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 § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 3, 8, 13, 18 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for “drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM”, does not reasonably provide enablement for “drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM includes a number of symbols”. The specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims. The claims recite the “drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM includes a number of symbols”. However, the RTT timer having a number of symbols is not described in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Malkamaki (WO/2025/026602)
Regarding claims 1 and 11,
Malkamaki teaches a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
a transceiver; and a controller coupled with the transceiver and configured to: (see para [0053])
receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) release message including a suspend configuration, wherein the suspend configuration includes a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) multicast configuration for an RRC inactive state; (interpreted as receive from the network node a signaling message, comprising in particular an RRC release message, for being configured with a set of Retransmission Timers, each Retransmission Timer being configured for a corresponding cell serving the UE or for a corresponding MBS session, see para [0020]. This sending of the UE from RRC CONNECTED to RRC INACTIVE is performed via an RRC release message including a suspendConfig, see para [0079])
receiving, from the base station while the terminal is in the RRC inactive state, a multicast transmission based on the MBS multicast configuration; and (interpreted as receive, while the UE is in an inactive state or an idle state, a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH, transmission that is associated with the MBS session and that schedules a Transport Block, TB, of the MBS session with a group identifier identifying a group of UEs comprising the UE in the inactive or idle state and one or more UEs in a connected state, see para [0008])
in case that a discontinuous reception hybrid automatic repeat request round trip time timer for downlink point to multipoint (drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM) is included in the MBS multicast configuration for the RRC inactive state, starting the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM after an end of the multicast transmission. (interpreted as in case of determining a failure in decoding the received TB: start the at least one Retransmission Timer based on the configuration message, see para [0008])
Regarding claims 6 and 16,
Malkamaki teaches a method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
a transceiver; and a controller coupled with the transceiver and configured to:
transmitting, to a terminal, a radio resource control (RRC) release message including a suspend configuration, wherein the suspend configuration includes a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) multicast configuration for an RRC inactive state; and (interpreted as receive from the network node a signaling message, comprising in particular an RRC release message, for being configured with a set of Retransmission Timers, each Retransmission Timer being configured for a corresponding cell serving the UE or for a corresponding MBS session, see para [0020]. This sending of the UE from RRC CONNECTED to RRC INACTIVE is performed via an RRC release message including a suspendConfig, see para [0079])
transmitting, to the terminal in the RRC inactive state, a multicast transmission based on the MBS multicast configuration, wherein a discontinuous reception hybrid automatic repeat request round trip time timer for downlink point to multipoint (drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM) included in the MBS multicast configuration is started after an end of the multicast transmission. (interpreted as receive the scheduled TB in the inactive or idle state, via Point-To-Multipoint, PTM, Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH transmission associated with the MBS session; and in case of determining a failure in decoding the received TB: start the at least one Retransmission Timer based on the configuration message, see para [0008])
Regarding claims 2, 7, 12, and 17,
Malkamaki teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM is started in a first symbol after the end of the multicast transmission. (interpreted as new rule for starting DRX HARQ RTT timer: UE always starts the timer in the wth symbol of the slot indicated by KI, where n could be configurable or fixed in standard (e.g., always after the 1st symbol of the slot, or always after the last symbol of the slot), see para [0095])
Regarding claims 3, 8, 13, and 18,
Malkamaki teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM includes a number of symbols. (interpreted as new rule for starting DRX HARQ RTT timer: UE always starts the timer in the wth symbol of the slot indicated by KI, where n could be configurable or fixed in standard (e.g., always after the 1st symbol of the slot, or always after the last symbol of the slot). That is, if the configuration of n is not provided to the UE, then UE could use the fixed values of the symbols and if the configuration is given, the UE could use the configured value of n, see para [0095])
Regarding claims 4, 9, 14, and 19,
Malkamaki teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising, in case that the drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL-PTM expires and a data of the multicast transmission is not successfully decoded, starting a discontinuous retransmission timer for downlink point to multipoint (drx-RetransmissionTimerDL-PTM). (interpreted as based on the configuration and information received via DCI, the UE in the inactive/idle mode would know exactly when to start the HARQ RTT timer that, upon expiry, activates the DRX Retransmission Timer for receiving a potential HARQ PTM retransmission, see para [0084])
Regarding claims 5, 10, 15, and 20,
Malkamaki teaches the method of claim 4, further comprising receiving, from the base station while the terminal is in the RRC inactive state, a retransmission of the multicast transmission. (interpreted as monitor, before the at least one Retransmission Timer expires, a PDCCH for at least one PTM retransmission for the failed TB requested by the one or more UEs in the connected state via at least one Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, feedback to the network node, see para [0008])
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAO G NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-7732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10pm - 6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BAO G NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2461
/HUY D VU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2461
