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 .
The factual inquiries 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.
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 1,2,5, 12,13,and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303).
For claims 1,2,5,12,13,and 16 ,NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) discloses (description, paragraphs [0049]-[0066] and [0127]-[0129], and figure 5) that: as shown
in figure 5, a relay selection is performed by a remote UE 1; each relay UE 2 may transmit a discovery message containing selection assistance information; and the remote UE 1 receives the selection assistance information from each relay UE 2 (i.e., a relay terminal sends a relay discovery message to a first terminal,
the first terminal receives the relay discovery message sent by at least one relay terminal, and the relay discovery message carries first indication information), and the relay selection is performed on the basis of the selection assistance information (i.e., the first terminal selects, according to the first indication
information carried in the relay discovery message, a previous hop relay terminal to be accessed, and the first terminal is a remote terminal). In addition, NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) further discloses a terminal comprising a memory, a processor, and a transceiver, and a readable storage medium.
NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) also discloses that a remote UE may select the previous hop relay terminal to be accessed on the basis of the relay discovery message carrying the selection assistance information sent by the
relay terminal, when there is the multi-hop relay, a person skilled in the art would easily conceive that the terminal with the relay capability may select the previous hop relay terminal to be accessed according to the relay discovery message carrying the selection assistance information sent by other relay terminals(description, paragraphs [0049]-[0066] and [0127]-[0129], and figure 5).
For independent claims 1, NEC CORP discloses all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability in a communications network. Liu from the same or similar fields of endeavor teaches a provision of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability ( See details in specification of Figure 3). Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability as taught by Liu in the communications network of NEC CORP for the purpose of indicating the relay abilities in the network.
For independent claim 12 is rejected for the same reason as indicating in claim 1.
For dependent claims 2,5, 13, and 16, NEC CORP also discloses
wherein the first indication information comprises at least one of the following: identification information of a target object capable of being accessed through the relay user terminal; identification information of a target object capable of being accessed through each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a minimum number of hops required for the relay user terminal to access a target object; a number of hops required for the relay user terminal to access a target object on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a channel quality between the relay user terminal and a previous hop node of the relay user terminal on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a channel quality between the two nodes of each hop on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; load information of the relay user terminal on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; load information of the relay user terminal corresponding to each hop on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a relay type currently used by the relay user terminal; current state information of the relay user terminal; or system information required for accessing a target object ( See details described in Figure 1); and
wherein the current state information of the relay user terminal comprises at least one of the following: a power information of the relay user terminal; load information of the relay user terminal; or a speed of the relay user termina( See details described in Figure 1).
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 3,4, 14, and 15 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) and further in view of Ponulak (2015/0005973).
For claims 3,4, 14, and 15, NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) discloses all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of wherein the target object comprises: a target user terminal and/or a target network device, and
wherein the identification information of the target user terminal comprises: a direct communication target address of the target user terminal; and/or, identification information of the target network device comprises: a Public Land Mobile Network Identity (PLMN ID), and/or a cell ID in a communications network. Ponulark from the same or similar fields endeavor teaches a provision of wherein the target object comprises: a target user terminal and/or a target network device, and wherein the identification information of the target user terminal comprises: a direct communication target address of the target user terminal; and/or, identification information of the target network device comprises: a Public Land Mobile Network Identity (PLMN ID), and/or a cell ID ( See paragraph 0095 lines 1-5 and details of figure 3). Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use wherein the target object comprises: a target user terminal and/or a target network device, and wherein the identification information of the target user terminal comprises: a direct communication target address of the target user terminal; and/or, identification information of the target network device comprises: a Public Land Mobile Network Identity (PLMN ID), and/or a cell ID as taught by Ponulak in the communications network of NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) for the purpose of providing the identification information of the target user terminal comprises: a direct communication target address of the target user terminal; and/or, identification information of the target network device comprises: a Public Land Mobile Network Identity (PLMN ID), and/or a cell ID.
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 18-19, 23,and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) and in view of Nam(2016/0157218).
For independent Claims 18, and 30 , NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) discloses (description, paragraphs [0049]-[0066] and [0127]-[0129], and figure 5) that: as shown in figure 5, a relay selection is performed by a remote UE 1; each relay UE 2 may transmit a discovery message containing selection assistance information; and the remote UE 1 receives the selection assistance information from each relay UE 2 (i.e., a relay terminal sends a relay discovery message to a first terminal, the first terminal receives the relay discovery message sent by at least one relay terminal, and the relay discovery message carries first indication information), and the relay selection is performed on the basis of the selection assistance information (i.e., the first terminal selects, according to the first indication information carried in the relay discovery message, a previous hop relay terminal to be accessed, and the first terminal is a remote terminal). In addition, NEC further discloses a terminal comprising a memory, a processor, and a transceiver, and a readable storage medium.
NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) also discloses that a remote UE may select the previous hop relay terminal to be accessed on the basis of the relay discovery message carrying the selection assistance information sent by the
relay terminal, when there is the multi-hop relay, a person skilled in the art would easily conceive that the terminal with the relay capability may select the previous hop relay terminal to be accessed according to the relay discovery message carrying the selection assistance information sent by other relay terminals.
For independent claims 18 and 30, NEC CORP discloses all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability in a communications network. Liu from the same or similar fields of endeavor teaches a provision of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability ( See details in specification of Figure 3). Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use of the first terminal is the terminal having a relay capability as taught by Liu in the communications network of NEC CORP for the purpose of indicating the relay abilities in the network.
For dependent claims 18 and 23, NEC CORP also discloses
wherein the first indication information comprises at least one of the following: identification information of a target object capable of being accessed through the relay user terminal; identification information of a target object capable of being accessed through each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a minimum number of hops required for the relay user terminal to access a target object; a number of hops required for the relay user terminal to access a target object on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a channel quality between the relay user terminal and a previous hop node of the relay user terminal on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a channel quality between the two nodes of each hop on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; load information of the relay user terminal on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; load information of the relay user terminal corresponding to each hop on each path corresponding to the relay user terminal; a relay type currently used by the relay user terminal; current state information of the relay user terminal; or system information required for accessing a target object ( See details described in Figure 1).
For Claims 18,23, and 30, NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) disclose all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of memory, processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium having executable codes in a communications network. Nam et al. from the same or similar fields of endeavor teaches a provision of the memory, processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium having executable codes ( See paragraphs 0014 and 0052). Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to use memory, processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium having executable codes as taught by Nam et al. in the communication network of NEC CORP( 2020008127 ) in view of Liu (WO 2021/077303) for the purpose of storing codes in the memory to execute the process by the processor.
Claims 6-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shang et al. (2025/0374040) is cited to show a system which is considered pertinent to the claimed invention.
Shang et al. (18/579,818) is cited to show a system which is considered pertinent to the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANG T TON whose telephone number is (571)272-3171. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 5:30 AM to 3:00 PM.
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/DANG T TON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476 /D.T.T/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476