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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s representative filed arguments on 12/01/2025 with respect to
independent claim 1 has been considered and are not persuasive. Specifically, applicant presented arguments on Pages 2-3 that the combination of KWUN, ORHAN and Kahn does not teach the check performed by traversing a request data structure and looking for all matches for the dynamic region and by looking up the dynamic region to see if the dynamic region is locked using a synchronization lock.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s arguments.
First, applicant’s argument improperly narrows the claimed “dynamic region” encompasses any logically defined scope or target domain whose membership, parameters, or applicability may change based on network conditions or operational requirements.
KWUN clearly teaches dynamically identifying and updating a target scope for PCI management, including selecting a target macro base station and scanning adjacent macro base stations to determine applicable PCI ranges (See FIG. 6A; [0079]). Such dynamically determined operational scope reasonably corresponds to the claimed dynamic region.
Second, applicant argues that the office action fails to articulate how the check is performed by traversing a request data structure. However, the claim does not require any specific data structure implementation.
ORHAN teaches processing region-related requests at runtime based on configuration and load conditions, which involves examining multiple request entries associated with a region. Such examination reasonably constitutes traversing a request data structure under the broadest reasonable interpretation. (See FIG. 5; [0099], [0106], [0424]).
When combined with KWUN’s PCI allocation framework, it would have been obvious to perform the claimed check by traversing request entries associated with a dynamically determined region.
Third, applicant’s argument improperly requires an express recitation of the term “synchronization lock.” The claim, however, is directed to functionality, not nomenclature.
Kahn teaches controlling access to shared resources by permitting or restricting operations based on access state, which synchronizes competing requests. Such access control mechanisms function as synchronization locks under the broadest reasonable interpretation. (See [Col. 126 66-67]; Col. 127 1-7, 37-50]).
The combination of KWON, ORHAN and Kahn reasonably disclose checking whether a resource is locked prior to processing a request.
[Therefore, the cited references collectively disclose a sequence of operations in which the recited messages are generated, transmitted, and processed in the claimed manner. This sequence supports the describes flow and content of the messages].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWUN (US 2011/0190000 A1), in view of ORHAN et al. (US 2022/0124543 A1; hereinafter “ORHAN”), and further in view of Kahn (US 11564266 B1).
Regarding claim 1, KWUN teaches a method (abstract), comprising:
receiving a physical cell ID (PCI) allocation request is received from a cell ([0078] In FIG. 6A, to select a Physical Cell Identifier (PCID) of the Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) BS 602, the micro EMS 612 sends a PCI range update request message to the target macro BS 604 through the macro EMS 610);
identifying a dynamic region (FIG. 6A BS 604) for the received PCI allocation request ([0079] Upon receiving the PCI range update request message, the target macro BS 604 scans its adjacent macro BSs in step 616, and sends measurement requests of adjacent macro BSs with step 1; [0056] the macro EMS collects PCIDs of adjacent macro BSs located within one tier from the target macro BS);
performing a check to determine if other PCI allocation requests are processing in the dynamic region ([0080] In step 624, the target macro BS 604 updates the CSG PCI allocation range using the macro PCIDs of the adjacent macro BSs, and sends a CSG PCI allocation range update request to the adjacent macro BSs in step 626, thereby checking for potential conflicts within the dynamic region),
processing, if there are no other requests in the dynamic region, the received PCI allocation request ([0057] The macro EMS checks an adjacent macro BS having the maximum PCID among the PCIDs of adjacent macro BSs located within two tiers from the target macro BS, and determines the maximum PCID value as a start value of a CSG PCI allocation range of the target macro BS, ¶ [0080] In step 624, the target macro BS 604 updates the CSG PCI allocation range of the target macro BS 604 according to Step 2 ([0057]), using the macro PCIDs of the adjacent macro BSs #1 and #2 606 and 608).
However, KWUN does not teach the check performed by traversing a request data structure and looking for all matches for the dynamic region and by looking up the dynamic region to see if the dynamic region is locked using a synchronization lock; enqueuing, if there are other requests in the dynamic region, the received PCI allocation request.
In an analogous art, ORHAN teaches the check performed by traversing a request data structure and looking for all matches for the dynamic region (FIG. 5; [0099] Each conn-event 506 reported from the network is placed into the queue 507, [0106] the conn-event processor 503 performs processing based on conn-events pulled from the queue 507, [0424] A “queue” refers to a collection of entities maintained in a sequence, and “enqueue” refers to adding an element to the queue),
enqueuing, if there are other requests in the dynamic region, the received PCI allocation request ([0099] At FIG. 5 the conn-event handler 501, each conn-event 506 reported from the network (NW) 510 is placed in a queue 507. If a user (e.g., UE 221) in the queue 507 is served by earlier conn-events 506, the corresponding user is also removed from the queue 507 to avoid ping-pong effect, [0102] The serving cell IDs includes a physical cell identity (PCI) of a cell 230, [0106] Since parallel processing and signal/connection decisions are performed for multiple UEs 221, it is possible that some conflicts may arise between each handover decision, [0424] The term “enqueue” at least in some embodiments refers to one or more operations of adding an element to the rear of a queue).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the queue process as taught by ORHAN within the parameter of KWUN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to enhance the total network throughput and the smallest user rate at each cell that improves network performance (ORHAN [0113]).
