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 .
Response to Amendment
This is in response to an amendment/response/communication filed 6/26/2026.
No claims have been cancelled.
No claims have been added.
Claims(s) 1-20 is/are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 8-10, filed 6/26/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) claims 1, 3, 6, 11 and 20 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) and claims 2, 4-5, 7-10, 12-19 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997.
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 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997.
As to claim 1:
Aghighi et al. discloses:
A network node for wireless communication, comprising:
a processing system that includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors, the processing system configured to cause the network node to:
(see FIG. 14 for “processors”, “memories”, etc.)
transmit, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell; and
(“In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required. This information (i.e. the information indicating that the source secondary NG-RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme can be relayed or sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node by the master NG-RAN node. This information can be sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example a XnAP "S-Node Addition Request” message. When the target secondary NG-RAN node receives the request, it can perform admission control and prepare the resource(s). If the cells of the target secondary NG-RAN node are in a sleep mode (e.g. a deep sleep mode), then to allow the cells in the target secondary NG-RAN node to wake up from deep sleep, the node can indicate to the master NG-RAN node that the target secondary NG- RAN node can be a secondary node and establish a SCG for DC after a given delay time period. This indication can be sent to the master NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example in a Xn-AP "S-Node Addition Request Acknowledge” message that indicates the SN addition is successful but will be delayed for a given time period, for example 50 ms.”; Aghighi et al.; p.9, lines 23-35 and p.10, lines 1-5)
(“The term "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG and that wants to move or transfer responsibility for providing a SCG for DC to another NG-RAN node.”; Aghighi et al.; p.7, lines 33-35).
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33)
(“The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node…” Aghighi et al.; p.12, lines 17-18)
(where
“the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required.”/"source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG” Maps to “transmit, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell”, where “source secondary NG-RAN node” maps to “network node”, “XnAP message” maps to “via backhaul signaling”, “indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme” maps to “, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “supports” maps to “support”, “network energy scheme” maps to “information associated with…network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “scheme” maps to “mode”, "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG”/“SCG”/”secondary cell group (SCG)”/”The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node” maps to “NES cell”
communicate with a user equipment (UE) via the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC). The method comprises: sending a change request message to a master RAN node for the DC, the change request message requesting a change of responsibility for providing a SCG to another secondary RAN node. The change request message comprises one or more of: (i) an indication of whether the source secondary RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme; (ii) an indication that the change of responsibility for providing the SCG is due to the network energy saving scheme”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33 and p.5, lines 1-4)
(where
“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).“/”In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. “, where “UE” maps to “user equipment (UE)”, “dual connectivity (DC)” maps to “communicate with”, “secondary cell group (SCG)”/”source…”network energy saving scheme” maps to “via the NES cell”, "network energy saving scheme” maps to “in accordance with the NES mode”
Aghighi et al. teaches a source secondary NG-RAN node for DC communication with a UE sending a request message for a node change to a master NG-RAN node via an XnAP protocol where the request message includes a message indicating support for a “network energy saving scheme”, where the source secondary node includes a secondary cell group (SCG) where the SCG is associated with the “network energy saving scheme”.
As to claim 2:
Aghighi et al. discloses:
The network node wherein the information includes an indication that the NES mode is a supported NES mode for the NES cell.
(“In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required. This information (i.e. the information indicating that the source secondary NG-RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme can be relayed or sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node by the master NG-RAN node. This information can be sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example a XnAP "S-Node Addition Request” message. When the target secondary NG-RAN node receives the request, it can perform admission control and prepare the resource(s). If the cells of the target secondary NG-RAN node are in a sleep mode (e.g. a deep sleep mode), then to allow the cells in the target secondary NG-RAN node to wake up from deep sleep, the node can indicate to the master NG-RAN node that the target secondary NG- RAN node can be a secondary node and establish a SCG for DC after a given delay time period. This indication can be sent to the master NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example in a Xn-AP "S-Node Addition Request Acknowledge” message that indicates the SN addition is successful but will be delayed for a given time period, for example 50 ms.”; Aghighi et al.; p.9, lines 23-35 and p.10, lines 1-5)
(“The term "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG and that wants to move or transfer responsibility for providing a SCG for DC to another NG-RAN node.”; Aghighi et al.; p.7, lines 33-35).
