DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . The instant First Office Action on the merits is in response to claims filed on 10/4/2024.
Claims 1-11, 13-17, 19, 27-28 and 31 are pending. Claims 1, 16 and 31 are the base independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted was filed before the mailing of a first Office action on the merits. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97(b). Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, or 365(c) is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-11, 13-17, 19, 27-28 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over WANG et al (US 2022/0070784) in view of XUE et al (US 2024/0244551), further in view of Hoglund et al (US 2025/0008452) or CHOU et al (US 2018/0192384).
Regarding claim 1, WANG discloses a signal processing method, executed by a user equipment (UE)
in a case that the first transceiver is deactivated (fig. 3 & par 40; e.g. it is understood, in a case before the baseband receiver starts to operate), monitoring a synchronization signal through the second transceiver (par 40; the other of which is a radio frequency analog receiver (a power-saving-signal receiver) for receiving the power saving signal; under BRI, the power saving signal reads on a synchronization signal), wherein the synchronization signal carries an area identification (ID) (par 65, par 68; a wake up area ID; also par 74).
The reference does not directly disclose two transceivers, but it is understood a UE can have a first transceiver and a second transceiver as disclosed by XUE.
XUE discloses in fig. 14 or par 197; e.g. the first link may indicate a link used when the terminal device receives and sends a signal via the wake-up circuit in FIG. 2, and the second link may indicate a link used when the terminal device receives and sends a signal via the main circuit. Thus, it is understood, the UE can have a first transceiver circuit and a second transceiver circuit.
In view of the above, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of communication protocol configured for the electronic system of XUE with the electronic system of WANG. One is motivated as such to improve flexibility (XUE, par 22).
Regarding claim 2, XUE discloses:
in a case that the first transceiver is deactivated, periodically monitoring the synchronization signal through the second transceiver according to a synchronization signal configuration (par 171-172; e.g. the network device determines the periodicity of the synchronization signal, and periodically sends the synchronization signal based on the periodicity of the synchronization signal).
Regarding claim 3, XUE discloses:
receiving, through the first transceiver, a broadcast message comprising the synchronization signal configuration (par 243; e.g. network device may send the configuration information using system information block).
Regarding claim 4, WANG discloses:
in a case that a monitoring result of they synchronization signal satisfies a wake up condition, activating the first transceiver (par 60; e.g. the base station configures through the RRC signaling semi-statically information of a power saving signal needing to be received by the terminal, according to a location change of the UE such as a distance change with respect to a base station within a serving cell).
Regarding claim 5, WANG discloses:
wherein the case that the monitoring result of the synchronization signal satisfies the wake up condition comprises at least one of: a change of the area ID carried in the synchronization signal being monitored; the synchronization signal being not monitored within a monitoring time period for monitoring the synchronization signal; or a number of continuous monitoring time periods during which no synchronization signal is monitored reaching a number threshold (par 60; e.g. the base station configures through the RRC signaling semi-statically information of a power saving signal needing to be received by the terminal, according to a location change of the UE such as a distance change with respect to a base station within a serving cell).
Regarding clam 6, XUE discloses:
after the first transceiver is activated, monitoring a synchronization signal block (SSB) through the first transceiver (par 266; e.g. SSB).
Regarding claim 7, WANG discloses:
wherein one or more cells exist in an area indicated by the area ID (par 75; e.g. wake up area may be a coverage area of a single cell).
Regarding claim 8, WANG discloses:
wherein synchronization signal configurations of a plurality of cells in an area indicated by the area ID are the same (par 75; e.g. these binary sequences have the same wake up area ID).
Regarding claim 9, WANG discloses:
in a case that the first transceiver is deactivated, monitoring a power saving signal through the second transceiver (par 40; the other of which is a radio frequency analog receiver (a power-saving-signal receiver) for receiving the power saving signal).
Regarding claim 10, XUE discloses:
wherein a frequency domain position of the power saving signal is the same as a frequency domain position of the synchronization signal; and/or, a time domain position of the power saving signal is different from a time domain position of the synchronization signal (par 28; e.g. the terminal device receives the wake-up signal and the synchronization signal on the first link (a frequency corresponding to the first link includes the first frequency resource), a resource occupation ratio for the first link can be reduced).
Regarding claim 11, the combination does not explicitly indicate signal overlapping, however, Hoglund discloses:
in response to time domain positions of the power saving signal and the synchronization signal overlapping, determining that the synchronization signal is monitored through the second transceiver (par 79-80; e.g. synchronization signal at least partially overlaps in time with the wake-up signal…the first communication node 12 may make use of the synchronization acquired from the synchronization signal 16 when operating the wake-up receiver 12W to monitor for the wake-up signal; it is obvious to switch the signal, so that the second receiver receives the synchronization signal).
