DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This action is responsive to communication filed 9/29/2023. Claims 41-60 are pending for examination.
Examiner’s Note
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 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.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
4. Claims 41-43, 50-55 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Fujimura (US 2022/0322122 A1) in view of Yiu_1 (US 2020/0084677 A1) {patented as US 11212716 B2}, further in view of Yiu_2 (US 2021/0076275 A1).
Regarding claims 41 and 53, Fujimura teaches an apparatus for user equipment (UE) (UE 20-Fig. 2/15) configured for operation in a Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) network ([0006]), the apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry (1001-Fig. 15; [0105]), wherein to configure the UE for radio resource management (RRM) measurements at high speed in the 5G NR network ([0006]; [0008]), the processing circuitry is to:
capability information for transmission to a base station ( [0049], Fig. 4, S12-- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10.), the capability information indicating whether the UE supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST) ([0049], Fig. 4, S12---- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10. Wherein the terminal 20 include information indicating HST and a measurement capability {terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR—[0113]; [0051]} in the UE capability report.)(Hence the capability information indicating the UE supports RRM measurements at HST.);
system information received from the base station ( [0031], The base station 10 transmits system information to the terminal 20.),
perform the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST) on the inter-RAT LTE cell (Fig. 2; [0037]—terminal 10 has dual connectivity with NR and LTE.) (terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR—[0113]; [0051] and step S22 of Fig. 3), when the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST) are configured by the base station ( [0040] FIG. 3, step S21- base station 10 transmits information {on HST through signaling for LTE to suit NR—[0051] } on measurement configurations to the terminal 20. Wherein-step S22 and [0113]; [0051]-terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR.) and the capability information indicates the UE supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST) ([0049], Fig. 4, S12---- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10. Wherein the terminal 20 include information indicating HST and a measurement capability {terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR—[0113]; [0051]} in the UE capability report.)(Hence the capability information indicating the UE supports RRM measurements at HST for LTE and NR.); and
a memory (1002-Fig. 15; [0105]) coupled to the processing circuitry (1001-)(see Fig. 15, they are coupled) and configured to store the capability information ([0105]).
Fujimura does not teach encode capability information for transmission to a base station.
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_1 teaches
encode capability information for transmission to a base station ( Fig. 9, [0146], UE 902 communicates UE capability information to gNB 904. Wherein [0167], UE encodes capability information for transmission.),
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_1 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura to provide a method for communicating UE capability information between the UE and gNB (Yiu_1; [0146]).
Fujimura- Yiu_1 does not teach decode system information received from the base station, the system information indicating an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier of an inter- radio access technology (inter-RAT) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cell supports the RRM measurements at the high speed; and perform the RRM measurements at the high speed on the inter-RAT LTE cell,
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_2 teaches
decode system information (SIB) received from the base station(gNB) ( [0255] FIG. 9, operation 902-- a NR UE, decoding a broadcast system information block (SIB) message from a NR Node B (gNB).) the system information(SIB) indicating an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier (frequency) of an inter- radio access technology (inter-RAT) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cell (neighboring cell in LTE—[0237]) supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (in LTE, eNB supports high speed events—[0029]) ([0255], Fig. 9, operation 902-- the SIB including UE configuration information including an indication of condition(s) to trigger a relaxation of radio resource management (RRM) measurements by the UE in cell reselection; Wherein [0237]; [0173], in LTE RRM measurement:--[0182], for E-UTRAN inter-frequencies and inter-RAT frequencies {with a reselection priority higher} which are indicated in system information, [0183], the UE shall perform measurements of higher priority E-UTRAN inter-frequency or inter-RAT frequencies.) (Hence the SIB indicating an E-UTRA frequency of inter-RAT LTE neighboring cell supports RRM measurement at high speed.); and
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_2 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1 to provide enable relaxation of RRM measurements for NR when operating in multi-beam operation, extending LTE RRM relaxation mechanisms to provide a way for a UE to reduce power consumption (Yiu_2; [0018]).
