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 .
Summary
This action is in reply to Applicant’s Amendments and Remarks filed on 05/26/2026.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 05/26/2026 with respect to claims 1-20 have been fully considered but they are mute as they are not applicable to the combination of prior arts used in this office action.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-8, 10-11, 13-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 being unpatentable over Mackenzie et al. (US 20180262965 A1, of record, hereinafter ‘MACKENZIE’) in view of Chen et al. (CN 117062163 A, hereinafter ‘CHEN’).
Regarding claim 1, MACKENZIE teaches a system for user device handoff within a telecommunications network (
Fig. 2, Network 200 with UE 106,
[0035] FIG. 2 shows a network 200 similar to that of network 100. Coverage in network 200 is provided by 3 macrocells 202, 204 and 206, two picocells 210 and 212, and a home eNodeB (HeNB) 220. The ovals, give an approximation of the coverage of each cell. There is an access point or gateway 220a associated with the HeNB 220, though the base stations corresponding to the other cells have been omitted for simplicity.
[0036] ….. The UE 106 starts at location A. This is a common location for this UE to be at, and may be the user's office for example.), the system comprising:
at least one processor (
Figs. 2A, macrocells 202, 204 and 206, two picocells 210 and 212, home eNodeB (HeNB) 220, and UE 106,
See also Fig. 3 UE 106 with processor 302);
at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor (
Figs. 2A, macrocells 202, 204 and 206, two picocells 210 and 212, home eNodeB (HeNB) 220, and UE 106,
See also Fig. 3, UE 106 with processor 302, program module 310 and Data Store 320,
[0030] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the UE 106 comprising a processor 302, program module 310 and a data store 320. The program module 310 comprises various programs for running on the processor 302, which include a control module 312, an additional action module 314, and a connection module 316. The data store 320 is used to store various data including measurements and statistics, and can take the form of memory such as solid state memory. For example, data such as the UE's cell connection history, cell signal strength, predicted UE route, historical route data, and so on can be stored in the data store 320.
[0071] Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are realized, at least in part, by executable computer program code which may be embodied in an application program data representing the program modules in FIG. 3. When such computer program code is loaded into the memory of the processor 302 for execution, it provides a computer program code structure which is capable of performing at least part of the methods ), cause the system to:
identify a user device connected to the telecommunications network via a cell of a set of cells (
Fig. 2, [0035] Coverage in network 200 is provided by 3 macrocells 202, 204 and 206, two picocells 210 and 212, and a home eNodeB (HeNB) 220. The ovals, give an approximation of the coverage of each cell. There is an access point or gateway 220a associated with the HeNB 220, though the base stations corresponding to the other cells have been omitted for simplicity.
[0036] In this example the HeNB 220 is the preferred cell for the UE 106. The UE 106 starts at location A. This is a common location for this UE to be at, and may be the user's office for example.
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220. The UE 106 may switch between connected and idle states along this route.
See also [0041] When the UE 106 arrives at point 3, the UE 312 moves out of coverage of macrocell 206, which was the serving cell.
(Construed while in Cell Coverage 206a which include location A, UE 106 connects with corresponding serving macrocell 206 cell in Cell Coverage 206a and control module 312 identify connection to the telecommunications network via the macrocell 206));
detect a present location of the user device (
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C…..);
access historical data indicating one or more past locations of the user device (
[0037] Three routes that the UE 106 has taken when leaving location A are also shown as lines 225, 226 and 227. Route A 225 is represented by a dot dash line, route B 226 is represented by a dashed line, and route C 227 a dotted line. These routes are all routes associated with location A learned over time by the control module 312 using measurements available to the UE 106. They are likely to be the most commonly taken routes from location A. These routes are stored in the data store 320 and can be updated over time.
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220.);
predict a future location of the user device based on the historical data and the present location of the user device (
See [0037] cited above.
