DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall
contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject
matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the
limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in
dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further
limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate
by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Under 112(d), a dependent claim must incorporate all limitations of the parent claim and specify a further limitation. It cannot broaden or change the scope of the parent claim. Claim 1 restricts the “plurality of measurement triggers” to being altitude-based triggers (meaning the whole group consists of altitude-based triggers). Claim 10 attempts to add “other measurement triggers” into that same plurality. By doing so, it is broadening the definition of the plurality rather than further limiting it. Therefore, it is an improper dependent claim. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(B) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out
and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the
invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly
claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Because a dependent claim must be read as including all the limitations of its parent claim, reading Claim 1 and Claim 10 together creates a direct contradiction: The plurality is (only) altitude-based triggers (from Claim 1) AND the plurality includes other triggers (from Claim 10). This internal contradiction makes it impossible for a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine the actual scope of Claim 10, rendering it indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung et al. (US 2025/0142526 A1), hereinafter “JUNG” in view of Han et al. (US 2021/0360492 A1), hereinafter “HAN”.
Regarding claim 1, JUNG teaches, ‘An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, which, individually or in any combination, are operable to cause the apparatus to:’ (Paragraph [0026]: In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a terminal in a wireless communication system is provided. The terminal includes a transceiver and a controller configured to; Paragraph [1318]: Referring to FIG. 1I, the UE includes a radio frequency (RF) processing unit 1i-10, a baseband processing unit 1i-20, a storage unit 1i-30, a controller 1i-40, and the like):
‘receive configuration information that includes a plurality of measurement triggers and that indicates to transmit one or more measurement reports in accordance with one or more measurement triggers of the plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied,’ (Paragraph [0344]: In operation 1f-15, the gNB 1f-02 may transmit a predetermined RRC message (for example, RRCReconfiguration) containing measurement configuration information (MeasConfig) to the UE 1f-01… the gNB 1f-02 may configure, in the UE 1f-01, a report type (report Type) for each ReportConfigNR as one of eventA3H1, eventA3H2, eventA4H1, eventA4H2, eventA5H1, and eventA5H2),
‘the plurality of measurement triggers being altitude-based measurement triggers,’ (Paragraph [0334]: capability information indicating whether the UE 1f-01 supports EventAxHy (for example, at least one of EventA3H1, EventA3H2, EventA4H1, EventA4H2, EventA5H1, and EventA5H2); Paragraphs [0337]-[0338]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2. Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2),
‘wherein the configuration information includes a reporting indication that indicates for the UE to transmit a plurality of measurement reports in accordance with a respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied’ (Paragraphs [0838]-[0841]: If leaving condition 1 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, Cell(s) that satisfies leaving condition 1 may be removed among cells in cellsTriggeredList defined in measId within VarMeasReportList. If reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId, When only leaving condition 2 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02… Alternatively, when both leaving condition 1 and leaving condition 2 are satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02 [Note: JUNG discloses when the configuration flag reportOnLeave is set to true, the UE is instructed not to send just a single report, but rather to transmit a new, separate MeasurementReport message each time a distinct event condition (entering or leaving) is satisfied across different time intervals or measurement triggers])
‘and transmit one or more measurement reports in accordance with the one or more measurement triggers being satisfied and in accordance with the reporting indication.’ (Paragraph [0848]: If the measurement reporting procedure is initiated in operation 1g-30, the UE 1g-01 may transmit the measurement result message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02 according to the following procedure in operation 1g-35).
JUNG does not explicitly teach but HAN teaches, ‘or that indicates for the UE to transmit a single measurement report in accordance with a select measurement trigger of the plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied;’ (HAN – Paragraphs [0080]-[0081]: In step S705… the aerial UE restarts the timer due to the addition of the new neighbor cells into the list of TBD. That is, the timer is restarted in a window sliding manner in the case that a new neighbor cell with the signal strength fulfilling the condition is detected… If the counter reaches the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S707, in which a measurement report including information of the neighbor cells, included in the list of TBD and the signal strength of which fulfills the condition, is transmitted to the eNB; Paragraph [0086]: If the aerial UE detects that the signal strength of one of the counted cells fulfills the leaving condition for triggering the measurement report in step S808, both the counter and the timer are stopped… and further, the attempt to transmit the measurement report will be discarded [Note: HAN discloses how individual trigger events are stopped and consolidated so that only a single measurement report containing the accumulated set of qualifying neighbor cells is generated and transmitted once a specific select trigger condition (reaching a pre-configured counter threshold) is met]);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HAN with JUNG because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HAN into JUNG is that HAN provides a specific counter/windowing mechanism including single/plural reporting indication control to restrict and control measurement reporting which selectively limits reporting to a single consolidated report or allows multiple reports based on counter/timer rules, where an aerial UE detects far more neighbor cells than a terrestrial UE. This avoids continuous radio resource control (RRC) signaling and unnecessary physical layer processing, directly prolonging the operational flight time and battery life of the UAV (See Paragraphs [0005]-[0006], [0011], [0049], HAN).
