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 § 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)(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, 7, 13-16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2023/0189041 A1 , hereinafter A).
Regarding Claim 1, Claim 1 recites: “A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: receive an indication to skip measurement for radio resource management, wherein the measurement is associated with a duration; and monitor physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the duration based at least in part on the received indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses a UE including processors, memory, transceivers, and a controller/processor implementing an enhanced measurement-gap component (paras. 125-133; Fig. 2).
A discloses “receive an indication to skip measurement for radio resource management, wherein the measurement is associated with a duration.” A defines a measurement gap as a duration for measurement procedures and teaches receipt of an mgPriority indication that causes overlapping configured measurement gaps to be ignored or skipped (paras. 157-164, 186-194; Figs. 11-12).
A discloses “monitor physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the duration based at least in part on the received indication to skip the measurement.” When the measurement-gap period is skipped, A expressly states that the UE “may keep performing PDCCH monitoring and data reception or transmission” (para. 193). The skip results from the received priority indication described in paras. 187-193.
Regarding Claim 2, Claim 2 recites: “The UE of claim 1, wherein the indication to skip the measurement includes an indication to skip a measurement gap, and indicates that the UE is to enable wireless communication during the duration.”
A discloses that the indication causes the UE to ignore or skip a measurement gap and continue wireless communication during the gap duration: with mgPriority set, overlapping gaps are ignored and the UE continues PDCCH monitoring and data reception or transmission (paras. 187-194). A also teaches DCI having a bitmap that activates or deactivates subsequent measurement gaps (paras. 206-207).
Regarding Claim 7, Claim 7 recites: “The UE of claim 1, wherein the indication to skip the measurement comprises one or more of PDCCH or downlink control information (DCI).”
A discloses the skip-related indication through DCI or MAC CE, including DCI with a bitmap that activates or deactivates subsequent measurement gaps (paras. 198-207). Thus, A discloses the indication comprising PDCCH/DCI.
Regarding Claim 13, Claim 13 recites “A processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: receive an indication to skip measurement for radio resource management, wherein the measurement is associated with a duration; and monitor physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the duration based at least in part on the received indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses the recited processor/controller and memory structure and the substantive skipped-measurement/PDCCH-monitoring operations for the reasons stated for claim 1 (paras. 125-133, 157-164, 186-194; Figs. 2 and 11).
Regarding Claim 14, Claim 14 recites “A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving an indication to skip measurement for radio resource management, wherein the measurement is associated with a duration; and monitoring physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the duration based at least in part on the received indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses the recited UE method for receiving the indication, skipping the measurement-gap procedure, and continuing PDCCH monitoring during the gap duration (paras. 186-194; Figs. 11-12).
Regarding Claim 15, Claim 15 recites “A network equipment (NE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the NE to: transmit an indication to skip measurement for radio resource management, wherein the measurement is associated with a duration; and transmit physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during the duration.”
A discloses a network entity having processors and memory (paras. 61-63, 125-133) that transmits the measurement-gap priority indication (paras. 186-203). A further teaches that the UE continues PDCCH monitoring and communication during the skipped gap (para. 193), which necessarily corresponds to network PDCCH transmission during the monitored interval.
Regarding Claim 16, Claim 16 recites: “The NE of claim 15, wherein the indication to skip the measurement comprises an indication to skip a measurement gap, and an indication for a user equipment (UE) to enable wireless communication during the duration.”
A discloses that the network indication causes the UE to ignore the measurement gap and continue PDCCH monitoring and data reception or transmission during the gap duration (paras. 187-194).
Regarding Claim 20, Claim 20 recites: “The NE of claim 15, wherein the indication to skip the measurement comprises one or more of PDCCH or downlink control information (DCI).”
A discloses measurement-gap control through DCI and DCI having a bitmap that activates or deactivates subsequent measurement gaps (paras. 198-207).
Claims 3, 6, 11, 12 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over A in view of Bao (WO 2022/026173 A1, hereinafter , D).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to combine the cited teachings because A supplies the mgPriority-based skipped-measurement procedure, timer configuration, and uplink-control mechanisms. D independently teaches a network indication to skip a scheduled measurement gap, DRX Active Time as PDCCH-monitoring time, and an inactivity timer associated with the PDCCH preceding an overlapping gap. Combining D’s express skip-indication/DRX relationship with A’s timer and uplink-control teachings would predictably maintain PDCCH and serving-cell communication during the skipped gap.
