DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
1. Applicant's arguments filed 10 November 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant asserts, on page 7 of Remarks, that “claim 1 recites, inter alia, "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." There is no teaching or suggestion in Wei that the Group handover (HO) command 718 includes parameters required for each UE of the plurality of UE to complete a handover to the second base station. In
fact, the Office's further citation to the responsive establishment of a random access channel (RACH) at step 724 affirms that there is no teaching by Wei that the Group HO command at 718 includes any such parameters.”
On the contrary, Wei clearly discloses that the group handover command that is transmitted from eNB1 to VC1, and then from VC1 to the group G2, comprises various pieces of information that enable the group of UEs to handover from eNB1 to eNB2. Wei states, in paragraph [0067]: “In response, in step 718, eNB1 transmits a group handover command to VC1 which, in turn, forwards the group handover command to each of the UEs in group G2 at step 720.” [emphasis added]. Paragraph [0071] of Wei reads: “The handover command transmitted from the source local cell VC1 to the group G2 at steps 618 and 720 contains relevant information from that included in the group handover request acknowledgement message. In general, the group handover command may be sent by a combination of group specific and UE specific signalling. In particular, the information in the group handover command common to all UEs in the group G2 may be transmitted to all UEs in the group G2 using a first handover information signal (the first handover information being transmitted as a groupcast message or groupcast signalling, for example). The first handover information signal includes the target local cell radio link reconfiguration information (such as radio resource configuration, channel configuration, target local cell system information (if any), etc.), and target local cell mobility control information (such as carrier frequency, local cell ID, tracking area code, target security algorithm (if any), etc.). The first handover information signal may be transmitted as a groupcast message using a specific group-RNTI allocated to the group G2, for example. Furthermore, if necessary. UE specific information (such as a new RNTI (if any) for each UE, dedicated RACH preamble for each UE (if necessary), etc.) will be sent to each respective UE in the group individually using a second handover information signal specific to each UE (this may be implemented using RRC signalling, for example). Such specific UE information may be used to implement UE differentiation according to, for example, the data traffic and QoS requirements for each UE.” [emphasis added]. Therefore, the group handover command in Wei. that is transmitted from the source base station to the group of UEs, comprises “parameters required for each UE of the plurality of UE to complete a handover to the second base station” as required by claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claims 1-6, 12-13, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wei et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0082359 (hereinafter Wei).
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]).
Regarding claim 2, Wei discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
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, Wei discloses the method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising 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, Wei discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein 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, Wei discloses the method as claimed in claim 2, wherein 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, Wei discloses the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein 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, 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, 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, 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
5. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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