DETAILED ACTION This Office action is in response to the original application filed on 1 1 / 02 /202 3 . Claims 1- 32 are pending in the application. 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 Objections 3. Claims 2, 3 , and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim s 2, 3 , and 7 in line 1 , “ wherein the obtaining the information ” should be replaced by “ wherein obtaining the information ” Appropriate corrections are required. 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 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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co. , 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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. Claims 1 - 12, 15-28, and 31-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GULATI et al. ( US 2021/0051619 Al , hereinafter “ Gulati ”) in view of “ Harmonisation of SATCOM with 5G Control and User planes , Satellite and Terrestrial Network for 5G , SaT5G , M27 (Final)", 1 December 2019 (2019-12-01), XP055743394 ( SaT5G (761413) D 4 . 4, hereafter “SaT5G”) . Regarding claim 1 , Gulati discloses: A method of communication performed by a wireless communication device of a set of communication devices, the method comprising ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks, Gulati: [0039]-[0040] ) : communicating with the NTN indirectly via a peer-to-peer communication network and the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the wireless communication device being not identified as any of the one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN ( SyncRef UEs can be indirectly connected to the base station or GNSS (e.g., more than one hop away via one or more peer UEs in the sidelink communications network). the sidelink synchronization signaling over the sidelink communications links 512-516 may be configured as shown in Table 1, Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0065] ) . Gulati does not explicitly disclose: obtaining information regarding communication between the set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and communicating with the NTN, comprising: communicating with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN; or However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: obtaining information regarding communication between the set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) ( an NTN terminal may also update its timing advance value based after acquiring relevant information from the RAR message , SaT5G: Page 86-89, Section 4.8.3 ) ; and communicating with the NTN, comprising ( UE direct access, SaT5G: Page 113-115, 173-174, Section 5.5.2.1, 5.5.10.3 ) : communicating with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN ( UE direct access, SaT5G: Page 113-115, 173-174, Section 5.5.2.1, 5.5.10.3 ) ; or Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify obtaining information regarding communication between the set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) , and communicating with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ) . Regarding claim 2 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teach es all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the information comprises transmitting first parameters to one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network, the first parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ) : a connection capability between the wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection quality between the wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the wireless communication device and the NTN, subscription or charging information regarding accessing the NTN by the wireless communication device, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the wireless communication device, a battery level of the wireless communication device, a position of the wireless communication device, a movement trajectory of the wireless communication device, an orientation of the wireless communication device, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by the wireless communication device, an LOS blocked region observed by the wireless communication device, or a combination thereof ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ). Regarding claim 3 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the information comprises receiving second parameters from at least one other wireless communication device of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network, the second parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ) : a connection capability between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection quality between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, subscription or charging information regarding accessing the NTN by the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a battery level of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a position of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a movement trajectory of the at least one other wireless communication devices, an orientation of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by at least one other wireless communication devices, an LOS blocked region observed by the at least one other wireless communication devices, or a combination thereof ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ) . Regarding claim 4 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links, Gulati: [0040] ) : WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Regarding claim 5 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing a selection procedure to determine one or more candidate wireless communication devices based on the information ( establishes, with a peer sidelink UE, at least one sidelink communications link that each comprises one or more hops. Gulati: [0073] ) ; and coordinating with one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the one or more candidate wireless communication devices and one or more other candidate wireless communication devices determined by the one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices ( the determination performed by the UE at 904 is optional because the propagation delay parameter can instead be obtained at least in part via crowdsourcing from one or more other UEs, Gulati: [0074] ) . Regarding claim 6 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, further comprising: coordinating with one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network to designate the wireless communication