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 § 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) 1-6, 8-16, 18-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ahmed et al. (hereinafter Ahmed)(US 2023/0156434).
Regarding claim 1, Ahmed teaches a wireless communication method, comprising: receiving, by a network device, first information transmitted by a terminal device, the first information indicating a parameter the terminal device expects the network device to configure for a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) transmission(item 401 in Fig. 4; UE sends to the network device, an indication message with list of services, traffic types, reception mode, list of carrier frequencies of MBMS; P[0041]); the method further comprising: receiving, by the network device, a request message transmitted by the terminal device, the request message being used to request release of a target bearer and/or a target service(P[0041], NW receives the indication message which includes list of intended services which is a list of radio bearers; P[0041], the configuration includes radio resources for the intended services of MBMS only and therefore unicast resources are not configured).
Regarding claim 2, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one list of MBMS frequency on which the terminal device expects to receive an MBMS service(item 401 in Fig. 4; UE sends to the network device, an indication message with list of carrier frequencies of MBMS; P[0041]).
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Regarding claim 3, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one list of MBMS frequency comprises at least one of: a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each terminal device; a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each frequency range; a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each band combination; or at least one list of MBMS frequency for an MBMS receive only mode(item 401 in Fig. 4; UE sends to the network device, an indication message with list of services, traffic types, reception mode, list of carrier frequencies of MBMS; P[0041]).
Regarding claim 4, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises reception priority information of the MBMS service, wherein the reception priority information of the MBMS service comprises first reception priority order information indicating a reception priority order of MBMS services and unicast services(p[0042], MBMS priority; UE prioritizes reception all listed MBMS services).
Regarding claim 5, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 4, wherein the reception priority information of the MBMS service comprises third reception priority order information indicating a reception priority order of MBMS services and unicast services on a plurality of systems(P[0055], simultaneous representing reception mode of the UE in the field of reception-mode-r17).
Regarding claim 6, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 4, wherein the reception priority information of the MBMS service comprises fourth reception priority order information indicating a reception priority order of services on at least one list of MBMS frequency, wherein the fourth reception priority order information is determined according to at least one of: a service load on each list of MBMS frequency; a type of service on each list of MBMS frequency; or a Quality of Service (QoS) requirement for a service on each list of MBMS frequency(P[0041], mbms-priority-r11; P[0041], NW receives the indication message which includes list of intended services which is a list of radio bearers; P[0041], the configuration includes radio resources for the intended services of MBMS only and therefore unicast resources are not configured; P[0058], when intending to receive one or more of these service on multiple frequencies, the UE can send an indication message indicating these carrier frequencies and services to the NW).
Regarding claim 8, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first information comprises a type of MBMS service the terminal device expects to receive(P[0041], indication message includes list of intended services).
Regarding claim 9, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the network device, a request message transmitted by the terminal device, the request message being used to request release of a target bearer and/or a target service(P[0055, 0058], stop the MBMS services S1 and S2 on F1 and F2).
Claims 10-16 and 18 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-6, 9 and 8 respectively.
Regarding claim 21, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one list of MBMS frequency for the MBMS receive only mode comprises at least one of:a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each terminal device for the MBMS receive only mode;a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each frequency range for the MBMS receive only mode; or a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each band combination for the MBMS receive only mode(P[0040-0041], The indication message includes a list of intended one or more services, a list of service carrier frequencies, and a reception mode of the UE; The current supported reception mode of the UE may include one of unicast only, MBMS only, and simultaneous MBMS and unicast reception modes).
Claims 19-20, are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-2 respectively.
Regarding claim 21, Ahmed teaches the method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one list of MBMS frequency for the MBMS receive only mode comprises at least one of:a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each terminal device for the MBMS receive only mode;a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each frequency range for the MBMS receive only mode; or a list of MBMS frequency corresponding to each band combination for the MBMS receive only mode(P[0042], IE, which includes a list of carrier frequencies on which UE is to or intends to receive MBMS service).
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.
Claim(s) 7, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahmed et al. (hereinafter Ahmed)(US 2023/0156434) in view of Baek et al. (hereinafter Baek)(US 2023/0231692).
Regarding claim 7, Ahmed teaches all the particulars of the claim except wherein the first information comprises at least one of: a center frequency, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an operating bandwidth, or a parameter related to a Bandwidth Part (BWP). However, Baek teaches in an analogous art wherein the first information comprises at least one of: a center frequency, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an operating bandwidth, or a parameter related to a Bandwidth Part (BWP)(abstract, transmitting to the base station a message including information about the MBS when the active BWP is different). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the first information comprises at least one of: a center frequency, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an operating bandwidth, or a parameter related to a Bandwidth Part (BWP) in order to have improved efficiency.
Claim 17, is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 7.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues Ahmed does not disclose the feature "receiving, by the network device, a request message transmitted by the terminal device, the request message being used to request release of a target bearer and/or a target service" in amended claim 1.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Ahmed teaches in P[0041], NW receives the indication message which includes list of intended services which is a list of radio bearers or intended services and further teaches NW sends configuration information to UE wherein the configuration includes radio resources for the intended services of MBMS only and therefore unicast resources are not configured). Ahmed teaches in P[0040], UE sends an indication message including intended service IDs representing the intended traffic type, carrier frequencies, and a reception mode, to the NW and in P[0041], Ahmed further teaches the current supported reception mode of the UE may include one of unicast only, MBMS only, and simultaneous MBMS and unicast reception modes. If reception mode is MBMS only then no unicast resources configured for the UE.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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