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 .
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 1-6, 8-13, 15 and 18-22 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1, 13 and 18 recite “receiving connection-related information…and the relay device is in a non-connected state”. It is unclear how the relay device can receive connection related information if it is not connected?
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 1-6, 8, 10-15 and 18-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0394807 to Xu et al. in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0160951 to Lee et al.
Xu et al. ‘807 disclose:
As concerns claim 1, a method for connection establishment, performed by a relay device (Fig. 5, 106), the method comprising:
receiving connection-related information (Fig. 5, 502) from a remote device (Fig. 5, 107), wherein the connection-related information is configured to indicate a connection request (Fig. 5, 502 radio resource control procedure; Fig. 9-RRC connection request) from the remote device and the connection-related information comprises a first cause of the connection request, and the relay device is in a non-connected state (0120-relay link failure…for a relay); and
determining a second cause for performing a connection establishment or a connection resumption with a base station (Fig. 5, 102 Base station) by the relay device (Fig. 5, 106; Fig. 9) according to the first cause.
As concerns claim 13, a method for connection establishment, performed by a remote device, the method comprising:
communicating with a base station (Fig. 5, 102 Base station) through a relay device (Fig. 5, 106; Fig. 9), wherein the relay device is in a non-connected state (0120-relay link failure…for a relay); and
sending connection-related information (Fig. 5, 502 radio resource control procedure; Fig. 9-RRC connection request) to the relay device,
wherein the connection-related information is configured to indicated a connection request (Fig. 5, 502 radio resource control procedure; Fig. 9-RRC connection request) from the remote device (Fig. 5, 107), and the connection-related information comprises a first cause of the connection request.
As concerns claim 14, the method of claim 13, wherein sending the connection-related information to the relay device comprises:
sending the connection related information to the relay device through a sidelink (0120).
As concerns claim 18, a relay device (Fig. 5, 106; Fig. 9), comprising:
a processor (Fig. 3, 302); and a memory (Fig. 3, 306) for storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to:
receiving connection-related information (Fig. 5, 502 radio resource control procedure; Fig. 9-RRC connection request) from a remote device (Fig. 5, 107), wherein the connection-related information is configured to indicate a connection request (Fig. 5, 502 radio resource control procedure; Fig. 9-RRC connection request) from the remote device and the connection-related information comprises a first cause of the connection request, and the relay device is in a non-connected state (0120-relay link failure…for a relay); and
determining a second cause for performing a connection establishment or a connection resumption with a base station (Fig. 5, 102 Base station) by the relay device (Fig. 5, 106; Fig. 9) according to the first cause.
As concerns claim 19, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program that, when executed by a processor (Fig. 3, 302) of a relay device (Fig. 5, 106; Fig. 9), caused the relay device to perform the method of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above).
As concerns claim 20, a remote device (Fig. 5, 107) comprising: a processor (Fig. 3, 302); and a memory (306) for storing instructions executable by the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of claim 13 (see rejection of claim 13 above).
As concerns claim 21, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program that, when executed by a processor (Fig. 3, 302) of a remote device (Fig. 5, 107), causes the remote device to perform the method of claim 13 (see rejection of claim 13 above).
Xu et al. ‘807 do not disclose:
a first cause of the connection request and a second cause for performing a connection establishment or connection resumption.
Lee et al. ‘951 teach:
a first cause (0007-indicator indicating a purpose associated with the RRC connection request; 0100-purpose associated with RRC connection request; 0087-cause values; 0091-cause values, field value RRC, emergency, highpriorityaccess, mt-access, mo-signalling, mo-data) of the connection request and a second cause (0087-different cause values) for performing a connection establishment or connection resumption (0087-connection resumption).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the system of Xu et al. ‘807 with a cause value, as taught by Lee et al. ‘951, in order to distinguish between messages and limit number of messages (0087).
Lee et al. 951 further teach:
As concerns claim 2, the method of claim 1, wherein determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises: in response to the connection establishment being triggered by the connection- related information from the remote device, the connection-related information indicating a connection resumption request of the remote device, and the first cause in the connection resumption request being a radio access network (RAN) area update (0087-RAN notification area update procedure), determining that the second cause for performing the connection establishment with the base station by the relay device is a third cause (second cause being a “third” cause, is merely relabeling), wherein the third cause is related to the RAN area update (0087-RAN notification area update procedure).
