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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-14 in the reply filed on 9/17/2026 is acknowledged. The claims drawn to the non-elected inventions are cancelled by the 9/17/2026 amendment.
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 4-14 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.
Claims 4-6 recite the limitation "the determining that the apparatus has connected to a target cell comprises". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 covers connecting to a target cell but not a step of “determining that the apparatus has connected to the target cell”.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2023/0239748 by Xu et al.
As to claim 1, Xu teaches an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform: connecting, with the apparatus, to a target cell (Figure 20); starting a timer associated with one or more transmission configuration indicator states (paragraph 243); determining that the one or more transmission configuration indicator states were active prior to connecting to the target cell (In Figure 20, the wireless device receives a TCI indication message prior to the connection steps which indicates an active TCI state); and based upon the timer running, considering the one or more transmission configuration indicator states as being active for at least one of a lower layer mobility or for intra/inter cell beam management within the target cell (paragraph 243, the TCI states are monitor at the physical layer and paragraph 238, the active state is monitored with respect to beam management).
As to claim 2, see paragraphs 168 and 218.
As to claim 3, the wireless device is a UE.
As to claim 4, paragraph 238 and Figure 21.
As to claim 5, see Figure 20.
As to claim 6, see Figure 21.
As to claim 7, the timer referred to in paragraph 243 can be restarted at any time depending on network conditions.
As to claim 8-11, see paragraphs 103 and 104 and paragraph 238-243.
As to claim 12, see paragraph 124.
As to claim 13, see paragraphs 218 and 227.
As to claim 14, see Figure 21 and paragraph 227.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOUGLAS B BLAIR whose telephone number is (571)272-3893. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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/DOUGLAS B BLAIR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2454
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