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 .
This action is in response to the preliminary amendment filed on 2/21/2024. Claims 1-20 are pending and have been considered below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3, 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 line 4, recites “an IAB node”. It is unclear whether this refers to the “IAB node” in claim 1 of this is a different/second IAB node?
Similarly, claim 13 recites in line 4, “an IAB node”. It is unclear whether this refers to the “IAB node” in claim 11 or this is a different/second IAB node? [for examination purpose in this office communication, it is treated as the same IAB node]
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wu (US 2024/0324039).
Regarding claim 1:
Wu discloses a system and method (abstract; figures) comprising:
sending, by a first integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor (figs 1-5), an Xn application protocol (XnAP) message (fig 5A [step 518]; para 98, partially reproduced herein with emphasis {send 518 the second F1 Setup Request message, e.g., directly to the IAB-donor 108B over the BS to BS interface, the IAB-donor 108A can generate a first BS to BS interface message (e.g., Xn interface message, XnAP message, or GTP-U packet) including the second F1 Setup Request message (or the first packet), and send 518 the first BS to BS interface message to the IAB-donor 108B…}) to transfer an updated information of an IAB node to a second IAB donor (see figures 5-8; para 94 {the IAB-node 104 can include (second) identifiers or information associated with the IAB-node 104 (e.g., IAB-DU 174C) in the second F1 Setup Request message…}; para 81,87 [update procedure, message]; para 85,87,102; para 229,233; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 11:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above for claim 1, and further discloses a first integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor (108A in figures 1a-5), comprising: at least one processor (fig 1A [processing hardware 140]) configured to perform function as above in claim 1, thus claim 11 is rejected with similar rationale under teachings of the prior art.
Regarding claims 2, and 12:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and receiving, by the first IAB donor prior to sending the XnAP message, a message from an IAB entity (figure 5A [step 516]; para 94,229; and throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claims 3, 13:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein at least one of [Note: the optional language at multiple places in claim(s) only requires one of the elements and further one part of an element, for rejection of that claim]:
the first IAB donor comprises a F1-terminating donor, or a source IAB donor, or an initial IAB donor (para 3 [terminating node]; para 42 [source IAB donor]);
the IAB entity comprises an IAB node or the second IAB donor; or
the message includes an indication to the first IAB donor to maintain at least one of: a user equipment (UE) context, a mobile termination (MT) context or a UE-associated Xn connection between the first IAB donor and the second IAB donor.
Regarding claims 4, 14:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and sending, by the first IAB donor, a request to the second IAB donor, to indicate that at least one of [Note: the optional language]: a user equipment (UE) context, a mobile termination (MT) context or an UE- associated Xn connection between the first IAB donor and the second IAB donor, is to be maintained (para 56 [including context management procedures or F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) procedures) with the IAB-donor]; para 96 {IAB-donor 108B can communicate F1AP messages (e.g., including the second F1 Setup Request, second F1 Setup Response, F1AP messages such as UE Context Request message 808, 810 and UE Context Response message…}; para 114; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claims 5, 15:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein the XnAP message comprises a UE-associated XnAP message (para 169 {message (e.g., XnAP message or GTP-U packet) including the UE Context}; and throughout).
Regarding claims 6, 16:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein at least one of [Note: the optional language]:
the first IAB donor comprises a F1-terminating donor, or a source IAB donor, or an initial IAB donor (para 42 [source donor]);
the IAB entity comprises an IAB node or a second IAB donor (figures 4-5 [IAB node, and/or donor]); or
the message includes an identifier of the IAB node, the identifier including at least one of: a distributed unit (DU) identifier (ID), a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) address of the IAB node that is allocated by the non F1-terminating donor, an internet protocol (IP) address of the IAB node that is allocated by the non F1-terminating donor, or a UEF1 application protocol (F1AP) ID of an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) (para 99 {message can include one or more second identifiers of the IAB-donor}).
Regarding claims 7, 17:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and sending, by the first IAB donor to the second IAB donor, a non-UE-associated XnAP message to transfer an updated information of an IAB node to the second IAB donor, the non- UE-associated XnAP message including an identifier of the IAB node (para 84; para 94 {.. message to the IAB-donor-DU 174A, which forwards the second F1 Setup Request message to the IAB-donor-CU 172A. In some implementations, the IAB-node 104 can include (second) identifiers or information associated with the IAB-node 104}; para 99,144; and throughout).
Regarding claims 8, 18:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above and wherein at least one of [Note: the optional language]:
the updated information includes at least one of: an IAB node configuration information, or quality of service (QoS) information (para 170 {BH RLC CH QOS or E-UTRAN BH RLC CH QOS..});
the IAB node configuration information includes at least one of: multiplexing capability information, an activated cell list, a DUF configuration, a hard/soft/not-available (HSNA) configuration, a cell specific signal or channel configuration; or
the QoS information includes at least one of: a backhaul (BH) radio link control (RLC) channel (CH) identifier (ID), a BH RLC CH QoS, an evolved-UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) BH RLC CH QoS, a control plane traffic type, a data radio bearer (DRB) ID, a QoS of a DRB, a F1 user plane interface (F1-U) GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) tunnel ID, or a QoS of a F1-U tunnel (para 170 [BH RLC CH QOS]; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 9:
Wu discloses a method (abstract; see figures), comprising:
receiving, by a second integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor from a first IAB donor (see figures 1-5 [IAB donors]), an Xn application protocol (XnAP) message (fig 5A [second donor 108B receive the message in step 518 sent by donor 108A]; para 98 {518 the second F1 Setup Request message, e.g., directly to the IAB-donor 108B over the BS to BS interface, the IAB-donor 108A can generate a first BS to BS interface message (e.g., Xn interface message, XnAP message, or GTP-U packet) including the second F1 Setup Request message (or the first packet), and send 518 the first BS to BS interface message to the IAB-donor 108B…}) to transfer an updated information of an IAB node to the second IAB donor (see figures 5-8; para 94 {the IAB-node 104 can include (second) identifiers or information associated with the IAB-node 104 (e.g., IAB-DU 174C) in the second F1 Setup Request message…}; para 81,87 [update procedure, message]; para 85,87,102; para 229,233; and see throughout the disclosure).
Regarding claim 10:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above for claim 9, and further discloses a second integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor (figures 1a-5 [108B]), comprising: at least one processor (fig 1A [processing hardware 140]) to perform function as above in claim 9, thus claim 10 is rejected with similar rationale under teachings of the prior art.
Regarding claim 19:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above for claim 1, and further discloses non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions (figures; para 56; para 57 [processing hardware 140, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and a computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions]; para 237), which when executed by one or more processors can cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 1 (see throughout disclosure).
Regarding claim 20:
Wu discloses all of the subject matter as described above for claim 9, and discloses non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors can cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 9 (see figures; para 56; para 57 [processing hardware 140, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and a computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions]; para 59-60; para 236,237; and see throughout disclosure).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yi et al. (US 20240064572) discloses a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signal and communication system.
Xu et al. (US 20230300685) discloses device, method, apparatus and computer readable medium for IAB communication.
Ishii (US 20230164658) discloses enhanced conditional handover procedures in IAB networks.
Lin et al (QoS Assurance in IAB Network; IEEE; June 2020)
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/HIRDEPAL SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2631