hNotice 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
Allowable Subject Matter
1a. Claims 6 and 11-13 are objected to as dependent upon rejected claims, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
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.
2a. Claims 1-5, 7-10 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujishiro (US 20220014987 A1) in view of Dai (US 20240224212).
2b. Summary of the Cited Prior Art
Fujishiro discloses a method for handover control.
Dai discloses a technique for timing advance for network handover.
2c. Claim Analysis
Regarding Claim 1, Fujishiro discloses:
A mobility management method (Fig 6, Handover method), comprising:
Obtaining (Fig 6, S106, HANDOVER INSTRUCTION), by a terminal (Fig 6, UE 100), target configuration information (Fig 7, Target Config Info), wherein the target configuration information comprises duration information (see: [0079] … the handover command may further include information specifying a period of time (a validity period) when the handover command is valid) of a plurality of candidate cells (see: [0059] In an embodiment, the UE 100 receives, from the source cell (source eNB 200), a handover command including a list of candidate cells being candidates for the target cell); and
Performing (Fig 6, S110, DETERMINE HANDOVER), by the terminal (Fig 6, UE 100), at least one of a cell selection procedure (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) or a connection reestablishment procedure (Fig 6, S111 HANDOVER NOTIFICATION and S112-S114 CONNECTION PROCESSING) based on the target configuration information (Fig 7, Target Config Info).
Fujishiro does not elaborate about time duration.
However, Dai discloses:
wherein the target configuration information (Fig 9, 980 Indication of TA …; Examiner’s Note: TA is timing advance for triggering handover, part of target configuration information) comprises duration information (Figs 8-9; see: [0090] Returning now to FIG. 9, as shown at 970, the source BS 702 determines the TA for communicating with the target BS 706 according to either one of Equations 3 or 4. Equation 4 represents a simplified version of Equation 3.
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) of a plurality of candidate cells (Figs 6A-6C, candidate cells for handover).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to integrate Fujishiro’s method for handover control with Dai’s technique for timing advance for network handover with the motivation being to improve wireless communications systems (Dai, [0003]).
Regarding Claim 2, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the performing (Fig 6, S110, DETERMINE HANDOVER), by the terminal (Fig 6, UE 100), a cell selection procedure (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) based on the target configuration information comprises (Fig 7, Target Config Info):
in a case that a current time is within a time period indicated by duration information of a first target cell (see: [0093] Note that the source cell (source eNB 200S) sets, as the value of each TTT, a value smaller than an RLF occurrence timing (T310: out of sync, T312: Re-establishment, RLC retransmission upper limit, RACH retransmission upper limit); Examiner’s Note: TTT, Time to Triger, functions as current time period for handover is within other time duration limits), preferentially selecting, by the terminal, the first target cell in the cell selection procedure (Fig 11, S305 Select a cell from candidate cells; see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR)
and/or the performing, by the terminal, a connection reestablishment procedure based on the target configuration information comprises: in a case that the current time is within a time period indicated by duration information of a second target cell, applying, by the terminal, a conditional reconfiguration for the second target cell in the connection reestablishment procedure, wherein the first target cell is one of the plurality of candidate cells, and the second target cell is one of the plurality of candidate cells.
Regarding Claim 3, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the target configuration information comprises at least one of the following:
first configuration information (Fig 7, Target Config Info), wherein the first configuration information comprises conditional reconfigurations (Fig 7, RRC Configuration and Trigger Condition) of the plurality of candidate cells (Fig 6, S110; see: [0097] In step S110, in a case where the trigger condition corresponding to a particular candidate cell in the cell list is satisfied, the UE 100 determines that UE 100 is to access (connection processing) the particular candidate cell for which the trigger condition is satisfied)
second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information is used to indicate using a first target candidate cell as the second target cell and applying the conditional reconfiguration for the second target cell in a case that the current time is within a time period indicated by duration information of the first target candidate cell, wherein the first target candidate cell is a candidate cell selected by the terminal in the connection reestablishment procedure;
a first event, wherein the first event indicates the terminal to apply the conditional reconfiguration for the second target cell in the connection reestablishment procedure in a case that the current time is within the time period indicated by the duration information of the second target cell, wherein the time period indicated by the duration information of the second target cell comprises one of the following: a time period from a third time to a fourth time, a time after a fifth time, and a time before a sixth time;
or a second event, wherein the second event indicates the terminal to preferentially select the first target cell in the cell selection procedure in a case that the current time is within the time period indicated by the duration information of the first target cell, wherein the time period indicated by the duration information of the first target cell comprises one of the following: a time period from a seventh time to an eighth time, a time after a ninth time, and a time before a tenth time.
Regarding Claim 4, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the first configuration information (Fig 7, Target Config Info) comprises at least one of the following:
a plurality of candidate cells (Fig 11, S305 Select a cell from candidate cells), wherein the plurality of candidate cells are conditional reconfiguration candidate cells for conditional handover (Fig 6, S102 HANDOVER REQUEST; see: [0066] In step S102, the source eNB 200S transmits a handover request message for conditional handover to the candidate eNB 200T1 over the inter-base-station interface (X2 interface)),
a third event for each candidate cell, wherein the third event is used to trigger a conditional handover, and the third event indicates the terminal, in a case that the second target candidate cell meets a fourth event, to perform a conditional handover within a time period indicated by duration information of a second target candidate cell, the second target candidate cell is one of the plurality of candidate cells, and the time period indicated by the duration information of the second target candidate cell comprises one of the following: a time period from a first time to a second time, a time after the first time, and a time before the second time;
or a fourth event for each candidate cell, wherein the fourth event is used to trigger a conditional handover.
