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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 March 5, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 5, 7-9, 11-12, 15, and 17-19 have been considered but are moot due to the new ground of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 5, 7-9, 11-12, 15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ozturk et al. (US 2023/0328689 A1) in view of Chen et al. (US 2023/0026316 A1), and further in view of Martin et al. (US 2019/0261309 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ozturk discloses a method for paging (abstract), comprising: monitoring, by a relay terminal (e.g. Relay UE 404), a network paging message according to a Paging Frame (PF) and/or a Paging Occasion (PO) corresponding to a remote terminal (remote UE 402) (paragraph [0099]; [0102]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; and so on, illustrating monitoring a received paging massage); and sending, by the relay terminal, a monitored network paging message to the remote terminal (paragraph [0099]; [0102]; [0110]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; [0147]-[0148]; [0157]; [0168]; [0173]; and so on, explaining Relay UE sends the monitored paging message to Remote UE), wherein before monitoring the network paging message, receiving, by the relay terminal, a System Information Block 1 (SIB 1)(paragraph [0083]; [0085]; [0098]-[0099]); receiving, by the relay terminal, a UE_ID of the remote terminal and a DRX cycle from the remote terminal (paragraph [0094]; [0096]-[0097]; and so on); and determining, by the relay terminal, the PF and/or the PO corresponding to the remote terminal according to the UE_ID of the remote terminal, the DRX cycle (paragraph [0099]-[0106]; [0108]-[0110]; [0112]-[0117]; [0119]-[0125]; [0128]-[0134]; [0137]-[0142]; [0144]-[0148]; and so on).
Ozturk doesn’t explicitly disclose wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC), the determining of the PF and/or the PO further according to a relevant configuration in the SIB1, and wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal.
Chen teaches wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC) (paragraph [0012]-[0018]), the determining of the PF and/or the PO further according to a relevant configuration in the SIB1 (paragraph [0009]; [0018]).
Martin teaches wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal (paragraph [0067]-[0068]; [0061]; [0046]-[0047]; and so on).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC), and the determining of the PF and/or the PO further according to a relevant configuration in the SIB1, and wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal as taught by Chen and Martin into Ozturk in order to improve quality and throughput of the communication, and rate of communication.
Regarding claim 11, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1. The claim is a mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding terminal device, and the rejection to claim 1 is applied hereto.
Regarding claim 2 and 12, Ozturk discloses before monitoring the network paging message, further comprising: receiving, by the relay terminal, a system message (paragraph [0098]-[0099]); and sending, by the relay terminal, the system message to the remote terminal (paragraph [0102]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; [0148]; and etc.).
Regarding claim 5 and 15, Ozturk discloses wherein an identity of the remote terminal comprises 5G-System Architecture Evolution-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-TMSI) or Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) (paragraph [0095]-[0099]; [0101]-[0102]; [0105]-[0107]; [0110]; [0115]-[0117]; [0119]; [0122]-[0125]; [0128]; [0137]; [0144]; [0156]; [0165]; [0167]; [0170]; and etc.).
Regarding claim 7, Ozturk discloses a method for paging (abstract), comprising: sending, by a remote terminal, a Paging Frame (PF) and/or a Paging Occasion (PO) corresponding to the remote terminal to a relay terminal, or sending, by the remote terminal, information for determining the PF and/or PO corresponding to the remote terminal to the relay terminal (paragraph [0102]; [0112]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; and etc.); and receiving, by the remote terminal, from the relay terminal, a network paging message monitored according to the PF and/or PO corresponding to the remote terminal (paragraph [0099]; [0102]; [0110]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; [0147]-[0148]; [0157]; [0168]; [0173]; and so on), wherein sending, by the remote terminal, the information for determining the PF and/or PO corresponding to the remote terminal to the relay terminal comprises: sending, by the remote terminal, an UE ID of the remote terminal and a DRX cycle to the relay terminal (paragraph [0094]; [0096]-[0097]; and so on), wherein the UE ID of the remote terminal, the DRX cycle received by the relay terminal are used by the relay terminal for determining the PF and/or PO corresponding to the remote terminal (paragraph [0099]-[0106]; [0108]-[0110]; [0112]-[0117]; [0119]-[0125]; [0128]-[0134]; [0137]-[0142]; [0144]-[0148]; and so on).
Ozturk doesn’t explicitly disclose wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC), a reception of relevant configuration in a SIB 1 for determining of the PF and/or the PO, and wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal.
Chen teaches wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC) (paragraph [0012]-[0018]), a reception of relevant configuration in a SIB 1 for determining of the PF and/or the PO (paragraph [0009]; [0018]).
Martin teaches wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal (paragraph [0067]-[0068]; [0061]; [0046]-[0047]; and so on).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use wherein the DRX cycle is configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC), and a reception of relevant configuration in a SIB 1 for determining of the PF and/or the PO, and wherein sending, by the relay terminal, the monitored network paging message to the remote terminal comprising: in a case that all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal comprises at least one network paging message belonging to other terminal devices, sending, by the relay terminal, a part of the all network paging messages monitored by the relay terminal to the remote terminal, wherein the part of the all monitored network paging message monitored by the relay terminal comprises a network paging message corresponding to the UE_ID of the remote terminal as taught by Chen and Martin to Ozturk in order to in order to improve quality and throughput of the communication, and rate of communication.
Regarding claim 17, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 7. The claim is a mere reformulation of claim 7 in order to define the corresponding terminal device, and the rejection to claim 7 is applied hereto
Regarding claim 8 and 18, Ozturk discloses before sending, by the remote terminal, the PF and/or the PO corresponding to the remote terminal to the relay terminal, further comprising: receiving, by the remote terminal, a system message from the relay terminal (paragraph [0102]; [0117]; [0124]; [0134]; [0148]; and etc.).
Regarding claim 9 and 19, Ozturk discloses wherein an identity of the remote terminal comprises 5G-System Architecture Evolution-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-TMSI) or Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) (paragraph [0095]-[0099]; [0101]-[0102]; [0105]-[0107]; [0110]; [0115]-[0117]; [0119]; [0122]-[0125]; [0128]; [0137]; [0144]; [0156]; [0165]; [0167]; [0170]; and etc.).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIBROM T HAILU whose telephone number is (571)270-1209. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
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/KIBROM T HAILU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461