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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) or indicate National Stage entry from a PCT application is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements submitted on 11/07/2023, 05/01/2024, 06/17/2024, 09/19/2024, 01/07/2025, and 05/23/2025 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species II in the reply filed on 01/13/2026 is acknowledged.
Remarks
The present Office Action is based upon the Applicant’s amendment filed on 01/13/2026. Claims 1-3, 5-7 and 9-20 are now pending in the present application. Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 9-12, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 20 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6, 7, 13 , 16 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BUCKLEY et al. -US 20220182807 A1- (hereinafter Buckley) in view of Samuelsson et al. -US 20150372774 A1- (hereinafter Samuelsson).
Regarding claim 6, Buckley discloses a communication system that conducts Side Link Relay communication of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) specified by a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (FIG. 4 and/or FIG. 14, par. 0088), comprising:
a base station (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for base station 310);
a first mobile terminal (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for relay UE 320); and
a second mobile terminal capable of communicating with the first mobile terminal by using Proximity-based Services (ProSe) (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for remote UE 330, par. 0108 for ProSe Sidelink communications, V2X Sidelink transmission/reception is based on resource pools that may be pre-configured in the UE (e.g., resources that can be used if the UE is out of coverage)),
wherein, in a case where the first mobile terminal exists inside an area where radio waves from the base station reach while the second mobile terminal exists outside the area where the radio waves from the base station reach (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14, par. 0108), when the first mobile terminal receives emergency warning information from the base station, the first mobile terminal (par. 0153, “the portion containing PWS data may be transmitted over the PSSCH as V2X information and contain the corresponding PWS message(s).”).
However, Buckley fails to disclose the first mobile terminal sets a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information and transmits a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to the second mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline.
In the same field of endeavor, Samuelsson discloses he first mobile terminal sets a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information and transmits a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to the second mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline (par. 0036, “the user equipment 104 may determine in step 13, if a further forwarding of warnings is required and allowed. For example, the relaying of public warning system information may continue for a specified period only. For example, a maximum time, a maximum amount of forwarding occasions, a restriction to relay the same warning only once or any other method controlling the amount of relaying activity may be defined.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate restricting maximum time for forwarding warning messages as taught by Samuelsson to forwarding PWS messages as disclosed by Buckley for purpose of avoiding the warning message being forwarded again and again.
Regarding claim 7, as applied to claim 6 above, Buckley discloses wherein the first mobile terminal transmits the broadcast message at timing different from timing of transmitting system information to the second mobile terminal (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for par. 0115 and 0156).
Regarding claim 13, Buckley discloses a mobile terminal that conducts Side Link Relay communication of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) specified by a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (par. 0088, FIG. 17 and par. 0172), comprising:
a communication interface interface to receive emergency warning information from a base station, the emergency warning information being information for notification of an emergency situation (FIG. 17 and 18 for a communication system, and FIG. 4 and FIG. 14, par. 0127, “At operation 402, the network node 310 sends the relay UE 320 a broadcast message comprising a PWS notification over a first telecommunications technology network type”); and
processing circuitry (FIG. 17 and 18 for processor) to cause the communication unit interface to transmit a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline by using a Physical Sidelink Shared CHannel (PSSCH) in a case where the another mobile terminal capable of communicating with the mobile terminal by using Proximity-based Services (ProSe) exists outside an area where radio waves from the base station reach when the communication interface receives the emergency warning information (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for remote UE 330, par. 0108 for ProSe Sidelink communications, V2X Sidelink transmission/reception is based on resource pools that may be pre-configured in the UE (e.g., resources that can be used if the UE is out of coverage); par. 0153, “the portion containing PWS data may be transmitted over the PSSCH as V2X information and contain the corresponding PWS message(s).”).
However, Buckley fails to discloses set deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the communication interface receives the emergency warning information.
In the same field of endeavor, Samuelsson discloses set deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the communication interface receives the emergency warning information (par. 0036, “the user equipment 104 may determine in step 13, if a further forwarding of warnings is required and allowed. For example, the relaying of public warning system information may continue for a specified period only. For example, a maximum time, a maximum amount of forwarding occasions, a restriction to relay the same warning only once or any other method controlling the amount of relaying activity may be defined.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate restricting maximum time for forwarding warning messages as taught by Samuelsson to forwarding PWS messages as disclosed by Buckley for purpose of avoiding the warning message being forwarded again and again.
