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 statements (IDS) submitted on 10/22/24 and 4/28/26. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement 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 – 7, 10 – 12, 15 - 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mazloum et al. (US Publication 2025/0088968) disclosed in (SE) 2250080-5 filed 1/28/22 (machine translation).
Regarding claims 1 and 11, Mazloum teaches an apparatus and a communication method, applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:
determining a mode for monitoring a wake-up signal (WUS), wherein the mode for monitoring the WUS includes a first mode or a second mode; (fig. 4 and 5 shows a UE may determine a power saving mode for monitoring a WUS (elements 4010, 4020, 4040); see paragraph 37 - 39) and
monitoring the WUS according to the mode that is determined. (i.e. fig. 4 and 5 shows the UE may monitor the WUS according to the power saving mode (elements 4030 or 4050); see paragraphs 37 - 39)
Regarding claims 2, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein a receiver of the terminal device comprises a primary receiver and a secondary receiver, the first mode is used to indicate a mode for monitoring the WUS by the primary receiver; (i.e. fig. 2 shows the UE may comprise a low power receiver (2122) and a primary receiver (2121); see paragraph 25)
and
the second mode is used to indicate a mode for monitoring the WUS by the secondary receiver; monitoring the WUS according to the mode that is determined comprises: in a case where the mode that is determined is the first mode, monitoring, by the terminal device, the WUS using the primary receiver; or in a case where the mode that is determined is the second mode, monitoring, by the terminal device, the WUS using the secondary receiver; wherein in a case where the mode that is determined is the first mode, the terminal device
turns off the secondary receiver; and/or, in a case where the mode that is determined is the second mode, the terminal device turns off the primary receiver. (i.e. figs. 2 and 3 shows the device and operation respectively wherein the UE may be in a mode that utilizes the low power receiver or a mode that utilizes the primary receiver, and the corresponding receiver when not in use is turned off; see paragraphs 25 and 29 - 31)
Regarding claims 3, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 2, wherein a modulation manner supported by the secondary receiver is simpler than a modulation manner supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a modulation waveform supported by the secondary receiver is simpler than a modulation waveform supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a frequency supported by the secondary receiver is different from a frequency supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a transmission rate supported by the secondary receiver is lower than a transmission rate supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a bandwidth supported by the secondary receiver is narrower than a bandwidth supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a bit rate supported by the secondary receiver is lower than a bit rate supported by the primary receiver; or the WUS monitored based on the first mode is different from the WUS monitored based on the second mode in at least one of: a modulation manner, a modulation waveform, a corresponding frequency resource, a transmission rate, a bandwidth, or a bit rate. (i.e. the low power receiver may have reduced capabilities compared to the main receiver/transceiver. Thus, a type of the low power wake-up signals may have to be less complex compared to a type of the main signals. For example, the low power wake-up signal may have to have a simpler modulation and coding scheme. For example, the low power wake-up signal is designed using on-off keying (OOK), binary frequency shift keying (BFSK); see paragraph 56)
Regarding claims 4, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the mode for monitoring the WUS; and determining the mode for monitoring the wake-up signal (WUS) comprises: determining the mode for monitoring the WUS according to the first indication information; wherein the first indication information is specifically used to indicate the first mode; the first indication information is carried by one or more of: an radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a broadcast signaling, a wireless system message, a paging message, or a historical WUS; wherein the first indication information is received by a secondary receiver, and/or the first indication information is received by a primary receiver; or the first indication information is specifically used to indicate the second mode; the first indication information is carried by one or more of: an RRC signaling, a broadcast signaling, a wireless system message, a paging message, or a historical WUS; wherein the first indication information is received by a primary receiver. (i.e. the power saving mode configurations may be sent by RRC signaling; see paragraph 62)
Regarding claims 5, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 4, wherein the first indication information is indicated in an explicit manner, and/or the first indication information is indicated in an implicit manner;
wherein the first indication information being indicated in the explicit manner comprises: the first indication information including one or more bits, wherein the one or more bits are used to indicate a mode of the WUS; the first indication information being indicated in the implicit manner comprises: the first indication information corresponding to a target domain or a target field in a target
