Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/679,837

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING COMMUNICATION SERVICE IN MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM COOPERATING WITH UAS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 31, 2024
Priority
Aug 01, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0100294
Examiner
KIM, CHONG G
Art Unit
2443
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
88%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
366 granted / 438 resolved
+25.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+3.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 8m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
475
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
54.9%
+14.9% vs TC avg
§102
42.0%
+2.0% vs TC avg
§112
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 438 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I: Claims 1-12 and 19, drawn to a method of performing C2 communication by a UE is acknowledged. Claims 1-12 and 19 are subject to examination and rejected. Drawings The drawings are objected to because the features of figure 3 are illegible and blurry. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. 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)(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 1-12 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ferdi (US PGPub 2025/0220539). Regarding claims 1 and 19, Ferdi teaches a method of receiving a communication service through a network by a user equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system cooperating with an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) (Ferdi, see abstract, Method, apparatus and systems are disclosed that may be implemented in wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and/or a UAV-controller (UAV-C)), the method comprising: receiving a first message including link configuration-related information from the network (Ferdi, see paragraph 0151, the WTRU (e.g., the UAV) may receive a C2 communication link selection and switching policy from the network entity (e.g., the USS/UTM 220)); acquiring first type information by the UE (Ferdi, see paragraph 0158, the WTRU (e.g., UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) may detect that C2 switching conditions are met on current C2 link, for example based on C2 link QoS threshold parameters (e.g., low signal strength) for the UAV 211 to switch to another mode of C2 communication (e.g., indirect). Therefore, Ferdi acquires current C2 link QoS parameters [corresponding to the first type information]); receiving second type information from an external server by the UE (Ferdi, see paragraph 0173, the UTM 220 may send a message to the UAV serving PLMN 301 as that may include any of: (1) a UAV WTRU id; (2) a UAS id; and/or (3) a UAV-C IP/MAC address, for example to authorize C2 communications); determining a quality level for configuring a command and control (C2) communication service link based on the link configuration-related information (Ferdi, see paragraph 0159, the WTRU (e.g., the UAV 211 and/or the UAV-C 212) may send a request message to a UAS server (e.g., via the UAE layer) to perform C2 mode switching. The request message may include information related to the switching conditions/context such as … target C2 link and/or QoS parameters [corresponding to the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link]); and configuring the C2 communication service link with the network according to the determined quality level (Ferdi, see paragraphs 0160 and 0164, the UAS server may check that/determine whether the WTRU (e.g., UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) is authorized to switch to the target C2 link, based on the network entity (e.g., the USS/UTM 220) policy and C2 links QoS parameters received from the WTRU. the WTRU (UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) may switch to the target C2 communication mode (e.g., a network-assisted mode)), wherein the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link is determined based on at least one of the first type information, the second type information, or any combination thereof (Ferdi, see paragraphs 0158 and 0159, The request message may include information related to the switching conditions/context such as current C2 link QoS parameters [corresponding to the first type information], target C2 link and/or QoS parameters [corresponding to the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link]). Regarding claim 2, Ferdi teaches wherein the first type information includes one or more of location, speed, acceleration, direction, and obstacle information of the UE (Ferdi, see paragraph 0053, the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment). Regarding claim 3, Ferdi teaches wherein the second type information includes operational environment information of the UE (Ferdi, see paragraph 0173, the UTM 220 may send a message to the UAV serving PLMN 301 as that may include any of: (1) a UAV WTRU id; (2) a UAS id; and/or (3) a UAV-C IP/MAC address, for example to authorize C2 communications), and wherein the external server includes a server of a vertiport (Ferdi, see paragraph 0173, the UTM 220 may send a message to the UAV serving PLMN 301 as that may include any of: (1) a UAV WTRU id; (2) a UAS id; and/or (3) a UAV-C IP/MAC address, for example to authorize C2 communications). Regarding claim 4, Ferdi teaches wherein the operational environment information includes corridor information of the UE and operational status information of the vertiport (Ferdi, see paragraph 0173, the UTM 220 may send a message to the UAV serving PLMN 301 as that may include any of: (1) a UAV WTRU id; (2) a UAS id; and/or (3) a UAV-C IP/MAC address, for example to authorize C2 communications). Regarding claim 5, Ferdi teaches wherein the operational status