Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/495,685

ENHANCEMENTS FOR LTM

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Oct 26, 2023
Examiner
MADANI, FARIDEH
Art Unit
2643
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
2 (Final)
77%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 77% — above average
77%
Career Allow Rate
297 granted / 384 resolved
+15.3% vs TC avg
Strong +20% interview lift
Without
With
+20.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
27 currently pending
Career history
411
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.3%
-36.7% vs TC avg
§103
59.2%
+19.2% vs TC avg
§102
14.9%
-25.1% vs TC avg
§112
10.7%
-29.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 384 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Response to Arguments 2. Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims and in view of the current amendments have been considered but are moot, please refer to rejection below for details. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 3. 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. A) Claims 1-6, 14, 17-22, and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karimidehkordi (US 2024/0340981 A1) in view of ABRAHAM (US 2026/0040179 A1). As per claim 1, Karimidehkordi teaches an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) (¶0003, user equipment) , comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory (¶0003, memory and processor) and, based at least in part on stored information that is stored in the at least one memory (¶0003, storing instructions and information in the memory), the at least one processor, is configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network entity, a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) configuration (¶0011 and ¶0025, receiving from the first network node (i.e. network entity) LTM configuration); receive, from the network entity, cell switch command in connection with the LTM and associated with the LTM configuration (¶0011 and ¶0025, receiving from the first network node LTM cell switch command associated with LTM configuration). However, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach transmit, to the network entity, a radio link failure (RLF) report based on a failure of an LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command or an RLF after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command, the RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command and a cell global identity (CGI) associated with a cell associated with an attempted recovery associated with the failure or the RLF. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches transmit, to the network entity, a radio link failure (RLF) report based on a failure of an LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command or an RLF after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0047-48, send or transmit to the network 104 (i.e. AMF or gNB) RLF report based on a LTM cell switch failure based on the RLF after LTM cell switch), the RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command and a cell global identity (CGI) associated with a cell associated with an attempted recovery associated with the failure or the RLF (¶0047-48 and table 1, RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM candidate configuration and CGI associated with the cell with the recovery associated with the RLF). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 2 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command comprises at least one of: a configuration identifier (ID) associated with the LTM cell switch command, a beam ID associated with the LTM cell switch command, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) ID associated with the LTM cell switch command, or a set of contention free random access (CFRA) resources associated with the LTM cell switch command (¶0013, transmission configuration index states (TCI-state) of a TAG, TCI-state IDs associated with the LTM cell switch). As per claim 3 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command comprises at least one of: a reference configuration associated with the LTM configuration, a candidate configuration associated with the LTM configuration, or a layer 1 (L1) measurement configuration identifier (ID) associated with the LTM configuration (¶0112, measurement configuration for an L1 cell change associated with the LTM configuration). As per claim 4 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches, reestablish radio link with the network entity and indicate to the network entity that a reestablishment of the radio link is due to the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command (¶0090 and ¶0093, re-establish connection with the network node and indicate that re-establish connection is due to the LTM cell switch based on the beam failure of the LTM cell switch command). As per claim 5 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach wherein the RLF report comprises an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches wherein the RLF report comprises an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command (¶0072 and ¶0047, RLF report includes an indication indicating that LTM cell switch based on the failure message or command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 6 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach transmit the RLF report based on the failure of the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches transmit the RLF report based on the failure of the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0047-48, RLF report based on the LTM cell switch failure message or command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 14 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi teaches wherein the LTM cell switch command is associated with a primary secondary cell (PSCell), wherein the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or a secondary cell group (SCG) failure occurs for the PSCell (¶0090-94, LTM cell switch command associated with PSCell and LTM cell switch command), and wherein the at least one processor, is further configured to cause the UE to: transmit, to the network entity, additional information indicating at least one of: the SCG failure is associated with the LTM cell switch command, a cause associated with the SCG failure being associated with the LTM cell switch command, a time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure, a first identifier of a source PSCell during LTM, a second identifier of a target PSCell during the LTM, a third identifier of a failed PSCell during the LTM, random access (RACH) information of an SCG if the LTM is RACH-based or RACH-less indication, or at least one layer 1 (L1) measurement of one or more candidate or neighboring PSCells during the LTM (¶0009-13, the additional configuration information may indicate inclusion, in the timing advance report, of at least one of: timing advance group ID, physical cell IDs (PCI) of a timing advance group (TAG), transmission configuration index states (TCI-state) of a TAG, TCI-state IDs of a TAG, timing advance value associated with a TAG, time alignment timer status associated with a TAG). As per claim 17, Karimidehkordi teaches an apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity (¶0076, base station (i.e. network entity)) , comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory (¶0076, memory and processor) and, based at least in part on stored information that is stored in the at least one memory (¶0076, storing instructions and information in the memory), the at least one processor, is configured to cause the network entity to: transmit, for a UE, a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) configuration (¶0011 and ¶0025, transmit to the UE LTM configuration); transmit, for the UE, an LTM cell switch command associated with the LTM configuration (¶0011 and ¶0025, transmit for the UE LTM cell switch command associated with LTM configuration). However, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach receive a radio link failure (RLF) report based on a failure of an LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command or an RLF after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command, the RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command and a cell global identity (CGI) associated with a cell associated with an attempted recovery associated with the failure or the RLF. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches receive a radio link failure (RLF) report based on a failure of an LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command or an RLF after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0047-48, receive RLF report based on a LTM cell switch failure based on the RLF after LTM cell switch), the RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command and a cell global identity (CGI) associated with a cell associated with an attempted recovery associated with the failure or the RLF (¶0047-48 and table 1, RLF report comprising information associated with the LTM candidate configuration and CGI associated with the cell with the recovery associated with the RLF). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 18 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command comprises at least one of: a configuration identifier (ID) associated with the LTM cell switch command, a beam ID associated with the LTM cell switch command, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) ID associated with the LTM cell switch command, or a set of contention free random access (CFRA) resources associated with the LTM cell switch command (¶0013, transmission configuration index states (TCI-state) of a TAG, TCI-state IDs associated with the LTM cell switch). As per claim 19 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the information associated with the LTM configuration or the LTM cell switch command comprises at least one of: a reference configuration associated with the LTM configuration, a candidate configuration associated with the LTM configuration, or a layer 1 (L1) measurement configuration identifier (ID) associated with the LTM configuration (¶0112, measurement configuration for an L1 cell change associated with the LTM configuration). As per claim 20 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches, reestablish radio link with the network entity and indicate to the network entity that a reestablishment of the radio link is due to the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command (¶0090 and ¶0093, re-establish connection with the network node and indicate that re-establish connection is due to the LTM cell switch based on the beam failure of the LTM cell switch command). As per claim 21 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach wherein the RLF report comprises an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches wherein the RLF report comprises an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command (¶0072 and ¶0047, RLF report includes an indication indicating that LTM cell switch based on the failure message or command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 22 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi does not explicitly teach transmit the RLF report based on the failure of the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, ABRAHAM teaches transmit the RLF report based on the failure of the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0047-48, RLF report based on the LTM cell switch failure message or command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of ABRAHAM into Karimidehkordi invention of in order for initiating the fast MCG link recovery, based on occurrence of a radio link failure (RLF) in MCG for supporting a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 29 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi teaches wherein the LTM cell switch command is associated with a primary secondary cell (PSCell), wherein the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or a secondary cell group (SCG) failure occurs for the PSCell (¶0090-94, LTM cell switch command associated with PSCell and LTM cell switch command), and wherein the at least one processor, is further configured to cause the network entity to: receive additional information indicating at least one of: the SCG failure is associated with the LTM cell switch command, the SCG failure is not associated with the LTM cell switch command, a cause associated with the SCG failure being associated with the LTM cell switch command, or a time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure (¶0009-13, the additional configuration information may indicate inclusion, in the timing advance report, of at least one of: timing advance group ID, physical cell IDs (PCI) of a timing advance group (TAG), transmission configuration index states (TCI-state) of a TAG, TCI-state IDs of a TAG, timing advance value associated with a TAG, time alignment timer status associated with a TAG). B) Claims 7, 11, 23, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karimidehkordi (US 2024/0340981 A1) in view of in view of ABRAHAM (US 2026/0040179 A1) and further in view of WU (US 2025/0031122 A1). As per claim 7 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach transmit the RLF report based on the RLF occurring within a threshold period of time after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, WU teaches transmit the RLF report