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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6, 11, 13-22, 24, and 27-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vannithamby et al. (US 2007/0291673 A1) in view of Klatt et al. (EP 4 465 757 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 29, Vannithamby discloses:
a user equipment (UE) (fig.1 element 102 which depicts a User Equipment (UE) which is configured to communicate wirelessly with a Base Station (gNB) element 104 over an air interface), comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code (fig.6 and par.[0041]); and
one or more processors (fig.6 element 618) coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code (par.[0041] as discussed above with regard to memory in combination with the processor) to cause the UE to:
receive control signaling (fig.4 element 402 and par.[0031]) indicating respective parameters (par.[0031] which describes parameter sets) for a first type of discontinuous communication cycle and a second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0025] which describes DRX cycles which correspond to different types of applications or a suitable for different reasons), wherein the control signaling indicates a plurality of sets of parameters for at least one of the first type of discontinuous communication cycle or the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0031] and fig.4 multiple DRX parameters sets, wherein each parameters set corresponds to a DRX configuration), and wherein the first type of discontinuous communication cycle corresponds to discontinuous communication cycles having a greater periodicity than discontinuous communication cycles of the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0025] and fig.3 depict the DRX parameters of the parameter sets, wherein the some DRX cycles are longer than other DRX cycles);
communicating according to a first discontinuous communication cycle of the first type or the second type in accordance with a first set of parameters of the plurality of sets of parameters (fig.7 element 704 and par.[0045] which recites, in part, “the UE 102 may select one of the DRX parameter sets 300 based on current application requirements or current battery condition”); and
communicating according to a second discontinuous communication cycle of the first type or the second type in accordance with a second set of parameters of the plurality of sets of parameters (fig.7 element 712 and element 704 the UE may select another DRX parameter set based on a trigger, par.[0045 and 0049]), wherein a switch from the first discontinuous communication cycle to the second discontinuous communication cycle is based at least in part on identifying a trigger condition (par.[0045 and 0034] which recites, in part, “The UE 102 may select a new DRX parameter set in response to a change in the current application requirements or a change in battery condition, and the UE 102 may send the DRX change request message 502 to the eNB 104 to request the DRX parameter set change in response to selection of the new DRX parameter set.”); and
wherein the UE performs the switch response to communicating the one or more reports (fig.5 the UE can send a report to the base station which causes the UE and Base Station to modify the DRX between the UE and base station. Par.[0033] which recites, in part, “The UE 102 (FIG. 1) may send a DRX change request message 502 to the eNB 104 (FIG. 1) when requesting a DRX parameter set change. The UE 102 may also receive a DRX change response message 504 from the eNB 104 indicating whether or not the eNB 104 has approved the request to change the DRX parameter set.”, par.[0034] which recites, in part, “the UE 102 may send the DRX change request message 502 to the eNB 104 to request the DRX parameter set change in response to selection of the new DRX parameter set. In these embodiments, the UE 102 may be able to change its DRX parameter set dynamically when the QoS or QoE requirements of current applications running on the UE 102 change or when battery condition changes. In this way, the DRX mode may be dynamically configured in response to changing application requirements or battery levels.”)
While the disclosure of Vannithamby teaches the claimed subject matter it may not disclose:
wherein the trigger condition comprises a user equipment (UE) communicating, to the network entity, one or more reports indicating one or more conditions including a buffer status associated with a buffer status report, a delay status associated with a delay status report, a statistical delay status associated with a statistical delay report, a scheduling request, or a combination thereof.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Klatt teaches:
wherein the trigger condition comprises a user equipment (UE) communicating, to the network entity, one or more reports indicating one or more conditions including a buffer status associated with a buffer status report, a delay status associated with a delay status report, a statistical delay status associated with a statistical delay report, a scheduling request, or a combination thereof (par.[0044] which recites, in part, “in case that the user equipment 20 requires the connected mode discontinuous transmission-reception pattern to be changed (especially towards a less relaxed discontinuous transmission-reception pattern, i.e. having a reduced repetition time interval such as the further repetition time interval 401 compared to the repetition time interval 301), the user equipment 20 transmits a scheduling request indication 220 to the base station entity 111.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Vannithamby for switching a DRX configuration based on sending a trigger with the disclosure of Klatt which describes the trigger as buffer status. The motivation/suggestion would have been to allow the UE to autonomously control its DRX when the UE senses a need for a change in the DRX configuration, improving the communications at the UE.
