DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 15 December 2025. Claims 1-20 are now pending in the present application. This office action is made Final.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang) (US 2023/0388873 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 19, Wang discloses a method for managing a source cell (e.g., source eNB; source network entity) connection during a Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) handover with respect to a user equipment (UE) (e.g., terminal UE) { (see Figs. 1-6 & 15) }, the method comprising:
establishing, while maintaining DAPS data bearers with a source cell (e.g., source eNB), DAPS data bearers with a target cell (e.g., target eNB) during DAPS handover in response to receiving a DAPS handover message from the source cell (e.g., source eNB) { (see pg. 6, [0180-0186]; Figs. 1-6), where the systems maintains transmission link };
monitoring a plurality of channel condition parameters of the target cell (e.g., target eNB) for a predefined time duration, only after successful DAPS handover such that the DAPS data bearers with the target cell (e.g., target eNB) are established { (see pg. 6, [0165-0166]; Figs. 1-5), where the system performs measurements for serving cell and target/neighbor cell, and the systems monitors the link with the target after access to detect RLF (see pg. 9, [0236]) };
determining whether a value of each of the monitored plurality of channel condition parameters exceeds a respective predefined threshold value { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; Figs. 1-6), where the systems maintains transmission link (see pg. 7, [0208]; pg. 8, [0231]; pg. 12, [0276-0277]) }; and
in response to determine that the value of each of the monitored plurality of channel condition parameters exceeds the respective predefined threshold value, managing the DAPS data bearers with the source cell (e.g., source eNB) { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; Figs. 1-6), where the systems maintains transmission link (see pg. 7, [0208]; pg. 8, [0231]; pg. 12, [0276-0277]), and the systems monitors the link with the target after access to detect RLF and re-establish with source eNB (see pg. 9, [0236]) }.
Regarding claims 2, 12, and 19, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: the managing of the DAPS data bearers includes terminating, upon expiry of the predefined time duration, the DAPS data bearers with the source cell when the value of each of the monitored plurality of channel condition parameters is determined to exceed the respective predefined threshold value { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; pg. 7, [0208]; pg. 8, [0231]; pg. 12, [0276-0277]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Wang discloses the method of claim 2, further comprising, when the value of at least one of the monitored plurality of channel condition parameters is determined to be less than the respective predefined threshold value at the expiry of the predefined time duration, maintaining the DAPS data bearers with the source cell { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; pg. 7, [0208]; pg. 12, [0276-0277]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Wang discloses the method of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including information related to releasing the DAPS data bearers of the source cell is not received upon the expiry of the predefined time duration; in response to determining that the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including information related to releasing the DAPS data bearers of the source cell is not received upon the expiry of the predefined time duration, requesting the target cell to release the DAPS data bearers of the source cell; and receiving, from the target cell based on the request, the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, and based on the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, terminating the DAPS data bearers with the source cell { (see pg. 6, [0186, 0193]; Figs. 1-3), where the system releases bearers (see pg. 6, [0186]; pg. 5, [0052]) }.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the target cell, information related to releasing the DAPS data bearers of the source cell through any one of a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), a bit in Medium Access Control (MAC) header, and a Downlink Control Information (DCI), and based on the information, terminating the DAPS data bearers of the source cell { (see pg. 5, [0157]; pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; pg. 7, [0208]; pg. 12, [0276-0277]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: reserving a radio frequency (RF) grant for the predefined time duration in Multi SIM Multi Standby (MSMS) user equipment (UE), for receiving an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including information for releasing the DAPS data bearers of the source cell during the predefined time duration; and receiving, from the target cell, the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message and based on the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, terminating the DAPS data bearers with the source cell { (see pg. 6, [0186, 0193]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, upon the establishment of the DAPS data bearers with the target cell, a radio link failure (RLF) at the target cell based on the channel condition parameters; terminating the DAPS data bearers and an RRC connection with the target cell based on the detection of the RLF; and maintaining the DAPS data bearers and the RRC connection with the source cell based on the termination of the DAPS data bearers and the RRC connection with the target cell { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claims 8 and 18, Wang discloses the method of claim 7, further comprising: restoring a source cell configuration upon maintaining the DAPS data bearers with the source cell; and transmitting a DAPS failure message to the source cell following the restoration of the source cell configuration { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0186-0187, 0193]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claim 9, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the managing of the DAPS data bearers associated with the source cell comprises determining whether to release or retain them { (see pg. 6, [0182, 0187]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Regarding claim 10, Wang discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the establishing, monitoring, determining, and managing are performed by the user equipment (UE) { (see pg. 6, [0185, 0190]; Figs. 1-6).
Regarding claim 20, Wang discloses the method of claim 19, wherein the at least one predefined criterion is based on a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) value, a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) value, a Signal to Interference & Noise Ratio (SINR) value, and/or a Block Error Rate (BLER) value { (see pg. 5, [0158, 0157]; pg. 6, [0163-0175, 0193, 0182, 0187]; Figs. 1-6) }.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-20 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by the amended language, new limitations, and/or new claims.
In response to applicant’s arguments, the Examiner respectfully disagrees as the applied reference(s) provide more than adequate support and to further clarify (see the above claims for relevant citations and comments in this section).
Conclusion
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 WILLIE J DANIEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-7907. The examiner can normally be reached on 9 - 6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached on 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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/WILLIE J DANIEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
WJD,Jr
25 March 2026
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