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220. The UE 106 may switch between connected and idle states along this route. When in connected mode, the serving cell will configure measurements to be made by the UE 106. ….. These measurements are stored in the data store 320 of the UE 106. The control module 312 analyses these measurements to determine how likely the UE 106 is to be within range of the HeNB 220. Based on the probability of being within range, the control module 312 can coordinate further measurements or actions to be made (by the additional action module 314) to locate the HeNB. As such, any additional measurements or actions are only made when necessary.
[0040] If measurements are made between point 1 and point 2, then the control unit 312 can deduce that the UE 106 is either on route B or route C, but is not on route A. The control unit 312 thus determines that the probability of being with range of the preferred cell, the HeNB 220, is still very low, and so decides that no additional measurements or actions are required.
[0047] The control unit 312 can use signal strength measurements associated with connected cells to predict which path the UE 106 is on, and progress along that path. Whilst this alone cannot be used for triangulation, it can be used to indicate progress along potential routes. For example, as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route. The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route), and subsequently to determine the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell.);
identify at least one cell of the set of cells based on the predicted future location (
[0038] The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220.); and
cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell (
[0036] In this example the HeNB 220 is the preferred cell for the UE 106. The UE 106 starts at location A. This is a common location for this UE to be at, and may be the user's office for example.
[0046] Once the control unit 312 determines that the UE 106 is in the coverage area of the HeNB 220, it instructs the connection module 316 to start handover to the HeNB 220.
[0069] …. If the UE 106 is in connected mode, then the connection module 316 can inform the network that the preferred cell is in range, so that the network can arrange for handover to the preferred cell to take place.);
determine whether the user device is in range of the at least one cell (
[0045] As the UE 106 moves towards the end of the route, the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell increases. As such the control unit 312 will instruct the additional action module 314 to perform additional searches or actions with increasing frequency, which gives the control unit 312 more certainty as to whether the UE 106 is on route C and also that it is in coverage of the HeNB 220.
[0047] For example, as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route. The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route), and subsequently to determine the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell.
See also Fig. 4 Boxes 408 [Wingdings font/0xE8]410,
[0063] The control unit 312 then evaluates the routes the UE is likely to be on, and uses that to determine the probability of the UE 106 being in range of the preferred cell in 408. Matching the UE 106 onto a shortlist of routes at 406 is optional, and instead the control unit can just use the measurements from 404 to try and identify the geographic location of the UE 106, and determine the probability of being within range of the preferred cell from that.
[0064] In 410, the control unit 312 then checks to see if the UE 106 is within range of the preferred cell based on the determined probability from 408.); and
based on a determination that the user device is in range of the at least one cell:
determine whether the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell based on a quality of networking services to be provided to the user device by the at least one cell (
[0030] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the UE 106 comprising a processor 302, program module 310 and a data store 320. …. data such as the UE's cell connection history, cell signal strength, predicted UE route, historical route data, and so on can be stored in the data store 320.
[0047] The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route), and subsequently to determine the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell.
[0064] In 410, the control unit 312 then checks to see if the UE 106 is within range of the preferred cell based on the determined probability from 408. If the UE 106 is in range, then the control unit 312 instructs the connection module 316 to either select or connect to the preferred cell in 411.
(Construed that measured signal quality is equivalent to signal quality or networking service quality of the at least one cell, as is well known in the art e.g. US 20160360455 A1 [0062], as determined by the UE and serving base station available or to be provided to the user device));
based on a determination that the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell, cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell (
Fig. 4 Boxes 411, [0064] If the UE 106 is in range, then the control unit 312 instructs the connection module 316 to either select or connect to the preferred cell in 411.
