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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the amendments filed on 03/20/2026.
Claims 1, 3-11 and 13-22 are currently pending.
Claims 1, 3-11 and 13-22 are rejected.
Claims 1 and 11 are independent claims.
Response to Amendment
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
6. 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.
7. The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
8. Claims 1, 4-7, 11 and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chongming ZHANG et al. (US 2023/0337286 A1), hereinafter ZHANG, in view of Liangang CHI et al. (US 2024/0349153 A1), hereinafter CHI.
For claim 1, ZHANG teaches a method for controlling random access, comprising:
receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), a first command, wherein the first command is used for activating a Secondary Cell Group (SCG); and performing a corresponding operation (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101.).
ZHANG does not explicitly teach a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE.
However, CHI explicitly teaches a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE (CHI, Fig. 1 and paragraph 11. See also abstract).
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 Bit Index Explicit Replication scheme taught in ZHANG with a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE taught in CHI to have a method for controlling random access, comprising: receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), a first command, wherein the first command is used for activating a Secondary Cell Group (SCG); in response to that a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE during an operation of a first timer , determining, by the UE, not to initiate a random access procedure to the SCG and stopping the first timer; and in response to that the first timer expires, determining, by the UE, to-initiate the random access procedure to the SCG thereby enhancing the utilization of system resources [CHI: paragraph 41.].
For claim 4, ZHANG and CHI further teach the method of claim 1, wherein the first timer is configured by a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or a system broadcast message configuration (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 5, ZHANG and CHI further teach the method of claim 1, wherein configuration information of the first timer is carried in the first command or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration signaling (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 6, ZHANG and CHI further teach the method of claim 1, wherein after receiving, by the UE, the first command, the method further comprises: initiating, by the UE, the random access procedure to the SCG and starting a second timer; or initiating, by the UE, the random access procedure to the SCG in a case that a second condition is satisfied, and starting a second timer (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101. See also paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 7, ZHANG and CHI further teach the method of claim 6, wherein the second condition comprises: determining, by the UE, to initiate the random access procedure to the SCG based on an indication from a network device; or determining, by the UE, to initiate the random access procedure to the SCG based on an evaluation of the UE (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101. See also paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 11, ZHANG teaches a User Equipment (UE) (ZHANG, Fig. 2), comprising:
a transceiver (ZHANG, Fig. 2 item 201.), configured to receive a first command, wherein the first command is used for activating a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101.); and
a processor (ZHANG, Fig. 2 item 201.), configured to perform a corresponding operation (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101.).
ZHANG does not explicitly teach a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE.
However, CHI explicitly teaches a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE (CHI, Fig. 1 and paragraph 11. See also abstract).
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 Bit Index Explicit Replication scheme taught in ZHANG with a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE taught in CHI to have a method for controlling random access, comprising: receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), a first command, wherein the first command is used for activating a Secondary Cell Group (SCG); in response to that a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) configured for scheduling a Primary Secondary Cell (PSCell) is received by the UE during an operation of a first timer , determining, by the UE, not to initiate a random access procedure to the SCG and stopping the first timer; and in response to that the first timer expires, determining, by the UE, to-initiate the random access procedure to the SCG thereby enhancing the utilization of system resources [CHI: paragraph 41.].
For claim 14, ZHANG and CHI further teach the UE of claim 11, wherein the first timer is configured by a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or a system broadcast message configuration (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 15, ZHANG and CHI further teach the UE of claim 11, wherein configuration information of the first timer is carried in the first command or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration signaling (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 16, ZHANG and CHI further teach the UE of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: initiate the random access procedure to the SCG, and start a second timer; or initiate the random access procedure to the SCG in a case that a second condition is satisfied, and start a second timer (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101. See also paragraphs 32-46.).
For claim 17, ZHANG and CHI further teach the UE of claim 16, wherein the second condition comprises: determining, by the UE, to initiate the random access procedure to the SCG based on an indication from a network device; or determining, by the UE, to initiate the random access procedure to the SCG based on an evaluation of the UE (ZHANG, Fig. 1 and paragraphs 90-101. See also paragraphs 32-46.).
9. Claims 3, 13 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chongming ZHANG et al. (US 2023/0337286 A1), hereinafter ZHANG, in view of Liangang CHI et al. (US 2024/0349153 A1), hereinafter CHI, and Anil AGIWAL et al. (US 2024/0237106 A1), hereinafter AGIWAL.
