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 11/01/2024 was filed after the filing of the instant application on 10/08/2024 for consideration. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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.
Claims 1-14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al (US 2023/0045700 A1), hereinafter, “Wu” in view of R2-2001536 et al (3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #109; E-Meeting, 24th Feb - 6th Mar 2020; Agenda Item: 6.9.4.1; Source: LG Electronics Inc.; Title: Transaction ID Issue in CPC; Document for: Discussion and Decision), hereinafter, “R2-2001536”.
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses: A method performed by a user equipment (UE) configured to operate in a wireless communication system (Wu: para [0019], where, “a method in a UE for mobility configuration”, see fig 15 and 16A-B), the method comprising: receiving, from a radio access network (RAN) node related to a first primary cell (PCell) (Wu: fig 4, para [0117]-[0118], where, the base station 104A operates as an S-MN, which is related to a primary Pcell hereinafter “first Pcell”, where, the UE 102 receives mobility configuration message from the S-MN and communicates with the S-MN in step 402, fig 15), a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message related to a mobility command for a target secondary cell group (SCG) (Wu: para [0004], where, “SRB1 and SRB2 resources allow the UE and the MN to exchange RRC messages related to the MN and embed RRC messages related to the SN, and also can be referred to as MCG SRBs. SRB3 resources allow the UE and the SN to exchange RRC messages related to the SN, and can be referred to as SCG SRBs”),
wherein the RRC reconfiguration message comprises a transaction identifier (ID) which is set for the RRC reconfiguration message (Wu: fig 7A-B, para [0173], where, “The RRC reconfiguration complete message can include a transaction identity/identifier (ID) set to a value different from the RRC reconfiguration complete message of the event 737”);
performing a PCell mobility from the first PCell to a second Pcell (Wu: fig 3A-B, in step 350, para [0096], where, the UE 102 performs Pcell mobility from the MN 104A equivalent to “first Pcell” to the C-MN 106B equivalent to “second Pcell”, and fig 7A-B, step 706, para [0166]);
performing a primary secondary cell (PSCell) mobility for the target SCG based on applying configurations in the RRC reconfiguration message after performing the PCell mobility (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0192], where, “the UE 102 performs 854 a random access procedure with T-SN 104B equivalent to “Target SCG” via the T-PSCell 124B, e.g., using one or more random access configurations included in the T-SN equivalent to “Target SCG” configuration. After the UE 102 completes the random access procedure 854” where, T-PScell equivalent to “second Pcell”);
and transferring, to a network node related to the second PCell, an RRC reconfiguration complete message related to a completion of the PSCell mobility (Wu: fig 3, para [0098], where, transmitted “the handover complete message (event 352) can be an RRCReconfigurationComplete message. When the S-MN 104A is implemented as an eNB or a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), the handover command can be an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, and the T-MN configuration can be one or more RRCConnectionReconfiguration-r8-IEs as defined in 3GPP TS 36.331. In this case, the handover complete message can be an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message”), Wu does not explicitly teach: wherein the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the UE to the network node related to the second PCell, via an RRC message with no transaction ID which is set for the RRC message.
R2-2001536 teaches: wherein the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the UE to the network node related to the second Pcell (R2-2001536: Section 2. Discussion: fig 1, steps 1-8, step 7, where, “The UE replies with RRC Reconfiguration Complete message i.e. second RRC Reconfiguration Complete to the MN for indicating to the SN that the CPC execution is succeeded”) via an RRC message with no transaction ID which is set for the RRC message (R2-2001536: Section 2. Discussion: fig 1, steps 1-8, describe the transaction ID problem in order to solve this transaction Id problem, where, “7. However, there is a problem to set transaction Id when constructing the RRC Reconfiguration Complete message for MN. If the UE sets the same transaction Id i.e. value 1, according to the pairing rule of transaction Id, the MN may ignore the message because the RRC Reconfiguration Complete message with the same transaction Id is already received by the MN”, “8. to solve this transaction Id problem, the simplest way is using another RRC message which is not needed to set transaction Id for responding to MN. Since the UL Information Transfer MRDC message already has an IE field to transferring uplink message for both NR and LTE, RAN2 may simply take the UL Information Transfer MRDC message to resolve this transaction Id problem in the CPC procedure”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use “wherein the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the UE to the network node related to the second PCell, via an RRC message with no transaction ID which is set for the RRC message” as taught by R2-2001536 into Wu in order to solve this transaction Id problem, the simplest way is using another RRC message which is not needed to set transaction Id for responding to MN (R2-2001536: Section 2. Discussion: fig 1, steps 1-8).
Regarding claim 14, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1 above. The claims are mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding wireless communication of user equipment, and the rejection to claim 1 is applied hereto. Additionally, the claim includes a memory and a processor. However, Wu discloses the memory and the processor (Wu: fig 1A, para [0062]).
Regarding claim 16, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1 above. The claims are mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding wireless communication of a Network Node, and the rejection to claim 1 is applied hereto. Additionally, the claim includes a memory and a processor. However, Wu discloses the memory and the processor (Wu: fig 1A, para [0062]).
