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 .
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 2, 3, and 16 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 2, 3, and 16 recites the limitation "second control information" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 4-8, 10, 13-15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Li et al (US Publication 2025/0047373 A1).
Regarding to claims 1 and 15, Li discloses a terminal 900 (fig. 9) comprising a processor 928, wherein the processor causes the terminal to perform: receiving 501 a system information block SIB (fig. 5 page 7 paragraph 0201); determining 505 a satellite switching to a target satellite (page 11 paragraphs 0309-312; SAT #2) based on whether first control information (higher-layer parameters/phyCellid) related to a target satellite for the satellite switching without changing a physical cell identifier PCI is included in the received SIB (page 8 paragraphs 0217-0218); and performing 508 the satellite switching (pages 12-13 paragraphs 0355-0359).
Regarding to claims 4 and 17, Li discloses ending up a service from the source satellite based on the satellite switching; connecting to the target satellite based on the first control information; and performing communication with the target satellite through a service link of the target satellite based on the first control information (page 13 paragraph 0367).
Regarding to claims 5 and 18, Li discloses the SIB further includes service start related information representing a time at which service provision from the target satellite is started (page 17 paragraph 0481), the method further comprising: connecting to the target satellite based on the control information; ending up a service from the source satellite after connecting to the target satellite; and performing communication with the target satellite through a service link of the target satellite based on the control information (page 13 paragraph 0367).
Regarding to claims 6 and 19, Li discloses the NTN configuration information includes uplink synchronization valid duration information representing a valid duration of an uplink synchronization, and wherein the performing the satellite switching comprises: obtaining the uplink synchronization with the target satellite based on the uplink synchronization valid duration information (pages 1-2 paragraph 0018).
Regarding to claim 7, Li discloses the NTN configuration information includes at least one of an epoch time (page 8 paragraph 0208), uplink TA information (page 5 paragraph 0136), ephemeris information (page 5 paragraph 0142), cell-specific scheduling offset (page 8 paragraph 0209), network scheduling offset (page 5 paragraph 0138), TA report information (page 5 paragraph 0144), downlink polarization information, or uplink polarization information within non-terrestrial network configuration information for the target satellite.
Regarding to claim 8, Li discloses the obtaining the uplink synchronization comprises: determining an uplink timing advance TA for the target satellite based on the first control information, and applying the determined uplink TA (page 27 paragraph 0788).
Regarding to claim 10, Li discloses wherein the source satellite and the target satellite are connected to a same base station (fig. 3 page 6 paragraph 0173; NTN-GW), the source satellite forms a first quasi-Earth-fixed cell and the target satellite forms a second quasi-Earth-fixed cell (page 4 paragraph 0130), a physical cell identifier PCI of the first quasi-Earth-fixed cell is the same as a PCI of the second quasi-Earth-fixed cell (page 6 paragraph 0175), and a frequency of a first synchronization signal block SSB transmitted by the source satellite is the same as a frequency of a second SSB transmitted by the target satellite (page 6 paragraph 0176).
Regarding to claim 13, Li discloses transmitting UE capability information indicating that the terminal supports the satellite switching (page 5 paragraph 0156).
Regarding to 14, Li discloses performing communication with the target satellite without performing a random access procedure with the target satellite (page 12 paragraphs 0355-0356)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, and 16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 9, 11, 12, and 20 are 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Duc T Duong whose telephone number is (571)272-3122. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 9am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached at (571)272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUC T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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