[0069] Turning back to 411, the connection module 316 processes the request to connect to the preferred cell differently depending on whether the UE 106 is in connected or idle mode. If the UE 106 is in idle mode, the control module 312 can instruct the connection module 316 to directly connect the UE 106 to the located preferred cell. If the UE 106 is in connected mode, then the connection module 316 can inform the network that the preferred cell is in range, so that the network can arrange for handover to the preferred cell to take place.); and
based on a determination that the user device is not to be handed off to the at least one cell, prevent the user device from being handed off to the at least one cell (
Fig. 4 Boxes 410[Wingdings font/0xE8] 412, [0065] If in 410 the control unit 312 finds that the UE 106 is not within range of the preferred cell, processing passes to 412. In 412, the control unit 312 decides whether additional actions are required.
[0068] If no actions were required in 412, processing also passes back to 402.).
MACKENZIE does not explicitly disclose determine whether the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell based on a quality of networking services to be provided to the user device by the at least one cell,
based on a determination that the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell, cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell, and
based on a determination that the user device is not to be handed off to the at least one cell, prevent the user device from being handed off to the at least one cell.
In an analogous art, CHEN teaches determine whether the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell based on a quality of networking services to be provided to the user device by the at least one cell (
[n0166]
For example, a user equipment can simultaneously find the cell with the best signal quality and support for AI functions, enabling the user equipment to find the optimal solution in terms of signal quality and AI function support when conditions are switched, thereby maximizing the service continuity of the AI functions being performed by the user equipment, reducing the access latency of potential AI functions, and improving the user experience.
[n0180]
when multiple candidate cells simultaneously meet the conditional handover signal threshold (such as the second signal quality threshold mentioned above), the candidate cells that support all ongoing AI functions and/or potential AI functions can be preferred.
(It is obvious that UE/base station evaluate whether to the user device is to be handed off to the at least one candidate cell, among detected multiple candidate cells at a location of the UE being in the range of the candidate cells which satisfy signal or network service quality threshold, based on a quality of networking services)),
based on a determination that the user device is to be handed off to the at least one cell, cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell (
[n0179]
406. The user equipment performs conditional switching according to the conditional switching configuration configured in the RRC reconfiguration message.
[n0180]
For example, when multiple candidate cells simultaneously meet the conditional handover signal thresholds (such as a first signal quality threshold and/or a second signal quality threshold), the candidate cell with the highest signal quality can be selected.
(It is obvious that the candidate cell with highest signal/service quality is selected and handover done to the candidate cell)), and
based on a determination that the user device is not to be handed off to the at least one cell, prevent the user device from being handed off to the at least one cell (
See [n0166, n0180] cited above.
(It is obvious that candidate cell while located in the range of the UE and meeting signal quality thresholds, but not providing the best signal quality as measured, are not selected for handoff by serving base station of the UE, and prevent the user device from being handed off to the at least one cell )).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to take the technique of conditional handover of CHEN to the method of predicting location along mobility routes based on historical data of a UE of MACKENZIE in order to take the advantage of providing a technique for maximizing the service continuity, reducing the access latency of potential AI functions, and improving the user experience (CHEN: [n0166]).
Regarding claim 2, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to predict the future location of the user device, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
determine at least one of a speed of the user device and a direction of travel of the user device (
See [0036, 0037] cited above for claim 1.
[0047] The control unit 312 can use signal strength measurements associated with connected cells to predict which path the UE 106 is on, and progress along that path. Whilst this alone cannot be used for triangulation, it can be used to indicate progress along potential routes. For example, as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route. The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route), and subsequently to determine the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell.), and
predict the future location of the user device based on the historical data, the present location of the user device, and at least one of the speed and the direction of travel (
See [0036, 0037, 0047] cited above).
Regarding claim 3, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to predict the future location of the user device, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
identify, based on the historical data one or more of:
at least one location at which the user device was located two or more times (
Fig. 2, Point 1, Point 2,
[0037] Three routes that the UE 106 has taken when leaving location A are also shown as lines 225, 226 and 227. Route A 225 is represented by a dot dash line, route B 226 is represented by a dashed line, and route C 227 a dotted line. These routes are all routes associated with location A learned over time by the control module 312 using measurements available to the UE 106.