Regarding claim 2, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message is a first RRC reconfiguration message, and comprises a second RRC reconfiguration message for the target SCG generated by the target SCG, and wherein the RRC reconfiguration complete message is a response message for the second RRC reconfiguration message (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0197], where, “The RRC reconfiguration complete message may include a transaction identifier set to a value different from a value of a transaction ID included in the RRC reconfiguration complete message of the event 83”).
Regarding claim 3, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 2, wherein a transaction ID in the RRC reconfiguration complete message is set to the same value as included in the second RRC reconfiguration message that triggered the RRC reconfiguration complete message (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0192], where, “The RRC reconfiguration complete message may include a transaction identifier set to a value different from a value of a transaction ID included in the RRC reconfiguration complete message of the event 83”).
.
Regarding claim 4, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction ID which is set for the RRC reconfiguration message is unused for transferring the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the UE to the network node related to the second Pcell (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0192], where, “the UE 102 performs 854 a random access procedure with T-SN 104B equivalent to “Target SCG” via the T-PSCell 124B, e.g., using one or more random access configurations included in the T-SN equivalent to “Target SCG” configuration. After the UE 102 completes the random access procedure 854” where, T-PScell (equivalent to “second Pcell”)”).
Regarding claim 5, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction ID in the RRC reconfiguration message is set for transaction between the UE and the first Pcell (Wu: fig 7A-B, para [0173], where, “The RRC reconfiguration complete message can include a transaction identity/identifier (ID) set to a value different from the RRC reconfiguration complete message of the event 737”).
Regarding claim 6, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein, after the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the UE to the network node related to the second PCell, the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the network node related to the second PCell to a network node related to the target SCG (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0185], where, “the UE 102 performs 854 a random access procedure with T-SN 104B equivalent to “the UE 102 starts a timer (e.g., timer T304 or T307) in response to receiving 737 the RRC reconfiguration message. The UE 102 can fail to complete a random access procedure on the T-PCell 124B before the timer expires and, due to expiration of the timer, the UE 102 determines that the immediate procedure failed”);
Regarding claim 7, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 6, wherein the RRC reconfiguration complete message is transferred from the network node related to the second PCell to the network node related to the target SCG, based on the RRC message comprising no transaction ID set for the RRC message (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0192], where, “the UE 102 performs 854 a random access procedure with T-SN 104B equivalent to “Target SCG” via the T-PSCell 124B, e.g., using one or more random access configurations included in the T-SN equivalent to “Target SCG” configuration. After the UE 102 completes the random access procedure 854” where, T-PScell (equivalent to “second Pcell”)”).
Regarding claim 8, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the RRC message comprises a transfer indication indicating to the network node related to the second PCell that the RRC message comprises a message to be transferred to another network node (Wu: fig 7A-B and 8A-B, para [0192], where, “the UE 102 performs 854 a random access procedure with T-SN 104B equivalent to “Target SCG” via the T-PSCell 124B, e.g., using one or more random access configurations included in the T-SN equivalent to “Target SCG” configuration. After the UE 102 completes the random access procedure 854” where, T-PScell equivalent to “second Pcell”).
Regarding claim 9, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 8, wherein the transfer indication has a value different from possible values of transaction ID (Wu: fig 7A-B, para [0173], where, “The RRC reconfiguration complete message can include a transaction identity/identifier (ID) set to a value different from the RRC reconfiguration complete message of the event 737”).
Regarding claim 10, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining configurations for a plurality of cell groups including the target SCG (Wu: fig 3A-B, para [0107], where, “the C-MN configuration includes a cell group configuration (CellGroupConfig) IE that configures the C-PCell 126B as well as zero, one, or more C-SCells of the C-MN 106B”), wherein each of the plurality of cell groups corresponds to a distinct value of transaction ID (Wu: fig 7A-B, para [0173], where, “The UE 102 can set the value of the transaction ID to a value of a transaction ID included in the C-SN configuration of the event 736. The RRC message can be a ULInformationTransferMRDC message, an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message”).
Regarding claim 11, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the mobility command for the target SCG comprises the RRC reconfiguration message (Wu: fig 3A-B, step 318, para [0093], where, “The UE 102 can start checking the one or more trigger conditions for connecting to the C-PCell 126B upon receiving 318 the conditional configuration or, in other implementations, after another event such as completion of an immediate procedure”).
Regarding claim 12, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the RRC message is a ULnformationTransferMRDC message (Wu: fig 7A-B, para [0173], where, “The RRC message can be a ULInformationTransferMRDC message, an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message, or an RRCReconfigurationComplete message”).
Regarding claim 13, Wu modified by R2-2001536 disclose: The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is in communication with at least one of a mobile device, a network, or autonomous vehicles (Wu: fig 1A-B, para [0060], where, UE102 is in communication with network node 104A equivalent to “Pcell”).
Conclusion
Prior art considered but not used: Chen et al (US-20210099926-A1), “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONAL PSCELL CHANGE”.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NIZAM U AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-9561. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fry, 7:00 AM-6:00 PM PST.
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/NIZAM U AHMED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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