9DETAILED 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
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) 1-4 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hong (US 2024/0205783 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hong discloses a method, comprising: facilitating, by a terrestrial radio network node comprising at least one processor, receiving, from a user equipment, a handover request comprising at least one non-terrestrial handover event indication indicative of at least one non-terrestrial handover event (see para. 0130-0131, source base station transmit UE handover request to target base station; para. 0129, event indication can be moving direction, moving speed and remaining allowed/available service/access time estimated by the serving cell); responsive to the at least one non-terrestrial handover event indication, facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, transmitting, to at least one non-terrestrial network element, a non-terrestrial fast handover request (see para. 0131, source node transmit handover request to target node); responsive to the transmitting of the non-terrestrial fast handover request, facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, receiving, from at least one of the at least one non-terrestrial network element, non-terrestrial fast handover request response (see para. 0152-0153, handover request acknowledge message); and responsive to the receiving of the at least one non-terrestrial fast handover request response, facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, transmitting, to the user equipment, a non-terrestrial fast handover command (see para. 0146, fast handover) comprising connection establishment information usable by the user equipment to establish a connection with a non-terrestrial network node (see para. 0157, RRC reconfiguration to UE; para. 0158-0161, successful handover with data transmission from UE to target base station).
Regarding claim 2, Hong discloses wherein the non-terrestrial fast handover request comprises at least one of: a non-terrestrial network downlink control resource request for at least one non-terrestrial network downlink control resource usable by the user equipment to facilitate receiving connection setup information, a non-terrestrial downlink beam information request for non-terrestrial downlink beam information usable by the user equipment to facilitate the receiving of the connection setup information, or radio resource control setup request information, associated with the user equipment, usable by the non-terrestrial network node to facilitate establishment of a connection between the non-terrestrial network node and the user equipment (see para. 0077, time-frequency resource CORSET is configured for beam directions; para. 0112-0118, target base station reserve resources for handover of UE)..
Regarding claim 3, Hong discloses wherein the at least one non-terrestrial fast handover request response comprises at least one of: at least one non-terrestrial network downlink control resource indication indicative of at least one non-terrestrial network downlink control resource usable by the user equipment to facilitate receiving connection setup information from the non- terrestrial network node, or at least one non-terrestrial downlink beam indication indicative of at least one downlink beam usable by the user equipment to facilitate the receiving of the connection setup information (see para. 0133, 0149, reserved resource for handover).
Regarding claim 4, Hong discloses wherein the connection establishment information comprises at least one of: a non-terrestrial network node identifier corresponding to the non- terrestrial network node, a timing advance value corresponding to the non-terrestrial network node (see para. 0147, target non-terrestrial network base station ID), at least one non-terrestrial network downlink control resource indication indicative of at least one non-terrestrial network downlink control resource usable by the user equipment to facilitate receiving connection setup information from the non-terrestrial network node (see par. 0149, allocate resource for handover), or at least one non-terrestrial downlink beam indication indicative of at least one downlink beam usable by the user equipment to facilitate the receiving of the connection setup information (see para. 0066, SSB transmission; para. 0077, beam directions.
Regarding claim 8, Hong discloses wherein the at least one non-terrestrial network element is at least one of: a shared core entity, a non-terrestrial gateway, or the non-terrestrial network node (see para. 0204, non-terrestrial network node).
Regarding claim 9, Hong discloses wherein the non-terrestrial fast handover request is delivered via at least one backhaul interface link, wherein the non-terrestrial fast handover request response is delivered via at least one backhaul interface link, or wherein the non- terrestrial fast handover command is delivered via at least one backhaul interface link (see para. 0043., 0131, 0142-0146 and 0200, Xn or backhaul interface for fast handover).
Regarding claim 10, Hong discloses wherein at least one of the at least one backhaul interface link is a microwave link (see para. 0142, Xn link)..
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hong in view of Kumar Patra et al. (US 2022/0330112A1).
Regarding claim 5, Hong discloses aal the subject matter but fails to mention further comprising facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, receiving, from at least one of the at least one non-terrestrial network element a first non-terrestrial network handover offset configuration comprising at least one of: at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset corresponding to at least one non-terrestrial network node, or at least one handover event indication indicative of at least one handover event, with respect to which the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset is to be applicable. However, Kumar Patra from similar field of endeavor discloses further comprising facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, receiving, from at least one of the at least one non-terrestrial network element a first non-terrestrial network handover offset configuration comprising at least one of: at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset corresponding to at least one non-terrestrial network node, or at least one handover event indication indicative of at least one handover event, with respect to which the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset is to be applicable (see para. 0034, signal strength offset is applicable in handover scenario). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include signal strength offset scheme into Hong handover scheme. The method can be implemented in a configuration. The motivation of doing this is to have threshold for handover scenario.
Regarding claim 6, Hong discloses all the subject matter but fails to mention wherein the handover request comprising the at least one non-terrestrial handover event indication is based on a non-terrestrial signal strength corresponding to the non-terrestrial network node being determined to be equal to or greater than at least one adjusted handover event criterion, wherein a configured at least one signal strength offset is adjusted by the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset to result in at least one adjusted handover offset, and wherein the at least one adjusted handover event criterion is a result of applying the at least one adjusted handover offset to a terrestrial signal strength corresponding to the terrestrial radio network node. However, Kumar Patra from a similar field of endeavor discloses wherein the handover request comprising the at least one non-terrestrial handover event indication is based on a non-terrestrial signal strength corresponding to the non-terrestrial network node being determined to be equal to or greater than at least one adjusted handover event criterion, wherein a configured at least one signal strength offset is adjusted by the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset to result in at least one adjusted handover offset, and wherein the at least one adjusted handover event criterion is a result of applying the at least one adjusted handover offset to a terrestrial signal strength corresponding to the terrestrial radio network node (see para. 0034, different threshold levels which can be set or adjusted). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include signal strength offset scheme into Hong handover scheme. The method can be implemented in a configuration. The motivation of doing this is to have threshold for handover scenario.
Regarding claim 7, Hong discloses all the subject matter but fails to mention further comprising: facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, transmitting, to the user equipment, a second non-terrestrial network handover offset configuration comprising at least one of: the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset, or the at least one handover event indication indicative of the at least one handover event, with respect to which the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset is to be applicable. However, Kumar Patra from a similar field of endeavor discloses further comprising: facilitating, by the terrestrial radio network node, transmitting, to the user equipment, a second non-terrestrial network handover offset configuration comprising at least one of: the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset, or the at least one handover event indication indicative of the at least one handover event, with respect to which the at least one non-terrestrial signal strength offset is to be applicable(see para. 0034, different threshold levels which can be set or adjusted and terrestrial signal strength offset criteria). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include signal strength offset scheme into Hong handover scheme. The method can be implemented in a configuration. The motivation of doing this is to have threshold for handover scenario.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD S ANWAR whose telephone number is (571)270-5641. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6-5 EST.
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MOHAMMAD S. ANWAR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
/MOHAMMAD S ANWAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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