Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 30, 2026
Application No. 18/043,688

MULTICAST AND BROADCAST CONFIGURATION SIGNALING

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Mar 01, 2023
Priority
Sep 02, 2020 — provisional 63/073,732 +1 more
Examiner
BLANTON, JOHN D
Art Unit
2466
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Toyota Motor Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 78% — above average
78%
Career Allowance Rate
799 granted / 1029 resolved
+19.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1068
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.6%
-37.4% vs TC avg
§103
57.4%
+17.4% vs TC avg
§102
17.6%
-22.4% vs TC avg
§112
12.1%
-27.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1029 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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) 49, 53, 54, 58, 59, and 68-70 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 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. 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. Claim(s) 49, 53, 54, and 68-70 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qualcomm (“NR Multicast services and configuration for UEs in different RRC states”, R2-2006795, 8/28/2020) in view of Wei et al. (US 2023/0171698) (“Wei”). For claims 49 and 68-70; Qualcomm discloses: receiving, by a user equipment (UE), one or more messages (section 2.3, option 2: some of the common multicast service configuration (example: BWP/CORESET/SS configuration for PDCCH monitoring etc.) can be delivered to UEs using broadcast RRC signalling and any UE specific MRB configuration (example: L1 HARQ configuration, L2 configuration etc.) can be provided to UEs through dedicated RRC signalling) comprising: configuration information indicating that one or more multicast broadcast services are associated with: a first control resource set (CORESET), and a first bandwidth part (BWP), radio network temporary identifiers (RNTIs) (section 2.3, option 2: some of the common multicast service configuration (example: BWP/CORESET/SS configuration for PDCCH monitoring etc.) can be delivered to UEs using broadcast RRC signalling and any UE specific MRB configuration (example: L1 HARQ configuration, L2 configuration etc.) can be provided to UEs through dedicated RRC signalling), each of the RNTIs being associated with a different set of the one or more multicast broadcast services (section 2.3: Following is a high level list of multicast service configuration parameters:…Multicast QoS: LCID: G-RNTI mapping configuration), and; receiving, by the UE, downlink control information associated with an RNTI of the RNTIs in the first CORESET of the first BWP (section 2.3, option 2: some of the common multicast service configuration (example: BWP/CORESET/SS configuration for PDCCH monitoring etc.) can be delivered to UEs using broadcast RRC signalling and any UE specific MRB configuration (example: L1 HARQ configuration, L2 configuration etc.) can be provided to UEs through dedicated RRC signalling); and receiving, by the UE, based on the downlink control information, one or more transport blocks associated with the one or more multicast broadcast services (section 2.3, option 1: This assumes that Multicast service(s) can only be delivered to UEs while in RRC_CONNECTED state or optionally can continue to receive multicast services without any feedback after transitioning to RRC_INACTIVE). Qualcomm does not expressly disclose, but Wei from similar fields of endeavor teaches: multiple sets of discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration parameters, each of the multiple sets of the DRX configuration parameters being associated with the different set of the one or more multicast broadcast services and including a configuration parameter that indicates a slot offset (paragraph 68: a single DRX configuration may be used for all MBMS sessions associated with session-specific fields in the DCI. Alternatively, as described above, an independent DRX configuration may be used for each MBMS session associated with session-specific fields in the DCI), and; receiving, by the UE, based on a set of the multiple sets of DRX configuration parameters, downlink control information associated with an RNTI of the RNTIs (paragraph 65, 68: the UE 120 may receive a PDCCH-WUS that includes the DCI in a set of wakeup signal monitoring occasions. In some aspects, the DCI (e.g., the PDCCH-WUS) may be scrambled by the same RNTI (e.g., a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI may be scrambled by the same RNTI), such as a group RNTI, for a plurality of MBMS sessions associated with the PDCCH-WUS… a single DRX configuration may be used for all MBMS sessions associated with session-specific fields in the DCI. Alternatively, as described above, an independent DRX configuration may be used for each MBMS session associated with session-specific fields in the DCI). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Wei in the MBS as described by Qualcomm. The motivation is to improve PDCCH power savings. For claim 53; Qualcomm discloses: wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more radio resource control (RRC) messages (section 2.3, proposal 3, option 2: Some of the parameters are provided in unicast RRC signalling and some of the configuration parameters by means of broadcast RRC signalling). For claim 54; Qualcomm discloses: wherein the one or more messages comprise a system information block (SIB) associated with the multicast broadcast services (section 2.3, proposal 2, option 2: Some of common configuration can be delivered by using broadcast signalling (e.g. SIB, MCCH like channel) and UE specific configuration can be delivered through dedicated RRC signalling). Claim(s) 58 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qualcomm in view of Wei as applied to claim 49 above, and further in view of Samsung et al. (“On Basic functions for broadcast/multicast for RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE UEs”, R1-2006175, 8/8/2020) (“Samsung”). For claim 58; Qualcomm discloses the subject matter in claim 49 as described above in the office action. Qualcomm does not expressly disclose, but Samsung from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the receiving the one or more messages is via a default BWP (section 2-3: In order to support multicast, that initial BWP can be utilized). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Samsung in the MBS as described by Qualcomm. The motivation is to improve configuration of multiple services. Claim(s) 59 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qualcomm in view of Wei in view of Samsung as applied to claim 58 above, and further in view of Takeda et al. (US 2021/0045017) (“Takeda”). For claim 59; Qualcomm discloses the subject matter in claim 58 as described above in the office action. Qualcomm does not expressly disclose, but Samsung from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the receiving the one or more messages includes receiving the one or more messages via a default BWP (section 2-3: After a UE detects SSB/PBCH, it monitors CORESET#0 and receives SIB. Then, the UE can be aware of initial BWP). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Samsung in the MBS as described by Qualcomm. The motivation is to improve configuration of multiple services. Qualcomm does not expressly disclose, but Takeda from similar fields of endeavor teaches: a primary cell (paragraph 92: the UE 115-a may receive one or more of the SIB or the MCCH in a default downlink BWP of a primary cell). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the signaling as described by Takeda in the MBS as described by Qualcomm. The motivation is to improve configuration of multiple services. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Park et al. (US 2022/0322169); Park discloses the MBS interest service list comprises at least one of: an MBS frequency; an MBS session identifier; a group-radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) of an MBS service or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) service; a destination layer-2 identifier for the MBS service or the V2X service; an MBS service priority; or a V2X service priority. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN D BLANTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3933. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-6pm EST, Mon-Thu. 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, Faruk Hamza can be reached at 571-272-7969. 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. /JOHN D BLANTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 01, 2023
Application Filed
Jul 17, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Oct 16, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 16, 2025
Response Filed
Mar 13, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 13, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jun 22, 2026
Response Filed
Jul 28, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+8.2%)
2y 11m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1029 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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