Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 17, 2026
Application No. 18/782,537

METHODS, DEVICES, APPARATUSES AND MEDIUM FOR MEASUREMENT-BASED TCI STATE ACTIVATION

Non-Final OA §102§112
Filed
Jul 24, 2024
Priority
Aug 10, 2023 — provisional 63/518,800
Examiner
NDIAYE, CHEIKH T
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Nokia Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
578 granted / 732 resolved
+19.0% vs TC avg
Strong +19% interview lift
Without
With
+18.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
749
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
14.0%
-26.0% vs TC avg
§103
38.2%
-1.8% vs TC avg
§102
29.5%
-10.5% vs TC avg
§112
8.5%
-31.5% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 732 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §112
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 . The claims 1-20 are pending. 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. Claim 4 is 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 4 recites the limitation "the first device" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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, 4, 6-14, 18, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hong (US Patent Publication No. 2025/0088926 A1). With respect to claim 1, Hong teaches a first apparatus (base station 1500) comprising: at least one processor (controller 1510); and at least one memory (memory unit) storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from a second apparatus, a layer 3 (L3) measurement for a cell for a layer 1/layer 2 (L1/L2) triggered mobility operation (paragraph 00226 disclose receiving the L3 measurement result from the higher layer); determining that at least one condition of transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation for the cell is met (paragraph 0198 disclose as another example, the LTM operation may be triggered/started/executed when the execution condition is met by evaluating the execution condition configured by the base station in the UE; the corresponding execution condition may include one presence of an activated TCI state (candidate/target cell)); based on the determining that the at least one condition of TCI state activation for the cell is met, determining, based at least in part on the L3 measurement for the cell, that at least one TCI state for the cell is to be activated (paragraph 0198 disclose as another example, the LTM operation may be triggered/started/executed when the execution condition is met by evaluating the execution condition configured by the base station in the UE; the corresponding execution condition may include one presence of an activated TCI state (candidate/target cell)); and based on the determining that the at least one TCI state for the cell is to be activated, transmitting, to the second apparatus, an indication of activation of the at least one TCI state for the cell (paragraph 0258 disclose the base station may indicate to update/activate the TCI state ID through the MAC CE and/or DCI. When the UE (MAC entity) receives the corresponding MAC CE through the serving cell/first TRP, the UE may indicate information about the corresponding MAC CE to a lower/physical layer. The UE may map the activated TCI state received through the received TCI state update/activation MAC CE/indication/instruction to the codepoint of the corresponding field (e.g., ‘Transmission Configuration Indication’ or any field defined for the LTM operation) included in the DCI). With respect to claim 4, Hong teaches wherein the determining based at least in part on the L3 measurement for the cell comprises: determining based at least in part on whether the first device has received from the second apparatus at least one L3 measurement result for the at least one TCI state before the indication of activation (paragraph 0178 disclose the UE may perform the step of obtaining/receiving/acquiring the TA of the target cell during the L1L2 signaling/event/procedure/operation for the LTM operation, before the L1L2 signaling/event/procedure/operation, before the application time of the corresponding signaling, before the cell change/handover according to the corresponding L1L2 signaling/event/procedure/operation, or before the cell change is triggered/initiated/executed/applied/initiated based on the L1L2 signaling/executed indication information/TCI state/execution condition/event/related procedure/operation). With respect to claim 6, Hong teaches wherein the first apparatus is further caused to perform: transmitting, to the second apparatus, a configuration of L1 measurement for the second apparatus, the configuration of L1 measurement indicating the cell and a same reference signal as measured in the L3 measurement (paragr4aph 0226 disclose as the corresponding L1/L2 signaling/event/procedure/operation, one or more events/procedures/operations, among TCI state activation/update/instruction through MAC CE and/or DCI, TCI state activation/update/instruction using the reference signal (or associated with the reference signal) of the source cell/first TRP/cell associated with the first cell configured for the target cell/candidate cell/second TRP/cell associated with the second TRP). With respect to claim 7, Hong teaches wherein the first apparatus is further caused to perform: an additional L1 measurement or an additional L3 measurement for the cell during the activation of the at least one TCI state before a cell switch command for the cell or at the cell switch command (paragr4aph 0226 disclose