Regarding claim 2, Vannithamby discloses:
communicate an indication associated with switching between discontinuous communication cycles, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the communication of the indication (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706).
Regarding claims 3 and 22, Vannithamby discloses:
wherein the indication comprises an indication from the UE to switch to the second discontinuous communication cycle, an indication from a network entity to switch to the second discontinuous communication cycle, an end of burst indication from the UE, an end of burst indication from the network entity, a physical downlink control channel skipping indication from the network entity, a discontinuous reception medium access control-control element, an indication of a change of traffic from the network entity, one or more scheduling requests from the UE, one or more negative acknowledgements from the UE, one or more negative acknowledgements from the network entity, a buffer status report, an indication of extended reality traffic, a delay status report, a statistical delay report, or an energy report (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706).
Regarding claim 5, the disclosure of Vannithamby substantially discloses the switching from a first DRX configuration to a second DRX configuration, wherein the DRX configuration comprises a plurality of parameters, and
transmit a request to switch from the first discontinuous communication cycle to the second discontinuous communication cycle, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the transmission of the request (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706).
Regarding claim 6, Vannithamby discloses: transmit the request via uplink control information, a medium access control-control element, radio resource control signaling, or a combination thereof (par.[0046] describes the request being sent in a MAC-CE or a RRC message).
Regarding claim 13, Vannithamby discloses:
wherein each set of parameters of the plurality is indicated as a respective discontinuous communication cycle configuration (fig.3 and par.[0014] which describes the DRX parameter sets).
Regarding claim 14, Vannithamby discloses:
the plurality of sets of parameters are for the first type of discontinuous communication cycle, and each set of parameters of the plurality are included in a same discontinuous communication cycle configuration of the first type (fig.3 depicts an index with a plurality of parameter sets corresponding to a first type of DRX, each of the DRX sets comprise all of the parameters. Par.[0018] describes some parameters. Par.[0025] describes different DRX cycles as it pertains to different QoS, Applications, etc. The DRX set in fig.3 depict short DRX 80ms or less, and long DRX which depict longer than 80ms although the times may vary).
Regarding claim 15, Vannithamby discloses:
the plurality of sets of parameters are for the second type of discontinuous communication cycle, and each set of parameters of the plurality are included in a same discontinuous communication cycle configuration of the second type (fig.3 depicts an index with a plurality of parameter sets corresponding to a first type of DRX, each of the DRX sets comprise all of the parameters. Par.[0018] describes some parameters. Par.[0025] describes different DRX cycles as it pertains to different QoS, Applications, etc. The DRX set in fig.3 depict short DRX 80ms or less, and long DRX which depict longer than 80ms although the times may vary).
Regarding claim 16, Vannithamby discloses:
wherein each set of parameters of the plurality comprises a respective periodicity of a corresponding discontinuous communication cycle, a respective on duration of the corresponding discontinuous communication cycle, a respective off duration of the corresponding discontinuous communication cycle, a respective start offset of the corresponding discontinuous communication cycle, one or more respective timers of the corresponding discontinuous communication cycle comprising a respective inactivity timer, or a combination thereof (fig.3 depicts an index with a plurality of parameter sets corresponding to a first type of DRX, each of the DRX sets comprise all of the parameters. Par.[0018] describes some parameters. Par.[0025] describes different DRX cycles as it pertains to different QoS, Applications, etc. The DRX set in fig.3).
Regarding claim 17 and 28, Vannithamby discloses:
wherein the first and second type of discontinuous communication cycles comprise a discontinuous reception cycle for the UE, a discontinuous transmission cycle for the UE, a discontinuous reception cycle for a network entity, or a discontinuous transmission cycle for the network entity (par.[0003] describes a DRX mode in order to reduce power consumption).
