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 Amendment
The amendment filed July 10, 2025 has been accepted and entered. Accordingly, claims 1 and 4 have been amended. Claims 5-9 have been canceled. New Claims 10-12 have been added.
Claims 1-4 and 10-12 are pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
The applicant's arguments filed on July 10, 2025 regarding claim 1 have been fully considered but the arguments are essentially directed towards the newly introduced limitations and they are addressed in this Office Action, below.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0276468) and further in view of Hsu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0039250).
Regarding Claim 1, Wu teaches A communication control method used in a mobile communication system for providing a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) from a first base station to a first user equipment (Wu teaches wireless communications, and more particularly, to managing unicast, broadcast, and multicast services (para. [0001]); base station broadcasts MBS data packets (para. [0060]; FIG. 1A)), the communication control method comprising: collecting, by the first base station and from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment (Wu teaches that UE transmits a first MBS interest indication to the S-BS (para. [0124]; FIG. 5A); S-BS transmits a Handover Request message including the first MBS interest indication to the T-BS (para. [0125]; FIG. 5A)); and controlling, by the first base station, MBS transmission of the first base station, based on the MBS interest information collected (Wu teaches that after applying the T-DU configuration, the UE simultaneously receives MBS and communicate with the T-BS for unicast data exchange (para. [0127]); FIG. 5A)).
Although teaching that base station broadcast MBS data packets upon receiving the first MBS interest indication (para. [0060]), Wu does not explicitly teach collecting, by the first base station and from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment, wherein the MBS area is an area comprising a plurality cells providing the same MBS session. Hsu teaches such limitations.
Hsu is directed to method to indicate MBMS reception status to enable service continuity. More specifically. Hsu teaches collecting, by the first base station and from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment (Hsu teaches that eNB makes handover decisions for UE based on the MBMS reception status report and other MBMS information of neighbor cells (para. [0041]; FIG. 5); UE starts to receive a specific MBMS service supported by the current cell (para. [0038]; step 532 of FIG. 5); eNB determines a target cell from the neighbor cells, and that the target cell supports the same MBMS service as reported by UE so that MBMS service continuity is maintained after handover (para. [0041]; FIG. 5)), wherein the MBS area is an area comprising a plurality cells providing the same MBS session (Hsu teaches that eNB determines a target cell from the neighbor cells, and that the target cell supports the same MBMS service as reported by UE so that MBMS service continuity is maintained after handover (para. [0041]; FIG. 5); eNB starts to broadcast MBMS service continuity indication to UEs, and that MBMS SC indication contains MBMS service area IDs supported by the current cell, as well as SAIs supported by each neighbor frequency (para. [0037]; FIG. 3A)).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Wu. so that the first base station collects MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, as taught by Hsu. The modification would have allowed the system to maintain MBMS service continuity. (see Hsu, para. [0007]).
Regarding Claim 2, the combined teachings of Wu and Hsu teach The communication control method according to claim 1, and further, the references teach wherein the collecting comprises receiving, by the at least one second base station, the MBS interest information from the second user equipment (Wu teaches that S-BS receives MBS interest indication from UE (Step 502A of FIG. 5A)), transmitting, by the first base station, a transmission request for the MBS interest information to the at least one second base station (Wu teaches S-BS transmits a Handover Request message including the first MBS interest indication to the T-BS (para. [0125]; FIG. 5A); Hsu teaches once eNB turns on the feature of MBMS SC, eNB starts to broadcast MBMS SC indication to UEs via a new SIB (para. [0037]), where the MBMS SC indication contains MBMS service area IDs supported by the current cell and each neighbor frequency (para. [0037]); during the MBMS report procedure UE reports its MBMS reception status according to the received MBMS SC (para. [0038]); the eNB will make handover decision, taking MBMS information of neighbor cells and UE’s MBMS reception status into consideration (para. [0031])), and transmitting, by the at least one second base station, the MBS interest information to the first base station in response to reception of the transmission request from the first base station (Wu teaches that UE transmits a first MBS interest indication to the S-BS (para. [0124]; FIG. 5A); S-BS transmits a Handover Request message including the first MBS interest indication to the T-BS (para. [0125]; FIG. 5A)).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Wu. so that the first base station transmits a transmission request for MBS interest information to the at least one second base station, as taught by Hsu. The modification would have allowed the system to maintain MBMS service continuity. (see Hsu, para. [0007]).
Regarding Claim 11, the combined teachings of Wu and Hsu teach The communication control method according to claim 2, and further, the references teach wherein the transmission request includes an identifier related to the MBS session to be collected (Hsu teaches that MBMS SC indication contains one serving cell entry for current frequency and eight neighbor frequencies where each frequency is associated with a list of MBMS service IDs (para. [0033])).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Wu so that the transmission request includes an identifier related to the MBS session to be collected, as taught by Hsu. The modification would have allowed the system to maintain MBMS service continuity. (see Hsu, para. [0007]).
Regarding Claim 12, Wu teaches A first base station (BS 106A (FIG. 5A)) configured to provide a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) to a first user equipment (UE 102 (FIG. 5A); base station broadcast MBS data packets (para. [0060]; FIG. 1A)), the first base station comprising: a controller (Wu teaches that a base station includes a centralized unit (CU) and one or more DU (para. [0051]; FIG. 1B); the CU includes processors (para. [0051])) configured to collect from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment (Wu teaches that UE transmits a first MBS interest indication to the S-BS (para. [0124]; FIG. 5A); S-BS transmits a Handover Request message including the first MBS interest indication to the T-BS (para. [0125]; FIG. 5A))), wherein the controller is configured to control MBS transmission of the first base station, based on the MBS interest information collected (Wu teaches that after applying the T-DU configuration, the UE simultaneously receives MBS and communicate with the T-BS for unicast data exchange (para. [0127]); FIG. 5A)).
