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 § 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 2 and 16 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.
The recitation of “future 6G standard” in claims 2 and 16 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The applicant can’t claim to implement the method/apparatus for a standard which is presently not in use.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 15-16, 18-22 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mavureddi et al. (US Publication 2024/0276213 A1) further in view of Hofstrom et al. (US Publication 2022/0086713 A1).
In regards to claims 1, 15 and 28 Mavureddi et al. (US Publication 2024/0276213 A1) teaches, an apparatus for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to cause the UE to: obtain mobile originated (MO) data intended for at least one remote endpoint; package the mobile originated (MO) data into a single MO data set (see figure 18, steps 1804, 1824, paragraph 86; When the UE 106 supports a store and forward (S&F) service, the home network 304 may invoke an S&F satellite operation mode 820; see figure 8 and paragraph 55; S&F satellite operation is an operation mode of a 5G system 100 offering satellite access where the 5G system 100 can provide some level of service (in storing and forwarding the data) when satellite connectivity is intermittently or temporarily unavailable. Thus, in the S&F satellite operation mode 820, the end-to-end exchange of signaling and data traffic is handled as a combination of two steps not concurrent in time. In step 821, signaling/data exchange between the UE 106 and the NTN satellite 704 takes place, without the NTN satellite 704 being simultaneously connected to the ground network (i.e., the NTN satellite 704 is able to operate the service link 708 without an active feeder link 706 connection)); access a space vehicle (SV) using a service link (see paragraph 55; signaling/data exchange between the UE 106 and the NTN satellite 704 takes place; connection between UE and NTN satellite reads on the service link), wherein the SV does not have a feeder link to a ground based network (see figure 8 and paragraph 55; without the NTN satellite 704 being simultaneously connected to the ground network (i.e., the NTN satellite 704 is able to operate the service link 708 without an active feeder link 706 connection)); send the single MO data set to the SV for storage of the single MO data set and forwarding to another entity, for unpackaging the single MO data set into the MO data (see paragraph 53; Store & forward (S&F) operation is an operation mode of satellite-access providing some level of service (in storing and forwarding the data) when satellite connectivity is intermittently/temporarily unavailable, e.g., to provide communication service for UEs under satellite coverage without a simultaneous active feeder link connection to the ground segment) and having MO data (see paragraph 55; S&F satellite operation is an operation mode of a 5G system 100 offering satellite access where the 5G system 100 can provide some level of service (in storing and forwarding the data) when satellite connectivity is intermittently or temporarily unavailable) the SV has the feeder link to the ground based network (see figure 8 and paragraph 55; In step 822, connectivity between the NTN satellite 704 and the ground network is established so that communication between the NTN satellite 704 and the ground network can take place); and cease to access the SV prior to the SV having the feeder link to the ground based network (see paragraph 55; the NTN satellite 704 goes from being connected to the UE 106 in step 821 to being connected to the ground network in step 822).
In further regards to claims 1, 15 and 28 Mavureddi fails to show any remote endpoints and thus fails to show the UE 106 effectively sending packets to a remote end point via the NTN satellite and gateway. Thus, there is not teaching of providing the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint.
Hofstrom et al. (US Publication 2022/0086713 A1) teaches, providing the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint.
In figure 13 of Hofstrom, wireless device 1302 connected to NTN satellite 1304 via the service link and the NTN satellite 1304 is connected to gateway 1305 via a feeder link. The gateway 1305 is connected to network 1308, which in turn is connected to network node 1306B, which finally in turn is connected to wireless device 1302B.
Both Mavureddi and Hofstrom show NTN networks.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to incorporate the use of the end UE to end UE connection as shown by Hofstrom into the teachings of Mavureddi. The motivation to do so would be to allow for extension of broadband and critical services for end points that are otherwise not connected via exclusively grounded network infrastructure.
In regards to claims 2 and 16, Mavureddi teaches, wherein the service link supports wireless access to the SV using 4G LTE, 5G NR (see paragraph 55; the system 100 is a 5G system) or a future 6G standard, wherein the SV comprises a radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN) (see figure 1).
In regards to claims 4, and 18, Mavureddi teaches, wherein the MO data comprises at least one of: an MO short message service (SMS) message; media data for a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), wherein the media data includes at least one of voice, text or video; MO data transported using non-internet protocol (non-IP), internet protocol (IP) (see paragraph 56; UE 106 may comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) device), user datagram protocol (UDP)/IP or transmission control protocol (TCP)/IP; an Internet query; an Email query; or some combination of these.
