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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)–(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement submitted on 11/10/23 and 4/10/24 has been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 form).
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-23 and 25-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (CN-106028406-A) in view of Manepalli (US - 10070347B2).
Regarding claim 1, 21 and 30, Lin teaches a method for selecting a network, applied to an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a message that carries information about a first frequency ([0064]
“Step 501: During circuit-switched domain fallback, receive a designated frequency point sent by the base station”);
obtaining a second signal parameter (signal strength) of a prior frequency based on a first signal parameter of the prior frequency ([0067] “Step 502: Measure the signal strength of at least one circuit domain frequency point where the wireless terminal has resided);
and a preset first compensation value ([0080] “In case 1) .. the signal strength of the historical frequency point can be reduced by a first specified strength to obtain the corrected signal strength of the historical frequency point” [0083] “In case 2) .. the signal strength of the historical frequency point can be reduced to a second specified strength, which is greater than the first specified strength”),
wherein the prior frequency is a frequency of a frequency band of a cell where the electronic device previously camped ([0068] “the at least one circuit domain frequency point may include all the circuit domain frequency points that the wireless terminal has recorded during a specified time period before the current time”) and
wherein the first signal parameter of the prior frequency is obtained based on a measurement by the electronic device ([0067] “Step 502: Measure the signal strength of at least one circuit domain frequency point where the wireless terminal has resided);
selecting, based on a first signal parameter of the first frequency and the second signal parameter of the prior frequency, a target frequency from the first frequency and the prior frequency ([0091] Step 505: Sort the specified frequency point and the historical frequency point according to the signal strength of the specified frequency point and the corrected signal strength of the historical frequency point. [0096] “after the wireless terminal detects the signal quality of each frequency point in frequency point 62, it can correct the signal strength of frequency point 621 and arrange frequency point 621 together with each frequency point 61 in descending order of signal strength, and attempt to access it in the order of arrangement. Since the signal strength of frequency point 621 is relatively high, the wireless terminal can quickly access the cell corresponding to frequency point 621”).
redirecting to a cell at the target frequency ([0096] “The wireless terminal attempts to access the network first from the first frequency point in the list of the specified frequency points and the historical frequency points, based on the specified frequency point and the order of the historical frequency points. If the access is successful, it camps on that frequency point and executes the subsequent call process” According to the scheme shown in this embodiment of the invention, after the wireless terminal detects the signal quality of each frequency point in frequency point 62, it can correct the signal strength of frequency point 621 and arrange frequency point 621 together with each frequency point 61 in descending order of signal strength, and attempt to access it in the order of arrangement. Since the signal strength of frequency point 621 is relatively high, the wireless terminal can quickly access the cell corresponding to frequency point 621”).
Lin teaches receiving a message that carries information about a first frequency ([0064] “Step 501: During circuit-switched domain fallback, receive a designated frequency point sent by the base station”), but does not explicitly teach that this message is a “redirection message”. For compact prosecution purpose, the Manepalli is added.
In an analogous art, Manepalli teaches a redirection message (C6 L15-20 “Referring to FIG. 3… At operation 302, the UE 100 receives the LTE RRC connection release that comprises target RAT (UMTS) and redirection frequency of the target RAT network.; C1 L49-60 “In accordance with existing 3GPP standard for redirection based CSFB procedure.. When the extended service request is received by e-UMTS terrestrial RAN (UTRAN) Node B (eNB) of the LTE network, the eNB provides the UE with radio resource control (RRC) connection release along with redirection request including the target RAT frequency on to which the UE can camp for CS call.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Lin's teaching of sending the message containing frequency to be more specifically as a redirection message as taught by Manepalli's teaching to comply with the 3GPP standard (C1 L49-60 “In accordance with existing 3GPP standard for redirection based CSFB procedure.. When the extended service request is received by e-UMTS terrestrial RAN (UTRAN) Node B (eNB) of the LTE network, the eNB provides the UE with radio resource control (RRC) connection release along with redirection request including the target RAT frequency on to which the UE can camp for CS call.”).
