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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-21 filed on November 30, 2023 are pending, claim 19 has been canceled and claim 21 is new.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on November 30, 2023 and January 27, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner and an initialed and dated copy of the Applicant’s IDS form 1449 is attached to the instant Office Action.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 10-13 and 20-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (US 11,832,322 B2, hereinafter "Liu").
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses a method of networking, performed by a first access network device, comprising:
receiving first indication information, wherein the first indication information is configured to indicate full duplex communication information of a second access network device (Liu, Col. 2 line 14-24 second network side device as a secondary access device (i.e. first access network device) of a wireless backhaul device, sending, by a first network side device, first information to the second network side device, where the first information includes at least one of the following indication information: information indicating that the wireless backhaul device performs access, information indicating whether the wireless backhaul device is a non-standalone device or a standalone device, information indicating whether the wireless backhaul device supports a full-duplex mode or a half-duplex mode).
Regarding claim 2, Liu discloses wherein the full duplex communication
information comprises at least one of the following:
whether the second access network device supports full duplex;
full duplex capability information supported by the second access network device; and
configuration information of full duplex communication of the second access network device (Liu, Col. 2 line 14-24 information indicating whether the wireless backhaul device is a non-standalone device or a standalone device, information indicating whether the wireless backhaul device supports a full-duplex mode or a half-duplex mode).
Regarding claim 3, Liu discloses wherein the full duplex capability information supported by the second access network device comprises at least one of the following:
supported full duplex frequency resources (Liu, Col.10 line 31-35 a radio link between the wireless backhaul device and an accessed network side device and a radio link used to access the terminal side device work on a same frequency or adjacent frequencies);
supported full duplex time domain resources (not given patentable weight due to not selected option); and
supported full duplex types (not given patentable weight due to not selected option).
Regarding claim 4, Liu discloses wherein receiving the first indication information comprises:
receiving the first indication information through an interface establishment request message (Liu, Col. 12 line 7-8 and 22-24 sends at least one of the following indication information to the second network side device:…Optionally, the at least one indication information may be carried in a secondary access device addition request message); or
receiving the first indication information through an interface establishment response message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option); or
receiving the first indication information through a next generation radio access network device configuration update message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option).
Regarding claims 10-13 and 20-21, these claims recite "a communication apparatus" that disclose similar steps as recited by the method of claims 1-4, thus are rejected with the same rationale applied against claims 1-4 as presented above.
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.
Claims 5-9 and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 11,832,322 B2, hereinafter "Liu") in view of Su et al. (US 2022/0182160 A1, hereinafter "Su").
Regarding claim 5, Liu discloses first indication information and NR and E-UTRA technology but does not explicitly disclose wherein the first indication information is comprised in at least one of the following information units:
a served cell information new radio (NR) information unit in a served cells list NR information unit;
a neighbour cell information NR information unit in a served cells list NR information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) information unit of neighbour cell information in a served cells list NR information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a served cell information E-UTRA information unit in a served cells list E-UTRA information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a neighbour cell information NR information unit in a served cells list E-UTRA information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a neighbour cell information E-UTRA information unit in a served cells list E-UTRA information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a designated information unit in a served cells list NR information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a designated information unit in a served cells list E-UTRA information unit (not given patentable weight due to not selected option);
a next generation access network device next generation NodeB (gNB) information unit in a next generation radio access network device configuration update message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option); and
a next generation evolved access network device next generation evolved NodeB (ng eNB) information unit in a next generation radio access network device configuration update message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option).
Su from the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the first indication information is comprised in at least one of the following information units: a served cell information new radio (NR) information unit in a served cells list NR information unit (Su, [0270, 0813] the IAB node may obtain the configuration information from a parent IAB node or an IAB donor node (i.e. a served cell list) via high-layer signaling or DCI. The high-layer signaling may be, for example, a system message block, or a user/user group specific signaling).
It would have been obvious for one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified indication information disclosed by Liu and connection information disclosed by Su with a motivation to make this modification in order to effectively improve the spectrum utilization and data throughput of network (Su, [0146]).
Regarding claim 6, Liu discloses full duplex connection between two network devices but does not explicitly disclose sending second indication information, wherein the second indication information is configured to indicate full duplex communication information of the first access network device.
Su from the same field of endeavor discloses sending second indication information, wherein the second indication information is configured to indicate full duplex communication information of the first access network device (Su, [0255] configured to transmit configuration information indicating a subband for transmitting a second physical channel or a second physical signal and transmit at least a portion of the second physical channel or the second physical signal within the subband indicated by the configuration information, wherein the first physical channel or the first physical signal and the second physical channel or the second physical signal are respectively at least one of at least two physical channels or physical signals transmitted and received by the same communication node at the same time and at the same frequency in full-duplex transmission).
It would have been obvious for one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified indication information disclosed by Liu and connection information disclosed by Su with a motivation to make this modification in order to effectively improve the spectrum utilization and data throughput of network (Su, [0146]).
Regarding claim 7, Liu discloses wherein sending the second indication information comprises:
sending the second indication information through an interface establishment request message (Liu, Col. 12 line 7-8 and 22-24 sends at least one of the following indication information to the second network side device:…Optionally, the at least one indication information may be carried in a secondary access device addition request message); or
sending the second indication information through an interface establishment response message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option); or
sending the second indication information through a next generation radio access network device configuration update message (not given patentable weight due to not selected option).
Regarding claim 8, Liu discloses full duplex connection between two network devices but does not explicitly disclose wherein the second indication information is further configured to indicate the full duplex communication information of the second access network device.
Su from the same field of endeavor discloses wherein the second indication information is further configured to indicate the full duplex communication information of the second access network device (Su, [0877] The IAB-DU 8120 may transmit configuration information indicating a subband for transmitting a second physical channel and transmit at least a portion of the second physical channel within the subband indicated by the configuration information. The first physical channel and the second physical channel are respectively at least one of at least two physical channels transmitted and received by the same communication node at the same time and at the same frequency in full-duplex transmission).
It would have been obvious for one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified indication information disclosed by Liu and connection information disclosed by Su with a motivation to make this modification in order to effectively improve the spectrum utilization and data throughput of network (Su, [0146]).
Regarding claim 9, Liu discloses indication information whether full duplex mode but does not explicitly disclose communicating with the second access network device according to the first indication information and the full duplex communication information of the first access network device.
Su from the same field of endeavor discloses communicating with the second access network device according to the first indication information and the full duplex communication information of the first access network device (Su, [0255] The IAB node may include an integrated access and backhaul-mobile terminal (IAB-MT), configured to obtain configuration information indicating a subband for transmitting a first physical channel or a first physical signal and transmit at least a portion of the first physical channel or the first physical signal within the subband indicated by the configuration information… at least one of at least two physical channels or physical signals transmitted and received by the same communication node at the same time and at the same frequency in full-duplex transmission).
It would have been obvious for one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified indication information disclosed by Liu and connection information disclosed by Su with a motivation to make this modification in order to effectively improve the spectrum utilization and data throughput of network (Su, [0146]).
Regarding claims 14-18, these claims recite "a communication apparatus" that disclose similar steps as recited by the method of claims 5-9, thus are rejected with the same rationale applied against claims 5-9 as presented above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUNA WEISSBERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-3315. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm.
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/LUNA WEISSBERGER/Examiner, Art Unit 2415