DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 23 February 2026. Claims 1-20 are now pending in the present application. This office action is made Non-Final.
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
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being by Phuyal et al. (hereinafter Phuyal) (US 2016/0192439 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 8, 16, and 20, Phuyal discloses a relay selection method, comprising:
receiving, by a remote terminal (e.g., UE 310), first information sent by a relay terminal (e.g., relay UE 304, 306), wherein the first information comprises at least one of a relay hop count N or quality of service (QoS) information of the relay terminal (e.g., relay UE 304, 306), N represents an Nth hop of the relay terminal (e.g., relay UE 304, 306) in a relay link, and N is a positive integer { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides communication paths (see pp. [0036, 0040]) }; and
performing, by the remote terminal (e.g., relay UE 304, 306), relay terminal (e.g., relay UE 304, 306) selection based on the first information { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides a UE to perform selection/reselection (see pp. 3-4, [0036, 0040]) }.
Regarding claims 2, 11, and 9, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the QoS information comprises at least one of following:
delay information between the relay terminal and an anchor user plane function (UPF); packet error rate information between the relay terminal and an anchor UPF; packet loss rate information between the relay terminal and an anchor UPF; guaranteed bit rate information between the relay terminal and an anchor UPF; or maximal bit rate information between the relay terminal and an anchor UPF { (see pg. 2, [0025]; pg. 3, [0032]; pg. 5, [0046]; Figs. 1-6), where the system monitors loss and quality }.
Regarding claims 3, 14, and 16, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein there are at least two pieces of first information, each of the pieces of first information corresponds to a relay terminal, and each of the pieces of first information comprises at least one first parameter, then; the performing, by the remote terminal, relay terminal selection based on the first information comprises:
determining, by the remote terminal based on first parameters respectively corresponding to all pieces of first information, a target relay terminal corresponding to a first target minimum parameter, wherein the first target minimum parameter is a first parameter with a minimum parameter value among a plurality of the first parameters, wherein the first target minimum parameter comprises at least one of following: a minimum relay hop count; or
a minimum delay between the relay terminal and the anchor UPF { (see pg. 4, [0044]; pg. 2, [0025]; pg. 3, [0032]; pg. 5, [0046]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 4, 12, and 17, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the performing, by the remote terminal, relay terminal selection based on the first information comprises: performing, by the remote terminal, relay terminal selection based on the first information and second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate a selection condition of the relay terminal, wherein the second information is configured or pre-configured by a network side for the remote terminal { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides a UE to perform selection/reselection (see pp. 3-4, [0036, 0040]) }.
Regarding claims 5, 13, and 18, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 4, wherein the second information comprises at least one of following: a maximal relay hop count, wherein the maximal relay hop count is a maximal hop count corresponding to a relay terminal that is able to be accepted by the remote terminal; or a maximal QoS parameter value corresponding to the QoS information; wherein the maximal QoS parameter value comprises at least one of following: information about a maximal tolerable delay of the remote terminal; information about a maximal tolerable packet error rate of the remote terminal; information about a maximal tolerable packet loss rate of the remote terminal; information about a maximal tolerable guaranteed bit rate of the remote terminal; or information about a maximal tolerable bit rate of the remote terminal { (see pg. 2, [0025]; pg. 3, [0032]; pg. 5, [0046]; Figs. 1-6), where the system monitors loss and quality }.
Regarding claim 6, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 5, wherein the performing relay terminal selection based on the first information and second information comprises at least one of following: in a case that the second information comprises the maximal relay hop count, selecting a relay terminal that sends first target information, wherein the first target information is first information that meets a first condition, and the first condition is that the relay hop count N in the first information is less than or equal to the maximal relay hop count; or in a case that the second information comprises the maximal QoS parameter value, selecting a relay terminal that sends second target information, wherein the second target information is first information that meets a second condition, and the second condition is that the QoS parameter value in the first information is less than or equal to the maximal QoS parameter value { (see pg. 2, [0025]; pg. 3, [0032]; pg. 5, [0046]; Figs. 1-6), where the system monitors loss and quality }.
Regarding claims 7, 15, and 19, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 4, wherein the performing, by the remote terminal, relay terminal selection based on the first information and second information comprises: in a case that the second information is associated with at least one of a target application identifier, a target service type, or a target relay service code, performing, by the remote terminal, relay terminal selection based on the first information and the second information { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides a UE to perform selection/reselection (see pp. 3-4, [0036, 0040]; pg. 5, [0046]) }.
Regarding claim 10, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 8, wherein before the sending, by a first relay terminal, first information, the method further comprises: receiving first information from a second relay terminal, wherein the second relay terminal comprises a relay terminal corresponding to an N1 hop before the first relay terminal, and N1 is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1; and performing, by the first relay terminal, a first operation based on the first information of the second relay terminal, wherein the first operation comprises at least one of following: increasing the relay hop count of the first relay terminal by 1; or updating the QoS information of the first relay terminal { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides communication paths (see pp. [0036, 0040]), and the system monitors loss and quality (see pg. 2, [0025]; pg. 3, [0032]; pg. 5, [0046]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 12, Phuyal discloses the method according to claim 10, wherein the performing, by the first relay terminal, a first operation based on the first information of the second relay terminal comprises:
in a case that the first relay terminal determines, based on third information and the first information of the second relay terminal, the first relay terminal as a next hop relay of the second relay terminal, performing, by the first relay terminal, the first operation, wherein the third information is used to indicate a relay discovery termination condition, and the third information is configured or pre-configured by a network side for the first relay terminal { (see pg. 3, [0035, 0032, 0028]; Figs. 1-6), where the system provides communication paths (see pp. [0036, 0040]) }.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIE J DANIEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-7907. The examiner can normally be reached on 9 - 6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached on 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIE J DANIEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
WJD,Jr
06 February 2026