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 § 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)(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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 6-7, 13-14 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by disclosed prior art (e.g., IDS of 11/06/2025) XU et al., US 2021/0377842 A1 (Xu hereinafter).
Here is how the reference teaches the claims.
Regarding claim 1, Xu discloses a data transmission method (Xu, paragraph [0033], With reference first to FIG. 1, an example communication system 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure are implemented in some embodiments is shown. In general, the system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to communicate data and/or other content), comprising:
transmitting, by a first terminal, user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 9 and paragraph [0115], FIG. 9B illustrates an example timeline and signal/data flow (i.e., user plane and/or control plane data) for intra-gNB link switching from a source direct link to a target relay link. This example involves a network device 860 such as a gNB or a TRP, a target relay UE 864 on the target link, and a remote UE 866 (i.e., control and/or user plane data flow between remote and the network-side device through multiple links). Also see Fig.2 and paragraph [0019], FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another example communication system, illustrating multiple communication links), wherein the multiple paths comprise at least a first path and a second path (Xu, Fig. 9B, steps “Direct link establishment” and “Relay link establishment”. Also see Fig. 2, direct link established via Uu 210 and the relay link established via SL 212), wherein the first path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and the second path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device via a second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866. The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212); or
the first path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device via a second terminal, and the second path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, paragraphs [0058]-[0059], FIGS. 2 to 5 represent example communication systems and multiple-link scenarios. The present disclosure is not limited only to such scenarios. In general, multiple links may be established between a communication network and a UE … Those links include at least one relay link, and the other link( s) may include other relay links and/or direct links between a network device and the UE (i.e., the disclosure could be applied to other scenarios where the first and the second link can be established in any order)).
Regarding claim 2, Xu discloses wherein before the transmitting, by a first terminal, user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link quality measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630), the method comprises:
communicating, by the first terminal, with the network-side device through the first path (Xu, paragraph [0069], The measurement report(s) could be sent to the gNB 610 at 622 (i.e., communicating by the first terminal with the network-side device) on a current link that the remote UE 614 is using for communications with the gNB (i.e., through the first path)); and in a case that a path addition condition is met, sending, by the first terminal, a multi-path addition request message to the network-side device through the existing first path, requesting to add the second path (Xu, paragraph [0069], The gNB 610 could decide whether a new link is to be established. In this example, if a decision is made to establish a new link via a relay UE 612 (i.e., a relay ink), then the gNB 610 could send a request or other signaling, shown at 632, to the remote UE 614 to establish the sidelink segment between the remote UE and the relay UE 612 on the SL, at 624. After this is accomplished (i.e., condition to establish new link is met), the gNB 610 could send RRC configuration/reconfiguration signaling or other signaling at 626 via the relay UE 612 to the remote UE 614, or alternatively, directly to the remote UE 614 (i.e., using the existing/direct link)).
Regarding claim 6, Xu discloses wherein before the transmitting, by a first terminal, user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link quality measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630), the method further comprises:
receiving, by the first terminal, a multi-path addition configuration message returned by the network-side device; and
sending, by the first terminal, a multi-path addition complete message to the network-side device (Xu, paragraph [0068], The establishment of a link could be initiated by a network device such as a gNB. That may include such operations as any one or more of: link measurement and reporting, communication establishment of the link, and completing configuration of the link. For example, RRC signals could be used to complete the configuration. The RRC configuration/reconfiguration signals or similar signals can be sent from a gNB to the remote UE for example, to establish link connectivity, and RRC configurationComplete/ reconfigurationComplete or similar signals could be sent from the remote UE to the gNB/relay UE(s) to complete the configuration/establishment of a link); or
receiving, by the first terminal, a multi-path addition configuration message returned by the network-side device; and
sending, by the first terminal, a multi-path addition failure message to the network-side device.