As concerns claim 3, the method of claim 2, wherein the third cause is a user-initiated signaling (0006-0007-UE intends to connect, thus “user-initiated”).
As concerns claim 4, determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises: in response to the connection-related information indicating a connection re-establishment request of the remote device, determining that the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device is a fourth cause (second cause being a “fourth” cause, is merely relabeling), wherein the fourth cause is related to a connection re-establishment (0087-RRC connection reestablishment request message).
As concerns claim 5, the method of claim 4, wherein the fourth cause is a user-initiated signaling (0006-0007-UE intends to connect, thus “user-initiated”).
As concerns claim 6, the method of claim 4, wherein the fourth cause is re-establishment (0087-RRC connection reestablishment request message).
As concerns claim 8, the method of claim 1, determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises: determining the first cause as the second cause for performing by the relay device the connection establishment or the connection resumption (first cause being a “second” cause, is merely relabeling; 0087-connection resumption).
As concerns claim 10, the method of claim 1, wherein determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises: determining that the second cause for performing by the relay device the connection establishment or the connection resumption is relay (Fig. 5, “via relay”).
As concerns claim 11, the method of claim 10, wherein determining that the second cause for performing by the relay device the connection establishment or the connection resumption is the relay comprises: determining that the second cause for performing by the relay device the connection establishment or the connection resumption is relay (Fig. 5, “via relay”) for the remote device.
As concerns claim 12, the method of claim 1, further comprising: sending the second cause to the base station while sending a connection establishment request or a connection resumption request (0087-RRC connection resumption request) to the base station.
As concerns claim 15, the method of claim 13, wherein the connection request comprises at least one of: a connection establishment request, a connection re-establishment request or a connection resumption request (0087).
As concerns claim 22, the relay device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to: in response to the connection establishment being triggered by the connection- related information from the remote device, the connection-related information indicating a connection resumption request of the remote device, and the first cause in the connection resumption request being a radio access network (RAN) area update (0087-RAN notification area update procedure), determine that the reason second cause for performing the connection establishment with the base station by the relay device is a third cause (second cause being a “third” cause, is merely relabeling), wherein the third cause is related to the RAN area update (0087-RAN notification area update procedure).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0394807 to Xu et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0160951 to Lee et al. in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0100123 to Liang.
Xu et al. ‘807 as modified do not disclose:
As concerns claim 9, the method of claim 1, wherein determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises:
determining a service type corresponding to the connection request of the remote device indicated by the connection-related information; and
determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption according to the service type.
Liang ‘123 teach:
As concerns claim 9, the method of claim 1, wherein determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption with the base station by the relay device according to the first cause comprises:
determining a service type (0011-access category) corresponding to the connection request of the remote device indicated by the connection-related information; and
determining the second cause for performing the connection establishment or the connection resumption according to the service type (0011-mapping between access category and connection establishment reason).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide the system of Xu et al. ‘807 with a service type, as taught by Liang ‘123, in order to provide service specific control (0003).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed May 11, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant’s arguments are directed to newly amended limitations. The limitation of “the relay device is in a non-connected state” has been identified as rendering the claims indefinite (see rejection above). It is unclear how the relay device is receiving connection-related information if it is in a non-connected state. The claims are given the broadest reasonable interpretation and limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. The claims do not provide any context to define the “non-connected state” or any other limitations to set forth how such functionality is accomplished.
In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show non-obviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). The base prior art of Xu disclose the features of connection establishment with a remote device, base station and a relay device as set forth in the claims. The prior art of Lee, which is relevant prior art, teach cause values for connections. Therefore the combination of the prior art references disclose and teach the claimed limitations and renders the claimed invention obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2016/0212708 disclose sleep mode for communication devices; U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0337990 disclose a cause or reason; U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0239273 to Berggren et al. disclose relay device in idle mode no bearer established with a base station, relay request from remote terminal will trigger a message from relay device to base station (0070).
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/JOHN B WALSH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451
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