DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. Claims 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11-13, and 15 are pending wherein claims 1, 5, 9, and 13 are in independent form.
3. Claims 1, 5, 9, and 13 have been amended.
4. Claims 2, 6, 10, and 14 have been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
5. Applicant's arguments filed on 03/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The reasons set forth below.
6. On page 7 of the remarks, applicant argues, “Further in the amended claims, in case that the predetermined condition is not met, the base station discards the RRC reconfiguration message and transmits, to the at least one child node, the new RRC reconfiguration message. In contrast, it is respectfully noted that Lu in cited FIG. 14 and the related passages teaches that if the migration of the first IAB node fails, a failure indication is transmitted, the existing RRC reconfiguration message also can be transmitted, and the second IAB node performs the RRC reestablishment procedure. It is respectfully asserted that in the amended claims, the base station does not transmit a failure indication or the existing RRC reconfiguration message to the child node, but instead, the base station node receives a new RRC reconfiguration message from the donor node and transmits the message to the child node, and the base station discards the old RRC reconfiguration message”.
In response, examiner respectfully disagrees because:
When the predetermined condition is met (successful random access procedure), the RRC reconfiguration message (second RRC reconfiguration message) is transmitted to the child IAB node (Fig. 13). As the predetermined condition is met and corresponding action is performed, the function regarding not meeting the predetermined condition is not required to perform/satisfy.
Moreover, claim recites the occurrence of either not meeting the predetermined condition or receiving a new RRC reconfiguration message (“in case that the predetermined condition is not met or a new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one child node is received from the donor base station”). Claim does not recite the occurrence of both the limitations (not meeting the predetermined condition and receiving a new RRC reconfiguration message). Therefore, discarding the RRC reconfiguration message and transmitting the new RRC reconfiguration message are tied to each event. In other words, when the predetermined condition is not met, the RRC reconfiguration message is discarded and new RRC reconfiguration message is transmitted, Or, when the new RRC reconfiguration message is received, the RRC reconfiguration message is discarded, and the new RRC reconfiguration message is transmitted. It raises claim clarity issue under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph.
Lu discloses to discard the RRC reconfiguration message when the predetermined condition is not met (when the random access procedure fails, the RRC reconfiguration message is discarded/cleared, Par 0087, Par 0107, Par 0172, Par 0181, Fig. 8, Fig. 14).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
7. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
8. Claims 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11-13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites, “in case that the predetermined condition is not met or a new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one child node is received from the donor base station, discard the RRC reconfiguration message and transmit, to the at least one child node, the new RRC reconfiguration message”. Under broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI), when the predetermined condition is not met (in case that the predetermined condition is not met or message is transmitted to the child node. When only the predetermined condition is not met (in case that the predetermined condition is not met or
Claim does not recite that the new RRC reconfiguration message is received when the predetermined condition is not met. Under broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI), when a new RRC reconfiguration message is received (or a new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one child node is received), the new RRC reconfiguration message might be received even when the predetermined condition is met. When that happens (the predetermined condition is met), the base station transmits the RRC reconfiguration message. Based on receiving the new RRC reconfiguration message, the base station needs to discard the RRC reconfiguration message. If the new RRC reconfiguration message is received when the predetermined condition is met, the base station transmits the RRC reconfiguration message as well as discards the same RRC reconfiguration message. Therefore, Claim does not clearly define when to receive the new RRC reconfiguration message and discard the RRC reconfiguration message. Is the new RRC reconfiguration message received when the predetermined condition is not met? Or, Is the new RRC reconfiguration message received when the predetermined condition is met? If the new RRC reconfiguration message received when the predetermined condition is met, does the base station transmit or discard the RRC reconfiguration message?
Claims 5, 9, and 13 also recite limitations similar to claim 1 above and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
Claims 3-4 depend upon claim 1 and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1.
Claims 7-8 depend upon claim 5 and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 5.
Claims 11-12 depend upon claim 9 and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 9.
Claims 15 depends upon claim 13 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 13.
Claim 5 recites to withhold the RRC reconfiguration message until a predetermined condition is met. Claim further recites to transmit the RRC reconfiguration message. It is not clear when the withholding of the RRC reconfiguration message is terminated to transmit the RRC reconfiguration message.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
9. 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.
10. Claims 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11-13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lu et al (US 20240057205, hereinafter referred to as Lu).
Re claim 1, Lu teaches a method performed by a base station (first IAB Node, Fig. 13) of a communication system, the method comprising:
(i) receiving, from a donor base station (IAB donor CU), an indicator (buffer indication) and a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including configuration information for at least one child node of the base station (receiving second RRC reconfiguration for the second IAB node, Fig. 12-13, Par 0123, Par 0127, Par 0135, Par 0143), wherein the indicator (buffer indication) indicates, to the base station (first IAB node), withholding of the RRC reconfiguration message until a predetermined condition is met (buffering the second RRC reconfiguration for the second IAB node until performing a successful random access procedure/receiving a first indication, Par 0143, Par 0145-0147, Fig. 13) (Fig. 12-13, Fig. 16, Par 0123-0127, Par 0135, Par 0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0147, Par 0200-0203);
(ii) withholding the RRC reconfiguration message until the predetermined condition is met (buffering the second RRC reconfiguration for the second IAB node until performing a successful random access procedure) (Fig. 13, Fig. 16, Par 0135, Par 0138-0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0202-0203); and
(iii) in case that the predetermined condition is met (the second RRC reconfiguration is sent to the second IAB node after performing a successful random access procedure), transmitting, to the at least one child node, the RRC reconfiguration message (Fig. 13, Fig. 16, Par 0123, Par 0135, Par 0138-0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0202-0203).