Regarding claims 18 and 30, Vannithamby discloses:
a network entity, (fig.1 element 102 which depicts a User Equipment (UE) which is configured to communicate wirelessly with a Base Station (gNB) element 104 over an air interface), comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code (fig.6 and par.[0041]); and
one or more processors (fig.6 element 618) coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code (par.[0041] as discussed above with regard to memory in combination with the processor) to cause the UE to:
transmit control signaling (fig.4 element 402 and par.[0031]) indicating respective parameters (par.[0031] which describes parameter sets) for a first type of discontinuous communication cycle and a second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0025] which describes DRX cycles which correspond to different types of applications or a suitable for different reasons), wherein the control signaling indicates a plurality of sets of parameters for at least one of the first type of discontinuous communication cycle or the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0031] and fig.4 multiple DRX parameters sets, wherein each parameters set corresponds to a DRX configuration), and wherein the first type of discontinuous communication cycle corresponds to discontinuous communication cycles having a greater periodicity than discontinuous communication cycles of the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (par.[0025] and fig.3 depict the DRX parameters of the parameter sets, wherein the some DRX cycles are longer than other DRX cycles);
communicating according to a first discontinuous communication cycle of the first type or the second type in accordance with a first set of parameters of the plurality of sets of parameters (fig.7 element 704 and par.[0045] which recites, in part, “the UE 102 may select one of the DRX parameter sets 300 based on current application requirements or current battery condition”); and
communicating according to a second discontinuous communication cycle of the first type or the second type in accordance with a second set of parameters of the plurality of sets of parameters (fig.7 element 712 and element 704 the UE may select another DRX parameter set based on a trigger, par.[0045 and 0049]), wherein a switch from the first discontinuous communication cycle to the second discontinuous communication cycle is based at least in part on identifying a trigger condition (par.[0045 and 0034] which recites, in part, “The UE 102 may select a new DRX parameter set in response to a change in the current application requirements or a change in battery condition, and the UE 102 may send the DRX change request message 502 to the eNB 104 to request the DRX parameter set change in response to selection of the new DRX parameter set.”).
Regarding claim 19, Vannithamby discloses:
wherein the trigger condition comprises traffic associated with one or more user equipment (UEs) served by the network entity satisfying a threshold, a priority of the traffic satisfying a threshold priority, a quality of service associated with the one or more UEs, one or more delay statuses associated with one or more delay status reports from the one or more UEs, one or more energy levels associated with the one or more UEs, an expected quantity of data retransmissions based on one or more block error rates or one or more channel state information reports from the one or more UEs, a low-power wake up reception capability of the one or more UEs, or a combination thereof (par.[0025] which describes battery of the UE, delay tolerant data (i.e. priority of data) etc.).
Regarding claim 20, Vannithamby discloses:
receiving a set of indications associated with a set of user equipment switching between discontinuous communication cycles, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the communication of the indication (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706. Par.[0013] which recites, in part, “such as enhanced Node-B (eNB) 104, that are configured to communicate with one or more mobile stations, such as user equipment (UE) 102.”).
Regarding claim 21, Vannithamby discloses:
communicate an indication associated with switching between discontinuous communication cycles, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the communication of the indication (fig.7 DRX change response message, par.[0047]).
Regarding claim 24, the disclosure of Vannithamby substantially discloses the switching from a first DRX configuration to a second DRX configuration, wherein the DRX configuration comprises a plurality of parameters, and
Receive a request to switch from the first discontinuous communication cycle to the second discontinuous communication cycle, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the transmission of the request (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706).
Regarding claim 27, Vannithamby discloses:
each set of parameters of the plurality is indicated as a respective discontinuous communication cycle configuration, or each set of parameters of the plurality are included in a same discontinuous communication cycle configuration of the first type or the second type (fig.3 and par.[0014] which describes the DRX parameter sets which comprise long DRX cycle comprising parameters corresponding to a long cycle as well as short DRX parameters corresponding to parameters comprising a short cycle).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 4 and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vannithamby and Klatt et al. as applied to claims 1, 18, and 29-30, in view of Kim et al. (US 2018/0020382 A1).
