DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to applicant's communication filed on 04/05/2024 , wherein:
Claim 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sogabe et al. (US 20240237138 A1) in view of Kong et al. (WO 2022188751 A1) and Vivo (3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #121, “Enhanced eDRX in RRC_INACTIVE for eRedCap UEs”, Athens, Greece, 27th Feb. - 3ʳᵈ Mar. 2023, provided by Applicant on 10/01/2024).
Regarding claim 1, Sogabe discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (Fig. 7), the method comprising:
receiving, from the base station, an RRC release message including paging information identified based on the first information indicating support of the eDRX (Fig. 7 step 307 and ¶0104 – “Subsequently, when an instruction about the transition to the inactive state is given to the terminal 10, the base station 20 transmits, to the terminal 10, an RRC release message including the determined “eDRX parameter” for the inactive state (S307)”); and
performing, based on the paging information included in the RRC release message, a paging monitoring operation in the RRC inactive (Fig. 7 step 308 and ¶0105 – “The terminal 10 configures the eDRX parameter for the inactive state included in the RRC release message (stores the eDRX parameter in the storage device 12) (S308)”; Fig. 8 step 407-408, Fig. 27 and ¶0162 disclose monitoring paging based on eDRX configuration in inactive mode).
However, the reference is silent on details about receiving, from a base station, a UE capability request message; transmitting, to the base station, a UE capability message including first information indicating support of an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive, wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds.
Kong discloses receiving, from a base station, a UE capability request message; transmitting, to the base station, a UE capability message including first information indicating support of an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (Page 79 - “If the access network device wants to determine whether to send the second parameter information to the terminal and the core network device according to the capability information of the terminal, before S402, the access network device may send a terminal capability enquiry (UE capability enquiry) message to the terminal to request Terminal capability information, and receive terminal capability information (UE capability info) from the terminal. The terminal capability information may indicate at least one of the following information: whether the terminal supports eDRX, whether the terminal supports the RRC-inactive state, and whether the terminal supports eDRX in the RRC-inactive state”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before effective filing date of the claimed the invention, to modify the invention of Sogabe to incorporate eDRX inquiry from Kong because doing so would make use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way (MPEP §2141 -III) to provide base station ability to obtain eDRX capability from UE.
However, the combined teaching of Sogabe and Kong is silent on details about wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds.
Vivo discloses wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds (Section 2.4 – “Similarly, it is necessary for UEs to indicate network if it supports the eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s in RRC_INACTIVE… Proposal 9: Introducing additional UE capability for UE supporting RRC_INACTIVE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s. For UE supporting RRC_INACTIVE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s feature, it is mandatory to support RRC_IDLE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before effective filing date of the claimed the invention, to modify the invention of Sogabe to incorporate extended eDRX longer than 10.24s from Vivo because doing so would apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results (MPEP §2141 -III) to reduce power consumption of mobile device.
Regarding claim 2, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining system information including second information that indicates whether the eDRX is allowed in the RRC inactive, wherein whether to use the eDRX is identified based on the second information (Sogabe - Fig. 6 step 206 and ¶0083 disclose obtaining eDRX configuration for inactive state and performing eDRX in inactive state based on the received information).
Regarding claim 3, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the first information is supported in case that the UE supports the eDRX in an RRC idle, and wherein the second information is supported in case that the base station supports the eDRX in the RRC idle (Sogabe – Fig. 7 discloses the first information for supporting inactive eDRX from base station to UE in step S307 in the case that the base station and UE supporting eDRX in idle state indicated in step S300-S303 and ¶0092-0104) .
Regarding claim 4, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 1, wherein a radio access network (RAN) paging message including the paging information is transmitted to another base station from the base station , wherein the RAN paging message includes configuration information for the eDRX, and wherein the configuration information includes information on the cycle of the eDRX that is longer than 10.24 seconds and information on paging time window (PTW) (Sogabe - Fig. 8 step S406 and ¶0120-0121 disclose sending paging message to another base station including inactive eDRX parameter including PTW; ¶0055 disclose eDRX can be longer than 10.24s).
Regarding claim 5, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 2, wherein the UE capability message includes third information indicating supporting of the eDRX in an RRC idle (Sogabe - Fig. 7 step 300 and ¶0092 – “The terminal 10 that desires the validation of the eDRX transmits, to the core network 30, the registration request message including the “eDRX parameter” indicating the eDRX operation desired (requested) to be configured (S300)”, which indicates capability of eDRX in RRC idle), and wherein the system information includes fourth information indicating allowing of the eDRX in the RRC idle (Sogabe - Fig. 7 step. 302 and ¶0094 – “the core network 30 transmits, to the terminal 10, the registration accept message including the determined “eDRX parameter” for the idle state (S302)”).
Regarding claim 6, Sogabe discloses method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
transmitting, to the UE, an RRC release message including paging information identified based on the first information indicating support of the eDRX (Fig. 7 step 307 and ¶0104 – “Subsequently, when an instruction about the transition to the inactive state is given to the terminal 10, the base station 20 transmits, to the terminal 10, an RRC release message including the determined “eDRX parameter” for the inactive state (S307)”), wherein, based on the paging information included in the RRC release message, a paging monitoring operation is performed in the RRC inactive (Fig. 7 step 308 and ¶0105 – “The terminal 10 configures the eDRX parameter for the inactive state included in the RRC release message (stores the eDRX parameter in the storage device 12) (S308)”; Fig. 8 step 407-408, Fig. 27 and ¶0162 disclose monitoring paging based on eDRX configuration in inactive mode).