Regarding claim 7, Xu discloses wherein in a case that the first path is the direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and that the second path is the indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through the second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), the multi-path addition configuration message (Xu, paragraph [0064], Links can be established together (using the same signaling such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that includes respective configurations/reconfiguration for multiple links for example) or separately (using different signaling such as separate RRC signaling for configuration/ reconfiguration of each link for example, or using an initial access technique to establish a direct link)) comprises at least one of the following:
identification information of the second terminal (Xu, paragraph [0066], Information related to a remote UE link or path, also referred to generally herein as a configuration for a remote UE link or path, may include such information as a relay UE ID or other form of identifier for each relay UE, if any, that is involved in a link or path; and a remote UE ID or other form of identifier for the remote UE);
identification information of a serving cell of the second terminal;
first indication information for instructing to perform a path switching operation or a path addition operation;
a rule for transmitting the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or
a rule for transmitting the user plane data through the first path and the second path.
Regarding claim 13, Xu discloses a data transmission method (Xu, paragraph [0033], With reference first to FIG. 1, an example communication system 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure are implemented in some embodiments is shown. In general, the system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to communicate data and/or other content), comprising:
transmitting, by a network-side device, user plane data and/or control plane data with a first terminal through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 9 and paragraph [0115], FIG. 9B illustrates an example timeline and signal/data flow (i.e., user plane and/or control plane data) for intra-gNB link switching from a source direct link to a target relay link. This example involves a network device 860 such as a gNB or a TRP, a target relay UE 864 on the target link, and a remote UE 866 (i.e., control and/or user plane data flow between remote and the network-side device through multiple links). Also see Fig.2 and paragraph [0019], FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another example communication system, illustrating multiple communication links), wherein the multiple paths comprise at least a first path and a second path (Xu, Fig. 9B, steps “Direct link establishment” and “Relay link establishment”. Also see Fig. 2, direct link established via Uu 210 and the relay link established via SL 212), wherein the first path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and the second path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through a second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866. The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212); or the first path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through a second terminal, and the second path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, paragraphs [0058]-[0059], FIGS. 2 to 5 represent example communication systems and multiple-link scenarios. The present disclosure is not limited only to such scenarios. In general, multiple links may be established between a communication network and a UE … Those links include at least one relay link, and the other link( s) may include other relay links and/or direct links between a network device and the UE (i.e., the disclosure could be applied to other scenarios where the first and the second link can be established in any order)).
Regarding claim 14, Xu discloses wherein before the transmitting, by a network-side device, user plane data and/or control plane data with a first terminal through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link quality measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630), the method comprises:
communicating, by the network-side device, with the first terminal through the first path (Xu, paragraph [0069], The measurement report(s) could be sent to the gNB 610 at 622 (i.e., communicating by the first terminal with the network-side device) on a current link that the remote UE 614 is using for communications with the gNB (i.e., through the first path)); and receiving, by the network-side device, a multi-path addition request message sent by the first terminal through the existing first path and requesting to add the second path, wherein the multi-path addition request message is sent after the first terminal determines that a path addition condition is met (Xu, paragraph [0069], The gNB 610 could decide whether a new link is to be established. In this example, if a decision is made to establish a new link via a relay UE 612 (i.e., a relay ink), then the gNB 610 could send a request or other signaling, shown at 632, to the remote UE 614 to establish the sidelink segment between the remote UE and the relay UE 612 on the SL, at 624. After this is accomplished (i.e., condition to establish new link is met), the gNB 610 could send RRC configuration/reconfiguration signaling or other signaling at 626 via the relay UE 612 to the remote UE 614, or alternatively, directly to the remote UE 614 (i.e., using the existing/direct link)).
Regarding claim 16, Xu discloses wherein before the transmitting, by a network-side device, user plane data and/or control plane data with a first terminal through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link quality measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630), the method further comprises:
sending, by the network-side device, a multi path addition configuration message to the first terminal; and
receiving, by the network-side device, a multi-path addition complete message sent by the first terminal (Xu, paragraph [0068], The establishment of a link could be initiated by a network device such as a gNB. That may include such operations as any one or more of: link measurement and reporting, communication establishment of the link, and completing configuration of the link. For example, RRC signals could be used to complete the configuration. The RRC configuration/reconfiguration signals or similar signals can be sent from a gNB to the remote UE for example, to establish link connectivity, and RRC configurationComplete/ reconfigurationComplete or similar signals could be sent from the remote UE to the gNB/relay UE(s) to complete the configuration/establishment of a link); or
sending, by the network-side device, a multi-path addition configuration message to the first terminal; and
receiving, by the network-side device, a multi-path addition failure message sent by the first terminal.
