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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims1-5, 13-16, 20, and 22-23 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected Groups I and III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 08/25/26.
Applicant's election with traverse of Group II in the reply filed on 08/25/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the three claimed processes are not merely sequentially related-their respective technical features correspond directly to one another and collectively form an integrated end-to-end wakeup signaling workflow. No single claimed process can achieve the technical contribution of the overall inventive concept without the others. This is not found persuasive because, as stated in the examiner’s action, filed on 07/20/26,
Invention I, claims 1-5, 20, and 23, drawn to an embodiment, as stated in FIG. 2, para. 0004-0006, a method for waking up a network device, performed by user equipment, comprising determining a transmit power for transmitting a wake-up signal to a first network device; and transmitting the wake-up signal to the first network device based on the transmit power.
Invention II, claims 6-12 and 21, drawn to an embodiment, as stated in FIG. 5, para. 0007-0009,a method for waking up a network device, performed by a first network device, comprising: receiving a wake-up signal from user equipment; determining signal quality indication information of the wake-up signal; and transmitting the signal quality indication information to a second network device.
Invention III, claims 13-16 and 22, drawn to an embodiment, as stated in FIG. 9, para. 0010-0013, a method for waking up a network device, performed by a second network device, comprising: receiving signal quality indication information of wake-up signals from N first network devices; and determining, based on the signal quality indication information, a first network device that meets a second set condition from the N first network devices as a to-be-waked-up first network device, wherein N is a positive integer and N≥1. As evidence that the inventions as stated above are independent, standalone, and distinct from each other.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 6, 10-11, and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (hereinafter “Zhang”, CN104838685).
As per claim 6, Zhang disclosed a method for waking up a network device, performed by a first network device, comprising receiving a wake-up signal from user equipment; determining signal quality indication information of the wake-up signal; and transmitting the signal quality indication information to a second network device (see 0039-0076, a macro cell sends wake-up information and a wake-up threshold to request potential cells to perform the measurement of a UE wake-up signal, specifically based on whether the sensed signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of an uplink wake-up signal received by a small cell eNB is larger than the wake-up threshold. The UE sends a wake-up signal to the small cell eNB. The small cell, after receiving the signal, sends a response to a macro eNB. The response comprises the respective small cell eNB's decision whether to wake up, whether the respective small cell eNB requests a confirmation of the wake-up, and what was the measured signal from the received signal. The macro eNB selects which of the small cells from which a reply was received is to be awakened).
As per claim 10, Zhang disclosed transmitting a network device starting signal to the user equipment (see 0039-0076).
As per claim 11, Zhang disclosed the network device starting signal is a synchronizing signal block (see 0039-0076).
As per claim 21, Zhang disclosed a processor (inherently) and a memory (inherently).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-9 and 12 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Pablo Tran whose telephone number is (571)272-7898. The examiner normal hours are 9:30 -5:00 (Monday-Friday). If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Jinsong Hu, can be reached at (571)272-3965. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571)273-8300.
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September 30, 2026
/PABLO N TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2643
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