DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is a response to an application filed on July 5, 2024. Claims 1-8 are currently pending and ready for examination.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on December 27, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over 3GPPTS37.340V171 in view of 3GPPTS38.331V172.
Regarding claim 1, 3GPPTS37.340V17 teaches a method (See, Page 108, §10.19.2 MR-DC with 5GC, et seq.) performed by a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 10.19.2-1, “UE”) for a conditional handover (CHO) (See, e.g., Page 105, Heading: “10.19 Conditional Handover with Secondary Node”) in a multi-radio access technology (RAT) dual connectivity (MR-DC) network (See, e.g., Page 108, Heading: “10.19.2 MR-DC with 5GC”), the method comprising:
receiving a message (See, e.g., Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 5, “RRC reconfiguration”) comprising an execution condition for a primary cell (PCell) (See, Page 109, the last paragraph; “[a]ssociate execution conditions” and “MCG configuration3’), a first secondary cell group (SCG) configuration for a first primary secondary cell (PSCell) (See, Page 109, “SGC configuration4”), an execution condition for the first PSCell, and a second SCG configuration for a second PSCell (See, Page 109, “SGC configuration;” Fig. 10.19.2-1, “Other potential target SN;” Page 109, numbered paragraphs 3 and 5, “The source MN sends … to the UE…SCG configuration … received from the candidate SN in step 3);
storing the first SCG configuration and the second SCG configuration (See, Page 110, the first paragraph);
determining whether the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied (See, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 7; and Page 110, numbered paragraph 7/8) and whether the execution condition for the first PSCell is satisfied (See, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110, numbered paragraph 7/8, “If at least one CHO candidate cell satisfies the corresponding CHO execution condition”);
applying the first SCG configuration after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is satisfied (See, Fig. 10.19.2-1, steps 9 and 10; and Page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 and 9, showing the evaluation of the execution conditions and applying the SCG configuration for the “(Target) SN,” which corresponds to the recited claim limitations the “first SCG configuration” and “first PSCell,” after the evaluation of the execution condition for, and the application of, the PCell, i.e., the “target MN.”);
3GPPTS37.340V17, while suggesting evaluating a plurality of target SNs (i.e., the “(target) SN” and the “Other potential target SN,” See, Fig. 10.19.2-1), however, fails to teach explicitly the recited step of applying the second SCG configuration after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied.
3GPPTS38.331V17 teaches the procedural steps a UE should follow upon receipt of a “RRC Reconfiguration” message (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Page 109, numbered paragraph 5; and 3GPPTS38.331V17, Page 75, §5.3.5.3; page 78, first line; and Page 116, §5.3.5.13, et seq.), and more particularly teaches, the recited step of applying the second SCG configuration after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied (See, 3GPPTS38.331V17, §5.3.5.13.4 on Pages 117-118, teaching the two possible evaluation results, i.e., “4> consider the event associated to that measId to be fulfilled;” and “4> consider the event associated to that measId to be not fulfilled,” which teaching, when viewed in combination with the teachings of the 3GPPTS37.340V17 (at page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8, “appl[ying] the stored corresponding configuration for that selected candidate cell,” “[i]f at least one CHO candidate cell satisfies the corresponding CHO execution condition), clearly suggests an evaluation of a plural SCG configurations, based on which, selecting a candidate cell that fulfills the execution condition over another one that does not. And, based on Fig. 10.19.2-1 and page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 of the 3GPPTS37.340V17, such evaluation and selection process of the PCell and PSCell would precede the step 7, “Random Access Procedure” shown in the figure. That is, upon the selection of the PCell (target MN), selecting a PSCell (target SN) that satisfies the corresponding execution condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
Regarding claim 2, 3GPPTS37.340V17 teaches a method further comprising
connecting, based on the first SCG configuration, to the first PSCell after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is satisfied (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110; and Page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 and 9, “the UE synchronizes to the (target) SN”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
Regarding claim 3, 3GPPTS37.340V17 in view of 3GPPTS38.331V17 teaches a method further comprising
connecting, based on the second SCG configuration, to the second PSCell after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 and 9, “the UE synchronizes to the (target) SN.” See, also the above discussion relating to the selection of the PSCell in connection with claim 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
Regarding claim 4, 3GPPTS37.340V17 teaches that receiving the message comprises receiving the message via radio resource control (RRC) signaling (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 5, “RRC reconfiguration”).
Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 in further view of Min et al. (US Patent Publication No. US2025/0142439).
Regarding claim 5, 3GPPTS37.340V17 teaches a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 10.19.2-1, “UE”) for a conditional handover (CHO) (See, e.g., Page 105, Heading: “10.19 Conditional Handover with Secondary Node”) in a multi-radio access technology (RAT) dual connectivity (MR-DC) network (See, e.g., Page 108, Heading: “10.19.2 MR-DC with 5GC”), the UE being configured to
receive a message (See, e.g., Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 5, “RRC reconfiguration”) comprising an execution condition for a primary cell (PCell) (See, Page 109, the last paragraph; “associate execution conditions” and “MCG configuration5’), a first secondary cell group (SCG) configuration for a first primary secondary cell (PSCell) (See, Page 109, “SGC configuration6”), an execution condition for the first PSCell, and a second SCG configuration for a second PSCell (See, Page 109, “SGC configuration;” Fig. 10.19.2-1, “Other potential target SN;” Page 109, numbered paragraphs 3 and 5, “The source MN sends … to the UE…SCG configuration … received from the candidate SN in step 3);
store the first SCG configuration and the second SCG configuration (See, Page 110, the first paragraph);
determine whether the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied (See, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 7; and Page 110, numbered paragraph 7/8) and whether the execution condition for the first PSCell is satisfied (See, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110, numbered paragraph 7/8, “If at least one CHO candidate cell satisfies the corresponding CHO execution condition,” See, also the above discussion in connection with claim 1);
3GPPTS37.340V17, while suggesting the UE is to evaluate a plurality of target SNs (i.e., the “(target) SN” and the “Other potential target SN,” See, Fig. 10.19.2-1), however, fails to teach explicitly that the UE is configured to apply the second SCG configuration after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied.