Regarding claims 4 and 23, the disclosure of Vannithamby and Klatt substantially discloses the switching from a first DRX configuration to a second DRX configuration, wherein the DRX configuration comprises a plurality of parameters, but may not disclose:
wherein the switch to the second discontinuous communication cycle is based at least in part on a quantity of data associated with the buffer status report, an uplink packet data convergence protocol queueing delay associated with the delay status report, an uplink packet data convergence protocol queueing delay associated with the statistical delay report, a remaining packet delay budget indicated by the delay status report for one or more logical channels or logical channel groups, a remaining packet delay budget indicated by the statistical delay report for the one or more logical channels or logical channel groups, a charging rate indicated by the energy report, a discharging rate indicated by the energy report, an energy level associated with the UE indicated by the energy report, or an energy level prediction associated with the UE based on the energy report.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Kim teaches:
wherein the switch to the second discontinuous communication cycle is based at least in part on a quantity of data associated with the buffer status report, an uplink packet data convergence protocol queueing delay associated with the delay status report, an uplink packet data convergence protocol queueing delay associated with the statistical delay report, a remaining packet delay budget indicated by the delay status report for one or more logical channels or logical channel groups, a remaining packet delay budget indicated by the statistical delay report for the one or more logical channels or logical channel groups, a charging rate indicated by the energy report, a discharging rate indicated by the energy report, an energy level associated with the UE indicated by the energy report, or an energy level prediction associated with the UE based on the energy report (par.[0272 – 0273] describes the dynamic modification/switching of a first DRX cycle to a second DRX cycle in view of a BSR, which comprises a quantity of data, along with DRB characteristics and traffic patterns).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the instant application to combine the disclosure of Vannithamby and Klatt for dynamically switching a DRX configuration, with the disclosure of Kim which teaches the dynamic switching of DRX configuration. The motivation/suggestion would have been to further improve power saving at the UE based on a plurality of circumstances experienced at the UE such that the conditions experienced at the UE can further effect the decision to switch DRX and improve the power savings.
Claim(s) 7-8 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vannithamby and Klatt et al. as applied to claims 1, 18, and 29-30, in view of Abraham et al. (US 2017/0311113 A1).
Regarding claim 7, the disclosure of Vannithamby and Klatt substantially discloses the switching from a first DRX configuration to a second DRX configuration, wherein the DRX configuration comprises a plurality of parameters, but may not disclose:
multiplex the request with a message comprising a scheduling request, a hybrid automatic repeat request message, an uplink reference signal, a buffer status report, a power headroom report, a channel state information report, or a combination thereof; and transmit the request multiplexed with the message.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Abraham teaches:
multiplex the request with a message comprising a scheduling request, a hybrid automatic repeat request message, an uplink reference signal, a buffer status report, a power headroom report, a channel state information report, or a combination thereof; and transmit the request multiplexed with the message (par.[0195] describes the BSR, or buffer status report which is sent with the DRX configuration change).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Vannithamby and Klatt for DRX configuration switching with the disclosure of Abraham. The motivation/suggestion would have been to improve battery power in the UE based on the conditions at the UE.
Regarding claims 8 and 25, Klatt discloses:
wherein the request is communicated based at least in part on one or more communication conditions satisfying one or more thresholds, the one or more communication conditions comprising an error status associated with an error status report, a traffic condition, or a combination thereof (describes the scheduling request, which is a need for requesting resources for uplink data transmission similar to a BSR, that is traffic at the UE needs to be transmitted).
Claim(s) 9-10 and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vanithamby and Klatt et al. as applied to claims 1, 18, and 29-30, in view of Demirhan et al. (US 2007/0291673 A1).
Regarding claims 9 and 26, the disclosure of Vanithamby and Klatt teaches DRX/DTX configuration switching, but does not disclose:
communicate an energy report indicating a first energy level associated with the UE or a second energy level associated with a network entity, wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the first energy level satisfying a first threshold or the second energy level satisfying a second threshold.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Demirhan teaches:
communicate an energy report indicating a first energy level associated with the UE or a second energy level associated with a network entity (par.[0015] which recites, in part, “a UE-assisted adaptive DRX cycle length based on the available battery power level of the UE is provided. The UE can indicate a battery power level to the network and/or determine a DRX cycle length and request the network to set the determined DRX cycle length. The DRX cycle length or DRX period can be dynamically changed based on changing conditions at the UE (e.g., increasing or depleting battery power).”), wherein the trigger condition corresponds to the first energy level satisfying a first threshold or the second energy level satisfying a second threshold (par.[0018] describes multiple power thresholds corresponding to DRX cycle length).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Vanithamby and Klatt for DRX configuration changes, with the disclosure of Demirhan for modifying DRX configuration based on battery power thresholds. The motivation/suggestion would have been to further extend the battery power of the UE by modifying the on/off pattern based on the battery of the UE.
