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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to application no. 18/904,668 filed on 10/02/2024.
Claims 1 – 20 are pending and ready for examination.
Priority
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/078848, filed on February 28, 2023, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210362103.7, filed on April 7, 2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 01/06/2025 and 07/07/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 – 2, 8 – 9 and 15 – 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by LI et al. (LI hereinafter referred to LI) (CN 110730514 A)(Eng. translation of description is attached).
Regarding claim 1, LI teaches a method (Title, System message processing method, configuration method and equipment), comprising (Pg.2: Summary of the invention, a system message processing method is provided and applied to a terminal device):
receiving, by a first terminal, first indication information from a network device (Pg.2, Receiving instruction information related to system messages from a network-side device; the indication information is used to indicate an acquisition manner of a system message. Here, the instruction information/ acquisition manner is considered as first indication information); and
sending, by the first terminal, a system information request based on the first indication information (Pg.1, system message includes two parts: the most necessary system message (minimum SI) and other system messages (Other SI). Pg.2, the acquisition manner includes at least one of the following: a request based on a first message MSG1; and a request based on a third message MSG3; system messages based on MSG1 requests, system messages based on MSG3 requests, periodically broadcast system messages, and system messages temporarily broadcast after a terminal device requests. Here, the request from the terminal device is a system information request sending, by the terminal device based on the first indication information), wherein
the first indication information indicates to send, in a first message (Msg 1), the system information request (Pg.2, the indication information indicates at least one: Based on the system message requested by MSG1; System messages based on MSG3 requests) based on first resource configuration information, and the first resource configuration information is resource configuration information for requesting other system information (Pg.1: Background, other SI is sent by the on-demand (on Demand) broadcast mode requested by the terminal device) by using the Msg 1 (Pg.1, 3), If the network has configured SI request resources (si-Request-Config) required to request the SI message in SIB1, then MSG1 makes a system message request. Here, the si-Request-Config is the first resource configuration information for requesting other SI); or
the first indication information indicates to send, in a third message (Msg 3), the system information request (Pg.2, the indication information indicates at least one: Based on the system message requested by MSG1; System messages based on MSG3 requests. Here, consider that the indication information indicates system messages based on MSG3 requests; i.e. it indicates to send the system information in the MSG3).
Regarding claim 8, LI teaches a method (Title, System message processing method, configuration method and equipment), comprising (Pg.3: a system message configuration method is provided, which is applied to a network-side device):
sending, by a network device, first indication information (Pg.3, Sending the instruction information related to the system message to the terminal device, so that the terminal device determines an acquisition method of the system message indicated by the instruction information according to the instruction information. Here, the instruction information is considered as first indication information); and
receiving, by the network device, a system information request from a first terminal (Pg.1, system message includes two parts: the most necessary system message (minimum SI) and other system messages (Other SI). Pg.3, the acquisition method includes at least one of the following: A message MSG1 request; and a request based on the third message MSG3; Pg.2, system messages based on MSG1 requests, system messages based on MSG3 requests, periodically broadcast system messages, and system messages temporarily broadcast after a terminal device requests. Here, the request from the terminal device is a system information request sending, by the terminal device based on the first indication information; therefore, the network device receives a system information request from the terminal device), wherein
the first indication information indicates to send, in a first message (Msg 1), the system information request (Pg.2, the indication information indicates at least one: Based on the system message requested by MSG1; System messages based on MSG3 requests) based on first resource configuration information, and the first resource configuration information is resource configuration information for requesting other system information (Pg.1: Background, other SI is sent by the on-demand (on Demand) broadcast mode requested by the terminal device) by using the Msg 1 (Pg.1, 3), If the network has configured SI request resources (si-Request-Config) required to request the SI message in SIB1, then MSG1 makes a system message request. Here, the si-Request-Config is the first resource configuration information for requesting other SI); or
the first indication information indicates to send, in a third message (Msg 3), the system information request (Pg.2, the indication information indicates at least one: Based on the system message requested by MSG1; System messages based on MSG3 requests. Here, consider that the indication information indicates system messages based on MSG3 requests; i.e. it indicates to send the system information in the MSG3).