3GPPTS38.331V17 teaches the procedural steps a UE should follow upon receipt of a “RRC Reconfiguration” message (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Page 109, numbered paragraph 5; and 3GPPTS38.331V17, Page 75, §5.3.5.3; page 78, first line; and Page 116, §5.3.5.13, et seq.), and teaches more particularly, the recited step of applying the second SCG configuration after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied (See, 3GPPTS38.331V17, §5.3.5.13.4 on Pages 117-118 and 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1 and page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8. See, also the above discussion in connection with claim 1 regarding the evaluation and selection of the PCell and PSCell).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
3GPPTS37.340V17 in view of 3GPPTS38.331V17 in combination, however, fails to explicitly teach the UE comprising: one or more processors; and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, cause the UE to perform the above discussed functional steps.
Min et al. teaches a UE (Figs. 1 and 8, #200, ¶s[0021], [0025] and [0153]) comprising: one or more processors (Fig. 8, #1001, ¶[0158]); and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium (Fig. 3, #102, ¶[0153]) coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, and storing one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors, cause the UE to perform functional steps (See, ¶s [0002]-[0003] and [0159]).
It would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 to incorporate the UE structure taught by Min et al. when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., Min et al. ¶s[0002] , [0003] and [0053]).
Regarding claim 6, 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 in further view of Min et al. further teaches that the one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors (See, Min et al., ¶s[0158] and [0159]), further cause the UE to connect, based on the first SCG configuration, to the first PSCell after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is satisfied (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110; and Page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 and 9, “the UE synchronizes to the (target) SN”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
It would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 to incorporate the UE structure taught by Min et al. when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., Min et al. ¶s[0002] , [0003] and [0053]).
Regarding claim 7, 3GPPTS37.340V17 in view of 3GPPTS38.331V17 in further view of Min et al. further teaches one or more computer-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one of the one or more processors (See, Min et al., ¶s[0158] and [0159]), further cause the UE to
connect, based on the second SCG configuration, to the second PSCell after determining that the execution condition for the PCell is satisfied and the execution condition for the first PSCell is not satisfied (See, 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 9; and Page 110, numbered paragraphs 7/8 and 9, “the UE synchronizes to the (target) SN;” See, also the above discussion relating to the selection of the PSCell in connection with claim 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
It would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 to incorporate the UE structure taught by Min et al. when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., Min et al. ¶s[0002] , [0003] and [0053]).
Regarding claim 8, 3GPPTS37.340V17 in view of 3GPPTS38.331V17 in further view of Min et al. teaches that receiving the message comprises receiving the message via radio resource control (RRC) signaling (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17, Fig. 10.19.2-1, step 5, “RRC reconfiguration”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks as the two technical specification are intended to together form the relevant specifications for certain aspects of the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., 3GPPTS37.340V17 (Page 7, §1 and [4]; 3GPPTS38.331V17 (Page 24, §1 and Page 25, [41]).
It would have been also obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the teachings of 3GPPTS37.340V17 and 3GPPTS38.331V17 to incorporate the UE structure taught by Min et al. when implementing a UE in order for such UE to be compliant with the 5G NR networks (See, e.g., Min et al. ¶s[0002] , [0003] and [0053]).
Conclusion
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/K.S.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2418 March 24, 2026
/Moo Jeong/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2418
1 3GPP TS 37.340 V17.5.0 (2023-06) Technical Specification 3rd Generation Partnership Project;
Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and NR; Multi-connectivity; Stage 2 (Release 17), Published by 3GPP Organizational Partners, June 2023, Pp. 1-120.
2 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.5.0 (2023-06) Technical Specification 3rd Generation Partnership Project;
Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17), Published by 3GPP Organizational Partners, June 2023, Pp. 1-1328.
3 It should be noted that a MCG has a meaning synonymous with a PCell at least when a MCG does not include any SCell, which inclusion is optional according to the Applicant’s own statement (See, Applicant’s disclosure ¶[0045], “Master Cell Group (MCG): In MR-DC, the MCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the master node (MN), including the SpCell (e.g., PCell) and optionally one or more SCells,” Emphasis Added) and according to the 3GPPTS37.340V17 (See, the Definitions section (§3.1) at Page 8, “Master Cell Group: in MR-DC, a group of serving cells associated with the Master Node, comprising of the SpCell (PCell) and optionally one or more SCells,” Emphasis Added).
4 It should also be noted that a SCG has a meaning synonymous with a PSCell at least when a SCG does not include any SCell, which inclusion is optional according to the Applicant’s own statement (See, Applicant’s disclosure ¶[0047], “Secondary Cell Group (SCG): In MR-DC, the SCG may include a group of serving cells associated with the secondary node, including the SpCell (e.g., PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells,” Emphasis Added) and according to the 3GPPTS37.340V17 (See, the Definitions section (§3.1) at Page 9, “Secondary Cell Group: in MR-DC, a group of serving cells associated with the Secondary Node, comprising of the SpCell (PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells,” Emphasis Added). See, also, 3GPPTS38.331V17 at Page 28, “Secondary Cell Group: For a UE configured with dual connectivity, the subset of serving cells comprising of the PSCell and zero or more secondary cells,” Emphasis added.
5 See, footnote 3 above.
6 See, footnote 4 above.