DETAILED ACTION
This Final Office Action is in response to application number 18,318,509 filed on May 16th 2023. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statements
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS), submitted on March 26th 2025 and December 24th 2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
In the arguments dated 04/17/2026 the applicant states neither Zhang or Xu “disclose dual communication over two interface, but simply that a terminal may have the option to communication over several possible interface.”
The examiner respectfully disagrees, as Zhang paragraph 66 discloses “For example, the UE 110 may use multiple RATs to support the same V2X application in order to enhance throughput and/or reliability, among other things. Additionally or alternatively, after RAT selection, the Uu and/or PC5 interface could be further selected based on V2X application type, coverage situation, connection state, and/or network resource status. In general, such RAT selection (e.g., reselection) solutions may be implemented by an upper layer based on assisting information from a lower layer. In some embodiments, the selection could be performed on the network side, and the UE 110 may be notified via network signaling. Alternatively, the selection may be performed by the UE 110 based on a RAT list provided by the network.” Here after RAT selection the both UE and PC5 are selected a preference due to a V2X application requirement, a coverage requirement or the network resource status.
In the second arguments dated 04/17/2026 the applicant states neither Zhang or Xu disclose “switching the connection mode between the first terminal device and the access network device”, “in response to the connection mode currently used between the first terminal device and the access network device being a PC5 interface single connectivity”. Essentially transitioning from PC5 to UU and PC5.
The examiner respectfully disagrees, as Zhang paragraph 47 discloses “In general, achieving very robust communications over the SL may be challenging, due to the distributed nature of the system with no or relaxed centralized control, such as the gNB. Therefore, in case of very high channel congestion the usage of Uu may be preferred. At the same time, the PC5 may be used as means to offload Uu traffic, especially in those cases in which PC5 is low congested.”. Here the connection mode has changed from PC5 to PC5 and UU in order to achieve to a robust connection and to mitigate congestion. Additionally Zhang Paragraph 55 discloses “Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a path selection and switch solution by considering different communication technologies (such as Uu and/or PC5 path) availability at both Tx side and Rx side.” This paragraph address specifically UU to PC5, PC5 to UU and also the switch to the combined state of UU and PC5.
In the third arguments dated 04/17/2026 the applicant states neither Zhang or Xu disclose “establishing a Uu interface connection while maintaining a PC5 interface connection.
The examiner respectfully disagrees, as Zhang paragraph 47 discloses “In general, achieving very robust communications over the SL may be challenging, due to the distributed nature of the system with no or relaxed centralized control, such as the gNB. Therefore, in case of very high channel congestion the usage of Uu may be preferred. At the same time, the PC5 may be used as means to offload Uu traffic, especially in those cases in which PC5 is low congested.”. Here the connection mode has changed from PC5 to PC5 and UU in order to achieve to a robust connection and to mitigate congestion. Additionally paragraph 0061 discloses “The radio protocol architecture 200 comprises an upper layer 210 and a lower layer 220. To support some interfaces (e.g., LTE), the upper layer 210 selects whether to use the Uu and/or the PC5 interface for communication, and configures the lower layer 220 accordingly. In some embodiments, RAT selection (and correspondingly, path selection via an access node 120 that supports a given RAT) may depend on the service corresponding to the communication and/or UE subscription information.” Here a distinction is made between RAT selection and path selection, furthermore it is emphasized that the paths selected may be Uu or PC5 or Uu and PC5, whereby path selection satisfies the corresponding communication or UE subscription.
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 may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1,4-6,13-22 and 25-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 12075299 B2) in view of Xu et al. (WO 2017049975 A1 Translation Used).
