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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
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Claims 9 - 16 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1 – 8 of U.S. Patent No. 9,167,546. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the conflicting claims 9 – 16 of Application No. 18,900,218 are directed to the same inventive concept as claims 1 – 8 of U.S. Patent No. 9,167,546 as shown in the table mappings of the claims below.
Claims 1 – 8 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims of U.S. Patent No. 9,167,546 in view of Lee et al. (Pub. No.: US 2005/0192021; hereinafter Lee’0192021).
Claim 9 of U.S. Patent No. 9,167,546 discloses all the features of claim 1 of Application No. 18/900,218 except for the following claimed features: regarding claim 1, enter a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in accordance with the DRX interval, wherein the processor and memory are configured to periodically wake up according to the DRX interval to check for a message, and wherein the processor and memory are configured to reenter the DRX mode based at least in part on not receiving the message during the DRX interval.
Regarding claim 1, Lee’0192021 discloses enter a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in accordance with the DRX interval, wherein the processor and memory are configured to periodically wake up according to the DRX interval to check for a message, and wherein the processor and memory are configured to reenter the DRX mode based at least in part on not receiving the message during the DRX interval (see para. 0023, During the time periods when the PICH or the SCCPCH is not received, the UE is in a sleep mode state. The UE wakes up at every DRX cycle length (discontinuous receiving period length) to receive a paging indicator (PI) of the PICH).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skilled in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the invention of U.S. Patent No. 9,167,546, and have the features, as taught by Lee’0192021, in order to employ a discontinuous reception (DRX) to minimize power consumption, as discussed by Lee’0192021 (para. 0023).
Claims from Application No. 18/900,218
Claims from US Patent No. 9,167,546
1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor and memory, wherein the processor and memory are configured to: receive discontinuous reception (DRX) control information from a wireless network, wherein the DRX control information comprises an indication of a DRX interval; enter a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in accordance with the DRX interval, wherein the processor and memory are configured to periodically wake up according to the DRX interval to check for a message, and wherein the processor and memory are configured to reenter the DRX mode based at least in part on not receiving the message during the DRX interval; monitor an inactivity level of the WTRU; and increase the DRX interval as the inactivity level of the WTRU increases.
2. The WTRU of claim 1 wherein the DRX interval is increased exponentially.
3. The WTRU of claim 1 wherein the processor and memory are configured to provide the wireless network with information indicating whether the WTRU is powered by a battery or a constant power supply, for the wireless network to set the DRX interval based on the information.
4. The WTRU of claim 1 wherein the processor and memory are configured to inform the wireless network about the WTRU's current battery capacity so that the DRX interval is set based on the current battery capacity.
5. The WTRU of claim 1 wherein a battery consumption of the WTRU is reduced when the DRX interval is increased as the inactivity level increases.
6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor and memory are configured to: receive uplink channel allocation information indicating periodic subframes available for the WTRU to send channel quality indicator (CQI) information.
7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the processor and memory are configured to: determine whether a flag bit is set in response to receiving uplink scheduling information on a physical downlink control channel having an identifier associated with the WTRU.
8. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the processor and memory are configured to: transmit a CQI on an uplink shared channel in response to the flag bit being set.
9. A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving, by the WTRU, discontinuous reception (DRX) control information indicating a DRX interval; entering, by the WTRU, a DRX mode wherein the WTRU periodically wakes up according to the DRX interval to check for a paging message and wherein the WTRU reenters the DRX mode based at least in part on there being no paging message associated with the WTRU; monitoring, by the WTRU, an inactivity level of the WTRU; and increasing, by the WTRU, the DRX interval as the inactivity level of the WTRU increases.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the DRX interval is increased exponentially.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising: providing, by the WTRU to a wireless network, information indicating whether the WTRU is powered by a battery or a constant power supply; and setting the DRX interval based on the information indicating whether the WTRU is powered by a battery or a constant power supply.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising: providing, by the WTRU to a wireless network, its current battery capacity; and setting the DRX interval based on the current battery capacity.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein a battery consumption of the WTRU is reduced when the DRX interval is increased as the inactivity level increases.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving uplink channel allocation information indicating periodic subframes available for the WTRU to send channel quality indicator (CQI) information.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining whether a flag bit is set in response to receiving uplink scheduling information on a physical downlink control channel having an identifier associated with the WTRU.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: transmitting a CQI on an uplink shared channel in response to the flag bit being set.
9. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising: circuitry configured
to receive an indication of a discontinuous reception (DRX) interval from a wireless network;
circuitry configured to enter a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode in accordance with the DRX interval; and
circuitry configured to monitor activity of the WTRU, wherein the circuitry is configured to increase the DRX interval as inactivity of the WTRU increases.
10. The WTRU of claim 9 wherein the DRX interval is increased exponentially.
11. The WTRU of claim 9 wherein the WTRU provides the wireless network with information whether the WTRU is powered by a battery or a constant power supply and the wireless network sets the DRX interval based on the information.
12. The WTRU of claim 9 wherein the WTRU informs the wireless network about its current battery capacity so that the DRX interval is set based on the current battery capacity.
13. The WTRU of claim 9 wherein battery consumption of the WTRU is reduced when the DRX interval is increased as the inactivity increases.
14. The WTRU of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to: receive uplink channel allocation information indicating periodic subframes available for the WTRU to send channel quality indicator (CQI) information.
15. The WTRU of claim 14, wherein the circuitry is configured to: determine whether a flag bit is set in response to receiving uplink scheduling information on the physical downlink control channel having the identifier associated with the WTRU.
16. The WTRU of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to: transmit a CQI on an uplink shared channel in response to the flag bit being set.
1. A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving, by the WTRU, discontinuous reception (DRX) control information indicating a predetermined time interval that the WTRU checks a physical downlink control channel for an identifier associated with the WTRU; entering, by the WTRU, a DRX mode such that the WTRU periodically wakes up according to the predetermined time interval to check for a paging message and wherein the WTRU reenters the DRX mode based at least in part on there being no paging message associated with the WTRU; monitoring, by the WTRU, activity of the WTRU; and increasing, by the WTRU, the DRX interval as inactivity of the WTRU increases.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the DRX interval is increased exponentially.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing, by the WTRU to the wireless network, whether the WTRU is powered by a battery or a constant power supply to set the DRX interval.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing, by the WTRU to the wireless network, its current battery capacity so that the DRX interval is set based on the current battery capacity.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein battery consumption of the WTRU is reduced when the DRX interval is increased as the inactivity increases.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving uplink channel allocation information indicating periodic subframes available for the WTRU to send channel quality indicator (CQI) information.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: determining whether a flag bit is set in response to receiving uplink scheduling information on the physical downlink control channel having the identifier associated with the WTRU.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmitting a CQI on an uplink shared channel in response to the flag bit being set.
Allowable Subject Matter
According to a prior art search on the claimed invention, Lee et al. (Pub. No.: US 2005/0176474; hereafter Lee’0176474) disclose a mobile terminal receives and stores a terminal-specific DRX (Discontinuous Reception) cycle length and the longest DRX cycle length broadcasted in a cell. The mobile terminal discontinuously receives a notification indicator for a specific MBMS during a terminal-specific DRX cycle length of the longest DRX cycle length by using the stored terminal-specific DRX cycle length and the longest DRX cycle length used in a cell (abstract).
Lee et al. (Pub. No.: US 2005/0180378; hereafter Lee’0180378) disclose paging contributes to the reduction of power consumption by allowing a mobile terminal in a sleep mode to be awakened only if necessary. Normally, the mobile terminal is in a sleep mode. When a paging signal is received from the network, the mobile terminal wakes up to perform a function requested by the network. In order for the mobile terminal in the sleep mode to recognize the paging signal, the mobile terminal must wake up periodically to check whether paging information has been received. Such periodical waking up, in contrast to always being in an awakened mode, is called a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) method (para. 0005 - 0006).
The cited prior arts, taken alone or in combination, do not disclose the following claimed features of “monitor an inactivity level of the WTRU; and increase the DRX interval as the inactivity level of the WTRU increases” as recited in claim 1 and “monitoring, by the WTRU, an inactivity level of the WTRU; and increasing, by the WTRU, the DRX interval as the inactivity level of the WTRU increases” as recited in claim 9 when considering each claim individually as a whole.
Pertinent Prior Arts
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kohlmann et al. (US Pub. No. 2007/0109987), WCDMA Device And Method For Discontinuous Reception For Power Saving In Idle Mode And Flexible Monitoring Of Neighboring Cells
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Anh Ngoc M Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 270 - 5139 and email is anh.nguyen@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang Bin Yao can be reached on ((571) 272-3182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANH NGOC M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473