based on the RLF occurring within a threshold period of time after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0022 and ¶0025, transmit RLF report based on RLF happens or occurs within the time window threshold based on the handover or cell re-establishment command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of WU into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for conditional handover includes the time-based event in a non-terrestrial network for reducing delay and interruption, ensuring business continuity during the movement of a user equipment (UE), and/or reducing the number of failure occurrences while a user is moving. As per claim 11 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does wherein the RLF report further includes at least one of: a recovery type associated with the attempted recovery if the cell is a CHO candidate cell and an LTM candidate cell, or a time between the attempted recovery and the failure or the RLF. In the same field of endeavor, WU teaches wherein the RLF report further includes at least one of: a recovery type associated with the attempted recovery if the cell is a CHO candidate cell and an LTM candidate cell, or a time between the attempted recovery and the failure or the RLF (¶0025-26, time window between the initiating or attempting recovery and the failure). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of WU into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for conditional handover includes the time-based event in a non-terrestrial network for reducing delay and interruption, ensuring business continuity during the movement of a user equipment (UE), and/or reducing the number of failure occurrences while a user is moving. As per claim 23 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach transmit the RLF report based on the RLF occurring within a threshold period of time after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, WU teaches transmit the RLF report based on the RLF occurring within a threshold period of time after the LTM cell switch based on the LTM cell switch command (¶0022 and ¶0025, transmit RLF report based on RLF happens or occurs within the time window threshold based on the handover or cell re-establishment command). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of WU into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for conditional handover includes the time-based event in a non-terrestrial network for reducing delay and interruption, ensuring business continuity during the movement of a user equipment (UE), and/or reducing the number of failure occurrences while a user is moving. As per claim 27 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does wherein the RLF report further includes at least one of: a recovery type associated with the attempted recovery if the cell is a CHO candidate cell and an LTM candidate cell, or a time between the attempted recovery and the failure or the RLF. In the same field of endeavor, WU teaches wherein the RLF report further includes at least one of: a recovery type associated with the attempted recovery if the cell is a CHO candidate cell and an LTM candidate cell, or a time between the attempted recovery and the failure or the RLF (¶0025-26, time window between the initiating or attempting recovery and the failure). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of WU into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for conditional handover includes the time-based event in a non-terrestrial network for reducing delay and interruption, ensuring business continuity during the movement of a user equipment (UE), and/or reducing the number of failure occurrences while a user is moving. C) Claims 8-10, and 24-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karimidehkordi (US 2024/0340981 A1) in view of ABRAHAM (US 2026/0040179 A1) and further in view of KOSKINEN (US 2024/0292290 A1). As per claim 8 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach wherein the UE is not configured with a recovery mechanism associated with LTM or conditional handover (CHO), and wherein based on the UE being not configured with the recovery mechanism associated with the LTM or the CHO, the RLF report further includes an additional indicator or additional timing information. In the same field of endeavor, KOSKINEN teaches wherein the UE is not configured with a recovery mechanism associated with LTM or conditional handover (CHO) (¶0032 and ¶0103-104, UE is not configured with a recovery associated with LTM), and wherein based on the UE being not configured with the recovery mechanism associated with the LTM or the CHO, the RLF report further includes an additional indicator or additional timing information (¶0032 and ¶0103-104, UE is not configured with the recovery associated with LTM and the report includes timing advance acquisition). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of KOSKINEN into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for a method/system of Lower layer triggered mobility LTM for a user equipment moving through a communication network with multiple network nodes supporting radio coverage in multiple cells to reduce the latency, overhead and interruption time associated with a UE moving between the different cells. As per claim 9 as applied to claim 8 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM further teaches wherein the additional indicator comprises an indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with the CHO when an LTM failure occurs, the UE is not configured with the CHO when the LTM failure occurs, the UE is configured with the LTM when an CHO failure occurs, the UE is not configured with the LTM when the CHO failure occurs, the UE is configured with the LTM or the CHO when the RLF occurs, or the UE is configured with the LTM or the CHO when the RLF occurs (¶0047-48, UE is configured with LTM when RLF occurs). As per claim 10 as applied to claim 8 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the additional timing information comprises at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the LTM configuration, a second time between the LTM cell switch command and the RLF, a third time between the LTM cell switch command and the failure, a fourth time between a CHO execution and a CHO failure, or a fifth time between a CHO configuration and the LTM configuration (¶0025, a time between cell switch command in connection with LTM and LTM configuration). As per claim 24 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach wherein the UE is not configured with a recovery mechanism associated with LTM or conditional handover (CHO), and wherein based on the UE being not configured with the recovery mechanism associated with the LTM or the CHO, the RLF report further includes an additional indicator or additional timing information. In the same field of endeavor, KOSKINEN teaches wherein the UE is not configured with a recovery mechanism associated with LTM or conditional handover (CHO) (¶0032 and ¶0103-104, UE is not configured with a recovery associated with LTM), and wherein based on the UE being not configured with the recovery mechanism associated with the LTM or the CHO, the RLF report further includes an additional indicator or additional timing information (¶0032 and ¶0103-104, UE is not configured with the recovery associated with LTM and the report includes timing advance acquisition). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of KOSKINEN into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for a method/system of Lower layer triggered mobility LTM for a user equipment moving through a communication network with multiple network nodes supporting radio coverage in multiple cells to reduce the latency, overhead and interruption time associated with a UE moving between the different cells. As per claim 25 as applied to claim 24 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM further teaches wherein the additional indicator comprises an indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with the CHO when an LTM failure occurs, the UE is not configured with the CHO when the LTM failure occurs, the UE is configured with the LTM when an CHO failure occurs, the UE is not configured with the LTM when the CHO failure occurs, the UE is configured with the LTM or the CHO when the RLF occurs, or the UE is configured with the LTM or the CHO when the RLF occurs (¶0047-48 UE is configured with LTM when RLF occurs). As per claim 26 as applied to claim 24 above, Karimidehkordi further teaches wherein the additional timing information comprises at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the LTM configuration, a second time between the LTM cell switch command and the RLF, a third time between the LTM cell switch command and the failure, a fourth time between a CHO execution and a CHO failure, or a fifth time between a CHO configuration and the LTM configuration (¶0025, a time between cell switch command in connection with LTM and LTM configuration). D) Claims 12,15-16, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karimidehkordi (US 2024/0340981 A1) in view of ABRAHAM (US 2026/0040179 A1) and further in view of Zhou (US 2024/0187954 A1). As per claim 12 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach refrain from executing a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) based on a reception of the LTM cell switch command; or refrain from evaluating a condition associated with the CHO, the CPA, or the CPC based on the reception of the LTM cell switch command. In the same field of endeavor, Zhou teaches refrain from executing a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) based on a reception of the LTM cell switch command; or refrain from evaluating a condition associated with the CHO, the CPA, or the CPC based on the reception of the LTM cell switch command (¶0381 and ¶0388, abort or refrain from executing CHO based on LTM procedure). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of Zhou into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for receiving cell switching command that is used to activate the (deactivated) initial uplink bandwidth part of the candidate cell to reduce a processing time and/or associated latency. As per claim 15 as applied to claim 14 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach wherein the information further comprises: at least one indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is not configured with the CPA or the CPC when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is configured with LTM for the PSCell when there is a CPA failure or a CPC failure, the UE is not configured with the LTM for the PSCell when there is the CPA failure or the CPC failure, the UE is configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, or the UE is not configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell; or timing information regarding at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure or the failure of the LTM cell switch, a second time between the LTM configuration and the LTM cell switch command, a third time between the LTM configuration and the failure of the LTM cell switch, or a fourth time between a configuration associated with the CPA or the CPC and the LTM configuration. In the same field of endeavor, Zhou teaches wherein the information further comprises: at least one indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is not configured with the CPA or the CPC when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is configured with LTM for the PSCell when there is a CPA failure or a CPC failure, the UE is not configured with the LTM for the PSCell when there is the CPA failure or the CPC failure, the UE is configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, or the UE is not configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell; or timing information regarding at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure or the failure of the LTM cell switch, a second time between the LTM configuration and the LTM cell switch command, a third time between the LTM configuration and the failure of the LTM cell switch, or a fourth time between a configuration associated with the CPA or the CPC and the LTM configuration (¶0380-81 and ¶0388, UE is configured with CHO procedure for the PSCell when SCG failure occurs for the PSCell). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of Zhou into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for receiving cell switching command that is used to activate the (deactivated) initial uplink bandwidth part of the candidate cell to reduce a processing time and/or associated latency. As per claim 16 as applied to claim 1 above, ABRAHAM teaches wherein a target cell associated with the LTM cell switch is not a current serving cell (¶0047, candidate cell or target cell associated with LTM is not a serving cell). However, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach record and report an interruption time during the cell switch, wherein the interruption time is a time between the cell switch and one of: an initial transmission or an initial reception on an indicated beam of the target cell, a first transmission or a first reception after the LTM cell switch, a transmission of an indication of radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration completion, or a contention resolution identity medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE). In the same field of endeavor, Zhou teaches record and report an interruption time during the cell switch, wherein the interruption time is a time between the cell switch and one of: an initial transmission or an initial reception on an indicated beam of the target cell, a first transmission or a first reception after the LTM cell switch, a transmission of an indication of radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration completion, or a contention resolution identity medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) (¶0237 and ¶0418, reporting an interruption time during handover and a contention resolution identity medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE)). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of Zhou into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for receiving cell switching command that is used to activate the (deactivated) initial uplink bandwidth part of the candidate cell to reduce a processing time and/or associated latency. As per claim 30 as applied to claim 29 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach wherein the information further comprises: at least one indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is not configured with the CPA or the CPC when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is configured with LTM for the PSCell when there is a CPA failure or a CPC failure, the UE is not configured with the LTM for the PSCell when there is the CPA failure or the CPC failure, the UE is configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, or the UE is not configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell; or timing information regarding at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure or the failure of the LTM cell switch, a second time between the LTM configuration and the LTM cell switch command, a third time between the LTM configuration and the failure of the LTM cell switch, or a fourth time between a configuration associated with the CPA or the CPC and the LTM configuration. In the same field of endeavor, Zhou teaches wherein the information further comprises: at least one indicator indicating at least one of: the UE is configured with a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is not configured with the CPA or the CPC when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, the UE is configured with LTM for the PSCell when there is a CPA failure or a CPC failure, the UE is not configured with the LTM for the PSCell when there is the CPA failure or the CPC failure, the UE is configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell, or the UE is not configured with the LTM or CHO for the PSCell when the SCG failure occurs for the PSCell; or timing information regarding at least one of: a first time between the LTM cell switch command and the SCG failure or the failure of the LTM cell switch, a second time between the LTM configuration and the LTM cell switch command, a third time between the LTM configuration and the failure of the LTM cell switch, or a fourth time between a configuration associated with the CPA or the CPC and the LTM configuration (¶0380-81 and ¶0388, UE is configured with CHO procedure for the PSCell when SCG failure occurs for the PSCell). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of Zhou into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for receiving cell switching command that is used to activate the (deactivated) initial uplink bandwidth part of the candidate cell to reduce a processing time and/or associated latency. E) Claims 13 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Karimidehkordi (US 2024/0340981 A1) in view of ABRAHAM (US 2026/0040179 A1) and further in view of JIN (US 2024/0284284 A1). As per claim 13 as applied to claim 1 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach execute a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC); and transmit, to the network entity, an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch is based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or stopped due to the CHO, the CPA, or the CPC. In the same field of endeavor, JIN teaches execute a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) (¶0113, executing conditional handover (CHO) and conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPAS)); and transmit, to the network entity, an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch is based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or stopped due to the CHO, the CPA, or the CPC (¶0113 and ¶0142-145, transmit to the base station and indication indicating the LTM handover based on the failure of LTM handover or prevented/stopped due to the CHO and CPAS). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of JIN into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for efficiently managing L1/L2 triggered mobility (LTM) and existing layer 3-based handover operations to support a higher data transmission rate. As per claim 28 as applied to claim 17 above, Karimidehkordi in view of ABRAHAM does not explicitly teach receive an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or stopped due to a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC). In the same field of endeavor, JIN teaches receive an indication indicating that the LTM cell switch based on the failure of the LTM cell switch command or stopped due to a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA), or a conditional PSCell Change (CPC) (¶0113 and ¶0142-145, transmit/receive an indication indicating the LTM handover based on the failure of LTM handover or prevented/stopped due to the CHO and CPAS). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of applicant’s claimed invention to have incorporated the teaching of JIN into Karimidehkordi and ABRAHAM invention of in order for efficiently managing L1/L2 triggered mobility (LTM) and existing layer 3-based handover operations to support a higher data transmission rate. Conclusion 4. 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 FARIDEH MADANI whose telephone number is (571)272-1249. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday; 9 AM to 5 PM EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JINSONG HU can be reached at 5712723965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /FARIDEH MADANI/Examiner, Art Unit 2643 /JINSONG HU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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Prosecution Timeline

Oct 26, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Mar 02, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 17, 2026
Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
77%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+20.4%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
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