DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 51-76 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Pan et al. (US 2022/0353748 A1) hereinafter Pan.
Regarding claims 51 and 75 – Pan discloses sending an indication to a second node comprised in the communications network, the indication indicating a context of a third node, comprised in the communications network, to be migrated from the first node to the second node, the context being for control of radio resource, wherein a content of the indication is based on whether the migration of the third node is to be partial or full, and wherein the sending of the indication is performed in response to a first indication received from the second node, the first indication requesting the context of the third node from the first node, refer to paragraph [0014] - The method includes transmitting, to a second node, a first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node, receiving, from the second node, a second message in response to the first message, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and determining a process for migrating the third node to the second node based on the received second message, also, paragraph [0016] - the first migration mode information is used to indicate whether the process for migrating the third node to the second node is a partial migration or a full migration.
Regarding claims 52 and 63 – Pan discloses at least one of: with the proviso that the migration is to be partial, the indication further indicates one or more of: v. a first explicit indication that partial migration is requested, refer to paragraph [0073] - Mode 1: that is, a partial migration or a partial handover or RRC migration or RRC handover or mobile termination part migration (MT migration) or MT handover.
with the proviso that the migration is to be full, the indication further indicates one or more of: xxii. A second explicit indication that full migration is requested, refer to paragraph [0074] - Mode 2: that is, full migration or full handover or F1 migration or F1 handover or distributed unit part migration (DU migration) or distributed unit part handover (DU handover).
Regarding claims 53 and 64 – Pan discloses wherein the context is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) context, refer to paragraph [0114] - the migration message may be a radio resource control reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message, a radio resource control connection reconfiguration (RRCConnectionReconfiguration) message, or other messages, also, paragraph [0142] - UE context migration state indication message may be an RRC message
Regarding claims 54 and 67 – Pan discloses determining whether the indication is to be for a partial migration or a full migration, and wherein the sent indication is based on a first result of the determination, refer to paragraph [0014] - The method includes transmitting, to a second node, a first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node, receiving, from the second node, a second message in response to the first message, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and determining a process for migrating the third node to the second node based on the received second message, also, paragraph [0016] - the first migration mode information is used to indicate whether the process for migrating the third node to the second node is a partial migration or a full migration
Regarding claim 55 – Pan discloses the determining is based on at least one of: one or more indications received from the second node [0151 -the second node transmits the first message to the first node. At operation 1203, the second node receives a second message
Regarding claims 56 and 65 – Pan discloses receiving the first indication from the second node, refer to paragraph [0014] - The method includes transmitting, to a second node, a first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node, receiving, from the second node, a second message in response to the first message, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and determining a process for migrating the third node to the second node based on the received second message,
Regarding claims 57 and 69` – Pan discloses receiving a third indication from the second node, the third indication indicating whether or not the migration is accepted, wherein the receiving of the third indication is based on the sent second indication, refer to paragraph [0036] - … if the second message (second indication) contains a second migration mode and the second migration mode can be accepted by the first node, transmitting a third message to the second node, …
Regarding claim 58 – Pan discloses determining whether or not to modify the migration based on the received third indication, refer to Figure 7 and … may determine whether to initiate a new migration request message (also called a “third message”) to the target anchor node (or the central unit of the target anchor node, or the control plane part of the central unit of the target anchor node) according to the suggested new migration mode.
repeating the sending of the indication, the receiving of the third indication, and the determining of whether or not to modify the migration, based a second result of the determination of whether or not to modify the migration, refer to paragraph [0036] - … if the second message (second indication) contains a second migration mode and the second migration mode can be accepted by the first node, transmitting a third message to the second node, …
Regarding claim 59 – Pan discloses sending a fourth indication to the third node, the fourth indication indicating an F1 configuration update, refer to paragraph [0073] - … a partial migration …, also, paragraph [0134] - then transmit a UE context migration state indication message (also called a “fourth message”) (fourth indication) to the anchor node, also, paragraph [0073] - … maintain an F1 connection
Regarding claims 60 and 73– Pan discloses wherein the communications network is an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network, and wherein the first node is a source Centralized Unit, CU, the second node is a target CU, and the third node is a top-level IAB node, refer to paragraph [0067] - … in order to extend a coverage of the network, a topic of Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) is proposed, also, Figure 3 and paragraph [0069] - anchor node ( source), may be an independent base station or a base station composed of a central unit (CU) (IAB-donor central unit) and distributed units (DUs) (target), (IAB-donor distributed units), also, paragraph [0006] - Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) for providing a (third) node
