DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present U.S. non-provisional application is being examined under the first-inventor-to-file provisions of the AIA . The present U.S. non-provisional application, filed on July 10, 2024, is the U.S. national stage of an international PCT application, filed on December 26, 2022, and claims priority to a foreign application, filed on January 14, 2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 10, 2024 was filed before the mailing date of a first Office action in the present U.S. non-provisional application, in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
This Office action is responsive to the preliminary amendment under 37 CFR 1.115 on June 17, 2025. Claims 1-15 were canceled. Claims 16-35 were added. Claims 16-35 are pending for consideration in the present U.S. non-provisional application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 102 that forms the basis for all anticipation rejections set forth in this Office action:
(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 21-23, 25, 31-33 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as anticipated by Kumar et al. (US 2022/0217560 A1).
21. A method performed by a base station in a communication system, the method (Kumar, FIG. 7) comprising:
generating a radio resource control (RRC) message including configuration information for an application layer measurement in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode. […] As shown by reference number 710, the UE may receive, and the base station may transmit, an RRC configuration (e.g., RRCConfig, RRCReconfiguration, and/or measConfigAppLayer, among other examples) via the UE AS layer. The RRC configuration may include a QoE configuration and/or an indication of a service type associated with QoE measurements...”); and
transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), the RRC message including the configuration information for the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode. […] As shown by reference number 710, the UE may receive, and the base station may transmit, an RRC configuration (e.g., RRCConfig, RRCReconfiguration, and/or measConfigAppLayer, among other examples) via the UE AS layer. The RRC configuration may include a QoE configuration and/or an indication of a service type associated with QoE measurements...” Id.)
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the configuration information is not released in case that the UE enters the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode...” Id.)
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the configuration information further includes first information on an area scope (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “…In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode based at least in part on the UE satisfying one or more conditions. For example, the conditions may include the UE remaining within a current tracking area or a current radio access network-based notification area. Additionally, or alternatively, the conditions may include the UE remaining within a set of tracking areas and/or a set of radio access network-based notification areas, among other examples...” Id.)
25. The method of claim 21, wherein the application layer measurement is associated with a quality of experience (QoE) measurement (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id.)
31. A base station in a communication system, the base station comprising: a transceiver, and a controller coupled with the transceiver, and configured (Kumar, FIG. 3) to:
generate a radio resource control (RRC) message including configuration information for an application layer measurement in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id.), and
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), the RRC message including the configuration information for the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 21).
32. The base station of claim 31, wherein the configuration information is not released in case that the UE enters the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 22).
33. The base station of claim 31, wherein the configuration information further includes first information on an area scope (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 23).
35. The base station of claim 31, wherein the application layer measurement is associated with a quality of experience (QoE) measurement (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 25).
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 16-20, 24, 26-30 and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over Kumar et al. (US 2022/0217560 A1) in view of Hu et al. (US 2024/0040440 A1).
16. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a communication system, the method (Kumar, FIG. 7, Id.) comprising:
receiving, from a first base station, a radio resource control (RRC) message including configuration information for an application layer measurement in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode. […] As shown by reference number 710, the UE may receive, and the base station may transmit, an RRC configuration (e.g., RRCConfig, RRCReconfiguration, and/or measConfigAppLayer, among other examples) via the UE AS layer. The RRC configuration may include a QoE configuration and/or an indication of a service type associated with QoE measurements...” Id.); and
based on the configuration information, transmitting, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], “…When the UE performs QoE measurement in the RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE state, and the access network device (referred to as a source access network device) that sends the configuration information #1 to the UE #1 and the access network device (referred to as a target access network device) that receives the measurement result #1 from the UE #1 are not a same access network device…”)
Kumar et al. may not seem to describe the identical claimed invention, however in the same field of endeavor, Hu et al. provides prior art disclosure for the claimed invention, such as based on the configuration information, transmitting, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.) The prior art disclosure and suggestions of Hu et al. are for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], “This application provides a communication method and apparatus, so that when a user is in a non-connected state or discontinuously reports a measurement result, a quality of experience measurement result can be associated with a wireless network quality monitoring result. In this way, a configuration of a RAN can be targetedly optimized, and user experience is improved…” Id.) In view of the prior art of record, the claimed invention 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, for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the UE does not release the configuration information in case that the UE enters the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode...” Id.)
