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 .
This office action is in response to application filed 07/09/2024.
Claims 16-29 are pending and presented for examination. Claims 1-15 are cancelled.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers, Chinese patent application number 202210113119.4, filed on January 29, 2022, in the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration, and of a Chinese patent application number 202210983556.1, filed on August 16, 2022, in the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration, required by 37 CFR 1.55
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/09/2024 and 03/26/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings, filed 07/09/2024, are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because character “407” has been used to designate ‘RAN Paging for MBS, MBS ID’ and ‘RAN Paging’ of Figure 4. Reference character “612” has been used to designate both an unlabeled step between CU2 and DU2 and ‘RRC Connection Release Request MRB Configuration’ of Figure 6. Reference character “807” has been used to designate both ‘RRC Resume MRB Configuration’ and ‘RRC Recovery MRB Configuration’ of Figure 8.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 21, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, 21, and 25 recites the limitation “a radio resource control (RRC) resume request message based on the UE being not available configuration related to multicast service”. The term “not available configuration” is indefinite as to a ‘not available’ configured UE transmitting to a base station or a base station receiving an RRC resume request. The scope of the claimed limitation cannot be determined by one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
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)(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) 16-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Babaei (US 20230370905 A1, hereinafter “Babaei”).
RE Claim 16 and 25, Babaei discloses a user equipment (UE) or a method:
A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (UE and base station, ¶0097, Fig. 15), the UE comprising:
a transceiver (Transceiver 1520, ¶0099, Fig. 15); and
at least one processor coupled to the transceiver (Processor 1540, ¶0099, Fig. 15), wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
transmit, to a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) resume request message based on the UE being not available configuration related to multicast service (When UE needs to transit from RRC_INACTIVE state to RRC_CONNECTED due to a suspended RRC connection, UE performs RRC connection resume procedure. ¶0130; UE transmits a RRCResumeRequest to base station. Base station responds with RRCRelease that results in the UE transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_INACTIVE. ¶0131, Fig. 16D; MBS service continuity in RRC Inactive State for Option B. In some examples (e.g., option b in FIG. 18), a UE in RRC inactive state, based on observing the MBS SC triggers, may send an update to RAN, e.g. based on RAN Notification Area (RNA) update RNA Update in RRCResumeRequest or other procedures to indicate their transition to a target cell without leaving the RRC inactive state. In some examples, this process may allow such UE's MBS context as part of UE's RAN context to be shared with target cell without UE returning to connected state. If the MBS configuration, e.g. BWP, Subframes, slot duration/format, etc., are different in the target cell, such information may be included in the RRC signaling back to UE, e.g. as part of Suspend Indication message. ¶0148; Examiner interpreted ‘RRC signaling back to UE, e.g. as part of Suspend Indication message’ as an RRC Release message.); and
receive, from the base station, an RRC release message comprising the configuration related to the multicast service, based on receiving the RRC resume request message (Ibid.).
RE Claim 17, 21, and 26, Babaei discloses a user equipment (UE), a base station or a method:
wherein the RRC release message further comprises indication of configuration of an RRC inactive state of the UE (In some examples as shown in FIG. 16A-FIG. 16E, in response to a request to resume the RRC connection, the network may resume the suspended RRC connection and may send UE to RRC_CONNECTED, or may reject the request to resume and send UE to RRC_INACTIVE (e.g., with a wait timer), or may re-suspend the RRC connection and may send UE to RRC_INACTIVE, or may release the RRC connection and send UE to RRC_IDLE. When UE needs to transit from RRC_INACTIVE state to RRC_CONNECTED due to a suspended RRC connection, UE performs RRC connection resume procedure. ¶0130; UE transmits a RRCResumeRequest to base station. Base station responds with RRCRelease that results in the UE transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_INACTIVE. ¶0131, Fig. 16D).