(iv) wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one of a random access procedure is successfully completed in case that the base station is a migrating node (first IAB node is migrating and it transfers the second RRC reconfiguration to the second IAB node after completing a successful random access procedure) (Fig. 13, Fig. 16, Par 0123, Par 0135, Par 0138-0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0202-0203), or a mobile termination (MT) of the base station receives the RRC reconfiguration message from a parent node in case that the base station is a child node of the migrating node,
(v) in case that the predetermined condition is not met or a new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one child node is received from the donor base station, discard the RRC reconfiguration message and transmit, to the at least one child node, the new RRC reconfiguration message (Lu discloses that the base station transmits RRC reconfiguration message when the predetermined condition is met. Therefore, it is not required to perform the functions when the predetermined condition is not met).
Claim 9 recites a base station performing the steps recited in claim 1 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 1 above. Lu further teaches that the base station comprises a transceiver (transmitter/receiver, Fig. 26), and a controller (processor) coupled with the transceiver (Fig. 26, Par 0374-0376).
Re claims 3, 7, 11, 15, Lu teaches that the configuration information comprises at least one of a transport network layer (TNL) address or routing mapping information (network topology adaptation information including path ID of the new donor DU) (Fig. 13, Par 0012, Par 0014-0016, Par 0018-0021, Par 0074, Par 0083, Par 0086, Par 0089, Par 0101, Par 0208, Par 0248, Par 0294).
Re claims 4, 8, 12, Lu teaches that the base station is an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (first IAB node) (Fig. 13, Fig. 16, Par 0135, Par 0200-0202).
Re claim 5, Lu teaches a method performed by a donor base station (Donor CU, Fig. 12-13, Fig. 16) of a communication system, the method comprising:
(i) transmitting, to a child node (first IAB node), an indicator (buffer indication) and a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message including configuration information(second/third RRC reconfiguration) for at least one grandchild node (second/third IAB node) of the child node of the donor base station (Fig. 12-13, Fig. 16-17, Par 0123-0127, Par 0135-0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0200-0208), wherein the indicator (buffer indication) indicates, to the child node (first IAB node), withholding of the RRC reconfiguration message until a predetermined condition is met (buffering the second/third RRC reconfiguration for the second/third IAB node until performing a successful random access procedure/receiving a first indication, Par 0143, Par 0145-0147, Fig. 13) (Fig. 12-13, Fig. 16, Par 0123-0127, Par 0135, Par 0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0147, Par 0200-0203, Par 0205-0206); and
(ii) in case that the predetermined condition is met (completing a successful random access procedure), performing data transmission or reception (uplink data communication) with the child node (first IAB node) and the at least one grandchild node (second/third IAB node) based on the configuration information (communicating (recovering transmission of data radio bearers) after new topology adaptation based on the first/second/third RRC reconfiguration message, Fig. 13, Fig. 16-18, Par 0232, Par 0261) (Par 0015, Par 0073-0075, Par 0232, Par 0261).
(iii), the RRC reconfiguration message is transmitted from the child node (first IAB node) to the at least one grandchild node (the second/third RRC reconfiguration is sent to the second/third IAB node after completing a successful random access procedure) (Fig. 13, Fig. 16-17, Par 0123-0127, Par 0135, Par 0138-0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0202-0206),
(iv) wherein the predetermined condition comprises at least one of a random access procedure is successfully completed in case that the base station is a migrating node (first IAB node is migrating and it transfers the second RRC reconfiguration to the second IAB node after completing a successful random access procedure) (Fig. 13, Fig. 16, Par 0123, Par 0135, Par 0138-0139, Par 0143, Par 0145-0146, Par 0202-0203), or a mobile termination (MT) of the base station receives the RRC reconfiguration message from a parent node in case that the base station is a child node of the migrating node,
(v) in case that the predetermined condition is not met or it is needed to transmit a new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one grandchild node, transmitting, to the child node, the new RRC reconfiguration message for the at least one grandchild node, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message is discarded in the child node and the new RRC reconfiguration message is transmitted to the at least one child node (Lu discloses that the base station transmits RRC reconfiguration message when the predetermined condition is met. Therefore, it is not required to perform the functions when the predetermined condition is not met).
Claim 13 recites a donor base station performing the steps recited in claim 5 and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 5 above. Lu further teaches that the donor base station comprises a transceiver (transceiver 2703, Fig. 27), and a controller (Processor 2701, Fig. 27) coupled with the transceiver (Fig. 27, Par 0378-0380).
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 HARUN UR R CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B Yao can be reached at 5712723182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARUN CHOWDHURY/Examiner, Art Unit 2473
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