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 .
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 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.
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) 1, 2, 12, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0284194) in view of Nuggehalli et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0032139) and Xu et al. (Pub No.: 2025/0203708).
Regarding claim 12, Lee et al. discloses a system (see fig. 10, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) with gateway and data network), comprising:
a user equipment (see UE 100d in fig. 1 or UE in fig. 10) in a mobile communication network (see fig. 10, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) with gateway and/or data network), wherein the mobile communication network comprises a non-terrestrial network (see fig. 10, Non-Terrestrial Network); and
a base station entity (see base stations 200 in fig. 1 or UAS platform in fig. 10), configured to serve the user equipment, wherein the base station entity is part of the non-terrestrial network (see para. 0198; UAS platform in NTN), wherein the base station entity comprises an antenna (Lee et al. see antennas 108 in fig. 2),
wherein the base station entity is configured to transmit, to the user equipment, reference location information (read as cell coverage information including information on a location of a reference point for the NTN cell by time in para. 0013), wherein the reference location information relates to a specific part of a currently covered area (read as the cell coverage information in para. 0013) (Lee et al. see para. 0013, 0288-0293, 0380; The BS may transmit, to a wireless device, cell coverage information for a Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) cell including (1) information on a location of a reference point for the NTN cell by time, (2) information on a trace of a reference point for the NTN cell, and (3) information on one or more secant values per vertical distance range). Thus, the BS transmits the cell coverage information which relates to a coverage information of a reference point by time for the NTN cell,
wherein the user equipment is configured to:
generate location information related to the user equipment's position (Lee et al. see para. 0018; a wireless device can calculate the expected remaining service time based on location information of the wireless device and cell coverage information.). Thus, the wireless device (e.g., UE) determines/generates its own location information; and
compute or estimate a service time interval or service time information (read as the calculated remaining service time in para. 0018), wherein the computing or estimating is based on the location information related to the user equipment's position and the reference location information (Lee et al. see fig. 14, see para. 0018; a wireless device can calculate the expected remaining service time based on location information of the wireless device and cell coverage information.). In other words, the wireless device calculates/computes the remaining service time based on the location information of the wireless device and the cell coverage information which includes a location of a reference point for the NTN cell by time.
However, Lee et al. does not explicitly disclose the feature wherein the antenna is satellite-based or based on a high-altitude platform, wherein the antenna is configured to move relative to an earth surface along a direction of movement to provide radio coverage for a moving area corresponding to an earth-moving radio cell and wherein the base station entity transmits general service time information, wherein the general service time information relates to a time at which the base station entity is likely to stop serving the currently covered area.
Nuggehalli et al. from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses the feature wherein the antenna is satellite-based or based on a high-altitude platform, wherein the antenna is configured to move relative to an earth surface along a direction of movement to provide radio coverage for a moving area corresponding to an earth-moving radio cell (Nuggehalli et al. see para. 0175; For a RAN device 918 that is a terrestrial base station, one or more of the transceiver(s) 926 and/or the antenna(s) 928 may instead be present on a satellite gateway associated with the base station (e.g., as shown in reference to the terrestrial base station 104 and the satellite gateway 106 of FIG. 1). For a RAN device 918 that is a satellite base station, the transceiver(s) 926 and/or the antenna(s) 928 may be present on the satellite, and one or more of those antenna(s) 928 may be antenna(s) appropriate for satellite communication (such as a moving parabolic antenna, an omni-directional phased-array antenna, etc.)). The antenna is satellite-based or based on a high-altitude platform that moves relative to an earth surface to provide radio coverage to a cell;
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Lee et al. and to implement with the feature as taught by Nuggehalli et al. wherein the antenna is satellite-based that is configured to move relative to an earth surface along a direction of movement to provide radio coverage for a moving area.
The motivation would be to improve transmission reliability.
Nuggehalli et al. does not explicitly disclose the feature wherein the base station entity transmits general service time information, wherein the general service time information relates to a time at which the base station entity is likely to stop serving the currently covered area.
Xu et al. from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses the feature wherein the base station entity transmits general service time information (read as parameter B2 in para. 0073), wherein the general service time information relates to a time at which the base station entity is likely to stop serving the currently covered area (Xu et al. see para. 0073-0076; In some other embodiments, in operation 201, the BS may transmit at least one the following parameters B1-B6 configured by the BS or by the network to the UE: [0074] Parameter B1: a prediction of network coverage or an updated prediction of network coverage; [0075] Parameter B2: a time point, which may include at least one of: a stop serving time of a cell, a remaining serving time of the cell, a threshold associated with the stop serving time, or a threshold associated with remaining serving time, etc.; [0076] Parameter B3: a location, which may include at least one of: a reference location, a footprint edge of a cell…). The BS transmits parameters such as Parameter B2: a time point, which may include at least one of: a stop serving time of a cell, a remaining serving time of the cell which indicates that the BS likely to stop serving the UE in that covered area/cell. Thus, the stop serving time and/or a remaining serving time of the cell is read as the general service time information;
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Lee et al. in view of Nuggehalli et al. and to implement with the feature as taught by Xu et al. such that the base station entity transmits general service time information, wherein the general service time relates to a time at which the base station entity is likely to stop serving the currently covered area.