Regarding claims 61 and 74 – Pan discloses in partial migration, a mobile termination of the third node is to migrate to the second node, while Fl and Radio Resource Control (RRC) connections of its collocated Distributed Unit and all descendant mobile terminations and Distributed Units and devices served directly or indirectly by the third node, remain anchored at the first node, refer to paragraph [0073] - partial migration or a partial handover or RRC migration or RRC handover or mobile termination part migration (MT migration) or MT handover. In this migration process, the mobile termination part (MT) of the relay node and the target anchor node (or the central unit of the target anchor node, or the control plane part of the central unit of the target anchor node) complete an RRC connection, while the distributed unit part (DU) and the source anchor node (or the central unit of the source anchor node, or the control plane part of the central unit of the source anchor node) maintain an F1 connection (anchored to first node)
in full migration, all the Fl and RRC connections of the third node and all its descendants and devices served directly or indirectly by the third node, are to migrate to the second node, refer to paragraph [0074] - full migration or full handover or F1 migration or F1 handover or distributed unit part migration (DU migration) or distributed unit part handover (DU handover). In this migration process, both the mobile termination part (MT) and the distributed unit part (DU) of the relay node are connected with the target anchor node (or the central unit of the target anchor node, or the control plane part of the central unit of the target anchor node), and an RRC connection and an F1 connection are completed, (migrate to second node)
Regarding claims 62 and 76 – Pan discloses receiving an indication from a first node comprised in the communications network, the indication indicating a context of a third node, comprised in the communications network, to be migrated from the first node to the second node, the context being for control of radio resource, wherein a content of the indication is based on whether the migration of the third node is to be partial or full, and wherein the receiving of the indication is performed in response to a first indication sent by the second node, the first indication requesting the context of the third node from the first node refer to paragraph [0014] - The method includes transmitting, to a second node, a first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node, receiving, from the second node, a second message in response to the first message, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and determining a process for migrating the third node to the second node based on the received second message, also, paragraph [0016] - the first migration mode information is used to indicate whether the process for migrating the third node to the second node is a partial migration or a full migration.
Regarding claim 66 – Pan discloses wherein the first indication further indicates whether or not the second node is able to accept a full migration or a partial migration, refer to paragraph [0014] - The method includes transmitting, to a second node, a first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node, receiving, from the second node, a second message in response to the first message, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and determining a process for migrating the third node to the second node based on the received second message, also, paragraph [0016] - the first migration mode information is used to indicate whether the process for migrating the third node to the second node is a partial migration or a full migration
Regarding claim 70 – Pan discloses wherein the first indication is a VE Context Retrieve Request and the second indication is a UE Context Retrieve Response, refer to Figure 5C and paragraph [0088] - the second node receives a first message from a first node, the first message indicating a migration request to migrate a third node, which is connected to the first node, to the second node. In operation 522, the second node transmits a second message to the first node, the second message indicating a response to the migration request, and the second message is used for the first node to determine a process for migrating the third node to the second node, also, paragraph [0099].
Regarding claim 72 – Pan discloses with the proviso that the migration is partial, the fifth indication is sent to the third node, and the fifth indication indicates: i. information for radio resource control, refer to paragraph [0073] - partial migration or a partial handover or RRC migration or RRC handover or mobile termination part migration (MT migration) or MT handover.
with the proviso that the migration is full, the fifth indication indicates one or more of: i. the information for radio resource control, refer to paragraph [0073] - partial migration or a partial handover or RRC migration or RRC handover or mobile termination part migration (MT migration) or MT handover.
the fifth indication is sent to one or more of: the third node, one or more descendants of the third node, and devices served directly or indirectly by the third node, and li. an updated F1 configuration, and the fifth indication is sent to one or more of: the third node, and one or more descendants of the third node, refer to paragraph [0074] - full migration or full handover or F1 migration or F1 handover or distributed unit part migration (DU migration) or distributed unit part handover (DU handover).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/9/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The examiner respectfully believes the Pan reference anticipates the application claims and this action is made final.
The applicants state on page 14 of the arguments that a copy of the CN 202110485847.3 be provided to establish that the Pan reference (US 2022/0353748 A1) is prior art. The examiner has complied and the CN reference has the information as the Pan reference, thus the rejection stands.
On pages 14 and 15 of the arguments the applicants argue that Pan does not indicate like the cited claims. The examiner respectfully disagrees.
Pan is in the same field as the application – both Pan and the application handle migration of a node. Pan states in paragraphs [0014] and [0016] that a first indication is received at a node and the node responds with the context and indicates the process for migrating the third node is partial migration or full migration.
The examiner believes the rejection to be reasonable therefore this action is made final. If the applicants want a telephone interview to advance prosecution please call the examiner.
Conclusion
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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang et al. (US 2023/0199580 A1) discloses methods and devices for enhancing mobility robustness to nitrated access and backhaul for new radio.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to John Pezzlo whose telephone number is (571) 272-3090. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayman A. Abaza, can be reached at telephone number (571) 270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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John Pezzlo
22 April 2025
/John Pezzlo/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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