However, the reference is silent on details about transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a UE capability request message; receiving, from the UE, a UE capability message including first information indicating support of an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive, wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds.
Kong discloses transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a UE capability request message; receiving, from the UE, a UE capability message including first information indicating support of an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive (Page 79 - “If the access network device wants to determine whether to send the second parameter information to the terminal and the core network device according to the capability information of the terminal, before S402, the access network device may send a terminal capability enquiry (UE capability enquiry) message to the terminal to request Terminal capability information, and receive terminal capability information (UE capability info) from the terminal. The terminal capability information may indicate at least one of the following information: whether the terminal supports eDRX, whether the terminal supports the RRC-inactive state, and whether the terminal supports eDRX in the RRC-inactive state”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before effective filing date of the claimed the invention, to modify the invention of Sogabe to incorporate eDRX inquiry from Kong because doing so would make use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way (MPEP §2141 -III) to provide base station ability to obtain eDRX capability from UE.
However, the combined teaching of Sogabe and Kong is silent on details about wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds.
Vivo discloses wherein a cycle of the eDRX is longer than 10.24 seconds (Section 2.4 – “Similarly, it is necessary for UEs to indicate network if it supports the eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s in RRC_INACTIVE… Proposal 9: Introducing additional UE capability for UE supporting RRC_INACTIVE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s. For UE supporting RRC_INACTIVE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s feature, it is mandatory to support RRC_IDLE eDRX cycle longer than 10.24s”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before effective filing date of the claimed the invention, to modify the invention of Sogabe to incorporate extended eDRX longer than 10.24s from Vivo because doing so would apply a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results (MPEP §2141 -III) to reduce power consumption of mobile device.
Regarding claim 7, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting system information including second information indicating whether the eDRX is allowed in the RRC inactive, and wherein whether to use the eDRX is identified based on the second information (Sogabe - Fig. 6 step 206 and ¶0083 disclose transmitting eDRX configuration for inactive state and wherein the information is used by UE for eDRX in inactive state).
Regarding claim 8, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 7, wherein the first information is supported in case that the UE supports the eDRX in an RRC idle, and wherein the second information is supported in case that the base station supports the eDRX in the RRC idle (Sogabe – Fig. 7 discloses the first information for supporting inactive eDRX from base station to UE in step S307 in the case that the base station and UE supporting eDRX in idle state indicated in step S300-S303 and ¶0092-0104) .
Regarding claim 9, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 6, wherein a radio access network (RAN) paging message including the paging information is transmitted to another base station from the base station, wherein the RAN paging message includes configuration information for the eDRX, and wherein the configuration information includes information on the cycle of the eDRX that is longer than 10.24 seconds and information on paging time window (PTW) (Sogabe - Fig. 8 step S406 and ¶0120-0121 disclose sending paging message to another base station including inactive eDRX parameter including PTW; ¶0055 disclose eDRX can be longer than 10.24s).
Regarding claim 10, the combined teaching of Sogabe, Kong and Vivo discloses the method of claim 7, wherein the UE capability message includes third information indicating supporting of the eDRX in an RRC idle, and wherein the system information includes fourth information indicating allowing of the eDRX in the RRC idle wherein the UE capability message includes third information indicating supporting of the eDRX in an RRC idle (Sogabe - Fig. 7 step 300 and ¶0092 – “The terminal 10 that desires the validation of the eDRX transmits, to the core network 30, the registration request message including the “eDRX parameter” indicating the eDRX operation desired (requested) to be configured (S300)”, which indicates capability of eDRX in RRC idle), and wherein the system information includes fourth information indicating allowing of the eDRX in the RRC idle (Sogabe - Fig. 7 step. 302 and ¶0094 – “the core network 30 transmits, to the terminal 10, the registration accept message including the determined “eDRX parameter” for the idle state (S302)”).
Regarding claim 11, the scope and content of the claim recites a user equipment (UE) for performing the method of claim 1, therefore, being addressed as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, the scope and content of the claim recites a user equipment (UE) for performing the method of claim 2, therefore, being addressed as in claim 2.
Regarding claim 13, the scope and content of the claim recites a user equipment (UE) for performing the method of claim 3, therefore, being addressed as in claim 3.
Regarding claim 14, the scope and content of the claim recites a user equipment (UE) for performing the method of claim 4, therefore, being addressed as in claim 4.
Regarding claim 15, the scope and content of the claim recites a user equipment (UE) for performing the method of claim 5, therefore, being addressed as in claim 5.
Regarding claim 16, the scope and content of the claim recites a base station for performing the method of claim 6, therefore, being addressed as in claim 6.
Regarding claim 17, the scope and content of the claim recites a base station for performing the method of claim 7, therefore, being addressed as in claim 7.
Regarding claim 18, the scope and content of the claim recites a base station for performing the method of claim 8, therefore, being addressed as in claim 8.
Regarding claim 19, the scope and content of the claim recites a base station for performing the method of claim 9, therefore, being addressed as in claim 9.
Regarding claim 20 , the scope and content of the claim recites a base station for performing the method of claim 10, therefore, being addressed as in claim 10.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG HONG whose telephone number is (571)270-7928. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, JINSONG HU, can be reached on (571) 272-3965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUNG HONG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643