Regarding Claim 5, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the fourth event comprises at least one of the following:
a trigger event (see: Trigger Event A1-B2 in [0082-0089]) based on at least one of signal strength or signal quality (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR)
or a location-based trigger event.
Regarding Claim 7, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the method further comprises:
in a case that the target configuration information does not comprise the second configuration information,
or that the current time is not within a time period indicated by duration information of a third target candidate cell (see: [0132] In step S301, the UE 100 determines that the trigger condition for any of the candidate cells is satisfied. Specifically, in a case where, for any of the candidate cells, the state with the event satisfied lasts for the duration TTT, the UE 100 determines that the trigger condition for the candidate cell is satisfied; Examiner’s Note: handover is triggered when the time to trigger (TTT) is reached in any one of the candidate cells, and may NOT within TTT of other candidate cells);
or that a cell selected in the connection reestablishment procedure is not one of the plurality of candidate cells,
performing a process of initiating a connection establishment request (Fig 6, S111, HANDOVER NOTOFICATION, and S112-S114, CONNECTION PROCESSING).
Regarding Claim 8, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the current time being within the time period indicated by the duration information of the second target cell comprises one of the following:
the current time has reached a first time of the second target cell and has not exceeded a second time of the second target cell;
the current time has reached the first time of the second target cell (see: [0132] In step S301, the UE 100 determines that the trigger condition for any of the candidate cells is satisfied. Specifically, in a case where, for any of the candidate cells, the state with the event satisfied lasts for the duration TTT, the UE 100 determines that the trigger condition for the candidate cell is satisfied; Examiner’s Note: handover is triggered when the time to trigger (TTT) is reached in any one of the candidate cells);
the current time has not exceeded the second time of the second target cell;
the current time has reached a third time of the second target cell but has not exceeded a fourth time of the second target cell;
the current time has reached a fifth time of the second target cell; and the current time has not exceeded a sixth time of the second target cell.
Regarding Claim 9, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the preferentially selecting the first target cell (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) in a case that the current time is within the time period indicated by the duration information of the first target cell comprises (see: [0091] The Time To Trigger (TTT) is the duration for which a state with the event (Event) satisfied is to be maintained to trigger handover. Specifically, by triggering handover when the state with the event (Event) satisfied lasts for the duration TTT. Examiner’s Note: TTT, Time to Trigger, functions as current time):
preferentially selecting a candidate cell (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) for which a time indicated by the duration information comprises the current time (Examiner’s Note: TTT is a current time for triggering handover).
Regarding Claim 10, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the current time being within the time period indicated by the duration information of the first target cell comprises one of the following:
the current time has reached a first time of the first target cell and the current time has not exceeded a second time of the first target cell;
the current time has reached the first time of the first target cell (see: [0091] The Time To Trigger (TTT) is the duration for which a state with the event (Event) satisfied is to be maintained to trigger handover. Specifically, by triggering handover when the state with the event (Event) satisfied lasts for the duration TTT. Examiner’s Note: TTT is based on current time);
the current time has not exceeded the second time of the first target cell;
the current time has reached a seventh time of the first target cell and the current time has not exceeded an eighth time of the first target cell;
the current time has reached a ninth time of the first target cell; and
the current time has not exceeded a tenth time of the first target cell.
Regarding Claim 14, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein the cell selection (see: [0139] … the UE 100 may select a cell in the best radio state (the cell with the best RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR) comprises cell selection in an idle state or an inactive state or cell selection during connection reestablishment (see: [0114] … After transitioning to the RRC idle mode, the UE 100 retains the failure information until the UE 100 connects to the cell and transitions to RRC connected mode).
Regarding Claim 15, Fujishiro discloses:
wherein before the performing (Fig 6, S109 DETERMINE WHETHER HANDOVER), by the terminal, a connection reestablishment procedure (Fig 6, CONNECTION PROCESSING S112-S114) based on the target configuration information (Fig 7, Target Config Info), the method further comprises:
initiating, by the terminal, the connection reestablishment procedure in a case that one of the following events occurs:
a radio link failure (RLF) is detected (see: [0107] The UE may detect connection failure after receiving the handover command for conditional handover);
a handover fails; and a conditional handover fails (see: [0114] …. in a case where the RRC connection re-establishment fails, the UE 100 transitions from the RRC connected mode to the RRC idle mode. After transitioning to the RRC idle mode, the UE 100 retains the failure information until the UE 100 connects to the cell and transitions to RRC connected mode.
Regarding Claims 16-20, the transmitter claims disclose similar features as of Claims 1, 3-5 and 8, and are rejected accordingly.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung-Jen Liu whose telephone number is 571-270-7643. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B. Yao can be reached on 571-272-3182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUNG LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473