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 § 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.
Claim 1-9 and 13-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Awad et al (US 2026/0231278 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Awad discloses a user equipment for wireless communication (Fig. 3, UE 341), comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 3, controller 350); and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (29th paragraph and Fig. 3, the controller 350 configured to carry out instructions which are stored on a computer readable medium such as non-volatile memory), cause the user equipment to perform:
receive, from a network node, paging information which contains cell discontinuous operation information (92nd paragraph, the gNB could signal a cell DRX cycle for all UL signals and channels via paging message), wherein the paging information indicates to the user equipment when to transmit a response message based on the cell discontinuous operation information (91st paragraph, UE waits until gNB active duration comes back, i.e., the UE transmits SDT data on the gNB active duration, i.e., DRX On duration. Herein, cell DRX cycle includes DRX On duration and DRX off duration, illustrated in Fig. 5); and
transmit, to the network node, the response message using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure based at least on the paging information (91st paragraph, UE waits until gNB active duration comes back, i.e., the UE transmits SDT data on the gNB active duration, i.e., DRX On duration).
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Awad discloses that wherein the paging information comprises at least one of: a paging early indication, a wake-up signal, a paging DCI or a paging message (92nd paragraph, paging message).
Regarding claims 3 and 15, Awad discloses that wherein the user equipment is in a radio resource control idle mode or in a radio resource control inactive mode (31st paragraph and Fig. 3, UE is in RRC idle state or RRC inactive state).
Regarding claims 4 and 16, Awad discloses that wherein the response message alternately uses at least one of: a mobile terminated small data transmission, mobile originated small data transmission, a subsequent uplink transmission, or a subsequent downlink transmission (33rd paragraph, mobile originated small data transmission).
Regarding claims 5 and 17, Awad discloses that wherein the cell discontinuous operation information indicates discontinuous reception (DRX) operation or discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation (92nd and 95th paragraphs, the gNB could signal a cell DRX cycle for all UL signals and channels via paging message. gNB determines and signals DRX and DTX patterns).
Regarding claims 6 and 18, Awad discloses that wherein the cell discontinuous operation information comprises at least one of an active cell discontinuous operation pattern identifier, a cell discontinuous operation pattern, or a cell discontinuous operation timer that corresponds to a current time period (95th paragraph, gNB determines DRX and DTX patterns including Off state and On state).
Regarding claims 7 and 19, Awad discloses that wherein the cell discontinuous operation timer is referenced to a start time when the paging information is received or a configured reference time (101st paragraph, gNB sends a command to update time alignment timer at the UE. Time alignment timer is a configured reference time).
Regarding claims 8 and 20, Awad discloses that wherein when the paging information indicates one or more of: an active cell discontinuous operation pattern identifier or a cell discontinuous operation pattern (95th paragraph and Fig. 5, gNB determines and signals DRX and DTX patterns to UE for avoiding SDT transmissions during DRX Off state of gNB), the user equipment transmits the response message at the beginning of a next cell discontinuous reception active period of the activated cell discontinuous operation pattern (93rd paragraph, UE postpones data transmission to next earliest available CG occasion in the DRX On duration); or a cell discontinuous operation timer, the user equipment transmits the response message after an end of the current time period or before an end of the current time period.
Regarding claim 9, Awad discloses that wherein the paging information further indicates one or more of: a time duration within which the user equipment transmits the response message after the end of the current time period (93rd paragraph and Fig. 6, block 614, UE postpones data transmission to next earliest available CG occasion in the DRX On duration after receiving DRX Off state of gNB); or specific conditions for, prior to the end of the current time period, performing random access based small data transmission or random access procedure on specific random access resources.
Regarding claim 13, Awad discloses a network node for wireless communication (Fig. 3, gNB 301), comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 3, controller 334); and
at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (29th paragraph and Fig. 3, the controller 334 configured to carry out instructions which are stored on a computer readable medium such as non-volatile memory), cause the network node to perform:
transmit, to a user equipment, paging information which contains cell discontinuous operation information (92nd paragraph, the gNB could signal a cell DRX cycle for all UL signals and channels via paging message), wherein the paging information indicates to the user equipment when to transmit a response message based on the cell discontinuous operation information (91st paragraph, UE waits until gNB active duration comes back, i.e., the UE transmits SDT data on the gNB active duration, i.e., DRX On duration. Herein, cell DRX cycle includes DRX On duration and DRX off duration, illustrated in Fig. 5); and
receive, from the user equipment, the response message using a small data transmission (SDT) procedure based at least on the paging information (91st paragraph, UE waits until gNB active duration comes back, i.e., the UE transmits SDT data on the gNB active duration, i.e., DRX On duration).
Regarding claim 21, Awad discloses that wherein the paging information further indicates one or more of: a time duration within which the user equipment transmits the response message after the end of the current time period (93rd paragraph and Fig. 6, block 614, UE postpones data transmission to next earliest available CG occasion in the DRX On duration after receiving DRX Off state of gNB); or specific conditions for, prior to the end of the current time period, performing random access based small data transmission or random access procedure on specific random access resources; or a cell discontinuous operation timer, the network node receives the response message before an end of the current time period.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Awad in view of Huang et al (US 2023/0309081 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Awad discloses adapting SDT transmissions based on configured DRX and DTX configuration (Fig. 6). Awad does not disclose that wherein the user equipment is configured to monitor first paging information not associated with a paging occasion associated with the user equipment or second paging information of the paging occasion associated with the user equipment for a second time period prior to initiating the subsequent uplink transmission. Huang discloses that the UE monitors paging during paging occasions in a time period prior to initiating subsequent uplink transmissions (188th and 384th paragraphs). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to monitor paging during paging occasions for instructions of SDT in Awad’s system, as suggested by Huang, to initiate SDT synchronously.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 12 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
Golitschek Edler von Elbwart et al (US 2023/0156716 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses CG-SDT configuration (Figs. 8-13).
Narayanan et al (US 2025/0287456 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses implementing DRX after MT-SDT (Figs. 4-5).
Tseng et al (US 2022/0408403 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses paging messages and SDT (Fig. 3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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ANH VU H. LY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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