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 06/15/26, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 6, 10, 15 and 20-25 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of over newly cited Kim (Pub No 20230134552) and further in view of newly cited Sun (Pub No 20220264406)
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) 1-2, 5-7, 10-11, 14-16, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (Pub No 20230134552) and further in view of Sun (Pub No 20220264406)
Regarding claim 1 and 15,
Kim teaches A handover method, being applicable to a terminal device and comprising:
a transceiver; a memory configured to store computer programs; and a processor configured to invoke and execute the computer programs stored in the memory to: (see para [0049][0321])
receiving, by the terminal device, a plurality of sets of cell configuration information; (interpreted as The configuration information may include the ID of the target cells, frequency information, configuration information (e.g., dedicated preamble information, dedicated radio resource information, etc. for each target cell) required for an operation of random access to the target cells, transmission power information, information of a C-RNTI used in each target cell, and conditions to trigger the operation of random access to each target cell, see para [0107])
receiving, by the terminal device, first indication information transmitted by a network device, wherein the first indication information indicates the terminal device to perform cell handover based on one of the plurality of sets of cell configuration information, the first indication information comprises identification information of a first target cell and (interpreted as The configuration information may include the ID of the target cells, frequency information, configuration information (e.g., dedicated preamble information, dedicated radio resource information, etc. for each target cell) required for an operation of random access to the target cells, transmission power information, information of a C-RNTI used in each target cell, and conditions to trigger the operation of random access to each target cell, see para [0107])
performing, by the terminal device, handover to the first target cell based on one set of
cell configuration information corresponding to the first target cell among the plurality of sets of
cell configuration information. (interpreted as The terminal 705 having received the handover configuration information may assess whether the provided condition(s) is satisfied (operation 745). Until the condition is satisfied, the terminal 705 may maintain an operation of data transmission or reception with the source cell 710 (operation 750). When a condition related to a particular target cell is satisfied (operation 755), the terminal 705 may perform a process of random access to the target cell and drive a T304 timer (operation 760), see para [0108])
Kim, however, does not teach the information of the first activation time and the identification
information of the first target cell are carried in a system information broadcast (SIB), and the
first activation time is related to a time when feeder link switch occurs in a non-terrestrial
network (NTN); handover when the first activation time arrives;
Sun teaches the information of the first activation time and the identification
information of the first target cell are carried in a system information broadcast (SIB), and the
first activation time is related to a time when feeder link switch occurs in a non-terrestrial
network (NTN); (interpreted as The handover method includes: receiving, by the UE, a target cell activation time instant T′ notified by a source gateway, wherein the target cell activation time instant T′ is T+a time period Δ (delta) required for establishment of a feeder link, a handover time instant T is a time instant at which a previous feeder link is disconnected and establishment of a new feeder link is initiated, synchronizing with a target cell at T′ by the UE, see para [0014]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the conditions for handover as taught by Kim with the activation time for handover as taught by Sun with the motivation being to prevent service interruptions from disconnecting/connecting during the handover.
