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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 May 04, 2026 has been entered.
Claims 1-2, 4, 12-13, 15, 23-26, 30-31 and 35-36 have been amended.
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 1-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tripathi et al. (2021/0119861).
Regarding claim 1, Tripathi discloses a method for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) (see abstract, fig.3, elements 360, 340, fig.4, element 403, paragraphs [0019-0020], [0073-0074] and its description), comprising: receiving, from a network entity, a request for capability of the UE (see abstract, paragraph [0151]); and transmitting, in response to the request, a UE capability message that indicates different sets of features the UE supports in different network types (see abstract, paragraph [0151]).
Regarding claim 2, Tripathi further discloses wherein the UE capability message indicates a first set of features the UE supports in terrestrial networks (TNs) from and a second set of features the UE supports in non-terrestrial network (NTNs) (see paragraphs [0006-0007], [0063], [0151]).
Regarding claim 3, Tripathi further discloses wherein the request includes a radio access technology (RAT) type that indicates NTNs as a separate RAT (see abstract, fig.4, element 404/402, 405, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063] and its description).
Regarding claim 4, Tripathi further discloses wherein the UE capability message further indicates sets of features the UE supports in NTNs with different orbit types (see abstract, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063-0065]).
Regarding claim 5, Tripathi further discloses wherein the different orbit types
comprise two or more of: a low earth orbit (LEO) orbit type, medium earth orbit (MEO)
orbit type, highly elliptical orbit (HEO) orbit type, geostationary (GEO) orbit type, or a
non-GEO orbit type (see abstract, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063-0065]).
Regarding claim 6, Tripathi further wherein the UE capability message
comprises: a first container indicating the first set of features the UE supports in TNs
(see abstract, fig.1, element 116, 102, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0017], [0029-0030],
[0063] and its description); and one or more second containers indicating the second
set of features the UE supports in NTNs (see abstract, fig.4, element 403, 401/402,
paragraphs [0006-0008], [0020], [0072-0074], [0063] and its description).
Regarding claim 7, Tripathi further discloses wherein the UE capability message
comprises a common container indicating: the first set of features the UE supports in
TNs (see abstract, fig.1, element 116, 102, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0017], [0029-
0030], [0063] and its description); and the second set of features the UE supports in
NTNs (see abstract, fig.1, element 116, 102, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0017], [0029-
0030], [0063] and its description).
Regarding claim 8, Tripathi further discloses wherein: a common set of features
in the common container apply to both TNs and NTNs networks by default (see
abstract, fig1, fig.4, paragraph [0063] and description); and the common container
includes an extension that differentiates features supported in only one of TNs or NTNs
(see abstract, fig.1 or fig.4, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063] and its description).
Regarding claim 9, Tripathi further discloses wherein the UE capability message
comprises: a first container indicating the first set of features the UE supports in TNs
and a first portion of the second set of features the UE supports in NTNs (see abstract,
fig.1, fig.4, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063] and descriptions); and at least a second
container indicating a second portion of the second set of features the UE supports in
NTNs (see abstract, fig.1 or fig.4, paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063] and its description).
Regarding claim 10, Tripathi further discloses wherein the second container is
limited to differential UE capability compared to first container (see abstract, paragraphs
[0006-0008], [0032]).
Regarding claim 11, Tripathi further discloses wherein the second set of features indicates a set of TN and NTN band combinations in which the UE supports at
least one of carrier aggregation or dual connectivity (see abstract, fig.1 or fig.4,
paragraphs [0006-0008], [0063] [0108], [0117], [0141] and its description).
Regarding claim 12, Tripathi discloses a method for wireless communications by a network entity (see abstract, fig.1, element 102, fig.2, elements 230, 225, fig.4, element 401, paragraphs [0073-0076] and its description), comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a request for capability of the UE (see abstract, fig.4, element 401, paragraphs [0073-0076], [0151] and its description); receiving, in response to the request, a UE capability message that indicates different sets of features the UE supports in different network types (see abstract, fig.4, element 401, paragraphs [0073-0076], [0151] and its description).
Regarding claims 23-29 and 13-34 recite limitations substantially similar to the claims 1-12. Therefore, these claims were rejected for similar reasons as stated above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 35-36 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
When responding to this Office Action, Applicant is advised to clearly point out the patentable novelty which he or she thinks the claims present, in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. He or she must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections See 37 CFR 1.111(c).
Conclusion
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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
/CONGVAN TRAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
Prosecution Insights