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 .
Response to Amendment
This action is in response to the application filed on August 31, 2026
Claims 16-28 are under examination.
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 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.
Claims 16-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park et al (USP: 2023/0379880 A1).
1.-15. (canceled)
As per Claim 16 Park teaches a method for communication by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising (See Park Abstract: A base station central unit control plane (CU-CP) receives, from a base station central unit user plane (CU-UP), an indication of a size of downlink data for a wireless device. The base station CU-CP transmits, to a base station distributed unit (DU) and base on the size of the downlink data, a first paging message for the wireless device indicating a small data transmission (SDT) procedure of the wireless device):
transmitting, by a central unit-control plane (CU-CP) of the base station to a central unit-user plane (CU-UP) of the base station, a configuration message including information indicating a threshold of a small data transmission (SDT) data size (Paragraph 0255, 0267, 0268, 0271 a base station CU (and/or base station CU-CP) sends information of an SDT procedure to a base station DU, the SMF may determine that the data is smaller than a threshold size value. The core data notification may comprise a parameter indicating size of the data (e.g., indicating small) and/or the SDT procedure. The information of the SDT procedure may be used to implement paging. In an example, the base station CU may send to the base station DU a first paging message (e.g., an F1 paging message) indicating the SDT procedure. In an example, the second base station may determine that size of the RRC configuration is smaller than a threshold size value.. In an example, the core network device (e.g., the AMF and/or the SMF) may determine that size of the NAS message is smaller than a threshold size value );
receiving, by the (CU-CP) of the base station from the CU-UP of the base station, a notification message including information related to SDT, based on the configuration message (Paragraph 00267, 0268 the wireless device sends the RRC request message to the base station CU-CP (e.g., the base station and/or the base station CU), the UPF may send the data to the wireless device via the base station (e.g., via the base station CU-UP and/or the base station DU The data may comprise the NAS message (e.g., CP data). Based on the determination of the size of the NAS message being small, the core paging message may comprise the information parameter indicating at least one of the size of data or the SDT procedure for the NAS message); and
transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a paging message including a mobile terminated-SDT (MT-SDT) indicator for initiating an SDT procedure of the UE, based on the notification message (Paragraph 0233, 0271, 0322 example, the early data transmission performed initially for downlink data transmission (e.g., initiated based on a paging procedure) may be called as a mobile terminating early data transmission (MT-EDT), a downlink EDT, a downlink SDT, a mobile terminating SDT (MT-SDT), and/or the like. the SDT procedure may comprise a mobile terminated early data transmission (MT-EDT), a core paging message; a RAN paging message; a data notification message; and/or the like. In an example, the receiving by the base station CU-CP the indication message from the network device may comprise at least one of: receiving the core paging message from the core network device; receiving the RAN paging message from the second base station; receiving the data notification message from the base station CU-UP; and/or the like. MT-EDT indication may be included in a Paging message for a UE over a Uu interface.).
As per Claim 17 Park teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the information related to SDT comprises information related to MT-SDT indicating a total data size for all SDT bearers (Paragraph 0204, 0233, 0322 In an example, the RRC request message may be further based on the size of the downlink data being smaller than a threshold size value. In an example, the SDT procedure may comprise a mobile terminated early data transmission (MT-EDT). When configured with a plurality of PUCCH resource sets, the UE may select one of the plurality of PUCCH resource sets based on a total bit length of the UCI information bits (e.g., HARQ-ACK, SR, and/or CSI). If the total bit length of UCI information bits is two or fewer, the UE may select a first PUCCH resource set having a PUCCH resource set index equal to “0”. If the total bit length of UCI information bits is greater than two and less than or equal to a first configured value ).
As per Claim 18 Park teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the information related to SDT comprises information for terminating the SDT procedure of the UE, in case that a size of SDT data received at the CU-UP is above the threshold of the SDT data size (Paragraph 0078, 0267 a flag (F) for indicating the size of the SDU length field; and a reserved bit (R) field for future use, the SMF may determine that the data is smaller than a threshold size value. The core data notification may comprise a parameter indicating size of the data (e.g., indicating small) and/or the SDT procedure, uplink data size may be less than or equal to a transport block (TB) size indicated in system information. MO-EDT may not be used for data over a control plane Downlink data size may be included/indicated in an S1-AP or NG-AP Paging message for a UE. MT-EDT indication may be included in a Paging message for a UE over a Uu interface.).