Regarding claim 17, Xu discloses wherein in a case that the first path is the direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and that the second path is the indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through the second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866 (). The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212), the multi-path addition configuration message (Xu, paragraph [0064], Links can be established together (using the same signaling such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that includes respective configurations/reconfiguration for multiple links for example) or separately (using different signaling such as separate RRC signaling for configuration/ reconfiguration of each link for example, or using an initial access technique to establish a direct link)) comprises at least one of the following:
identification information of the second terminal;
identification information of a serving cell of the second terminal (Xu, paragraph [0066], Information related to a remote UE link or path, also referred to generally herein as a configuration for a remote UE link or path, may include such information as a relay UE ID or other form of identifier for each relay UE, if any, that is involved in a link or path; and a remote UE ID or other form of identifier for the remote UE);
first indication information for instructing to perform a path switching operation or a path addition operation;
a rule for transmitting the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or
a rule for transmitting the user plane data through the first path and the second path.
Regarding claim 18, Xu discloses a terminal (Xu, Fig. 12, elements 1154a and 1154b), comprising a processor and a memory (Xu, Fig. 12, elements 1176a, 1176b, 1178a and 1178b), wherein the memory stores a program or instructions capable of running on the processor (Xu, paragraph [0251], In some embodiments, a UE includes a processor, such as 1176a, 1176b in FIG. 12, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as 1178a, 1178b in FIG. 12, storing programming for execution by the processor), wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor (Xu, paragraph [0178], FIG. 10Aand FIG.10B illustrate examples of a UE and network equipment, respectively, in which embodiments could be implemented. More generally, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as the processing unit 900, 950 and memory 908, 958 in FIG. l0A or FIG. 10B. Such an apparatus may be a UE, including a relay UE, a source UE, a destination UE, a helping remote UE, or a remote UE and paragraph [0179], the storage medium stores programming for execution by the processor, and the programming includes instructions to perform a method as disclosed herein. For example, the instructions, when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to perform any of various operations), cause the terminal to perform:
transmitting user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 9 and paragraph [0115], FIG. 9B illustrates an example timeline and signal/data flow (i.e., user plane and/or control plane data) for intra-gNB link switching from a source direct link to a target relay link. This example involves a network device 860 such as a gNB or a TRP, a target relay UE 864 on the target link, and a remote UE 866 (i.e., control and/or user plane data flow between remote and the network-side device through multiple links). Also see Fig.2 and paragraph [0019], FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another example communication system, illustrating multiple communication links), wherein the multiple paths comprise at least a first path and a second path (Xu, Fig. 9B, steps “Direct link establishment” and “Relay link establishment”. Also see Fig. 2, direct link established via Uu 210 and the relay link established via SL 212), wherein the first path is a direct path in which the terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and the second path is an indirect path in which the terminal communicates with the network-side device via a second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866. The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212); or
the first path is an indirect path in which the terminal communicates with the network-side device via a second terminal, and the second path is a direct path in which the terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, paragraphs [0058]-[0059], FIGS. 2 to 5 represent example communication systems and multiple-link scenarios. The present disclosure is not limited only to such scenarios. In general, multiple links may be established between a communication network and a UE … Those links include at least one relay link, and the other link( s) may include other relay links and/or direct links between a network device and the UE (i.e., the disclosure could be applied to other scenarios where the first and the second link can be established in any order)).