In view of the above, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of communication protocol configured for the electronic system of Hoglund with the electronic system of WANG and XUE. One is motivated as such to help power conservation (Hoglund, par 6).
Regarding claim 12, the combination does not explicitly indicate signal overlapping, however, Hoglund discloses:
in response to time domain positions of the power saving signal and the synchronization signal overlapping, determining that the power saving signal is monitored through the second transceiver (par 79-80; e.g. synchronization signal at least partially overlaps in time with the wake-up signal…the first communication node 12 may make use of the synchronization acquired from the synchronization signal 16 when operating the wake-up receiver 12W to monitor for the wake-up signal).
In view of the above, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of communication protocol configured for the electronic system of Hoglund with the electronic system of WANG and XUE. One is motivated as such to help power conservation (Hoglund, par 6).
Regarding claim 13, WANG discloses:
receiving a broadcast message of a power saving signal configuration through the first transceiver (par 56; e.g. the base station may also transmit configuration information of the power saving signal needing to be received by the first terminal).
Regarding claim 14, WANG discloses:
wherein power saving signal configurations of a plurality of cells in an area indicated by the area ID are the same (par 75; e.g. these binary sequences have the same wake up area ID).
Regarding claim 15, the combination does not disclose different beams, however, CHOU discloses:
wherein in a multi-beam scenario, different beams in a same cycle send the synchronization signals in different time periods (fig. 4, par 52; e.g. synchronization signal (SS) frame 410 includes SS blocks 412, 414, 416, and 418, each corresponding to a different beam).
In view of the above, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of communication protocol configured for the electronic system of CHOU with the electronic system of WANG and XUE. One is motivated as such to improve system robustness (CHOU, par 62).
Regarding claim 16, WANG discloses a signal processing method, executed by a first network device, and the method comprising:
sending a synchronization signal, wherein the synchronization signal carries an area identification (ID) (par 65, par 68; a wake up area ID; also par 74); and the synchronization signal is monitored by a second transceiver of a user equipment (UE) (par 40; the other of which is a radio frequency analog receiver (a power-saving-signal receiver) for receiving the power saving signal; under BRI, the power saving signal reads on a synchronization signal).
Regarding claim 17, XUE discloses:
sending a synchronization signal configuration via a broadcast message (par 243; e.g. network device may send the configuration information using system information block).
Regarding claim 19, XUE discloses:
sending a power saving signal; wherein the power saving signal is used for waking up a first transceiver of the UE after the second transceiver of the UE monitors the power saving signal (par 48, par 151; e.g. if detecting the wake-up signal associated with the terminal device, the terminal device triggers to wake up the main circuit).
Regarding claim 27, WANG discloses:
negotiating at least one of a synchronization signal configuration or a power saving signal configuration with a second network device in an area indicated by the area ID (par 50; e.g. receiving power-saving-signal indication information reported by a first terminal, wherein the power saving-signal indication information is at least used to indicate that the first terminal supports or does not support reception of the power saving signal).
Regarding claim 28, Hoglund discloses:
wherein negotiating at least one of the synchronization signal configuration or the power saving signal configuration with the second network device in the area indicated by the area ID comprises at least one of: before the first network device broadcasts the synchronization signal configuration, receiving the synchronization signal configuration that has been broadcast by the second network device, and determining the synchronization signal configuration provided by the second network device as the synchronization signal configuration of the first network device; before the first network device broadcasts the power saving signal configuration, receiving the power saving signal configuration that has been broadcast by the second network device, and determining the power saving signal configuration provided by the second network device as the power saving signal configuration of the first network device; in response to not receiving the synchronization signal configuration that has been broadcast by the second network device, providing the synchronization signal configuration of the first network device to the second network device; or in response to not receiving the power saving signal configuration that has been broadcast by the second network device, providing the power saving signal configuration of the first network device to the second network device (fig. 10 or par 101; e.g. the network 10 configures one such synchronization signal in a cell; thus one skilled in the art understood, either one of the first and second network device may provide one such synchronization signal in a cell, and indicate this information explicitly in the SI).
Regarding claim 31, WANG in view of XUE also discloses a communication device for performing the method of claim 1 (also see WANG, par 197).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YAOTANG WANG whose telephone number is (571)272-4023. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-18:00 ET (M, W, TH & alternate F).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, HADI ARMOUCHE can be reached at 571-270-3618. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YAOTANG WANG/SCE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409
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