device to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices for the set of communication devices ( the determination performed by the UE at 904 is optional because the propagation delay parameter can instead be obtained at least in part via crowdsourcing from one or more other UEs, Gulati: [0074] ) ; and performing a selection procedure to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the information after the wireless communication device is selected to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices for the set of communication devices ( UEs 1 and 2 establish a sidelink communications link (e.g., as in 902 of FIG. 9 or 1002 of FIG. 10), Gulati: [0082]-[0084] ) . Regarding claim 7 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the NTN indirectly comprises ( SyncRef UEs can be indirectly connected to the base station or GNSS ( e.g., more than one hop away via one or more peer UEs in the sidelink communications network). the sidelink synchronization signaling over the sidelink communications links 512-516 may be configured as shown in Table 1, Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0065] ) : accessing the NTN via at least one of the one or more selected wireless communication devices ( UE 504 is synchronized with a network clock of the GNSS satellite 502 based on receipt of various GNSS signals. UE 504 is connected to UE 506 via a sidelink communications link 512, UE 506 is connected to UE 508 via a sidelink communications link 514, and UE 508 is connected to UE 510 via a sidelink communications link 516. Gulati: Fig. 5, [0064] ). Regarding claim 8 , Gulati discloses: obtaining, from at least one other wireless communication device via a peer-to - peer communication network, assist information regarding communication between the at least one other wireless communication device and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) ( UE establishes, with a peer sidelink UE, at least one sidelink communications link that each comprises one or more hops, Gulati: [0073]-[0077] ) ; and establishing a connection with the NTN based on the assist information ( UE 504 is directly synchronized with the GNSS clock of GNSS satellite 502, UE 506 is indirectly synchronized with the GNSS clock of GNSS satellite 502 via its respective sidelink hop to UE 504, Gulati: Fig. 5 - Fig.6, [0073]-[0077] ) : Gulati does not explicitly disclose: A method of communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising: However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: A method of communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising ( UE direct access and UE Indirect Access, SaT5G: Page 173-174, Section 5.5.10.3 ) : Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify a method of communication performed by a wireless communication device from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ). Regarding claim 9 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 8 above. Gulati further disclose s : The method of claim 8, wherein the assist information includes parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ) : a connection quality between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the at least one other wireless communication device, a position of the at least one other wireless communication device, an orientation of the at least one other wireless communication device, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by the at least one other wireless communication device, an LOS blocked region observed by the at least one other wireless communication device, or a combination thereof ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ) . Regarding claim 10 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 9 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 8, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links, Gulati: [0040] ) : WiFi, Blue tooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Regarding claim 11 , Gulati disclose s : A method of communication performed by a wireless communication device, the method comprising ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks, Gulati: [0039]-[0040] ) : synchronizing, with at least one other wireless communication device via a peer-to-peer communication network, information regarding communication between the wireless communication device and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) and regarding communication between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN ( the sidelink communications network 500 comprises a GNSS satellite 502 and UEs 504, 506, 508 and 510. UE 504 is synchronized with a network clock of the GNSS satellite 502 based on receipt of various GNSS signals., Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0069] ) ; and Gulati does not explicitly disclose: establishing a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information. However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: establishing a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information ( UE direct access and UE Indirect Access, SaT5G: Page 173-174, Section 5.5.10.3 ) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify establishing a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ) . Regarding claim 12 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 11, wherein the information includes parameters indicating: a frequency band used by the wireless communication device, a carrier frequency used by the wireless communication device, a frequency band used by the at least one other wireless communication device, a carrier frequency used by the at least one other wireless communication device, an antenna arrangement of the wireless communication device, an antenna arrangement of the at least one other wireless communication device, a beamforming capability of the wireless communication device, a beamforming capability of the at least one other wireless communication device, a relative position between the wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device, a relative movement between the wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device, or a combination thereof ( communication links 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity, Gulati: [0036], [0044] ) . Regarding claim 15 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 1 1, wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on joint beamforming ( base station 402 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beams of interest for data communication between the base station 