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33)
(“The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node…” Aghighi et al.; p.12, lines 17-18)
(“In step 1001 , the source secondary RAN node sends a change request message to a master RAN node for the DC. The change request message requests a change of responsibility for providing a SCG to another secondary RAN node. The change request message comprises one or more of (i) an indication of whether the source secondary RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme; (ii) an indication that the change of responsibility for providing the SCG is due to the network energy saving scheme”; Aghighi et al.; p.14, lines 16-20)
As to claim 20:
Aghighi et al. discloses:
A method for wireless communication by a network node
associated with a network energy saving (NES) cell, comprising:
transmitting, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network
energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell; and
(“In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required. This information (i.e. the information indicating that the source secondary NG-RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme can be relayed or sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node by the master NG-RAN node. This information can be sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example a XnAP "S-Node Addition Request” message. When the target secondary NG-RAN node receives the request, it can perform admission control and prepare the resource(s). If the cells of the target secondary NG-RAN node are in a sleep mode (e.g. a deep sleep mode), then to allow the cells in the target secondary NG-RAN node to wake up from deep sleep, the node can indicate to the master NG-RAN node that the target secondary NG- RAN node can be a secondary node and establish a SCG for DC after a given delay time period. This indication can be sent to the master NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example in a Xn-AP "S-Node Addition Request Acknowledge” message that indicates the SN addition is successful but will be delayed for a given time period, for example 50 ms.”; Aghighi et al.; p.9, lines 23-35 and p.10, lines 1-5)
(“The term "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG and that wants to move or transfer responsibility for providing a SCG for DC to another NG-RAN node.”; Aghighi et al.; p.7, lines 33-35).
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33)
(“The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node…” Aghighi et al.; p.12, lines 17-18)
(where
“the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required.”/"source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG” Maps to “transmit, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell”, where “source secondary NG-RAN node” maps to “network node”, “XnAP message” maps to “via backhaul signaling”, “indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme” maps to “, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “supports” maps to “support”, “network energy scheme” maps to “information associated with…network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “scheme” maps to “mode”, "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG”/“SCG”/”secondary cell group (SCG)”/”The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node” maps to “NES cell”
communicate with a user equipment (UE) via the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC). The method comprises: sending a change request message to a master RAN node for the DC, the change request message requesting a change of responsibility for providing a SCG to another secondary RAN node. The change request message comprises one or more of: (i) an indication of whether the source secondary RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme; (ii) an indication that the change of responsibility for providing the SCG is due to the network energy saving scheme”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33 and p.5, lines 1-4)
(where
“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).“/”In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. “, where “UE” maps to “user equipment (UE)”, “dual connectivity (DC)” maps to “communicate with”, “secondary cell group (SCG)”/”source…”network energy saving scheme” maps to “via the NES cell”, "network energy saving scheme” maps to “in accordance with the NES mode”
Aghighi et al. teaches a source secondary NG-RAN node for DC communication with a UE sending a request message for a node change to a master NG-RAN node via an XnAP protocol where the request message includes a message indicating support for a “network energy saving scheme”, where the source secondary node includes a secondary cell group (SCG) where the SCG is associated with the “network energy saving scheme”.
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) 3, 6 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 3:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes an indication that the NES mode is an active NES mode of the NES cell.
However, Grau et al. further teaches an activation capability which includes:
wherein the information includes an indication that the NES mode is an active NES mode of the NES cell.
(“Moreover, if the UE 3 indicates as a part of its request in S703 that it wishes to measure a NES cell operating in the dormant state to the anchor cell 9, the anchor cell 9 sends an activation signal, in S704, to those cells (e.g. via the Xn interface or via another appropriate interface). Optionally, the activation signal may also be sent to NES cells operating in the non-dormant state. This activation signal configures one or more NES cells to activate and broadcast synchronization signals using the time and frequency resources which correspond to the signals indicated to the UE 3 as measurement opportunities for those dormant NES cells in S701.”; Grau et al.; 0126)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the activation capability of Grau et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the activation capability as taught by the processing/communications of Grau et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced signaling (Grau et al.; 0116) are achieved.
As to claim 6:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
A network node wherein the information includes NES configuration information, associated with the NES mode, to be transmitted via an anchor cell.
However, Grau et al. further teaches an anchor capability which includes:
A network node wherein the information includes NES configuration information, associated with the NES mode, to be transmitted via an anchor cell.
(“Moreover, if the UE 3 indicates as a part of its request in S703 that it wishes to measure a NES cell operating in the dormant state to the anchor cell 9, the anchor cell 9 sends an activation signal, in S704, to those cells (e.g. via the Xn interface or via another appropriate interface). Optionally, the activation signal may also be sent to NES cells operating in the non-dormant state. This activation signal configures one or more NES cells to activate and broadcast synchronization signals using the time and frequency resources which correspond to the signals indicated to the UE 3 as measurement opportunities for those dormant NES cells in S701.”; Grau et al.; 0126)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the anchor capability of Grau et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the anchor capability as taught by the processing/communications of Grau et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced signaling (Grau et al.; 0116) are achieved.