As per Claim 19 Park teaches the method of claim 18, further comprising: in case that the notification message includes the information for terminating the SDT procedure of the UE, terminating the SDT procedure of the UE (Paragraph 0221, 0233, 0253 upper layers request establishment or resumption of an RRC Connection for Mobile Terminated Call. UE performing an MT-EDT may not transition to an RRC CONNECTED state. MT-EDT may be applicable to BL UEs, UEs in enhanced coverage (e.g., CE UE), and/or NB-IoT UEs. The early data transmission performed initially for downlink data transmission (e.g., initiated based on a paging procedure) may be called as a mobile terminating early data transmission (MT-EDT), a downlink EDT, a downlink SDT, a mobile terminating SDT (MT-SDT), and/or the like. ).
As per Claim 28 Park teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the configuration message is one of a bearer context setup request message or a bearer context modification request message (Paragraph 0105, 0172, 0226, 0230 FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, or any other base station described in the present disclosure. An (ng-)eNB or gNB decides to move a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state, an RRCConnectionSetup message or an RRCResume message may be sent to fall back to an RRC Connection establishment/setup/resume procedure. The base station with which the UE is connected may have the RRC context for the UE. The RRC context, referred to as the UE context, may comprise parameters for communication between the UE and the base station. These parameters may include, for example: one or more AS contexts; one or more radio link configuration parameters; bearer configuration information (e.g., relating to a data radio bearer, signaling radio bearer, logical channel, QoS flow, and/or PDU session)).
Claims 20 – 27 are the device claims and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium corresponding to the method claims 16 – 19, 28 that have been rejected above. Applicant attention is directed to the rejection of claims 16 – 19, 28. Claims 20-27 are rejected under the same rational as claims 16-19, 28.
Response to Argument(s)
Applicant's argument(s) filed on August 31, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Therefore, the rejection is maintained.
In the remarks, at page 6 the Applicant argues in substance that:
Remark: (A) “nowhere does Park disclose or suggest how the threshold is
configured, much less that such threshold is transmitted by the CU-CP to a CU-UP of the base station in a configuration message..”
Response: Examiner respectfully disagrees with applicant’s representative’s assertions. The Examiner has thoroughly reviewed Applicants' representative’s arguments but firmly believes that the cited references to reasonably and properly meet the claimed limitation. Applicant’s representative’s are reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Examiner appreciates applicant’s representative’s explanation however, Park explicitly states that the core paging message from the core network device to the base station CU-CP may be to transmit the NAS message to the wireless device. The data may comprise the NAS message (e.g., CP data). In an example from Park, the core network device (e.g., the AMF and/or the SMF) may determine that size of the NAS message is smaller than a threshold size value. Based on the determination of the size of the NAS message being small, the core paging message may comprise the information parameter indicating at least one of the size of data or the SDT procedure for the NAS message. After the wireless device sends the RRC request message to the base station CU-CP (e.g., the base station and/or the base station CU), the core network node (e.g., AMF) may send the NAS message (e.g., the data, the CP data) to the wireless device via the base station (e.g., via the base station CU-CP and/or the base station DU). Example from Park (Paragraph 0271 The data for the wireless device may comprise the RRC configuration (e.g., CP data). In an example, the second base station may determine that size of the RRC configuration is smaller than a threshold size value. Based on the determination of the size of the RRC configuration being small, the RAN paging message may comprise the information parameter indicating at least one of the size of data or the SDT procedure for the RRC configuration for the wireless device. After the wireless device sends the RRC request message to the base station CU-CP (e.g., the base station and/or the base station CU), the second base station may send the RRC configuration to the wireless device via the base station (e.g., via the base station CU-UP and/or the base station DU))
Therefore Park reference teaches the claim limitation as currently presented.
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 extension fee 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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/SYED ALI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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