However, the combination of KWUN and ORHAN does not teach by looking up the dynamic region to see if the dynamic region is locked using a synchronization lock.
In an analogous art, Kahn teaches by looking up the dynamic region to see if the dynamic region is locked using a synchronization lock ([Col. 126 66-67, Col. 127 1-7] the high speed DNS propagated star domain certificates and hierarchically stored sub-directory certificates function as a semaphore that raises or lowers access to a restricted resource, and third parties may instantly query (e.g. DNS Lookup, HTTPS GET) to validate any activity or to determine whether the resource is locked or unlocked, [Col. 127 37-50] the access controlling platform communicates the recorded Star Certificate, storing it for future validation, thereby establishing a remote session-based “cookie” and timer that gatekeeps the restricted access resource as a semaphore));
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify a semaphore as taught by Kahn within the parameter of KWUN and ORHAN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to trigger a renewed authentication at high frequency, supported by high performance with low latency (Kahn [Col. 127 58-62]).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of KWUN and ORHAN does not teach wherein the synchronization lock a being a spinlock in a synchronization data structure.
In an analogous art, Kahn teaches wherein the synchronization lock a being a spinlock in a synchronization data structure ([Col. 127 1-7] the star domain certificate-based semaphore raises or lowers access to a restricted resource, enabling immediate lock-state evaluation, [Col. 127 45-50] the semaphore operates as the gatekeeping mechanism through a session-based cookie and timer).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify a semaphore as taught by Kahn within the parameter of KWUN and ORHAN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to trigger a renewed authentication at high frequency, supported by high performance with low latency (Kahn [Col. 127 58-62]).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of KWUN, ORHAN and Kahn, specifically Kahn teaches wherein the dynamic region ([Col. 121 42-54] request the geolocation of the requesting computing device to pay a toll of a predetermined or a varied amount, [Col. 121 55-67; Col. 122 1-6] require a user to pay a particular amount if the geographic location of the user is associated with high frequency of “click farming” actors) includes a latitude value, a longitude value, and a radius ([Col. 122 8-21] In at least some embodiments, as used herein, the term geolocation is the identification of a real-world geographic location (e.g., by latitude and longitude) of an object (e.g., a person, device, etc.), [Col. 122 37-45] Uplink-Time difference of arrival (U-TDOA) based triangulation, Time of arrival (TOA) based triangulation, Angle of arrival (AOA) based triangulation; techniques and systems using a geographic coordinate system such as, but not limited to, longitudinal and latitudinal based).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the geolocation as taught by Kahn within the parameter of KWUN and ORHAN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to trigger a renewed authentication at high frequency, supported by high performance with low latency (Kahn [Col. 127 58-62]).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of KWUN, ORHAN and Kahn, specifically ORHAN teaches wherein the regions may be made dynamic by adjusting the size of the regions at runtime based on configuration, to improve performance or to reduce load ([0068] Once the GNN computations are complete, the score of graph custom-character will be used to select the best or optimal connection graph among a subset of feasible graphs, [0070] In FIG. 2, GNN is scalable to different graph sizes and can capture local network features with variable numbers of cells/NANs 231 and UEs 221. To make the best (optimal) selection for UE connectivity, the right Q-function needs to be learned. As the Q-function is captured through the GNN, this translates to learning the parameters of the GNN which is done through sequential addition of new NAN-UE connections to partially connected graph).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the GNN as taught by ORHAN within the parameter of KWUN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to enhance the total network throughput and the smallest user rate at each cell that improves network performance (ORHAN [0113]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of KWUN, ORHAN and Kahn, specifically ORHAN teaches further comprising separating the request into requests for each region ([0109] cell edge users in the network request for new DU connections, [0124] Edge compute nodes may partition resources through isolated user-space instances such as containers, partitions, virtual environments (VEs), virtual machines (VMs), Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) engines, [0194] the memory circuitry 1154 is divided into isolated user-space instances such as containers, partitions, virtual environments (VEs)), [0141] Edge compute nodes request the measurement from the NANs provide the measurement to the edge compute node).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the edge node as taught by ORHAN within the parameter of KWUN. One would have been motivated to do so in order to enhance the total network throughput and the smallest user rate at each cell that improves network performance (ORHAN [0113]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of KWUN, ORHAN and Kahn, specifically KWUN teaches wherein the method is performed at a self-organizing network (SON), element management system (EMS), or near-real time radio intelligent controller near-RT RIC ([0023] In FIG. 5A and 5B, determining a CSG PCI allocation range by a macro Element Management Server (EMS)).
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2015/0071186 A1 (CHEN et al.) discloses systems and methods of scheduling data for transmission from an access point "AP" to a station.
US 2020/0021997 A1 (SHOSHAN et al.) discloses a method for converting a conventional cellular network.
US 2021/0243797 A1 (Reddy et al.) discloses a computer program product for radio synchronous status messaging between communications units in wireless communications systems.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 THEODORE IM whose telephone number is (571)270-1955. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5PM ET.
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/T.I./ Examiner, Art Unit 2413
/UN C CHO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2413