Regarding claims 42 and 54, Fujimura further teaches wherein the capability information is a HighSpeed ([0049]; capability information indicates HST) Parameters Information Element (IE) ([0133]).
Regarding claims 43, 52 and 55, Fujimura- Yiu_1 does not teach wherein the system information is a System Information Block 5 (SIB5).
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_2 teaches wherein the system information is a System Information Block 5 (SIB5) ([0150]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_2 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura to provide enable relaxation of RRM measurements for NR when operating in multi-beam operation, extending LTE RRM relaxation mechanisms to provide a way for a UE to reduce power consumption (Yiu_2; [0018]).
Regarding claim 50, Fujimura further teaches further comprising transceiver circuitry (1004-Fig. 15; [0108]) coupled to the processing circuitry (1001-Fig. 1) (see Fig. 15, they are coupled.); and one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry ([0108]).
Regarding claim 51, Fujimura teaches a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (1002-Fig. 15) that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors (1001-Fig. 15) of a source base station (10—Fig. 2; 15)([0105]), the instructions to configure the base station for radio resource management (RRM) measurements at high speed in a Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) network ([0006];[0008]), and to cause the base station to perform operations comprising:
capability information from a user equipment (UE) ( [0049], Fig. 4, S12-- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10.), the capability information indicating whether the UE supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST) ([0049], Fig. 4, S12---- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10. Wherein the terminal 20 include information indicating HST and a measurement capability {terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR—[0113]; [0051]} in the UE capability report.)(Hence the capability information indicating the UE supports RRM measurements at HST.);
system information for transmission to the UE ( [0031], The base station 10 transmits system information to the terminal 20.),
decoding the RRM measurements ([0040], Fig. 3, step S23-the terminal 20 transmits measurement report to the base station 10. It is obvious the BS decodes the measurement.), the RRM measurements performed at the high speed (HST) on the inter-RAT LTE cell (Fig. 2; [0037]—terminal 10 has dual connectivity with NR and LTE.) (terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR—[0113]; [0051] and step S22 of Fig. 3), when the RRM measurements at the high speed are configured by the base station ( [0040] FIG. 3, step S21- base station 10 transmits information{on HST for LTE to suit NR—[0051]} on measurement configurations to the terminal 20. Wherein-S22; [0113]; [0051]-terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR.) and the capability information indicates the UE supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (HST)([0049], Fig. 4, S12---- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10. Wherein the terminal 20 include information indicating HST and a measurement capability {terminal 20 performs RRM measurement at HST for LTE to suit NR —[0113]; [0051]} in the UE capability report.)(Hence the capability information indicating the UE supports RRM measurements at HST.).
Fujimura does not teach decoding capability information from a user equipment (UE).
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_1 teaches
decoding capability information from a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 9, [0146], UE 902 communicates UE capability information to gNB 904. wherein [0182], NB decodes capability information from UE.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_1 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura to provide a method for communicating UE capability information between the UE and gNB (Yiu_1; [0146]).
Fujimura- Yiu_1 does not teach encoding system information for transmission to the UE, the system information indicating an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier of an inter-radio access technology (inter-RAT) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cell supports the RRM measurements at high speed; and the RRM measurements performed at the high speed on the inter-RAT LTE cell.