Regarding claims 2, 14 and 20, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the reporting indication is a flag,’ (Paragraphs [0840]-[0841]: If reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId, The UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure; Paragraph [0832]: If… the removed cell(s) are not transmitted to the gNB 1g-02 through the previous measurement report message, the UE 1g-01 may not initiate the
measurement reporting procedure even though reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId),
‘wherein a first value of the flag indicates for the UE to transmit the plurality of measurement reports in accordance with the respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied’ (Paragraph [0809]: In operation 1g-35, the UE 1g-01 may determine whether the entry condition for eventA4H1 is satisfied; Paragraphs [0840]-[0841]: If reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId, When only leaving condition 2 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02… Alternatively, when both leaving condition 1 and leaving condition 2 are satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02; Paragraph [0848]: If the measurement reporting procedure is initiated in operation 1g-30, the UE 1g-01 may transmit the measurement result message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02 according to the following procedure in operation 1g-35)
JUNG does not explicitly teach but HAN teaches, ‘and a second value of the flag indicates for the UE to transmit the single measurement report in accordance with the select measurement trigger of the plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied.’ (HAN – Paragraphs [0080]-[0082]: In step S705, in the case that the signal strength of a new neighbor cell fulfills the condition, the aerial UE increases the counter by 1 and adds the new neighbor cell into the list of TBD. As mentioned above, the condition may be an offset value of RSRP/RSRQ or a threshold value RSRP/RSRQ included in the measurement configuration from the eNB. Further, the aerial UE restarts the timer due to the addition of the new neighbor cells into the list of TBD. That is, the timer is restarted in a window sliding manner in the case that a new neighbor cell with the signal strength fulfilling the condition is detected. In step S706, the aerial UE determines whether the counter is accumulated to the second pre-configured number. If the counter reaches the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S707, in which a measurement report including information of the neighbor cells, included in the list of TBD and the signal strength of which fulfills the condition, is transmitted to the eNB… If the counter has not been accumulated to the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S708, in which the aerial UE determines whether the timer is expired… If the timer is expired, the procedure continues to step S709, in which the aerial UE discards the counter, as well as an attempt to transmit the measurement report).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HAN with JUNG because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HAN into JUNG is that HAN provides a specific counter/windowing mechanism including single/plural reporting indication control to restrict and control measurement reporting which selectively limits reporting to a single consolidated report or allows multiple reports based on counter/timer rules, where an aerial UE detects far more neighbor cells than a terrestrial UE. This avoids continuous radio resource control (RRC) signaling and unnecessary physical layer processing, directly prolonging the operational flight time and battery life of the UAV (See Paragraphs [0005]-[0006], [0011], [0049], HAN).
Regarding claims 3 and 15, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 2, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the flag is set to the first value.’ (Paragraphs [0840]-[0841]: If reportOnLeave [flag] is set to true [first value] in the report configuration information linked to measId, When only leaving condition 2 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02… Alternatively, when both leaving condition 1 and leaving condition 2 are satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02).
Regarding claims 4 and 15, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 3, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to transmit the one or more measurement reports in accordance with the one or more measurement triggers being satisfied, are configured to cause the apparatus to transmit the plurality of measurement reports in accordance with the respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied.’ (Paragraph [0809]: In operation 1g-35, the UE 1g-01 [apparatus] may determine [processor] whether the entry condition for eventA4H1 is satisfied; Paragraphs [0840]-[0841]: If reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId, When only leaving condition 2 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02… Alternatively, when both leaving condition 1 and leaving condition 2 are satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02; Paragraph [0848]: If the measurement reporting procedure is initiated in operation 1g-30, the UE 1g-01 may transmit the measurement result message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02 according to the following procedure in operation 1g-35).
