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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s remarks have been given full consideration, as such this Office Action has been modified in view of Amendments filed on 08/11/2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed "REMARKS" on 08/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims 1, 3 and 4 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZHANG et al. (US 2021/0195513 A1, hereinafter Zhang) in view of KOSKELA et al. (US 2023/0096338 A1, hereinafter Koskela) further in view of JOHN et al. (US 2020/0112886 A1, hereinafter John).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a communication method comprising: receiving, by a user equipment ([0139] FIG. 12 illustrates a timing diagram 1200 illustrating handover signaling and processes when a UE is handed over from a serving cell to a target cell, which includes communications with UE 1202),receiving, by the user equipment, before receiving the cell switch command, configuration information from the first cell ([0137] "a serving cell or gNB may be configured to provide, predetermine, or establish a default cell configuration in advance. Additionally, the serving cell or gNB may signal any cell configuration difference from the default cell configuration in L1/L2 based HO or cell change commands," i.e. prior to the handover command 1214 depicted in FIG. 12, the UE will already have obtained cell configuration information of the original cell 1204, wherein if cell configurations overlap the UE may reuse portions of the configuration for target cell 1206 during the handover process, i.e. configuration information from the first cell is received prior to the cell switch).
Zhang is not relied on for the claim language the configuration information configuring a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state to be used for communication with the second cell. However, Koskela teaches a method for [0007] Beam Management functionalities to assist a user equipment, wherein beam measurements may be used to prepare a handover procedure and/or to determine whether a handover procedure should be prepared, according to [0016]. Koskela also teaches the configuration information configuring a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state to be used for communication with the second cell ([0087] referring to FIG. 4, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor 102, further cause the base station 100 to activate 302 a transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state for PDCCH reception within the bandwidth part BWP2, i.e. after receiving UE configuration information 300, the UE may be instructed to activate a TCI state 302 to be used for communication with the second cell in step 306).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to include the use of a TCI state to be used in association with the second cell, as taught by Koskela, in order to aid in [0015] enabling the UE to determine information related to one or more beams of a currently non-serving cell, and therefore aid in [0024] enabling the ability to efficiently initiate and/or perform fast handover procedures using L1/L2 signaling.
The combination of Zhang and Koskela is not relied on for the claim language maintaining, by the user equipment, the TCI state in a deactivated state until receiving the cell switch command; receiving, by the user equipment, the cell switch command from the first cell, the cell switch command comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) defined in a MAC layer; activating, by the user equipment, the deactivated TCI state in response to receiving the cell switch command; performing, by the user equipment, using the activated TCI state, cell switch to change a serving cell of the user equipment from the first cell to the second cell. However, John teaches [abstract] a method for preconfiguring an additional TCI-state at the UE. John also teaches maintaining, by the user equipment, the TCI state in a deactivated state until receiving the cell switch command ([0036] describes “The UE 120 may later handover from the BS 110a to the target BS 110b, and activate the TCI-state of the target BS 110b after the handover”, i.e. the preconfigured TCI-state is specifically not activated until after the handover procedure, i.e. the TCI is in a deactivated state. Furthermore, [0077] states “the UE may receive an indication (e.g., via L1 signaling) from the target BS to activate the second TCI-state”); receiving, by the user equipment, the cell switch command from the first cell ([0080] referring to FIG. 8, “At block 804, the serving BS may coordinate handover of the UE to the target BS”), the cell switch command comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) defined in a MAC layer ([0073] describes “access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) may be used to perform further TCI activation”, i.e. the ability for the handover procedure to include a MAC-CE); activating, by the user equipment, the deactivated TCI state in response to receiving the cell switch command; performing, by the user equipment, using the activated TCI state, cell switch to change a serving cell of the user equipment from the first cell to the second cell ([Figure 7, block 706] and [0077] describe “the UE may receive an indication (e.g., via L1 signaling) from the target BS to activate the second TCI-state. In this case, activation of the second TCI-state, at block 706, is based on the indication received from the target BS. In other cases, the UE may automatically activate the TCI state for the target BS after the handover. The UE may then perform beam training for the target BS via L1 signaling after the second TCI-state is activated”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Zhang and Koskela to include “maintaining, by the user equipment, the TCI state in a deactivated state until receiving the cell switch command; receiving, by the user equipment, the cell switch command from the first cell, the cell switch command comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) defined in a MAC layer; activating, by the user equipment, the deactivated TCI state in response to receiving the cell switch command; performing, by the user equipment, using the activated TCI state, cell switch to change a serving cell of the user equipment from the first cell to the second cell”, as taught by John, in order to [0008] reduce handover latency, and [0027] allow the preconfigured TCI-state to be activated upon handover to the target BS.