As to claim 11:
Aghighi et al. discloses:
A network node for wireless communication, comprising:
a processing system that includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors, the processing system configured to cause the network node to:
(see FIG. 14 for “processors”, “memories”, etc.)
receive, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell; and
(“In some embodiments, the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required. This information (i.e. the information indicating that the source secondary NG-RAN node supports a network energy saving scheme can be relayed or sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node by the master NG-RAN node. This information can be sent to the target secondary NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example a XnAP "S-Node Addition Request” message. When the target secondary NG-RAN node receives the request, it can perform admission control and prepare the resource(s). If the cells of the target secondary NG-RAN node are in a sleep mode (e.g. a deep sleep mode), then to allow the cells in the target secondary NG-RAN node to wake up from deep sleep, the node can indicate to the master NG-RAN node that the target secondary NG- RAN node can be a secondary node and establish a SCG for DC after a given delay time period. This indication can be sent to the master NG-RAN node in a XnAP message, for example in a Xn-AP "S-Node Addition Request Acknowledge” message that indicates the SN addition is successful but will be delayed for a given time period, for example 50 ms.”; Aghighi et al.; p.9, lines 23-35 and p.10, lines 1-5)
(“The term "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG and that wants to move or transfer responsibility for providing a SCG for DC to another NG-RAN node.”; Aghighi et al.; p.7, lines 33-35).
(“According to a third aspect, there is provided a method performed by a source secondary RAN node that is providing a secondary cell group (SCG) to enable a UE to use dual connectivity (DC).”; Aghighi et al.; p.4, lines 32-33)
(“The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node…” Aghighi et al.; p.12, lines 17-18)
(where
“the source secondary NG-RAN node for a DC configuration can indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme”. The source secondary NG- RAN node can indicate this to the master NG-RAN node in a message that requests the master NG-RAN node change the secondary NG-RAN node in the DC configuration. The source secondary NG-RAN node can indicate this support in a XnAP message, for example an XnAP "S-Node Change Required” message, which is used to indicate that a change of secondary node (S-Node) is required.”/"source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG” Maps to “transmit, via backhaul signaling, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode of an NES cell”, where “source secondary NG-RAN node” maps to “network node”, “XnAP message” maps to “via backhaul signaling”, “indicate to the master NG-RAN node for the DC configuration that it supports a "network energy saving scheme” maps to “, information associated with a support of a network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “supports” maps to “support”, “network energy scheme” maps to “information associated with…network energy saving (NES) mode”, where “scheme” maps to “mode”, "source secondary NG-RAN node” used herein refers to a secondary NG-RAN node that is currently providing a SCG”/“SCG”/”secondary cell group (SCG)”/”The network energy saving scheme may comprise one or more sleep modes that can be applied to one or more cells provided by the source RAN node” maps to “NES cell”
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
transmit, via an anchor cell, assistance information to enable a user equipment (UE) to access the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode. (where
However, Grau et al. further teaches an anchor capability which includes:
transmit, via an anchor cell, assistance information to enable a user equipment (UE) to access the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode. (where
(“Moreover, if the UE 3 indicates as a part of its request in S703 that it wishes to measure a NES cell operating in the dormant state to the anchor cell 9, the anchor cell 9 sends an activation signal, in S704, to those cells (e.g. via the Xn interface or via another appropriate interface). Optionally, the activation signal may also be sent to NES cells operating in the non-dormant state. This activation signal configures one or more NES cells to activate and broadcast synchronization signals using the time and frequency resources which correspond to the signals indicated to the UE 3 as measurement opportunities for those dormant NES cells in S701.”; Grau et al.; 0126)
(where
“This activation signal configures one or more NES cells to activate and broadcast synchronization signals using the time and frequency resources which correspond to the signals indicated to the UE 3 as measurement opportunities for those dormant NES cells in S701” maps to “communicate with a user equipment (UE) via the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode”, where “broadcast” maps to “communicate”, “to the UE 3” maps to “with a user equipment (UE)”, “NES cells…broadcast” maps to “via the NES cell”, “to activate” maps to “in accordance with the NES mode”
Grau et al. teaches an anchor cell sending an activation signal to NES cells via an Xn interface, where the activated NES cells then broadcast synchronization signals to the UE.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the anchor capability of Grau et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the anchor capability as taught by the processing/communications of Grau et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced signaling (Grau et al.; 0116) are achieved.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Khlass et al. US 20240284323 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 4:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive, via backhaul signaling, a request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode, wherein the information includes an acknowledgment of the request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode or a rejection of the request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode.