The motivation would be to reduce connection drops.
Claims 1 and 13 are rejected similarly to claim 12.
Regarding claim 2, Nuggehalli et al. discloses the feature wherein the location information related to the user equipment's position is generated using a global navigation satellite system (Nuggehalli et al. see para. 0042; The UE may calculate this amount of time, in some cases, through the use of the UE location information (e.g., as determined by GPS/GNSS).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Lee et al. in view of Xu et al. and to implement with the feature as taught by Nuggehalli et al. to determine/generate UE position based on GNSS.
The motivation would be to provide accuracy.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0284194) in view of Nuggehalli et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0032139) and Xu et al. (Pub No.: 2025/0203708) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Xiong (Pub No.: 2026/0281765).
Regarding claim 4, Lee et al. in view of Nuggehalli et al. and Xu et al. does not explicitly disclose the feature wherein the base station entity transmits, to the user equipment, the reference location information and the general service time information as information elements as part of a system information block.
Xiong et al. from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses the feature wherein the base station entity transmits, to the user equipment, the reference location information and the general service time information as information elements as part of a system information block (Xiong see abstract; para. 0040-0042; The method is executed by a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving serving satellite information via a system information block from a network device, in which the serving satellite information includes a distance threshold, the distance threshold is a distance from a reference location of a serving cell. In para. 0042, …a time service threshold included in a system information block is received, the time service threshold is time information on when an NTN cell is going to stop serving the area it is currently covering).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Lee et al. in view of Nuggehalli et al. and Xu et al. and to implement with the feature as taught by Xiong et al. wherein the base station transmit the reference location information and general service time information as part of a system information block.
The motivation would be to improve transmission efficiency.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0284194) in view of Nuggehalli et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0032139) and Xu et al. (Pub No.: 2025/0203708) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Watts et al. (Pub No.: 2025/0233650).
Regarding claim 5, Lee et al. in view of Nuggehalli et al. and Xu et al. does not explicitly disclose the feature wherein the user equipment transmits, to the base station entity, the service time interval or the service time information.
Watts et al. from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses the feature wherein the user equipment transmits, to the base station entity, the service time interval or the service time information (Watts et al. see para. 0073; The start and duration of discontinuous coverage (e.g., a coverage gap) may be calculated via location information (e.g., the distance between the WTRU and serving/neighboring cell center and the diameter of cell coverage). The WTRU may report that it is about to enter a coverage gap at some configured offset (e.g., via a timer) from the start time of the coverage gap.). Thus, the UE reports the coverage gap (e.g., discontinue coverage duration) to a serving gNB.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the disclosure of Lee et al. in view of Nuggehalli et al. and Xu et al. and to implement with the feature as taught by Watts et al. wherein the UE transmits/reports coverage gap or time to a serving gNB.
The motivation would be to provide better network coordination.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 6, 7 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.
Examiner's Note
The Applicant is welcome to request a telephonic interview if the Applicant has any questions or requires any additional information that would further or expedite the prosecution of the application.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ye et al. (Pub No.: 2024/0031010) discloses indicating a transmission gap at a user equipment (UE) in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) may include decoding a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) aggregation factor associated with a distance to a serving satellite in the NTN. A transmission gap information communication may be decoded. The transmission gap information communication may include at least information associated with a PUSCH transmission gap and a maximum number of repetitions before the PUSCH transmission gap. Uplink (UL) PUSCH transmissions equal to the maximum number of repetitions may be encoded before occurrence of PUSCH transmission gap.
Edge (Pub No.: 2021/0144669) discloses access, mobility management and regulatory services are supported for satellite access to a 5G core network. A coverage area, e.g., a country or region, is divided into fixed virtual cells and fixed tracking areas. The UE receives configuration information for fixed cells and fixed tracking areas associated with a serving PLMN. The fixed cells and the fixed tracking areas are defined, independently of each other, as fixed geographic areas. A position of the UE is used to determine a fixed serving cell and/or fixed tracking area for the UE. A service operation for the UE is enabled for the serving PLMN based on the fixed serving cell or the fixed tracking area. A fixed cell may be associated with an overlapping fixed tracking area by assigning a color code to the tracking area and appending the color code to an ID for the fixed cell.
Catovic et al. (Pub No.: 2023/0037983) discloses a UE may include IoT NTN device, and the UE may acquire the GNSS location to perform the time/frequency pre-compensation. A NAS layer of the UE may initiate a connection request procedure based on the GNSS fix procedure at one or more lower layer of the UE. A network may transmit a paging request to the UE, and manage a paging response timer based on the GNSS fix procedure at the UE.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAN YUEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1413. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 10:30am-7pm.
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/KAN YUEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
