Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/619,737

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING REFERENCE CELL CONFIGURATION FOR L1/L2-TRIGGERED HANDOVER IN NEXT-GENERATION MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Mar 28, 2024
Priority
Mar 31, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0043142
Examiner
BEYEN, ZEWDU A
Art Unit
2461
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allowance Rate
702 granted / 842 resolved
+25.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +15% lift
Without
With
+14.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
29 currently pending
Career history
877
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
88.2%
+48.2% vs TC avg
§102
8.1%
-31.9% vs TC avg
§112
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 842 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1,3-4,9,11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by MARTIN to (WO 2024178349 A1) Regarding claims 1,9, MARTIN teaches a method, a terminal in a communication system, the terminal comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to([0035] FIG.1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG.1B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit/receive element 122, a speaker/microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display/touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and/or other peripherals [0036] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors) receive, from a gNodeB (gNB), a radio resource control (RRC) message including at least one layer 1/layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate configuration,( [0145] discloses a network entity (e.g., a gNB or a CU in case of CU/DU split architecture) may configure potential LTM candidates using RRC signaling. The WTRU may receive the LTM candidate configurations using an RRC reconfiguration message (e.g., during the “LTM preparation” phase shown in FIG.6). The WTRU may store the LTM candidate configurations. [0119] The L1/L2 triggered mobility (LTM) may involve a gNB configuring target candidate cells based on a WTRU detecting and reporting RRC measurements) receive, from the gNB, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with an LTM, identify that the LTM is triggered based on the MAC CE([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6)), and apply an LTM candidate configuration for the LTM in case that the LTM candidate configuration includes information indicating that the LTM candidate configuration is a complete configuration([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6). gNB may decide to use LTM. The gNB may initiate LTM candidate preparation. At 2, the gNB may transmit an RRCReconfiguration message to the WTRU including the configuration of one or multiple LTM candidate target cells. At 3, the WTRU may store the configuration of LTM candidate target cell(s) and may transmit an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the gNB) Regarding claims 2,10, MARTIN teaches wherein the at least one processor further configured to apply the LTM candidate configuration on top of an LTM reference configuration for the LTM in case that the LTM candidate configuration does not include the information([0129] L1 measurement may apply to RRM reporting. [0130] As used herein, “measurements” refers to L1 measurements for LTM. Feature(s) described herein may similarly apply to RRM/L3 measurements, as well as other measurements (e.g., measurements of speed, location, height, traffic, etc). Regarding claims 3,11, MARTIN teaches wherein the information is configured for each of the at least one LTM candidate configuration([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6). gNB may decide to use LTM. The gNB may initiate LTM candidate preparation). Regarding claims 4, 12, MARTIN teaches wherein the LTM reference configuration is received from the gNB([0128] As used herein, an “L1 measurement” may refer to a measurement, performed by a WTRU, of RSRP, RSRP, RSSI, etc., of a cell, beam, set of cells, or set of beams. Such L1 measurement may be similar to L3 measurements reported in radio resource management (RRM), with differences in the filtering, reference signals measured, reporting mechanisms, etc. [0129] L1 measurement may apply to RRM reporting. [0130] As used herein, “measurements” refers to L1 measurements for LTM. Feature(s) described herein may similarly apply to RRM/L3 measurements, as well as other measurements (e.g., measurements of speed, location, height, traffic, etc). 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. 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. Claim(s) 5-8, 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MARTIN to (WO 2024178349 A1) in view of Guo to (US 20230388871 A1) Regarding claims 5,13, MARTIN teaches a method, a central unit (CU) associated with a gNodeB (gNB), the CU comprising: ( [0145] discloses a network entity (e.g., a gNB or a CU in case of CU/DU split architecture) may configure potential LTM candidates using RRC signaling) a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: and transmit, to a terminal, a radio resource control (RRC) message including the at least one LTM candidate configuration, ( [0145] discloses a network entity (e.g., a gNB or a CU in case of CU/DU split architecture) may configure potential LTM candidates using RRC signaling. The WTRU may receive the LTM candidate configurations