Regarding claims 5 and 16, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 4, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein each measurement trigger of the plurality of measurement triggers is associated with a plurality of events,’ (Paragraph [0334]: capability information indicating whether the UE 1f-01 supports EventAxHy (for example, at least one of EventA3H1, EventA3H2, EventA4H1, EventA4H2, EventA5H1, and EventA5H2); Paragraphs [0337]-[0338]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2. Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2; Paragraph [0339]: EventA5H1: SpCell becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold3)
‘and wherein transmitting the plurality of measurement reports in accordance with the respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied comprises transmitting the plurality of measurement reports in accordance with the respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied and in accordance with at least one event of the plurality of events being satisfied.’ (Paragraphs [0387]-[0390]: In the case of Event A4H1, the UE 1f-01 may consider that an entering condition for the corresponding event is satisfied when both the condition A4H1-1 and the condition A4H1-2 are satisfied. Condition A4H1-1: Mn+Ofn+Ocn-Hys1>Thresh1. Condition A4H1-2: Ms-Hys2>Thresh2. In the case of Event A4H1, the UE 1f-01 may consider that a leaving condition for the corresponding event is satisfied when at least one of the condition A4H1-3 and the condition A4H1-4 is satisfied; Paragraphs [0481]-[0483]: The UE 1f-01 may determine whether the following entry condition applicable to the eventA4H1 is satisfied during timeToTrigger… Entry condition: The case where there is a cell(s) having the measurement results… that satisfy condition A4H1-1… and a flight altitude of the UE 1f-01 satisfies condition A4H1-2; Paragraph [0493]: When the measurement reporting procedure is initiated in operation 1f-25, the UE 1f-01 may transmit a measurement result message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1f-02).
Regarding claims 6 and 17, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 2, JUNG does not explicitly teach but HAN teaches, ‘wherein the flag is set to the second value.’ (HAN – Paragraphs [0080]-[0082]: In step S705, in the case that the signal strength of a new neighbor cell fulfills the condition, the aerial UE increases the counter by 1 and adds the new neighbor cell into the list of TBD. As mentioned above, the condition may be an offset value of RSRP/RSRQ or a threshold value RSRP/RSRQ included in the measurement configuration [flag] from the eNB. Further, the aerial UE restarts the timer due to the addition of the new neighbor cells into the list of TBD. That is, the timer is restarted in a window sliding manner in the case that a new neighbor cell with the signal strength fulfilling the condition is detected. In step S706, the aerial UE determines whether the counter is accumulated to the second pre-configured number [second value]. If the counter reaches the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S707, in which a measurement report including information of the neighbor cells, included in the list of TBD and the signal strength of which fulfills the condition, is transmitted to the eNB; Paragraph [0086]: If the aerial UE detects that the signal strength of one of the counted cells fulfills the leaving condition for triggering the measurement report in step S808, both the counter and the timer are stopped… and further, the attempt to transmit the measurement report will be discarded).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HAN with JUNG because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HAN into JUNG is that HAN provides a specific counter/windowing mechanism including single/plural reporting indication control to restrict and control measurement reporting which selectively limits reporting to a single consolidated report or allows multiple reports based on counter/timer rules, where an aerial UE detects far more neighbor cells than a terrestrial UE. This avoids continuous radio resource control (RRC) signaling and unnecessary physical layer processing, directly prolonging the operational flight time and battery life of the UAV (See Paragraphs [0005]-[0006], [0011], [0049], HAN).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 6, JUNG further teaches,‘ …wherein the select measurement trigger is a select altitude-based measurement trigger of a plurality of altitude-based measurement triggers having an altitude that is closest to the UE.’ (Paragraph [0165]: when ssb-ToMeasureAltitudeBasedList is configured in specific MeasObjectNR, the UE le-01 may measure SSBs by applying ssb-ToMeasure-rl8 configured in the corresponding altitude range area when flying in the altitude range area indicated by ssb-ToMeasureAltitudeBasedList; Paragraph [0181]: Method 8: when all of altitudeMin, altitudeMax, and altitudeHyst are configured… the UE 1e-01 may measure on SSBs by applying ssb-ToMeasure-r18 configured in the corresponding SSB-ToMeasureAltitudeBased if the UE flies at altitudeMin or altitudeMax or flies higher than altitudeMin and lower than altitudeMax (altitudeMin ≤ UE altitude ≤ altitudeMax; [0337]-[0338]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2. Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2);