Regarding claim 2, Zhang is not relied on for the claim language the configuration information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of information associating a cell identifier of the second cell with the TCI state, information associating a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to be used for communication with the second cell with the TCI state, and information indicating that the TCI state is to be used for communication with the second cell. However, Koskela teaches as such ([0087] the configuration information may include second cell TCI state indications as described in claim 1, additionally, [0138] describes the use of a "C-RNTI" to be used in accordance with the target cell).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to include the use of a TCI state and C-RNTI to be used in association with the second cell, as taught by Koskela, in order to aid in [0015] enabling the UE to determine information related to one or more beams of a currently non-serving cell, and therefore aid in [0024] enabling the ability to efficiently initiate and/or perform fast handover procedures using L1/L2 signaling.
Regarding claim 3, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1, further in view of Zhang teaches a user equipment comprising: -a controller- (the UE 1202 depicted in FIG. 12 and described in claim 1 may be or comprise a controller according to [0037], which executes the claimed limitations of claim 1).
Regarding claim 4, the claimed limitations of claim are rejected as the same reasons as set forth in claim 1, further in view of Zhang teaches a chipset for a user equipment, the chipset configured to execute processing- (the UE 1202 depicted in FIG. 12 and described in claim 1 may be a "chip-level component" according to [0031], or include a processor according to [0008], to execute the claimed limitations of claim 1).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium that stores computer program comprising instructions that, when the computer program is executed by the user equipment, cause the user equipment to carry out the communication control method according to claim 1 ([Figure 9, 906] UE 900 (representing UE 1202) is depicted in FIG. 9, 906 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium according to [0104], containing instructions 952/954, which cause the UE to execute the communication control method according to claim 1).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang teaches a mobile communication system comprising the user equipment according to claim 3, and a base station configured to be connected to the user equipment (FIG. 1 depicts device 106, device 106 read as UE, directly connected to RAN 104/108, RAN 104/108 read as base station, to perform the operations as described in claim 3).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Zhang and Koskela is not relied on for the claim language determining, by the user equipment, whether the cell switch command includes an ID of the deactivated TCI state; and in response to determining that the cell switch command includes the ID of the deactivated TCI state, activating, by the user equipment, the deactivated TCI state, and performing, by the user equipment, the cell switch using the activated TCI state. However, John teaches determining, by the user equipment, whether the cell switch command includes an ID of the deactivated TCI state; and in response to determining that the cell switch command includes the ID of the deactivated TCI state ([0076] describes the UE may receive a message indicating “the second TCI-state for the target BS may include a cell-ID corresponding to the target BS, a TRP-ID corresponding to the target BS, reference signal (RS) set associated with the second TCI-state, and/or quasi-co-location (QCL) parameters for the target BS. In certain aspects, the message may include a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message. In some cases, the message may be a MAC-CE or downlink control information (DCI)”, i.e. the TCI-state may contain a plurality of identifiers/IDs), activating, by the user equipment, the deactivated TCI state, and performing, by the user equipment, the cell switch using the activated TCI state (FIG. 10 depicts the handover procedure in block 1008 and “The TCI-state may be activated based on L1 signaling received from the target BS 110b, or may be activated by the UE automatically after the handover”, see [0085]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Zhang and Koskela to include TCI states in association with IDs/identifiers, as taught by John, in order to [0008] reduce handover latency, and [0027] allow the preconfigured TCI-state to be activated upon handover to the target BS.
References Cited
Zhang, Qian et al. (2021). Operation modes for l1/l2-centric inter-cell mobility (US 2021/0195513 A1). Filed 2020-12-22.
Koskela, Timo et al. (2023). Base station and user equipment (US 2023/0096338 A1). Filed 2021-02-11.
John Wilson, Makesh Pravin et al. (2020). Configuration enhancement in handover (US 2020/0112886 A1). Filed 2019-09-04.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J DWYER whose telephone number is (571)272-5121. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuwen Pan can be reached at (571) 272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW JAMES DWYER/Examiner, Art Unit 2649
/GEORGE ENG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2699
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