Regarding Claim 3, Claim 3 recites: “The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: receive a timer configuration; and start a timer in accordance with the received timer configuration and based at least in part on the indication to skip the measurement, wherein the PDCCH is monitored further based at least in part on the timer.”
A discloses the inherited claim-1 procedure (paras. 186-194). A further discloses receiving a new information element configuring drx-MgInactivityTimer, starting that timer at the beginning of a measurement gap, remaining active while the timer runs, and allowing the network to send DCI before expiration (paras. 209-212; Figs. 14-15).
A does not expressly state in one sentence that the timer starts “based at least in part on” the same mgPriority indication that causes the measurement to be skipped.
D discloses receiving a network indication to skip a scheduled measurement gap (paras. 68-70), DRX Active Time as time during which the UE monitors PDCCH, and an inactivity timer started upon reception of PDCCH where the measurement gap overlaps the ensuing data communication (paras. 78-80; Fig. 5).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to apply A’s configured drx-MgInactivityTimer to D’s expressly indicated gap-skipping event because both references address maintaining active communication when a measurement gap conflicts with DRX activity. The combination would predictably keep the UE active and monitoring PDCCH for a configured interval after the skip indication.
Regarding Claim 6, Claim 13 recites “The UE of claim 3, wherein the timer includes a discontinuous reception (DRX) inactivity timer.”
A discloses drx-InactivityTimer and measurement-gap-specific drx-MgInactivityTimer (paras. 150-152, 175-180, 209-212), but A does not expressly tie the selected DRX inactivity timer to the skip indication in the complete claim-3 relationship.
D discloses an inactivity timer started upon reception of PDCCH, extending DRX Active Time where a measurement gap overlaps data communication (paras. 78-80; Fig. 5).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to select the DRX inactivity timer disclosed by A and D for the A-D claim-3 procedure because both references use that timer to maintain PDCCH-monitoring Active Time. This is a predictable use of a known timer for its established function.
Regarding Claim 11, Claim 11 recites the UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: transmit uplink control information (UCI) during the duration.”
A discloses continued transmission during a skipped measurement-gap period (para. 193), a scheduling request used to enter or restore Active Time (paras. 213-215), and PUCCH control information transmitted by the UE (para. 384). A does not expressly state in one embodiment that the UCI is transmitted during the skipped-gap duration.
D discloses that the skip decision preserves data communication that overlaps the scheduled measurement gap and that DRX Active Time is PDCCH-monitoring time (paras. 68-80; Fig. 5).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to use A’s disclosed scheduling-request/PUCCH control mechanism during D’s preserved communication interval because uplink control supports the scheduling and continuation of that communication. The combination would predictably maintain serving-cell communication while the measurement gap is skipped.
Regarding Claim 12, Claim 12 recites the UE of claim 11, wherein the UCI comprises one or more of channel state information (CSI) or sounding reference signal (SRS).”
A discloses PUCCH control information, SRS generation and transmission by the UE (paras. 384-385), and CSI reporting used for dynamic measurement-gap control (para. 221), but A does not expressly locate the SRS or CSI transmission within the skipped-gap duration.
D discloses skipping a scheduled measurement gap to preserve overlapping data communication during DRX Active Time (paras. 68-80; Fig. 5), but D does not expressly identify the preserved uplink control as CSI or SRS.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include A’s SRS or CSI in the UCI transmitted during D’s preserved communication interval because those known signals provide channel information used to schedule and maintain the communication. The combination would predictably provide current channel information while the measurement was skipped.
Regarding Claim 17, Claim 17 recites: “The NE of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the NE to: transmit a timer configuration for a timer to be started in response to the indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses the network entity of claim 15 and an information element configuring drx-MgInactivityTimer, which begins at the measurement gap and keeps the UE active so the network can send DCI (paras. 209-212). A does not expressly tie transmission of that timer configuration to the skip indication in one embodiment.
D discloses the network determining whether the UE should skip a measurement gap and transmitting an indication to skip that gap (paras. 68-70), together with an inactivity-timer/DRX Active Time arrangement for an overlapping gap (paras. 78-80; Fig. 5).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention for A’s network to transmit A’s timer configuration for use with D’s skip indication so the network and UE share the same active/PDCCH-monitoring interval. The result would have been predictable synchronization of network transmission and UE monitoring during the skipped gap.
Claims 4, 5 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over A in view of Soleymani et al. (WO 2023/006427 A1 , hereinafter B).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to combine the cited teachings because A supplies the skipped-measurement procedure and configured DRX timer. B supplies an expressly configured time offset used when PDCCH skipping is enabled and applied to an already configured timer. Applying B’s offset to A’s timer would predictably establish a deterministic timer-start point and synchronize UE/network operation.