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_2 teaches encoding system information(SIB) for transmission to the UE( [0256] FIG. 10, operation 1002- gNB, encoding a broadcast system information block (SIB) message to a NR UE), the system information(SIB) indicating an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier(frequency) of an inter-radio access technology (inter-RAT) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) cell (neighboring cell in LTE—[0237])supports the RRM measurements at the high speed (in LTE, eNB supports high speed events—[0029]) ([0256] FIG. 10, operation 1002--the SIB including UE configuration information including an indication of condition(s) to trigger a relaxation of radio resource management (RRM) measurements by the UE in cell reselection; Wherein [0237]; [0173], in LTE RRM measurement:--[0182], for E-UTRAN inter-frequencies and inter-RAT frequencies {with a reselection priority higher} which are indicated in system information, [0183], the UE shall perform measurements of higher priority E-UTRAN inter-frequency or inter-RAT frequencies.) (Hence the SIB indicating an E-UTRA frequency of inter-RAT LTE neighboring cell supports RRM measurement at high speed.); and
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_2 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura-Yiu_1 to provide enable relaxation of RRM measurements for NR when operating in multi-beam operation, extending LTE RRM relaxation mechanisms to provide a way for a UE to reduce power consumption (Yiu_2; [0018]).
5. Claims 44, 49, 56 and 60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Fujimura (US 2022/0322122 A1) in view of Yiu_1 (US 2020/0084677 A1) {patented as US 11212716 B2}, in view of Yiu_2 (US 2021/0076275 A1), in view of Yiu_3 (US 2022/0014979 A1), further in view of Siomina (US 2020/0350975 A1)
Regarding claims 44 and 56, Fujimura teaches UE supports and performs RRM measurement at high speed
Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2 does not teach wherein the base station is a source base station, wherein the inter-RAT LTE cell is a cell of a target base station, wherein the system information includes an indicator for support of the RRM measurements at the high speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is to:
decode configuration information from the source base station, the configuration information including a handover instruction for performing a handover from the source base station to the target base station; and
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_3 teaches wherein the base station is a source base station, wherein the inter-RAT LTE cell is a cell of a target base station, wherein the system information includes an indicator for support of the RRM measurements at the high speed, and wherein the processing circuitry is to:
decode configuration information from the source base station([0088], Fig. 1, at 120-- encoding for transmission to UE{wherein the UE decodes—see [0058]}, a first conditional handover command (CHO) message that includes handover configuration information.), the configuration information including a handover instruction(command) for performing a handover from the source base station(gNB) to the target base station (1st target cell) ( [0088], Fig. 1, at 120-- encoding for transmission to UE, a first conditional handover command (CHO) message that includes handover configuration information associated with the first target cell. ); and
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_3 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2 to provide apparatus for command handling for simultaneous connectivity handovers (Yiu_3; Abstract).
Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2- Yiu_3 does not teach determine whether to perform the handover from the source base station to the target base station based on the indicator for support of the RRM measurements at the high speed by the inter-RAT LTE cell.
However, in an analogous art, Siomina teaches determine whether to perform the handover from the source base station to the target base station based on the indicator ([0077] sending of indication upon a request from receiving node, as a part of a specific procedure (e.g., at handover target cell may receive the indication from the source cell).) for support of the RRM measurements at the high speed by the inter-RAT LTE cell ([0045]; indication for inter-RAT cell{LTE—[0075]; [0005]} supports RRM measurement.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Siomina and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2- Yiu_3 to provide faster and more efficient measurements for cell detection, cell identification, RLM, mobility procedures, handover (Siomina; [0012]).
Regarding claims 49 and 60, Fujimura further teaches wherein the processing circuitry is to:
encode an information element (IE) for transmission to the source base station via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), the IE indicating UE capabilities associated with support of the RRM measurements by the UE ( [0049], Fig. 4, S12-- terminal/UE 20 transmits a UE capability report (UE capability Information) to base station 10. Wherein [0133]; [0151]; information element is used for transmission to the BS via PUSCH that indicates the UE capability information. ).
6. Claims 45-48 and 57-59 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Fujimura (US 2022/0322122 A1) in view of Yiu_1 (US 2020/0084677 A1) {patented as US 11212716 B2}, in view of Yiu_2 (US 2021/0076275 A1), in view of Yiu_3 (US 2022/0014979 A1), in view of Siomina (US 2020/0350975 A1), further in view of Li (US 2018/0167856 A1).