as the corresponding L1/L2 signaling/event/procedure/operation, one or more events/procedures/operations, among TCI state activation/update/instruction through MAC CE and/or DCI, TCI state activation/update/instruction using the reference signal (or associated with the reference signal) of the source cell/first TRP/cell associated with the first cell configured for the target cell/candidate cell/second TRP/cell associated with the second TRP). With respect to claim 8, Hong teaches wherein the first apparatus is further caused to perform: transmitting, to the second apparatus, at least one of the following: an indication indicating that the additional L1 measurement or the additional L3 measurement for the cell is to be performed during the activation of the at least one TCI state before the cell switch command or at the cell switch command, or an indication indicating that the activation of the at least one TCI state is performed based on the L3 measurement (paragraph 0258 disclose the base station may indicate to update/activate the TCI state ID through the MAC CE and/or DCI. When the UE (MAC entity) receives the corresponding MAC CE through the serving cell/first TRP, the UE may indicate information about the corresponding MAC CE to a lower/physical layer. The UE may map the activated TCI state received through the received TCI state update/activation MAC CE/indication/instruction to the codepoint of the corresponding field (e.g., ‘Transmission Configuration Indication’ or any field defined for the LTM operation) included in the DCI). With respect to claim 9, Hong teaches wherein the at least one TCI state is unknown to the second apparatus (paragraph 0150 disclose data may be transmitted/received in the target cell using the same configuration as the source cell based on the TCI state activated in the source cell). With respect to claim 10, Hong teaches wherein the first apparatus is further caused to perform: an additional L1 measurement for the cell during the activation of the at least one TCI state before a cell switch command for the cell or at the cell switch command, or after the cell switch command (paragraph 0258 disclose the base station may indicate to update/activate the TCI state ID through the MAC CE and/or DCI. When the UE (MAC entity) receives the corresponding MAC CE through the serving cell/first TRP, the UE may indicate information about the corresponding MAC CE to a lower/physical layer. The UE may map the activated TCI state received through the received TCI state update/activation MAC CE/indication/instruction to the codepoint of the corresponding field (e.g., ‘Transmission Configuration Indication’ or any field defined for the LTM operation) included in the DCI). With respect to claim 11, Hong teaches wherein the first apparatus is further caused to perform: transmitting, to the second apparatus, at least one of the following: an indication indicating that the additional L1 measurement is to be performed during the activation of the at least one TCI state before the cell switch command or at the cell switch command, or after the cell switch command, or an indication indicating that the activation of the at least one TCI state is performed based on the L3 measurement (paragraph 0258 disclose the base station may indicate to update/activate the TCI state ID through the MAC CE and/or DCI. When the UE (MAC entity) receives the corresponding MAC CE through the serving cell/first TRP, the UE may indicate information about the corresponding MAC CE to a lower/physical layer. The UE may map the activated TCI state received through the received TCI state update/activation MAC CE/indication/instruction to the codepoint of the corresponding field (e.g., ‘Transmission Configuration Indication’ or any field defined for the LTM operation) included in the DCI). The limitations of claim 12 are rejected in the analysis of claim 1 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 13 are rejected in the analysis of claim 6 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 14 are rejected in the analysis of claim 4 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 16 are rejected in the analysis of claim 7 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 18 are rejected in the analysis of claim 9 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 19 are rejected in the analysis of claim 4 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. The limitations of claim 20 are rejected in the analysis of claim 1 above, and the claim is rejected on that basis. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-3, 5, 15, and 17 is 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHEIKH T NDIAYE whose telephone number is (571)270-3914. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm. 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, JOON H HWANG can be reached at 571-272-4036. 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. 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 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. /CHEIKH T NDIAYE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2447 7/10/2026
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Prosecution Timeline

Jul 24, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 15, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
79%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+18.8%)
2y 9m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 732 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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