signaling, wherein the target domain or the target field is used to configure a parameter related to the second mode; in a case where the target domain or the target field is carried in the target signaling, the first indication information indicating the second mode; and/or, in a case where the target signaling does not carry the target domain or the target field, or the target domain or the target field is not configured with a valid parameter related to the second mode, the first indication information indicating the first mode; wherein the parameter related to the second mode comprises one or more of parameters as follows: a bandwidth of monitoring the WUS using the second mode; a frequency of monitoring the WUS using the second mode; a starting moment of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-on moment of a secondary receiver of the terminal device; a duration of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-on duration of the secondary receiver of the terminal device; or
an ending moment of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-off moment of the secondary receiver of the terminal device. (i.e. fig. 5 shows the mode information may be communicated via explicit messaging; see paragraph 43)
Regarding claims 6, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving second indication information after monitoring the WUS according to the mode that is determined; wherein the second indication information is used to indicate the mode for monitoring the
WUS, and the method further comprises: maintaining or switching the mode for monitoring the WUS according to the second indication information; and/or,
the second indication information is used to indicate one or more of: stopping, not stopping, switching or not switching the mode for monitoring the WUS used currently, and the method further comprises: stopping/switching/maintaining the mode for monitoring the WUS used currently according to the second indication information; wherein the second indication information is carried by at least one of: system information, a paging message, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling the paging message, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for carrying the paging message, the WUS, or an independent signaling; the second indication information is received by a primary receiver of the terminal device, or the second indication information is received by a secondary receiver of the terminal device. (i.e. the UE may receive a second indication for switching or cancelling the low power mode operation, wherein the indication may be sent via paging (PDCCH) or an independent signal; see paragraphs 63 – 66, 83)
Regarding claims 7 and 12, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining, by the terminal device, a radio resource management (RRM) measurement result
of a current cell; wherein the determining the mode for monitoring the wake-up signal (WUS) comprises: in a case where the RRM measurement result is less than and/or equal to a first threshold, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the first mode; or in a case where the RRM measurement result is greater than and/or equal to a first threshold, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the second mode; or in a case where the RRM measurement result is greater than and/or equal to a second threshold, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the second mode; wherein the second threshold is greater than a first threshold; or in a case where the RRM measurement result is less than and/or equal to a second threshold, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the first mode; wherein the second threshold is greater than a first threshold;
wherein the second threshold is a neighboring cell measurement starting threshold; or the second threshold is a sum of the neighboring cell measurement starting threshold and a bias value. (i.e. fig. 6 shows a measurement result may determine a power saving mode wherein the result is lower than a threshold a second power save mode is selected and if greater than a threshold a first power save mode Is selected; see paragraphs 47 - 52)
Regarding claims 10 and 15, Mazloum teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the mode for monitoring the wake-up signal (WUS) comprises: determining the mode for monitoring the WUS according to a situation about whether the terminal device meets a relaxed measurement condition; wherein determining the mode for monitoring the WUS according to the situation about whether the terminal device meets the relaxed measurement condition comprises: in a case where the terminal device meets the relaxed measurement condition, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the second mode; and/or, in a case where the terminal device does not meet the relaxed measurement condition, determining the mode for monitoring the WUS as the first mode; wherein a secondary receiver of the terminal device does not support an RRM measurement function. (i.e. Mazloum discloses when latency requirements are relaxed the monitoring mode may comprise the first power save mode or the most advantageous and if not the other power save mode is implemented; see paragraph 43)
Regarding claims 16, Mazloum teaches a network device, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program, the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program stored in the memory, to cause the network device to perform:
determining a mode for transmitting a wake-up signal (WUS), wherein the mode for transmitting the WUS includes a third mode and a fourth mode; (fig. 4 and 5 shows a UE may determine a power saving mode for monitoring a WUS (elements 4010, 4020, 4040); see paragraph 37 - 39) and
transmitting the WUS according to the mode that is determined. (i.e. fig. 4 and 5 shows the UE may monitor the WUS according to the power saving mode (elements 4030 or 4050); see paragraphs 37 - 39)
Regarding claims 17, Mazloum teaches the network device according to claim 16, wherein a receiver of the terminal device comprises a primary receiver and a secondary receiver, the first mode is used to indicate a mode for monitoring the WUS by the primary receiver; (i.e. fig. 2 shows the UE may comprise a low power receiver (2122) and a primary receiver (2121); see paragraph 25)
and
