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 02/13/2024.
Claims 21-39 are currently pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 21-31 and 39 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.
With respect to claim 21, the claim recites, on lines 6-7, “indicating a at least one lower layer mobility candidate cells“; and the intended reference is not clear as to whether there is a single cell or a plurality of cells in the message.
The claim recites, on lines 10-11, “selected from said at least one candidate cells“; and the intended reference is not clear as to whether there is a single cell or a plurality of cells for the switch attempt.
With respect to claims 22-31, none of the depending claims resolve the indefinite issue with independent clam 21.
With respect to claim 39, the claim recites, on lines 3-4, “indicating at least one lower layer mobility candidate cells“; and the intended reference is not clear as to whether there is a single cell or a plurality of cells in the message.
The claim recites, on lines 8-9, “selected from said at least one candidate cells“; and the intended reference is not clear as to whether there is a single cell or a plurality of cells for the switch attempt.
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 21-39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by CHOI et al. (WO 2024/167184 A1; hereafter CHOI).
With respect to claim 21, CHOI discloses an apparatus (100d, 100f in FIG. 1; UE in FIG. 10) configured to apply lower layer triggered mobility (Abstract), said apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]); and
at least one memory (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]) storing instructions (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]) that when executed by the at least one processor cause the apparatus at least to:
receive a message from a network node (200 in FIG. 1; gNB in FIG. 10) indicating a at least one lower layer mobility candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10); and
attempt a switch to a target cell selected from one of said at least one candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10); and
on determining that completion of said switch to said target cell is unsuccessful attempting completion (paragraph [122]) of a further switch to a target cell selected from said at least one candidate cell (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 22, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said message received from said network node comprises a plurality of candidate cells and said apparatus is caused to:
on determining that completion of said switch to said target cell is unsuccessful to attempt completion (paragraph [122]) of said further switch to a further target cell selected from said plurality of candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 23, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 22, said apparatus being further caused to:
in response to determining that said completion of said switch to said further target cell is unsuccessful attempt completion (paragraph [122]) of a switch to a yet further target cell selected from said plurality of candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 24, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said step of determining that completion of said switch to one of said target cells is unsuccessful comprises one of the following:
determining a failure of a random access procedure, determining a synchronisation failure with said target cell, determining an expiry of a timer (paragraph [122]), or not receiving a response from said target cell within a first predetermined time (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 25, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, said apparatus being further caused to continue attempting completion of a further switch to a target cell until one of the following:
successful completion of said switch, a second predetermined time has elapsed or switches to a predetermined number of candidate cells have been attempted (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 26, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, said apparatus being caused following one of:
successful completion of said switch, a second predetermined time having elapsed (paragraph [122]) or
a switch to a predetermined number of candidate cells having been attempted (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10) to perform at least one of the following:
enter idle mode and generate a message indicating a failure to switch to one of said lower layer mobility candidate cells.
With respect to claim 27, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said step of attempting a switch to said target cell comprises detaching from a source cell and applying target cell configurations to said apparatus (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 28, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, comprising in response to receipt of said message indicating said plurality of candidate cells, preparing said apparatus for connection to at least some of said plurality of cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 29, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said step of completion of said switch to one of said target cells comprises receiving a signal from said target cell indicating said switch is successful (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 30, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said step of completion of said switch to one of said target cells further comprises performing a random access procedure (paragraph [122]) to said one of said target cells prior to receiving said signal indicating said switch is successful (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 31, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said apparatus comprises a user equipment (100d, 100f in FIG. 1; UE in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 32, CHOI discloses an apparatus (200 in FIG. 1; gNB in FIG. 10) comprising:
at least one processor (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]); and
at least one memory (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]) storing instructions (paragraphs [57], [58], and [59]) that when executed by the at least one processor cause the apparatus at least to:
generate at least one configuration message for configuring a user equipment (100d, 100f in FIG. 1; UE in FIG. 10), said at least one configuration message being for configuring said user equipment (100d, 100f in FIG. 1; UE in FIG. 10) to attempt completion (paragraph [122]) of a further switch to a target cell selected from at least one candidate cell where a first switch to a target cell is unsuccessful (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 33, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said at least one configuration message is for configuring said user equipment to attempt completion (paragraph [122]) of said further switch to a further target cell selected from a plurality of candidate cells where said switch to a first target cell is unsuccessful (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 34, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 33, said at least one configuration message being for configuring said user equipment to attempt completion (paragraph [122]) of a switch to multiple further target cells selected from said plurality of candidate cells where switches to previous target cells are unsuccessful (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 35, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 33, said at least one configuration message comprising a power (paragraph [126]) or quality threshold (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 36, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 35, said at least one configuration message being for configuring said user equipment to select as potential further target cells, candidate cells where a determined power (paragraph [126]) or quality threshold of a link between said user equipment and said candidate cell is higher than said threshold (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 37, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said at least one configuration message is for configuring said user equipment to select as potential further target cells, candidate cells where said user equipment has performed at least one of downlink synchronisation and timing advance acquisition with said candidate cell (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 38, CHOI further discloses the apparatus according to claim 33, said apparatus being caused to transmit said at least one configuration message towards said user equipment (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
With respect to claim 39, CHOI discloses a method performed at an apparatus is configured to apply lower layer triggered mobility (Abstract), said method comprising:
receiving a message from a network node indicating at least one lower layer mobility candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10);
attempting a switch to a target cell selected from one of said at least one candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10); and
on determining that completion of said switch to said target cell is unsuccessful attempting completion (paragraph [122]) of a further switch to a target cell selected from said at least one candidate cells (S1001, S1003, S1005, S1007, S1009, S109, S1013, S1015, RACH, S1017 in FIG. 10).
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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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 February 7, 2026