DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-18, 21 and 23 are pending.
Claims 19-20 and 22 have been cancelled.
Title Objection
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: AVAILABILTY CONFIGURATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A USER EQUIPMENT IN A NON-CONNECTED STATE.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-4, 6, 9-13, 15, 18, 21 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lin et al. (Pub. No.: US 20210288773 A1), hereinafter Lin.
With respect to claim 1, Lin teaches An information transmission method, performed by an access network device (figure 2, [0006], base station/BS/gNB), comprising:
sending an availability configuration, wherein the availability configuration is configured to be used by a user equipment (UE) in a non-connected state ([0005-0006], BS transmits an availability indication for periodic CSI-RS/TRS transmission occasions for idle/inactive UEs) for determining a reference signal configuration for downlink synchronization ([0005], for downlink synchronization/ determine a time or frequency offset based on the one or more periodic CSI-RS/TRS reception occasions);
wherein the UE in the non-connected state comprises at least one of an idle UE or an inactive UE ([0005-0006], idle/inactive UEs).
With respect to claim 2, Lin teaches wherein the availability configuration comprises: a first configuration, configured to indicate that the reference signal configuration is effective ([0005-0006], to determine a time or frequency offset based on the one or more periodic CSI-RS/TRS reception occasions).
With respect to claim 3, Lin teaches wherein the reference signal configuration comprises one of: a physical layer resource ([0005-0006], a time or frequency offset based on the one or more periodic CSI-RS/TRS reception occasions).
With respect to claim 4, Lin teaches wherein, the availability configuration is carried by paging downlink control information (DCI) ([0147]).
With respect to claim 6, Lin teaches wherein sending the availability configuration comprises one of: sending paging downlink control information (DCI) for indicating the first configuration ([0005-0006, 0147]).
With respect to claim 9, Lin teaches wherein the reference signal configuration comprises at least one of: a signal configuration for a tracking reference signal (TRS) ([0005-0006]) or a signal configuration for a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) ([0005-0006]).
With respect to claim 10, Lin teaches An information transmission method, performed by a user equipment (UE) ([0005-0006], UE), comprising:
receiving an availability configuration ([0005-0006], UE receives an availability indication for periodic CSI-RS/TRS transmission occasions for idle/inactive UEs); and determining, based on the availability configuration, a reference signal configuration used by the UE in a non-connected state for downlink synchronization ([0005], for downlink synchronization/ determine a time or frequency offset based on the one or more periodic CSI-RS/TRS reception occasions);
wherein the UE in the non-connected state comprises at least one of an idle UE or an inactive UE ([0005-0006], idle/inactive UEs).
With respect to claim 11, this claim recites the method of claim 2, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
With respect to claim 12, this claim recites the method of claim 3, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
With respect to claim 13, this claim recites the method of claim 4, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
With respect to claim 15, this claim recites the method of claim 6, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
With respect to claim 18, this claim recites the method of claim 9, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
With respect to claim 21, Lin teaches A communication device (figure 2, [0006], base station/BS/gNB), comprising:
a processor (figure 2, [0055], processor); and
a memory storing an executable program stored in the memory and executable by the processor (figure 2, [0058], a memory storing executing programs and other processes and executable by the processor),
wherein the processor is configured to send an availability configuration ([0005-0006], BS transmits an availability indication), wherein the availability configuration is configured to be used by a user equipment (UE) in a non-connected state ([0005-0006], BS transmits an availability indication for periodic CSI-RS/TRS transmission occasions for idle/inactive UEs) for determining a reference signal configuration for downlink synchronization([0005], downlink synchronization / determine a time or frequency offset based on the one or more periodic CSI-RS/TRS reception occasions);
wherein the UE in the non-connected state comprises at least one of an idle UE or an inactive UE ([0005-0006], idle/inactive UEs).
With respect to claim 23, Lin teaches A communication device (figure 3, [0055], UE), comprising:
a processor (figure 3, [0063], processor); and
a memory storing an executable program executable by the processor (figure 3, [0067], a memory storing executing programs and other processes and executable by the processor), wherein the processor is configured to perform the method of claim 10 (this recites the method of claim 10, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons).
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 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.
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 5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, in view of Xu (Pub. No.: US 20230309060 A1), hereinafter Xu.
With respect to claim 5, Lin teaches wherein the DCI carries the availability configuration ([0147], the DCI carries the availability configuration).
Lin does not explicitly teach a PEI carried by DCI, wherein the DCI carrying the PEI. However, Xu teaches a PEI carried by DCI, wherein the DCI carrying the PEI ([0076]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Xu, a PEI carried by DCI, wherein the DCI carrying the PEI, into the teachings of Lin, in order to avoid monitoring a paging message at a paging occasion when a terminal device does not need to receive the paging message, thereby achieving power saving of the terminal (Xu, Abstract).
With respect to claim 14, this claim recites the method of claim 5, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
Claims 7 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, in view of ZHANG et al. (Pub. No.: US 20230019909 A1), hereinafter ZHANG.
With respect to claim 7, Lin teaches that an availability configuration is effective in response to there being one availability configuration ([0005-0006]).
Lin does not explicitly teach determining by default. However, ZHANG teaches determining by default ([0317]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZHANG, determining by default, into the teachings of Lin, in order to reduce power consumption caused by paging message monitoring and RRM measurement (ZHANG, [0004]).
With respect to claim 16, this claim recites the method of claim 7, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, in view of Kang (Pub. No.: US 20200245113 A1), hereinafter Kang.
With respect to claim 8, Lin teaches sending the availability configuration ([0005-0006]).
Lin does not explicitly teach sending a system information block (SIB) carrying. However, Kang teaches sending a system information block (SIB) carrying ([0166]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing data of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Kang, sending a system information block (SIB) carrying, into the teachings of Lin, in order to support vehicle/device communication service and data transmission which achieve high reliability and low-latency requirement by providing a direct communication scheme (Kang, [0008]).
With respect to claim 17, this claim recites the method of claim 8, and it is rejected for at least the same reasons.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Pub. No.: US 20240057197 A1; “GURUMOORTHY”, ([0060])
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIET TANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7193. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00-5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, IAN MOORE can be reached on (571) 272-3085. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KIET TANG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469