In regards to claims 5 and 19, Mavureddi teaches, wherein the single MO data set comprises a bit sequence or an octet sequence (see packet 904; the packet 904, implies a bit sequence).
In regards to claim 7, Mavureddi teaches wherein the other entity is a ground based server (see the application server 902 in figures 9A and 9B).
In regards to claims 8 and 22, Mavureddi and Hofstrom in combination teach all the limitations of the parent claim as stated above.
Mavureddi fails to show any remote endpoints. Thus, Mavureddi fails to teach, wherein the single MO data set is transparent to the SV, wherein the other entity comprises the at least one remote endpoint, wherein the at least one remote endpoint comprises a single remote endpoint and wherein the other entity comprises the at least one remote endpoint, wherein the at least one remote endpoint comprises a single remote endpoint, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the ground based server to forward the MO data set to the single remote endpoint via a network.
Hofstrom et al. (US Publication 2022/0086713 A1) teaches, providing the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint.
In figure 13 of Hofstrom, wireless device 1302 connected to NTN satellite 1304 via the service link and the NTN satellite 1304 is connected to gateway 1305 via a feeder link. The gateway 1305 is connected to network 1308, which in turn is connected to network node 1306B, which finally in turn is connected to wireless device 1302B. Thus, Hofstrom reads on wherein the single MO data set is transparent to the SV, wherein the other entity comprises the at least one remote endpoint, wherein the at least one remote endpoint comprises a single remote endpoint and wherein the other entity comprises the at least one remote endpoint, wherein the at least one remote endpoint comprises a single remote endpoint, and the at least one processor is further configured to cause the ground based server to forward the MO data set to the single remote endpoint via a network.
Both Mavureddi and Hofstrom show NTN networks.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to incorporate the use of the end UE to end UE connection as shown by Hofstrom into the teachings of Mavureddi. The motivation to do so would be to allow for extension of broadband and critical services for end points that are otherwise not connected via exclusively grounded network infrastructure.
In regards to claim 20, Mavureddi teaches, wherein the other entity is the ground based server (see the application server 902 in figures 9A and 9B).
In further regards to claim 20, Mavureddi teaches, in figures 7A, 7B, 9A and 9B, the ground network. Mavureddi fails to show any remote endpoints and thus fails to teach, the at least one processor is configured to cause the ground based server to provide the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint by sending the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint via a ground based network.
Hofstrom et al. (US Publication 2022/0086713 A1) teaches, providing the MO data to the at least one remote endpoint.
In figure 13 of Hofstrom, wireless device 1302 connected to NTN satellite 1304 via the service link and the NTN satellite 1304 is connected to gateway 1305 via a feeder link. The gateway 1305 is connected to network 1308, which in turn is connected to network node 1306B, which finally in turn is connected to wireless device 1302B. Thus, Hofstrom reads on sending the MO data to the remote endpoint.
Both Mavureddi and Hofstrom show NTN networks.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to incorporate the use of the end UE to end UE connection as shown by Hofstrom into the teachings of Mavureddi. The motivation to do so would be to allow for extension of broadband and critical services for end points that are otherwise not connected via exclusively grounded network infrastructure.
In regards to claim 21, Mavureddi teaches, wherein the ground based server is configured to access the ground based network using a first option, a second option, or a third option, wherein: for the first option, the ground based server is configured to attach as an NTN gateway to the ground based network and the ground based network comprises a RAN and a CN for a wireless access type; for the second option, the ground based server is configured to attach as a base station to the ground based network and the ground based network comprises the CN for the wireless access type; and for the third option, the ground based server comprises or is part of the ground based network server (see the application server 902 in figures 9A and 9B; the application server is part of the ground based network).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6, 9-14, 17, 23-27 and 29-30 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Relevant Prior Art
Prior art Ou et al. (US Publication 2025/0038834 A1) teaches, in see figure 12 and paragraph 54; the UE performing communication (e.g., transmits Non-Access Stratum (NAS) Protocol Data Unit (PDU) such as CP data) with the NW as normal);; if the NW detects that there is no gateway link, it stores NAS PDU and transmits a “no feeder link indication”+“next schedule time” in a release message; paragraph 53 in Ou teaches Store & forward (S&F) operation is an operation mode of satellite-access providing some level of service (in storing and forwarding the data) when satellite connectivity is intermittently/temporarily unavailable, e.g., to provide communication service for UEs under satellite coverage without a simultaneous active feeder link connection to the ground segment).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAY P PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-3086. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/JAY P PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466