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 .
The office action is non-final due to a new ground of rejection in response to Applicant’s arguments filed on 10/27/2025.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed on 10/27/2025 has been entered. Claims 1-7, 9-15 and 17-20 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to Claims have overcome each and every objection and 101 and 112(b) rejections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed on 6/27/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments on pages 9-11 with respect to claims 1, 9 and 17 have been considered but are moot upon a further consideration and a new ground of rejection made under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bai (US PGPub 2025/0192856).
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.
Claims 1, 9 and 17 recite the limitation " wherein the request to update the UE capability indicates a time period for the change in the UE capability desired by the UE”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claims. The term “the change” does not have a proper antecedent basis in the referenced claims 1, 9 and 17.
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 1-7, 9-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bai (US PGPub 2025/0192856).
Regarding claims 1, 9 and 17, Bai teaches a computer-implemented method (Bai, see abstract, Beam switch prediction and reporting) comprising:
establishing, by a user equipment (UE), a communication path via a node B, the communication path enabling a communication between the UE and a packet data network (PDN) (Bai, see paragraphs 0076 and 0109, the UE 115-b may communicate with the network entity 105-b using a first communication beam. The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions, which may include at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW));
determining, by the UE, a preset condition is triggered during the communication (Bai, see paragraph 0109, the UE 115-b may determine movement of the UE 115-b, may determine movement of a nearby obstruction, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that the UE 115-b is changing location (e.g., changing latitude, longitude, altitude), changing orientation (e.g., rotating), changing physical configuration (e.g., folding or unfolding), or any combination thereof);
generating, by the UE, a request to update a UE capability (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b. The first message may indicate the changes to the one or more communication parameters, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time), or both), wherein the request to update the UE capability indicates a time period for the change in the UE capability desired by the UE (Bai, see paragraph 0112, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time)); and
transmitting, by the UE, the request to the node B, causing the node B to update the UE capability used for the communication (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b).
Regarding claims 2, 10 and 18, Bai teaches further comprising:
transmitting, by the UE, the request to the node B without requesting for an enquiry from the node B (Bai, see paragraphs 0111-0112, At 325, the UE 115-b may determine a preferred communication beam for use by the network entity 105-b after the UE 115-b switches to the second communication beam. The UE 115-b may determine the preferred communication beam based on the second communication beam. At 330, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b).
Regarding claims 3, 11 and 19, Bai teaches further comprising:
detecting a block error rate exceeds a preset threshold (Bai, see paragraph 0109, the UE 115-b may determine movement of the UE 115-b, may determine movement of a nearby obstruction, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that the UE 115-b is changing location (e.g., changing latitude, longitude, altitude), changing orientation (e.g., rotating), changing physical configuration (e.g., folding or unfolding), or any combination thereof), and
determining that the preset condition is triggered based on the block error rate exceeding the preset threshold (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b. The first message may indicate the changes to the one or more communication parameters, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time), or both).
Regarding claims 4 and 12, Bai teaches further comprising:
detecting a packet loss rate exceeds a preset threshold (Bai, see paragraph 0109, the UE 115-b may determine movement of the UE 115-b, may determine movement of a nearby obstruction, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that the UE 115-b is changing location (e.g., changing latitude, longitude, altitude), changing orientation (e.g., rotating), changing physical configuration (e.g., folding or unfolding), or any combination thereof), and
determining that the preset condition is triggered based on the packet loss rate exceeding the preset threshold (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b. The first message may indicate the changes to the one or more communication parameters, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time), or both).
Regarding claims 5 and 13, Bai teaches further comprising:
detecting a change of radio access technology (RAT) (Bai, see paragraph 0109, the UE 115-b may determine movement of the UE 115-b, may determine movement of a nearby obstruction, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that the UE 115-b is changing location (e.g., changing latitude, longitude, altitude), changing orientation (e.g., rotating), changing physical configuration (e.g., folding or unfolding), or any combination thereof), and
determining that the preset condition is triggered based on the change of RAT (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b. The first message may indicate the changes to the one or more communication parameters, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time), or both).
Regarding claims 6 and 14, Bai teaches further comprising:
detecting a change of tracking area (Bai, see paragraph 0109, the UE 115-b may determine movement of the UE 115-b, may determine movement of a nearby obstruction, or both. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that the UE 115-b is changing location (e.g., changing latitude, longitude, altitude), changing orientation (e.g., rotating), changing physical configuration (e.g., folding or unfolding), or any combination thereof), and
determining that the preset condition is triggered based on the change of tracking area (Bai, see paragraph 0112, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b. The first message may indicate the changes to the one or more communication parameters, a time parameter that indicates a time for the UE 115-b to switch to the second communication beam (e.g., the beam switch time), or both).
Regarding claims 7, 15 and 20, Bai teaches wherein the request to update the UE capability indicates a change in the capability desired by the UE including at least one of:
a change of modulation scheme,
a change of power class,
a change of bandwidth in use,
a change of antenna switching,
a change of a granular for beamforming, or
a change of downlink multiple input multiple output (MIMO) (Bai, see paragraphs 0111-0112, At 325, the UE 115-b may determine a preferred communication beam for use by the network entity 105-b after the UE 115-b switches to the second communication beam. The UE 115-b may determine the preferred communication beam based on the second communication beam. At 330, the UE 115-b may transmit a first message to the network entity 105-b).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHONG G KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-0619. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri @ 9am - 5pm.
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/CHONG G KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 2443
/NICHOLAS R TAYLOR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2443