Regarding claim 10,
Kim teaches A handover method, being applicable to a network device and comprising:
transmitting, by the network device, cell configuration information to a terminal device, the cell configuration information being used for the terminal device to hand over from a serving cell to a target cell; (interpreted as The configuration information may include the ID of the target cells, frequency information, configuration information (e.g., dedicated preamble information, dedicated radio resource information, etc. for each target cell) required for an operation of random access to the target cells, transmission power information, information of a C-RNTI used in each target cell, and conditions to trigger the operation of random access to each target cell, see para [0107])
transmitting, by the network device, first indication information to the terminal device, wherein the first indication information indicates the terminal device to perform cell handover based on one of the plurality of sets of cell configuration information, the first indication information comprises identification information of a first target cell and (interpreted as The configuration information may include the ID of the target cells, frequency information, configuration information (e.g., dedicated preamble information, dedicated radio resource information, etc. for each target cell) required for an operation of random access to the target cells, transmission power information, information of a C-RNTI used in each target cell, and conditions to trigger the operation of random access to each target cell, see para [0107])
the identification information of the first target cell and the information of the first
activation time are used for the terminal device to perform handover to the first target cell based
on one set of cell configuration information corresponding to the first target cell among the
plurality of sets of cell configuration information. (interpreted as the terminal 705 having received the handover configuration information may assess whether the provided condition(s) is satisfied (operation 745). Until the condition is satisfied, the terminal 705 may maintain an operation of data transmission or reception with the source cell 710 (operation 750). When a condition related to a particular target cell is satisfied (operation 755), the terminal 705 may perform a process of random access to the target cell and drive a T304 timer (operation 760), see para [0108])
Kim, however, does not teach the information of the first activation time and the identification
information of the first target cell are carried in a system information broadcast (SIB), and the
first activation time is related to a time when feeder link switch occurs in a non-terrestrial
network (NTN); handover when the first activation time arrives;
Sun teaches the information of the first activation time and the identification
information of the first target cell are carried in a system information broadcast (SIB), and the
first activation time is related to a time when feeder link switch occurs in a non-terrestrial
network (NTN); (interpreted as The handover method includes: receiving, by the UE, a target cell activation time instant T′ notified by a source gateway, wherein the target cell activation time instant T′ is T+a time period Δ (delta) required for establishment of a feeder link, a handover time instant T is a time instant at which a previous feeder link is disconnected and establishment of a new feeder link is initiated, synchronizing with a target cell at T′ by the UE, see para [0014]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the conditions for handover as taught by Kim with the activation time for handover as taught by Sun with the motivation being to prevent service interruptions from disconnecting/connecting during the handover.
Regarding claims 2 and 11 and 16,
Kim The method of claim 1, wherein: the first indication information comprises identification information of a first target cell; and performing, by the terminal device, the cell handover according to the first indication information comprises: performing, by the terminal device, handover to the first target cell based on one set of cell configuration information corresponding to the first target cell among the plurality of sets of cell configuration information after receiving the first indication information. (interpreted as the terminal 705 having received the handover configuration information may assess whether the provided condition(s) is satisfied (operation 745). Until the condition is satisfied, the terminal 705 may maintain an operation of data transmission or reception with the source cell 710 (operation 750). When a condition related to a particular target cell is satisfied (operation 755), the terminal 705 may perform a process of random access to the target cell and drive a T304 timer (operation 760), see para [0108])
Regarding claims 5 and 14 and 19,
Kim teaches The method of claim 1, wherein: the first indication information comprises identification information of a first target cell and information of a first activation time; and performing, by the terminal device, the cell handover according to the first indication information comprises: performing, by the terminal device, handover to the first target cell based on one set of cell configuration information corresponding to the first target cell among the plurality of sets of cell configuration information when the first activation time arrives. (interpreted as the terminal 705 having received the handover configuration information may assess whether the provided condition(s) is satisfied (operation 745). Until the condition is satisfied, the terminal 705 may maintain an operation of data transmission or reception with the source cell 710 (operation 750). When a condition related to a particular target cell is satisfied (operation 755), the terminal 705 may perform a process of random access to the target cell and drive a T304 timer (operation 760), see para [0108])
Regarding claim 6,
Kim The method of claim 2, however does not teach wherein the identification information of the first target cell comprises at least one of: an identifier (ID) of the first target cell, a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the first target cell, a frequency point of the first target cell, a cell index of the first target cell, and an index of cell configuration information corresponding to the first target cell in the plurality of sets of cell configuration information. (interpreted as the configuration information may include the ID of the target cell, frequency information, configuration information (dedicated preamble information, dedicated radio resource information, etc.) required for an operation of random access to the target cell, transmission power information, and information of a C-RNTI used in the target cell, see para [0104])
Regarding claim 7,
Kim teaches the method of claim 3, however does not teach wherein the information of the first activation time comprises at least one of: a specified time, a specified time period, and a specified time interval.
Sun teaches wherein the information of the first activation time comprises at least one of: a specified time, a specified time period, and a specified time interval. (interpreted as The handover method includes: receiving, by the UE, a target cell activation time instant T′ notified by a source gateway, wherein the target cell activation time instant T′ is T+a time period Δ (delta) required for establishment of a feeder link, a handover time instant T is a time instant at which a previous feeder link is disconnected and establishment of a new feeder link is initiated, synchronizing with a target cell at T′ by the UE, see para [0014]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the conditions for handover as taught by Kim with the activation time for handover as taught by Sun with the motivation being to prevent service interruptions from disconnecting/connecting during the handover.
