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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs), submitted on 21 October 2024 and 09 June 2025, were filed after the mailing date of the patent application on 21 October 2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings, received on 21 October 2024, are acceptable for examination.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: Said claim recite “MAC CE”; however, the acronym has not been defined. Examiner respectfully suggest amending to “Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE)”. Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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.
Claims 1-2, 4, and 9-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Vangala et al. (US 20240196377 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Vangala”).
Regarding Claim 1, Vangala discloses a communication control method in a mobile communication system, the communication control method comprising:
transmitting, at a network node to a user equipment, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses transmitting, at a next generation node (gNB) 120A to a user equipment (UE) 110, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 2, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
Vangala further discloses wherein the XR assistance information comprises a period of the XR traffic (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes, but is not limited to, periodicity of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 4, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
Vangala further discloses [the communication control method] further comprising transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, a logical channel ID relating to the XR traffic (¶38 & Fig. 4 (405), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, Quality of Service (QoS) configuration information including a logical channel identifier (ID) corresponding to XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 9, Vangala discloses a user equipment comprising transceiver circuitry and processing circuitry operatively associated with the transceiver circuitry (¶28-31 & Fig. 2, Vangala discloses a user equipment (UE) 110 comprising a transceiver 225 and a processor 205 where the processor 205 is coupled to the transceiver 225) and configured to execute processes of:
receiving, from a network node, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses receiving, at the UE 110 from a next generation node (gNB) 120A, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
transmitting, to the network node, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 10, Vangala discloses a network node comprising transceiver circuitry and processing circuitry operatively associated with the transceiver circuitry (¶32-36 & Fig. 3, Vangala discloses a base station (BS) 300 comprising a transceiver 320 and a processor 305 where the processor 305 is coupled to the transceiver 320) and configured to execute processes of:
transmitting, to a user equipment, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses transmitting, at a next generation node (gNB) 120A to a user equipment (UE) 110, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
receiving, from the user equipment, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses receiving, from the UE 110 at the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 11, Vangala discloses a mobile communication system comprising a user equipment and a network node (¶23-27 & Fig. 1, Vangala discloses a network arrangement 100 comprising a user equipment (UE) 110 and a next generation node (gNB) 120A), wherein the network node is configured to transmit, to a user equipment, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses transmitting, at a next generation node (gNB) 120A to a user equipment (UE) 110, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
the user equipment is configured to transmit, to the network node, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 12, Vangala discloses a processor of a user terminal, the processor communicatively coupled to a memory (¶28-31 & Fig. 2, Vangala discloses a user equipment (UE) 110 comprising a processor 205 and a memory arrangement 210 where the processor 205 is coupled to the memory arrangement 210) and configured to:
receive, from a network node, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses receiving, at the UE 110 from a next generation node (gNB) 120A, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
transmit, to the network node, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
Regarding Claim 13, Vangala discloses a chipset for a user equipment used in a mobile communication system, the chipset comprising:
a circuity (¶28-31 & Fig. 2, Vangala discloses a user equipment (UE) 110 comprising a processor 205) configured to:
receiving, from a network node, configuration information (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses receiving, at the UE 110 from a next generation node (gNB) 120A, radio resource control (RRC) messages where the RRC messages include information to configure the UE to perform uplink transmissions according to configured grants (CGs) indicated in the RRC messages) relating to a transmission path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted (¶39 & Fig. 4 (420) & ¶62 & ¶78, Vangala discloses that the information indicated by the RRC messages relate to an uplink path through which eXtended Reality (XR) traffic is transmitted to the gNB); and
transmitting, to the network node, XR assistance information (¶49 & Fig. 5 (510), Vangala discloses transmitting, at the UE 110 to the gNB 120A, a configured grant (CG) adjustment information. ¶53, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information is also referred to as "UE assistance information") relating to the XR comprising identification information relating to the transmission path on a basis on the configuration information (¶53 & ¶70, Vangala discloses that the CG adjustment information includes a quality of service (QoS) flow identifier (ID) (QFI)),
wherein the configuration information comprises association information between the identification information relating to the transmission path and a session ID of the XR (¶45-47, Vangala discloses that the configuration information of the RRC messages comprises mapping information between a logical channel ID (e.g. LCH 1, LCH 2, LCH 3) and QoS Flow and PDU Session of the XR traffic).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vangala in view of Vangala et al. (US 20230118526 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Vangala2”).
Regarding Claim 3, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
However, Vangala does not disclose wherein the XR assistance information comprises a delay tolerance of the XR traffic.
Vangala2, a prior art reference in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the XR assistance information comprises a delay tolerance of the XR traffic (¶21-22 & Fig. 2 (220 & 240), Vangala2 discloses that the plurality of activity alignment parameters comprises an individual delay tolerance for each of the plurality of uplink grants. ¶46 & ¶2, Vangala2 discloses that the plurality of activity alignment parameters is assistance information for XR traffic).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Vangala by requiring that the XR assistance information comprises a delay tolerance of the XR traffic as taught by Vangala2 because traffic synchronization between flows is improved by synchronizing different types of traffic at the same time (Vangala2, ¶1-2).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vangala in view Lee et al. (US 20200314678 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Lee”).
