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 02/11/2024 has been entered. Claims 13-19, 30, and 31 have been amended. Claims 1-12, 20-29, and 32-39 are canceled. Claims 40-45 have been added in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/20/2024, 05/09/2025, 12/12/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. EP21190959.3 filed on 08/12/2021.
Claim Objections
Claim 41 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 41 is missing , Examiner suggest to cancel claim 41 – Then keep the same numbering as the original claims. 40, and 42-45. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 13, 15, 16, 19, 30-31, and 42-43 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being unpatentable by Abraham (US20200092923A1) ,hereinafter Abraham.
Regarding to claim 13,
Abraham 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 apparatus at least to perform operations, the operation comprising ([0004] and fig.9):
receiving 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 where the user equipment is to wake up and to start reception of multicast data for a multicast broadcast service session (fig. 9, [0151] The receiver 910 may receive the information for ... the multicast packets carrying downlink data .... and the identified DRX cycle.... [0152] the multicast component 920 may identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session ... the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the identified DRX cycle ... a sleep state and an awake state according to a second DRX cycle for the device 905 to receive multicast packets of a second multicast service session);
waking up the user equipment at the one or more wake up times (fig. 9, [0152]a sleep state and an awake state according to a second DRX cycle for the device 905);
and wherein the operations further comprise at least one of starting the reception of the multicast data for the multicast broadcast service session or receiving paging request at the one or more wake up times (fig. 9, [0151] The receiver 910 may receive the information for ... the multicast packets carrying downlink data .... and the identified DRX cycle.... [0152] the multicast component 920 may identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session ... the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the identified DRX cycle ... a sleep state and an awake state according to a second DRX cycle for the device 905 to receive multicast packets of a second multicast service session).
Regarding to claim 15,
Abraham teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Abraham further teaches sending a session join request to join the multicast broadcast service session, and receiving a reply to the session join request, the reply including the one or more wake up times ([0156] The UE communications manager 1015 may transmit a request to establish a multicast session ... the multicast packets carrying downlink data from the base station according to the indicated communication resources and the identified DRX cycle, and identify a DRX cycle for the multicast service session).
Regarding to claim 16,
Abraham teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Abraham further 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).
Claim(s) [19] (apparatus including an application function), [30] (method at UE), and [31, 42, 43] (method including an application function) are rejected under the same reasoning as claim(s) [13,15, and 16] (apparatus at UE), where Abraham teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0004] and abstract).
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) 14 and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abraham in view of Kadiri (US 20210068003 A1), hereinafter Kadiri.
Regarding to claim 14 ,
Abraham teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Abraham further teaches receiving a service announcement for the multicast broadcast service session (Fig. 2 and fig. 9)and ( [0115] UE 115-a may discover the multicast stream from the target (R)AN).
Abraham does not explicitly teach the service announcement including the one or more wake up times.
Kadiri teaches the service announcement including the one or more wake up times ([0127] AN node may transmit a wake up message per MB-QoS flow, and the wake up area may be determined by a session management function (SMF). ... multi-broadcast control channel (MBCCH) service announcement in the MB service area. ... UEs 115 may be configured to monitor MCCH/MBCCH periodically based on a broadcast discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configuration).
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 Abraham. The motivation for such an addition would be to improve a receive quality of the multicast/broadcast traffic ([0140] Kadiri).
Claim(s) [40 ](method including an application function) is rejected under the same reasoning as claim(s) [14] (apparatus at UE), where Abraham teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0004] and abstract).
Claim(s) 17 and 44 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abraham in view of Huang (US 20230224930 A1),hereinafter Huang.
Regarding to claim 17,
Abraham teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Abraham does not explicitly teach receiving multiple wake up times corresponding to multiple multicast service session times, and waking up and starting the reception of the multicast data at the wake up times of each of the multicast service session times
Huang teaches receiving multiple wake up times corresponding to multiple multicast service session times, and waking up and starting the reception of the multicast data at the wake up times of each of the multicast service session times ([0131] UE 115 receives multiple multicast sessions 605, the UE 115 may monitor a PDCCH at each on-duration occasions of each multicast session 605 according to the different DRX profiles of each multicast session 605).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the teaching of Huang to the teaching of Abraham. The motivation for such an addition would be to result in more efficient communications ([0149] Huang).
Claim(s) [44] (method including an application function) is rejected under the same reasoning as claim(s) [17] (apparatus at UE), where Abraham teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0004] and abstract).
Claim(s) 18 and 45 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abraham in view of Kadiri (US 20230033440 A1), hereinafter Kadiri440.
Regarding to claim 18,
Abraham teaches the user equipment according to claim 13,
Abraham does not explicitly teach listening for a unicast paging occasion following the one or more wake up times.
Kadiri440 teaches listening for a unicast paging occasion following the one or more wake up times ([0086] base station 105 may configure a UE 115 with an MBS C-DRX configuration ... the base station 105 may send group paging messages to a group of idle or inactive UEs 115 during a unicast paging occasion (PO) and [0091] base station 105-a may configure common multicast DRX for the UE ... paging early indication (PEI) ... inform multicast UEs 115 of whether to wake up in the next active duration (e.g., DRX ON period)).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the teaching of Kadiri440 to the teaching of Abraham. The motivation for such an addition would be to result in greater power savings at the UE ([0052] Kadiri440).
Claim [45] (method including an application function) is rejected under the same reasoning as claim [18] (apparatus at UE), where Abraham teaches both apparatus and method that support multicast transmission ([0004] and abstract).
Conclusion
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