402, Gulati: [0059]-[0060] ) . Regarding claim 16 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The method of claim 11, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( base station 402 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beams of interest for data communication between the base station 402, Gulati: [0059]-[0060] ) : WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Regarding claim 17 , Gulati discloses: A wireless communication device, comprising ( wireless communications device, Gulati: [0032] ) : one or more memories ( comprising a memory, Gulati: [0010] ) ; one or more transceivers ( at least one transceiver, Gulati: [0010] ) ; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to ( at least one processor coupled to the memory and the at least the transceiver, the at least one processor configured to establish, Gulati: [0010] ) : communicate with the NTN indirectly via a peer-to-peer communication network and the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the wireless communication device being not identified as any of the one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN ( SyncRef UEs can be indirectly connected to the base station or GNSS (e.g., more than one hop away via one or more peer UEs in the sidelink communications network). the sidelink synchronization signaling over the sidelink communications links 512-516 may be configured as shown in Table 1, Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0065] ) ; or Gulati does not explicitly disclose: obtain information regarding communication between a set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and communicate, via the one or more transceivers, with the NTN, comprising the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being configured to: communicate with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN; or However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: obtain information regarding communication between a set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) ( an NTN terminal may also update its timing advance value based after acquiring relevant information from the RAR message , SaT5G: Page 86-89, Section 4.8.3 ) ; and communicate, via the one or more transceivers, with the NTN, comprising the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being configured to ( UE direct access, SaT5G: Page 113-115, 173-174, Section 5.5.2.1, 5.5.10.3 ) : communicate with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN ( UE direct access, SaT5G: Page 113-115, 173-174, Section 5.5.2.1, 5.5.10.3 ) ; or Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify obtaining information regarding communication between the set of communication devices and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) , and communicating with the NTN directly based on the wireless communication device being identified as one of one or more selected wireless communication devices for direct communication with the NTN from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ) . Regarding claim 18 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 17 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to obtain the information comprises the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being further configured to transmit first parameters to one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network, the first parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ): a connection capability between the wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection quality between the wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the wireless communication device and the NTN, subscription or charging information regarding accessing the NTN by the wireless communication device, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the wireless communication device, a battery level of the wireless communication device, a position of the wireless communication device, a movement trajectory of the wireless communication device, an orientation of the wireless communication device, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by the wireless communication device, an LOS blocked region observed by the wireless communication device, or a combination thereof. ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ) . Regarding claim 19 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 7 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to obtain the information comprises the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being further configured to receive second parameters from at least one other wireless communication device of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network, the second parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ) : a connection capability between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection quality between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, subscription or charging information regarding accessing the NTN by the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a battery level of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a position of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a movement trajectory of the at least one other wireless communication devices, an orientation of the at least one other wireless communication devices, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by at least one other wireless communication devices, an LOS blocked region observed by the at least one other wireless communication devices, or a combination thereof. ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ) . Regarding claim 20 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 7 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links, Gulati: [0040] ) : WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Regarding claim 21 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 7 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to perform a selection procedure to determine one or more candidate wireless communication devices based on the information ( establishes, with a peer sidelink UE, at least one sidelink communications link that each comprises one or more hops. Gulati: [0073] ) ; and coordinate with one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the one or more candidate wireless communication devices and one or more other candidate wireless communication devices determined by the one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices ( the determination performed by the UE at 904 is optional