However, Khlass et al. further teaches a Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability which includes:
receive, via backhaul signaling, a request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode, wherein the information includes an acknowledgment of the request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode or a rejection of the request for the NES cell to operate in the NES mode.
(“At step 7 (307) the UE may measure the received signal, and at step 8 (308), the UE may report the measurements based on the second configuration (ReportConfigNR2) where DRS are measured and specific RSRP/RSRQ threshold are used for triggering the reporting event. The serving cell may identify the capacity cell (cell 4 in this example) as a potential suitable cell for HO, determines whether the capacity cell is in NES state, and decide whether to trigger HO or not. The HO decision could be based on the following considerations: [0182] UE traffic QoS requirements such as, for example, if additional latency from cell activation could be afforded or not. For instance, for delay-stringent applications, the HO towards cells in NES state is to be avoided. [0183] Number of UEs identifying the same target cell as a suitable candidate for HO. The source cell may decide to issue a HO request to a target cell in NES state when multiple UEs reported the same suitable target cell…”; Khlass et al.; 0181)
(“If the NES state of the target cells cannot be determined from the reported measurements, the serving cell may rely on legacy means such as: [0187] i. Xn-based information exchange between neighboring cells such as, for example, when a cell enters/leaves a NES state. [0188] ii. Otherwise, the serving cell may get the NES state of potential target cells through an HO request addressed towards the identified suitable cell for a given UE. [0189] The target cell may reply with an HO request acknowledgment if it is willing to wake up. The HO ACK could include additional information, such as the availability time of the cell for example. In one example, the activation is triggered immediately after sending the HO request ACK. In another example, the activation is triggered when receiving RRC configuration complete from the UE (CHO) [0190] Otherwise, the target cell may reject the HO request due to the NES state, such as by optionally including a cause value related to its NES state for example.”; Khlass et al.; 0186)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability of Khlass et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability as taught by the processing/communications of Khlass et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with enhanced operation (Khlass et al.; 0195) are achieved.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Jiang, “Communication Method and Apparatus, Communication Device, and Storage Medium”, 2024-11-14, WO, WO 2024229709 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 5:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information indicates one or more anchor cells, associated with the NES cell, for the NES mode.
However, Jiang further teaches a XN, NES mode/anchor capability which includes:
wherein the information indicates one or more anchor cells, associated with the NES cell, for the NES mode.
(“Step SS842: During the XN establishment process or NG-RAN node configuration process, the gNB in the RNA sends an NES mode indication to the anchor gNB.
The NES mode indication sent by the gNB in the RNA is used to indicate each cell covered by the gNB that is in energy saving mode.”; Jiang; p.58, top of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the XN, NES mode/anchor capability of Nader et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the XN, NES mode/anchor capability as taught by the processing/communications of Nader et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with of improved performance (Jiang; Abstract) are achieved.
Claim(s) 7 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and in further view of Li et al., “Information Receiving Method and Apparatus, Information Sending Method and Apparatus, and Communication System”, 2025-08-14, WO, WO 2025166634 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 7:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the NES mode is an on-demand system information block type 1 (SIB1) mode, and wherein the NES configuration information includes:
a wake-up-signal (WUS) configuration, and
a post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration associated with the NES cell.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration/SIB1 capability which includes:
wherein the NES mode is an on-demand system information block type 1 (SIB1) mode, and wherein the NES configuration information includes:
a wake-up-signal (WUS) configuration, and
a post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration associated with the NES cell.
(“In some embodiments, the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device via a second cell, where the second cell is a neighboring cell or an anchor cell of the first cell. For details about the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant art and will not be described in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.19, middle of page)
(“According to the above embodiment, the terminal device receives the first information related to the first cell sent by the network device, thereby, the terminal device can determine whether the terminal device is allowed to reside in the first cell based on the first information; furthermore, for the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, the terminal device can also determine whether it can reside in the cell and reside or not, thereby solving the problem of the terminal device residing in the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1; and, after the terminal device determines whether it is allowed to reside in the first cell, it can perform corresponding processing respectively when residence is allowed and when residence is not allowed.”; Li et al.; p.9, bottom of page)
(“In some embodiments, the information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell appears. Indicates whether the first cell is an NES cell. For example, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes 1 bit, and the presence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and vice versa; or, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes wake-up signal (Wake Up Signal, WUS) configuration information related to the first cell or second information indicating the WUS configuration information, and the presence of the WUS configuration information or the second information indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the WUS information or the second information indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1. For content related to the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant technology and will not be explained in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.12, bottom of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved capacity (Li et al.; p.19, bottom of page) are achieved.
