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 § 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.
Claims 4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZOU et al. (US 2024/0357693 A1), hereinafter, ZOU in view of HONG et al. (Patent No: KR 10-2174932 B1), hereinafter, HONG.
Regarding Claim 1, ZOU teaches,
A terminal apparatus for communicating with a first base station apparatus by using an MCG (Master Cell Group) and communicating with a second base station apparatus by using an SCG (Secondary Cell Group), comprising: -Fig. 3; Paragraph [0086] (Fig. 3 shows terminal communicating with base station using an MCG and an SCG. [0086] recites, “FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a NR-DC, where both the master node controlling the MCG and the secondary node controlling the SCG are NR;)
A processor; and a transmitter, wherein the processor is configured to determine, for determining whether to notify the first base station apparatus that uplink data have been generated, -Fig. 21; Paragraph [0176, 0067] ([0176] recites, “FIG. 21 shows an example embodiment for the communication device 1230 in which a method for handling a resume procedure may be implemented. The communication device 1230 comprises modules as shown in FIG. 21. The communication device 1230 comprises a receiving module 2110, a transmitting module 2120, a determining module 2130, a processing module 2140, a memory 2150 etc.“ [0067] recites, “The communication device is configured with multi-radio connectivity (MR-DC) with a Master Cell Group (MCG) and a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). The communication device initiates a resume procedure when there is uplink data available. The communication device determines the type of the UL data, i.e. whether the UL data is available for an MCG bearer, an SCG bearer or a split bearer. The communication device sets an UL data indication based on the determination of whether the UL data is available for an MCG bearer, an SCG bearer or a split bearer. The communication device sends the UL data indication to a network node. The UL data indication indicates whether the resume is initiated due to uplink data that is available only for the MCG, or, regardless data is available for MCG, due to uplink data is available for SCG.” As explained above, the processor in the communication device is configured to determine whether the UL data is available, type of UL data (MCG, SCG, or both bearer), and decides whether to send UL data indication (notify) to the base station.)
whether uplink data to be transmitted in a DRB (Data Radio Bearer) related to an RLC (Radio Link Control) entity of the SCG has been generated, -Paragraph [0118, 0144] ([0118] recites, “the communication device 1230 determines whether the resume procedure is initiated due to uplink data that is available for the MCG, such as an MCG DRB, or for the SCG, such as an SCG DRB or whether sufficient amount of data e.g. determined based on a configured threshold for UL data volume, is available for a split DRB to justify SCG activation.”[0144] recites, “communication device 1230 determines that it has UL data available for the SCG, such as UL data available for an SCG DRB..”)
and the transmitter is configured to, based on determining that the uplink data to be transmitted in the DRB related to the RLC entity of the SCG has been generated, notify the first base station apparatus -Paragraph [0117-0118] ([0115-0118] recites, “…. a method performed by a communication device 1230 is provided for handling a resume procedure from a first state to a second state. The first state may be a suspended state such as RRC_INACTIVE state, the second state may be a connected state such as RRC_CONNECTED state. According to embodiments herein, the communication device 1230 determines whether the resume procedure is initiated due to uplink data that is available for the MCG, such as an MCG DRB, or for the SCG, such as an SCG DRB or whether sufficient amount of data e.g. determined based on a configured threshold for UL data volume, is available for a split DRB to justify SCG activation. Based on this determination the communication device 1230 includes the UL data indication during the resume procedure e.g. within a resume request to the network node 1211 and/or multiplexed with the resume request to the network node 1211.” Although it does not explicitly mention that the request is sent to the base station over SRB 1, it is well known to an ordinary person with the skill in the art that control signaling are sent over SRBs, and can be over SRB1 )
Although implicit, ZOU does not explicitly mention,
notify the first base station apparatus via SRB1
In an analogous invention, HONG teaches,
notify the first base station apparatus via SRB1- Page 14, section 1(recites, “The NR RRC entity of the NR base station (or terminal) generates an NR RRC message. And, in order to transfer the generated NR RRC message to the radio link between the NR base station and the terminal, the NR RRC message is transmitted through NR-SRB1.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the “NETWORK NODES, COMMUNICATION DEVICES AND METHODS FOR HANDLING RESUME PROCEDURE IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK”
proposed by ZOU to include the concept of “notify the first base station apparatus via SRB1” of HONG. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to improve coverage compared to the existing LTE coverage [Page 7, Paragraph 8].
Regarding Claim 5, ZOU and HONG teach the limitations of Claim 4.
ZOU further teaches,
The terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to further determine whether the SCG is deactivated, when determining whether the uplink data to be transmitted in the DRB related to the RLC entity of the SCG has been generated. -Paragraph [0114-0115, 0118]( [0114-0115] recites, “…the description herein mostly refers and shows examples wherein the second cell group is a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) that is deactivated or suspended or in power saving mode of operation, for a UE configured with Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC)….when the second cell group is deactivated e.g. SCG becomes deactivated upon reception of an indication from the network node, the UE stops monitoring PDCCH on the SCG cells, i.e. stop monitoring PDCCH of the PSCell and of the SCells of the SCG….”i.e., the processor is configured to determine whether the SCG is deactivated in order to stop monitoring PDCCH on the SCG cells. [0118] recites, “..the communication device 1230 determines whether the resume procedure is initiated due to uplink data that is available for the MCG, such as an MCG DRB, or for the SCG, such as an SCG DRB or whether sufficient amount of data e.g. determined based on a configured threshold for UL data volume, is available for a split DRB to justify SCG activation. Based on this determination the communication device 1230 includes the UL data indication during the resume procedure e.g. within a resume request to the network node 1211 and/or multiplexed with the resume request to the network node 1211.”)
Claim 6 is the method Claim corresponding to the Apparatus Claim 4. The Applicant’s attention is directed towards Claim 4 above which is rejected. Claim 6 is rejected under the same rational as Claim 4.
Claim 7 is essentially same as Claim 4 where the implementation on the terminal apparatus is by way of an integrated circuit. It is well known to an ordinary person with the skill in the art that transmitter/receiver/processor/memory required to implement the method can be a part of the integrated circuit (Modem) and can carry out the method outlined. The Applicant’s attention is directed towards Claim 4 above which is rejected. Claim 7 is rejected under the same rational as Claim 4.
Response to Argument(s)
The Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/AHMED SAIFUDDIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2475
/ABDULLAHI AHMED/Examiner, Art Unit 2475
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