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 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) 1-2, 4-6, 8-10, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Phuyal (2022/0386208) in view of Tang (2021/0021334) and Nokia (3gpp TSG-Ran WG2 meeting), provided by applicant.
Regarding claim 1, Phuyal discloses a first base station (BS 105) comprising: a memory storing a program (804/806), one or more processors configured to execute the program to(802): receive a from a communication apparatus (UE) a first RRC message including information indicating that the communication apparatus has path information (flight path) available (410, para 67). Phuyal discloses determining whether to perform a handover from a first (source) to a second (target) base station (414/415) for the communication apparatus. Phuyal discloses receiving, in response to transmission of the RRC message requesting path information, from the communication apparatus, a third RRC message including the path information in a case where the communication apparatus has path information available (para 69-73, target base gets flight path info from the UE). Phuyal discloses that the base station can request the path information as part of the handover process as a second RRC message (para 52-53, request message from the base station followed by RRC signaling from the UE with the flight path information) but doesn’t explicitly disclose that it’s a first and second message and the path information.
However, Tang teaches in an analogous art, the signaling of a first message from a UE that indicates path information is available (step 410) and the network device/base station sends a second message to the communications apparatus a second message including information requesting the path information (step 420) Also see, para 123-128.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include specific messages in order to provide structured control signals in the handover process.
Phuyal and Tang do not disclose the use of the HandoverPreparationInformation message. However, Nokia teaches that in the handover process, a HandoverPreparationInformation message is used to indicate that handover is performed (pages 8-10). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include HandoverPreparationInformation messages in order to prepare for handover by the target eNB which is needed to complete the handover process.
Regarding claim 2, Nokia further teaches that the HandoverPreparationInformation message is transmitted to the second base station (page 8 -sent to target eNB to show UE capability information).
Regarding claim 4, Phuyal further discloses that the path information includes information of a flight path (para 31-32, 52-53).
Regarding claim 5, Phuyal discloses a communication apparatus (UE 115) comprising: a memory storing a program (704/706, one or more processors configured to execute the program to(702): transmit to a first base station (105a) a first RRC message including information indicating that the communication apparatus has path information (flight path) available (410, para 67). Phuyal discloses performing a handover from a first (source) to a second (target) base station (414/415) for the communication apparatus. Phuyal discloses transmitting, in response to transmission of the RRC message requesting path information, a third RRC message including the path information in a case where the communication apparatus has path information available (para 69-73, target base gets flight path info from the UE). Phuyal discloses that the base station can request the path information as part of the handover process as a second RRC message (para 52-53, request message from the base station followed by RRC signaling from the UE with the flight path information) but doesn’t explicitly disclose that it’s a first and second message and the path information includes a HandoverPreparationInformation message.
However, Tang teaches in an analogous art, the signaling of a first message from a UE that indicates path information is available (step 410) and the network device/base station sends a second message to the communications apparatus a second message including information requesting the path information (step 420) Also see, para 123-128.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include specific messages in order to provide structured control signals in the handover process.
Phuyal and Tang do not disclose the use of the HandoverPreparationInformation message. However, Nokia teaches that in the handover process, a HandoverPreparationInformation message is used to indicate that handover is performed (pages 8-10). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the the claimed invention to include HandoverPreparationInformation messages in order to to prepare for handover by the target eNB which is needed to complete the handover process.
Regarding claim 6, Phuyal further discloses that handover information is transmitted from a first base station to the second base station (Figure 9). Nokia further teaches that the HandoverPreparationInformation message is transmitted to the second base station (page 8 -sent to target eNB to show UE capability information).
Regarding claim 8, Phuyal further discloses that the path information includes information of a flight path (para 31-32, 52-53).
Regarding claim 9, Phuyal discloses a method performed by a first base station (BS 105) comprising: receiving from a communication apparatus (UE) a first RRC message including information indicating that the communication apparatus has path information (flight path) available (410, para 67). Phuyal discloses determining whether to perform a handover from a first (source) to a second (target) base station (414/415) for the communication apparatus. Phuyal discloses receiving, in response to transmission of the RRC message requesting path information, from the communication apparatus, a third RRC message including the path information in a case where the communication apparatus has path information available (para 69-73, target base gets flight path info from the UE). Phuyal discloses that the base station can request the path information as part of the handover process as a second RRC message (para 52-53, request message from the base station followed by RRC signaling from the UE with the flight path information) but doesn’t explicitly disclose that it’s a first and second message and the path information includes a HandoverPreparationInformation message.
However, Tang teaches in an analogous art, the signaling of a first message from a UE that indicates path information is available (step 410) and the network device/base station sends a second message to the communications apparatus a second message including information requesting the path information (step 420) Also see, para 123-128.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include specific messages in order to provide structured control signals in the handover process.
Phuyal and Tang do not disclose the use of the HandoverPreparationInformation message. However, Nokia teaches that in the handover process, a HandoverPreparationInformation message is used to indicate that handover is performed (pages 8-10). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to include HandoverPreparationInformation messages in order to the proper control information needed to complete the handover process.
Regarding claim 10, Nokia further teaches that the HandoverPreparationInformation message is transmitted to the second base station (page 8 -sent to target eNB to show UE capability information).
Regarding claim 12, Phuyal further discloses that the path information includes information of a flight path (para 31-32, 52-53).
Claim(s) 3, 7, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Phuyal, Tang, and Nokia as applied to claims 1, 5, and 9 above, and further in view of Bergstrom (WO 2023/277752).
Regarding claims 3, 7, and 11, Phuyal further discloses that the first message includes a message of the completion of an RRC connection establishment (para55 – RRC connected state) Tang also discloses the use of RRC connection complete messaging (para 126). Phuyal discloses that the base station can send an UEInformationRequest message (para 53). The combination of Phuyal, Tang, and Nokia does not disclose the third message including a UEInformationResponse message.
However, Bergstrom teaches in an analogous art, the use of UEInformationResponse messaging where it is utilized to indicate a successful handover (page 5; 10-26). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a UEInformationResponse message in order to denote success/failure of a handover so that the system can designate a complete/incomplete handover.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hong (11,961,406) discloses the use of handover/flight path information
Han (2024/0049096) discloses the sending of UAV information to a communications node.
Wei (2021/0195479) discloses the use of handover in a UAV system utilizing RRC signaling.
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WILLIAM GEORGE TROST IV
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2641
/WILLIAM G TROST IV/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641