Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to the amendment filed on 06/29/2026. Claims 1, 3-17 and 19-21 are pending in the instant application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 9-12, 16, 17 and 19-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Elkotby et al (US 2024/0284456, “Elkotby”).
Re claims 1 and 17, Elkotby discloses a UE transmitting non-access stratum signaling indicating support of network-based low power wake up signal subgrouping (paragraphs [0136]-[0138], [0253]); and receiving an information element comprising a low power wake up signal subgroup identifier based at least in part on the non-access stratum signaling indicating support of network-based low power wake up signal subgrouping (paragraph [0136]).
Re claims 3 and 11, Elkotby discloses receiving/transmitting low power wake-up signal configuration information comprising one or more of: a number of paging occasions associated with a single low power wake-up signal monitoring occasion (paragraph [0136]); a number of early paging indication occasions associated with the single low power wake-up signal monitoring occasion (paragraph [0229]); a payload size of a low power wake-up signal carrying one or more of low power wake-up signal subgrouping information or a wake-up indication, the payload size comprising one or more of a fixed value or a defined parameter comprising an integer; an offset value in a number of frames from a start of a reference frame for a low power wake-up signal occasion to a start of a first paging frame associated with paging frames of the low power wake-up signal occasion; or a subgrouping configuration element for identifying whether to use network-based subgrouping or UE identifier-based subgrouping.
Re claims 5 and 12, Elkotby discloses subgrouping configuration element comprises one or more of: a first indication comprising a number of low power wake-up signal subgroups per paging occasion for the UE to read a low power wake-up signal subgroup indication from physical layer signaling (paragraphs [0108], [0136]); a second indication comprising a number of low power wake-up signal subgroups per early paging indication occasion for the UE to read a low power wake-up signal subgroup indication from physical layer signaling (paragraph [0276]); a third indication comprising a number of low power wake-up signal subgroups per paging occasion for the UE to read a low power wake-up signal subgroup indication from physical layer signaling for the UE identifier-based subgrouping; or a fourth indication comprising a number of low power wake-up signal subgroups per early paging indication occasion for the UE to read a low power wake-up signal subgroup indication from physical layer signaling for the UE identifier-based subgrouping.
Re claims 9 and 19, Elkotby discloses determine, based at least in part on broadcast signaling, one or more of low power wake-up signal subgrouping information or support for low power wake-up signal subgrouping information (paragraph [0136]).
Re claims 10 and 20, Elkotby discloses a network element receiving non-access stratum signaling indicating support of network-based low power wake up signal subgrouping (paragraphs [0136]-[0138], [0253]); and transmitting an information element comprising a low power wake up signal subgroup identifier based at least in part on the non-access stratum signaling indicating support of network-based low power wake up signal subgrouping (paragraph [0136]).
Re claim 16, Elkotby discloses low power wake-up signal subgrouping information comprises one or more of: one or more low power wake-up signal occasions calculated as an offset behind an early paging indication occasion; or one or more low power wake-up signal occasions calculated as an offset behind a paging occasion (paragraph [0113]).
Re claim 21, Elkotby discloses detecting a low power wake up signal indicating the low power wake up signal subgroup identifier (paragraph [0136]); and monitor a paging occasion associated with the low power wake up signal based at least in part on the low power wake up signal indicating the low power wake up signal subgroup identifier (paragraph [0207]).
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 of this title, 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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elkotby in view of Jung et al (US 2025/0310879, “Jung”).
Re claim 4, Elkotby discloses all of the limitations of the base claim, but fails to disclose the payload size comprises one or more of a fixed value or a defined parameter comprising an integer. However, Jung discloses indicating the payload size of the low-power wake-up signal (paragraph [0196]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Elkotby with Jung for the benefit of utilizing different payload sizes depending on an RRC state of the UE.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 13-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hong Cho whose telephone number is 571-272-3087. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri during 8 am to 4 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached on 571-272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HONG S CHO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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