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 office action is in response to Applicant’s preliminary amendment filed on 08/29/2025.
Claims 2-31 are currently pending.
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.
Claims 2, 8, 9, 10, 15, 17, 23, 24, 25, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 2023/0337005 A1; hereafter HUANG).
With respect to claim 2, HUANG discloses an apparatus (DU and MT of IAB node in middle of FIG. 5) for communication at a network (RAN 339 of FIG. 3) node (IAB node in middle of FIG. 5), comprising:
one or more memories (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]) storing processor-executable code (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]); and one or more processors (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]) coupled with the one or more memories (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]),
at least one processor of the one or more processors configured to cause the network node (IAB node in middle of FIG. 5) to:
receive, from an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor central unit (CU) (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), first information indicating a first resource used by an IAB node that has a first connection with a first parent IAB node and a second connection with a second parent IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9);
transmit, to the second parent IAB node, the first information (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9); and
transmit, to the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), second information indicating a second resource to be used by the IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9).
With respect to claim 8, HUANG further discloses 8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one processor of the one or more processors is further configured to cause the network node to: modify a cell resource configuration of a cell served by the second parent IAB node in accordance with the first information (1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080 of FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 9, HUANG further discloses 9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the network node is an F1-terminating donor (IAB node in middle has a DU and stops a F1 connection of FIG. 5).
With respect to claim 10, HUANG discloses an apparatus (DU and MT of IAB node in middle of FIG. 5) for communication at a network node (IAB node in middle has a DU and stops a F1 connection of FIG. 5), comprising:
one or more memories (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]) storing processor-executable code (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]); and
one or more processors (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]) coupled with the one or more memories (paragraphs [0126] and [0127]), at least one processor of the one or more processors configured to cause the network node to:
receive, from an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor central unit (CU) (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5) that is associated with a first parent IAB node, a request associated with an IAB node that has a first connection with the first parent IAB node and a second connection with a second parent IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9);
transmit, to the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), first information indicating a first resource to be used by the IAB node on the first connection (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9); and
receive, from the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), second information indicating a second resource to be used by the IAB node on the second connection (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9).
With respect to claim 15, HUANG further discloses 15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the network node is a non-F1-terminating donor (IAB node in middle has a DU and carries a F1 connection to the left IAB node of FIG. 5).
With respect to claim 17, HUANG discloses a method of wireless communication performed at a network node, comprising:
receiving, from an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor central unit (CU) (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), first information indicating a first resource used by an IAB node that has a first connection with a first parent IAB node and a second connection with a second parent IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9);
transmitting, to the second parent IAB node, the first information (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9); and
transmitting, to the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), second information indicating a second resource to be used by the IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9).
With respect to claim 23, HUANG further discloses 23. The method of claim 17, comprising: modifying a cell resource configuration of a cell served by the second parent IAB node in accordance with the first information (1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080 of FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 24, HUANG further discloses 24. The method of claim 17, wherein the network node is an F1-terminating donor (IAB node in middle has a DU and stops a F1 connection of FIG. 5).
With respect to claim 25, HUANG discloses a method of wireless communication performed at a network node, comprising:
receiving, from an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor central unit (CU) (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5) that is associated with a first parent IAB node, a request associated with an IAB node that has a first connection with the first parent IAB node and a second connection with a second parent IAB node (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9);
transmitting, to the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), first information indicating a first resource to be used by the IAB node on the first connection (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9); and
receiving, from the IAB donor CU (IAB donor with DU and CU of FIG. 5), second information indicating a second resource to be used by the IAB node on the second connection (910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 965 of FIG. 9).
With respect to claim 30, HUANG further discloses 30. The method of claim 25, wherein the network node is a non-F1-terminating donor (IAB node in middle has a DU and carries a F1 connection to the left IAB node of FIG. 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7, 11-14, 16, 18-22, 26-29 and 31 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Brian T O'Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-1081. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri Flex 10am-6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 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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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 April 4, 2026