For claim 3, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 1. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises:
determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state.
However, AGIWAL explicitly teaches the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises: determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state (AGIWAL, Fig. 2 and paragraphs 82-93.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises: determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state taught in AGIWAL. Because all ZHANG, CHI and AGIWAL teach SCG acervation, SGIWAL explicitly teaches receiving PDCCH using TCI state which is based on the configuration received from the network device.
For claim 13, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 11. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises: determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state.
However, AGIWAL explicitly teaches the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises: determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state (AGIWAL, Fig. 2 and paragraphs 82-93.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with the PDCCH is received by the UE by using a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state, and the method further comprises: determining, by the UE, the first TCI state based on configuration information from the network device; or determining, by the UE, that the first TCI state is a TCI state used by the UE for a last time the SCG was in an active state taught in AGIWAL. Because all ZHANG, CHI and AGIWAL teach SCG acervation, SGIWAL explicitly teaches receiving PDCCH using TCI state which is based on the configuration received from the network device.
For claim 21, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 1. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side.
However, AGIWAL explicitly teaches wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side (AGIWAL, Fig. 2 and paragraphs 82-93.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side taught in AGIWAL. Because all ZHANG, CHI and AGIWAL teach SCG acervation, SGIWAL explicitly teaches receiving PDCCH using TCI state which is based on the configuration received from the network device.
For claim 22, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 11. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side.
However, AGIWAL explicitly teaches wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side (AGIWAL, Fig. 2 and paragraphs 82-93.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with wherein a first Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state is configured by a network device based on measurement results reported by the UE, and the first TCI state is used for determining at least one of a receiving beam or a transmitting beam for the PDCCH on a PSCell side taught in AGIWAL. Because all ZHANG, CHI and AGIWAL teach SCG acervation, SGIWAL explicitly teaches receiving PDCCH using TCI state which is based on the configuration received from the network device.
10. Claims 8-10 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chongming ZHANG et al. (US 2023/0337286 A1), hereinafter ZHANG, in view of Liangang CHI et al. (US 2024/0349153 A1), hereinafter CHI, and Icaro Leonardo Da Silva et al. (US 2023/0337020 A1), hereinafter Da.
For claim 8, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 1. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE.
However, Da explicitly teaches performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE taught in Da in order to improve network energy efficiency and battery life for UEs in MR-DC [Da: paragraph 18].
For claim 9, ZHANG, CHI and Da further teach the method of claim 8, wherein performing, by the UE, the BFD during the deactivation of the SCG comprises: performing, by the UE, the BFD by using a first BFD configuration parameter during the deactivation of the SCG, wherein in response to that the BFD event is detected by the UE, the UE records the BFD event (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
For claim 10, ZHANG, CHI and Da further teach the method of claim 8, wherein performing, by the UE, the BFR according to the first cycle comprises: periodically detecting, by the UE, whether there is a beam satisfying a third condition according to the first cycle (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
For claim 18, ZHANG and CHI further teach all the limitations of parent claim 11. ZHANG and CHI do not explicitly teach performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE.
However, Da explicitly teaches performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
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 method taught in ZHANG and CHI with performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Detection (BFD) during deactivation of the SCG; and performing, by the UE, Beam Failure Recovery (BFR) detection according to a first cycle in response to that a BFD event is detected by the UE taught in Da in order to improve network energy efficiency and battery life for UEs in MR-DC [Da: paragraph 18].
For claim 19, ZHANG, CHI and Da further teach the UE of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to: perform the BFD by using a first BFD configuration parameter during the deactivation of the SCG, wherein in response to that the BFD event is detected by the UE, the processor is further configured to record the BFD event (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
For claim 20, ZHANG, CHI and Da further teach the UE of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to periodically detect whether there is a beam satisfying a third condition according to the first cycle (Da L, Figs. 19-21 and paragraphs 368-379.).
Response to Arguments
11. Applicant's arguments filed 03/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot because of the new ground of rejection.
Conclusion
12. 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.
13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILL W LIN whose telephone number is (571)272-8749. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:00.
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, Charles Jiang can be reached at 571-270-7191. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILL W LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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