Regarding claims 1,13 and 25-26, Zhang et al. disclose a connection method, comprising: obtaining, by an access network device, connection mode preference information of a first terminal device, wherein the connection mode preference information indicates a connection mode preference of the first terminal device and the connection mode preference is a Uu interface and PC5 interface dual connectivity; (Column 11 Lines 40-53 discloses “For example, the UE 110 may use multiple RATs to support the same V2X application in order to enhance throughput and/or reliability, among other things. Additionally or alternatively, after RAT selection, the Uu and/or PC5 interface could be further selected based on V2X application type, coverage situation, connection state, and/or network resource status. In general, such RAT selection (e.g., reselection) solutions may be implemented by an upper layer based on assisting information from a lower layer. In some embodiments, the selection could be performed on the network side, and the UE 110 may be notified via network signaling. Alternatively, the selection may be performed by the UE 110 based on a RAT list provided by the network.” Here after RAT selection the both UE and PC5 are selected a preference due to a V2X application requirement, a coverage requirement or the network resource status) and sending, by the access network device, path switching information to the first terminal device based on the connection mode preference information, comprising: determining, by the access network device, in response to the connection mode currently used between the first terminal device and the access network device being a PC5 interface single connectivity, to switch the connection mode between the first terminal device and the access network device to the Uu interface and PCs interface dual connectivity; (Column 8 45-52 discloses “In general, achieving very robust communications over the SL may be challenging, due to the distributed nature of the system with no or relaxed centralized control, such as the gNB. Therefore, in case of very high channel congestion the usage of Uu may be preferred. At the same time, the PC5 may be used as means to offload Uu traffic, especially in those cases in which PC5 is low congested.”. Here the connection mode has changed from PC5 to PC5 and UU in order to achieve to a robust connection and to mitigate congestion.) and sending, by the access network device, the path switching information to the first terminal device (Column 23 Lines 30-36 disclose “In an embodiment, the network device or the application server may send resource configuration of the second communication technology and path switching instruction to the first terminal device and/or the at least one second terminal device.”), wherein the path switching information is used to switch a connection mode between the first terminal device and the access network device and the path switching information comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates the first terminal device to establish a Uu interface connection to the access network device, and maintain a PCs interface connection to a relay device (Column 9 Lines 13-35 discloses “To overcome or mitigate at least one of the above mentioned problems or other problems or provide a useful solution, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose a new path selection and switch solution. Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide methods for path switch between different communication technologies such as sidelink (PC5) and Uu. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide procedures for path switch from Uu to PC5, involving UE, network (NW) and application server. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide procedures for path switch from PC5 to Uu, involving UE, NW and application server. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a path selection and switch solution by considering different communication technologies (such as Uu and/or PC5 path) availability at both Tx side and Rx side. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the path switch may be triggered either by the NW or by the UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, signaling for indicating, exchanging and checking path availability, over either Uu or PC5, or both. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, signaling for instructing and acknowledging path selection/switching, over either Uu or PC5, or both.” This paragraph address specifically UU to PC5, PC5 to UU and also the switch to the combined state of UU and PC5.)
Zhang et al. fail to explicitly disclose a signal of a Uu interface of the first terminal device meeting a first preset condition
However in an analogous art Xu et al. teaches a signal of a Uu interface of the first terminal device meeting a first preset condition (Page 16 Paragraph 4 discloses “It should be noted that the transmission policy involved in this embodiment includes at least one of the following: a transmission quality policy indicating a measurement parameter of a transmission path, a transmission policy preset by an RSU local/operator, and a system load balancing transmission. Policy, transmission strategy for OBU requests. The measurement parameter includes at least one of the following: a measurement object, a measurement period, a measurement threshold, and a measurement event.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified Zhang et al. to incorporate the teachings Xu et al. to implement a signal of a Uu interface of the first terminal device meeting a first preset condition, in order to ensure that the addition of the Uu interface facilitates a robust and efficient network connectivity.
Regarding claim 14, Zhang et al. disclose the communication device according to claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: in response to the connection mode currently used between the first terminal device and the access network device is a PC5 interface single connectivity, and a signal of a Uu interface of the first terminal device meets a first preset condition, determining, by the access network device, to switch the connection mode between the first terminal device and the access network device to the Uu interface and PC5 interface dual connectivity (Column 9 Lines 24-28 disclose “Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a path selection and switch solution by considering different communication technologies (such as Uu and/or PCS path) availability at both Tx side and Rx side.”);
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Zhang et al. disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein before determining, by the access network device, to switch the connection mode between the first terminal device and the access network device to the Uu interface and PC5 interface dual connectivity, the method further comprises: determining, by the access network device based on path support capability information of the first terminal device, that the first terminal device supports the Uu interface and PC5 interface dual connectivity (Column 11 Lines 20-50 disclose “Additionally or alternatively, the UE, network device or application server may select the RAT may select a RAT based on the link qualities of the PCS and/or Uu interfaces of each RAT, connection status in each RAT, load 30 status of the access node 120 in each RAT, UE capability, the V2X application type and/or the QoS class of the initiated V2X application.” Furthermore dual connectivity or multiple RATs is disclosed through “For example, the UE 110 may use multiple RATs to support the same V2X application in order to enhance throughput and/ or reliability, among other things. Additionally or alternatively, after RAT selection, the Uu and/or PCS interface could be further selected based on V2X embodiments described herein are applicable”).