As to claim 8:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein, to cause the network node to communicate with
the UE via the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode, the processing system is configured
to cause the network node to:
receive a WUS in accordance with the WUS configuration; and
transmit, in connection with receiving the WUS, an SIB1 via the NES cell in
accordance with the post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration/SIB1 capability which includes:
wherein, to cause the network node to communicate with
the UE via the NES cell in accordance with the NES mode, the processing system is configured
to cause the network node to:
receive a WUS in accordance with the WUS configuration; and
transmit, in connection with receiving the WUS, an SIB1 via the NES cell in
accordance with the post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration.
(“In some embodiments, the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device via a second cell, where the second cell is a neighboring cell or an anchor cell of the first cell. For details about the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant art and will not be described in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.19, middle of page)
(“According to the above embodiment, the terminal device receives the first information related to the first cell sent by the network device, thereby, the terminal device can determine whether the terminal device is allowed to reside in the first cell based on the first information; furthermore, for the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, the terminal device can also determine whether it can reside in the cell and reside or not, thereby solving the problem of the terminal device residing in the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1; and, after the terminal device determines whether it is allowed to reside in the first cell, it can perform corresponding processing respectively when residence is allowed and when residence is not allowed.”; Li et al.; p.9, bottom of page)
(“In some embodiments, the information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell appears. Indicates whether the first cell is an NES cell. For example, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes 1 bit, and the presence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and vice versa; or, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes wake-up signal (Wake Up Signal, WUS) configuration information related to the first cell or second information indicating the WUS configuration information, and the presence of the WUS configuration information or the second information indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the WUS information or the second information indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1. For content related to the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant technology and will not be explained in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.12, bottom of page)
(“For example, FIG7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an NES cell according to an embodiment of the present application that changes from not sending SIB1 to sending SIB1. As shown in FIG7, when the NES cell does not send SIB1, the legacy UE considers the cell to be barred and does not reside in the NES cell. The NES UE considers the cell to be an NES cell, or that the cell is not barred, or transmits a WUS to the cell to request that the cell send SIB1. When the NES cell sends an SSB, the SSB includes WUS configuration information or an indication that the NES cell is an NES cell, or before the cell sends the SSB, the second cell sends the WUS configuration information of the NES cell or an indication that the NES cell is an NES cell. For specific methods, please refer to the previous description of the first information.”; Li et al.; p.19, bottom of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved capacity (Li et al.; p.19, bottom of page) are achieved.
Claim(s) 9, 12 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and in further view Wang WO 2024127936 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 9:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the NES configuration information includes system information associated with the NES cell.
However, Wang et al. further teaches an inter-cell coordination/SIB capability which includes:
wherein the NES configuration information includes system information associated with the NES cell.
(“On-demand SI for NES cell provided by anchor cell… In step S601, inter-cell coordination for SIB provisioning is performed between the anchor NES cell 31 and the non-anchor NES cell 30. For example, the anchor NES cell 31 may be configured for broadcast of the MIB and SIB1 for the non-anchor NES cell 30. It will be appreciated that if the SIB provisioning is preconfigured for the anchor NES cell 31 and the non-anchor NES cell 30, then step S601 need not necessarily be performed.”; Wang; 0073)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the inter-cell coordination/SIB capability of Wang et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the inter-cell coordination/SIB capability as taught by the processing/communications of Wang et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with with improved NES (Wang; 0001) are achieved.
As to claim 12:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes a request for the anchor cell to operate in an anchor mode for the NES cell.
However, Wang et al. further teaches an SI update message capability which includes:
wherein the information includes a request for the anchor cell to operate in an anchor mode for the NES cell.
(“Referring now to Fig. 8, in step S801a, an SI update notification is transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31 (from the base station 5-1 that operates the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the base station that operates the anchor NES cell 31). The SI update notification provides an indication that an update of SI corresponding to the non-anchor NES cell 30 has occurred. The SI update notification may include a short message that indicates the type SI update (e.g. of the type illustrated in Table 2 above). Alternatively, no short message may be transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31. It will be appreciated that the Xn interface can be used for the transmissions from the base station 5-1 that provides the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the base station 5-2 that provides the anchor NES cell 31.
