DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
1. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9 April 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
2. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-6, 12-13, and 17 have been considered but are moot because they do not apply to the new reference, Vassilovski, that is relied on in the current rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-6, 12-13, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0082359 (hereinafter Wei), in view of Vassilovski et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0053302 (hereinafter Vassilovski).
Regarding claim 1, Wei discloses a method of operating a first User Equipment (UE) in a cellular telecommunications network, the cellular telecommunications network including a first base station and a second base station wherein the first base station serves the first UE (disclosed is a method of operating a local cell (whereby a local cell is provided by a UE, according to Abstract, [0014], [0041], Fig. 4 [element 114]), virtual cell VC1, in a cellular network that comprises a first base station, eNB1, that serves VC1, and a second base station, eNB2, according to [0066], Fig. 7), the method comprising:
sending a measurement report to the first base station, the measurement report including an identifier for each UE of a plurality of UE requiring handover (VC1 combines measurement reports from each UE that belongs to a particular group requiring handover, such as G1 or G2, and sends a combined measurement report, along with assistant information (whereby the assistant information comprises UE identifier information, according to [0062]) associated with each UE, to eNB1, according to [0067], Fig. 7 [step 706]);
receiving a handover command message from the first base station, the handover command message including parameters required for each UE of the plurality of UE to complete a handover to the second base station (eNB1 sends a group handover command to VC1 that enables the establishment of a random access channel (RACH) between each of the UEs in group G2 and virtual cell VC2 (whereby VC2 is connected to eNB2, according to [0066]), according to [0067], Fig. 7 [step 718]); and
sending an access request initiating handover command message to each UE of the plurality of UE requiring handover, the access request initiating handover command message identifying the second base station as a handover target, so as to initiate an access request from each UE of the plurality of UE to the second base station (VC1 forwards the group handover command to each of the UEs in group G2 that enables the establishment of a random access channel (RACH) between each of the UEs in group G2 and VC2 (whereby VC2 is connected to eNB2, according to [0066]), according to [0067], Fig. 7 [step 720]).
Wei does not expressly disclose that each access request of a respective UE requests an access type that is specific to the respective UE.
Vassilovski discloses that each access request of a respective UE requests an access type that is specific to the respective UE (the data download request from a UE comprises a quality of service (QoS) [the specification of the instant application, at page 10 lines 11-14, defines an access type request as being for “access at a particular level of service”] that is requested or otherwise associated with applications executing on that specific UE, according to [0073]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wei with Vassilovski such that each access request of a respective UE requests an access type that is specific to the respective UE.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to maintain quality of service for delay intolerant applications (Vassilovski: [0009]).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses becoming a delegate of a handover process operation for each UE of the plurality of UE (a local cell, or virtual cell, provides wireless connectivity for each UE of a group of UEs, according to Abstract, [0008], whereby virtual cell VC1 coordinates the handover of a group of UEs, according to [0066]-[0067], Fig. 7); and
storing data for each UE of the plurality of UE, the data including the identifier for each UE of the plurality of UE (each UE of a group of UEs transmits, to VC1, transmits its respective measurement reports and assistant information, according to [0067], Fig. 7 [steps 702 and 704]).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 2. Additionally, Wei discloses ceasing delegation of the handover process operation for a UE of the plurality of UE (a path switch is performed whereby the group of UEs switches connectivity from VC1 to VC2, according to [0067], Fig. 7 [step 726]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses that the handover command message is based on Device-to-Device communication (D2D is used for communications between UEs, according to [0038], [0108]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 2. Additionally, Wei discloses that a message relating to the delegation of the handover process operation is based on Device-to-Device communication (VC1 forwards data to VC2 that enables the handover of the group G2 of UEs from VC1 to VC2 to take place, according to [0067], Fig. 7 [step 722], whereby D2D is used for communications between UEs, according to [0038], [0108]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses that the cellular telecommunications network includes a third base station and the plurality of UE requiring handover includes a first subset and a second subset, and sending the access request initiating handover command message includes sending a first access request initiating handover command message to each UE of the first subset so as to initiate an access request from each UE of the first subset to the second base station, and further includes a second access request initiating handover command message to each UE of the second subset so as to initiate an access request from each UE of the second subset to the third base station (the cellular network comprises virtual cell VC2 [“third base station”], whereby virtual cell VC1 serves both group G1 [“first subset”] and group G2 [“second subset”], whereby VC1 forwards the group handover command to each of the UEs in the group that is undergoing handover (which may be either G1 or G2), which enables the establishment of a RACH between each of the UEs in that group and VC2, via which each of the UEs in that group connects to eNB2, according to [0066]-[0067], Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions which, when the computer program is executed by a processing unit of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to carry out the method of claim 1 (disclosed is a non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method of the invention to be carried out, according to [0236]-[0237]).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses a system comprising at least one processor and memory configured to carry out the method of claim 1 (disclosed is a system comprising a processor and a memory that are configured to carry out the method of the invention, according to [0236]-[0237]).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Wei and Vassilovski discloses all the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Wei discloses a user equipment for a cellular telecommunications network comprising at least one processor configured to carry out the method of claim 1 (disclosed is a UE, comprising a controller, that provides a local cell, according to [0041], Fig. 4 [elements 114 and 404]).
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW W GENACK whose telephone number is (571)272-7541. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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/MATTHEW W GENACK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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