Regarding claim 20,
Kim teaches A network device, comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store computer programs; and a processor configured to invoke and execute the computer programs stored in the memory to perform the method of claim 10. (see para [0049] [0321])
Claim(s) 4, 13, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (Pub No 20230134552) and further in view of Sun (Pub No 20220264406) and Hahn (Pub No 20230224765)
Regarding claim 4 and 13 and 18,
Kim The method of claim 3, wherein performing, by the terminal device, the cell handover based on the set of cell configuration information among the plurality of sets of cell configuration information when the first activation time arrives comprises: performing, by the terminal device, the cell handover based on the second set of cell configuration information when the first activation time arrives. (interpreted as devices may receive a handover message comprising an activation time, the devices may then be released from the original cell and connect to the target cell on or after the expiry of the activation time, see para [0232])
However does not teach wherein the plurality of sets of cell configuration information comprise a first set of cell configuration information and a second set of cell configuration information; wherein the first set of cell configuration information is configuration information of a current serving cell of the terminal device; wherein the second set of cell configuration information is configuration information of a cell other than the current serving cell of the terminal device; and
Hahn teaches wherein the plurality of sets of cell configuration information comprise a first set of cell configuration information and a second set of cell configuration information; wherein the first set of cell configuration information is configuration information of a current serving cell of the terminal device; wherein the second set of cell configuration information is configuration information of a cell other than the current serving cell of the terminal device; and (interpreted as reconfiguration message may further include a second indicator indicating application of configuration information of the serving base station and the configuration information of the target base station, see para [0014])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the configuration information for multiple cells as taught by Kim to include configuration for the serving cell as taught by Hanh since it would have been a simple combination providing expected results of relaying configuration information for additional cells.
Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (Pub No 20230134552) and further in view of Sun (Pub No 20220264406) and Sabouri-Sichani (Pub No 20210022057)
Regarding claim 8,
Kim teaches The method of claim 3, however does not teach wherein the information of the first activation time is carried in at least one of: radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling, a media access control-control element (MAC CE), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled with a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), a system information broadcast (SIB), a PDCCH scrambled with a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI), a multicast PDCCH, and a PDCCH scrambled with a group-based group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI).
Sabouri-Sichani teaches wherein the information of the first activation time is carried in at least one of: radio resource control (RRC) dedicated signaling, a media access control-control element (MAC CE), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scrambled with a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), a system information broadcast (SIB), a PDCCH scrambled with a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI), a multicast PDCCH, and a PDCCH scrambled with a group-based group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI). (interpreted as The RRC Reconfiguration 130 message is the HO command containing the information required to access the target cell 13, containing at least the target cell ID, the new C-RNTI, and the target gNB security algorithm identifiers for the selected security algorithms, see para [0043])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the handover taught by Kim with the handover RRC as taught by Sabouri-Sichani since it would have been a simple substitution providing expected results of transmitting the same information in a different format.
Regarding claim 9,
Kim teaches The method of claim 2, however does not teach wherein the identification information of the first target cell is carried in at least one of: RRC dedicated signaling, a MAC CE, a PDCCH scrambled with a C-RNTI, an SIB, a PDCCH scrambled with a P-RNTI, a multicast PDCCH, and a PDCCH scrambled with a group-based G-RNTI.
Sabouri-Sichani teaches wherein the identification information of the first target cell is carried in at least one of: RRC dedicated signaling, a MAC CE, a PDCCH scrambled with a C-RNTI, an SIB, a PDCCH scrambled with a P-RNTI, a multicast PDCCH, and a PDCCH scrambled with a group-based G-RNTI (interpreted as The RRC Reconfiguration 130 message is the HO command containing the information required to access the target cell 13, containing at least the target cell ID, the new C-RNTI, and the target gNB security algorithm identifiers for the selected security algorithms, see para [0043])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the handover taught by Kim with the handover RRC as taught by Sabouri-Sichani since it would have been a simple substitution providing expected results of transmitting the same information in a different format.
Conclusion
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/BAO G NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2461 /HUY D VU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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