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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted is being considered by the examiner.
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, 3, 11, 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Teyeb et al. (Pub. No. 20220201777).
- With respect to claims 1, 10, 15-16, 18-20, Teyeb teaches a communication processing method, comprising: establishing, by a source network side device, a first plane bearer with a terminal (e.g. in Fig. 14 shows a source IAB-node-DU (the "source network side device") that holds a signaling radio bearer (SRB) carrying F1-AP signaling with the Mobile-Termination (MT) function of a migrating IAB-node (the "terminal") (FIGS. 8A–11C: "RRC connections for UE RRC and MT RRC are carried over a signaling radio bearer (SRB)... The DU's F1-AP is encapsulated in RRC of the collocated MT" / "carried over an SRB of the collocated MT"; FIG. 14, description of communication between the source IAB-node-DU and the MT prior to relocation). Teyeb further discloses that the MT function is specified by 3GPP as part of the Mobile Equipment and behaves as a UE for RRC/mobility purposes (describing MT functionality as "similar to functionality that enables UEs to access the IAB network"); and in a case that the terminal performs cell handover, radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment, or RRC resume, deleting, by the source network side device, the first plane bearer or maintaining the first plane bearer (e.g. Fig. 13-15 shows the handover trigger as IAB-node "topology adaptation," in which a migrating IAB-node changes its attachment point ("migrates") from a source parent node to a target parent node. The CU sends a "UE Context Release Command message to the source IAB-node-DU," and "the source IAB-node-DU releases the MT context" (FIG. 14, Operation C) — i.e., the source-side bearer carrying F1-AP signalling for the MT is deleted upon handover. As an alternative embodiment, that the existing F1-C connection is preserved rather than torn down during relocation: "the donor-CU can associate the newly created SCTP association with the existing F1-C connection, thereby facilitating continued F1-AP signaling," such that "the IAB node is able to continue use of the F1-C signaling connection during relocation... making it possible for the IAB node to serve UEs during the IAB relocation." This discloses maintaining the first plane bearer across the handover event. As the claim recites the trigger and the delete/maintain outcome in the disjunctive ("cell handover, RRC reestablishment, or RRC resume" and "deleting ... or maintaining"), disclosure of the handover trigger together with both the delete and maintain outcomes fully satisfies this limitation under its broadest reasonable interpretation.); wherein the first plane bearer is configured to transmit data of a first plane (e.g. par. 138 discloses the SRB carrying F1-AP is a bearer dedicated to a distinct category of signaling data, separate from ordinary UE data or NAS/RRC signaling: "F1-AP is therefore protected by the PDCP of the underlying SRB." Par. 136. This F1-AP data constitutes "data of a first plane" distinct from ordinary UE control-plane and user-plane data.), the first plane is configured to transmit data terminating at an internal node of a communication network, and the first plane is different from a control plane and a user plane (e.g. Fig. 1-2 showr F1-AP signalling terminates at the CU — an internal node of the RAN, not visible outside the gNB and not the UE or a core-network endpoint: "the F1 interface is not visible beyond gNB-CU." Teyeb distinguishes this F1-C/F1-AP signalling plane from the user plane, which is carried by F1-U/GTP-U conveying UE data ("the F1-U protocol is used to convey control information related to the user data flow management of data radio bearers"), and from the ordinary control plane, i.e., UE RRC/NAS signalling terminating at the gNB-CU RRC entity or core-network AMF. The F1-AP-carrying SRB is thus expressly treated by Teyeb as a distinct signalling category ("F1-C") alongside and different from both the user plane ("F1-U") and the UE control plane (RRC/NAS), consistent with the claimed "first plane...different from a control plane and a user plane."); and the source network side device is a serving network side device of the terminal before the cell handover, the RRC reestablishment, or the RRC resume (e.g. Fig. 13-14 shows the source side as serving network of terminal before the handover to new path).
- With respect to claim 3, Teyeb teaches wherein the method further comprises: sending, by the source network side device, first indication information to the terminal, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the terminal to delete the first plane bearer or maintain the first plane bearer (see par. 178).
- With respect to claim 17, Teyeb teaches wherein the method further comprises: obtaining, by the terminal, identification information of a first plane function connected to a target network side device; and sending, by the terminal, the identification information of the first plane function to the source network side device (see par. 115-117).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4-9, 11-14, 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
. Examiner's Note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs or columns and line numbers in the references applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUC H TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3172. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 Flex.
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/PHUC H TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471
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