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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 02/21/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-9 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities: The abbreviation “RNA” should be spelled out, in the first instance.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-4, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated
Ying et al. (hereinafter “Ying”) [PUPGPUB 2021/0120624].
Regarding claim 1, the Ying reference discloses a method comprising: identifying a wireless device supporting a radio resource configuration (RRC) inactive state [Ying; figure 2; paragraph 0090, 0092, and 0095-0097];
determining, based on a wireless device profile or an active application utilized by the wireless device that the wireless device is not eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state [ie. based characteristic information of the terminal (“wireless device profile”), the terminal must switch (“not eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state”) from RRC inactive mode to RRC idle mode; Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0100-0101, 0111-0112 and 0151]; and
selectively deactivating a capability for RRC inactive state and RNA paging for the wireless device based on the determination [ie. switch from RRC inactive mode and paging within RNA range to RRC idle mode; Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161].
Regarding claim 2, the Ying reference further discloses the determining based on the wireless device profile comprises: receiving wireless device profile information from a core network; and determining, based on the wireless device profile information that the wireless device is not eligible to utilize RRC inactive state [ie. indication information for terminal information (“wireless device profile information”); Ying; fig 4A; para 0145-0146 and 0151].
Regarding claim 3, the Ying reference further discloses determining from the wireless device profile information whether the wireless device is associated with a subscriber or a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) [Ying; para 0083, 0095, 0109, and 0111-0112].
Regarding claim 4, the Ying reference further discloses determining based on the wireless device profile information that the wireless device is a home internet (HINT) device [ie. a device (“home internet (HINT) device”) within the home gateway range; Ying; para 0078].
Regarding claim 17, the Ying reference discloses a method comprising: identifying a wireless device supporting a radio resource configuration (RRC) inactive state [Ying; paragraph 0090, 0092, and 0095-0097];
selectively deactivating RRC inactive capability for the wireless device based on wireless device information [ie. switch from RRC inactive mode to RRC idle mode; Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161]; and
triggering a transition of the wireless device to RRC idle mode at least upon deactivating the RRC inactive capability [Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161].
Regarding claim 18, the Ying reference further discloses detecting a threshold period of inactivity, wherein triggering includes triggering the transition of the wireless device to RRC idle mode upon deactivating the RRC inactive capability and after the threshold period of inactivity [Ying; para 0112-0113].
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 5-7 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ying in view of Kim et al (hereinafter “Kim”) [PGPUB 2021/0029581].
Regarding claim 5, the Ying reference further discloses a wireless device profile with characteristic of the terminal [Ying; para 0100-0102] but does not specifically disclose determining a quality of service class identifier (QCI) for the wireless device based on the wireless device profile.
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Kim reference discloses determining a quality of service class identifier (QCI) for the wireless device based on the wireless device profile [ie. high or low priority RRC-inactive terminal based on QCI; Kim; fig 1; para 0052]. The Ying and Kim references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of QCI, taught by Kim, into the system, taught by Ying. The motivation for doing so would have been to have another characteristic for determining whether to transition from RCC inactive mode to RCC idle mode.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Ying-Kim further discloses determining based on the QCI whether the wireless device is eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state and RNA paging [Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161] [Kim; fig 1; para 0052].
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Ying-Kim further discloses determining the active application does not require low latency [Ying; para 0120-0121] [ie. delay tolerant access (“not require low latency”) is low-access priority; Kim; para 0050-0052].
Regarding claim 19, the Ying reference further discloses a wireless device profile with characteristic of the terminal [Ying; para 0100-0102] but does not specifically disclose the wireless device information comprises latency requirements for an active application or QCI information from a wireless device profile.
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Kim reference discloses the wireless device information comprises latency requirements for an active application or QCI information from a wireless device profile [ie. high or low priority RRC-inactive terminal based on QCI; Kim; fig 1; para 0052]. The Ying and Kim references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of QCI, taught by Kim, into the system, taught by Ying. The motivation for doing so would have been to have another characteristic for determining whether to transition from RCC inactive mode to RCC idle mode.
Claims 8, 9, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ying-Kim as applied to claims 7 and 19 above, and further in view of Jung et al. (hereinafter “Jung”) [PGPUB 2026/0046725].
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Ying-Kim further discloses network slices [Ying; para 0085] but does not specifically disclose associating the active application with a network slice.