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuration information further includes first information on an area scope (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], “…In some aspects, the QoE configuration information may indicate that the UE is to report QoE measurements that are obtained while the UE is in RRC idle mode or RRC inactive mode based at least in part on the UE satisfying one or more conditions. For example, the conditions may include the UE remaining within a current tracking area or a current radio access network-based notification area. Additionally, or alternatively, the conditions may include the UE remaining within a set of tracking areas and/or a set of radio access network-based notification areas, among other examples...” Id.)
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the report of the application layer measurement includes second information on a measurement collection entity identifier (ID) (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], “…When receiving the measurement result #1 and the identifier #1 from the UE #1, the target access network device determines, based on the correspondence between the identifier #1 and the measurement collection entity, the measurement collection entity corresponding to the measurement result #1.” Id.)
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the application layer measurement is associated with a quality of experience (QoE) measurement (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id.)
24. The method of claim 21, wherein the UE transmits, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, based on the configuration information (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.), and wherein the report of the application layer measurement includes second information on a measurement collection entity identifier (ID) (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.) The prior art disclosure and suggestions of Hu et al. are for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.) In view of the prior art of record, the claimed invention 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, for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience.
26. A user equipment (UE) in a communication system, the UE comprising: a transceiver, and a controller coupled with the transceiver, and configured (Kumar, FIG. 3, Id.) to:
receive, from a first base station, a radio resource control (RRC) message including configuration information for an application layer measurement in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id.), and
based on the configuration information, transmit, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id. cf. Claim 16).
Kumar et al. may not seem to describe the identical claimed invention, however in the same field of endeavor, Hu et al. provides prior art disclosure for the claimed invention, such as based on the configuration information, transmit, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.) The prior art disclosure and suggestions of Hu et al. are for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.) In view of the prior art of record, the claimed invention 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, for reasons of optimizing RAN configuration and improving user experience.
27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the UE does not release the configuration information in case that the UE enters the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 17).
28. The UE of claim 26, wherein the configuration information further includes first information on an area scope (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 18).
29. The UE of claim 26, wherein the report of the application layer measurement includes second information on a measurement collection entity identifier (ID) (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id. cf. Claim 19).
30. The UE of claim 26, wherein the application layer measurement is associated with a quality of experience (QoE) measurement (Kumar, paras. [0122], [0123], Id. cf. Claim 20).
34. The base station of claim 31, wherein the UE transmits, to a second base station, a report of the application layer measurement in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, based on the configuration information (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id.), and wherein the report of the application layer measurement includes second information on a measurement collection entity identifier (ID) (Hu, paras. [0007], [0353], Id. cf. Claim 24).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record (PTO-1449, PTO-892) and not relied upon is considered pertinent to the subject matter of the present U.S. non-provisional application.
Babaei (US 2023/0040746 A1) provides prior art considered as relevant to the subject matter of the claimed invention (Babaei, Abstract, “A method of quality of experience (QoE) configuration in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state includes receiving, by a user equipment (UE), an RRC release message indicating transitioning from an RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state; wherein the RRC release message comprises an information element (IE) indicating configuration or reconfiguration of a QoE configuration parameter; and wherein while in the RRC inactive state, the UE performing a QoE measurement or creating a QoE measurement report based on a value of the information element.”)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Timothy J. Weidner whose telephone number is (571) 270-1825. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing by using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, the applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) form provided at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayaz R. Sheikh can be reached on (571) 272-3795. 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. In order 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 more 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.
/TIMOTHY J WEIDNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476
Prosecution Insights