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 amendment
2. This is a Final Office action in response to applicant’s remarks and arguments filed on 12/12/2025.
3. Status of the claims:
• Claims 1, 5, and 9 have been amended.
• Claims 3-4, 7-8, 11-12, 14-15, 17-18, and 20 have been canceled.
• Claims 1-2, 5-6, 9-10, 13, 16, and 19 are currently pending and have been examined.
Response to remarks/arguments
4. Applicant’s remarks and arguments filed on 12/12/2025 with respect to amended independent claims 1, 5, and 9 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. Upon further search and consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made to Kuo (US 20210400746 A1).
5. In response to Applicant’s remarks and arguments filed on 08/20/2018 regarding amended independent claims 1, 5, and 9, the Examiner acknowledges that XU et al. do not explicitly teach the newly recited features as argued by Applicant. However, the newly cited reference of Kuo (US 20210400746 A1) teaches the newly added features.
Please see the rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
7. 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
8. Claims 1, 5, 9, 13, 16, 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kuo (US 20210400746 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kuo discloses a wireless communication method (Kuo, para. [0002]: the application relates to a wireless communication method and an apparatus), comprising:
receiving, by a relay terminal, a first message transmitted by a first terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: The relay terminal receives Direct Communication Request 1 from the first terminal (UE1)), wherein the first message comprises a link layer identifier of a second terminal (Kuo, para. [0239], Fig. 16: the Direct Communication Request 1 comprises a Layer ID of the second terminal (UE2)), and the first message is a direct communication request message (Kuo, Fig. 16: UE1 sends a Direct Communication Request message 1 from UE1 to the Relay); and
transmitting, by the relay terminal, a second message to the second terminal based on the link layer identifier of the second terminal in the first message (Kuo, Fig.16: Relay terminal sends a Direct Communication Request 2 (e.g., second message) to UE2 based on UE2’s Application Layer ID in the Direct Communication Request 1 (e.g., first message)), wherein the second message is a direct communication request message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Relay sends a Direct Communication request message 2 to UE2), and the second message comprises the link layer identifier of the second terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: show that second message (i.e., Direct Communication request message 2 ) comprises link layer ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID), wherein the link layer identifier of the second terminal is Layer 2 identifier (ID) (Kuo, Fig. 16: shows that the link layer ID is a L2 ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID).
Regarding claim 5, Kuo discloses a wireless communication method (Kuo, para. [0002]: the application relates to a wireless communication method and an apparatus), comprising:
transmitting, by a first terminal, a first message to a relay terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: The first terminal (UE1) sends Direct Communication Request 1 to the Relay terminal), wherein the first message comprises a link layer identifier of a second terminal (Kuo, para. [0239], Fig. 16: the Direct Communication Request 1 comprises a Layer ID of the second terminal (UE2)), the first message is a direct communication request message (Kuo, Fig. 16: UE1 sends a Direct Communication Request message 1 from UE1 to the Relay), and the link layer identifier of the second terminal in the first message is used by the relay terminal to transmit a second message to the second terminal (Kuo, Fig.16: UE2’s Application Layer ID in the Direct Communication Request 1 (e.g., first message) received by Relay is used to send a Direct Communication Request 2 (e.g., second message) to the second terminal (UE2)), wherein the second message is a direct communication request message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Relay sends a Direct Communication request message 2 to UE2), and the second message comprises the link layer identifier of the second terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: show that second message (i.e., Direct Communication request message 2) comprises link layer ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID), wherein the link layer identifier of the second terminal is Layer 2 identifier (ID) (Kuo, Fig. 16: shows that the link layer ID is a L2 ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID).