Regarding claim 19, Xu discloses wherein before transmitting user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link qulity measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630), the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to perform:
communicating with the network-side device through the first path (Xu, paragraph [0069], The measurement report(s) could be sent to the gNB 610 at 622 (i.e., communicating by the first terminal with the network-side device) on a current link that the remote UE 614 is using for communications with the gNB (i.e., through the first path)); and
in a case that a path addition condition is met, sending a multi-path addition request message to the network-side device through the existing first path, requesting to add the second path (Xu, paragraph [0069], The gNB 610 could decide whether a new link is to be established. In this example, if a decision is made to establish a new link via a relay UE 612 (i.e., a relay ink), then the gNB 610 could send a request or other signaling, shown at 632, to the remote UE 614 to establish the sidelink segment between the remote UE and the relay UE 612 on the SL, at 624. After this is accomplished (i.e., condition to establish new link is met), the gNB 610 could send RRC configuration/reconfiguration signaling or other signaling at 626 via the relay UE 612 to the remote UE 614, or alternatively, directly to the remote UE 614 (i.e., using the existing/direct link)).
Regarding claim 20, Xu discloses a network-side device (Xu, Fig. 12, element 1158, “Managing Module”), comprising a processor and a memory (Xu, Fig. 12, elements 1162 and 1164, “Processor” and “Memory”), wherein the memory stores a program or instructions capable of running on the processor, and when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the steps of the data transmission method according to claim 13 are implemented (Xu, paragraph [0245], The managing module 1158 includes a processor 1162, a memory 1164, and a communication module 1166. The communication module 1166 is implemented by the processor 1162 when the processor 1162 accesses and executes a series of instructions stored in the memory 1164, the instructions defining the actions of the communication module 1166. When the instructions are executed, the communication module 1166 causes the BS 1156 to perform the actions described herein so that the network 1152 can establish, coordinate, instruct, or control relay, and possibly perform such operations in respect of UE groups).
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
Claim(s) 3, 8, 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over disclosed prior art (e.g., IDS 11/06/2025) XU et al., US 2021/0377842 A1 (Xu hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of ELAZZOUNI et al., US 2022/0377823 A1 (Elazzouni hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claims 3, 8, 10 and 11, Xu discloses the data transmission method according to claim 2 and the data transmission method according to claim 6.
Xu further discloses the following features.
Regarding claim 3, wherein in a case that the first path is the direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and that the second path is the indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device via the second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866 (). The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212),
Regarding claim 8, wherein in a case that the first path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through a second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866 (). The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212), and that the second path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)),
Regarding claim 10, wherein in a case that the first path is an indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through a second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866 (). The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212), and that the second path is a direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), the multi-path addition configuration message (Xu, paragraph [0064], Links can be established together (using the same signaling such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling that includes respective configurations/reconfiguration for multiple links for example) or separately (using different signaling such as separate RRC signaling for configuration/ reconfiguration of each link for example, or using an initial access technique to establish a direct link)).
Xu does not explicitly disclose the following features.
Regarding claim 3, the path addition condition comprises at least one of the following:
a data buffer size of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a first threshold;
a service reliability requirement of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a second threshold;
an upper layer of the first terminal indicates that a service of the first terminal is transmitted through the second path or through the first path and the second path;
a first paging indication is received from the network-side device;
a second indication is received from the network-side device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate that the network-side device supports a multi-path function; or
link quality of at least one candidate terminal meets a preset communication condition, wherein the at least one candidate terminal comprises the second terminal.
Regarding claim 8, the path addition condition comprises at least one of the following:
a data buffer size of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a first threshold;
a service reliability requirement of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a second threshold;
an upper layer of the first terminal indicates that a service of the first terminal is transmitted through the second path or through the first path and the second path;
a first paging indication is received from the network-side device;
a second indication is received from the network-side device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate that the network-side device supports a multi-path function; or
at least one candidate cell meets a preset communication condition, wherein the at least one candidate cell comprises a cell in the direct path, of the first terminal.
Regarding claim 10, comprises at least one of the following:
cell identification information of the direct path;
first indication information for instructing to perform a path switching operation or a path addition operation;
a rule for transmitting the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or
a rule for transmitting the user plane data through the first path and the second path.
