DETAILED ACTION
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 the submission filed 2024-07-22 (herein referred to as the Reply) where claim(s) 1-20 are pending for consideration.
35 USC §112(b) – Claim Rejections
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.
Claim(s) is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for not particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter of the invention.
Claim(s) 1, 6, 11, 16 and 2-5, 7-10, 12-15, 17-20
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, 9-11, 14-16, 19-20 each recite at least one instance of the phrase:
in case
This language is indefinite language (e.g., “for example,” “or the like,” “such as,” or “maybe”) because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
More particularly, “in case” is phase that indicates a hedging or "as a precaution for a future event.” Similar to, “preordering the item ‘in case’ it sells out on release date.” It is unclear if the even has to occur or if the intent is a requirement of the claimed feature. The Examiner’s best guess is this phrasing is a translation issue and that the intent was to convey “in a case” or “in response to” such that claims should recite (using claim 1 as an example):
receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message related to an RRC inactive state;
entering the RRC inactive state based on the RRC message;
receiving a paging message in the RRC inactive state;
in response to determining the paging message includes an identity that matches a serving-temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI), entering an RRC idle state from the RRC inactive state; and
in response to determining the paging message includes an identity that matches a resume identity, generating an access stratum (AS) message for a radio access network (RAN) paging.
For the purposes of prior art, the Examiner performed prior art search with the Examiner’s best guess interpretation as described above.
Dependent claims do not cure the deficiencies of the base/intervening claims as discussed herein and are therefore rejected for at least the same reasons.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) is/are indicated as having allowable subject matter over the prior art but rejected to herein.
Claim(s) 1, 6, 11, 16 and 2-5, 7-10, 12-15, 17-20
The claim(s) include allowable subject matter with respect to the prior art and would be allowable if:
(i) Rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
(ii) Amended to overcome other non-prior art rejections and/or objections presented herein (e.g., 35 USC 112 and 101 rejections), including rejections/objections directed to base and intervening claims.
(iii) In cases where claim limitations were unclear/indefinite and the Examiner indicated what he/she thought what the limitations attempted to convey, any clarifying amendments would need to be commensurate with the Examiner’s interpretation.
In addition to the explicit reasons given herein, allowability is also determined in view of the combination of references required for obviousness, the inter-relationship between other claimed limitations, and the claimed invention as a whole. Accordingly, amendments that do not incorporate the allowable claims into the base/intervening claims in its entirely, are not allowable. This includes amendments that incorporate the allowable claims into the base/intervening claims in part or in a non-narrowing manner (i.e., changing the scope of the subject matter).
Relevant Cited References
FUJISHIRO - US20200314667 teaches an RRC inactive state and RRC idle state and using a S-TMSI in random access procedure and not for transitioning between RRC states.
HONG_900 teaches
receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message related to an RRC inactive state; A "light connection state" which can be RRC inactive state. <FIG(s). 2, 3; para. 0072, 0076-0097>.
entering the RRC inactive state based on the RRC message; UE performs an operation for receiving, from a BS, a radio resource control (RRC) message including instruction information for instructing state transition into the light connection state. <FIG(s). 2, 3; para. 0072, 0076-0097>.
receiving a paging message in the RRC inactive state; While in light connection state, UE performs an operation for receiving a paging message related for the UE. <FIG(s). 2; para. 0076-0081>.
in case that the paging message includes an identity that matches a serving-temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI), entering an RRC idle state from the RRC inactive state; and BS performs an operation for triggering the connection state of the UE to be changed by transmitting a paging message including a UE identifier such as S-TMSI to transition the UE into the RRC idle state. In one embodiment the UE is previously configured into a light connection state such as RRC inactive state. Accordingly, the UE would transition from RRC inactive to RRC idle. <FIG(s). 2, 3; para. 0077-0092>.
However, HONG_900 does not teach in case that the paging message includes an identity that matches a resume identity, generating an access stratum (AS) message for a radio access network (RAN) paging. In HONG_900, it appears the connection state would always change. In this matter the Examiner has construed the claimed “resume identity” to mean an identity that is different from the S-TMSI, and causes the UE to resume in the RRC inactive state.
LEE - US20190254109 teaches a method for shifting an RRC state performed by a User Equipment (UE) in an RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state in a wireless communication system including receiving an indicator indicating to enter an RRC idle state from a network. The indicator can be a S-TMSI or resume ID received from a paging message <para. 0006-0009>. However the reference does not teach in case that the paging message includes an identity that matches a resume identity, generating an access stratum (AS) message for a radio access network (RAN) paging. In this matter the Examiner has construed the claimed “resume identity” to mean an identity that is different from the S-TMSI, and causes the UE to resume in the RRC inactive state.
ZHANG - US20190082490 teaches UE paging identity is an access-stratum identity of the UE. The access-stratum identity of the UE includes a resumed identifier (Resumed ID) or S-TMSI but does not teach transitioning from an RRC inactive state to an RRC idle state.
FUJISHIRO - US20200314667 teaches a UE transitioning to the RRC idle state by sending the eNB, a Msg1 or Msg3 of a random access procedure where in Msg1 the preamble is associated with a S-TMSI of the UE. This is different from the claims which requires a terminal receives (not sends) a page that includes an S-TMSI.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDRE TACDIRAN whose telephone number is 571-272-1717. The examiner can normally be reached on M-TH, 10-5PM EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached on 571-270-1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDRE TACDIRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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