DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to communications filed June 4th, 2026.
Claims 1-2, 4-15, and 17-22 are currently pending. Claims 1-2, 8-10, and 14 are currently amended. Claims 3 and 16 are currently canceled. And claims 21-22 are newly presented.
The present application is a continuation of International Application no. PCT/CN2021/100508, field on June 17th, 2021, which claims priority to the People’s Republic of China application no. CN202010605980.3, filed on June 29th, 2020.
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 § 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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 7-11, 13-15, 17-18, and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2022/0408509, hereinafter Xu) in view of Liang (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2023/0026021, hereinafter Liang).
With respect to claims 1 and 14, Xu discloses a communication method and apparatus, comprising:
first configuration information (paragraph [0088], lines 12-15), and the first configuration information is usable to configure a first radio bearer between a first terminal device and the network device (paragraph [0088], lines 1-12, transmit a RRC connection request to the relay device, which may in turn transmit a RRC connection request to the cellular base station);
receiving a first radio resource control (RRC) message from a second terminal device (paragraph [0088], lines 1-12, transmit a RRC connection request to the relay device), wherein the first RRC message requests includes a request to set up an RRC connection between the second terminal device and the network device (paragraph [0087], lines 1-5, establish a RRC connection between the remote wireless device and the cellular base station); and
sending a first message to the network device through the first radio bearer, wherein the first message comprises the first RRC message and identification information of the second terminal device (paragraph [0088], lines 12-19, RRC setup complete message to the cellular base station).
But Xu does not disclose sending a first request message to a network device, wherein the first request message requests first configuration information.
However, Liang discloses sending a first request message to a network device, wherein the first request message requests first configuration information (paragraph [0109], request message for capability of the UE-2).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to combine the radio resource control connection procedure for remote wireless devices of Xu with the relay UE determining method of Liang. The motivation to combine being to expand the capability of a cellular base station. The capability of the cellular base station being expanded by a relay UE (abstract: Liang).
With respect to claims 2 and 15, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses the method according to claims 1 and 14, Xu further discloses: receiving the first configuration information from the network device (paragraph [0088], lines 1-12, transmit a RRC connection request to the relay device, which may in turn transmit a RRC connection request to the cellular base station).
With respect to claims 4, 10, and 17, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses the method according to claims 1, 8, and 14, Xu further discloses wherein the first request message comprises a first indication, and the first indication indicates includes information that the first terminal device has a capability of providing a relay service (paragraph [0091], devices capable of supporting relaying RRC messages).
With respect to claims 5, 11, and 18, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses the method according to claims 1, 8, and 14, Xu further discloses wherein the first configuration information further comprises second configuration information, the second configuration information is usable to configure a second radio bearer between the first terminal device and the network device (paragraph [0105], second remote UE), and the second radio bearer comprises a second signaling radio bearer (SRB) (paragraph [0101]) or a second data radio bearer (DRB) (paragraph [0108]); and
receiving a second RRC message from a third terminal device, wherein the second RRC message includes a request to set up an RRC connection between the third terminal device and the network device (paragraph [0105], second remote UE may provide a RRC connection request); and
sending a second message to the network device through the second radio bearer, wherein the second message comprises the second RRC message and identification information of the third terminal device (paragraph [0108], lines 1-25).
With respect to claims 7, 13, and 20, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses the method according to claims 1, 8, and 14, wherein the first RRC message comprises an RRC connection request message (paragraph [0105], RRC connection request), an RRC reestablishment request message (paragraph [0109], RRC reestablishment request), or an RRC connection resume request message (paragraph [0110], RRC resume request).
With respect to claim 8, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses a communication method, Xu further discloses:
sending first configuration information to a first terminal device (paragraph [0088], lines 12-15), wherein the first configuration information is usable to configure a first radio bearer between the first terminal device and a network device (paragraph [0088], lines 1-12, transmit a RRC connection request to the relay device, which may in turn transmit a RRC connection request to the cellular base station); and
receiving, through the first radio bearer, a first message from the first terminal device, wherein the first message comprises a first RRC message and identification information of a second terminal device (paragraph [0088], lines 1-12, transmit a RRC connection request to the relay device), and the first RRC message requests includes a request to set up an RRC connection between the second terminal device and the network device (paragraph [0087], lines 1-5, establish a RRC connection between the remote wireless device and the cellular base station).
With respect to claim 9, the combination of Xu and Liang disclose the method according to claim 8, Liang further discloses:
Sending the first configuration information to the first terminal device in response to the first request message (paragraph [0111]).
With respect to claims 21 and 22, the combination of Xu and Liang disclose the method according to claims 4 and 17, Liang further discloses wherein the first request message further comprises a second indication and the second indication indicates information about a quantity of terminal devices that can perform access through the first terminal device (paragraph [0085], total quantity of UEs for which the one candidate UE may serve as a relay).
Claims 6, 12, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Xu and Liang, as applied to claims 1, 8, and 14 above, and further in view of Fujishiro et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2022/0386320, hereinafter Fujishiro).
With respect to claims 6, 12, and 19, the combination of Xu and Liang discloses the method according to claims 1, 8, and 14, but does not disclose wherein a logical channel configuration in the first configuration information comprises logical channel group (LCG) information or scheduling request (SR) information, and the LCG information or the SR information includes a request, from the network device, for a resource for sending the first message.
However, Fujishiro discloses wherein the first configuration information comprises a logical channel configuration including logical channel group (LCG) information (paragraph [0100]), or scheduling request (SR) information (paragraph [0113]), requesting a resource for sending the first message (paragraph [0100]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to combine the radio resource control connection procedure for remote wireless devices of Xu and the relay UE determining method of Liang with the communication control method and relay node of Fujishiro. The motivation to combine being to expand the capability of a cellular base station. The capability of the cellular base station being expanded by a relay node (abstract: Fujishiro).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 4-15, and 17-22 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Fujishiro Pat. Pub. 2023/0022611
Xu Pat. Pub. 2020/0351669
Liao Patent no. 11.758.463
Back Pat. Pub. 2023/0199875
Lee Pat. Pub. 2023/0146227
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6/25/26
/BLAKE J RUBIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2457
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