JUNG does not explicitly teach but HAN teaches, ‘wherein transmitting the one or more measurement reports in accordance with the one or more measurement triggers being satisfied comprises transmitting the single measurement report in accordance with the select measurement trigger being satisfied,’ (HAN – Paragraph [0081]: In step S706, the aerial UE determines whether the counter is accumulated to the second pre-configured number [second value]. If the counter reaches the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S707, in which a measurement report including information of the neighbor cells, included in the list of TBD and the signal strength of which fulfills the condition, is transmitted to the eNB; Paragraph [0086]: If the aerial UE detects that the signal strength of one of the counted cells fulfills the leaving condition for triggering the measurement report in step S808, both the counter and the timer are stopped… and further, the attempt to transmit the measurement report will be discarded
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HAN with JUNG because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HAN into JUNG is that HAN provides a specific counter/windowing mechanism including single/plural reporting indication control to restrict and control measurement reporting which selectively limits reporting to a single consolidated report or allows multiple reports based on counter/timer rules, where an aerial UE detects far more neighbor cells than a terrestrial UE. This avoids continuous radio resource control (RRC) signaling and unnecessary physical layer processing, directly prolonging the operational flight time and battery life of the UAV (See Paragraphs [0005]-[0006], [0011], [0049], HAN).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 7, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein each measurement trigger of the plurality of measurement triggers is associated with a plurality of events,’ (Paragraph [0334]: capability information indicating whether the UE 1f-01 supports EventAxHy (for example, at least one of EventA3H1, EventA3H2, EventA4H1, EventA4H2, EventA5H1, and EventA5H2); Paragraphs [0337]-[0338]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2. Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2; Paragraph [0339]: EventA5H1: SpCell becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold3),
‘and wherein transmitting the single measurement report in accordance with the select measurement trigger being satisfied comprises transmitting the single measurement report in accordance with the select measurement trigger being satisfied and in accordance with at least one event of the plurality of events being satisfied.’ (Paragraph [0387]-[0390]: In the case of Event A4H1, the UE 1f-01 may consider that an entering condition for the corresponding event is satisfied when both the condition A4H1-1 and the condition A4H1-2 are satisfied. Condition A4H1-1: Mn+Ofn+Ocn-Hys1>Thresh1. Condition A4H1-2: Ms-Hys2>Thresh2. In the case of Event A4H1, the UE 1f-01 may consider that a leaving condition for the corresponding event is satisfied when at least one of the condition A4H1-3 and the condition A4H1-4 is satisfied; Paragraphs [0481]-[0483]: The UE 1f-01 may determine whether the following entry condition applicable to the eventA4H1 is satisfied during timeToTrigger… Entry condition: The case where there is a cell(s) having the measurement results… that satisfy condition A4H1-1… and a flight altitude of the UE 1f-01 satisfies condition A4H1-2; Paragraphs [0645]-[0649]: UE 1f-01 may determine whether to trigger measurement reporting by determining whether the leaving condition for the eventA4H1 is satisfied… Leaving condition 1: The case where there are cells having the measurement results… that satisfy the conditionA4H-3… Leaving condition 2: The case where the flight altitude of the UE satisfies the condition A4H1-4).
Regarding claim 9, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the plurality of measurement triggers includes a first plurality of measurement triggers associated with the UE being above a first plurality of altitude thresholds’ (Paragraph [0337]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2; Paragraph [0339]: EventA5H1: SpCell becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold3; Paragraph [0342]: Event H1: Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold; Paragraph [0389]: Condition A4H1-2: Ms-Hys2>Thresh2; Paragraph [0428]: Condition A5H1-3: Ms-Hys2>Thresh3)
‘and a second plurality of measurement triggers associated with the UE being below a second plurality of altitude thresholds.’ (Paragraph [0338]: Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2; Paragraph [0340]: EventA5H2: SpCell becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold3; Paragraph [0343]: Event H2: Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold; Paragraph [0408]: Condition A4H2-2: Ms+Hys2<Thresh2; Paragraph [0452]: Condition A5H2-3: Ms+Hys2<Thresh3).
Regarding claim 10, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the plurality of measurement triggers includes the altitude-based measurement triggers’ (Paragraphs [0342]-[0343]: Event H1: Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold. Event H2: Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold; Paragraphs [0337]-[0338]: Event A4H1: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes higher than a threshold2. Event A4H2: Neighbour becomes better than threshold1 and the Aerial UE altitude becomes lower than a threshold2)
‘and one or more other measurement triggers.’ (Paragraphs [0668]-[0670]: Event A3: Neighbour becomes amount of offset better than PCell/PSCell. Event A4: Neighbour becomes better than absolute threshold. Event A5: PCell/PSCell s worse than absolute threshold1 AND Neighbour/SCell becomes better than another absolute threshold2).
