DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
Claim Objections
2. Claim 28 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 28 is objected to because the underlined ‘the’ is repeated twice in the limitation below ‘……preferences received from a core network indicating that the device is to use the the RRC radio resource control inactive state or a radio resource control connected state for reception of the data of the multicast session’. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 25, 26, 28-30 and 44-46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Publication No.: US 2023/0370905 A1 to Babaei et al. (Babaei) as disclosed in the IDS, in view of Publication No.: US 2024/0373496 A1 to Jiang, Xiaowei (Jiang).
As to Claim 25, Babaei discloses an apparatus for a radio access network node, the apparatus comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 15, ‘processor 1540’); and at
least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor (Fig. 15, ‘in some examples, the processor 1540 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In other examples, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1540. The processor 1540 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1530) to cause the UE 1500 or the base station 1505 to perform various functions’, ¶ 0101), cause the apparatus to perform operations, the operations comprising at least:
deciding that a device is to use a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state for reception of data of a multicast session in an area (‘the UE may receive the MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell as part of an RRC reject message indicating remaining in the RRC inactive/idle state. For example, the RRC reject message may comprise a suspend config information element indicating remaining/transitioning in the RRC inactive state and comprising MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell’, ¶ 0156; see also ¶ 0004),
providing, to the device, information indicating that the device is to use the RRC inactive state for reception of the data of the multicast session (‘the UE may receive data associated with the MBS services via the target cell using the MBS configuration parameters and/or the information. The UE may remain in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state and may not transition to the RRC connected state’, ¶ 0157).
Babaei does not expressly disclose transmitting the data of the multicast session to the device that is using the RRC inactive state for reception of the data of the multicast session.
However, Jiang discloses transmitting the data of the multicast session to the device that is using the RRC inactive state for reception of the data of the multicast session (‘in step 503, the user equipment receives MBS data transmitted by the multicast manner, based on the MBS reception configuration and the area information, in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state’, ¶ 0174).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide ‘transmitting the data of the multicast session to the device that is using the RRC inactive state for reception of the data of the multicast session’ as disclosed by Jiang into Babaei so as to effectively transmit/receive multicast broadcast service (MBS) in wireless communication system, Jiang ¶ 0008.
As to Claim 26, Babaei further discloses wherein the operations further comprise receiving capability information indicative that the device supports reception of data for multicast sessions in the RRC inactive state (‘in some example, an information element (IE) MeasIdleConfig may be used to convey information to UE about measurements requested to be done while in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE. Example parameters if the MeasIdleConfig IE may include the following parameters. Additional parameters for measurements related to MBS services/sessions during the RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state may be used in addition or instead of one or more of the following parameters. The parameters include: A parameter absThreshSS-BlocksConsolidation may indicate threshold for consolidation of L1 measurements per RS index. A parameter beamMeasConfigIdle may indicate the beam level measurement configuration. A parameter carrierFreq may indicate the NR carrier frequency to be used for measurements during RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE’, ¶s 0116-0117).
As to Claim 28, Babaei further discloses wherein deciding comprises deciding that the device is to use the RRC inactive state for reception of the data of the multicast session based on at least one of:
capabilities of devices in the area; capabilities of devices in an area that have joined the multicast session to receive the data while the devices are in the radio resource control inactive state; or
preferences received from a core network indicating that the device is to use the the RRC radio resource control inactive state or a radio resource control connected state for reception of the data of the multicast session (‘in an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) in a radio resource control (RRC) state, may receive a broadcast message comprising measurement configuration parameters, wherein the RRC state may be one of an RRC inactive state and an RRC idle state. The UE may determine, based on the measurement configuration parameters, a service continuity trigger for one or more multicast broadcast services (MBS) services. In response to determining the service continuity trigger for the one or more MBS services, the UE may start a random access process comprising transmitting a first message indicating a request for MBS configuration parameters associated with the one or more MBS services via a target cell’, ¶ 0158).
As to Claim 29, Babaei further discloses wherein the providing the information comprises broadcasting the information (‘receiving, by a user equipment (UE) in a radio resource control (RRC) state, a broadcast message comprising measurement configuration parameters, wherein the RRC state corresponds to at least one of an RRC inactive state and an RRC idle state; determining, based on the measurement configuration parameters, a service continuity trigger for one or more multicast broadcast services (MBS) services’, ¶ 0004).
As to Claim 30, Babaei further discloses wherein the operations further comprise transmitting information indicative that the multicast session is provided in a cell and in one or more neighbouring cells of the cell (‘the one or more configuration messages may provide information about the neighbor cells transmitting the MBS sessions which may be ongoing on the current cell. In some examples, the UE may receive a single MBS service at a time, or more than one MBS services in parallel’, ¶ 0109; see also ¶ 0155).
As to Claim 44, Babaei further discloses prior to the transmitting the data, transmitting, to the device, a RRC release message to cause the device to transition to the RRC inactive state (‘in some embodiments, the UE may receive an RRC release message indicating a transition to the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state, wherein the RRC release message may comprise one or more MBS service continuity parameters. In some embodiments, the RRC release message may comprises a suspend config information element indicating the transition to the RRC inactive state and comprising the one or more MBS service continuity parameters’, ¶ 0171; see also ¶ 0150).
As to Claim 45, Babaei further discloses wherein the providing comprises: transmitting, to the device, a RRC release message to cause the device to transition to the RRC inactive state, wherein the RRC release message comprises the information and an identifier of the multicast session (‘in some embodiments, the UE may receive an RRC release message indicating a transition to the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state, wherein the RRC release message may comprise one or more MBS service continuity parameters. In some embodiments, the RRC release message may comprises a suspend config information element indicating the transition to the RRC inactive state and comprising the one or more MBS service continuity parameters’, ¶ 0171; see also ¶ 0150).
