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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/11/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant amends the claims to recite “while maintaining association with the same physical serving cell” and argues that the applied reference fails to teach the amended limitation. In response, examiner maintains that the applied reference teaches the limitation as explained below. In Para 104-106, Kim teaches a serving base station’s (UE’s serving base station) handover to a neighboring cell based on measurements while transitioning to another state (idle, inactive). The association with the serving base station is maintained and at no point does Kim teach that the association is broken or disassociated. In light of the explanation, the prior art is maintained as shown in the rejection below.
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) 1-3, 5-7, 9-13, 15-17, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US-20230120096).
a. Referring to claims 1 and 11:
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Kim teaches a method performed by a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) comprising: receiving configuration information including information regarding a change in an identity of a serving cell, one or more conditions for the change in the identity of the serving cell, and associated WTRU behavior (Para 104…. configuration information including information about handover from a serving cell to another); monitoring the one or more conditions for the change in the identity of the serving cell (Para 104… measuring signal levels of serving cells for a change in the serving cell); on a condition that the one or more conditions for the change in the identity of the serving cell are fulfilled, changing the identity of the serving cell to a new cell identity while maintaining association with the same physical serving cell (See the response to argument and sPara 104-106…. handover to a new serving cell based on the measurement while the association with the primary base station is maintained); deriving one or more new security keys based on the new cell identity (Para 234…. security key based on the cell identity); and using the one or more new security keys according to a configured security key handling behavior (Para 234 and 104… resuming RRC connected after handover, derived security key used for integrity protection).
a. Referring to claims 2 and 12:
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the serving cell is one of physical cell identity (PCI) or cell global identity (CGI) (Para 234…. physical cell identity).
a. Referring to claims 3 and 13:
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a new identity or a set of equivalent new identities (Para 271…. configuration information comprising new cell identity).
a. Referring to claims 5 and 15:
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions include a specified time period elapsing (Para 125… inactivity timer expiry).
a. Referring to claims 6 and 16:
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the associated WTRU behavior includes information related to handling of security upon an identity change (Para 233 and 234…. security information upon serving cell change).
a. Referring to claims 7 and 17:
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises one or more conditions for using the one or more new security keys (Para 102… security function including key management).
a. Referring to claims 9 and 19:
Regarding claims 9 and 19, Kim teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more new security keys are for encryption and integrity protection for uplink (UL) data based on the new cell identity 9 Para 234…. security key based on the cell identity).
a. Referring to claims 10 and 20:
Regarding claims 10 and 20, Kim teaches the method of claim 9, wherein the one or more new security keys are for integrity verification and decryption for downlink (DL) data (Para 226 and 233…. integrity protection and ciphering).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 8, 14 and 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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 IZUNNA OKEKE whose telephone number is (571)270-3854. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8 - 4 EST.
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/IZUNNA OKEKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2497