DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
2. Claim 44 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 6 reads “a the latest SCG state the UE has when CHO is executed, and” rather than “a latest SCG state the UE has when CHO is executed, and”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Claims 41-65 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kumar et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0007550 (hereinafter Kumar).
Regarding claim 41, Kumar discloses a method for indicating a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) state during a Conditional Handover (CHO) in a wireless communications network, wherein the method is performed by a User Equipment (UE) or by a source Master Node (MN) and the UE is configured with a current SCG (disclosed is a method according to which a UE indicates an SCG state during a conditional handover in a wireless network, whereby the UE is configured with a current SCG, according to [0110], [0118], Fig. 3), and wherein the method comprises:
obtaining from a source MN, a CHO configuration for the UE, which CHO configuration comprises a configuration for a target candidate node, which target candidate node comprises any one or more out of: a target candidate MN and a target candidate Secondary Node (SN) (a source master node sends a conditional handover (CHO) configuration to the UE to enable said UE to handover to a target master node, according to [0090], [0095], [0101], Fig. 3 [step 320]); and
responsive to CHO execution conditions related to the CHO configuration being fulfilled, sending an indication to the target candidate node, which indication indicates an SCG state being set to any one out of: SCG activated or SCG deactivated (when one or more triggering conditions associated with the conditional handover are satisfied, the UE sends a success report that comprises an indication of the SCG state, which may be either “activated” or “deactivated”, to the Master Node 305-a (which is the target master node, according to [0098]), according to [0117]-[0118], Fig. 3 [steps 335, 340-d, and 345-d]).
Regarding claim 45, Kumar discloses a method performed by a first network node acting as a source Master Node (MN) for handling a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) state during a Conditional Handover (CHO) for a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communications network, wherein the UE is configured with a current SCG (disclosed is a method performed by a source master node, according to [0098], [0100], Fig. 3, whereby an SCG state is indicated in association with a conditional handover of a UE in a wireless network, whereby the UE is configured with a current SCG, according to [0110], [0118], Fig. 3) and wherein the method comprises:
sending to the UE, a Conditional Handover (CHO) configuration for the UE, which CHO configuration comprises a configuration for a target candidate node, which target candidate node comprises any one or more out of: a target candidate Master Node, MN, and a target candidate Secondary Node, SN (the source master node sends a conditional handover (CHO) configuration to the UE to enable said UE to handover to a target master node, according to [0090], [0095], [0101], Fig. 3 [step 320]);
wherein, responsive to CHO execution conditions relating to the CHO configuration being fulfilled, the UE sends an indication to the target candidate node, which indication indicates an SCG state being set to any one out of: SCG activated or SCG deactivated (when one or more triggering conditions associated with the conditional handover are satisfied, the UE sends a success report that comprises an indication of the SCG state, which may be either “activated” or “deactivated”, to the Master Node 305-a (which is the target master node, according to [0098]), according to [0117]-[0118], Fig. 3 [steps 335, 340-d, and 345-d]).
Regarding claim 49, Kumar discloses a method performed by a second network node acting as a target Master Node (MN) for handling a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) state during a Conditional Handover (CHO) for a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communications network, wherein the UE is configured with a current SCG (disclosed is a method performed by a source master node, according to [0098], Fig. 3, whereby an SCG state is indicated in association with a conditional handover of a UE in a wireless network, whereby the UE is configured with a current SCG, according to [0110], [0118], Fig. 3) and the method comprises:
based on CHO execution conditions relating to a CHO configuration being fulfilled, receiving an indication from the UE indicating whether an SCG state is set to activated or deactivated (when one or more triggering conditions associated with the conditional handover are satisfied, the UE sends a success report that comprises an indication of the SCG state, which may be either “activated” or “deactivated”, to the Master Node 305-a (which is the target master node, according to [0098]), according to [0117]-[0118], Fig. 3 [steps 335, 340-d, and 345-d]).
Regarding claim 53, Kumar discloses a method performed by a third network node acting as a target Secondary Node (SN) for handling a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) state during a Conditional Handover (CHO) for a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communications network, wherein the UE is configured with a current SCG (disclosed is a method that is performed by a base station 105 in relation to Figs. 1-5 and 10-11 (whereby Fig. 2 depicts a base station that corresponds to a secondary node of an SCG) in relation to a conditional handover procedure, whereby a configuration for the procedure is transmitted to a UE (the UE being configured with a current SCG, according to [0110], [0118], Fig. 3), according to [0219]-[0220], Fig. 13 [step 1305]) and the method comprises:
based on CHO execution conditions relating to a CHO configuration being fulfilled, receiving an indication from the UE, which indication indicates an SCG state being set to any one out of: SCG activated or SCG deactivated (a report is received from a master node, said report comprising information related to the conditional procedure and the primary secondary cell after successful handover (whereby the master node in turn received this information in a report that was sent from the UE that includes an indication of the SCG state, which may be either “activated” or “deactivated, according to [0118], Fig. 3 [step 345-d]), according to [0222], Fig. 13 [step 1315]).
