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 Objections
Claim(s) 19, 21-22 and 26-28 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 19, the Examiner suggests changing to “… a Self-Organizing Network (SON) information [[information]] element (IE) including information relating to a cell category associated with a neighbor cell ...” claims 26-28 are objected for the same reason as stated above.
Claim 21, the Examiner suggests changing to “… prior to the receiving step,
sending, to the core network node for mobility management ...” Because of “information requesting the information relating the cell category” is already received by the base station as claimed in claim 1, so the sending step in claim 21 should occur before the sending step.
Claim 22, the Examiner suggests changing to “… cell category is further transmitted from the core network node to a further base station ...” Because of requesting information step is being forwarded from a core network node to a further base station. Appropriate correction(s) is/are required.
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.
Claim(s) 19-20 and 24-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 20120100861) in view of SIVAVAKEESAR (US 20200322787).
With respect to independent claims:
Regarding claim(s) 19/26/27/28, Zhang teaches A method performed by a base station ([Fig.2], femto/macro BS 210), the method comprising:
receiving ([0098 and Fig.2, step 211], “the femto/macro BS management system sends a TR-069 message (Set Parameter Values) 211 to the related neighbour femto/macro BS to inform the appearing of the new registered femto BS and its related info (BS type, CSG ID, CSG service mode, location info).”), from a core network node for mobility management ([Fig.2], “femto/macro BS management system 202”) ... information relating to a cell category associated with a neighbor cell ([0098], “a TR-069 message ... inform the appearing of the new registered femto BS and its related info (BS type.”); and
updating ([0100], “neighbour femto/macro BS 210 knows the new registered specific neighbour femto BS 200 upon receiving the TR-069 message 211, so that it may update local maintained neighbour femto/macro BS info list by adding the new advertised femto BS and its related capability info 212.”) neighbor cell information (“update local maintained neighbour femto/macro BS info list”) based on the information (“TR-069 message 211”).
However, Zhang does not specifically disclose a Radio Access Network (RAN) configuration transfer message or a Self-Organizing Network (SON) information element (IE).
In an analogous art, SIVAVAKEESAR discloses receiving ([Fig.6, step S2 and 0082], MME may “send an appropriate S1 MME Configuration Transfer to the base station 5-1.”), from a core network node for mobility management ([Fig.6], MME 10), a Radio Access Network (RAN) configuration transfer message ([0082], “Configuration Transfer” message”) or a Self-Organizing Network (SON) information element (IE) including information ... associated with a neighbor cell ([0083], the Configuration Transfer message includes “a transport network layer address for the neighbour base station 5-2 and/or the like.”); and
updating neighbor cell information based on the information ([0082 and Fig.6], “the serving base station 5-1 can proceed to updating its ANR table” in Step 4 after Step 3. And the base station 5-1 obtains and saves the transport network layer address of neighbor base station 5-2.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of Zhang to specify configuration transfer message as taught by SIVAVAKEESAR. The motivation/suggestion would have been because there is a need to obtain critical information of a neighbor cell via a MME.
With respect to dependent claims:
Regarding claim(s) 20, Zhang teaches wherein the information ([0090 and Fig.2], femto BS 200 may send a message to HMS 202 to “include the location info and/or BS ID parameters” of the femto BS 200. And [0094], the HMS determines “the location info of the femto BS, and femto BS attribute info (BS type.”) relating to the cell category (BS type) is transmitted from a further base station operating the neighbor cell (femto BS 200) to the core network node (HMS 202).
However, Zhang does not specifically disclose a RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE.
In an analogous art, SIVAVAKEESAR discloses RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE ([Fig.6, step S2 and 0082], MME may “send an appropriate S1 MME Configuration Transfer to the base station 5-1.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of Zhang to specify configuration transfer message as taught by SIVAVAKEESAR. The motivation/suggestion would have been because there is a need to obtain critical information of a neighbor cell via a MME.
Regarding claim(s) 24, Zhang teaches wherein the information includes information relating to an availability of the neighbor cell ([0098], “a TR-069 message ... inform the appearing of the new registered femto BS and its related info (BS type.”).
Regarding claim(s) 25, Zhang teaches wherein the cell category indicates at least one of:a small cell ([0098], “a TR-069 message ... inform the appearing of the new registered femto BS and its related info (BS type.” Femto BS is a small cell.); an energy saving cell; a cell for Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC); a cell of a terrestrial network; a cell of a non-terrestrial network; a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) cell; a Non-Geostationary Earth Orbit (NGEO) cell; a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) cell; a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) cell; a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) cell; a High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) cell; a quasi-earth-fixed cell; and an earth-moving cell.
Claim(s) 21-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of SIVAVAKEESAR, and further in view of Gao (US 20130183980).
Regarding claim(s) 21, Gao teaches sending ([0057], “a source NodeB (the macro NodeB) sends a home NodeB information request message to an MME.”), to the core network node for mobility management (MME) ... information requesting the information relating the cell category ([Fig.2 and 0065], the target home nodeb “replies with the home NodeB information request response message including information of the target home NodeB.” And [0067], “The information of the target NodeB includes at least: ... a cell type of a target NodeB cell.”).
However, Gao does not specifically disclose a RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE.
In an analogous art, SIVAVAKEESAR discloses a RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE ([Fig.6, step S2 and 0082], MME may “send an appropriate S1 MME Configuration Transfer to the base station 5-1.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of Zhang to specify configuration transfer message as taught by SIVAVAKEESAR. The motivation/suggestion would have been because there is a need to obtain critical information of a neighbor cell via a MME.
Regarding claim(s) 22, Gao teaches wherein the information requesting the information relating to the cell category is transmitted from the core network node to a further base station operating the neighbor cell ([Fig.1, step 202 and 0061], “the MME passes through the home NodeB information request message to the target NodeB.”).
However, Gao does not specifically disclose a RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE.
In an analogous art, SIVAVAKEESAR discloses a RAN configuration transfer message or a SON information IE ([Fig.6, step S2 and 0082], MME may “send an appropriate S1 MME Configuration Transfer to the base station 5-1.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of Zhang to specify configuration transfer message as taught by SIVAVAKEESAR. The motivation/suggestion would have been because there is a need to obtain critical information of a neighbor cell via a MME.
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of SIVAVAKEESAR, and further in view of AGUIRRE (US 20160073318).
Regarding claim(s) 23, AGUIRRE teaches further comprising at least one of:
controlling handover towards the neighbor cell based on the information ([0065], “handing over the session to the neighbor base station 240 based on ... the cell type of the neighbor base station 240.”);
controlling cell reselection towards the neighbor cell based on the information; and
managing availability of the neighbor cell based on the information.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of Zhang to specify target cell type as taught by SIVAVAKEESAR. The motivation/suggestion would have been because there is a need to for handover.
Conclusion
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/ZHIREN QIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2411