DETAILED ACTION
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on 10/17/2025 has been entered. Claim(s) 1, 3, 9-10, 12, 18, 22, 27, and 29 have been amended; Claim(s) 2, 5-7, 11, 14-16, and 19-20 have been canceled; No claim(s) have been added. Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 8-10, 12-13, 17-18, and 21-30 are subject to examination.
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 with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-4, 8-10, 12-13, 17-18, and 21-30 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 9 “sending, by the first network device, first indication information to the terminal wherein the first indication information…”should be “sending, by the first network device, first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information…”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 18 and 26-30 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.
Claim 18 recites the limitation “A first or second network device sending a paging message…the terminal comprising…to cause the terminal to: send first indication information to the terminal…”. It is unclear how the first or second network device fits into the method of a terminal sending to itself. For the purpose of examination, the examiner will interpret the claim as: “A first or second network device sending a paging message…the first or second network device comprising…to cause the first or second network device to: send first indication information to the terminal…”. Claim 27 is rejected as being dependent on claim 18.
Claims 26-30 recites the limitation "the apparatus". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 28 recites the limitation “the first network is a base station”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purpose of examination, the examiner will interpret “the first network” as “the first network device”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 8-10, 12-13, 17-18, and 21-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHEN et al. (US 20200169446 A1), hereby referred to as CHEN, in view of ABEDINI et al. (US 20210250898 A1), hereby referred to as ABEDINI.
Claim 1:
CHEN teaches a communication method for a terminal receiving a paging message without requiring a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on paging scheduling information in downlink control information (DCI) received from a first network device on a paging opportunity (PO) (CHEN: FIG. 5 item 520 (“Detect a Paging DCI that is Collocated with the SS Block”) and item 530 (“Obtain a Paging Message or a Short Message Based on the Paging DCI”) wherein a short message is a paging message scheduled by a DCI; para 36 (“…each paging occasion corresponds to a paging DCI transmission within the time window”) and para 58 (“Alternatively, a message may be carried in the paging DCI itself…referred to as a short message in contrast to the paging message carried in a PDSCH…”) on a PO without PDSCH), the method comprising: receiving, by the terminal, second indication information, wherein the second indication comprises an identifier of a terminal group to which the terminal belongs (CHEN: para 33 (“…a group identity, such as a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…can be preconfigured to a group of UEs…”) wherein terminal receives a group identifier/P-RNTI); receiving, by the terminal, third indication information indicating a target terminal group to receive the paging message (CHEN: para 57 (“When the P-RNTI is found, a respective paging DCI having a CRC scrambled with the P-RNTI can be determined to be the paging DCI intended for the UE…”) wherein the third indication is the P-RNTI found in the paging DCI); and receiving, by the terminal, the paging message based on the terminal group being the target terminal group (CHEN: FIG. 5 item 530 (“Obtain…Short Message Based on the Paging DCI”)).
While CHEN teaches an indication enabling a group paging function for receiving the paging message (CHEN: para 33 (“…a group identity, such as a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…can be preconfigured to a group of UEs…”) wherein configuring of a group identity is an indication of enabling group paging function), CHEN does not explicitly disclose receiving, by the terminal, first indication information from the first network device, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal to enable a group paging function for receiving the paging message, and wherein the first indication information is carried in system information (SI); and second indication information from the first network device,
ABEDINI, in the same field of endeavor, teaches receiving, by the terminal, first indication information from the first network device, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal to enable a group paging function for receiving the paging message, and wherein the first indication information is carried in system information (SI) (ABEDINI: para 97 (“The RAN may configure a UE (e.g., via broad cast) with information that enables a UE to receive a paging message…may identify…paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…”) and para 134 (“…the network optionally configures a specific P-RNTI in one of the SIB…messages…”) wherein first indication is a SIB/SI that indicates enablement of group paging by configuring a P-RNTI); and second indication information from the first network device (ABEDINI: para 97 (“The RAN may configure a UE (e.g., via broad cast) with information that enables a UE to receive a paging message…may identify…paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…”) and para 134 (“…the network optionally configures a specific P-RNTI in one of the SIB…messages…”) wherein the second indication is the P-RNTI sent by the first network device).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified CHEN with ABEDINI, the combination hereby referred to as CHEN-ABEDINI, for the benefit of reduced battery power usage as the UE can remain idle until needed (ABEDINI: para 96).
Claim 3:
Claim 3 recites the optional limitation “the second indication information is from the second network device”. As claim 1, on which claim 3 depends, is interpreted to have limitation “second indication information from the first network device”, the examiner will interpret claim 3 as an optional claim.
Claim 4:
Claim 4, depending on optional claim 3, is interpreted as being an optional claim.
Claim 8:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the communication method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a base station (CHEN: para 36 (“…paging DCI…is coming from the BS 120.”)wherein the first network device is a base station).
