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 .
This office action is in response to Applicant’s preliminary amendment filed on 09/19/2024.
Claims 1-18, 22, and 24 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 22 is objected to because of the following informalities:
For claim 22, the claim recites “UA” to refer to the User Equipment embodiment, and this typographical issue is objected to by the examiner.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 2, 10, 13, 16, 17, 22, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Oteri et al. (US 2024/0196469 A1; hereafter OTERI).
With respect to claim 1, OTERI discloses a monitoring method (Abstract, Title), performed by a user equipment (UE) (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B), comprising:
monitoring a wakeup signal (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) based on a first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4) of the UE, wherein the wakeup signal is used to wake up (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) a second transceiver (430 or 429 in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B).
With respect to claim 2, OTERI further discloses the monitoring method according to claim 1, further comprising:
receiving configuration information (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]); and
wherein monitoring the wakeup signal based on the first transceiver of the UE comprises:
monitoring, based on the configuration information, the wakeup signal by using the first transceiver (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]).
With respect to claim 10, OTERI further discloses the monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the wakeup signal based on the first transceiver of the UE comprises at least one of:
monitoring, in response to the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B) being in a preset radio resource control (RRC) non-connected state (FIG. 10A; FIG. 10B; paragraph [0192]), the wakeup signal by using the first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B); or
monitoring, in response to detecting a first triggering event, the wakeup signal (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) by using the first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B).
With respect to claim 13, OTERI further discloses the monitoring method according to claim 10, further comprising:
in response to the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B) switching from the preset RRC non-connected state to a second RRC non-connected state (FIG. 10A; FIG. 10B; paragraph [0192]), waking up the second transceiver (430 or 429 in FIG. 4) or
exiting a working mode of monitoring the wakeup signal (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) based on the first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4).
With respect to claim 16, OTERI discloses a monitoring method (Abstract, Title), performed by a network device (102A in FIG. 1A; 102 in FIG. 1B), comprising:
sending a wakeup signal (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]), wherein the wakeup signal is used to, after being received by a user equipment (UE) (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B) based on a first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4), wake up (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) a second transceiver (430 or 429 in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B).
With respect to claim 17, OTERI further discloses the monitoring method according to claim 16, further comprising:
sending configuration information (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]), wherein the configuration information is used by the UE to monitor the wakeup signal based on the first transceiver ( paragraph [0194]).
With respect to claim 22, OTERI discloses a user equipment (UA) (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B), comprising:
a processor (402 in FIG. 4); and
a memory (406 in FIG. 4) storing instructions (paragraph [0067]) executable by the processor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
monitor a wakeup signal based (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) on a first transceiver (431, wakeup radio circuit in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B), wherein the wakeup signal is used to wake up (2002, 2004 in FIG. 20; paragraphs [0191], [0192], [0193], [0194]) a second transceiver (430 or 429 in FIG. 4) of the UE (106A, 106B, 106N in FIG. 1A; 106 in FIG. 1B).
With respect to claim 24, OTERI discloses a network device (102A in FIG. 1A; 102 in FIG. 1B), comprising:
a processor (204 in FIG. 2): and
a memory (260 in FIG. 2) storing instructions (paragraph [0067]) executable by the processor,
wherein the processor is configured to, upon executing the instructions, implement the
monitoring method according to claim 16.
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.
Claims 3-5, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over OTERI in view of Zhou et al. (US 2023/0309115 A1; hereafter ZHOU).
With respect to claim 3, OTERI does not disclose the monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of:
time-frequency domain information, indicating a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal;
codeword information, indicating scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal;
period information, indicating a period for monitoring the wakeup signal:
offset, indicating a time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
times information, indicating a number of times the wakeup signal is sent; or
monitoring mode information, indicating e a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode comprises a periodic monitoring mode or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU discloses time-frequency domain information, indicating a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal;
codeword information, indicating scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal (FIG. 16C; paragraph [0227]);
period information, indicating a period for monitoring the wakeup signal:
offset, indicating a time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
times information, indicating a number of times the wakeup signal is sent; or
monitoring mode information, indicating e a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode comprises a periodic monitoring mode or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU teaches the benefit of improved power consumption by skipping PDCCH monitoring (paragraphs [0332] and [0333]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the scrambling to skipping and the common protocol as taught by ZHOU in the method of OTERI to produce an expected result.
With respect to claim 4, OTERI does not disclose the monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring the wakeup signal based on the first transceiver of the UE comprises:
monitoring, based on a pre-agreed protocol, the wakeup signal by using the first transceiver.
ZHOU discloses monitoring, based on a pre-agreed protocol (paragraph [0110]), the wakeup signal by using the first transceiver.
ZHOU teaches the benefit of improved power consumption by skipping PDCCH monitoring (paragraphs [0332] and [0333]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the scrambling to skipping and the common protocol as taught by ZHOU in the method of OTERI to produce an expected result.
With respect to claim 5, OTERI does not disclose the monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein the pre- agreed protocol stipulates at least one of:
a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal:
scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal;
a period for monitoring the wakeup signal;
time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
a number of times the wakeup signal is sent: or
a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode
comprises a periodic monitoring mode or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU discloses a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal:
scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal (FIG. 16C; paragraph [0227]);
a period for monitoring the wakeup signal;
time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
a number of times the wakeup signal is sent: or
a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode
comprises a periodic monitoring mode or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU teaches the benefit of improved power consumption by skipping PDCCH monitoring (paragraphs [0332] and [0333]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the scrambling to skipping and the common protocol as taught by ZHOU in the method of OTERI to produce an expected result.
With respect to claim 18, OTERI does not disclose the monitoring method according to claim 17, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of:
time-frequency domain information, indicating a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal:
codeword information, indicating scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal;
period information, indicating a period for monitoring the wakeup signal;
offset, indicating a time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
times information, indicating a number of times the wakeup signal is sent; or
monitoring mode information, indicating a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode comprises a periodic monitoring mode and/or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU discloses time-frequency domain information, indicating a time-frequency domain position for monitoring the wakeup signal:
codeword information, indicating scrambling information for monitoring the wakeup signal (FIG. 16C; paragraph [0227]);
period information, indicating a period for monitoring the wakeup signal;
offset, indicating a time offset of a sending time of the wakeup signal relative to a starting time of the period;
times information, indicating a number of times the wakeup signal is sent; or
monitoring mode information, indicating a monitoring mode for monitoring the wakeup signal, wherein the monitoring mode comprises a periodic monitoring mode and/or a continuous monitoring mode.
ZHOU teaches the benefit of improved power consumption by skipping PDCCH monitoring (paragraphs [0332] and [0333]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the scrambling to skipping and the common protocol as taught by ZHOU in the method of OTERI to produce an expected result.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9, 11, 12, 14, and 15 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 Brian T O'Connor whose telephone number is (571)270-1081. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri Flex 10am-6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BRIAN T O CONNOR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465 June 24, 2026
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