the second mode is used to indicate a mode for monitoring the WUS by the secondary receiver; monitoring the WUS according to the mode that is determined comprises: in a case where the mode that is determined is the first mode, monitoring, by the terminal device, the WUS using the primary receiver; or in a case where the mode that is determined is the second mode, monitoring, by the terminal device, the WUS using the secondary receiver; wherein in a case where the mode that is determined is the first mode, the terminal device
turns off the secondary receiver; and/or, in a case where the mode that is determined is the second mode, the terminal device turns off the primary receiver. (i.e. figs. 2 and 3 shows the device and operation respectively wherein the UE may be in a mode that utilizes the low power receiver or a mode that utilizes the primary receiver, and the corresponding receiver when not in use is turned off; see paragraphs 25 and 29 - 31)
Regarding claims 18, Mazloum teaches the network device according to claim 16, wherein a modulation manner supported by the secondary receiver is simpler than a modulation manner supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a modulation waveform supported by the secondary receiver is simpler than a modulation waveform supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a frequency supported by the secondary receiver is different from a frequency supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a transmission rate supported by the secondary receiver is lower than a transmission rate supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a bandwidth supported by the secondary receiver is narrower than a bandwidth supported by the primary receiver; and/or, a bit rate supported by the secondary receiver is lower than a bit rate supported by the primary receiver; or the WUS monitored based on the first mode is different from the WUS monitored based on the second mode in at least one of: a modulation manner, a modulation waveform, a corresponding frequency resource, a transmission rate, a bandwidth, or a bit rate. (i.e. the low power receiver may have reduced capabilities compared to the main receiver/transceiver. Thus, a type of the low power wake-up signals may have to be less complex compared to a type of the main signals. For example, the low power wake-up signal may have to have a simpler modulation and coding scheme. For example, the low power wake-up signal is designed using on-off keying (OOK), binary frequency shift keying (BFSK); see paragraph 56)
Regarding claims 19, Mazloum teaches the network device according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the mode for monitoring the WUS; and determining the mode for monitoring the wake-up signal (WUS) comprises: determining the mode for monitoring the WUS according to the first indication information; wherein the first indication information is specifically used to indicate the first mode; the first indication information is carried by one or more of: an radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a broadcast signaling, a wireless system message, a paging message, or a historical WUS; wherein the first indication information is received by a secondary receiver, and/or the first indication information is received by a primary receiver; or the first indication information is specifically used to indicate the second mode; the first indication information is carried by one or more of: an RRC signaling, a broadcast signaling, a wireless system message, a paging message, or a historical WUS; wherein the first indication information is received by a primary receiver. (i.e. the power saving mode configurations may be sent by RRC signaling; see paragraph 62)
Regarding claims 20, Mazloum teaches the network device according to claim 19, wherein the first indication information is indicated in an explicit manner, and/or the first indication information is indicated in an implicit manner;
wherein the first indication information being indicated in the explicit manner comprises: the first indication information including one or more bits, wherein the one or more bits are used to indicate a mode of the WUS; the first indication information being indicated in the implicit manner comprises: the first indication information corresponding to a target domain or a target field in a target
signaling, wherein the target domain or the target field is used to configure a parameter related to the second mode; in a case where the target domain or the target field is carried in the target signaling, the first indication information indicating the second mode; and/or, in a case where the target signaling does not carry the target domain or the target field, or the target domain or the target field is not configured with a valid parameter related to the second mode, the first indication information indicating the first mode; wherein the parameter related to the second mode comprises one or more of parameters as follows: a bandwidth of monitoring the WUS using the second mode; a frequency of monitoring the WUS using the second mode; a starting moment of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-on moment of a secondary receiver of the terminal device; a duration of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-on duration of the secondary receiver of the terminal device; or
an ending moment of monitoring the WUS using the second mode, and/or a turn-off moment of the secondary receiver of the terminal device. (i.e. fig. 5 shows the mode information may be communicated via explicit messaging; see paragraph 43)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 and 13 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.
Claim 9 and 14 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
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ROBERT J. LOPATA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2471
/ROBERT J LOPATA/
August 11, 2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471
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