Regarding claims 45 and 57, Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2- Yiu_3- Siomina do not teach wherein the processing circuitry is to: refrain from performing the RRM measurements and the handover from the source base station to the target base station when the UE does not support the RRM measurements at the high speed.
However, in an analogous art, Li teaches wherein the processing circuitry is to:
refrain from performing the RRM measurements and the handover from the source base station to the target base station ([0004]; if UE supports RRM at high speed, the UE does handover. Hence it is obvious, if the UE does not support RRM at high speed, the UE refrains from handover.) when the UE does not support the RRM measurements at the high speed ([0244], if a current moving speed is relatively high, the UE can still support an RRM requirement in a current moving speed environment, the UE determines that the RRM requirement at the high-speed is satisfied. If the UE cannot support the RRM requirement in the current moving speed environment, the UE determines that the RRM requirement at the high-speed cannot be satisfied, and performs step S116—Adjust {i.e. refrain} RRM—[0245].) (Hence the UE refrain from performing RRM measurement and handover from source BS to target BS/cell, when the UE does not support RRM measurement at high speed.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Li and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1- Yiu_2- Yiu_3- Siomina to provide the UE can adjust the RRM policy according to the preset RRM parameter suitable for the high-speed mobile communication environment, to shorten an intra-frequency cell reselection time, shorten a target cell identification time, or shorten a measurement period, so as to satisfy the RRM requirement in the high-speed mobile communication environment, and ensure and improve network performance(Li; [0090]).
Regarding claims 46 and 58, Fujimura- Yiu_1 -Yiu_3- Siomina-Li does not teach wherein the indicator indicates whether the inter-RAT LTE cell supports the RRM measurements when the UE is moving at a speed up to a threshold speed.
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_2 teaches wherein the indicator indicates whether the inter-RAT LTE cell ([0237]) supports the RRM measurements([0183]) when the UE is moving at a speed up to a threshold(high) speed ([0183]; [0237], in LTE, UE {500 has high speed memory—[0105]--i.e. at high speed} has performed neighboring measurements for cell reselection (when relaxing its RRM measurements in neighboring cells.) ).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_2 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1-Yiu_3- Siomin-Li to provide enable relaxation of RRM measurements for NR when operating in multi-beam operation, extending LTE RRM relaxation mechanisms to provide a way for a UE to reduce power consumption (Yiu_2; [0018]).
Regarding claim 47, Fujimura further teaches wherein the threshold speed is 500 km/h ([0043]; [0049]).
Regarding claims 48 and 59, Fujimura- Yiu_1-Yiu_3- Siomina-Li does not teach wherein the processing circuitry is to: refrain from performing a selection or a reselection of the target base station based on the indicator for support of the RRM measurements by the inter-RAT LTE cell.
However, in an analogous art, Yiu_2 teaches wherein the processing circuitry is to:
refrain from performing a selection or a reselection of the target base station based on the indicator for support of the RRM measurements by the inter-RAT ([0183]) LTE cell (neighboring cell in LTE—[0237])([0183]; [0237]; the system information/SIB is an indicator for support of RRM measurement by inter-RAT LTE cell) ([0183]; [0237], in LTE, UE has performed neighboring measurements for cell reselection (when relaxing its RRM measurements in neighboring cells.))(Hence it is obvious refrain from performing a selection. ).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to take the teaching of Yiu_2 and apply them on the teaching of Fujimura- Yiu_1 -Yiu_3- Siomin-Li to provide enable relaxation of RRM measurements for NR when operating in multi-beam operation, extending LTE RRM relaxation mechanisms to provide a way for a UE to reduce power consumption (Yiu_2; [0018]).
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MEHEDI S ALEY whose telephone number is (571)270-0439. The examiner can normally be reached Mon, Thus, Fri: 9-5. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey M Rutkowski can be reached at 571-270-01215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MEHEDI S ALEY/Examiner, Art Unit 2415
/JEFFREY M RUTKOWSKI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2415