Regarding claim 10, Demirhan teaches:
the energy report is communicated based at least in part on the UE being in an idle mode or an inactive mode, and the second discontinuous communication cycle is associated with the idle mode of the UE or the inactive mode of the UE (fig.2 element 232, and par.[0032]. The office notes that the DRX for the UE is an IDLE mode DRX see par.[0011] thus, the UE in idle mode periodically monitors for PDCCH on the downlink for paging).
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vannithamby and Klatt et al. as applied to claims 1, 18, and 29-30, in view of Wu et al. (US 2014/024/1227 A1).
Regarding claim 11, the disclosure of Vannithamby and Klatt teaches:
wherein the plurality of sets of parameters comprises a first plurality of sets of parameters for the first type of discontinuous communication cycle and a second plurality of sets of parameters for the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (see rejection of claims 1, 18, and 19-20 above), but does not disclose:
and wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
select a pair of discontinuous communication cycles according to which to communicate comprising one discontinuous communication cycle having a first set of parameters from the first plurality and one discontinuous communication cycle having a second set of parameters from the second plurality, wherein the first discontinuous communication cycle and the second discontinuous communication cycle are included in the pair of discontinuous communication cycles.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Wu teaches:
and wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
select a pair of discontinuous communication cycles according to which to communicate comprising one discontinuous communication cycle having a first set of parameters from the first plurality and one discontinuous communication cycle having a second set of parameters from the second plurality, wherein the first discontinuous communication cycle and the second discontinuous communication cycle are included in the pair of discontinuous communication cycles (par.[0044] which recites, in part, “In some embodiments, both the short and long DRX cycle are available for selection. In other words the long and short DRX cycles are configured.”. The office notes that both the long and short cycles would have their own parameters such as onDuration, Inactivity Timer, etc. par.[0046] which recites, in part, “the user equipment can select which of the short or long cycles to use”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Vannithamby and Klatt for receiving a plurality of DRX configurations, with the disclosure of Wu which describes selecting a first DRX cycle and a second DRX cycle. The motivation/suggestion would have been because DRX is typically utilised to conserve battery power of devices, to save on wireless resources, and to increase overall system capacity.
Regarding claim 12, the disclosure of Vannithamby teaches:
communicate one or more reports indicating one or more communication conditions associated with the UE, wherein selecting the pair of discontinuous communication cycles is based at least in part on the one or more reports (fig.5 depicts the UE receiving a DRX change request or fig.7 the UE may provide an indication to the network element 706).
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vannithamby and Klatt et al. as applied to claims 1, 18, and 29-30, in view of Manepalli et al. (US 2018/0343686 A1).
Regarding claim 11, the disclosure of Vannithamby and Klatt teaches:
wherein the plurality of sets of parameters comprises a first plurality of sets of parameters for the first type of discontinuous communication cycle and a second plurality of sets of parameters for the second type of discontinuous communication cycle (see rejection of claims 1, 18, and 19-20 above), but does not disclose:
and wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
select a pair of discontinuous communication cycles according to which to communicate comprising one discontinuous communication cycle having a first set of parameters from the first plurality and one discontinuous communication cycle having a second set of parameters from the second plurality, wherein the first discontinuous communication cycle and the second discontinuous communication cycle are included in the pair of discontinuous communication cycles.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Manepalli teaches:
and wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
select a pair of discontinuous communication cycles according to which to communicate comprising one discontinuous communication cycle having a first set of parameters from the first plurality and one discontinuous communication cycle having a second set of parameters from the second plurality, wherein the first discontinuous communication cycle and the second discontinuous communication cycle are included in the pair of discontinuous communication cycles (par.[0005] which recites, in part, “A UE may determine a data traffic pattern of an application executing on the UE. Generally, some applications may have predictable or well-understood data traffic flows. For example, a voice over IP (VoIP) or streaming applications may have a well-defined data traffic pattern”. Par.[0006] “Upon determining the data traffic pattern of an application, the UE may compare the data traffic pattern of the application against a plurality of discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration settings which are associated with a base station (BS) in communication with the UE. For example, each of the DRX configurations may specify at least a DRX cycle length, which may specify the length of an entire DRX cycle, including the on duration and off duration.”, par.[0008] “the UE may select a first DRX configuration from the plurality of DRX configurations. The UE may perform communication with the BS according to the first DRX configuration settings”. Par.[0087] which recites, in part, “The connected mode DRX pattern may, for example, be used by the UE if configured by the network, and may follow a defined pattern of on and off cycles. DRX can be configured using any of a variety of settings, and at least in some instances multiple DRX modes (e.g., a short DRX or a long DRX) may be configured as desired.” Par.[0114 – 0118]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Vannithamby and Klatt for receiving a plurality of DRX configurations, with the disclosure of Manepalli which describes selecting a first DRX cycle and a second DRX cycle. The motivation/suggestion would have been because DRX is typically used for power savings, and by providing the network with the type of traffic and preferred settings the network can assist or the UE can create a DRX that improves power savings while still providing suitable data reception.
