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 preliminary amendment filed on 03/07/2024 is received prior to the examination of the instant application and has not introduced any new matter, thus, has been entered and is examined on the merits.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55, wherein the certified copy is in English language.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 10 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2025/0358696 A1 to Zhang et al. (hereafter refers as Zhang) in view of US 2025/0008597 A1 to Kunt et al. (hereafter refers as Kunt).
Regarding claims 1, 10 and 19, Zhang teaches a system (a system, Fig. 7, 14-15), a method (a method, Fig. 7, 14-15) and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by at least one network node to cause the at least one network node to perform a method (a memory for storing instructions executable by a network node/DU to cause the network node/DU to perform the method, paragraphs [8, 265]), comprising:
a distributed unit (DU) (source DU/base station, Fig. 7, 14-15) configured to:
provide, to a UE during an on-duration by the UE, a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (the source base station/DU sends, to a UE during an RRC connected state of the UE, a MAC CE, paragraphs [32, 56-57, 63] and Fig. 7, 14, 15),
wherein the MAC CE comprises a cell switch command that instructs the UE to perform a Layer 1 (L1)/Layer 2 (L2) Triggered Mobility (LTM) cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell (wherein the MAC CE comprises a cell switch command triggering the UE to perform LTM cell switch from a serving cell to a target cell, paragraphs [4, 63, 79, 114-115]).
However, Zhang does not explicitly teach “provide, to at least one user equipment (UE), modification information for modifying at least one on-duration of at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle associated with the UE”; and “provide, to the UE during an on-duration modified by the UE based on the modification information”.
Kunt teaches a system (a system, Fig. 6-9), a method (a method, Fig. 7-9) and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by at least one network node to cause the at least one network node to perform a method (a memory for storing instructions executable by a network apparatus to cause the network apparatus to perform the method, paragraphs [60-62]), comprising:
a distributed unit (DU) (the network apparatus, Fig. 6 and paragraphs [34-35, 37]) configured to:
provide, to at least one user equipment (UE), modification information for modifying at least one on-duration of at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle associated with the UE (transmits a DCI or MAC CE to a UE, specifying a modification of at least one on-duration of DRX cycle of the UE, paragraphs [34-35, 37-38, 51, 82-84]); and
provide, to the UE during an on-duration modified by the UE based on the modification information (the base station transmits, to the UE during a modified on-duration, a DCI/control information, paragraphs [46, 51, 63, 75-76]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of providing, to at least one user equipment (UE), modification information for modifying at least one on-duration of at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle associated with the UE and providing, to the UE during an on-duration modified by the UE based on the modification information, the control data as taught by Kunt, with the teachings of providing to the UE during the on-duration, the MAC CE as taught by Zhang, for a purpose of saving energy for the UE by enabling the UE to enter the DRX cycle(s) while allowing the UE to receive the MAC CE while in the modified on-duration based on the modification information (see Kunt, paragraphs [34-38, 46, 51, 63, 75-76]).
Claims 2, 9, 11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2025/0358696 A1 to Zhang et al. (hereafter refers as Zhang) in view of US 2025/0008597 A1 to Kunt et al. (hereafter refers as Kunt) as applied to claims above, and further in view of US 2021/0250816 A1 to Xu et al. (hereafter refers as Xu).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, the combination of Zhang and Kunt further teaches wherein the modification information comprises information of a timing at which the LTM cell switch is expected (wherein the modification including at least timing at wich the receiving/monitoring of control signaling is expected, see Kunt, paragraphs [34-38, 46, 51], wherein the control signaling including LTM cell switch, paragraphs Zhang, paragraphs [4, 63, 79, 114-115]), and wherein the DU is configured to provide the modification information by:
receiving, from the UE, an L1 measurement (the source DU/base station receives, from the UE, an L1 measurement report, see Zhang, Fig. 7, 14-15, paragraphs [56, 62, 73-76]).
However, the combination of Zhang and Kunt does not explicitly teach “predicting, based on the L1 measurement, the timing at which the cell switch is expected; and providing, to the UE, the information of the timing at which the cell switch is expected”.
Xu teaches a DU is configured to provide a modification information by:
receiving, from the UE, an L1 measurement (a network entity receives from an UE, a measurement report, Fig. 6 and paragraphs [37, 141, 154]);
predicting, based on the L1 measurement, the timing at which the cell switch is expected (the network entity predicts/determines, based on the measurement report, the timing of cell handover/switch is expected, paragraphs [35, 38, 113, 115, 142]); and
providing, to the UE, the information of the timing at which the cell switch is expected (the network entity provides the timing of cell handover/switch is expected, paragraphs [113-115, 125-127, 142, 152, 161]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of predicting, based on the L1 measurement, the timing at which the cell switch is expected; and providing, to the UE, the information of the timing at which the cell switch is expected as taught by Xu, with the teachings of LTM cell switch as taught by combination of Zhang and Kunt, for a purpose of increase efficiency in determining the timing of the LTM cell switch by using the L1 measurement to determine the LTM cell switch (see Xu, paragraphs [35, 38, 113, 115, 142]).
Regarding claims 9 and 18, Xu further teaches wherein the DU is configured to predict the timing at which the LTM cell switch is expected based on at least one Artificial Intelligent (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) model (using AI to implement the teachings, paragraph [48]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of predict the timing at which the LTM cell switch is expected based on at least one Artificial Intelligent (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) model as taught by Xu, with the teachings of LTM cell switch as taught by combination of Zhang and Kunt, for a purpose of increase efficiency by using the Artificial Intelligent (AI) model to predict the timing (see Xu, paragraph [48]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 and 12-17 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2022/0322195 A1 discloses using machine learning model to predict a time for a UE handover to a target cell (see abstract and paragraphs [39, 44, 53]).
US 2025/0151155 A1 discloses an access node determines to adjust on duration of the UE and provide the adjust on duration to the UE (Fig. 5-6, paragraphs [68-71]), wherein the access node is using an Artificial Intelligent to perform the determination (see paragraph [114]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG B. HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)270-7642. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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/DUNG B HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469 February 5, 2026