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 .
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.
DETAILED ACTION
This communication is in response to Application No. 18/859,590 filed on 24 October 2024. This application claims 371 priority to PCT/CN2022/088991 filed on 25 April 2022. The preliminary amendment filed on 24 October 2024 amends claims 1-15, and adds claims 16-20, and presents arguments is hereby acknowledged. Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US PGPUB 2020/0235871 A1 to Kim et al and in view of US PGPUB 2025/0039817 A1 to Cirik et al
Regarding Claim 1, Kim discloses a user equipment (UE) (FIG. 10, UE 1020), comprising: at least one memory (FIG. 10, memory 1022); and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE (FIG. 10, processor 1021) to: receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message for mobility associated with a target cell from a network (0104-0105 provides for a UE receiving an RRC reconfiguration message of mobility control to SCell). Kim doesn’t explicitly disclose wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility includes a configuration regarding two transmission reception points (TRPs) of the target cell, and wherein the two TRPs have two different timing advance (TA), respectively; and response to receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility, to perform a random access (RA) procedure to the target cell and to start a mobility timer. Cirik, in a similar field of endeavor, discloses wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility includes a configuration regarding two transmission reception points (TRPs) of the target cell (0217 and 0352-0354 provides for wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for an multi-TRP operations); wherein the two TRPs have two different timing advance (TA), respectively (0219 provides for the first TRP is associated with a first TAG and the second TRP is associated with a second timing advance of the second TAG); and response to receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility, to perform a random access (RA) procedure to the target cell and to start a mobility timer (0161, 0256, and 0321-0325 provides for in response to handover, perform a random access procedure for SCell addition). One of ordinary skill in the art before the effectively filed date of the claimed invention would have recognized the ability to utilize the teachings of Cirik for multi-TRP configuration parameters. The multi-TRP configuration parameters of Cirik, when implemented with the reconfiguration of the Kim system, will allow one of ordinary skill in the art to configure two timing advance groups in a multi-TRP operation in order to communicate mobility changes of a wireless device. Therefore, the examiner concludes it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to utilize the multi-TRP configuration parameters of Cirik with the reconfiguration of the Kim system for the desirable purpose of a wireless device moving between cells in a multi-TRP operation.
Regarding Claim 2, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the target cell is a primary cell of a master cell group (PCell) (Kim, 0104 provides for PCell) or a primary cell of a second cell group (PSCell).
Regarding Claim 3, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the configuration indicates that the two TRPs belong to different timing advance groups (TAGs) (Cirik, 0219 provides for the first TRP is associated with a first TAG and the second TRP is associated with a second timing advance of the second TAG). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 4, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the configuration includes first identity (ID) information of each TRP within the two TRPs (Cirik, FIG. 18 and 0256 provides for TAG ID). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 5, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility indicates a first TRP or a primary TRP to which the UE can perform the RA procedure within the two TRPs (Cirik, 0211 and 0219 provides for a first TRP). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 6, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 5, wherein, to perform the RA procedure to the target cell, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to perform the RA procedure to the first TRP or the primary TRP (Cirik, 0161, 0256, and 0321-0325 provides for in response to handover, perform a random access procedure for SCell addition). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 7, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: stop the mobility timer upon a successful completion of the RA procedure to the first TRP or the primary TRP (Cirik, 0302 provides for stop timer based on successful contention resolution); and transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message via the transceiver to the target cell (Cirik, 0348 and 0352 provides for RRC reconfiguration parameters and completion). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 8, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: stop the mobility timer upon a successful completion of the RA procedure to one TRP within the two TRPs (Cirik, 0302 provides for stop timer based on successful contention resolution); and transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message via the transceiver to the target cell (Cirik, 0348 and 0352 provides for RRC reconfiguration parameters and completion). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 9, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 8, wherein, in response to failing to complete the RA procedure to one TRP within the two TRPs, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to transmit failure information regarding the one TRP to the network (Cirik, 0168 and 0301 provides for random-access procedure being unsuccessful). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 10, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 9, wherein the failure information is transmitted via an RRC reconfiguration complete message or other RRC message (Cirik, 0168, 0267, and 0301 provides for RRC reconfiguration parameters for unsuccessful RA procedure). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 11, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 9, wherein the failure information includes at least one of: second ID information of the one TRP in which a RA failure happens, or a failure cause (Cirik, 0242 provides for a maximum number cells that can be configured with more than one TAG). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 12, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 11, wherein the failure cause includes at least one of: reaching a maximum number of preamble transmission of the one TRP (Cirik, 0242 provides for a maximum number cells that can be configured with more than one TAG); or an occurrence of the RA failure. Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 13, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to perform the RA procedure to a second TRP within the two TRPs upon: the successful completion of the RA procedure to the other TRP within the two TRPs; an uplink (UL) data arrival associated with the second TRP; or a reception of a message for requesting the UE to perform the RA procedure to the second TRP from the network (Cirik, 0161, 0256, and 0321-0325 provides for in response to handover, perform a random access procedure for SCell addition). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 14, the Kim/Cirik system discloses the UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: stop the mobility timer upon a successful completion of the RA procedure to all of the two TRPs (Cirik, 0302 provides for stop timer based on successful contention resolution); and transmit an RRC reconfiguration complete message via the transceiver to the target cell (Cirik, 0348 and 0352 provides for RRC reconfiguration parameters and completion). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 15, Kim discloses a network node (FIG. 10, base station (eNB) 1010), comprising: at least one memory (FIG. 10, memory 1012); and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network node (FIG. 10, processor 1011) to: transmit a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message for mobility associated with a target cell to a user equipment (UE) (0104-0105 provides the network transmitting a RRC reconfiguration message of mobility control to SCell to a UE). Kim doesn’t explicitly disclose wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility includes a configuration regarding two transmission reception points (TRPs) of the target cell, and wherein the two TRPs have two different timing advance (TA), respectively. Cirik, in a similar field of endeavor, discloses wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for mobility includes a configuration regarding two transmission reception points (TRPs) of the target cell (0217 and 0352-0354 provides for wherein the RRC reconfiguration message for an multi-TRP operations), and wherein the two TRPs have two different timing advance (TA), respectively (0219 provides for the first TRP is associated with a first TAG and the second TRP is associated with a second timing advance of the second TAG). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding Claim 16, similar rejection where the UE of claim 2 teaches the network node of claim 16.
Regarding Claim 17, similar rejection where the UE of claim 3 teaches the network node of claim 17.
Regarding Claim 18, similar rejection where the UE of claim 4 teaches the network node of claim 18.
Regarding Claim 19, similar rejection where the UE of claim 5 teaches the network node of claim 19.
Regarding Claim 20, similar rejection where the network node of claim 15 teaches the method of claim 20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WO 2023188349 A1 to Matsumura et al discloses TC MAC CE for each TRP in the SpCell.
US PGPUB 2024/0414772 A1 to Kim discloses a preamble transmission comprises the targeted cell group.
US PGPUB 2025/0159729 A1 to Inoue et al discloses a TAG including a PSCell for Multi Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC).
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/SCHQUITA D GOODWIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2459
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