See also [0038-0040] Location A, Point 1 …. Point 2);
at least one amount of time during which the user device was located at one or more locations (
[0035] home eNodeB (HeNB) 220
[0036] Location A … office
[0038] Location A …. Location B, a location with HeNB 220); and
at least one travel path of the user device (
See [0037] route A 225 … route B 226… Route C 227);
detect a current time (
[0047] …. The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route) …); and
predict the future location of the user device based on the current time, the historical data, and the present location of the user device (
See [0037, 0038, 0047] cited above for claim 1, disclosing location, timing and speed gets monitored to predict route/path and corresponding future location along the predicted path which is one of the stored route).
Regarding claim 4, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to identify at least one cell of the set of cells, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
predict a path of the user device based on the predicted future location, the historical data, and the present location of the user device (
See [0037, 0038, 0047] cited above for claim 1 );
identify a plurality of cells based on the predicted path, the plurality of cells including the at least one cell (
See [0035, 0037, 0047] cited for claim 1); and
determine one or more times at which the user device is to connect to the at least one cell (
See [0035] Coverage in network 200 is provided by 3 macrocells 202, 204 and 206, two picocells 210 and 212, and a home eNodeB (HeNB) 220. The ovals, give an approximation of the coverage of each cell. …
[0038] The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220. The UE 106 may switch between connected and idle states along this route. When in connected mode, the serving cell will configure measurements to be made by the UE 106.
[0041] When the UE 106 arrives at point 3, the UE 312 moves out of coverage of macrocell 206, which was the serving cell.).
Regarding claim 6, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
determine a time at which the user device is to connect to the at least one cell based on the historical data and the present location of the user device (
Fig. 4, [0060] In 400, the preferred cells list is stored in the data store 320. As described above, the preferred cells list is a list of preferred cells associated with the UE 106, and in this example contains the identity of the HeNB 220. In 402, the control unit 312 starts a timer.
[0062] The data store 320 also stores a shortlist of learned routes. In 406, the control unit 312 processes the measurements from 404 to determine whether the UE 106 might be on one or more of the shortlisted routes.
[0063] The control unit 312 then evaluates the routes the UE is likely to be on, and uses that to determine the probability of the UE 106 being in range of the preferred cell in 408.
[0064] In 410, the control unit 312 then checks to see if the UE 106 is within range of the preferred cell based on the determined probability from 408. If the UE 106 is in range, then the control unit 312 instructs the connection module 316 to either select or connect to the preferred cell in 411.
[0065] If in 410 the control unit 312 finds that the UE 106 is not within range of the preferred cell, processing passes to 412. …. configuring additional network measurements, activating WiFi, activating GPS, and changing the duration of the timer for the next evaluation (typically reducing the timer or interval between evaluations as the probability of being within range of the preferred cell increases)
[0067] As described, the timer value can be adjusted according to the probability of the UE 106 being within range of the preferred cell, with the timer being reduced if the probability is high. Thus, the process is repeated with increasing frequency as the probability of being within range of the preferred cell increases. Furthermore, the timer value can be adjusted depending on where the UE 106 is on the determined route, and further on a predicted velocity along that route. Thus, if the UE 106 is moving quickly (e.g. in a car), then the timer can be set for a short duration (e.g. 10 seconds) to ensure the process is repeated at shorter intervals, whereas if the UE 106 is moving very slowly (e.g. walking on foot), then the timer can be set for a long duration (e.g. 5 minutes), especially if the UE 106 is still far away from the preferred cell. Put another way, the predicted route and speed along that route taken by the UE can be predicted, and used to determine the timer value (and thus interval between actions).).