Claim 57 recites the User Equipment (UE), comprising a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (the UE comprises a processor and a memory that stores instructions that are executed by said processor, according to [0006], [0149], [0153]), cause the UE to perform the method recited in claim 41, and is therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 41.
Claim 61 recites the first network node acting as a source Master Node (MN), comprising processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (an MN comprises a processor and a memory that stores instructions that are executed by said processor, according to [0260]), cause the source MN to perform the method recited in claim 45, and is therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 45.
Claim 65 recites the second network node acting as a target Master Node (MN), comprising processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (an MN comprises a processor and a memory that stores instructions that are executed by said processor, according to [0260]), cause the source MN to perform the method recited in claim 49, and is therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 49.
Regarding claim 42, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 41, wherein the SCG state is set according to any one out of the current SCG state, and/or a target SCG state (the SCG state indication that is included in the report indicates the state of the source PSCell [“current SCG state”], according to [0110], [0118]).
Regarding claim 43, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 41, further comprising:
obtaining, the current SCG state, which current SCG state is set to any one out of: SCG activated or SCG deactivated (the SCG state indication that is included in the report indicates the state of the source PSCell [“current SCG state”], according to [0110], [0118]), and
wherein the indication to the target candidate node indicates the current SCG state, which indication will set a target SCG state to SCG activation or SCG deactivation, initiated by the selected target candidate node (the report may indicate that the SCG state is retained or modified (e.g., switched from activated to deactivated or from deactivated to activated), according to [0110]).
Regarding claim 44, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 41, wherein: obtaining, a target SCG state to any one out of: always deactivated, always activated, a value pre-configured, as activated, or deactivated, a latest SCG state the UE has when CHO is executed, and wherein the indication to the target candidate node indicates the target SCG state (the SCG state may be retained [“a latest SCG state the UE has when CHO is executed”] during the conditional handover, according to [0110]).
Claims 46, 50, 54, 58, and 62 do not differ substantively from claim 42, and are therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 42.
Claims 47 and 59 do not differ substantively from claim 43, and are therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 43.
Claims 48, 60, and 64 do not differ substantively from claim 44, and are therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 44.
Regarding claim 51, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 49, further comprising setting a target SCG state to SCG activation or SCG deactivation, based on the indication (the report may indicate that the SCG state is retained or modified (e.g., switched from activated to deactivated or from deactivated to activated), according to [0110]).
Regarding claim 52, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 49, comprising any one out of: responsive to the indication indicating that a target SCG state comprises deactivated, activating the SCG after CHO execution, depending on the traffic assessment after CHO execution; responsive to the indication indicating a target SCG state comprises activated, deactivating the SCG after CHO execution, depending on the traffic assessment after CHO execution; responsive to the indication indicating a target SCG state comprises a pre-configured, value as activated or deactivated, deactivating the SCG after CHO execution, depending on the traffic assessment after CHO execution (the report, which includes measurements for one or more candidate PSCells, may indicate switching from the SCG deactivated state to the SCG activated state [“responsive to the indication indicating that a target SCG state comprises deactivated, activating the SCG after CHO execution, depending on the traffic assessment after CHO execution”], according to [0110], [0112]).
Regarding claim 55, Kumar discloses the method according to claim 53, further comprising, responsive to the indication indicating a current SCG state, setting a target SCG state to SCG activation or SCG deactivation, based on the indication (the report may indicate that the SCG state is retained or modified (e.g., switched from activated to deactivated or from deactivated to activated), according to [0110]).
Claim 56 does not differ substantively from claim 52, and is therefore rejected on the same grounds as claim 52.
Regarding claim 63, Kumar discloses sending to the UE, a current SCG state, which current SCG state is set to any one out of: SCG activated or SCG deactivated, and wherein the indication to the target candidate node indicates the current SCG state, which indication will set a target SCG state to SCG activation or SCG deactivation, initiated by the selected target candidate node (the SCG state indication that is included in the report indicates the state of the source PSCell [“current SCG state”], whereby the report may indicate that the SCG state is retained or modified (e.g., switched from activated to deactivated or from deactivated to activated), according to [0110], [0118]).
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW W GENACK whose telephone number is (571)272-7541. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
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/MATTHEW W GENACK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645