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 § 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 5 and 14 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.
The limitations: “wherein the apparatus is caused to: in accordance with a determination that the configuration also comprises a configuration of a further cell discontinuous transmission, determine to switch from the cell discontinuous transmission to the further cell discontinuous transmission” recited in claim 5 are unclear. They are confusing what are meant by “a further cell discontinuous transmission”.
Claim 14 is rejected for the same reason because it recites the similar limitation.
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.
Claims 1-6, 10-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hu et al (hereinafter “Hu”), US Pub. 2023/0337033 A1.
Regarding claims 1, 12 and 20, Hu discloses energy saving in a wireless communication system comprises a Macro cell (or Pcell), a plurality of secondary cells (Scells) and a plurality of devices, the device (fig. 12) comprising at least one processor (fig. 12, processor 1220); and at least one memory storing instructions (memory 1230 stores program 1240) that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receive, from a network device, a configuration of a first cell, wherein the configuration comprises at least one of: a configuration of a cell discontinuous transmission for the first cell or a configuration of a cell discontinuous reception for the first cell (fig. 5, step 501, p. [0065]: The UE may be in an area where there is one or more SCells in a DTX “on” mode. In order to be able to detect SCells, the UE may receive a configuration from the Pcell of the light reference signal (RS) configurations); receive, from the network device, an activation indication for the first cell (fig. 5, step 504, p. [0071]: step 504, the UE determines whether an indication that an SCell is awoken has been received. The PCell (gNB) may send a message to the UE to indicate that the SCell has awoken); and monitor a set of reference signals from the network device during an activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 5, step 505: monitoring a set of synchronization signal block (SSB)).
Regarding claims 2 and 13, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine that the cell discontinuous transmission for the first cell is deactivated based on the reception of the activation indication for the first cell (see claim 1 above: fig. 5, step 504, p. [0071]: step 504, the UE determines whether an indication that an SCell is awoken has been received. The PCell (gNB) may send a message to the UE to indicate that the SCell has awoken).
Regarding claim 3, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine that the cell discontinuous transmission for the first cell is activated based on a timer after the activation procedure of the first cell (see fig, 3 and 6, signal timing diagram).
Regarding claim 4, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: determine that the cell discontinuous transmission for the first cell is activated after the activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 5, step 505, after Scell is awoken, stop monitoring light RS).
Regarding claims 5 and 14, as best understood, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: in accordance with a determination that the configuration also comprises a configuration of a further cell discontinuous transmission, determine to switch from the cell discontinuous transmission to the further cell discontinuous transmission (fig. 5 step 507: Scell is turned off).
Regarding claim 6, Hu discloses wherein the set of reference signals is a set of tracking reference signals, and wherein the apparatus is caused to: receive the set of tracking reference signals in a non-active period of the cell discontinuous transmission during the activation procedure of the first cell; and perform the measurement on the set of tracking reference signals (see fig. 4, steps 404a-b and 405: UE receives a set of on-demand SSB measurement Scell and report on-demand SSB).
Regarding claim 10, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: transmit the report regardless of a non-active period of a cell discontinuous reception of the second cell during the activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 4, step 405, fig. 9, step 905: UE transmits on-demand SSB measurement and report to the Pcell).
Regarding claim 11, Hu discloses wherein at least one valid report is allowed to be transmitted regardless of a non-active period of a cell discontinuous reception of the second cell during the activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 4, step 405, fig. 9, step 905: UE transmits on-demand SSB measurement and report to the Pcell).
Regarding claim 15, Hu discloses wherein the apparatus is caused to: transmit, to the terminal device, the set of reference signals regardless of a non-active period of the cell discontinuous transmission during the activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 4, step 404b, fig. 9, step 908: Pcell transmits on-demand SSB measurement Scell to UE).
Regarding claim 16, Hu discloses wherein the set of reference signals is a set of tracking reference signals, and wherein the apparatus is caused to: transmit the set of tracking reference signals in a non-active period of the cell discontinuous transmission during the activation procedure of the first cell (fig. 4, step 404b, fig. 9, step 908: Pcell transmits on-demand SSB measurement Scell to UE).
Regarding claim 19, Hu discloses the apparatus is caused to: receive, from the terminal device, a report that is based on a measurement on the set of reference signals (fig. 4, step 405, fig. 9, step 905: Pcell receives on-demand SSB measurement and report from UE)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9, 17-18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI D HOANG whose telephone number is (571)272-3184. The examiner can normally be reached 10:30 am-18:30pm.
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, Asad Nawaz can be reached at (571) 272-3988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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THAI HOANG D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
/THAI DINH HOANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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