Regarding claim Claim 4, Claim 4 recites: “The UE of claim 3, wherein the timer is started at a first offset after the indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses the inherited timer procedure but does not expressly disclose starting the timer at a first offset after the skip indication.
B discloses a configured or preconfigured time offset when the transceiver enters or leaves PDCCH monitoring or enables PDCCH skipping, and applying the offset to an already configured timer (B, claims 7-8; Fig. 8). B also discloses receiving a signal indicating the offset as a time value or flag bit (B, claim 12).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to start A’s configured timer at B’s first offset after the skip indication to allow defined processing time and provide predictable synchronization between reception of the indication and timer-controlled monitoring.
Regarding Claim 5, Claim 5 recites: “The UE of claim 4, wherein the timer configuration indicates the first offset.”
A does not expressly disclose that the timer configuration indicates the first offset. B expressly discloses receiving information indicating the time offset and applying the offset to an already configured timer (B, claims 8 and 12; Fig. 8). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to include B’s offset value in A’s timer configuration so the UE receives both the timer and its start timing in coordinated configuration information.
Regarding Claim 18, Claim 18 recites The NE of claim 17, wherein the timer configuration comprises a first offset for starting the timer in response to the indication to skip the measurement.”
For the network-equipment counterpart of claim 4, B discloses configured/preconfigured offset information applicable when PDCCH skipping is enabled and applied to an already configured timer (B, claims 7-8 and 12). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention for A’s network to transmit that first-offset information as part of the timer configuration for the same predictable timing-alignment reasons stated for claims 4 and 5.
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 - Lee et al. (A) in view of Soleymani et al. (B) (PDCCH occasion)
Claims 8-10 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as unpatentable over A in view of B.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to combine the cited teachings because A supplies the DCI-controlled skipped-measurement procedure. B supplies alignment information identifying a later PDCCH occurrence, a configured PDCCH-monitoring pattern, and time-offset information. Using B’s occurrence and offset information in A would predictably tell the UE when to monitor for the skip indication and provide time to process the indication before the affected gap.
Regarding Claim 8, Claim 8 recites: “The UE of claim 1, wherein the indication to skip the measurement is received during a PDCCH monitoring occasion.”
A discloses the claim-1 procedure and a skip-related DCI (paras. 198-207), but does not expressly characterize the reception time as a “PDCCH monitoring occasion.” B discloses alignment information including “PDCCH occurrence information indicating an occurrence of a later PDCCH in time” and monitoring PDCCH according to a pattern (B, claims 3-4 and 40-41). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to receive A’s DCI indication at B’s indicated PDCCH occurrence because the UE must be monitoring PDCCH when the DCI is received.
Regarding Claim 9, Claim 13 recites wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: receive configuration information that indicates the PDCCH monitoring occasion.”
A does not expressly disclose configuration information indicating the PDCCH monitoring occasion. B expressly discloses alignment information containing a later-PDCCH occurrence and a PDCCH-monitoring pattern (B, claims 2-4). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to use that information as the configuration identifying when the UE monitors for A’s skip DCI, reducing unnecessary monitoring while preserving reliable reception.
Regarding Claim 10, Claim 10 recites: “The UE of claim 9, wherein the configuration information indicates a second offset before a measurement gap for the PDCCH monitoring occasion.”
A discloses DRX/measurement-gap offsets and next-gap timing conveyed using DCI or MAC CE (paras. 216-223), but not the complete claimed second-offset relationship. B discloses a configured time offset for aligning PDCCH skipping with a measurement feature and an indicated later PDCCH occurrence (B, claims 3, 7-8 and 12; Fig. 8). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention to place B’s indicated monitoring occurrence at a second offset before A’s affected measurement gap so the UE has time to receive and apply the skip indication.
Regarding Claim 19, Claim 19 recites: “The NE of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the NE to transmit configuration information including an indication of a PDCCH monitoring occasion for receiving the indication to skip the measurement.”
A discloses the network entity and transmitting DCI/measurement-gap timing configuration (paras. 198-223). B discloses network-provided alignment information identifying a later PDCCH occurrence and an information element identifying the next PDCCH candidate (B, claims 3, 40 and 52). Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the time of the invention for A’s network to transmit that occurrence information as configuration of the monitoring occasion for receiving the skip indication, predictably synchronizing network transmission with UE monitoring.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANGEL T BROCKMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5664. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:00AM-4:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Jiang can be reached at 571-270-7191. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANGEL T BROCKMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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