Regarding claim 9, Kuo discloses a wireless communication method (Kuo, para. [0002]: the application relates to a wireless communication method and an apparatus), comprising:
receiving, by a second terminal, a second message transmitted by a relay terminal based on a link layer identifier of the second terminal (Kuo, para. [0239], Fig.16: second terminal (UE2) receives Direct Communication Request 2 (e.g., second message) sent by the Relay terminal based on UE2’s Application Layer ID received in the Direct Communication Request 1 (e.g., first message)), wherein the second message is a direct communication request message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Relay sends a Direct Communication request message 2 to UE2), and the second message comprises the link layer identifier of the second terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: shows that second message (i.e., Direct Communication request message 2) comprises link layer ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID), wherein the link layer identifier of the second terminal is Layer 2 identifier (ID) (Kuo, Fig. 16: shows that the link layer ID is a L2 ID of UE2. para. [0093]: layer-2 ID of the communication peer is identified by the application layer ID).
Regarding claim 13, Kuo discloses a relay device (Kuo, Fig. 16: The relay terminal of figure 16), comprising a processor (Kuo, Figs. 2, 16: The relay terminal of figure 16 that receives the direct communication request 1 comprises a processor to process information) and a memory (Kuo, Figs. 2, 16: The relay terminal of figure 16 that receives the direct communication request 1 comprises a memory to store information), wherein the memory has a computer program stored thereon, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method according to claim 1 (Kuo, para. 251: computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, where the computer instructions are used to enable the computer to perform the method according to claim 1).
Regarding claim 16, Kuo discloses first terminal (Kuo, Figs. 2, 16: The UE1 of figure 16), comprising a processor (Kuo, Figs. 2,16: The UE1 of figure 16 that transmits the direct communication request 1 comprises a processor to process information) and a memory (Kuo, Figs. 2, 16: The UE1 of figure 16 that transmits the direct communication request 1 comprises a memory to store information), wherein the memory has a computer program stored thereon, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method according to claim 5 (Kuo, para. 251: computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, where the computer instructions are used to enable the computer to perform the method according to claim 5).
Regarding claim 19, Kuo discloses a second terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: UE2 of figure 16), comprising a processor (Kuo, Figs. 2,16: The UE of figure 16 that receives the direct communication request 2 comprises a processor to process information) and a memory (Kuo, Figs. 2, 16: The UE2 of figure 16 that receives the direct communication request 2 comprises a memory to store information), wherein the memory has a computer program stored thereon, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method according to claim 9 (Kuo, para. 251: computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, where the computer instructions are used to enable the computer to perform the method according to claim 9).
11. Claims 2, 6, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuo (US 20210400746 A1) in view of Perras et al. (US 20230413171 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Kuo discloses the method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the relay terminal, a third message transmitted by a second terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: the relay terminal receives Direct Communication Accept 2 (e.g., as the third message) from UE2), the third message is a direct communication accept message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Direct Communication Accept 2 is a direct communication accept message between Relay terminal and UE2), and a data packet header of the third message carrying the link layer identifier of the second terminal (Kuo, para. [0162], [0093]: the source user info set to the target UE's application layer ID received from upper layers); and transmitting, by the relay terminal, a fourth message to the first terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: the relay terminal sends Direct Communication Accept 1 (e.g., as the fourth message) to UE1), the fourth message is a direct communication accept message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Direct Communication Accept 1 is a direct communication accept message between Relay terminal and UE1).
However, the reference does not appear to disclose the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal; the fourth message comprising the link layer identifier of the second terminal, and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying the link layer identifier of the relay terminal.
In the same field of endeavor, Perras teaches the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: An initiating WTRU (e.g., WTRU-1 shown in FIG. 4) may broadcast a direct communication request (DCR) message, which may include one or more provided services (e.g., V2X services), an upper layer identifier of a peer WTRU, and/or a source L2 identifier (ID) of the initiating WTRU), the fourth message comprising the link layer identifier of the second terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: A peer WTRU (e.g., WTRU-2 shown in FIG. 4) may reply to the request, for example, with a direct communication accept (DCA) message. Such direct accept message sent by WTRU-2 is the fourth message. A DCA message may use the peer WTRU's L2 ID as the source L2 ID and the initiating WTRU L2 ID as the destination L2 ID), and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying the link layer identifier of the relay terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: the DCA message may use the peer WTRU's L2 ID as the source L2 ID and the initiating WTRU L2 ID as the destination L2 ID. It is noted that: the act of routing or forwarding a message (e.g., accept, request or acceptance or confirmation message) to another device or node or station (e.g., relay or intermediate node or device or terminal) implicitly implies the use of header or field or the encapsulation of the address of the destination device in the message header).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the system of Kuo with the teaching of Perras to include the above features such as the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal, the fourth message comprising the link layer identifier of the second terminal, and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying the link layer identifier of the relay terminal as taught by Perras. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a functionality to support connectivity to a network for remote WTRUs (Perras, para. [0092]).