because the propagation delay parameter can instead be obtained at least in part via crowdsourcing from one or more other UEs, Gulati: [0074] ) . Regarding claim 22 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 7 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, are further configured to : coordinate with one or more other wireless communication devices of the set of communication devices via the peer-to-peer communication network to designate the wireless communication device to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices for the set of communication devices ( the determination performed by the UE at 904 is optional because the propagation delay parameter can instead be obtained at least in part via crowdsourcing from one or more other UEs, Gulati: [0074] ) ; and perform a selection procedure to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices based on the information after the wireless communication device is selected to determine the one or more selected wireless communication devices for the set of communication devices ( UEs 1 and 2 establish a sidelink communications link (e.g., as in 902 of FIG. 9 or 1002 of FIG. 10), Gulati: [0082]-[0084] ) . Regarding claim 23 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 1 7 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to communicate with the NTN indirectly comprises the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, being configured to ( SyncRef UEs can be indirectly connected to the base station or GNSS (e.g., more than one hop away via one or more peer UEs in the sidelink communications network). the sidelink synchronization signaling over the sidelink communications links 512-516 may be configured as shown in Table 1, Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0065] ) : access the NTN via at least one of the one or more selected wireless communication devices ( UE 504 is synchronized with a network clock of the GNSS satellite 502 based on receipt of various GNSS signals. UE 504 is connected to UE 506 via a sidelink communications link 512, UE 506 is connected to UE 508 via a sidelink communications link 514, and UE 508 is connected to UE 510 via a sidelink communications link 516. Gulati: Fig. 5, [0064] ). Regarding claim 24 , Gulati discloses: one or more memories ( comprising a memory, Gulati: [0010] ) ; one or more transceivers ( at least one transceiver, Gulati: [0010] ) ; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to ( at least one processor coupled to the memory and the at least the transceiver, the at least one processor configured to establish, Gulati: [0010] ) : obtain, from at least one other wireless communication device via a peer - to-peer communication network, assist information regarding communication between the at least one other wireless communication device and a non -t errestrial network (NTN) ( UE establishes, with a peer sidelink UE, at least one sidelink communications link that each comprises one or more hops, Gulati: [0073]-[0077] ) ; and establish a connection with the NTN based on the assist information ( UE 504 is directly synchronized with the GNSS clock of GNSS satellite 502, UE 506 is indirectly synchronized with the GNSS clock of GNSS satellite 502 via its respective sidelink hop to UE 504, Gulati: Fig. 5 - Fig.6, [0073]-[0077] ) : Gulati does not explicitly disclose: A wireless communication device, comprising: However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: A wireless communication device, comprising ( UE direct access and UE Indirect Access, SaT5G: Page 173-174, Section 5.5.10.3 ) : Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify a wireless communication device from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ). Regarding claim 25 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 24 above. Gulati further disclose s : The wireless communication device of claim 24, wherein the assist information includes parameters indicating ( the location of the peer UE is known at the UE using location information included as part of a sidelink transmission from the peer UE, Gulati: [0093] ) : a connection quality between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a connection history between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN, a non-terrestrial station signal search history of the at least one other wireless communication device, a position of the at least one other wireless communication device, an orientation of the at least one other wireless communication device, a predicted position of a non-terrestrial station of the NTN, a line-of-sight (LOS) capable region observed by the at least one other communication device, wireless an LOS blocked region observed by the at least one other wireless communication device, or a combination thereof ( Identifying the LOS/shortest path beam(s) is of interest not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 402, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. UE 404 may determine its position , Gulati: [0052] -[0053] ) . Regarding claim 26 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 24 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 24, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( wireless communications system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links, Gulati: [0040] ) : WiFi, Blue tooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Regarding claim 27 , Gulati disclose s : one or more memories ( comprising a memory, Gulati: [0010] ) ; one or more transceivers ( at least one transceiver, Gulati: [0010] ) ; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors, either alone or in combination, configured to ( at least one processor coupled to the memory and the at least the transceiver, the at least one processor configured to establish, Gulati: [0010] ) : synchronize, with at least one other wireless communication device via a peer-to-peer communication network, information regarding communication between the wireless communication device and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) and regarding communication between the at least one other wireless communication device and the NTN ( the sidelink communications network 500 comprises a GNSS satellite 502 and UEs 504, 506, 508 and 510. UE 504 is synchronized with a network clock of the GNSS satellite 502 based on receipt of various GNSS signals., Gulati: Fig. 5, [0063]-[0069] ) ; and Gulati does not explicitly disclose: A wireless communication device, comprising: establish a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information. However, in the same field of endeavor, SaT5G teaches: A wireless communication device, comprising ( UE direct access and UE Indirect Access, SaT5G: Page 173-174, Section 5.5.10.3 ) : establish a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information ( UE direct access and UE Indirect Access, SaT5G: Page 173-174, Section 5.5.10.3 ) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati in view of SaT5G in order to further modify a wireless communication device and establishing a connection with the NTN based on the information, the connection between the wireless communication device and the NTN and at least one other connection between the NTN and the at least one other wireless communication device operating in an integrated manner based on the information from the teachings of SaT5G . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because such regenerative configuration provides greater flexibility for sate ll ite-based 5G NR communications guaranteeing improved resource allocation ( SaT5G: Page 90, Section 4.9.1 ). Regarding claim 28 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 27 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein the information includes parameters indicating : a frequency band used by the wireless communication device, a carrier frequency used by the wireless communication device, a frequency band used by the at least one other wireless communication device, a carrier frequency used by the at least one other wireless communication device, an antenna arrangement of the wireless communication device, an antenna arrangement of the at least one other wireless communication device, a beamforming capability of the wireless communication device, a beamforming capability of the at least one other wireless communication device, a relative position between the wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device, a relative movement between the wireless communication device and the at least one other wireless communication device, or a combination thereof. ( communication links 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity, Gulati: [0036], [0044] ) . Regarding claim 31 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 27 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on joint beam forming ( base station 402 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beams of interest for data communication between the base station 402, Gulati: [0059]-[0060] ) . Regarding claim 32 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati f urther discloses: The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein the peer-to-peer communication network is established based on ( base station 402 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beams of interest for data communication between the base station 402, Gulati: [0059]-[0060] ) : WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Near-Field Communication (NFC), a Visible Light Communication, a sidelink, or a combination thereof ( UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192-194 may be supported with any well-known D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth , and so on, Gulati: [0040] ) . Claims 1 3 -1 4 and 29 -3 0 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gulati in view of SaT5G and in further view of SUN (US 2023/0224985 Al, hereinafter “ Sun ”) . Regarding claim 13 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati in view of SaT5G does not explicitly disclose: The method of claim 1 1, wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a coherent integration. However, in the same field of endeavor, Sun teaches: wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a coherent integration ( During D-MIMO transmission, a design solution of a precoding vector or a precoding matrix used for data transmission at each AP may be a coherent precoding design based on full channel information or a non-coherent precoding design based on partial channel information, Sun: [0199] ) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati and SaT5G in view of S un in order to further modify the connection and the at least one other connection that operate based on a coherent integration from the teachings of S un . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because t he first indication information may be sent in a plurality of manners, to cope with different transmission scenarios and improve transmission efficiency and flexibility of network deployment. ( S un : [0 171 ] ). Regarding claim 14 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 11 above. Gulati in view of SaT5G does not explicitly disclose: The method of claim 11, wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a non-coherent integration . However, in the same field of endeavor, Sun teaches: wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a non-coherent integration ( During D-MIMO transmission, a design solution of a precoding vector or a precoding matrix used for data transmission at each AP may be a coherent precoding design based on full channel information or a non-coherent precoding design based on partial channel information, Sun: [0199] ) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati and SaT5G in view of S un in order to further modify the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a non-coherent integration from the teachings of S un . One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated because t he first indication information may be sent in a plurality of manners, to cope with different transmission scenarios and improve transmission efficiency and flexibility of network deployment. ( S un : [0 171 ] ). Regarding claim 29 , Gulati in view of SaT5G teaches all the claimed limitations as set forth in the rejection of claim 27 above. Gulati in view of SaT5G does not explicitly disclose: The wireless communication device of claim 27, wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a coherent integration . However, in the same field of endeavor, Sun teaches: wherein the connection and the at least one other connection operate based on a coherent integration ( During D-MIMO transmission, a design solution of a precoding vector or a precoding matrix used for data transmission at each AP may be a coherent precoding design based on full channel information or a non-coherent precoding design based on partial channel information, Sun: [0199] ) . Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Gulati and SaT5G in view of S un in order t