Regarding claim 11, wherein the rules/rule for transmitting the user plane data and/or the control plane data through the first path and the second path are/is specified in a protocol; or,
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, by the first terminal, path configuration information from the network-side device, wherein the path configuration information comprises the rules/rule for transmitting the user plane data and/or the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or,
wherein the rule comprises at least one of the following: a rule for transmitting signaling through the first path and the second path;
a rule for transmitting uplink data and/or downlink data through the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting different parts of a signaling radio bearer (SRB 1) in the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting a duplicated SRB 1 in the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting different parts of a data radio bearer (DRB) in the first path and the second path; or
a rule for simultaneously transmitting a duplicated DRB in the first path and the second path; wherein the rule further comprises: in a scenario in which the first terminal and the second terminal are served by a same base station, disallowing transmission over an SRB 3 and a split SRB 3.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Elazzouni discloses a method related to wireless communication system that comprises the following features.
Regarding claim 3, the path addition condition comprises at least one of the following:
a data buffer size of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a first threshold;
a service reliability requirement of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a second threshold (Elazzouni, paragraph [0109], To that end, UE1 554a may measure at least one QoS value (i.e., service reliability value) on at least one of the direct device communication path 516a or the indirect communication path 516b. For example, UE1 554a may measure at least one respective PER, packet loss rate, etc., based on communication (e.g., transmission or reception) of a respective set of packets over each of the one or more candidate communication paths, such as a set of specialty packets specifically communicated for QoS measurements. UE1 554a may compare the measured QoS value with a threshold ( e.g., an acceptable threshold, a threshold specific to a relevant IIoT deployment, etc.) and/or with another QoS value measured on the indirect communication path 516b. Also see paragraph [0047], An indirect communication path through the access network (e.g., at least one base station) may feature a relatively high reliability, particularly in comparison with direct device communication, e.g., as an indirect communications may include multipath diversity and increased transmission powers);
an upper layer of the first terminal indicates that a service of the first terminal is transmitted through the second path or through the first path and the second path;
a first paging indication is received from the network-side device;
a second indication is received from the network-side device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate that the network-side device supports a multi-path function; or
link quality of at least one candidate terminal meets a preset communication condition, wherein the at least one candidate terminal comprises the second terminal.
Regarding claim 8, the path addition condition comprises at least one of the following:
a data buffer size of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a first threshold;
a service reliability requirement of the first terminal is greater than or equal to a second threshold (Elazzouni, paragraph [0109], To that end, UE1 554a may measure at least one QoS value (i.e., service reliability value) on at least one of the direct device communication path 516a or the indirect communication path 516b. For example, UE1 554a may measure at least one respective PER, packet loss rate, etc., based on communication (e.g., transmission or reception) of a respective set of packets over each of the one or more candidate communication paths, such as a set of specialty packets specifically communicated for QoS measurements. UE1 554a may compare the measured QoS value with a threshold ( e.g., an acceptable threshold, a threshold specific to a relevant IIoT deployment, etc.) and/or with another QoS value measured on the indirect communication path 516b. Also see paragraph [0047], An indirect communication path through the access network (e.g., at least one base station) may feature a relatively high reliability, particularly in comparison with direct device communication, e.g., as an indirect communications may include multipath diversity and increased transmission powers);
an upper layer of the first terminal indicates that a service of the first terminal is transmitted through the second path or through the first path and the second path;
a first paging indication is received from the network-side device;
a second indication is received from the network-side device, wherein the second indication is used to indicate that the network-side device supports a multi-path function; or
at least one candidate cell meets a preset communication condition, wherein the at least one candidate cell comprises a cell in the direct path, of the first terminal.
