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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: RRC CONNECTION SETUP AND PROCESSING METHOD FOR USER EQUIPMENT AND USER EQUIPMENT.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5, filed 1/29/26, with respect to title objection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objection of the title has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 5-7 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chang et al (Pub No: 2024/0147547), and further in view of Lee et al (Pub No: 2022/0132558).
As to claim 5, Chang teaches a User Equipment (UE) (Chang, Fig 1 [0005], UE 102), comprising: a processor; and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the relay UE (Chang, Fig 2B [0023], processor and memory with instructions) to:
initiate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure (Chang, [0033-0034], initiate sending a first RRC message to request RRC connection);
transmit an RRC setup request message to a network to setup an RRC connection (Chang, [0033-0034], transmit an RRC Setup Request message to base station to setup RRC connection);
upon receiving, from the network, an RRC reject message as a response to the RRC setup request message (Chang, [0037], receive from the base station, an RRC Reject message), inform an upper layer of RRC layer of the relay UE about a failure to setup the RRC connection (Chang, [0044], when the max rejects/attempts are reached informing an upper layer about the failure to setup/access RRC connection);
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and a remote UE is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 release message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042], sending a PC5 release message if it is a PC5 connection) and
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and the remote UE is a PC5 RRC connection, transmit, to the remote UE, a PC5 RRC message indicating the failure (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 RRC (PC5-RRC connection) message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042] if the connection is PC5-RRC then a PC5-RRC with connection failure indicator is sent).
Chang does not explicitly teach is a PC5-S connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message.
However, Lee teaches is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Lee, [0401], in a case with a PC5-S connection, releasing the link in case of a failure).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to provide “a PC5-S connection and link release” as taught by Lee in the system of Chang, so that it would properly provide resource management for sidelink resources (Lee, [0011]).
As to claim 6, Chang teaches wherein the memory stores instructions that cause the processor (Chang, Fig 2B [0023], processor and memory with instructions)to: initiate an RRC connection resumption procedure (Chang, [0033-0034], initiate sending a first RRC message to request connection /Reestablishment);
transmit an RRC resume request message to a network to resume the RRC connection (Chang, [0033-0034], transmit an RRC Setup Request/Reestablishment message to base station);
upon receiving, from the network, another RRC reject message as a response to the RRC resume request message (Chang, [0037], receive from the base station, an RRC Reject message), inform an upper layer of RRC layer of the relay UE about the second failure to resume the RRC connection (Chang, [0044], when the max rejects/attempts are reached informing an upper layer about the failure to setup/access RRC connection); and
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and a remote UE is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 release message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042], sending a PC5 release message if it is a PC5 connection) and
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and the remote UE is a PC5 RRC connection, transmit, to the remote UE, a PC5 RRC message indicating the second failure (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 RRC (PC5-RRC connection) message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042] if the connection is PC5-RRC then a PC5-RRC with connection failure indicator is sent).
Chang does not explicitly teach is a PC5-S connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message.
However, Lee teaches is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Lee, [0401], in a case with a PC5-S connection, releasing the link in case of a failure).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to provide “a PC5-S connection and link release” as taught by Lee in the system of Chang, so that it would properly provide resource management for sidelink resources (Lee, [0011]).
As to claim 7, Chang teaches a control method in a User Equipment (UE) (Chang, Fig 1 [0005] [0050], method in UE 102), comprising:
initiating an Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure (Chang, [0033-0034], initiate sending a first RRC message to request connection);
transmitting an RRC setup request message to a network to setup an RRC connection (Chang, [0033-0034], transmit an RRC Setup Request message to base station);
upon receiving, from the network, an RRC reject message as a response to the RRC setup request message (Chang, [0037], receive from the base station, an RRC Reject message), informing an upper layer of RRC layer of the relay UE about the failure to setup the RRC connection (Chang, [0044], when the max rejects/attempts are reached informing an upper layer about the failure to setup/access RRC connection); and
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and a remote UE is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 release message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042], sending a PC5 release message if it is a PC5 connection) and
in a case that a connection between the relay UE and the remote UE is a PC5 RRC connection, transmit, to the remote UE, a PC5 RRC message indicating the failure (Chang, [0038], sending to the remote UE a PC5 RRC (PC5-RRC connection) message indicating the RRC connection failure [0041-0042] if the connection is PC5-RRC then a PC5-RRC with connection failure indicator is sent).
Chang does not explicitly teach is a PC5-S connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message.
However, Lee teaches is a PC5 connection, transmit to the remote UE, a PC5 link release message (Lee, [0401], in a case with a PC5-S connection, releasing the link in case of a failure).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to provide “a PC5-S connection and link release” as taught by Lee in the system of Chang, so that it would properly provide resource management for sidelink resources (Lee, [0011]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
LG (WO 2023/211090)
Kang et al (Pub No: 2022/0124475) [0199].
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 AFSHAWN M TOWFIGHI whose telephone number is (571)270-7296. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00 AM -5:00 PM.
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/AFSHAWN M TOWFIGHI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469