In step S801b, the updated SIBs are transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31.
In step S802, a short message is transmitted to the UE 3 using the anchor NES cell 31 that provides an indication that an update of SI has occurred for the non-anchor NES cell 30.”; Wang; 0093-0095)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the SI update message capability of Wang et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the SI update message capability as taught by the processing/communications of Wang et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved NES (Wang; 0001) are achieved.
As to claim 14:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information indicates one or more NES cells, including the NES cell, associated with the anchor cell.
However, Wang et al. further teaches an SI update message/NES cells capability which includes:
wherein the information indicates one or more NES cells, including the NES cell, associated with the anchor cell.
(“Referring now to Fig. 8, in step S801a, an SI update notification is transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31 (from the base station 5-1 that operates the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the base station that operates the anchor NES cell 31). The SI update notification provides an indication that an update of SI corresponding to the non-anchor NES cell 30 has occurred. The SI update notification may include a short message that indicates the type SI update (e.g. of the type illustrated in Table 2 above). Alternatively, no short message may be transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31. It will be appreciated that the Xn interface can be used for the transmissions from the base station 5-1 that provides the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the base station 5-2 that provides the anchor NES cell 31.
In step S801b, the updated SIBs are transmitted from the non-anchor NES cell 30 to the anchor NES cell 31.
In step S802, a short message is transmitted to the UE 3 using the anchor NES cell 31 that provides an indication that an update of SI has occurred for the non-anchor NES cell 30.”; Wang; 0093-0095)
(“The disclosure has particular, although not necessarily exclusive relevance to, improved apparatus and methods for network energy saving (NES) cells.”; Wang; 0001)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the SI update/NES cells message capability of Wang et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the SI update message/NES cells capability as taught by the processing/communications of Wang et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved NES (Wang; 0001) are achieved.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Kim et al., “Apparatus and Method for Supporting Network Energy Saving Operation in Wireless Communication System”, 2024-11-21, WO, WO 2024237763 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 10:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes beam-specific information associated with the NES mode.
However, Kim et al. further teaches a NES/intra/beam capability which includes:
wherein the information includes beam-specific information associated with the NES mode.
(“The present disclosure relates to a device and method for effectively operating a node for assisting communication between a base station and a terminal in response to NES operation of a base station in a wireless communication system.”; Kim et al.; p.2, top of page)
(“Intra-system energy saving solution: A RAN node can request a neighboring RAN node to switch at least one SSB beam into its inactive cell, or can perform paging using a limited set of beams to inactive terminals (e.g., stationary terminals).”; Kim et al.; p.27, bottom of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the NES/intra/beam capability of Kim et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the NES/intra/beam capability as taught by the processing/communications of Kim et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved NES (Kim et al.; Abstract) are achieved.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and in further view of Fu et al., “Method for Wireless Communication, and Terminal Device and Network Device”, 2025-02-13, WO, WO 2025030562 (citations are from English language translation cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and Khlass et al. US 20240284323 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 13:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
transmit, via backhaul signaling, an indication that the anchor cell is operating in an anchor mode for the NES cell, wherein the information includes an acknowledgement of the anchor cell operating in the anchor mode for the NES cell or a rejection of the anchor cell operating in the anchor mode for the NES cell.
However, Fu et al. further teaches an anchor information capability which includes:
transmit, via backhaul signaling, an indication that the anchor cell is operating in an anchor mode for the NES cell
(“In some embodiments, the first state may also be extended to: obtaining information of non-anchor cells/non-anchor base stations from anchor cells/anchor base stations, or obtaining information of energy-saving cells/energy-saving base stations (for example, the first information, SSB, SIB, SI, etc. mentioned later) from anchor cells/anchor base stations/auxiliary cells/auxiliary base stations.”; p.14, middle of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the anchor information capability of Fu et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the anchor information capability as taught by the processing/communications of Fu et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced signaling (Fu et al.; p.12, top of page) are achieved.
However, Khlass et al. further teaches a Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability which includes:
wherein the information includes an acknowledgement of the anchor cell operating in the anchor mode for the NES cell or a rejection of the anchor cell operating in the anchor mode for the NES cell.