As to Claim 46, Babaei further discloses transmitting, in a multicast control channel (MCCH), a multicast traffic channel (MTCH) configuration for the multicast session, the MTCH configuration comprising the information and an identifier of the multicast session (‘in some example, MBS services may be enabled via single-cell transmission. MBS may be transmitted in the coverage of a single cell. One or more Multicast/Broadcast control channels (e.g., MCCHs) and one or more Multicast /Broadcast data channels (e.g., MTCHs) may be mapped on DL-SCH. The scheduling may be done by the gNB. The Multicast/Broadcast control channel and the Multicast/ Broadcast data channel transmissions may be indicated by a logical channel specific RNTI on PDCCH’, ¶ 0103).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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.
6. Claims 47-52 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Publication No.: US 2023/0370905 A1 to Babaei et al. (Babaei) as disclosed in the IDS.
As to Claim 47, Babaei discloses a device comprising:
at least one processor (Fig. 15, ‘processor 1540’); and
at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor (Fig. 15, ‘in some examples, the processor 1540 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In other examples, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1540. The processor 1540 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1530) to cause the UE 1500 or the base station 1505 to perform various functions’, ¶ 0101), cause the device to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving, from a radio access network node (‘in some examples, a procedure may be used by the UE to inform RAN that the UE is receiving or is interested to receive MBS service(s) via an MBS radio bearer, and if so, to inform the 5G RAN about the priority of MBS versus unicast reception or MBS service(s) reception in receive only mode. The UE may transmit a message (e.g., an MBS interest indication message) message to inform RAN that the UE is receiving/interested to receive or no longer receiving/interested to receive MBS service(s)’, ¶ 0107), information indicating that the device is to use a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state for reception of data of the multicast session (‘the UE may receive the MBS configuration parameters and/or information required to receive data associated with the MBS services using the target cell as part of an RRC reject message indicating remaining in the RRC inactive/idle state’, ¶ 0156);
transitioning to the RRC inactive state (‘in some embodiments, the UE may receive an RRC release message indicating a transition to the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state, wherein the RRC release message may comprise one or more MBS service continuity parameters. In some embodiments, the RRC release message may comprises a suspend config information element indicating the transition to the RRC inactive state and comprising the one or more MBS service continuity parameters’, ¶ 0171; see also ¶s 0150 and 0156); and
receiving, from radio access network node, the data of the multicast session (‘the UE may receive the one or more MBS configuration parameters based on transmitting the first message. The UE may receive data associated with the one or more MBS services via the target cell based on the MBS configuration parameters and while remaining in the RRC state’, ¶ 0158).
As to Claim 48, Babaei further discloses sending, to the radio access network node, an indication that the user equipment supports reception of data of multicast sessions while in the RRC inactive state (‘in an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) in a radio resource control (RRC) state, may receive a broadcast message comprising measurement configuration parameters, wherein the RRC state may be one of an RRC inactive state and an RRC idle state’, ¶ 0158).
As to Claim 49, Babaei further discloses receiving information indicative that the multicast session is provided in a cell and in one or more neighbouring cells of the cell (‘the one or more configuration messages may provide information about the neighbor cells transmitting the MBS sessions which may be ongoing on the current cell. In some examples, the UE may receive a single MBS service at a time, or more than one MBS services in parallel’, ¶ 0109; see also ¶ 0155).
As to Claim 50, Babaei further discloses wherein the receiving comprises receiving a broadcast comprising the information (‘receiving, by a user equipment (UE) in a radio resource control (RRC) state, a broadcast message comprising measurement configuration parameters, wherein the RRC state corresponds to at least one of an RRC inactive state and an RRC idle state; determining, based on the measurement configuration parameters, a service continuity trigger for one or more multicast broadcast services (MBS) services’, ¶ 0004).
As to Claim 51, Babaei further discloses wherein the receiving the information comprises receiving a RRC release message comprising the information (‘the UE may transition to the RRC Inactive or the RRC Idle state from an RRC connected state based on receiving an RRC message (e.g., an RRC release message) indicating release of the RRC configurations or suspending the RRC configurations. For example, a suspend configuration information element in the RRC release message may indicate one or more RNTIs for identifying suspended UE context in the RRC Inactive state and/or receiving paging information’, ¶ 0150); and wherein the transitioning comprises transitioning to the RRC inactive state after receipt of the RRC release message (‘the network may initiate the RRC connection release procedure to transit a UE in RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_IDLE state’, ¶ 0119).
As to Claim 52, Babaei further discloses wherein the receiving the information comprises receiving in a multicast control channel (MCCH), a multicast traffic channel (MTCH) configuration for the multicast session, the MTCH configuration comprising the information and an identifier of the multicast session (‘in some example, MBS services may be enabled via single-cell transmission. MBS may be transmitted in the coverage of a single cell. One or more Multicast/Broadcast control channels (e.g., MCCHs) and one or more Multicast /Broadcast data channels (e.g., MTCHs) may be mapped on DL-SCH. The scheduling may be done by the gNB. The Multicast/Broadcast control channel and the Multicast/ Broadcast data channel transmissions may be indicated by a logical channel specific RNTI on PDCCH’, ¶ 0103).
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GBEMILEKE J ONAMUTI whose telephone number is (571)270-5619. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ASAD NAWAZ can be reached at (571)272-3988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GBEMILEKE J ONAMUTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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