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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 103/24 is being considered by the examiner.
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(s) 1-2, 5-9, 13-18, 22, 30, and 39-41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Geng et al. (US 2022/0167235).
Regarding claim 1, Geng teaches a method for updating a cell group of a dual connectivity terminal device, performed by a source secondary node (first SN), the method comprising:
sending a cell mobility procedure request message (handover triggering condition information) to a target node (MN), wherein the request message is configured to instruct the target node to prepare a target candidate secondary cell group (SCG) (candidate SN) for the dual connectivity terminal device (see “802 : The first SN sends the handover triggering condition information of the one or more cells corresponding to the at least one candidate secondary access network device to an MN” [0271] and “803 : The MN sends a first conditional SN addition request to the at least one candidate secondary access network device based on the handover triggering condition information of the one or more cells corresponding to the at least one candidate secondary access network device. Specifically, the MN sends the first conditional SN addition request to the candidate SN 1, where the first conditional SN addition request is used to request to add the candidate SN 1 to the MN” [0273] which suggests the handover triggering condition information sent from the first SN “is configured to instruct the target node to prepare a target secondary cell group (SCG)” since the MN prepares the candidate SN and its corresponding SCG for handover by means of the SN Addition procedure which as defined in 3GPP allocates resources for the UE),the target node is a target secondary node or a source master node (MN is a “source master node”).
Regarding claim 2, Geng teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the cell mobility procedure comprises at least one of the following: a condition-based triggered mobility procedure (handover) (see “501 : The first secondary access network device determines handover triggering condition information of one or more cells corresponding to at least one candidate secondary access network device…” [0162]), and a selective activation cell group procedure.
Regarding claim 5, Geng teaches a method for updating a cell group of a dual connectivity terminal device, performed by a source master node (source MN), the method comprising:
sending a cell mobility procedure request message (handover request) to a target node (target MN) in response to meeting a preset condition (handover required) (see “a 601: In a dual connectivity scenario, a source MN determines a target MN , and sends a handover request to the target MN” [0209]), wherein the request message is configured to instruct the target node to prepare a target candidate secondary cell group (SCG) and/or a target candidate master cell group (MCG) for the dual connectivity terminal device (see “602 : After receiving the handover request, the target MN sends an SN addition request to a target SN” [0210] which suggests the handover request message sent by the source MN “is configured to instruct the target node to prepare a target candidate secondary cell group (SCG)” since the target MN prepares a target SN and its corresponding SCG for handover by means of the SN Addition procedure which as defined in 3GPP allocates resources for the UE), the target node is a target master node or a target secondary node (SN) (target SN).
Regarding claim 6, Geng teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein the preset condition comprises any one of the following:
initiating a handover procedure (see above citation handover request is used to initiate a handover procedure);
initiating a SCG addition procedure;
initiating a SCG change procedure;
receiving a cell mobility procedure request message sent by a source secondary node;
receiving a result corresponding to the cell mobility procedure sent by the source secondary node, wherein the result corresponding to the cell mobility procedure is configured to indicate a feedback message of the target SN on the cell mobility procedure.
Regarding claim 7, Geng teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein the target node is a target master node (target MN), the method further comprises:
receiving a feedback message (handover request response message) sent by the target master node, wherein the feedback message is configured to indicate any of the following:
acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG (see “604: The target MN sends a handover request response message to the source MN” [0297] which indicates “acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG” because the terminal device can be handed over to the target MN and its corresponding MCG), rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG, rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG and the target candidate SCG (see above citation handover request response message may indicate acceptance of handover to the target MN and target SN), acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG and the target candidate SCG, acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG but rejection of preparing the target candidate SCG, acceptance of preparing the target candidate SCG but rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG.
Regarding claim 8, Geng teaches the method according to claim 5, wherein the target node is a target secondary node (target SN) and the cell mobility procedure is used for preparing the target candidate SCG, the method further comprises:
receiving a feedback message (SN addition request acknowledge) sent by the target secondary node, wherein the feedback message is configured to indicate rejection of preparing the target candidate SCG, or acceptance of preparing the target candidate SCG (see “603: The target SN feeds back a response message (SN addition request acknowledge) to the target MN” [0211]).
Claims 9 and 17 recite subject matter similar to claim 2 and are therefore rejected on the same basis.