Regarding claim 10, comprises at least one of the following:
cell identification information of the direct path;
first indication information for instructing to perform a path switching operation or a path addition operation;
a rule for transmitting the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or
a rule for transmitting the user plane data through the first path and the second path (Elazzouni, paragraph [0158], In addition, the entity of the management layer-C 842b may establish a set of rules 806 to be applied to traffic streams, which may define how packets are routed and otherwise treated upon arriving at the management layer-U 842a. Such rules 806 may define the local policies regarding the number n of duplicate or redundant packets that are generated for each packet passed down from the higher layer(s) 860 for transmission).
Regarding claim 11, wherein the rules/rule for transmitting the user plane data and/or the control plane data through the first path and the second path are/is specified in a protocol (Elazzouni, paragraph [0159], The rules 806 may be implemented by the entity at the management layer-U 842a. In some example, referring to FIG. 7, the entity of the management layer-C 842b may configure rules 806 for transitioning between the first, second, and third modes 705, 707, 709, such as the threshold at which a channel quality is considered satisfactory, an amount of traffic that should be offloaded from the indirect path to the direct device path, and so forth); or,
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, by the first terminal, path configuration information from the network-side device, wherein the path configuration information comprises the rules/rule for transmitting the user plane data and/or the control plane data through the first path and the second path; or,
wherein the rule comprises at least one of the following: a rule for transmitting signaling through the first path and the second path;
a rule for transmitting uplink data and/or downlink data through the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting different parts of a signaling radio bearer (SRB 1) in the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting a duplicated SRB 1 in the first path and the second path;
a rule for simultaneously transmitting different parts of a data radio bearer (DRB) in the first path and the second path; or
a rule for simultaneously transmitting a duplicated DRB in the first path and the second path; wherein the rule further comprises: in a scenario in which the first terminal and the second terminal are served by a same base station, disallowing transmission over an SRB 3 and a split SRB 3.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu by using the features, as taught by Elazzouni, in order to support communication between an user equipment (UE) over at least one of a direct communication path between UEs or an indirect communication path through a base station or other network entity (see Elazzouni, paragraph [0001]).
Claim(s) 4-5 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over disclosed prior art (e.g., IDS 11/06/2025) XU et al., US 2021/0377842 A1 (Xu hereinafter), in view of ELAZZOUNI et al., US 2022/0377823 A1 (Elazzouni hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of CHEN et al., US 2023/0397100 A1 (Chen hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claims 4-5 and 9, Xu and Elazzouni disclose the data transmission method according to claim 3 and the data transmission method according to claim 8.
Xu and Elazzouni do not explicitly disclose the following features.
Regarding claim 4, wherein that link quality of at least one candidate terminal meets a preset communication condition comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the candidate terminal and the first terminal meets the preset communication condition; or
signal quality of a serving cell of the candidate terminal meets the preset communication condition.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the first terminal and the candidate terminal;
identification information of the candidate terminal;
identification information of a serving cell of the candidate terminal; or
signal quality of the serving cell of the candidate terminal.
Regarding claim 9, wherein the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
cell identification information of the candidate cell; or
signal quality of the candidate cell of the first terminal.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Chen discloses a wireless communication system that comprises the following features.
Regarding claim 4, wherein that link quality of at least one candidate terminal meets a preset communication condition comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the candidate terminal and the first terminal meets the preset communication condition (Chen, paragraph [0077], A ProSe UE-to-Network Relay is considered suitable in terms of radio criteria if the PC5 link quality exceeds configured threshold (pre-configured or provided by eNB). The Remote UE selects the ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, which satisfies higher layer criterion and has best PCS link quality among all suitable ProSe UE-to-Network Relays); or
signal quality of a serving cell of the candidate terminal meets the preset communication condition.
Regarding claim 5, wherein the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information (Chen, paragraph [0283], At step 1115, in the scenario that the remote UE 1101 decides to use an indirect path to receive paging messages, it may send a paging path selection request to the relay UE 1102), and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the first terminal and the candidate terminal;
identification information of the candidate terminal;
identification information of a serving cell of the candidate terminal; or
signal quality of the serving cell of the candidate terminal (Chen, paragraph [0290], The
remote UE 1201 may use a direct path to receive paging when the sidelink measurement quantity ( e.g., SL RSRP, SL RSRQ, etc.) falls below a threshold (e.g., T indirect sl). In another example, the remote UE 1201 may use an indirect path to receive paging when the RSRP and/or RSRQ of the Uu interface is smaller than the link quality ( e.g., SL RSRP and/or SL RSRQ, etc.) on the PC5 interface by T_p_relay).