(“At step 7 (307) the UE may measure the received signal, and at step 8 (308), the UE may report the measurements based on the second configuration (ReportConfigNR2) where DRS are measured and specific RSRP/RSRQ threshold are used for triggering the reporting event. The serving cell may identify the capacity cell (cell 4 in this example) as a potential suitable cell for HO, determines whether the capacity cell is in NES state, and decide whether to trigger HO or not. The HO decision could be based on the following considerations: [0182] UE traffic QoS requirements such as, for example, if additional latency from cell activation could be afforded or not. For instance, for delay-stringent applications, the HO towards cells in NES state is to be avoided. [0183] Number of UEs identifying the same target cell as a suitable candidate for HO. The source cell may decide to issue a HO request to a target cell in NES state when multiple UEs reported the same suitable target cell…”; Khlass et al.; 0181)
(“If the NES state of the target cells cannot be determined from the reported measurements, the serving cell may rely on legacy means such as: [0187] i. Xn-based information exchange between neighboring cells such as, for example, when a cell enters/leaves a NES state. [0188] ii. Otherwise, the serving cell may get the NES state of potential target cells through an HO request addressed towards the identified suitable cell for a given UE. [0189] The target cell may reply with an HO request acknowledgment if it is willing to wake up. The HO ACK could include additional information, such as the availability time of the cell for example. In one example, the activation is triggered immediately after sending the HO request ACK. In another example, the activation is triggered when receiving RRC configuration complete from the UE (CHO) [0190] Otherwise, the target cell may reject the HO request due to the NES state, such as by optionally including a cause value related to its NES state for example.”; Khlass et al.; 0186)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability of Khlass et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include Xn/NES state/acknowledgement/reject capability as taught by the processing/communications of Khlass et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with enhanced operation (Khlass et al.; 0195) are achieved.
Claim(s) 15, 16, 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and in further view of Li et al., “Information Receiving Method and Apparatus, Information Sending Method and Apparatus, and Communication System”, 2025-08-14, WO, WO 2025166646 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and Myung et al., “Method, User Equipment, Processing Device, Storage Medium, and Computer Program for Receiving Downlink Signal, and Method and Base Station for Transmitting Downlink Signal”, 2024-02-15, WO, WO 2024035018 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026)
As to claim 15:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes NES configuration
information, associated with the NES mode, for the NES cell, and wherein, to cause the network
node to transmit the assistance information, the processing system is configured to cause the
network node to:
transmit the NES configuration information via the anchor cell.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration notification capability which includes:
wherein the information includes NES configuration
information, associated with the NES mode, for the NES cell, and wherein, to cause the network
node to transmit the assistance information, the processing system is configured to cause the
network node to:
transmit the NES configuration information via the anchor cell.
(“Case 2: When the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device through the second cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the first cell. In this case, the second cell notifies the first cell of the WUS configuration information. For example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario related to the interaction between cells in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, taking the first cell as an NES cell and the second cell as an anchor cell as an example, if the WUS configuration information (WUS config) is determined by the anchor cell and sent through the anchor cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the NES cell, the anchor cell notifies the NES cell of the WUS configuration information, that is, the anchor cell and the NES cell perform interaction related to the WUS configuration.”; Li et al.; p.17, top of page)
Where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration notification capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration notification capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page), the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced resources required (Li et al.; p.11, bottom of page) are achieved.
As to claim 16:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the NES mode is an on-demand system information block type 1 (SIB1) mode, and wherein the NES configuration information includes:
a wake-up-signal (WUS) configuration, and
a post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration associated with the NES cell.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration/SIB1 capability which includes:
wherein the NES mode is an on-demand system information block type 1 (SIB1) mode, and wherein the NES configuration information includes:
a wake-up-signal (WUS) configuration, and
a post-demand SIB1 transmission configuration associated with the NES cell.
(“In some embodiments, the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device via a second cell, where the second cell is a neighboring cell or an anchor cell of the first cell. For details about the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant art and will not be described in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.19, middle of page)
(“According to the above embodiment, the terminal device receives the first information related to the first cell sent by the network device, thereby, the terminal device can determine whether the terminal device is allowed to reside in the first cell based on the first information; furthermore, for the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, the terminal device can also determine whether it can reside in the cell and reside or not, thereby solving the problem of the terminal device residing in the cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1; and, after the terminal device determines whether it is allowed to reside in the first cell, it can perform corresponding processing respectively when residence is allowed and when residence is not allowed.”; Li et al.; p.9, bottom of page)
(“In some embodiments, the information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell appears. Indicates whether the first cell is an NES cell. For example, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes 1 bit, and the presence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the 1 bit indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and vice versa; or, the "information indicating whether the first cell is an NES cell" includes wake-up signal (Wake Up Signal, WUS) configuration information related to the first cell or second information indicating the WUS configuration information, and the presence of the WUS configuration information or the second information indicates that the first cell is a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1, and the absence of the WUS information or the second information indicates that the first cell is not a cell that supports or uses on-demand SIB1. For content related to the WUS configuration information, please refer to the relevant technology and will not be explained in detail here.”; Li et al.; p.12, bottom of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration/SIB1 capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved capacity (Li et al.; p.19, bottom of page) are achieved.
