Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/532,601

TERMINAL AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD

Final Rejection §102
Filed
Dec 07, 2023
Priority
Jun 11, 2021 — JP 2021-098135 +2 more
Examiner
AHMED, NIZAM U
Art Unit
2461
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Toyota Motor Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
75%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 75% — above average
75%
Career Allowance Rate
259 granted / 344 resolved
+17.3% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+23.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 2m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
373
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
91.0%
+51.0% vs TC avg
§102
6.8%
-33.2% vs TC avg
§112
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 344 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-8 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection was made in view of Hu et al. (US 2024/0251385 A1) which does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hu et al. (US 2024/0251385 A1), hereinafter, “Hu”. Regarding claim 1, Hu discloses: A terminal device (Hu: fig 1, para [0075], Terminal device) comprising: receiving circuitry (Hu: fig 5, receiving circuitry 510, para [0158], Terminal device) configured to: receiving, from a core network, a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message including first information for configuring an extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) cycle (Hu: fig 2 and fig 3A-D, para [0085]-[0089], where, the UE receives eDRX cycle configuration information with the NAS message from the CN); and receiving, from a base station, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message including second information and third information, the second information being for configuring an eDRX cycle (Hu: fig 2 and 3B, para [0040]-[0041], where, the UE receives an higher layer RRC message that include eDRX configuration and PTW information (equivalent to “third information), where, eDRX configuration (equivalent to “second information))), and the third information being for configuring a length of a Paging Time Window (PTW) (Hu: fig 2 and 3A-C, para [0047]-[0048], where, “Wherein L is a window length of PTW, and L is configured by AMF. 5. NR Reduced Capacity (RedCap) eDRX Mechanism”) and controlling circuitry (Hu: fig 5, Processor 580 (equivalent to “controlling circuitry), para [0158], Terminal device) configured to: determine a Hyper-System Frame Number (H-SFN) in a Paging Hyper frame (PH) by substituting the eDRX cycle based on the second information into a first formula (Hu: para [0044], where, formula “H-SFN mod TeDRX, H= UE_ID_H mod TeDRX, H equivalent to “first formula”); and monitor a physical downlink control channel candidate in a paging occasion during a period of the PTW in the PH (Hu: para [0043], where, “the UE monitors the PDCCH scrambled by P-RNTI on its own PO within a paging time window (PTW) in one eDRX cycle. The PTW is UE-specific and is determined according to a paging hyper frame (PH), a start time point PTW_start and an end time point PTW_end located within the PH”); determine a starting position for the PTW by substituting the eDRX cycle based on the first information into a second formula (Hu: para [0043], where, “The PTW is UE-specific and is determined according to a paging hyper frame (PH), a start time point PTW_start and an end time point PTW_end located within the PH”, para [0046], where, “PTW_start is a start radio frame number of PTW, and the PTW_start is SFN that satisfies the following conditions: [00004] SFN = 256 *ieDRXieDRX=floor(UE_ID_H/TeDRX,H) mod 4 equivalent to second formula”); and determine an ending position for the PTW by substituting the length of the PTW based on the third information into a third formula (Hu: para [0043], where, “an end time point PTW_end located within the PH” based on ieDRXieDRX=floor(UE_ID_H/TeDRX,H) mod 4 equivalent to third formula”). Regarding claim 5, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1 above. The claims are mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding terminal communication method, and the rejection to claim 1 is applied hereto. Regarding claims 2 and 6, Hu discloses: wherein: the receiving circuitry is further configured to receive, from the core network, an NAS message including fourth information for configuring a length of the PTW (Hu: fig 2 and 3A-C, para [0047]-[0048], where, “Wherein L is a window length of PTW, and L is configured by AMF. 5. NR Reduced Capacity (RedCap) eDRX Mechanism”); and the controlling circuitry is further configured to: determine an H-SFN in a PH by substituting the eDRX cycle based on the first information into the first formula (Hu: para [0044], where, formula “H-SFN mod TeDRX, H= UE_ID_H mod TeDRX, H equivalent to “first formula”); determine a starting position for a PTW in the PH by substituting the eDRX cycle based on the first information into the second formula (Hu: para [0043], where, “The PTW is UE-specific and is determined according to a paging hyper frame (PH), a start time point PTW_start and an end time point PTW_end located within the PH”, para [0046], where, “PTW_start is a start radio frame number of PTW, and the PTW_start is SFN that satisfies the following conditions: [00004] SFN = 256 *ieDRXieDRX= floor (UE_ID_H/TeDRX,H) mod 4 equivalent to second formula”); and determine an ending position for the PTW in the PH by substituting the length of the PTW based on the fourth information into the third formula (Hu: para [0043], where, “an end time point PTW_end located within the PH” based on ieDRXieDRX=floor (UE_ID_H/TeDRX,H) mod 4 equivalent to third formula”). Regarding claims 3 and 7, Hu discloses: wherein: the PH determined by the eDRX cycle based on the second information (Hu: para [0043], where, “The PTW is UE-specific and is determined according to a paging hyper frame (PH), a start time point PTW_start and an end time point PTW_end located within the PH”, para [0046], where, “PTW_start is a start radio frame number of PTW, and the PTW_start is SFN that satisfies the following conditions: [00004] SFN = 256 *ieDRXieDRX= floor (UE_ID_H/TeDRX,H) mod 4 equivalent to second formula”) and the PH determined by the eDRX cycle based on the first information do not overlap in a time domain (Hu: para [0044], where, formula “H-SFN mod TeDRX, H= UE_ID_H mod TeDRX, H equivalent to “first formula”). Regarding claims 4 and 8, Hu discloses: wherein: the terminal device is in an RRC inactive state (Hu: para [0002], where, “In a long term evolution (LTE) system, for user equipment (UE) in a radio resource control inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state”). Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIZAM U AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-9561. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fry, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM PST. 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, Huy Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. 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. /NIZAM U AHMED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 07, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102
Mar 04, 2026
Response Filed
May 29, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §102 (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
75%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+23.6%)
3y 2m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 344 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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