using an RRC reconfiguration message (e.g., during the “LTM preparation” phase shown in FIG.6). The WTRU may store the LTM candidate configurations. [0119] The L1/L2 triggered mobility (LTM) may involve a gNB configuring target candidate cells based on a WTRU detecting and reporting RRC measurements) and transmit, to the terminal, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with an LTM, ([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6)), wherein an LTM candidate configuration for the LTM is applied in case that the LTM candidate configuration includes information indicating that the LTM candidate configuration is a complete configuration([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6). gNB may decide to use LTM. The gNB may initiate LTM candidate preparation. At 2, the gNB may transmit an RRCReconfiguration message to the WTRU including the configuration of one or multiple LTM candidate target cells. At 3, the WTRU may store the configuration of LTM candidate target cell(s) and may transmit an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the gNB) MARTIN does not explicitly teach transmit, to a distributed unit (DU) associated with the gNB, a context setup request message, receive, from the DU, a response message including at least one layer 1/layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate configuration as a response to the context setup request message However, Guo teaches transmit, to a distributed unit (DU) associated with the gNB, a context setup request message, ([0197] discloses multiple candidate cell configurations with DU 5731 over F1, parallel preparation signalling each for each candidate cell via the UE Context Modification procedure is used, where DU 5731 is able to accept/reject the request for each candidate cell basis and also able to provide lower-layer configuration separately for each candidate cell) receive, from the DU, a response message including at least one layer 1/layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate configuration as a response to the context setup request message([0286] … contained in the L1L2 Inter-DU Mobility Information IE included in the UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message, then the gNB-DU may use the information to allocate necessary resources for the UE.[0287] If the ul-GapFR2-Config IE is contained in the DU to CU RRC Information IE that is included in the UE CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE message, the gNB-CU uses it as described in [TS 38331], if supported. The content and various other aspects of the UE CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE message…) Therefore; it would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the system of Martin to include transmit, to a distributed unit (DU) associated with the gNB, a context setup request message, receive, from the DU, a response message including at least one layer 1/layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) candidate configuration as a response to the context setup request message, as suggested by Guo. This modification would benefit the system to facilitate a reliable handover procedure. Regarding claims 6, 14, MARTIN teaches wherein the LTM candidate configuration on top of an LTM reference configuration is applied in case that the LTM candidate configuration does not include the information([0129] L1 measurement may apply to RRM reporting. [0130] As used herein, “measurements” refers to L1 measurements for LTM. Feature(s) described herein may similarly apply to RRM/L3 measurements, as well as other measurements (e.g., measurements of speed, location, height, traffic, etc). Regarding claims 7, 15 , MARTIN teaches wherein the information is configured for each of the at least one LTM candidate configuration([0145] discloses The WTRU may (e.g., later) apply the LTM candidate configurations upon receiving (e.g., using L1/L2 signaling, for example, a MAC CE), an indication to perform a cell switch (e.g., during the “LTM execution” phase shown in FIG.6). gNB may decide to use LTM. The gNB may initiate LTM candidate preparation). Regarding claims 8,16, MARTIN teaches wherein the LTM reference configuration is configured by the gNB([0128] As used herein, an “L1 measurement” may refer to a measurement, performed by a WTRU, of RSRP, RSRP, RSSI, etc., of a cell, beam, set of cells, or set of beams. Such L1 measurement may be similar to L3 measurements reported in radio resource management (RRM), with differences in the filtering, reference signals measured, reporting mechanisms, etc. [0129] L1 measurement may apply to RRM reporting. [0130] As used herein, “measurements” refers to L1 measurements for LTM. Feature(s) described herein may similarly apply to RRM/L3 measurements, as well as other measurements (e.g., measurements of speed, location, height, traffic, etc). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZEWDU A BEYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7157. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-6:00. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy D Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ZEWDU A BEYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 28, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+14.7%)
2y 9m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 842 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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