Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/693,216

METHOD, USER EQUIPMENT, AND NETWORK NODE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 19, 2024
Examiner
WEST, LEWIS G
Art Unit
2699
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
NEC Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
91%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
562 granted / 674 resolved
+21.4% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
689
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.7%
-36.3% vs TC avg
§103
34.4%
-5.6% vs TC avg
§102
35.9%
-4.1% vs TC avg
§112
12.9%
-27.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 674 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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) 22-31 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Li (US 2024/0389014 A1). [Claim 22] Li discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate via a network including a non-terrestrial network, the method comprising: receiving system information including at least one threshold and information indicating a reference location of a serving cell; and determining not to perform a measurement on at least one frequency cell of equal or lower priority than the serving cell in a case where a distance between a current location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell is shorter than the at least one threshold. [0108, a condition for the terminal to measure the neighboring cell is R>Rx, where Rx is a distance threshold between the terminal and the serving cell, and R is a real-time distance between the terminal and the serving cell. That is, when R>Rx, the terminal measures the neighboring cell. Therefore no measurement is triggered when under the threshold.] [Claim 23] Li discloses the method according to claim 22, wherein the determining is performed in a case where the UE has valid information indicating the current location of the UE. [0059] [Claim 24] Li discloses the method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one threshold includes a respective threshold appliable per frequency. [0056, different frequencies have different priorities meaning different thresholds may apply per frequency] [Claim 25] Li discloses the method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one threshold includes a threshold applicable for inter-frequency measurement and another threshold applicable for intra-frequency measurement. [0055-0056] [Claim 26] Li discloses the method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one threshold includes a respective threshold appliable per type of neighbor cells. [0044-0045] [Claim 27] Li discloses the method according to claim 22, wherein the measurement is performed based on remaining serving time of the serving cell. [0145, timeremaining for the cell to provide service is used] [Claim 28] Li discloses the method according to claim 27, wherein information indicating the remaining serving time of the serving cell is included in the system information. [0145, time information comes from the cell] [Claim 29] Li discloses a method performed by a network node configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via a network including a non-terrestrial network, the method comprising: transmitting, to the UE, system information including at least one threshold and information indicating a reference location of a serving cell; wherein the at least one threshold and the reference location of a serving cell are used, by the UE, for determining not to perform a measurement on at least one frequency cell of equal or lower priority than the serving cell in a case where a distance between a current location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell is shorter than the at least one threshold. [0108] [Claim 30] Li discloses user equipment (UE) configured to communicate via a network including a non- terrestrial network, the UE comprising: at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to process the instructions to: receive system information including at least one threshold and information indicating a reference location of a serving cell; and determine not to perform a measurement on at least one frequency cell of equal or lower priority than the serving cell in a case where a distance between a current location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell is shorter than the at least one threshold. [0108] [Claim 31] Li discloses a network node configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via a network including a non-terrestrial network, the network node comprising: at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to process the instructions to: transmit, to the UE, system information including at least one threshold and information indicating a reference location of a serving cell; wherein the at least one threshold and the reference location of a serving cell are used, by the UE, for determining not to perform a measurement on at least one frequency cell of equal or lower priority than the serving cell in a case where a distance between a current location of the UE and the reference location of the serving cell is shorter than the at least one threshold. [0108] Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See the PTO-892 for further state of art references. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEWIS G WEST whose telephone number is (571)272-7859. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:00. 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, George Eng can be reached at (571) 272-7495. 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. /LEWIS G WEST/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2699
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Mar 19, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §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
83%
Grant Probability
91%
With Interview (+7.3%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 674 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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