DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 31 December 2025. Claims 1-12 are now pending in the present application. This office action is made Final.
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 § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Delsol et al. (hereinafter Delsol) (US 2015/0230114 Al; also, see US 10,075,863 B2).
Regarding claims 1 and 9, Delsol discloses a source user equipment (UE) device (e.g., 3-1) { (see Figs. 1-2) }comprising:
a receiver (e.g., 31, UE 3-1) configured to receive { (see Figs. 1-2) }:
a discovery signal broadcasting cell identifier coverage indicator from a same-cell relay UE device (e.g., 3-3) { (see Figs. 1-2) } that is in coverage of a first cell (e.g., cell 1) { (see pg. 5, [0063]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-3), where the system provides broadcast of cell id (see pg. 11, [0188]) }, and
a relay reference signal from the same-cell relay UE device (e.g., 3-3) { (see pg. 5, [0063]; Figs. 1-3)};
a controller (e.g., 37) { (see Figs. 1-2) } configured to:
determine a first cell sidelink Reference Signal Received Power (SL- RSRP) (e.g., relay link) level based on the relay reference signal received from the same-cell relay UE device (e.g., 3-3) { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075]; pg. 2, [0010]; pg. 3, [0031, 0038]; Figs. 1-9) }, and
in response to a determination that the first cell SL-RSRP level is below a relay cell restriction threshold, establish a connection to a different-cell relay UE (e.g., 3-2, 3-4) device within coverage of a second cell (e.g., cell 2, R-cell4) different from the first cell (e.g., cell 1) based on perform an unrestricted relay selection procedure that comprises evaluating a different-cell relay UE device (e.g., 3-2, 3-4) for potential use as a relay, the different-cell relay UE device (e.g., 3-2, 3-4) within coverage of a second cell (e.g., cell 2, R-cell4) different from the first cell (e.g., cell 1) { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9), where the system provides handover from a cell relay (e.g., 3-3) to a second cell relay (e.g., 3-2, 3-4), and the system provides a relay link (sidelink) that is direct link (e.g., D2D device-to-device, P2P peer-to-peer) providing direct connection between devices, and the system provides a mobile telephone (3-1) that can be handover to a relay cell (e.g., UE relay 3-2) of another cell (e.g., cell 2) (see pg. 5, [0063]) }.
Regarding claims 2 and 10, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 1, wherein: the receiver is further configured to receive a serving cell reference signal from a base station providing the serving cell { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) };
the controller (e.g., 37) is further configured to: determine a serving cell RSRP level based on the serving cell reference signal, determine whether the serving cell RSRP level is greater than a first serving cell restriction threshold { (see pg. 5, [0066]; pg. 6, [0074-0075]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) },
determine whether the serving cell RSRP level is greater than a second serving cell restriction threshold { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) },
in response to a determination that the serving cell RSRP level is greater than the second serving cell restriction threshold, refrain from establishing the connection to the different-cell relay UE (e.g., 3-2, 3-4) device based on the unrestricted relay selection procedure { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) , where the system provides handover from a cell relay (e.g., 3-2) to a second cell relay (e.g., 3-2, 3-4), and the system provides a mobile telephone (3-1) that can be handover to a relay cell (e.g., UE relay 3-2) of another cell (e.g., cell 2) (see pg. 5, [0063]) },
establish a connection to a same-cell relay UE (e.g., 3-3) device within coverage of the first cell (e.g., cell 1) based on a restricted relay selection procedure that comprises evaluating only same-cell relay UE devices (e.g., 3-3) within coverage of the first cell (e.g., cell 1) in response to a determination that the serving cell RSRP level is greater than the second serving cell restriction threshold and is not greater than the first serving cell restriction threshold { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9), where the system provides handover from a cell relay (e.g., 3-3) to a second cell relay (e.g., 3-2, 3-4), and the system provides a mobile telephone (3-1) that can be handover to a relay cell (e.g., UE relay 3-3, 3-4) of a cell (e.g., cell 1) (see pg. 5, [0063]) }.
Regarding claim 3, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to a determination that the serving cell RSRP level is greater than the first serving cell restriction threshold, connect directly to the first cell { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Regarding claims 4 and 9, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 1, wherein: the receiver is further configured to receive another relay reference signal from the different-cell relay UE device; and the controller is configured to determine a second cell SL-RSRP level based on the another relay reference signal received from the different-cell relay UE device and to establish a relay connection to the different-cell relay UE device response to determination that the second cell SL-RSRP level is greater than the first cell SL- RSRP level { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Regarding claim 5, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:
attempt connecting to a network through the same-cell relay UE device; determine whether a relay connection to the first cell through the same-cell relay UE device was successful; in response to a determination that the relay connection was not successful, establish the connection based on the unrestricted relay selection procedure { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Regarding claims 6 and 11, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 1, wherein the source UE device operates in accordance with at least one revision of a 3GPP New Radio (NR) V2X communication specification { (see pg. 3, [0038]; pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Regarding claims 7 and 12, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 6, wherein the source UE device is connected to a network through the first cell in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) state where the RRC state is one of a RRC_CONNECTED state, RRC_IDLE state and a RRC_INACTIVE state { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Regarding claim 8, Delsol discloses the source UE device of claim 1, wherein the unrestricted relay selection procedure comprises evaluating other same-cell relay UE devices for potential use as a relay, the other same-cell relay UE devices within coverage of the first cell { (see pg. 6, [0074-0075, 0077-0078]; pg. 10, [0164]; Figs. 1-9) }.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-12 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by the amended language, new limitations, and/or new claims.
In response to applicant’s arguments, the Examiner respectfully disagrees as the applied reference(s) provide more than adequate support and to further clarify (see the above claims for relevant citations and comments in this section).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ozturk et al. (US 12,538,267 B2) discloses paging optimization for relay operation. Ozturk at the least further discloses …Relaying between UEs may be achieved using D2D technology. D2D allows UEs to communicate over direct links, referred to herein as sidelinks, instead of through cellular network… (see col. 1, lines 25 et seq.; also, see col. 13, lines 20-25; col. 14, lines 1-19).
Takeda et al. (US 12,363,706 B2) discloses user terminal and radio communication method.
Raghavan et al. (US 11,108,459 B2) discloses millimeter wave relay link discovery.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 WILLIE J DANIEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-7907. The examiner can normally be reached on 9 - 6.
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/WILLIE J DANIEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
WJD,Jr
15 April 2026
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