Regarding claim 15, LI teaches a communication apparatus (Title, System message processing method, configuration method and equipment. Pg.11: Fig.6, terminal device 600), comprising:
a transceiver (Pg.11: Fig.6, first transceiver 601) configured to receive first indication information from a network device (Pg.11, A first transceiver 601, configured to receive indication information related to a system message from a
network-side device; the indication information is used to indicate an acquisition manner of a system message. Here, the instruction information/ acquisition manner is considered as first indication information); and to send a system information request based on the first indication information (Pg.1, system message includes two parts: the most necessary system message (minimum SI) and other system messages (Other SI). Pg.11, the acquisition manner includes at least one of the following: a request based on a first message MSG1; and a request based on a third message MSG3; based on the MSG1 request System messages, system messages based on MSG3 requests, and system messages being broadcasted; system messages based on MSG1 requests, system messages based on MSG3 requests, system messages broadcast periodically, and system messages temporarily broadcast after a terminal device requests. Here, the request from the terminal device is a system information request sending, by the terminal device based on the first indication information), wherein
the first indication information indicates to send, in a first message (Msg 1), the system information request (Pg.11, the acquisition manner includes at least one: a request based on a first message MSG1; and a request based on a third message MSG3) based on first resource configuration information, and the first resource configuration information is resource configuration information for requesting other system information (Pg.1: Background, other SI is sent by the on-demand (on Demand) broadcast mode requested by the terminal device) by using the Msg 1 (Pg.1, 3), If the network has configured SI request resources (si-Request-Config) required to request the SI message in SIB1, then MSG1 makes a system message request. Here, the si-Request-Config is the first resource configuration information for requesting other SI); or
the first indication information indicates to send, in a third message (Msg 3), the system information request (Pg.11, the acquisition manner includes at least one: a request based on a first message MSG1; and a request based on a third message MSG3. Here, consider that the indication information indicates system messages based on MSG3 requests; i.e. it indicates to send the system information in the MSG3).
Regarding claims 2, 9 and 16, LI teaches all the features with respect to claims 1, 8 and 15, respectively as outlined above.
LI further teaches
wherein the first resource configuration information is carried in a first system information block (Pg.1: Background technique, The terminal device uses the system message in SIB1 broadcast status indication; Pg.1: 3), If the network has configured SI request resources (si-Request-Config) required to request the SI message in SIB1, then MSG1 makes a system message request. As mentioned above, the si-Request-Config is the first resource configuration information; therefore, it is carried in a first system information block SIB1).
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 3, 10 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LI in view of CHEN (US 2022/0132512 A1).
Regarding claims 3, 10 and 17, LI teaches all the features with respect to claims 2, 9 and 16, respectively as outlined above.
LI does not specifically teach
wherein the first system information block does not comprise second resource configuration information, and the second resource configuration information is resource configuration information used by the first terminal to request other system information by using the Msg 1.
However, Chen teaches (Title, System Information Transmission Method, Terminal And Network Device)
wherein the first system information block does not comprise second resource configuration information ([0044], the network device carries through the minimum broadcast information MSI, the identity information of Other SI (SI-ID) to be broadcasted by the current broadcast information and the subsequent broadcast information. The SI-ID specifically includes at least one of the following: Other System Information identity information (SI ID), SIB ID corresponding to the Other SI, SIB group ID corresponding to the Other SI and SIB Functionality ID corresponding to the Other SI. Here, no first system information block (SIB1) is used), and the second resource configuration information is resource configuration information used by the first terminal to request other system information by using the Msg 1 ([0004] and [0035], the network device configures terminal to request the Other SI through random access message one (MSG1) or message three (MSG3). Here. MSG1 is considered for requesting other system information. Since, the network device configured the terminal for requesting the other SI; therefore, it provides a resource configuration information (i.e. a second resource configuration information). As mentioned in [0044] no SIB1 is used; therefore, it is obvious that the SIB1 does not comprise the second resource configuration information used for requesting the other system information by using the Msg 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified LI as mentioned in claims 2, 9 and 16 and further incorporate the teaching of CHEN. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a method, a terminal and a network device for requesting Other SI, in order to reduce signaling overhead, improve radio resource utilization and reduce network equipment energy consumption (CHEN, Abstract and [0003]).
Claims 5, 14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LI in view of PANTELIDOU (US 2018/0199266 A1).
Regarding claims 5, 14 and 19, LI teaches all the features with respect to claims 1, 8 and 15, respectively as outlined above.
LI does not specifically teach
wherein the first terminal is a narrowband terminal.
However, PANTELIDOU teaches (Title, ON-DEMAND ACQUISITION METHOD AND DEVICE OF SYSTEM INFORMATION)
wherein the first terminal is a narrowband terminal ([0060], sequence of random-access preamble transmitted is divided into a plurality of sub-sets for indicating different content to the network; one sub-set is used for indicating that only the SI is requested at this time, and the type of equipment transmitting the random-access preamble is NB-IoT. Here, the equipment/ terminal that transmits SI request is a narrowband terminal),
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified LI as mentioned in claims 1, 8 and 15 and further incorporate the teaching of PANTELIDOU. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a method and device for On-demand acquisition of SI, in which interaction process between a UE and a network is simplified, which further effectively reduces signaling overhead during the interaction and avoids a waste of resources (PANTELIDOU, Abstract and [0064]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6 – 7, 11 – 13, 18 and 20 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 arts made of record and not relied upon are considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
GAO et al.(Pub. No. CN 111343728 B) – “Communication Method, Device And Readable Storage Medium” discloses a method of determining a request period of the first system information to be requested; wherein the request period satisfies at least one of the following: the request period is the multiple of the random access configuration period; the request period is the multiple of the random access correlation period; or the request period is the multiple of the system information period; or the system information period is the multiple of the request period; A request message for requesting the target random access opportunity for the first system information and sending the first system information at the target random access time is determined.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROWNAK ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8009. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 6 pm (EST).
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/ROWNAK ISLAM/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474
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