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 .
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.
(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) 23-36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1/2) as being anticipated by US 20220225448 A1 to Li; Hongkun et al.
Re: Claim(s) 23, 29
Li discloses an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: (Fig. 1F – 102 comprises 118 and 130/132. Fig. 18 - 701)
transmit a first data packet to at least one of a plurality of user-equipment-to-user- equipment, U2U, relay user equipments; wherein the first data packet comprises at least one of: a system information block, a paging message, an acknowledgement for a small data transmission, a connection setup response, a connection release response, or path information comprising information associated with the apparatus (0344,0346 - Only one N2 connection is established between AMF 172 and RAN node 105 for the relay UE 701 and all other UEs in the relay chain … In the scenario that network determines to page all the UEs in a relay chain, AMF 172 can insert the relay chain ID into the N2 paging message, and the relay UE 701 can broadcast the paging message to UEs over PC5 link. If AMF determines to page a specific UE or a set of UEs in the relay chain, AMF 172 would include the relay chain ID along with individual UE IDs in the N2 paging message, so that the relay UE 701 and the intermediate UE knows which UE the target destination is … In an embodiment, relay UE 701 listens to the paging message on behalf of UEs in the relay chain. Specifically, relay UE 701 can get the remote UE IDs such as 5G SUPI, S-TMSI, so that it is able to calculate paging occasions of the remote UE 102 and monitor the paging message for remote UE 102. Relay UE 701 can derive this information from remote UE 102 when establishing PC5 link, or from network when the network accepts remote UE 102 to join the relay chain, or when remote UE 102 performs the indirect registration via the relay UE 701. Once it receives the paging message, it will find out which specific UEs are paged and forward the paging message to each UE over PC5 link).
Li further discloses a corresponding receiving side apparatus (Fig. 1F – 102 comprises 118 and 130/132. Fig. 18 - 102) as required by claim 29.
Re: Claim(s) 24, 30
Li discloses establish a unicast sidelink connection between the apparatus and a neighboring user equipment, wherein the unicast sidelink connection comprises one hop of a multi-hop connection established between the apparatus and a remote user equipment via the plurality of U2U relay user equipments, the neighboring user equipment comprising one of the plurality of U2U relay user equipments; and transmit the first data packet to the neighboring user equipment over a common connection; wherein the common connection includes at least one of: a control channel, a common control channel, a pre-defined control channel, a common bearer, a common signaling radio bearer, or a pre-defined signaling radio bearer; and wherein the common connection is used across at least the apparatus and the plurality of U2U relay user equipments (0132 - The ProSe UE-to-Network Relay can relay unicast traffic (DL and UL) to remote UE. 0172 - Multi-hop relay chain formation: once UEs (e.g., 102s, 701s) discover each other in proximity, a general issue is how to form a multi-hop relay chain and to what degree the network manages, or controls, the multi-hop relay chain formation. 0254-0262 – PC5 link establishment between remote and relay UEs is disclosed. 0187 and 0344 - Network pages multiple UEs in a relay chain over N2 interface, where the N2 connection is shared by those UEs … the N2 connection between AMF 172 and RAN node 105 for the relay UE 701 can be shared for transferring any N2 message to the UEs in the relay chain).
Re: Claim(s) 25, 31
Li discloses transmit the first data packet to the neighboring user equipment, wherein a destination identifier in a control header of the first data packet is addressed to the at least one of the plurality of U2U relay user equipments; or receive, from the neighboring user equipment, a second data packet transmitted from a U2U relay user equipment of the plurality of U2U relay user equipments, wherein a source identifier in a control header of the second data packet identifies the U2U relay user equipment that transmitted the second data packet (0344 - If AMF determines to page a specific UE or a set of UEs in the relay chain, AMF 172 would include the relay chain ID along with individual UE IDs in the N2 paging message, so that the relay UE 701 and the intermediate UE knows which UE the target destination is. The Examiner notes that information such as a relay chain ID and UE ID would constitute header information for routing the paging message).
Re: Claim(s) 26, 32
Li discloses activate the common connection over the unicast sidelink connection before transmitting the first data packet; and transmit the first data packet to the neighboring user equipment over the common connection; and/or receive the second data packet from the neighboring user equipment, over the common connection (0344 - If AMF determines to page a specific UE or a set of UEs in the relay chain, AMF 172 would include the relay chain ID along with individual UE IDs in the N2 paging message, so that the relay UE 701 and the intermediate UE knows which UE the target destination is. The Examiner notes that it is understood that the relay UE is forwarding the paging message to a remote UE via an intermediate UE (i.e. transmitting to a neighboring user equipment).
Re: Claim(s) 27, 35
Claim 27 further limits an alternative of claim 25. Since Li teaches the transmission alternative, the limitations of claim 27 have been met.
Re: Claim(s) 28
Li discloses support connectivity to a radio access network node for at least one of the plurality of U2U relay user equipments over the unicast sidelink connection or the common connection (0187 and 0344 - Network pages multiple UEs in a relay chain over N2 interface, where the N2 connection is shared by those UEs … the N2 connection between AMF 172 and RAN node 105 for the relay UE 701 can be shared for transferring any N2 message to the UEs in the relay chain).
Re: Claim(s) 33
Li discloses determine, based on decoding the destination identifier in the control header of the first data packet, whether the first data packet is addressed to at least one other user equipment using the common connection; and based on determining that the first data packet is addressed to the at least one other user equipment using the common connection, transmit the first data packet to the second neighboring user equipment or the first neighboring user equipment over the common connection (0344 - If AMF determines to page a specific UE or a set of UEs in the relay chain, AMF 172 would include the relay chain ID along with individual UE IDs in the N2 paging message, so that the relay UE 701 and the intermediate UE knows which UE the target destination is. The Examiner notes that it is understood that the relay UE is forwarding the paging message to a remote UE via an intermediate UE (i.e. transmitting to a neighboring user equipment) and would be required to decode the paging message in order to determine whether or not to forward the paging message to the next hop).
Re: Claim(s) 34
Li discloses determine, based on decoding the destination identifier in the control header of the first data packet, whether the first data packet is addressed to the apparatus; and based on determining that the first data packet is addressed to the apparatus, store a copy of the first data packet; based on determining that the first data packet is addressed to only the apparatus, terminate the first data packet (0344 - If AMF determines to page a specific UE or a set of UEs in the relay chain, AMF 172 would include the relay chain ID along with individual UE IDs in the N2 paging message, so that the relay UE 701 and the intermediate UE knows which UE the target destination is. The Examiner notes that it is understood that the relay UE is forwarding the paging message to a remote UE via an intermediate UE (i.e. transmitting to a neighboring user equipment) and would be required to decode the paging message in order to determine whether or not to forward the paging message to the next hop. In the case that the remote UE receiving the forwarded paging message is the destination, then storing and terminating the paging message would be inherent, since the destination remote UE would not be required to forward the paging message).
Re: Claim(s) 36
Li discloses communicate with a radio access network node via the U2N relay user equipment over the first unicast sidelink connection or the common connection, wherein the first unicast sidelink connection comprises a hop towards to the U2N relay user equipment (0344 and Fig. 18 – relay UE to remote UEs).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KASHIF SIDDIQUI whose telephone number is (571)270-3188. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R 6:00 EST to 16:00 EST.
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/KASHIF SIDDIQUI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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