Regarding claim 7, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to predict the future location, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
identify one or more measures of the quality of networking services provided to the user device (
[0047] The control unit 312 can use signal strength measurements associated with connected cells to predict which path the UE 106 is on, and progress along that path. Whilst this alone cannot be used for triangulation, it can be used to indicate progress along potential routes. For example, as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route. The timing of these changes in signal strength can be used to determine the likelihood of being on a particular route (as well as for estimating a speed along a route), and subsequently to determine the probability of the UE being within range of the preferred cell.
(Cell signal strength is one metric for network service quality as known in the art));
determine whether the user device is to connect to a different cell than the cell to which the user device is currently connected based on the one or more measures of the quality of networking services provided to the user device (
See [0047] as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212.); and
in response to a determination that the user device is to connect to a different cell, predict the future location of the user device based on the historical data and the present location of the user device (
[0037] route A …. route B …. route C ….. learned over time by the control module 312 using measurements available to the UE 106 …
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220. The UE 106 may switch between connected and idle states along this route.
[0047] as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212.).
Regarding claim 8, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1, wherein to identify the at least one cell, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
identify one or more measures of the quality of networking services provided to the user device (
[0047] The control unit 312 can use signal strength measurements associated with connected cells to predict which path the UE 106 is on, and progress along that path. Whilst this alone cannot be used for triangulation, it can be used to indicate progress along potential routes. For example, as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route.);
determine whether the user device is to connect to an identified cell based on the one or more measures of the quality of networking services provided to the user device and the predicted future location of the user device (
[0033] the control module 312 monitors measurements that have been made by the UE 106, including the attachment history of the UE 106 (i.e. the cells previously connected to and the associated times) stored in the data store 320. The control module 312 determines the probability of the UE 106 being within range (for a connection) of a preferred cell. This can be done by predicting the path or route the UE 106 is on …
[0037] route A …. route B …. route C ….. learned over time by the control module 312 using measurements available to the UE 106 …
[0038] The UE 106 starts its journey from location A. The control module 312 is aware that the UE 106 is in the area of location A, based on triangulation of neighboring cell measurements. The UE 106 now moves along route C which will end in location B, a location with HeNB 220.
[0046] Once the control unit 312 determines that the UE 106 is in the coverage area of the HeNB 220, it instructs the connection module 316 to start handover to the HeNB 220.
[0047] as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route); and
based on a determination that the device is not to connect to the identified cell, prevent the user device from connecting to the identified cell until it is determined that the user device is to connect to the identified cell (
[0046] Once the control unit 312 determines that the UE 106 is in the coverage area of the HeNB 220, it instructs the connection module 316 to start handover to the HeNB 220.
[0047] as the UE 106 moves along route C, the UE 106 will have a strong signal from the serving cell, macrocell 206, which eventually becomes weak. The UE 106 is then served by picocell 212. The signal from picocell 212 will initially be strong, then become weak again before the UE 106 nears the end of the route).
Regarding claim 10, the claim is interpreted mutatis mutandis of claim 1, and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 4.
Regarding claim 13, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 7.
Regarding claim 14, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 3.
Regarding claim 15, the claim is interpreted mutatis mutandis of claim 1, and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 1.
Regarding claim 16, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 2.
Regarding claim 17, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 3.
Regarding claim 18, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 4.
Regarding claim 20, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 7.
Claims 5, 12 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 being unpatentable over Mackenzie et al. (US 20180262965 A1, of record, hereinafter ‘MACKENZIE’) in view of Chen et al. (CN 117062163 A, hereinafter ‘CHEN’) and with further in view of Noh et al. (KR 100753845 B1, of record, hereinafter ‘NOH’).
Regarding claim 5, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 4.
MACKENZIE and CHEN do not explicitly disclose wherein to cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
for each respective cell of the at least one cell:
cause the respective cell to reserve networking resources for the user device before a time at which the user device is to connect to the respective cell.