Regarding claim 16, Buckley discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer serving as a mobile terminal for conducting Side Link Relay communication of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) specified by a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) execute processes comprising (FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 par. 0181 of for computer-readable storage medium):
receiving emergency warning information from a base station, the emergency warning information being information for notification of an emergency situation (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14, par. 0127, 0130, 0133 “the broadcast message received at operation 402 may comprise a parameter indicating that the PWS notification is a particular type of warning message.”);
transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal by using a Physical Sidelink Shared CHannel (PSSCH) in a case where the another mobile terminal capable of communicating with the mobile terminal by using Proximity-based Services (ProSe) exists outside an area where radio waves from the base station reach when the mobile terminal receives the emergency warning information (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for remote UE 330, par. 0108 for ProSe Sidelink communications, V2X Sidelink transmission/reception is based on resource pools that may be pre-configured in the UE (e.g., resources that can be used if the UE is out of coverage); par. 0153, “the portion containing PWS data may be transmitted over the PSSCH as V2X information and contain the corresponding PWS message(s)”; par. 0134 and 0138 “At operation 406, the relay UE 320 may send the PWS output message containing the PWS notification over a PC5 interface.”).
However, Buckley fails to disclose setting a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the emergency warning information is received; and transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline.
In the same field of endeavor, Samuelsson discloses setting a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the emergency warning information is received; and transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline par. 0036, “the user equipment 104 may determine in step 13, if a further forwarding of warnings is required and allowed. For example, the relaying of public warning system information may continue for a specified period only. For example, a maximum time, a maximum amount of forwarding occasions, a restriction to relay the same warning only once or any other method controlling the amount of relaying activity may be defined.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate restricting maximum time for forwarding warning messages as taught by Samuelsson to forwarding PWS messages as disclosed by Buckley for purpose of avoiding the warning message being forwarded again and again.
Regarding claim 19, Buckley discloses a communication method performed by a mobile terminal that conducts Side Link Relay communication of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) specified by a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (FIG. 4 and/or FIG. 14par. 0088), the method comprising:
receiving emergency warning information from a base station, the emergency warning information being information for notification of an emergency situation (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14, par. 0127, 0130, 0133 “the broadcast message received at operation 402 may comprise a parameter indicating that the PWS notification is a particular type of warning message.”); and
transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal by using a Physical Sidelink Shared CHannel (PSSCH) in a case where the another mobile terminal capable of communicating with the mobile terminal by using Proximity-based Services (ProSe) exists outside an area where radio waves from the base station reach when receiving the emergency warning information (FIG. 4 and FIG. 14 for remote UE 330, par. 0108 for ProSe Sidelink communications, V2X Sidelink transmission/reception is based on resource pools that may be pre-configured in the UE (e.g., resources that can be used if the UE is out of coverage); par. 0153, “the portion containing PWS data may be transmitted over the PSSCH as V2X information and contain the corresponding PWS message(s)”; par. 0134 and 0138 “At operation 406, the relay UE 320 may send the PWS output message containing the PWS notification over a PC5 interface.”).
However, Buckley fails to disclose setting a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the emergency warning information is received; and transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline.
In the same field of endeavor, Samuelsson discloses setting a deadline for transmitting the emergency warning information when the emergency warning information is received; and transmitting a broadcast message including the emergency warning information to another mobile terminal a plurality of times before the deadline par. 0036, “the user equipment 104 may determine in step 13, if a further forwarding of warnings is required and allowed. For example, the relaying of public warning system information may continue for a specified period only. For example, a maximum time, a maximum amount of forwarding occasions, a restriction to relay the same warning only once or any other method controlling the amount of relaying activity may be defined.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate restricting maximum time for forwarding warning messages as taught by Samuelsson to forwarding PWS messages as disclosed by Buckley for purpose of avoiding the warning message being forwarded again and again.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure.
Qaisrani et al. -US 20220109969 A1- disclose Emergency Communication In Non-cellular Coverage.
Qaisrani et al. -US 20220110187 A1- disclose Emergency Communication Routing For Non-cellular Coverage.
HASSAN et al. -US 20210160822 A1- disclose USER EQUIPMENT AND METHOD WITH IMPROVED CRITICAL COMMUNICATION NOTIFICATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS.
FEHRENBACH et al. -US 20200092685 A1- disclose UE GROUPS, UE GROUP MANAGER UEs AND UE GROUP MEMBER UEs.
Lee et al. -US 20180077552 A1- disclose METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHANGING, BY TERMINAL, PRIORITY IN MCPTT.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALLAHYAR KASRAIA N whose telephone number is (571)270-1772. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5: 00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, RAFAEL PEREZ-GUTIERREZ can be reached at (571)272-7915. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALLAHYAR KASRAIA N/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642