Claim 9:
CHEN teaches a communication method for sending a paging message to a terminal without requiring a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on paging scheduling information in downlink control information (DCI) sent by a first network device on a paging opportunity (PO) (CHEN: FIG. 5 item 520 (“Detect a Paging DCI that is Collocated with the SS Block”) and item 530 (“Obtain a Paging Message or a Short Message Based on the Paging DCI”) wherein a short message is a paging message scheduled by a DCI; para 36 (“…each paging occasion corresponds to a paging DCI transmission within the time window”) and para 58 (“Alternatively, a message may be carried in the paging DCI itself…referred to as a short message in contrast to the paging message carried in a PDSCH…”) on a PO without PDSCH), the method comprising: sending, the second indication information, wherein the second indication information comprises an identifier of a terminal group to which the terminal belongs (CHEN: para 33 (“…a group identity, such as a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…can be preconfigured to a group of UEs…”) wherein terminal receives a group identifier/P-RNTI); sending, by the first network device, third indication information indicating a target terminal group to receive the paging message (CHEN: para 57 (“When the P-RNTI is found, a respective paging DCI having a CRC scrambled with the P-RNTI can be determined to be the paging DCI intended for the UE…”) wherein the third indication is the P-RNTI found in the paging DCI); and sending, by the first network device, the paging message based on the terminal group being the target terminal group (CHEN: FIG. 5 item 530 (“Obtain…Short Message Based on the Paging DCI”)).
sending, by the first network device, first indication to the terminal, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal to enable a group paging function for receiving the paging message, and wherein the first indication information is carried in system information (SI);
While CHEN teaches an indication enabling a group paging function for receiving the paging message (CHEN: para 33 (“…a group identity, such as a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…can be preconfigured to a group of UEs…”) wherein configuring of a group identity is an indication of enabling group paging function), CHEN does not explicitly disclose sending, by the first network device, first indication to the terminal, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal to enable a group paging function for receiving the paging message, and wherein the first indication information is carried in system information (SI); and sending, by the first network device, second indication information.
ABEDINI, in the same field of endeavor, teaches sending, by the first network device, first indication to the terminal, wherein the first indication information indicates to the terminal to enable a group paging function for receiving the paging message, and wherein the first indication information is carried in system information (SI) (ABEDINI: para 97 (“The RAN may configure a UE (e.g., via broad cast) with information that enables a UE to receive a paging message…may identify…paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…”) and para 134 (“…the network optionally configures a specific P-RNTI in one of the SIB…messages…”) wherein first indication is a SIB/SI that indicates enablement of group paging by configuring a P-RNTI); and sending, by the first network device, second indication information (ABEDINI: para 97 (“The RAN may configure a UE (e.g., via broad cast) with information that enables a UE to receive a paging message…may identify…paging-radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI)…”) and para 134 (“…the network optionally configures a specific P-RNTI in one of the SIB…messages…”) wherein the second indication is the P-RNTI sent by the first network device).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified CHEN with ABEDINI, the combination hereby referred to as CHEN-ABEDINI, for the benefit of reduced battery power usage as the UE can remain idle until needed (ABEDINI: para 96).
Claim 10:
CHEN teaches the terminal comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable memory storage comprising processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the processor-executable instructions (CHEN: FIG. 13 item 1320 (“Memory”) memory storage and item 1310 (“Processing Circuitry”) the processor).
For further limitations, see rejection for claim 1 above.
Claim 12:
Claim 12 recites the optional limitation “the second indication information is from the second network device”. As claim 10, on which claim 12 depends, is interpreted to have limitation “second indication information from the first network device”, the examiner will interpret claim 12 as an optional claim.
Claim 13:
Claim 13, depending on optional claim 12, is interpreted as being an optional claim.
Claim 17:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the apparatus according to claim 10. For further limitations, see rejection for claim 8 above.
Claim 18:
CHEN teaches a first network device (CHEN: para 36 (“…paging DCI…is coming from the BS 120.”)wherein the first network device is a base station). For further limitations see 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection above and rejection for claim 9 above.
Claim 21:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the communication method according to claim 1, wherein the communication method is performed by the terminal (CHEN: FIG. 13 a terminal that could perform the method). For further limitations, see rejection for claim 1 above.
Claim 22:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the communication method according to claim 9, wherein the communication method is performed by the first network device (CHEN: FIG. 13 a base station/first network device that could perform the method).
Claim 23:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the communication method according to claim 22, wherein the first network device is a base station (CHEN: FIG. 13 a base station/first network device that could perform the method).
Claim 24:
Claim 24 recites “wherein the second indication is from the second network device”. As claim 9, on which claim 24 depends, is interpreted to have limitation “second indication information from the first network device”, the examiner will interpret claim 24 as an optional claim.
Claim 25:
Claim 25, depending on optional claim 24, is interpreted as being an optional claim.
Claim 26:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus is the terminal (CHEN: FIG. 13 a terminal that could perform the method). For further limitations, see rejection for claim 10 above.
Claim 27:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus is the first network device (CHEN: FIG. 13 a base station/first network device that could perform the method).
Claim 28:
CHEN-ABEDINI teaches the apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the first network is a base station (CHEN: FIG. 13 a base station/first network device that could perform the method).
Claim 29:
Claim 29 recites “wherein the second indication is from the second network device”. As claim 18, on which claim 29 depends, is interpreted to have limitation “second indication information from the first network device”, the examiner will interpret claim 29 as an optional claim.
Claim 30:
Claim 30, depending on optional claim 24, is interpreted as being an optional claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CHENG et al. (US 20200077310 A1)
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/A.T.N./Examiner, Art Unit 2416
/NOEL R BEHARRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2416