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Jung reference discloses associating the active application with a network slice [Jung; fig 8; para 0009, 0120, 0129, and 0214-0215]. The Ying-Kim and Jung references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of a network slice, taught by Jung, into the system, taught by Ying-Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to show specifically the network slice as an application for the NSSF.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Ying-Kim-Jung further discloses activating the network slice associated with the active application, wherein the network slice does not enable RRC inactive state or RNA paging and enables RRC idle mode and a paging area defined by a tracking area code (TAC) [Ying; fig 4A; para 0100, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161] [Jung; para 0120, 0150-0151, and 0214-0215].
Regarding claim 20, the combination of Ying-Kim further discloses network slices [Ying; para 0085] but does not specifically disclose associating the latency requirements with a network slice.
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Jung reference discloses associating the latency requirements with a network slice [ie. speed states in network slices; Jung; fig 8; Table 2 and 4; para 0009, 0120, 0129, and 0214-0215]. The Ying-Kim and Jung references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of a network slice, taught by Jung, into the system, taught by Ying-Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to show specifically the network slice with latency for the NSSF.
Claims 10, 11, and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ying et al. (hereinafter “Ying”) [PUPGPUB 2021/0120624] in view of Jung et al. (hereinafter “Jung”) [PGPUB 2026/0046725].
Regarding claim 10, the Ying reference discloses a system comprising: at least one communication interface; a memory storing instructions; a processor executing the stored instructions to perform operations including; identifying a wireless device supporting a radio resource configuration (RRC) inactive state [Ying; figures 2 and 10; paragraph 0090, 0092, and 0095-0097];
selectively deactivating an RRC inactive state capability based on wireless device information [ie. based characteristic information of the terminal (“wireless device profile”), the terminal must switch (“not eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state”) from RRC inactive mode to RRC idle mode; Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0100-0101, 0111-0112 and 0151]; and
utilizing RRC idle mode and a paging area for the wireless device upon deactivation of the RRC inactive state capability [ie. switch from RRC inactive mode and paging within RNA range to RRC idle mode; Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161].
The Ying reference does not specifically disclose a tracking area code (TAC).
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Jung reference discloses a tracking area code (TAC). [Jung; para 0120 and 0150]. The Ying and Jung references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of a TAC, taught by Jung, into the system, taught by Ying. The motivation for doing so would have been to track the paging range.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Ying-Jung further discloses the wireless device information comprises wireless device profile information, the operations further comprising receiving the wireless device profile information from a core network; and determining, based on the wireless device profile information whether the wireless device is eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state and radio notification area (RNA) paging [ie. indication information for terminal information (“wireless device profile information”); Ying; fig 4A; para 0145-0146 and 0151].
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Ying-Jung further discloses determining an active application of the wireless device [Ying; para 0005, 0120-0121, and 0279] [Jing; para 0006].
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Ying-Jung further discloses comprising associating the active application with a network slice [Ying; para 0085] [Jung; fig 8; para 0009, 0120, 0129, and 0214-0215].
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Ying-Jung further discloses activating the network slice associated with the active application, wherein the network slice does not enable the RRC inactive state or RNA paging and enables RRC idle mode and a TAC paging area [Ying; fig 4A; para 0100, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161] [Jung; para 0120, 0150-0151, and 0214-0215].
Claims 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ying-Jing as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Kim et al (hereinafter “Kim”) [PGPUB 2021/0029581].
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Ying-Jing further discloses a wireless device profile with characteristic of the terminal [Ying; para 0100-0102] but does not specifically disclose determining a quality of service class identifier (QCI) for the wireless device based on the wireless device profile.
However, in the same field of endeavor, the Kim reference discloses determining a quality of service class identifier (QCI) for the wireless device based on the wireless device profile [ie. high or low priority RRC-inactive terminal based on QCI; Kim; fig 1; para 0052]. The Ying and Kim references are analogous art, since they have similar problem solving area in being able to manage communications between devices. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to combine the teaching of QCI, taught by Kim, into the system, taught by Ying. The motivation for doing so would have been to have another characteristic for determining whether to transition from RCC inactive mode to RCC idle mode.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Ying-Jung-Kim further discloses determining based on the QCI whether the wireless device is eligible to utilize the RRC inactive state and RNA paging [Ying; fig 4A; para 0097, 0138, 0151, and 0160-0161] [Kim; fig 1; para 0052].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Li et al. [PGPUB 2025/0048482] describes an indication information may be used to instruct the UE to switch from the RRC inactive state to the idle state idle state.
Li et al. [PGPUB 2020/0275515] describes UE sends a request to switch from RRC active state to RRC idle state.
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/JASON D CARDONE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2458
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