Regarding claims 5 and 15 , Zhang et al. disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the first preset condition comprises at least one of: a signal strength of the Uu interface is greater than or equal to a first strength threshold; a signal strength of the Uu interface is greater than a first strength threshold; signal quality of the Uu interface is greater than or equal to a first quality threshold; signal quality of the Uu interface is greater than a first quality threshold; a signal-to-noise ratio of the Uu interface is greater than or equal to a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold; or a signal-to-noise ratio of the Uu interface is greater than a first signal-to-noise ratio threshold (Column 14 Lines 50-60 disclose “In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the path switch is initiated by UE. UE can determine that its Uu path is going to become unavailable due to e.g. degradation in channel quality for one or more services.”).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang et al. disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining, by an access network device the connection mode preference information of a first terminal device comprises: receiving, by the access network device, the connection mode preference information from a first network device, wherein the first network device is an access and mobility management function device or a session management device; or receiving, by the access network device, the connection mode preference information from the first terminal device (Column 14 Lines 55-65 disclose “The UE informs the Uu path unavailability for one or more services and optionally the PCS availability to the NW (e.g. gNB/eNB) [connection mode preference information to access network device], and the NW further informs the Uu path unavailability for one or more services and optionally the PCS availability to the application server and/or to a core network node.”).
Regarding claim 17, Zhang et al. disclose the communication device according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining comprises: receiving the connection mode preference information from a first network device, wherein the first network device is an access and mobility management function device or a session management device; or receiving the connection mode preference information from the first terminal device (Column 14 Lines 55-65 disclose “The UE informs the Uu path unavailability for one or more services and optionally the PC5 availability to the NW (e.g. gNB/eNB) [sending connection mode preference information to the access network device]…”).
Regarding claims 18, 20 and 21, Zhang et al. disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the connection mode preference is a connection mode in which the first terminal device is allowed to be connected to an access network device (US 12075299 Zhang Column 38 lines 55-65 discloses “A first UE 1491 located in coverage area 1413c is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding base station 1412c.”).
Regarding clams 19 and 22, Zhang et al. disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the connection mode currently used between the first terminal device and the access network device is a PC5 interface single connectivity(Column 15 Lines 10-15 disclose that “For some of the above options (e.g. option 1) the network (NW) [access network node] may provide the PC5 (e.g. resource pool for service communication and/or service discovery) configurations to UEl and UE2 together with the path switching instruction.”), and path switching information indicates the first terminal device to establish a Uu interface connection to the access network device, and maintain a PC5 interface connection to a relay device(Column 9 Lines 13-35 discloses “To overcome or mitigate at least one of the above mentioned problems or other problems or provide a useful solution, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose a new path selection and switch solution. Some embodiments of the present disclosure may provide methods for path switch between different communication technologies such as sidelink (PC5) and Uu. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide procedures for path switch from Uu to PC5, involving UE, network (NW) and application server. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide procedures for path switch from PC5 to Uu, involving UE, NW and application server. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a path selection and switch solution by considering different communication technologies (such as Uu and/or PC5 path) availability at both Tx side and Rx side. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the path switch may be triggered either by the NW or by the UE. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, signaling for indicating, exchanging and checking path availability, over either Uu or PC5, or both. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, signaling for instructing and acknowledging path selection/switching, over either Uu or PC5, or both.” This paragraph address specifically UU to PC5, PC5 to UU and also the switch to the combined state of UU and PC5.)
Regarding claims 26 and 28, Zhang et al. discloses the method according to claim 25, further comprising: transmitting, by the first terminal device, service data that is not completely transmitted through the PC5 interface; and transmitting, by the first terminal device, the service data through the Uu interface (Paragraph 60 discloses “ A UE 110 (e.g., either or both of the UEs 110a, 110b) may choose one or multiple of the interfaces over which to transmit any V2X message. In a V2X scenario, selecting a proper RAT (and corresponding Interface) may be challenging due to QoS requirements, UEs 110 that are moving fast (and may have unstable network connections, for example), and/or compatibility issues….”).
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 Samuel Dilan Rutnam whose telephone number is 703-756-1374. The examiner can normally be reached between 8:30am-5:00pm Mon-Fri.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sujoy Kundu can be reached on 571-272-8586.
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/Samuel Dilan Rutnam/
Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2471
/SUJOY K KUNDU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2471
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