Regarding claim 12, the disclosure of Manepalli teaches:
communicate one or more reports indicating one or more communication conditions associated with the UE, wherein selecting the pair of discontinuous communication cycles is based at least in part on the one or more reports (par.[0113 – 0118] wherein the UE provides assistance information regarding DRX preference and traffic load to the network).
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 and 103
Applicant's arguments filed 02/18/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicants have amended the independent claims to recite, in part:
“wherein the trigger condition comprises the UE communicating one or more reports indicating one or more communication conditions satisfying one or more thresholds, the one or more communication conditions including a buffer status associated with a buffer status report, a delay status associated with a delay status report, a statistical delay status associated with a statistical delay report, a scheduling request, or a combination thereof, and wherein the UE performs the switch responsive to communicating the one or more reports.”
With regard to wherein the UE performs the switch response to communicating the one or more reports, the applicants alleges that UE of Vannithamby et al. (US 2014/0119255 A1) does not disclose this feature because when the UE sends the trigger message, the UE and the base station sync there DRX configurations, or that the UE can receive a denial of the change. The office respectfully disagrees with the applicants characterization of the claims as the term “response” is used by the applicant to mean immediately, the use of responsive can also include reporting and waiting for a reply. The UE transmits a report and responsive to the report sent by the UE is able to change or modify the current DRX configuration. Applicants own specification at fig.4 element 430 and par.[0100] describes the base station and UE coordinating via trigger messages the DRX configuration. Thus the office is unpersuaded by the applicants arguments. Additionally it is noted that when the UE transitions to the second DRX configuration, the UE utilizes the trigger message of fig.4 element 430 and not the report element 410. With regard to the triggers the disclosure of Klatt teaches that a report such as a SR, or BSR may be sent to the network to change the DRX configuration. The claims stand rejected.
The applicants arguments in view of the Islam (US 2020/0037396 A1) reference have been overcome.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Suzuki et al. (US 2008/0167089 A1) “Method and System for the Support of Long DRX in an LTE_ACTIVE State in a Wireless Network”
Mukherjee et al. (US 2014/0036748 A1) “UE Indications of Power Mode Preferences” fig.5
Chen et al. (US 2018/0027424 A1) “Methods of Adapting Receiver Configuration for Control Channel Repetition Based on DRX Status”
Murray et al. (US 2022/0191793 A1) “DRX Configuration in New Radio”
Freda et al. (US 2023/0063472 A1) “Methods for Performing Discontinuous Reception on Sidelink”
Wang et al. (US 2015/0085712 A1) “Discontinuous Reception Configuration” UE can receive a plurality of DRX configuration settings which correspond with different TDD UL/DL configurations. The UE may autonomously, based on the configured DRX settings, switch between DRX based on the trigger (e.g. a change TDD UL/DL) configuration or receive explicit signaling from the network to change DRX fig(s).1 and 3 of the associated disclosure.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMAAL HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5339. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thu: 7:30 am - 6:30 pm.
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JAMAAL HENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2411
/JAMAAL HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411