Regarding claim 11, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the configuration information that indicates to transmit the one or more measurement reports in accordance with the one or more measurement triggers being satisfied’ (Paragraph [0344]: In operation 1f-15, the gNB 1f-02 may transmit a predetermined RRC message (for example, RRCReconfiguration) containing measurement configuration information (MeasConfig) to the UE 1f-01… the gNB 1f-02 may configure, in the UE lf-01, a report type (report Type) for each ReportConfigNR as one of eventA3H1, eventA3H2, eventA4H1, eventA4H2, eventA5H1, and eventA5H2)
‘indicates to transmit a plurality of measurement reports in accordance with a respective plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied.’ (Paragraph [0809]: In operation 1g-35, the UE 1g-01 may determine whether the entry condition for eventA4H1 is satisfied; Paragraphs [0840]-[0841]: If reportOnLeave is set to true in the report configuration information linked to measId, When only leaving condition 2 is satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02… Alternatively, when both leaving condition 1 and leaving condition 2 are satisfied during timeToTrigger, the UE 1g-01 may initiate the measurement reporting procedure and transmit the measurement report message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02; Paragraph [0848]: If the measurement reporting procedure is initiated in operation 1g-30, the UE 1g-01 may transmit the measurement result message (MeasurementReport) to the gNB 1g-02 according to the following procedure in operation 1g-35).
Regarding claim 12, JUNG and HAN teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JUNG further teaches, ‘wherein the configuration information that indicates to transmit the one or more measurement reports in accordance with the one or more measurement triggers being satisfied’ (Paragraph [0344]: In operation 1f-15, the gNB 1f-02 may transmit a predetermined RRC message (for example, RRCReconfiguration) containing measurement configuration information (MeasConfig) to the UE 1f-01… the gNB 1f-02 may configure, in the UE lf-01, a report type (report Type) for each ReportConfigNR as one of eventA3H1, eventA3H2, eventA4H1, eventA4H2, eventA5H1, and eventA5H2)
JUNG does not explicitly teach but HAN teaches, ‘indicates to transmit a single measurement report in accordance with a select measurement trigger of the plurality of measurement triggers being satisfied.’ (HAN – Paragraphs [0080]-[0082]: In step S705, in the case that the signal strength of a new neighbor cell fulfills the condition, the aerial UE increases the counter by 1 and adds the new neighbor cell into the list of TBD. As mentioned above, the condition may be an offset value of RSRP/RSRQ or a threshold value RSRP/RSRQ included in the measurement configuration from the eNB. Further, the aerial UE restarts the timer due to the addition of the new neighbor cells into the list of TBD. That is, the timer is restarted in a window sliding manner in the case that a new neighbor cell with the signal strength fulfilling the condition is detected. In step S706, the aerial UE determines whether the counter is accumulated to the second pre-configured number. If the counter reaches the second pre-configured number, the procedure continues to step S707, in which a measurement report including information of the neighbor cells, included in the list of TBD and the signal strength of which fulfills the condition, is transmitted to the eNB; Paragraph [0086]: If the aerial UE detects that the signal strength of one of the counted cells fulfills the leaving condition for triggering the measurement report in step S808, both the counter and the timer are stopped… and further, the attempt to transmit the measurement report will be discarded; Paragraph [0088]: It should be understood that the measurement configuration is received from the network equipment, including one or more of the first pre-configured number, the first timer, the second pre-configured number, the second timer, the condition, the entering condition and the leaving condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HAN with JUNG because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HAN into JUNG is that HAN provides a specific counter/windowing mechanism including single/plural reporting indication control to restrict and control measurement reporting which selectively limits reporting to a single consolidated report or allows multiple reports based on counter/timer rules, where an aerial UE detects far more neighbor cells than a terrestrial UE. This avoids continuous radio resource control (RRC) signaling and unnecessary physical layer processing, directly prolonging the operational flight time and battery life of the UAV (See Paragraphs [0005]-[0006], [0011], [0049], HAN).
Regarding claims 13 and 19, the claims include features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1. The claims are mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding network node and method, and the rejection to claim 1 are applied hereto.
For claim 13. JUNG teaches, ‘An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, which, individually or in any combination, are operable to cause the apparatus to:’ (Paragraph [1325]: Referring to FIG. 1J, the BS may include an RF processing unit 1j-10, a baseband processing unit 1j-20, a backhaul communication unit 1j-30, a storage unit 1j-40, a controller 1j-50, and the like; Paragraphs [1329]-[1330]: The storage unit 1j-40 stores data such as basic programs, application programs, and configuration information for the operation of the BS… The controller 1j-50 controls the overall operation of the BS according to the embodiments of the disclosure… To this end, the controller 1j-50 may include at least one processor):
For claim 19, JUNG teaches, ‘A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:’ (Paragraph [0013]: In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system is provided):
Conclusion
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/HAESHIL JESSICA CHOI/Examiner, Art Unit 2479
/JAE Y LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2479
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