information of the vertiport includes one or more of congestion information of the vertiport and information related to an unauthorized aircraft in a corridor (Ferdi, see paragraph 0173, the UTM 220 may send a message to the UAV serving PLMN 301 as that may include any of: (1) a UAV WTRU id; (2) a UAS id; and/or (3) a UAV-C IP/MAC address, for example to authorize C2 communications). Regarding claim 6, Ferdi teaches wherein the determining of the quality level includes determining the quality level by additionally considering third type information including current operational status information of the UE (Ferdi, see paragraph 0159, the WTRU (e.g., the UAV 211 and/or the UAV-C 212) may send a request message to a UAS server (e.g., via the UAE layer) to perform C2 mode switching. The request message may include information related to the switching conditions/context such as … target C2 link and/or QoS parameters [corresponding to the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link]). Regarding claim 7, Ferdi teaches wherein the configuring of the C2 communication service link includes duplicating the C2 communication service link when the determined quality level is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference (Ferdi, see paragraph 0159, the WTRU (e.g., the UAV 211 and/or the UAV-C 212) may send a request message to a UAS server (e.g., via the UAE layer) to perform C2 mode switching. The request message may include information related to the switching conditions/context such as … target C2 link and/or QoS parameters [corresponding to the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link]). Regarding claim 8, Ferdi teaches wherein the configuring of the C2 communication service link includes: determining whether the first C2 communication service link configured based on the link configuration-related information satisfies the determined quality level (Ferdi, see paragraph 0159, the WTRU (e.g., the UAV 211 and/or the UAV-C 212) may send a request message to a UAS server (e.g., via the UAE layer) to perform C2 mode switching. The request message may include information related to the switching conditions/context such as … target C2 link and/or QoS parameters [corresponding to the quality level for configuring the C2 communication service link]); and reconfiguring the first C2 communication service link as a second C2 service link when the first C2 communication service link does not satisfy the determined quality level (Ferdi, see paragraphs 0160 and 0164, the UAS server may check that/determine whether the WTRU (e.g., UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) is authorized to switch to the target C2 link, based on the network entity (e.g., the USS/UTM 220) policy and C2 links QoS parameters received from the WTRU. the WTRU (UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) may switch to the target C2 communication mode (e.g., a network-assisted mode)). Regarding claim 9, Ferdi teaches wherein the UE comprises an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) (Ferdi, see paragraph 0097, a representative UAS 210 and the interaction with the network and the UTM 220 for authorization). Regarding claim 10, Ferdi teaches wherein the mobile communication system includes a mobile communication service provider system cooperating with the UAS (Ferdi, see paragraph 0097, a representative UAS 210 and the interaction with the network and the UTM 220 for authorization), and wherein the UAS includes a UAV operator server for controlling the UAV and a UAV traffic management service providing server (Ferdi, see paragraph 0097, a representative UAS 210 and the interaction with the network and the UTM 220 for authorization). Regarding claim 11, Ferdi teaches wherein the UAS further includes one or more of a UAV operational support information providing server, a vertiport operator server, and a UAV traffic control server (Ferdi, see paragraph 0097, a representative UAS 210 and the interaction with the network and the UTM 220 for authorization), and wherein the UAV traffic management service providing server is configured to receive information from one or more of the UAV operational support information providing server, the vertiport operator server, and the UAV traffic control server (Ferdi, see paragraphs 0160 and 0164, the UAS server may check that/determine whether the WTRU (e.g., UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) is authorized to switch to the target C2 link, based on the network entity (e.g., the USS/UTM 220) policy and C2 links QoS parameters received from the WTRU. the WTRU (UAV 211 and/or UAV-C 212) may switch to the target C2 communication mode (e.g., a network-assisted mode)). Regarding claim 12, Ferdi teaches wherein the external server comprises the UAV traffic management service providing server (Ferdi, see paragraph 0097, a representative UAS 210 and the interaction with the network and the UTM 220 for authorization). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHONG G KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-0619. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri @ 9am - 5pm. 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, Nicholas R. Taylor can be reached at 571-272-3889. 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. /CHONG G KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 2443 /CHRISTOPHER B ROBINSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2443
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Prosecution Timeline

May 31, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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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
84%
Grant Probability
88%
With Interview (+3.9%)
2y 8m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 438 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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