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
The Amendment filed 04/30/2026 has been entered. Claims 13, 15, 17, 19, and 30-31 are amended. Claims 14, 18, 40, and 42-45 are canceled. Claims 46-48 have been added in this application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments/amendments with respect to the objection to Claim 41 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the objection to specification has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) rejection have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim 13, 15-17, 19, 30-31, and 46-48 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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(s) 13, 19, 30, and 31 recite “respective wake up times of one or more wake up times”. Based on the language on the language of claim(s) 13, 19, 30, and 31 it is unclear to the Examiner what the “one or more wake up times” correspond to . For example, is “one or more wake up times” corresponding to “one or more wake up times” in claim 13 line 8 or is it a different “one or more wake up times” ?
Dependent claims 15-17, and 46-48 that depends from the rejected based claims 13, 19, 30, and 31 are rejected as of being depended on a rejected claims.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 13, 15, 17, 19, 30-31, 46 and 48 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek (US 20220053455 A1), hereinafter Baek in view of Dao (US 20190158985 A1), hereinafter Dao and further in view of Kadiri (US 20230033440 A1), hereinafter Kadiri.
Regarding to claim 13,
Baek teaches a user equipment comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user equipment perform operations, the operation comprising:
receiving, from an application function, a service announcement for a multicast broadcast service session, the service announcement comprising a multicast service session identifier of the multicast broadcast service session ([0012] receiving a multicast service by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system comprises receiving, from an application function (AF), a multicast service announcement message including first information related to a local multicast and broadcast service (MBS), identifying that the UE is located in a local MBS area) and ([0014] the multicast service announcement message may further include at least one of an ID of an MBS service session provided to the UE, service area information for a global MBS, an ID of a global AF, an FQDN of the global AF, or address information for a global MBSU).
Baek does not explicitly teach one or more wake up times, wherein the one or more wake up times correspond to one or more multicast service session times, wherein the one or more multicast service session times are times that multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session is scheduled to be transmitted by the application function, and wherein respective wake up times of one or more wake up times indicate a time when the user equipment is to wake up and to start reception of multicast data for a multicast broadcast service session; causing waking up of the user equipment at each respective wakeup time of the one or more wake up times; and starting the reception of the multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session after causing waking up at the respective wake up times.
Dao teaches one or more wake up times, wherein the one or more wake up times correspond to one or more multicast service session times, wherein the one or more multicast service session times are times that multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session is scheduled to be transmitted by the application function, and wherein respective wake up times of one or more wake up times indicate a time when the user equipment is to wake up and to start reception of multicast data for a multicast broadcast service session; ([0155] The NEF's notification message to the SMF contains the MB Session information received from the AF, such as Start Time of MB Session, or deadline for sending MB data to the ED)....([0054] The communication network establishes an MB Session to provide an MB Service requested by an entity, such as an Application Function, or Application Server, or by a network function of the communication network).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the teaching of Dao to the teaching of Baek. The motivation for such an addition would be to improve the reliability ([0068] Dao).
Baek and Dao do not explicitly teach causing waking up of the user equipment at each respective wakeup time of the one or more wake up times; and starting the reception of the multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session after causing waking up at the respective wake up times.
Kadiri teaches causing waking up of the user equipment at each respective wakeup time of the one or more wake up times; and starting the reception of the multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session after causing waking up at the respective wake up times ([0004] A UE may receive control signaling from a base station that indicates a multicast or broadcast WUS format. The UE may receive a multicast or broadcast WUS from the base station during a WUS monitoring occasion of a C-DRX cycle in accordance with the control signaling. The multicast or broadcast WUS may indicate upcoming transmissions for a set of multicast or broadcast services (MBSs). The UE may determine whether to monitor for a multicast or broadcast transmission from the base station during an active duration of the C-DRX cycle based on the multicast or broadcast WUS. .... [0024]for activating a discontinuous reception (DRX) timer based on receiving the multicast or broadcast WUS, where monitoring for the multicast or broadcast transmission may be based on the DRX timer).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the teaching of Kadiri to the teaching of Baek and Dao. The motivation for such an addition would be to improve wake up signal (WUS) for multicast group notification ([0004] Kadiri).
Regarding to claim 15,
Baek and Dao and Kadiri teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Baek further teaches sending a session join request to join the multicast broadcast service session, and receiving a reply to the session join request ( [0012] a multicast session join request message for joining a multicast session for the local MBS ... [0078] In operation 205, the NEF/MBSF 27 may transfer, to the AF 28, an MBS service response containing the information determined (or obtained) via operations 202 to 204. For example, at least one of the address of the MBSU corresponding to the determined TMGI and MBS service area, address information for the local MBSU corresponding to each local MBS service area, or MBS service session ID information may be transferred to the AF 28 via operation 205).
Regarding to claim 17, is rejected under the same reasoning as Claim 13, where it further limits unselected option.
Claim(s) [19] (apparatus ; application function), [30, 46, and 48] (method at UE), and [31] (method ; application function) are rejected under the same reasoning as claim(s) [13,15, and 17] (apparatus at UE), where Baek teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0012] and [0019][0020]).
Claim(s) 16 and 47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baek and Dao and Kadiri and Abraham (US 20200092923 A1), hereinafter Abraham.
Regarding to claim 16,
Baek and Dao and Kadiri teach the user equipment according to claim 13,
Baek and Dao and Kadiri do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more wake up times include at least one of: fixed repeated times; a first time and a repetition frequency; fixed daily times; one or more start times; one or more start and end times; or one or more start times and periods
Abraham teaches wherein the one or more wake up times include at least one of: fixed repeated times; a first time and a repetition frequency; fixed daily times; one or more start times; one or more start and end times; or one or more start times and periods ([0094] the UE 115-a may initiate a periodic registration, where the UE 115-a may undergo the periodic registration with each expiration of a registration timer or following a predetermined time period of UE inactivity).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the teaching of Abraham to the teaching of Baek and Dao and Kadiri. The motivation for such an addition would be to receive predetermined services ([0093] Abraham).
Claim [47] (method at UE) is rejected under the same reasoning as claim [16] (apparatus at UE), where Baek teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0012] and [0019][0020]).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VAN T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6178. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (EST). 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, Ayman A Abaza can be reached at (571) 270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VAN TA NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2465
/AYMAN A ABAZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465