Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/628,024

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURITY HANDLING IN SUBSEQUENT CONDITIONAL PSCELL CHANGE IN NEXT GENERATION WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Apr 05, 2024
Priority
Apr 06, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0045402
Examiner
PHAM, BRENDA H
Art Unit
2412
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
91%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 91% — above average
91%
Career Allowance Rate
1073 granted / 1183 resolved
+32.7% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
1201
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
10.7%
-29.3% vs TC avg
§103
32.5%
-7.5% vs TC avg
§102
28.5%
-11.5% vs TC avg
§112
15.3%
-24.7% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1183 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Claims 1-20 are pending. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1, 6, 11 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites the limitation "the first value" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 6 recites the limitation “the first value” in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 11 recites the limitation “the first value” in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 16 recites the limitation “the first value” in line 15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action. The prior art made of record fails to teach or fairly suggests in combination “identifying that a condition associated with a subsequent conditional PSCell change execution for a target cell is fulfilled based on the subsequent conditional PSCell change configuration; determining a firstly listed entry in the list of sk-counter values as a sk-counter value for a security key update” as recited in claim 1. The prior art made of record considered pertinent to applicant disclosure: KIM et al. (US 2022/0022067 A1) discloses method and apparatus for controlling activation of cell group in wireless communication system. Leng et al. (US 2025/0358688 A1) discloses method and apparatus for enhanced conditional PCell/PSCell addition and change in a wireless communication system. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRENDA H PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-3135. The examiner can normally be reached 571-272-3135. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Jiang can be reached at 571-270-7191. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. BRENDA H. PHAM Primary Examiner Art Unit 2412 /BRENDA H PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 05, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 29, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 02, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 14, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12707437
SENSING RESOURCE CONFIGURATION AND COEXISTENCE HANDLING IN CELLULAR SYSTEMS
3y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12707365
ENHANCED CONDITIONAL HANDOVER FOR UNCREWED AERIAL VEHICLES
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12700933
ADAPTIVE MTI-BASED RF SENSING IN CELLULAR SYSTEMS
3y 8m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12701551
ELECTRONIC DEVICE, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM
2y 8m to grant Granted Aug 04, 2026
Patent 12684450
EXTENDING LOCAL CELLULAR WAN CAPABILITIES TO A CONNECTED DEVICE
2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
91%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+2.1%)
2y 7m (~2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1183 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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