As to claim 17:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the NES configuration information includes
system information associated with the NES cell.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration notification/system information capability which includes:
wherein the NES configuration information includes
system information associated with the NES cell.
(“Case 2: When the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device through the second cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the first cell. In this case, the second cell notifies the first cell of the WUS configuration information. For example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario related to the interaction between cells in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, taking the first cell as an NES cell and the second cell as an anchor cell as an example, if the WUS configuration information (WUS config) is determined by the anchor cell and sent through the anchor cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the NES cell, the anchor cell notifies the NES cell of the WUS configuration information, that is, the anchor cell and the NES cell perform interaction related to the WUS configuration.”; Li et al.; p.17, top of page)
(“In some embodiments, the first information may be system information, such as SIB3, SIB4, or SIB5. In this case, the WUS configuration information associated with the first cell is indicated by the system information of the second cell.”; Li et al.; p.13, middle of page)
Where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration notification/system information capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration notification/system information capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page), the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced resources required (Li et al.; p.11, bottom of page) are achieved.
As to claim 18:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes transmission
configuration information associated with transmission of the NES configuration information
via the anchor cell.
However, Li et al. further teaches a WUS configuration/information notification/ WUS transmission capability which includes:
wherein the information includes transmission
configuration information associated with transmission of the NES configuration information
via the anchor cell.
(“Case 2: When the WUS configuration information is sent by the network device through the second cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the first cell. In this case, the second cell notifies the first cell of the WUS configuration information. For example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario related to the interaction between cells in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, taking the first cell as an NES cell and the second cell as an anchor cell as an example, if the WUS configuration information (WUS config) is determined by the anchor cell and sent through the anchor cell, and the terminal device sends WUS in the NES cell, the anchor cell notifies the NES cell of the WUS configuration information, that is, the anchor cell and the NES cell perform interaction related to the WUS configuration.”; Li et al.; p.17, top of page)
(“In some embodiments, the wake-up signal (WUS) configuration information includes information related to the WUS, for example, at least one of the following information: time resources and/or frequency resources of the WUS; index of the WUS sequence; maximum number of WUS transmissions; WUS transmission power ramping step; and expected WUS receiving power.”; Li et al.; p.26, middle of page)
Where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the WUS configuration/information notification/ WUS transmission capability of Li et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the WUS configuration/information notification/ WUS transmission capability as taught by the processing/communications of Li et al., where Myung et al. teaches WUS is for NES purposes (see p.2, middle of page), the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with reduced resources required (Li et al.; p.11, bottom of page) are achieved.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aghighi et al. WO 2024014997 in view of Grau et al. WO 2024171886 (cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026) and in further view of Kim et al., “Apparatus and Method for Supporting Network Energy Saving Operation in Wireless Communication System”, 2024-11-21, WO, WO 2024237763 (citations are from English language translation, cited in Non-Final Rejection dated 3/26/2026).
As to claim 19:
Aghighi et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the information includes beam-specific information associated with the NES mode.
However, Kim et al. further teaches a NES/intra/beam capability which includes:
wherein the information includes beam-specific information associated with the NES mode.
(“The present disclosure relates to a device and method for effectively operating a node for assisting communication between a base station and a terminal in response to NES operation of a base station in a wireless communication system.”; Kim et al.; p.2, top of page)
(“Intra-system energy saving solution: A RAN node can request a neighboring RAN node to switch at least one SSB beam into its inactive cell, or can perform paging using a limited set of beams to inactive terminals (e.g., stationary terminals).”; Kim et al.; p.27, bottom of page)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the NES/intra/beam capability of Kim et al. into Aghighi et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Aghighi et al. to include the NES/intra/beam capability as taught by the processing/communications of Kim et al., the benefits of improved OTT services (Aghighi et al.; p.29, lines 8-10) with improved NES (Kim et al.; Abstract) are achieved.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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MICHAEL K. PHILLIPS
Examiner
Art Unit 2464
/MICHAEL K PHILLIPS/Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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