Regarding claim 13, Geng teaches a method for updating a cell group of a dual connectivity terminal device, performed by a target master node (target MN), the method comprising:
receiving a cell mobility procedure request message (handover request) sent by a source master node (source MN) (see “a 601: In a dual connectivity scenario, a source MN determines a target MN , and sends a handover request to the target MN” [0209]), wherein the request message is configured to instruct the target master node to prepare at least one of a target candidate secondary cell group (SCG) and/or a target candidate master cell group (MCG) for the dual connectivity terminal device (see “602: After receiving the handover request, the target MN sends an SN addition request to a target SN” [0210] which suggests the handover request message received by the target MN “is configured to instruct the target master node to prepare at least a target candidate secondary cell group (SCG)” since the target MN prepares a target SN and its corresponding SCG for handover by means of the SN Addition procedure which as defined in 3GPP allocates resources for the UE).
Regarding claim 14, Geng teaches the method according to claim 13, further comprising:
sending a cell mobility procedure request message (SN addition request) to a target secondary node (target SN), wherein the request message is configured to instruct the target secondary node to prepare the target candidate SCG (see “602: After receiving the handover request, the target MN sends an SN addition request to a target SN” [0210]).
Regarding claim 15, Geng teaches the method according to claim 14, further comprising:
receiving a feedback message (SN addition request acknowledge) sent by the target secondary node, wherein the feedback message is configured to indicate rejection of preparing the target candidate SCG, or acceptance of preparing the target candidate SCG (see “603: The target SN feeds back a response message (SN addition request acknowledge) to the target MN” [0211]).
Regarding claim 16, Geng teaches the method according to claim12, further comprising:
sending a feedback message (handover request response message)) to the source master node (see “604: The target MN sends a handover request response message to the source MN” [0212], wherein the feedback message is configured to indicate any of the following: acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG (handover request response message either accepts or rejects handover request to target MN and/or target SN), rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG, rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG and the target candidate SCG, acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG and the target candidate SCG, acceptance of preparing the target candidate MCG but rejection of preparing the target candidate SCG, acceptance of preparing the target candidate SCG but rejection of preparing the target candidate MCG.
Claims 18 and 39 recite subject matter similar to claim 1 and are therefore rejected on the same basis.
Claims 22 and 40 recite subject matter similar to claim 5 and are therefore rejected on the same basis.
Claims 30 and 41 recite subject matter similar to claim 13 and are therefore rejected on the same basis.
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.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Geng et al. (US 2022/0167235) in view of Yan et al. (US 2024/0306049).
Regarding claim 3, Geng teaches receiving a feedback message (response message) sent by the target secondary node (candidate SN), wherein the feedback message is configured to indicate confirmation of acceptance of the cell mobility procedure request, or rejection of the cell mobility procedure request (see “804: The candidate SN 1 feeds back a response message of the first conditional SN addition request to the MN, where the response message carries first configuration information” [0274]), but does not explicitly teach that the response message is received by the source secondary node. In an analogous prior art reference, Yan teaches a source secondary node (source SN) receives information from a target secondary node (candidate/target SN) via a Xn interface between the source secondary node and the target secondary node (see “….if there is an interface, such as the Xn interface between the target SN and the source SN, the target SN may transmit the second feedback information to the source SN directly” [0150] and “the source SN may request the second information from the MN, and request the second information from the candidate SNs” [0154] which suggests that the source SN may directly communicate with the candidate/target SN). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Geng to allow the source secondary node to directly communicate with the target secondary node, as taught by Yan, to receive the feedback message when coordination of the handover by the source secondary node is desired and to conserve signaling resources of the source master node.
Regarding claim 4, Geng and Yan in combination teaches the method according to claim 3, further comprising:
determining a result corresponding to the cell mobility procedure based on the feedback message;
sending the result (SN Change Required message) corresponding to the cell mobility procedure to a source master node (see in Yan “If the SN decides to perform the inter-SN PSCell change procedure or the AI/ML-based SN change action, in step 505, the SN transmits the SN Change Required message to the MN to indicate that it is inter-SN PSCell change” [0143]).
Conclusion
ny inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nam T Huynh whose telephone number is (571)272-5970. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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/NAM T HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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