Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/291,327

HIGH-PRIORITY MESSAGE BROADCAST FOR AUTONOMOUS USER EQUIPMENTS (UES)

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Jan 23, 2024
Examiner
AJAYI, JOEL
Art Unit
2646
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allow Rate
486 granted / 632 resolved
+14.9% vs TC avg
Strong +48% interview lift
Without
With
+47.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
672
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.0%
-37.0% vs TC avg
§103
53.4%
+13.4% vs TC avg
§102
39.5%
-0.5% vs TC avg
§112
2.4%
-37.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 632 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . 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 of this title, 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 1, 2, 4-16, 18-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2020/0146100) in view of Maier et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2015/0140954). Consider claim 1; Lee discloses an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory (par. 43, lines 1-5; par. 47, lines 1-3); and at least one processor coupled to the memory (par. 43, lines 1-5; par. 47, lines 1-3) and configured to: receive a notification message indicating a transmission of a high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)] for one or more autonomous user equipment (UEs) [e.g. UAV (par. 43, lines 1-5)]; receive the high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)]. Lee discloses the claimed invention except: wherein the high-priority message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs; and perform the at least one command based on the high-priority message. In an analogous art Maier discloses the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 9-14)]; and perform the at least one command based on the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 14-24)]. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Lee by including a location command, as taught by Maier, for the purpose of effectively providing services in a telecommunication network. Consider claim 2, as applied in claim 1; Lee discloses the notification message is a broadcast short message (par. 201, lines 1-7). Consider claim 4, as applied in claim 1; Maier discloses the at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs includes at least one of a transmit location command to transmit a current location (par. 387, lines 9-14), a release command to initiate a wireless connection release procedure, a preconfigured travel command to travel to a preconfigured location or along a preconfigured path, a safe location command to travel to a location indicated in the high-priority message, an updated path command to travel along an updated path, a play message command to play at least one of an audio message, a video message, a multimedia message, or a text message, a transmit signal command to transmit at least one of an audio signal, a visual signal or a radio frequency (RF) signal, an altitude change command to change an altitude of the one or more autonomous UEs, an exit area command to travel away from an area, and a stop command to stop for one or more types of vehicles. Consider claim 5, as applied in claim 4; Maier discloses at least a portion of the audio message, the video message, the multimedia message, the text message, the audio signal, the visual signal, the RF signal, a value of the altitude, or the updated path, is included in the high- priority (e.g. emergency) message [e.g. text message (par. 387, lines 3-29)]. Consider claim 6, as applied in claim 4; Maier discloses the location indicated in the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message includes a set of coordinates (par. 387, lines 14-24). Consider claim 7, as applied in claim 1; Maier discloses the at least one command is included in one of a plurality of command classes [e.g. based on location (par. 296)], wherein each of the plurality of command classes includes a set of commands for a single autonomous UE type (e.g. UAV) (par. 296; par. 387, lines 9-14), multiple autonomous UE types, or all autonomous UE types. Consider claim 8, as applied in claim 1; Maier discloses transmit a response message (par. 387, lines 14-24) based on the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message (par. 387, lines 9-14). Consider claim 9, as applied in claim 8; Maier discloses the high-priority message further indicates information to be transmitted from the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. UAV (par. 387, lines 14-24)] in response to the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message (par. 387, lines 9-14) or in response to an initiation or a completion of the at least one command, wherein the information includes acknowledgement information, location information [e.g. location request (par. 387, lines 9-14)], or an indication of the initiation or the completion of the at least one command, and wherein the response message includes the information [e.g. location coordinates (par. 387, lines 14-24)]. Consider claim 10, as applied in claim 1; Maier discloses the one or more autonomous UEs includes at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (par. 387, lines 9-14), an autonomous vehicle (AV), or an autonomous consumer Internet of Things (CIoT) device. Consider claim 11, as applied in claim 1; Lee discloses the high-priority message is a system information block (SIB) (par. 201, lines 1-7). Consider claim 12, as applied in claim 11; Lee discloses the system information block (SIB) includes at least one of a message identifier parameter (par. 276, lines 1-3), a serial