RE Claim 18, 22, and 27, Babaei discloses a user equipment (UE), a base station, or a method:
wherein the RRC resume request message is transmitted in an RRC inactive state of the UE (In some examples as shown in FIG. 16A-FIG. 16E, in response to a request to resume the RRC connection, the network may resume the suspended RRC connection and may send UE to RRC_CONNECTED, or may reject the request to resume and send UE to RRC_INACTIVE (e.g., with a wait timer), or may re-suspend the RRC connection and may send UE to RRC_INACTIVE, or may release the RRC connection and send UE to RRC_IDLE. When UE needs to transit from RRC_INACTIVE state to RRC_CONNECTED due to a suspended RRC connection, UE performs RRC connection resume procedure. ¶0130; UE transmits a RRCResumeRequest to base station. Base station responds with RRCRelease that results in the UE transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_INACTIVE. ¶0131, Fig. 16D).
RE Claim 19, 24, and 28, Babaei discloses a user equipment (UE), a base station or a method:
wherein the configuration related to the multicast service includes configuration information related to a radio bearer for the multicast service (Information Element provides configuration parameters for MBS sessions via one or more bearers. ¶0114; For example, in case of the UE being in an RRC inactive state, the first message may be an RRC resume request message with the value of the cause field (e.g., a resume cause field) indicating the cause for transmission of the first message is for service continuity associated with the one or more MBS services. ¶0154; The UE may receive the MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell as part of an RRC reject message indicating remaining in the RRC inactive/idle state. For example, the RRC reject message may comprise a suspend config information element indicating remaining/transitioning in the RRC inactive state and comprising MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell. ¶0156;) .
RE Claim 20 and 29, Babaei discloses a user equipment (UE) or a method:
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to (Processor 1540, ¶0099, Fig. 15; Memory stores instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. ¶0100):
configure a radio bearer for the multicast service based on the configuration (Information Element provides configuration parameters for MBS sessions via one or more bearers. ¶0114; The UE may receive the MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell as part of an RRC reject message indicating remaining in the RRC inactive/idle state. For example, the RRC reject message may comprise a suspend config information element indicating remaining/transitioning in the RRC inactive state and comprising MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell. ¶0156).
RE Claim 21, Babaei discloses a base station:
A method for communication by a base station in a wireless communication system (UE and base station, ¶0097, Fig. 15), the method comprising:
receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a radio resource control (RRC) resume request message based on the UE being not available configuration related to multicast service (When UE needs to transit from RRC_INACTIVE state to RRC_CONNECTED due to a suspended RRC connection, UE performs RRC connection resume procedure. ¶0130; UE transmits a RRCResumeRequest to base station. Base station responds with RRCRelease that results in the UE transitioning from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_INACTIVE. ¶0131, Fig. 16D; MBS service continuity in RRC Inactive State for Option B. In some examples (e.g., option b in FIG. 18), a UE in RRC inactive state, based on observing the MBS SC triggers, may send an update to RAN, e.g. based on RAN Notification Area (RNA) update RNA Update in RRCResumeRequest or other procedures to indicate their transition to a target cell without leaving the RRC inactive state. In some examples, this process may allow such UE's MBS context as part of UE's RAN context to be shared with target cell without UE returning to connected state. If the MBS configuration, e.g. BWP, Subframes, slot duration/format, etc., are different in the target cell, such information may be included in the RRC signaling back to UE, e.g. as part of Suspend Indication message. ¶0148; Examiner interpreted ‘RRC signaling back to UE, e.g. as part of Suspend Indication message’ as an RRC Release message.); and
transmitting, to the UE, an RRC release message comprising the configuration related to the multicast service, based on receiving the RRC resume request message (Ibid.).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
US 20230262831 A1 Fujishiro et al.
In a second aspect, a communication control method is a communication control method used in a mobile communication system for providing a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) from a base station to a user equipment and includes notifying, by the user equipment in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state, a base station of MBS interest information at time of a random access procedure to the base station, and after notification of the MBS interest information, terminating, by the user equipment, the random access procedure without the user equipment transitioning to an RRC connected state.
US 20230239661 A1 Van et al.
The method comprises determining the one or more UEs in one of: a Radio Resource Control, RRC, IDLE state and a RRC INACTIVE state. The method comprises transmitting a paging message indicating a Point-To- Multipoint, PTM, configuration information to be acquired by the determined one or more UEs for enabling reception of MBS data in one of the RRC IDLE state and the RRC INACTIVE state.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL A. LANGER whose telephone number is (703)756-1780. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Eastern.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nishant B. Divecha can be reached at 1 (571) 270-3125. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PAUL A. LANGER/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/Nishant Divecha/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419
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