Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/710,979

METHOD AND APPRATUS FOR DISCOVERY PROCEDURE BETWEEN RELAY NODE AND SOURCE USER EQUIPMENT

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
May 16, 2024
Priority
Jan 10, 2022 — provisional 63/297,845 +1 more
Examiner
MEJIA, ANTHONY
Art Unit
2451
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
MediaTek Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
9m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
608 granted / 728 resolved
+25.5% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
14 currently pending
Career history
740
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.4%
-36.6% vs TC avg
§103
71.8%
+31.8% vs TC avg
§102
13.9%
-26.1% vs TC avg
§112
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 728 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu et. al (US 2020/0213977 A1) (hereinafter as Xu) Regarding Claim 1. Xu teaches a method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a first resource configuration for a discovery procedure from a network node (the relay device may inform the remote device of the resource for transmitting the discovery information, or the remote device may notify the relay device of the resource for receiving the discovery information. In this way, a resource for the remote device monitoring the discovery information is a resource for the relay device transmitting the discovery information, pars [0137-0166]); transmitting, by the UE, the first resource configuration for the discovery procedure from the network node to a relay node; and performing, by the UE, the discovery procedure with the relay node (the electronic device 200 serving as a relay device transmits resource indication information to the electronic device 300 serving as a remote device, and the electronic device 300 serving as a remote device may also transmit the resource indication information to the electronic device 200 serving as a relay device, pars [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 2. Xu further teaches the method of Claim l, further comprising: reporting, by the UE, a capability of the relay node or a joint capability of the relay node and the UE to the network node (resource carrying discovery information according to the resource indication information is reported, the configuring the assistance measurement configuration, the electronic device 300 transmitting the discovery request message, the electronic device 200 receiving the discovery response message from other relay devices, and the electronic device 200 generating the packaged discovery response message, including downlink capability information, pars [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 3. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the UE, a request for a discovery procedure to the network node before receiving the first resource configuration for the discovery procedure from the network node (the type of the electronic device 300 may be determined according to whether the electronic device 300 has a capability of receiving downlink data through the side link, such as the first type (type 1) and the second type (type 2), pars [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 4. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the UE, a set up message to the network node via the relay node ( the transceiver circuit 320 may transmit the resource indication information to the electronic device 200 through a discovery request message. The resource indication message is used to indicate a resource for the electronic device 300 receiving the discovery response message, pars [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 5. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the performing comprises performing the discovery procedure via a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) link or a non-3GPP link (the electronic device 200 needs to package and transmit the discovery response message to the network side device that provides a service to the electronic device 200, par [0200], In 3GPP specifications, the discovery procedure refers to the process by which a UE (User Equipment) or network entity identifies and connects to other UEs, network functions, or services which is similarly discussed here by Xu). Regarding Claim 6. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, wherein the performing comprises performing the discovery procedure via an existing protocol stack or a simplified protocol stack (various types of signal processing of layers and protocols can be used, pars [0137-0166] and [0280]) Regarding Claim 7. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, further comprising: receiving, a second resource configuration for a local communication from a network node (the wireless communication interface 2412 may support another type of wireless communication scheme, such as short-range wireless communication scheme, a near field communication scheme and a wireless local area network (LAN) scheme, pars [0137-0166] and [0296]); and performing the local communication with the relay node based on the second resource configuration in an event that at least one condition is met (the wireless communication interface 2412 may support another type of wireless communication scheme, such as short-range wireless communication scheme, a near field communication scheme and a wireless local area network (LAN) scheme, pars [0137-0166] and [0296]). Regarding Claim 8. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 7, wherein the at least one condition comprises at least one of that an uplink (UL) carrier associated with the second resource configuration is out-of-range (OOC), a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of a downlink (DL) carrier associated with the second resource configuration is smaller than a threshold, a transmission power of the UE is smaller than a threshold and the UE does not transmit on a specific beam direction (RSRP information is reported, pars [0080] and [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 9. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, by the UE, a request for a local communication to the network node (the wireless communication interface 2412 may support another type of wireless communication scheme, such as short-range wireless communication scheme, a near field communication scheme and a wireless local area network (LAN) scheme, pars [0137-0166] and [0296]); and receiving, a second resource configuration for the local communication from the network node (the processing circuit 210 may select multiple resources with higher priorities. In addition, the processing circuit 210 may also select resources according to the reference signal receiving power RSRP information regarding the electronic device 200 and/or a range of D2D communication and the priority information, thus different resources (first and second resources) are disclosed, pars [0087] and [0137-0166]). Regarding Claim 10. Xu further teaches the method of Claim 9, wherein the request for the local communication and a request for the discovery procedure are the same or different (the information may be reported periodically, may be reported together with the resource indication information, or may be reported separately from the resource indication information, pars [0080] and [0137-0166]). Regarding Claims 11-20, these apparatus claims comprise limitations substantially the same, as those discussed in claims 1-10 above, same rationale of rejection is applicable. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY MEJIA whose telephone number is (571)270-3630. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10:30 AM-6:30 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, CHRISTOPHER PARRY can be reached at (571)272-8328. 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. /ANTHONY MEJIA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

May 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §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
84%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+18.6%)
2y 11m (~9m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 728 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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