number parameter, a command parameter, a command extension parameter, a command string parameter, a command response parameter, or a coordinates parameter. Consider claim 13; Lee discloses a method of wireless communication, comprising: receiving a notification message indicating a transmission of a high- priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)] for one or more autonomous user equipment (UEs) [e.g. UAV (par. 43, lines 1-5)]; receiving the high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)]. Lee discloses the claimed invention except: wherein the high-priority message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs; and perform the at least one command based on the high-priority message. In an analogous art Maier discloses the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 9-14)]; and perform the at least one command based on the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 14-24)]. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Lee by including a location command, as taught by Maier, for the purpose of effectively providing services in a telecommunication network. Consider claim 14, as applied in claim 13; Maier discloses transmit a response message (par. 387, lines 14-24) based on the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message (par. 387, lines 9-14). Consider claim 15; Lee discloses an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: a memory (par. 48, lines 1-3); and at least one processor coupled to the memory (par. 48, lines 1-3) and configured to: transmit a notification message indicating a transmission of a high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)] for one or more autonomous user equipment (UEs) [e.g. UAV (par. 43, lines 1-5)]; and transmit the high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)]. Lee discloses the claimed invention except: wherein the high-priority message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs. In an analogous art Maier discloses the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 9-14)]. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Lee by including a location command, as taught by Maier, for the purpose of effectively providing services in a telecommunication network. Consider claim 16, as applied in claim 15; Lee discloses the notification message is a broadcast short message (par. 201, lines 1-7). Consider claim 18, as applied in claim 15; Maier discloses receive a request to transmit the at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 9-14)], wherein the notification message (e.g. location coordinates) and the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message are transmitted (par. 387, lines 14-24) in response to the request (par. 387, lines 9-14). Consider claim 19, as applied in claim 15; Maier discloses the at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs includes at least one of a transmit location command to transmit a current location (par. 387, lines 9-14), a release command to initiate a wireless connection release procedure, a preconfigured travel command to travel to a preconfigured location or along a preconfigured path, a safe location command to travel to a location indicated in the high-priority message, an updated path command to travel along an updated path, a play message command to play at least one of an audio message, a video message, a multimedia message, or a text message, a transmit signal command to transmit at least one of an audio signal, a visual signal or a radio frequency (RF) signal, an altitude change command to change an altitude of the one or more autonomous UEs, an exit area command to travel away from an area, and a stop command to stop for one or more types of vehicles. Consider claim 20, as applied in claim 19; Maier discloses at least a portion of the audio message, the video message, the multimedia message, the text message, the audio signal, the visual signal, the RF signal, a value of the altitude, or the updated path, is included in the high- priority (e.g. emergency) message [e.g. text message (par. 387, lines 3-29)]. Consider claim 21, as applied in claim 19; Maier discloses the location indicated in the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message includes a set of coordinates (par. 387, lines 14-24). Consider claim 22, as applied in claim 15; Maier discloses the at least one command is included in one of a plurality of command classes [e.g. based on location (par. 296)], wherein each of the plurality of command classes includes a set of commands for a single autonomous UE type (e.g. UAV) (par. 296; par. 387, lines 9-14), multiple autonomous UE types, or all autonomous UE types. Consider claim 23, as applied in claim 15; Maier discloses receive a response message from the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. UAV (par. 387, lines 14-24)] based on the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message (par. 387, lines 9-14). Consider claim 24, as applied in claim 23; Maier discloses the high-priority message further indicates information to be transmitted from the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. UAV (par. 387, lines 14-24)] in response to the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message (par. 387, lines 9-14) or in response to an initiation or a completion of the at least one command, wherein the information includes acknowledgement information, location information [e.g. location request (par. 387, lines 9-14)], or an indication of the initiation or the completion of the at least one command, and wherein the response message includes the information [e.g. location coordinates (par. 387, lines 