In an analogous art, NOH teaches wherein to cause the user device to connect to the at least one cell, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
for each respective cell of the at least one cell:
cause the respective cell to reserve networking resources for the user device before a time at which the user device is to connect to the respective cell (
Page 19 Paragraph 2- Page 20 Paragraph 1:
After the procedure (P300) in which the access network control unit and CNMC collect the relevant information in advance as described above, a mobile terminal with multiple interfaces detects that a handover will occur through signal strength, etc. (P301) and transmits terminal information, including its own location information using GPS, to the access network control unit (S305 to S306). At this time, the access network control unit that has received information about the mobile terminal uses the location information {Vector) of the terminal and the information stored in the location management control unit {401} of the access network control unit (see Fig. 6} to predict which direction the mobile terminal will move to and determine whether it is an intra-network handover or an inter-network handover {P302}. If it is a network handover, the access network control unit performs preliminary work (resource reservation and pre-authentication) for the router and access point {P303} and informs the mobile terminal of the information of the router and access point, thereby enabling a seamless handover.
Page 21 Paragraph 1:
At this time, the new access network performs pre-authentication for mobile terminals and resource reservation work to support QoS for existing mobile terminals (P305). This not only allows mobile terminals to naturally receive the real-time services they received from the previous network even after the handover when moving to a new network ...).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to take the technique of advance resource reservation for predicted mobile terminal or user device handover of NOH to the method of predicting location along mobility routes based on historical data of a UE of MACKENZIE and CHEN in order to take the advantage of a technique for providing a seamless handover method and system that guarantees QoS for real-time service when the mobile terminal moves between heterogeneous networks by using location information (including vector information) acquired by a mobile terminal using GPS predicting in advance the network to which the mobile terminal intends to move and extending battery life of mobile terminal (NOH: Page 14, Page 20 Paragraph 1).
Regarding claim 12, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 5.
Regarding claim 19, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth for claim 5.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 being unpatentable over Mackenzie et al. (US 20180262965 A1, of record, hereinafter ‘MACKENZIE’) in view of Chen et al. (CN 117062163 A, hereinafter ‘CHEN’)in view of Ali Parichehrehteroujeni et al. (US 20250267538 A1 with priority of us-provisional-application US 63270429, of record, hereinafter ‘ALI’).
Regarding claim 9, MACKENZIE, in view of CHEN, teaches the system of claim 1.
MACKENZIE and CHEN do not explicitly disclose wherein to detect the present location of the user device, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
determine an altitude of the user device.
In an analogous art, ALI teaches wherein to detect the present location of the user device, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:
determine an altitude of the user device (
[0244] Predicting UE's location is a part for mobility optimisation, as many radio resource management (RRM) actions related to mobility (e.g. selecting handover target cells) can benefit from the predicted UE location/trajectory.
[0255] Step 2. Model Inference. Required measurements are leveraged into Model Inference to output the prediction, e.g. UE trajectory prediction, target cell prediction, target NG-RAN node prediction, etc.
[0256] Step 3. According to the prediction, recommended actions or configuration are executed for Mobility Optimization.
[0257] In some embodiments, the following data is required as input data for mobility optimization.
[0258] Input Information from UE: (i) UE historical location information from MDT, e.g., Latitude, longitude, altitude, cell ID; (ii) Radio measurements related to serving cell and neighbouring cells associated with UE location information, e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR; (iii) UE Mobility history information; (iv) Moving velocity; (v) predicted traffic; (vi) Trajectory information; (vii) RAN visible QoE metrics e.g., buffer level.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to take the technique of using UE historical location information for location prediction of ALI to the method of predicting location along mobility routes based on historical data of a UE of MACKENZIE and CHEN in order to take the advantage of a technique for UE for mobility optimization determining which is the best mobility target for maximisation of efficiency and performance (ALI: [0244, 0257]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Fang et al. (US 20240224152 A1), describing HANDOVER METHOD, COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER STORAGE MEDIUM
Yang et al. (US 20160360455 A1), describing SIGNAL QUALITY BASED SYNCHRONIZATION CHANNEL DECODING
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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/SHAH M RAHMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413
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