reestablishment procedure toward a target base station (second RAT node)); transmitting, by the remote user equipment, an RRC reestablishment request message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure (Paragraph 149-150, Explicitly teaches the UE sending an RRC reestablishment request message to the target base station), wherein the RRC reestablishment request message comprises a predetermined identifier configured to identify context information of the remote user equipment stored in the source base station (Paragraph 147-148, Teaches that the request includes an identifier (UE identity) that references context information in the source base station), the predetermined identifier including at least one of: a C-RNTI allocated by the source base station, a physical cell identifier acquired via the relay user equipment, a shortMAC-I calculated by the remote user equipment (Paragraph 147, 152, 342-343, Explicitly lists that the identifier includes the C-RNTI, physical cell ID, and shortMAC-I); receiving, by the remote user equipment, an RRC reestablishment message from the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure, the target base station having retrieved the context information from the source base station using the predetermined identifier (Paragraph 262-264, Teaches that the target base station retrieves UE context from the source using the identifier and sends an RRC reestablishment message back to the UE); and transmitting, by the remote user equipment, an RRC reestablishment complete message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure (Paragraph 336, 343, The described signaling and completion of the reestablishment includes the UE sending an RRC reestablishment complete message to finalize the procedure).
Regarding claim 2, Rugeland et al. teaches acquiring, by the remote user equipment, a cell identifier of the source base station via the relay user equipment prior to a start of the RRC reestablishment procedure, wherein the RRC reestablishment request message comprises the cell identifier as the predetermined identifier (Paragraph 189, 242, 203-205, 258, These passages together teach that the UE obtains the source cell identifier before reestablishment and includes that identifier in the RRC reestablishment request message sent through another node).
Regarding claim 3, Rugeland et al. teaches a remote user equipment comprising: a controller configured to perform communication with a source base station via a relay user equipment, the controller configured to detect communication failure in a radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment, the controller configured to start a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reestablishment procedure to a target base station in response to the detection of the communication failure in the radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment (Paragraph 186, Describes the UE detecting a connection failure and initiating actions for reestablishment, corresponding to the controller detecting failure and starting RRC reestablishment toward a target base station); a transmitter configured to transmit an RRC reestablishment request message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure (Paragraph 204, 212, The wireless device’s transmitting unit sends a re-establishment request message to a target base station, aligning with the transmitter transmitting the RRC reestablishment request), wherein the RRC reestablishment request message comprises a predetermined identifier configured to identify context information of the remote user equipment stored in the source base station (Paragraph 147-150, 171, The UE includes an identifier (parameters like C-RNTI, PCI, etc.) in the RRC reestablishment request to identify context stored at the source base station), the predetermined identifier including at least one of: a C-RNTI allocated by the source base station, a physical cell identifier acquired via the relay user equipment, a shortMAC-I calculated by the remote user equipment (Paragraph 147, 342, Specifies that the identifier includes the C-RNTI, PCI, and shortMAC-I); and a receiver configured to receive an RRC reestablishment message from the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure, the target base station having retrieved the context information from the source base station using the predetermined identifier (Paragraph 262-265, The target base station (second radio network node) retrieves UE context from the source base station using the identifier and then reestablishes the connection), wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit an RRC reestablishment complete message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure (Paragraph 265, 332, Once the connection is reestablished, the UE completes the RRC reestablishment procedure, teaching transmission of an RRC reestablishment complete message to finalize the process).
Regarding claim 4, Rugeland et al. teaches an apparatus configured to control a remote user equipment, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to perform communication with a source base station via a relay user equipment (Paragraph 177, 179, Describes an apparatus (wireless device) comprising circuitry for communication with a base station (network node) through wireless links, consistent with performing communication with a source base station via a relay UE); detect communication failure in a radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment (Paragraph 145, 186-187, Teaches detection of radio link or connection failure between devices, such as between the remote UE and relay UE or base station, prompting re-establishment); start a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reestablishment procedure to a target base station in response to the detection of the communication failure in the radio link between the remote user equipment and the relay user equipment (Paragraph 145-147, 186-188, Teaches initiating an RRC reestablishment procedure toward a target base station after detecting a communication failure); transmit an RRC reestablishment request message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure, wherein the RRC reestablishment request message comprises a predetermined identifier configured to identify context information of the remote user equipment stored in the source base station, the predetermined identifier including at least one of: a C-RNTI allocated by the source base station, a physical cell identifier acquired via the relay user equipment, a shortMAC-I calculated by the remote user equipment (Paragraph 133, 145, 147-150, 189, 197, Discloses sending an RRC reestablishment request containing identifiers such as C-RNTI, PCI, and shortMAC-I for retrieving context stored in the source base station); receive an RRC reestablishment message from the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure, the target base station having retrieved the context information from the source base station using the predetermined identifier (Paragraph 260-263, 265, 276, Describes the target base station receiving the identifier, retrieving the UE context from the source base station, and sending an RRC reestablishment message back to the UE); and transmit an RRC reestablishment complete message to the target base station in the RRC reestablishment procedure (Paragraph 133, 265, 276, After receiving the reestablishment message, the UE resumes connection by sending the RRC reestablishment complete message to the target base station).
Regarding claim 5, Rugeland et al. teaches the communication failure based on communication state information notified from a PC5 RRC layer to an RRC layer of the remote user equipment regarding a sidelink radio link with the relay user equipment, the communication failure comprising at least one of: sidelink radio link failure, failure of PC5 RRC reestablishment (Paragraph 145, 162, 186, 268, 336, These passages collectively teach detecting a communication or radio link failure and notifying higher RRC layers to trigger RRC reestablishment, corresponding to the claimed sidelink radio link or PC5 RRC reestablishment failure).
Regarding claim 6, Rugeland et al. teaches the communication failure is determined when a PC5 RRC layer detects sidelink measurement results below a configured threshold (Paragraph 145, 147, 186, These passages show the RRC layer detecting link or beam failures—triggered by degraded measurements—thus determining communication failure when measured results fall below a set threshold).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ramachandra et al. (US 20220131793 A1)
Park et al. (US 20210410107 A1)
Teyeb et al. (US 20210329723 A1)
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/ANDREW SHAJI KURIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/Chandrahas B Patel/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464