Although teaching that base station broadcast MBS data packets upon receiving the first MBS interest indication (para. [0060]), Wu does not explicitly teach configured to collect from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment, wherein the MBS area is an area comprising a plurality of cells providing the same MBS session. Hsu teaches such limitations.
Hsu is directed to method to indicate MBMS reception status to enable service continuity. More specifically. Hsu teaches configured to collect from at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from a second user equipment (Hsu teaches that eNB makes handover decisions for UE based on the MBMS reception status report and other MBMS information of neighbor cells (para. [0041]; FIG. 5); UE starts to receive a specific MBMS service supported by the current cell (para. [0038]; step 532 of FIG. 5); eNB determines a target cell from the neighbor cells, and that the target cell supports the same MBMS service as reported by UE so that MBMS service continuity is maintained after handover (para. [0041]; FIG. 5)), wherein the MBS area is an area comprising a plurality of cells providing the same MBS session (Hsu teaches that eNB determines a target cell from the neighbor cells, and that the target cell supports the same MBMS service as reported by UE so that MBMS service continuity is maintained after handover (para. [0041]; FIG. 5); eNB starts to broadcast MBMS service continuity indication to UEs, and that MBMS SC indication contains MBMS service area IDs supported by the current cell, as well as SAIs supported by each neighbor frequency (para. [0037]; FIG. 3A)).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Wu. so that the first base station collects MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station belonging to the same MBS area as the first base station, as taught by Hsu. The modification would have allowed the system to maintain MBMS service continuity. (see Hsu, para. [0007]).
Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0276468), Hsu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0039250), and further in view of Hong (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0380002).
Regarding Claim 3, the combined teachings of Wu and Hsu teach The communication control method according to claim 1, and further, the references teach wherein the collecting comprises receiving, by the at least one second base station, the MBS interest information from the second user equipment in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state (Wu teaches that UE initially operates in a connected state in which there is an active radio connection between the UE and the S-BS (para. [0124]); UE transmits a first MBS interest indication to the S-BS (para. [0124])), and transmitting, by the at least one second base station and to the first base station, the MBS interest information received by the at least one second base station from the second user equipment (Wu teaches S-BS transmits a Handover Request message including the first MBS interest indication to the T-BS (para. [0125]; FIG. 5A))).
Although teaching that UE is in RCC_IDLE state, UE can make cell reselection decision based on the received MBMS SC indication to maintain service continuity (Hsu, para. [0031]), the references do not explicitly teach transitioning, by the at least one second base station, the second user equipment to an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state. Hong teaches such a limitation.
Hong is directed to MBS data processing method and device. More specifically, Hong teaches that a base station controlling multicast/broadcast services (MBS) processing of the UE transmits an RRC connection release message, and that upon receiving the RRC connection release message, the UE switch its state from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state or RRC idle state (Hong, para. [0131][[0132]; FIG. 10).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Wu and Hsu so that the second UE is transitioning to an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, as taught by Hong. The modification would have allowed the system to enable UE to efficiently process MBS data (see Hong, para. [0010]).
Regarding Claim 4, the combined teachings of Wu and Hsu teach The communication control method according to claim 1, however, the references do not explicitly teach wherein the controlling the MBS transmission of the first base station comprises determining whether the first base station is to establish MBS connection with a core network apparatus or whether to transmit MBS data received by the first base station from the core network apparatus through PTP or PTM, based on the collected MBS interest information. Hong teaches such limitations.
Hong is directed to MBS data processing method and device. More specifically, Hong teaches wherein the controlling the MBS transmission of the first base station comprises determining whether the first base station is to establish MBS connection with a core network apparatus or whether to transmit MBS data received by the first base station from the core network apparatus through PTP or PTM, based on the collected MBS interest information (Hong teaches that a base station determines whether to transmit multicast data by PTM or PTP for one UE (para. [0111]); UE receives MBS service data transmitted according to the transmission scheme selected by the base station (para. [0245]); AMF performs paging in a specific MBS area based on assistance/request information received from the UE (para. [0163]); when there are many users interested in the MBS in one cell, it may be preferable to notify the UE group interested in the service of MBS initiation/change rather than individual paging (para. [0163])).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Wu and Hsu so that whether to transmit MBS data through PTP or PTM based on the collected MBS interest information, as taught by Hong. The modification would have allowed the system to enable UE to efficiently process MBS data (see Hong, para. [0010]).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0276468), Hsu (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0039250), and further in view of Matolia et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0352443).
Regarding Claim 10, the combined teachings of Wu and Hsu teach The communication control method according to claim 1, however, the references do not explicitly teach wherein the collecting comprises receiving from the second base station, an aggregated number for each of MBS session identifiers included in the MBS interest information received by the second base station from a plurality of user equipments. Matolia et al. teaches such a limitation.
Matolia et al. is directed to multicast broadcast service for 5G new radio. More specifically, Matolia et al. teaches that UE transmits a multicast join request for an ongoing MBS session using the MBS availability information to the UPF (para. [0080]); UPF uses a counter to track the number of requests for an MBS session ID (para. [0080]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Wu and Hsu so that the collecting comprises receiving from the second base station, an aggregated number for each of MBS session identifiers included in the MBS interest information received by the second base station from a plurality UE, as taught by Hong. The modification would have allowed the system to ensure that the ongoing MBS session does not have too many or too few users (see Matolia, para. [0080]).
Conclusion
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 REBECCA E. SONG whose telephone number is (571)270-3667. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 8-5 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Deborah Reynolds can be reached at 571-272-0734. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/REBECCA E SONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2417
Prosecution Insights