Regarding claim 9, wherein the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information (Chen, paragraph [0283], At step 1115, in the scenario that the remote UE 1101 decides to use an indirect path to receive paging messages, it may send a paging path selection request to the relay UE 1102), and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
cell identification information of the candidate cell; or
signal quality of the candidate cell of the first terminal (Chen, paragraph [0290], The
remote UE 1201 may use a direct path to receive paging when the sidelink measurement quantity ( e.g., SL RSRP, SL RSRQ, etc.) falls below a threshold (e.g., T indirect sl). In another example, the remote UE 1201 may use an indirect path to receive paging when the RSRP and/or RSRQ of the Uu interface is smaller than the link quality ( e.g., SL RSRP and/or SL RSRQ, etc.) on the PC5 interface by T_p_relay).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu and Elazzouni by using the features, as taught by Chen, in order to provide an improved support for remote UE mobility management such as for cell (re)selection, paging reception and RRC connection establishment (see Chen, abstract and paragraph [0002]).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over disclosed prior art (e.g., IDS 11/06/2025) XU et al., US 2021/0377842 A1 (Xu hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of CHEN et al., US 2023/0397100 A1 (Chen hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 12, Xu discloses the data transmission method according to claim 1.
Xu further discloses wherein before the transmitting, by a first terminal, user plane data and/or control plane data with a network-side device through multiple paths (Xu, Fig. 6, step 620 and 622, discloses a remote UE 614 (i.e., a first terminal), performs link qulity measurement before establishing a communication link between the remote UE and the gNB 610 (i.e., a network-side device) to perform UL/DL transmission (i.e., transmitting or receiving control/user data) in step 630. Also see paragraph [0069], FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishment of an SL segment of a relay link between a remote UE and a relay UE. The gNB 610 in this example has configured the remote UE 614 to measure link quality of various links at 620, including direct links and SL segments of indirect links in some embodiments …. After all these operations are accomplished, the relay link for the remote UE 614 is considered to be established and can be used for DL and/or UL data transmission as shown at 630).
Xu does not explicitly disclose the method further comprises:
receiving, by the first terminal, a first paging indication from the network-side device, wherein the first paging indication indicates a data transmission mode of the first terminal, and the first paging indication comprises at least one of the following: instructing the first terminal to establish a single path or multiple paths with the network-side device;
in a case that the first terminal is instructed to establish the single path, indicating that the path to be established is a direct path or an indirect path; or
in a case that the first terminal is instructed to establish the multiple paths, instructing to trigger an indirect path addition procedure by using existing direct data or trigger a direct path addition procedure by using existing indirect data or establish both a direct path and an indirect path.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Chen discloses a wireless communication system that comprises the method further comprises:
receiving, by the first terminal, a first paging indication from the network-side device (Chen, paragraph [0292], At step 1216, the gNB 1203 may send a paging path configuration to the relay UE 1202 … If the remote UE 1201 requests to stop using an indirect path to receive the paging message, the message may indicate the remote UE ID to which the relay UE 1202 stops monitoring and forwarding paging messages), wherein the first paging indication indicates a data transmission mode of the first terminal (Chen, paragraph [0293], At step 1217, the gNB may send a paging path selection response to the remote UE 1201 to confirm whether the relay UE 1202 is to monitor and forward paging messages to the remote UE 1201 (i.e., paging response indicating a data transmission mode). If the relay UE 1202 confirms that it will not monitor and forward paging messages to the remote UE 1201, the remote UE 1201 may stop monitoring its PO from the gNB 1203), and the first paging indication comprises at least one of the following: instructing the first terminal to establish a single path or multiple paths with the network-side device (Chen, paragraph [0103], after a remote UE that is in RRC IDLE/RRC INACTIVE receives a paging message or its upper layer initiates a Mobile Originated traffic, the remote UE needs to establish RRC connection with the gNB. However, there may be more than one direct and in-direct path between a remote UE and the gNB (i.e., establish a single path or multiple paths with the network-side device). Therefore, methods are needed to determinate the path(s) to establish the RRC connection between the gNB and remote UE (i.e., establish a single path));