With further regard to claim 21, Lin further teaches an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors (Fig. 4 [0052] “The wireless terminal 400 may include: a processor 410, a memory 420”);
Regarding claim 2, 22 and 31, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 1, wherein the preset first compensation value is a negative signal strength value, and wherein a change from the first signal parameter of the prior frequency to the second signal parameter of the prior frequency indicates that a signal at the prior frequency deteriorates (Lin, “[0021] “the signal strength of the historical frequency point is reduced by a second specified strength to obtain the corrected signal strength”. The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight. For compact prosecution purpose, it is also addressed.).
Regarding claim 3 and 23, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 2, wherein the preset first compensation value is obtained based on a preset association between a service currently executed by the electronic device and a compensation value (Lin, [0080] “the signal strength of the historical frequency point can be reduced by a first specified strength to obtain the corrected signal strength of the historical frequency point.” The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight. For compact prosecution purpose, it is also addressed.)
Regarding claim 5 and 25, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 3, wherein the preset association further comprises an association between a communication standard used by the electronic device and a compensation value (The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight.)
Regarding claim 6 and 26, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 5, wherein the compensation value in the association is determined according to a value range of the first signal parameter in the communication standard (The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight.)
Regarding claim 7 and 27, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 1, wherein before selecting the target frequency from the first frequency and the prior frequency, the method further comprises determining that the first signal parameter of the first frequency is not greater than a first threshold (Lin [0093] “if the preset strength threshold is -94dBm, and there is a specified frequency point with a signal strength greater than -94dBm, then the specified frequency point will be placed before the historical frequency points; if there is no specified frequency point with a signal strength greater than -94dBm, then when sorting, the frequency points with larger signal strength can be placed at the beginning of the sequence, and the frequency points with smaller signal strength can be placed at the end of the sequence.”).
Regarding claim 8 and 28, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 7, wherein before determining that the first signal parameter of the first frequency is not greater than the first threshold, the method further comprises determining, based on the first signal parameter of the first frequency and the first signal parameter of the prior frequency, that a signal at the first frequency is not superior to the signal at the prior frequency (Lin [0093] “if the preset strength threshold is -94dBm, and there is a specified frequency point with a signal strength greater than -94dBm, then the specified frequency point will be placed before the historical frequency points; if there is no specified frequency point with a signal strength greater than -94dBm, then when sorting, the frequency points with larger signal strength can be placed at the beginning of the sequence, and the frequency points with smaller signal strength can be placed at the end of the sequence.”).
Regarding claim 9 and 29, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 8, wherein the first signal parameter comprises at least one of signal strength (Lin [0067] “Step 502: Measure the signal strength of at least one circuit domain frequency point where the wireless terminal has resided), reference signal received quality, and a signal to interference plus noise ratio (The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight. For compact prosecution purpose, it is also addressed.)
Claim(s) 4 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (CN-106028406-A) in view of Manepalli (US - 10070347B2) further in view of Lekutai (US 11089529)
Regarding claim 4 and 24, Lin and Manepalli teach the method of claim 3, except wherein the compensation value in the preset association is determined according to a sensitivity of the service to continuity (The examiner notes a “wherein clause in a method claim is not given weight when it simply expresses the intended result of a process step positively recited” see MPEP 2111.04 (I). Patentability of a method claim is based on its positively recited active step. This claim lacks a positively recited active step, thus has little weight. For compact prosecution purpose, it is also addressed.)
In an analogous art, Lekutai teaches the compensation value in the preset association is determined according to a sensitivity of the service to continuity (Col 4 L36-45, “For other applications having a high bandwidth requirement such as coordinated/cooperative driving maneuver, delivery of high definition entertainment, online gaming, high definition sensor sharing, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and/or virtual reality (VR), the dynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 can be adjusted to favor maintaining the connection to the wireless network site offering higher bandwidth, such as the 5G site. As a result, their dynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 to switch between a 4G and a 5G site can be decreased.”) Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Lin of selecting a target frequency and Manepalli's teaching of compensating a signal strength to include Lekutai's teaching of compensating/adjusting the signal according to sensitivity of the service to continuity in order to improve quality that provide gaming service.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG L LAM whose telephone number is (571)272-6497. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday -Thursday 9-5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Anderson can be reached on 571-272-4177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Dung Lam/
Examiner, Art Unit 2617
/MATTHEW D. ANDERSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2646