DETAILED ACTION
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 44-46, 51 and 56-58 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US-PGPUB 2019/0059015).
Regarding claim 44, Lee teaches an apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to: generate, for transmission to a remote user equipment (UE), a first discovery announcement comprising a first UE identification (ID) for non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote UE [Para 57-61, first path is established for non-routed traffic communication]; establish, with the remote UE, a first communication path for non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote UE based on the first UE ID [Para 57-61, first path is established between devices]; generate, for transmission to the remote UE, a second discovery announcement comprising a second UE ID for routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote UE, wherein the routed traffic is to be relayed to a network, wherein the second UE ID is independent from the first UE ID [Para 92-93 and 95, the remote UE can act as relay UE which routes traffic when necessary to the network]; and establish, with the remote UE, a second communication path for routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote UE based on the second UE ID [Para 94, communication path for routing traffic is established].
Regarding claims 45 and 57, Lee teaches the non-routed traffic and the routed traffic are prevented from being multiplexed in a same protocol data unit (PDU) [Para 93-94, the UE is configured as relay UE or non-relay UE so both type of traffic cannot be multiplexed at same time].
Regarding claim 46, Lee teaches generating, for transmission to the remote UE, traffic comprising a payload and a medium access control (MAC) subheader, wherein the MAC subheader indicates whether the payload corresponds to routed traffic or non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote UE [Fig. 109, MAC header or subheader indicates whether the traffic is routed or non-routed traffic].
Regarding claims 51 and 58, Lee teaches processing, based on signals received from the remote or relay UE, traffic comprising a payload and a medium access control (MAC) subheader, wherein the MAC subheader indicates whether the payload corresponds to routed traffic or non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the remote or relay UE [Fig. 109, MAC header or subheader indicates whether the traffic is routed or non-routed traffic].
Regarding claim 56, Lee teaches an apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to: process, based on signals received from a relay user equipment (UE), a first discovery announcement comprising a first UE identification (ID) for non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the relay UE [Para 57-61, first path is established for non-routed traffic communication]; establish, with the relay UE, a first communication path for non-routed traffic between the apparatus and the relay UE based on the first UE ID [Para 57-61, first path is established between devices]; process, based on signals received from the relay UE, a second discovery announcement comprising a second UE ID for routed traffic between the apparatus and the relay UE, wherein the routed traffic is to be relayed to a network, wherein the second UE ID is independent from the first UE ID [Para 92-93 and 95, the remote UE can act as relay UE which routes traffic when necessary to the network]; and establish, with the relays UE, a second communication path for routed traffic between the apparatus and the relay UE based on the second UE ID [Para 94, communication path for routing traffic is established].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 47-50, 52-55 and 59-63 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang et al. (USPN 12,396,056) teaches configuring a relay path between a remote UE and a base station in a wireless network by a relay user equipment (UE). The relay UE is connected with the base station through a Uu link in the wireless network.
Wang (US-PGPUB 2022/0338092) teaches configuring a layer-2-sidelink-relay-path between the first remote user equipment (UE) and a second remote UE in a new radio network and activating an end-to-end slrb-configuration between the first remote UE and the second remotely UE.
Zhang et al. (US-PGPUB 2021/0153063) teaches receiving, by a relay UE, signaling to enable relay-based UE cooperation (UC) by a group of UEs. The group of UEs comprise the relay UE and a remote UE.
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/Chandrahas B Patel/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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