14-24)]. Consider claim 25, as applied in claim 24; Maier discloses forward the information in the response message to an autonomous UE management entity or an entity (e.g. emergency response server) indicated in the response message (par. 387, lines 24-29). Consider claim 26, as applied in claim 23; Maier discloses transmit an update message (e.g. current location) to one or more controllers of the one or more autonomous UEs (e.g. emergency response server) (par. 387, lines 24-29) based on the response message (par. 387, lines 14-24). Consider claim 27, as applied in claim 15; Maier discloses the one or more autonomous UEs includes at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (par. 387, lines 9-14), an autonomous vehicle (AV), or an autonomous consumer Internet of Things (CIoT) device. Consider claim 28, as applied in claim 15; Lee discloses the high-priority message is a system information block (SIB) (par. 201, lines 1-7). Consider claim 29, as applied in claim 28; Lee discloses the system information block (SIB) includes at least one of a message identifier parameter (par. 276, lines 1-3), a serial number parameter, a command parameter, a command extension parameter, a command string parameter, a command response parameter, or a coordinates parameter. Consider claim 30; Lee discloses a method of wireless communication, comprising: transmit a notification message indicating a transmission of a high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)] for one or more autonomous user equipment (UEs) [e.g. UAV (par. 43, lines 1-5)]; and transmit the high-priority message [e.g. emergency situation messages such as earthquake and tsunamis, that is, etws and cmas (par. 201, lines 1-7; par. 233, lines 1-5)]. Lee discloses the claimed invention except: wherein the high-priority message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs. In an analogous art Maier discloses the high-priority (e.g. emergency) message indicates at least one command associated with the one or more autonomous UEs [e.g. current location (par. 387, lines 9-14)]. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teaching of Lee by including a location command, as taught by Maier, for the purpose of effectively providing services in a telecommunication network. Claims 3, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2020/0146100) in view of Maier et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2015/0140954) in view of Kwak et al. (U.S. Patent Application Number: 2017/0054520). Consider claim 3, as applied in claim 2; Lee and Maier disclose the claimed invention except: the broadcast short message includes eight bits, and wherein the transmission of the high-priority message is indicated in a fourth bit, a fifth bit, a sixth bit, a seventh bit, or an eighth bit of the broadcast short message. In an analogous art Kwak discloses the broadcast short message includes eight bits (par. 998, lines 1-8), and wherein the transmission of the high-priority (e.g. emergency alert) message is indicated in a fourth bit (par. 998, lines 1-8), a fifth bit, a sixth bit, a seventh bit, or an eighth bit of the broadcast short message. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. It is an object of Kwak’s invention to transmit and receive broadcast information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee and Maier by including bits, as taught by Kwak, for the purpose of managing communication in a data network. Consider claim 17, as applied in claim 16; Lee and Maier disclose the claimed invention except: the broadcast short message includes eight bits, and wherein the transmission of the high-priority message is indicated in a fourth bit, a fifth bit, a sixth bit, a seventh bit, or an eighth bit of the broadcast short message. In an analogous art Kwak discloses the broadcast short message includes eight bits (par. 998, lines 1-8), and wherein the transmission of the high-priority (e.g. emergency alert) message is indicated in a fourth bit (par. 998, lines 1-8), a fifth bit, a sixth bit, a seventh bit, or an eighth bit of the broadcast short message. It is an object of Lee’s invention to provide a method for receiving system information. It is an object of Maier’s invention to process information. It is an object of Kwak’s invention to transmit and receive broadcast information. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee and Maier by including bits, as taught by Kwak, for the purpose of managing communication in a data network. Arngren is another reference that discloses the inventive concept. Conclusion Any response to this Office Action should be faxed to (571) 273-8300 or mailed to: Commissioner for Patents P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 Hand-delivered responses should be brought to Customer Service Window Randolph Building 401 Dulany Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Joel Ajayi whose telephone number is (571) 270-1091. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 7:30am to 5:00pm. If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Lester Kincaid can be reached on (571) 272-7922. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free) or 703-305-3028. Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist/customer service whose telephone number is (571) 272-2600. /JOEL AJAYI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
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Prosecution Timeline

Jan 23, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+47.6%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 632 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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