Regarding claim 6, Kuo discloses the method according to claim 5, further comprising, subsequent to transmitting the first message: receiving, by the first terminal, a fourth message transmitted by the relay terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: the relay terminal sends Direct Communication Accept 1 (e.g., as the fourth message) to UE1), the fourth message is a direct communication accept message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Direct Communication Accept 1 is a direct communication accept message between Relay terminal and UE1), but does not appear to disclose the fourth message comprising a link layer identifier of a second terminal, and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying a link layer identifier of the relay terminal.
In the same field of endeavor, Perras teaches the fourth message comprising a link layer identifier of a second terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: A peer WTRU (e.g., WTRU-2 shown in FIG. 4) may reply to the request, for example, with a direct communication accept (DCA) message. Such direct accept message sent by WTRU-2 is the fourth message. A DCA message may use the peer WTRU's L2 ID as the source L2 ID and the initiating WTRU L2 ID as the destination L2 ID), and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying a link layer identifier of the relay terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: the DCA message may use the peer WTRU's L2 ID as the source L2 ID and the initiating WTRU L2 ID as the destination L2 ID. It is noted that: the act of routing or forwarding a message (e.g., accept, request or acceptance or confirmation message) to another device or node or station (e.g., relay or intermediate node or device or terminal) implicitly implies the use of header or field or the encapsulation of the address of the destination device in the message header).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the system of Kuo with the teaching of Perras to include the above features such as the fourth message comprising a link layer identifier of a second terminal, and a data packet header of the fourth message carrying a link layer identifier of the relay terminal as taught by Perras. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a functionality to support connectivity to a network for remote WTRUs (Perras, para. [0092]).
Regarding claim 10, Kuo discloses the method according to claim 9, further comprising: transmitting, by the second terminal, a third message to the relay terminal (Kuo, Fig. 16: second terminal (UE2) send a Direct Communication Accept 2 to the relay terminal), the third message is a direct communication accept message (Kuo, Fig. 16: Direct Communication Accept 2 is a direct communication accept message between Relay terminal and UE2), but does not appear to disclose the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal, a data packet header of the third message carrying a link layer identifier of the second terminal.
In the same field of endeavor, Perras teaches the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: An initiating WTRU (e.g., WTRU-1 shown in FIG. 4) may broadcast a direct communication request (DCR) message, which may include one or more provided services (e.g., V2X services), an upper layer identifier of a peer WTRU, and/or a source L2 identifier (ID) of the initiating WTRU), a data packet header of the third message carrying a link layer identifier of the second terminal (Perras, Figs. 4-5, para. [0088]: the DCA message may use the peer WTRU's L2 ID as the source L2 ID and the initiating WTRU L2 ID as the destination L2 ID. It is noted that: the act of routing or forwarding a message (e.g., accept, request or acceptance or confirmation message) to another device or node or station (e.g., relay or intermediate node or device or terminal) implicitly implies the use of header or field or the encapsulation of the address of the destination device in the message header).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the system of Kuo with the teaching of Perras to include the above features such as the third message comprising the link layer identifier of the first terminal and a data packet header of the third message carrying a link layer identifier of the second terminal as taught by Perras. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a functionality to support connectivity to a network for remote WTRUs (Perras, para. [0092]).
Conclusion
12. 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. 13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEAN F VOLTAIRE whose telephone number is (571)272-3953. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, REBECCA E. SONG can be reached at (571)270-3667. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEAN F VOLTAIRE/Examiner, Art Unit 2417
/REBECCA E SONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2417