Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/716,661

WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS APPARATUSES AND METHODS

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jun 05, 2024
Priority
Dec 30, 2021 — EU 21218397.4 +1 more
Examiner
NGUYEN, BAO G
Art Unit
2461
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Sony Group Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 1m
Est. Remaining
78%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allowance Rate
265 granted / 360 resolved
+15.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
35 currently pending
Career history
414
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
91.8%
+51.8% vs TC avg
§102
4.0%
-36.0% vs TC avg
§112
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 360 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 Objections Claims 2-13 objected to because of the following informalities: “A wireless telecommunications apparatus” should be “The. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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) 1-3, 11, 13, 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kubota (Pub No 20240236739) Regarding claim 1 and 23, Kubota teaches wireless telecommunications apparatus comprising: communication circuitry configured to transmit wireless signals to or receive wireless signals from a first network node, the first network node being a mobile network node; and (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to determine whether a first measurement associated with the serving ULP cell is below a threshold (e.g., ULP reselection threshold), see para [0097]. Also see a public land mobile network (PLMN) search, for example, to be camped on a suitable Uu cell, see para [0136]) control circuitry configured to: determine whether one or more conditions are satisfied; and (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to determine whether a first measurement associated with the serving ULP cell is below a threshold (e.g., ULP reselection threshold), see para [0097]) when the one or more conditions are satisfied, measure a characteristic of a wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from a second, different, network node. (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to perform measurements on neighboring ULP cells (e.g., second ULP cell associated with the serving Uu cell and a third ULP cell associated with a second Uu cell), for example, if the first measurement is below the first threshold, see para [0097]) Regarding claim 24, Kubota teaches a method of controlling a wireless telecommunications apparatus for use in a wireless telecommunications network, the method comprising controlling the wireless telecommunications apparatus to: transmit wireless signals to or receive wireless signals from a second wireless telecommunications apparatus, the second wireless telecommunications apparatus being configured to transmit wireless signals to or receive wireless signals from a first network node, the first network node being a mobile network node, to determine whether one or more conditions are satisfied, and (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to determine whether a first measurement associated with the serving ULP cell is below a threshold (e.g., ULP reselection threshold), see para [0097]. Also see a public land mobile network (PLMN) search, for example, to be camped on a suitable Uu cell, see para [0136]) when the one or more conditions are satisfied, to measure a characteristic of a wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from a second, different, network node; and (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to perform measurements on neighboring ULP cells (e.g., second ULP cell associated with the serving Uu cell and a third ULP cell associated with a second Uu cell), for example, if the first measurement is below the first threshold, see para [0097]) transmit a signal to the second wireless telecommunications apparatus indicative of information associated with the one or more conditions. (interpreted as Threshold may be conveyed to the WTRU, for example, via system information, see para [0142]). Regarding claim 2, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the first network node is included in a list of preferred network nodes and the second network node is not included in the list of preferred network nodes; and the one or more conditions comprise a condition that a measure indicative of a communication link quality between the wireless telecommunications apparatus and at least one network node in the list of preferred network nodes is below a communication link quality threshold. (interpreted as A PLMN may be prioritized. A ULP capable WTRU may (e.g., be able to) determine which type of PLMN is prioritized. A ULP available PLMN may be prioritized over a ULP not-available PLMN (e.g., a preference may be up to a user or mobile subscriber (MS) setting), for example, if the WTRU may (e.g., expect to) use a ULP interface for energy saving, see para [0238]. Also see The WTRU may be configured to determine whether a first measurement associated with the serving ULP cell is below a threshold (e.g., ULP reselection threshold), see para [0097]) Regarding claim 3, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to receive a signal from the network indicating at least one of the list of preferred network nodes and a communication link quality threshold for each network node in the list of preferred network nodes. (interpreted as A ULP capable WTRU may make a PLMN selection. A WTRU may perform a PLMN selection for ULP service across one or more PLMNs included in an equivalent PLMN list for ULP service (e.g., provided during a registration procedure), for example, if (e.g., when) a user of a WTRU may (e.g., expect to) obtain a ULP service, see para [0237]. Also see A WTRU may (e.g., if ULP PLMN is prioritized) search (e.g., all) available PLMNs and report (e.g., to the non-access stratum (NAS) layer) PLMN identities (e.g., all PLMN identities), for example, with ULP-Uu-IF availability information and/or quality of the cell information (e.g., RSRP of the ULPRS), see para [0239]) Regarding claim 11, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to receive a signal from the network indicating the one or more conditions. (interpreted as Threshold may be conveyed to the WTRU, for example, via system information, see para [0142]) Regarding claim 13, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure a characteristic of a wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the first network node when the one or more conditions are satisfied. (interpreted as The WTRU may be configured to determine whether a first measurement associated with the serving ULP cell is below a threshold (e.g., ULP reselection threshold). The WTRU may be configured to perform measurements on neighboring ULP cells (e.g., second ULP cell associated with the serving Uu cell and a third ULP cell associated with a second Uu cell), for example, if the first measurement is below the first threshold, see para [0004]) 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. Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota (Pub No 20240236739) further in view of Sub (Pub No 20240146406) Regarding claim 4, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, however does not teach wherein the one or more conditions comprise a condition that a time has occurred, a time has not yet occurred, a time period has expired or a time period has not yet expired. Suh teaches wherein the one or more conditions comprise a condition that a time has occurred, a time has not yet occurred, a time period has expired or a time period has not yet expired (interpreted as UE selects a cell 1 based on distances from centers of cells may be considered. A UE 1 may be connected to the cell 1 while moving along a solid line. On the other hand, if the UE 1 selects a cell 4 considering a cell service time, the UE 1 may be connected to the cell 4 while moving along a dotted line and may be connected to the cell longer than when selecting the cell 1, see para [0128]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the condition taught by Suh with the motivation being to select the most optimal network based on the desired condition/criteria. Regarding claim 5, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, however does not teach wherein the one or more conditions include a current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus. Suh teaches wherein the one or more conditions include a current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus. (interpreted as UE selects a cell 1 based on distances from centers of cells may be considered. A UE 1 may be connected to the cell 1 while moving along a solid line. On the other hand, if the UE 1 selects a cell 4 considering a cell service time, the UE 1 may be connected to the cell 4 while moving along a dotted line and may be connected to the cell longer than when selecting the cell 1, see para [0128]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the condition taught by Suh with the motivation being to select the most optimal network based on the desired condition/criteria. Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota (Pub No 20240236739) further in view of Tripathi (Pub No 20220150806) Regarding claim 6, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, however does not teach wherein the control circuitry is configured to estimate a current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus, to transmit the estimate of the current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus to the wireless telecommunications network, and in response, to receive from the wireless telecommunications network an activation command indicating that the wireless telecommunications apparatus should measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry or a deactivation command indicating that the wireless telecommunications apparatus should stop measuring the characteristic of the wireless signal. Tripathi teaches wherein the control circuitry is configured to estimate a current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus, to transmit the estimate of the current location of the wireless telecommunications apparatus to the wireless telecommunications network, and in response, to receive from the wireless telecommunications network an activation command indicating that the wireless telecommunications apparatus should measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry or a deactivation command indicating that the wireless telecommunications apparatus should stop measuring the characteristic of the wireless signal. (interpreted as , the UE carries out neighbor cell search, if necessary, based on its location (i.e., inside IA or outside the IA) and the activation/deactivation command received from the gNB.. The UE then goes to Step F21S1., see para [0372]. Also see F21S5 obtain neighbor search thresholds, see fig. 21A. Also see neighbor search thresholds include R16 thresholds such as SIntraSearchP and SIntraSearchQ, (and optionally 5-MeasureConfig, which is specified as ssb-RSRP or csi-RSRP), see para [0287]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the condition taught by Tripathi with the motivation being to select the most optimal network based on the desired condition/criteria. Claim(s) 7-10, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kubota (Pub No 20240236739) further in view of Deogun (Pub No 20200314673) Regarding claim 7, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 1, however does not teach wherein the one or more conditions comprise a condition that a predetermined signal is received by the communication circuitry from the network. Deogun teaches wherein the one or more conditions comprise a condition that a predetermined signal is received by the communication circuitry from the network. (interpreted as receiving, from the serving cell, at least one of an indication of a gap duration for measuring at least the target cell in the measurement time window, a gap periodicity or offset for starting measuring, or an activation or deactivation command to start or stop the measuring in the gap duration, see para [0131]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the measurement window taught by Deogun with the motivation being to use scheduling of communications to mitigate interference. Regarding claim 8, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 7, however does not teach wherein: the predetermined signal indicates that the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node should be measured a limited number of times and/or for a limited time; and in response to the communication circuitry receiving the predetermined signal, the control circuitry is configured to measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node the limited number of times and/or for the limited time. Deogun teaches wherein: the predetermined signal indicates that the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node should be measured a limited number of times and/or for a limited time; and in response to the communication circuitry receiving the predetermined signal, the control circuitry is configured to measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node the limited number of times and/or for the limited time. (interpreted as receiving, from the serving cell, at least one of an indication of a gap duration for measuring at least the target cell in the measurement time window, a gap periodicity or offset for starting measuring, or an activation or deactivation command to start or stop the measuring in the gap duration, see para [0131]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the measurement window taught by Deogun with the motivation being to use scheduling of communications to mitigate interference. Regarding claim 9, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 8, however does not teach wherein the control circuitry is configured to begin measuring the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node during or at the end of a predetermined time period started when the predetermined signal is received. Deogun teaches wherein the control circuitry is configured to begin measuring the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node during or at the end of a predetermined time period started when the predetermined signal is received. (interpreted as receiving, from the serving cell, at least one of an indication of a gap duration for measuring at least the target cell in the measurement time window, a gap periodicity or offset for starting measuring, or an activation or deactivation command to start or stop the measuring in the gap duration, see para [0131]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the measurement window taught by Deogun with the motivation being to use scheduling of communications to mitigate interference. Regarding claim 10, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 7, however does not teach wherein: the predetermined signal is an activation signal indicating that the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node should be measured; and in response to the communication circuitry receiving the predetermined signal, the control circuitry is configured to measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node until a deactivation signal is further received by the communication circuitry. Deogun teaches wherein: the predetermined signal is an activation signal indicating that the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node should be measured; and in response to the communication circuitry receiving the predetermined signal, the control circuitry is configured to measure the characteristic of the wireless signal received by the communication circuitry from the second, different, network node until a deactivation signal is further received by the communication circuitry. (interpreted as receiving, from the serving cell, at least one of an indication of a gap duration for measuring at least the target cell in the measurement time window, a gap periodicity or offset for starting measuring, or an activation or deactivation command to start or stop the measuring in the gap duration, see para [0131]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the measurement window taught by Deogun with the motivation being to use scheduling of communications to mitigate interference. Regarding claim 12, Kubota teaches a wireless telecommunications apparatus according to claim 11, however does not teach wherein: the control circuitry is configured to control the wireless telecommunications apparatus to perform measurements of a characteristic of wireless signals received by the communication circuitry when the wireless telecommunications apparatus is in an idle or inactive mode in accordance with an idle or inactive measurement configuration signal received by the communication circuitry from the network; and the one or more conditions are indicated by the idle or inactive measurement configuration signal. Deogun teaches wherein: the control circuitry is configured to control the wireless telecommunications apparatus to perform measurements of a characteristic of wireless signals received by the communication circuitry when the wireless telecommunications apparatus is in an idle or inactive mode in accordance with an idle or inactive measurement configuration signal received by the communication circuitry from the network; and the one or more conditions are indicated by the idle or inactive measurement configuration signal (interpreted as measurement component 256 can perform measurements any time (that is without any time restrictions for measuring frequencies which does not require measurement gap) or any time during measurement gaps (for measuring frequencies which require a measurement gap) to identify neighbor cells. In another aspect, serving cell may configure UE to performs measurements in RRC idle state by providing an indication to measure outside of the measurement time window (SMTC), see para [0107]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the condition taught by Kubota with the measurement window taught by Deogun with the motivation being to use scheduling of communications to mitigate interference. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAO G NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-7732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10pm - 6:30pm. 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, Huy Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. 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. /BAO G NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2461 /HUY D VU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2461
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jun 05, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 26, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12677306
INTERFERENCE MEASUREMENT REPORTING METHOD AND COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS
4y 3m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Patent 12665831
TRANSMISSION QUALITY DETECTION METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM
3y 10m to grant Granted Jun 23, 2026
Patent 12659249
RECORDING PACKET LOSS IN A NETWORK
4y 4m to grant Granted Jun 16, 2026
Patent 12641595
TECHNIQUES FOR CONFIGURING SOFT RESOURCES IN MULTI-HOP INTEGRATED ACCESS AND BACKHAUL NETWORK
6y 7m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12641483
REINFORCEMENT LEARNING BASED INTER-RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGY LOAD BALANCING UNDER MULTI-CARRIER DYNAMIC SPECTRUM SHARING
4y 4m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
78%
With Interview (+4.0%)
3y 3m (~1y 1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 360 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month