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 § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 75-78, 89, and 90 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Damnjanovic et al (US 2022/0264346 A1) in view of Niu et al (US 2023/0100009 A1).
Regarding claim 75, Damnjanovic discloses an apparatus (Fig. 14) comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 14, processor 1440); and at least one memory including computer program code (Fig. 14, memory 1430 having computer code 1435), the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus (Fig. 14) to perform:
generating an information set for a user equipment (Fig. 6, blocks 605 and 610 and Fig. 18, blocks 1805 and 1806, transmit to a UE, an indication of a cell set configured for mobility procedure for the UE and a reporting configuration for reporting measurements for the mobility procedure by the UE, the reporting configuration indicating a subset of cells supported by the DU for reporting);
wherein the information set includes at least a first channel state information (CSI) measurement (97th paragraph, base station may transmit CSI-RS) configuration for configuring the user equipment to perform measurements for a mobility decision (Fig. 6, blocks 615-630 and Fig. 18, blocks 1805 and 1806) at a first distributed unit operating a first, serving cell of a radio access network (Fig. 5, DU 510-a);
wherein the measurements comprise at least:
a CSI measurement for the first, serving cell, and a CSI measurement for a second cell (Fig. 18, block 1815, receive, from the UE, DU specific measurement report for the Du consists of channel measurement results for the subset of cells based in part on the reporting configuration. Herein, the subset of cells including serving cell and target cell, as illustrated in Fig. 5) operated by a second distributed unit of the radio access network (Fig. 5, DU 510-b), the second cell being a candidate target cell for the mobility decision (Fig. 5, DU 510-b); and
transmitting the information set toward the user equipment (Fig. 18, blocks 1805 and 1806).
Damnjanovic discloses that the first CSI measurement configuration comprising CSI resource configuration information for the second cell, the CSI resource configuration information originating from the second distributed unit. Niu discloses that the first cell and second cell may coordinate CSI resource measurements. The first cell and the second cell may exchange communications to coordinate resources to be utilized by the UE for measurement. The first signaling 208 may be utilized for determining resources to be utilized by the second cell 206 for CSI-RS. The first cell then transmits the CSI-IM configuration to the UE (Fig. 2 and 38th paragraph). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to coordinate sources among cells for measurement in Damnjanovic’s system, as suggested by Niu, to optimize and manage measurements effectively.
Regarding claim 76, Damnjanovic discloses that wherein the information set further comprises a first CSI reporting configuration for configuring the user equipment to report results of the measurements (Fig. 18, block 1810, reporting configuration for reporting measurements for the mobility procedure) via the first, serving cell, for making the mobility decision at the first distributed unit (Fig. 5, DU 510-a).
Regarding claim 77, Damnjanovic discloses that wherein the information set further comprises information for configuring the user equipment for operation in the second cell in the event of a decision at the first distributed unit to command the user equipment to perform serving cell change to the second cell (114th paragraph and Fig. 4, base station may handover the UE to a target cell. As illustrated in Fig. 18, block 1805, the cell set comprising a set of activated cells for the UE which may include the target cell for handover).
Regarding claim 78, Damnjanovic discloses that wherein generating the information set is based at least partly on information received via signalling associated with the user equipment (125th paragraph, the DU may account for the capability of the UE in determining the number of activated cells).
Regarding claim 89, Damnjanovic discloses a user equipment (Fig. 10) comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 10, processor 1040); and at least one memory including computer program code (Fig. 10, memory 1030 having computer code 1035), the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus (Fig. 10) to perform:
receiving an information set (Fig. 6, blocks 605 and 610 UE receives configured cell set and reporting configuration) via a first, serving cell operated by a first distributed unit of a radio access network (Fig. 5, DU 510-a and/or Fig. 6, gNB-DU 105-a);
wherein the information set includes at least a first channel state information (CSI) measurement (97th paragraph, base station may transmit CSI-RS) configuration for configuring the user equipment to perform measurements for a mobility decision (Fig. 6, blocks 615-630) at a first distributed unit (Fig. 5, DU 510-a);
wherein the measurements comprise at least:
a CSI measurement for the first, serving cell, and a CSI measurement for a second cell (Fig. 18, block 1815, receive, from the UE, DU specific measurement report for the Du consists of channel measurement results for the subset of cells based in part on the reporting configuration. Herein, the subset of cells including serving cell and target cell, as illustrated in Fig. 5) operated by a second distributed unit of the radio access network (Fig. 5, DU 510-b), the second cell being a candidate target cell for the mobility decision (Fig. 5, DU 510-b); and
performing measurements for at least the first and second cells according to the information set (Fig. 6, block 615, perform channel measurements for the cell set. As illustrated in Fig. 5, the cell set includes serving cell and target cell); and
reporting results of the measurements to the first distributed unit via the serving cell, for the mobility decision at the first distributed unit (Fig. 6, blocks 625-630).
Damnjanovic discloses that the first CSI measurement configuration comprising CSI resource configuration information for the second cell, the CSI resource configuration information originating from the second distributed unit. Niu discloses that the first cell and second cell may coordinate CSI resource measurements. The first cell and the second cell may exchange communications to coordinate resources to be utilized by the UE for measurement. The first signaling 208 may be utilized for determining resources to be utilized by the second cell 206 for CSI-RS. The first cell then transmits the CSI-IM configuration to the UE (Fig. 2 and 38th paragraph). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to coordinate sources among cells for measurement in Damnjanovic’s system, as suggested by Niu, to optimize and manage measurements effectively.
Regarding claim 90, Damnjanovic discloses that wherein the information set further comprises a first CSI reporting configuration for configuring the user equipment to report results of the measurements via the first, serving cell, for making the mobility decision at the first distributed unit (Fig. 6, blocks 610-625); wherein reporting the results of the measurements comprises transmitting the results of the measurements using a resource indicated by the first CSI reporting configuration (Fig. 6, block 625, measurement report transmits on a configured uplink resource for feedback).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 79-88, 91, and 92 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 75-92 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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ANH VU H. LY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