Regarding Claim 5, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
However, Vangala does not disclose transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, a difference between a configuration provided by the network node and a timing at which a packet is received from an upper layer.
Lee, a prior art reference in the same field of endeavor, teaches transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, a difference between a configuration provided by the network node and a timing at which a packet is received from an upper layer (¶392 & Fig. 10 (S1001) & ¶364-366, Lee discloses transmitting, at a user equipment (UE) to a base station, a PDCCH-to-PUSCH where the PDCCH-to-PUSCH is a difference in time between reception of downlink information provided by the BS and a timing at which the PUSCH is transmitted).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Vangala by transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, a difference between a configuration provided by the network node and a timing at which a packet is received from an upper layer as taught by Lee because a mobile communication system is improved by increasing resources and providing a higher speed service by reporting a maximum number of CCEs capable of being channel-estimated in one PDCCH monitoring span (Lee, ¶1-5).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vangala in view Lee in further view of Sakhnini et al. (US 20220045823 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Sakhnini”).
Regarding Claim 6, Vangala in view of Lee discloses the communication control method according to claim 5.
However, Vangala in view of Lee does not disclose including, at the user equipment, the difference in a MAC CE.
Sakhnini, a prior art reference in the same field of endeavor, teaches including, at the user equipment, the difference in a MAC CE (¶62 Sakhnini discloses including an indicated time, namely K2, into a media access control control element (MAC-CE) where K2 is the time delay between a slot where the DCI was received and a slot where the UL transmission is to be transmitted).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Vangala in view of Lee by including, at the user equipment, the difference in a MAC CE as taught by Sakhnini because sounding reference signal (SRS) resource index (SRI) recommendation and selection is improved by reducing UL resources and UE power without sacrificing beam quality in UL transmissions (Sakhnini, ¶6 & ¶27).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vangala in view of Kim et al. (US 20220232605 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Kim”).
Regarding Claim 7, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
However, Vangala does not disclose further comprising transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, one of end information indicating to end transmission of the XR traffic or suspension information indicating to suspend the transmission of the XR traffic.
Kim, a prior art reference in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, one of end information indicating to end transmission of the XR traffic or suspension information indicating to suspend the transmission of the XR traffic (¶99 & Fig. 6 (615) & ¶12-13, Kim discloses transmitting, at a user equipment (UE) to a base station 105-b, an uplink (UL) skipping indication where the UL skipping indication indicates to suspend, or discontinue, configured grants (CGs) that cause the transmission of XR traffic or cause the UE to not transmit uplink data).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Vangala by transmitting, at the user equipment to the network node, one of end information indicating to end transmission of the XR traffic or suspension information indicating to suspend the transmission of the XR traffic as taught by Kim because wireless communication is improved by including UE indication of uplink scheduling parameters in wireless communications in order to reduce the latency associated with XR traffic (Kim, ¶2-4).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vangala in view of Sebire et al. (US 20240381161 A1; hereinafter referred to as “Sebire”).
Regarding Claim 8, Vangala discloses the communication control method according to claim 1.
However, Vangala does not disclose further comprising transmitting, at an access mobility management apparatus, the packet delay budget of the XR traffic to the network node.
Sebire, a prior art reference in the same field of endeavor, teaches transmitting, at an access mobility management apparatus, the packet delay budget of the XR traffic to the network node (¶43 & ¶28-29 & ¶18, Sebire discloses transmitting, at the access and mobility management function (AMF), a packet delay budget (PDB) corresponding to eXtended reality (XR) traffic to a session management function (SMF). Examiner correlates the SMF to a "network node").
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Vangala by transmitting, at an access mobility management apparatus, the packet delay budget of the XR traffic to the network node as taught by Sebire because radio access retransmissions is improved by using resource efficient radio protocol retransmissions for XR traffic (Sebire, ¶1-2).
Internet Communications
Applicant is encouraged to submit a written authorization for Internet communications (PTO/SB/439, http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf) in the instant patent application to authorize the examiner to communicate with the applicant via email. The authorization will allow the examiner to better practice compact prosecution. The written authorization can be submitted via one of the following methods only: (1) Central Fax which can be found in the Conclusion section of this Office action; (2) regular postal mail; (3) EFS WEB; or (4) the service window on the Alexandria campus. EFS web is the recommended way to submit the form since this allows the form to be entered into the file wrapper within the same day (system dependent). Written authorization submitted via other methods, such as direct fax to the examiner or email, will not be accepted. See MPEP § 502.03.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC NOWLIN whose telephone number is (313)446-6544. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12:00PM-10:00PM.
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/ERIC NOWLIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2474
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