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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 34-38, 44-46, 49-50 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As claims 34, 44 and 49-50, “the lock bit” is vague and indefinite because it does not refer to any previous element.
As claims 37, 44 and 49-50, “the identifier” is vague and indefinite because it is unclear if it is referred to lock identifier or satellite identifier.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 29, 31-46 and 48-50 allowed.
Claims 29, 31-46 and 48-50 allowed because Applicant remarks submitted during prosecution have been fully considered and have been found to be persuasive and have overcome the cited prior art(s). An updated search has been performed and no prior art has been found that solely, or in any reasonable combination, reads on the independent claims 29, 40 and 48.
The following is an Examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: all the claims are considered allowable since no prior art reference alone or combination of prior art references disclose or suggest the combination of limitations specified in the independent claims including:
“transmitting, to the network via a second communication satellite in the constellation, a message at a second time subsequent to the first time; and at a third time subsequent to the first time, transmitting second wireless data to the network via the second communication satellite, wherein the message comprises a lock identifier, the lock identifier signals to the network, when the lock identifier has a first value, that the electronic device will continue communicating with the network via the second communication satellite until the second communication satellite has an elevation angle less than a threshold elevation angle, and the lock identifier signals to the network, when the lock identifier has a second value different than the first value, that the electronic device will switch to communicating with the network via a third communication satellite in the constellation before the second communication satellite has the elevation angle less than the threshold elevation angle.”
The closest prior arts found are as follows:
Chen [US 2024/0031892] discloses a UT for sending a handoff request with an indicator for requesting a handoff from first satellite to second satellite.
Kim [US 2020/0153500] discloses a terminal-initiated handover may be triggered when the elevation angle of the serving satellite base station currently serving the terminal changes below the certain threshold. Thereafter, the terminal may select at least one candidate satellite base station from the list of handover candidates. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one candidate satellite base station may have a higher elevation than the current serving satellite base station. In addition, this elevation should be kept above the threshold for a predetermined duration to minimize frequent handovers. The predetermined duration may be determined by the velocity of the candidate satellite base station. In another exemplary embodiment, the terminal may select at least one candidate base station with longer coverage than the current serving satellite base station in the list of handover candidates.
Wang [US 2004/0110467] discloses a method and apparatus for mitigating communications interference between satellite communications systems in different orbits is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of evaluating a geometrical relationship between a second ground station and the satellites in the second satellite constellation and directing communications between the second ground station and the second satellite according to the evaluated geometrical relationship. In one embodiment communications are handed over from a first satellite to another satellite when the first satellite is no longer at the highest elevation angle of visible satellites. In another embodiment, handover occurs when the first satellite drops below a minimum elevation angle.
Voce [US 6246874] discloses a method and apparatus for predicting when to perform spot beam and satellite handover in a mobile satellite communication network that uses the position of the mobile subscriber. The method and apparatus perform all calculations with respect to a satellite-based coordinate system, thereby eliminating the need to model the shape of the geometrically complex spot beams on the surface of the earth. The position of a mobile subscriber unit that initiates a call is tracked relative to a set of spot beam boundaries that are located equidistant between a first spot beam within which the subscriber unit is located at the time of call initiation and a set of adjacent spot beams. An interval during which the subscriber unit will cross over one of the boundaries is estimated. The spot beam into which the subscriber is traveling is identified, and the interval is adjusted until a desired level of accuracy has been achieved at which time the call is transferred from the first spot beam to the adjacent spot beam at the estimated time. For satellite handover, an angle of elevation between the subscriber unit and the satellite is calculated and compared to a threshold angle. When the angle of elevation drops below the threshold angle due to the movement of the satellite, the call is transferred from a first satellite to a neighboring second satellite.
In accordance with the Examiner’s best judgement, the best prior arts found during prosecution with respect to claims 29, 31-46 and 48-50 fail to, either singularly or in reasonable combination, to anticipate or render the claim features obvious, particularly the combination of features of the independent claims 29, 40 and 48.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled "Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance."
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3159. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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, Edan Orgad can be reached at 571-272-7884. 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.
/STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414
Prosecution Insights