in a case that the first terminal is instructed to establish the single path, indicating that the path to be established is a direct path or an indirect path; or
in a case that the first terminal is instructed to establish the multiple paths, instructing to trigger an indirect path addition procedure by using existing direct data or trigger a direct path addition procedure by using existing indirect data or establish both a direct path and an indirect path.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu by using the features, as taught by Chen, in order to provide an improved support for remote UE mobility management such as for cell (re)selection, paging reception and RRC connection establishment (see Chen, abstract and paragraph [0002]).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over disclosed prior art (e.g., IDS 11/06/2025) XU et al., US 2021/0377842 A1 (Xu hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of ORSINO, US 2025/0150931 A1 (Orsino hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 15, Xu discloses the data transmission method according to claim 1.
Xu further discloses wherein in a case that the first path is the direct path in which the first terminal directly communicates with the network-side device (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0115], Source link establishment for the direct link (i.e., the first path) involves signaling between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866. After the source link has been established, data may be transmitted between the network device 860 and the remote UE 866 via the direct link (i.e., remote UE or the first terminal directly communicates with the network device using the direct path)), and that the second path is the indirect path in which the first terminal communicates with the network-side device through the second terminal (Xu, Fig. 9B and paragraph [0116], The target relay link (i.e., the second path) is also established in FIG. 9B before any switching is initiated, using signaling between the network device 860 and the target relay UE 864, and signaling between the target relay UE and the remote UE 866 (). The remote UE 866 may monitor both the source link and the target link after the target link is established, regardless of whether both the source link and the target link are used for data transmission or only the source link is used for data transmission. Also see Fig. 2 and paragraph [0052], Communications between the UEs 222, 224 and the network equipment 202 are through direct communication links shown by way of example as "Uu" links 210 in FIG. 2, and sidelink communications directly between the UEs are through a sidelink 212),
Xu does not explicitly disclose the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information, and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the first terminal and a candidate terminal;
identification information of the candidate terminal;
identification information of a serving cell of the candidate terminal; or
signal quality of the serving cell of the candidate terminal, wherein the candidate terminal comprises the second terminal.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Orsino discloses a method performed by a wireless device that comprises the multi-path addition request message further comprises first information (Orisino, paragraph [0099], the remote UE starts the discovery procedure, identifies possible candidate relay UEs, and sends a corresponding indication to the network (e.g. comprising a list of candidate relay UEs discovered, such that the network may select one of candidate relay UE as target relay UE). The remote UE may receive from the network a signaling information comprising the configuration to be used to establish a new indirect path with the new target relay UE), and the first information comprises at least one of the following:
signal quality between the first terminal and a candidate terminal;
identification information of the candidate terminal;
identification information of a serving cell of the candidate terminal; or
signal quality of the serving cell of the candidate terminal, wherein the candidate terminal comprises the second terminal (Orisino, paragraph [0101], the network, when configuring the remote UE with multi-path communication (via an indirect path and a direct path), it sends to the remote UE a plurality of configurations to be stored. These configurations may be used to configure multiple indirect paths, wherein one ( or more) of the configured plurality of indirect paths may be activated (switched to from a currently used indirect path) depending on the actual (radio) quality of the currently used indirect path. According to this, the network may decide to activate/deactivate an indirect path by only sending an activation/deactivation command to the remote UE).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu by using the features, as taught by Orsino, in order to provide a method related to service continuity in sidelink communication (see Orisino, abstract and paragraph [0001]).
Conclusion
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/OBAIDUL HUQ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473 Dated: 07/25/2026
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