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(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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the some services" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Xiong (2023/0089834).
Regarding claim 1, Xiong discloses a mobility management method, wherein the method comprises: receiving a first message that requests to hand over a first multicast service of a first terminal device to a first target cell (see figure 4; hands over the PDU session to a target cell or a target RAN in paragraph 0007; the request type indicating an existing MBS session, so that the AMF selects, according to a value of the request type, an SMF for newly establishing the PDU session in paragraph 0050); and sending a second message that is a response message of the first message (see receive a handover complete indication in step S310 in figure 3), wherein the second message comprises first information indicating a first candidate cell that provides a multicast service for a terminal device in a radio resource control (RRC) non-connected mode (see the user equipment moves from the source base station to the target base station in an idle state (a radio resource control (RRC) non-connected mode) in paragraphs 0062; a determination that the user equipment moves from the source base station to the target base station in an idle state in paragraph 0234).
Regarding claim 2, Xiong discloses wherein the first information indicates that the first candidate cell is the first target cell (see Receive a handover complete indication transmitted by a target base station, the handover complete indication being used for indicating that the user equipment has been handed over to the target base station in paragraph 0044; the UE may be handed over to the target NG-RAN in paragraph 0083).
Regarding claim 3, Xiong discloses wherein the first information indicates an identifier of the first candidate cell (see hands over the PDU session to a target cell or a target RAN in paragraph 0007; the MB-SMF for the MBS session and stores ID of the selected MB-SMF, that is, MB-SMF ID in paragraph 0034; MBS multicast session/broadcast session ID in paragraph 0053).
Regarding claim 4, Xiong discloses wherein the first information further indicates the multicast service provided by the first candidate cell (target cell) for the terminal device in the RRC non-connected mode (see the user equipment moves from the source base station to the target base station in an idle state in paragraph 0234; handover, the UE associates an MBS session in paragraph 0007).
Regarding claim 5, Xiong discloses wherein the first information further indicates that the first candidate cell provides the first multicast service for the terminal device in the RRC non-connected mode (see a multicast or broadcast session, which may be referred to as a multicast broadcast service session and may include, for example, an MBS multicast session or an MBS broadcast session) with a protocol data unit (PDU) session, hands over the PDU session to a target cell or a target RAN, and transmits service data corresponding to the MBS session by using the PDU session in paragraph 0007).
Regarding claim 6, Xiong discloses wherein the first message comprises second information that indicates at least one of the following: a mode of a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) session of the first multicast service; an identifier of a protocol data unit (PDU) session associated with the MBS session of the first multicast service; or an identifier of a PDU session of the first terminal device (see PDU session ID in paragraph 0055); the mode of the MBS session of the first multicast service comprises at least one of an active mode or a deactivated mode; and the PDU session of the first terminal device comprises the PDU session associated with the MBS session of the first multicast service.
Regarding claim 7, Xiong discloses wherein, when a target condition is satisfied, the second message comprises the first information; and the target condition comprises the first candidate cell providing a second multicast service for the terminal device in the RRC non-connected mode, wherein the second multicast service comprises at least one services in the first multicast service (see establishment of a PDU session on a target base station in paragraph 0050; Old MBS session ID indicates an old MBS multicast session ID, which represents that an MBS multicast service is switched, or old MBS session ID indicates an old MBS broadcast session ID, which represents that an MBS broadcast service is switched in paragraphs 0086; PDU session ID in paragraph 0137).
Regarding claim 8, Xiong discloses wherein the some services in the first multicast service comprise at least one service whose MBS sessions are in the active mode in the first multicast service (see the UE may enter a CM-CONNECTED state in paragraphs 0062-0063, 0233; the MBS sessions in paragraph 0009).
Regarding claim 9, Xiong discloses wherein the target condition further comprises at least one of: an MBS session of the second multicast service is associated with all PDU sessions of the first terminal device; or a Quality of Service (QOS) flow of an MBS session of the second multicast service is associated with all quality of service QoS flows of all PDU sessions of the first terminal device (see a quality of service flow (which may be all quality of service flows corresponding to the activated MBS session) corresponding to the activated MBS session after handover is established in a PDU session in paragraph 0040).
Regarding claim 10, Xiong discloses wherein the multicast service provided by the first candidate cell for the terminal device in the RRC non-connected mode comprises the at least one of the services in the first multicast service (see a method for implementing handover of a multicast broadcast service (MBS), applied to a user equipment, a source base station that the user equipment accesses before handover supporting an MBS, and the user equipment already activating an MBS session on the source base station before handover; and the method including: receiving a handover complete indication transmitted by a target base station, the handover complete indication being used for indicating that the user equipment has been handed over to the target base station in paragraph 0011; the user equipment moves from the source base station to the target base station in an idle state in paragraph 0064).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, 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.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiong in view of Liang et al (12,538,186)
Regarding claim 11, Xiong doesn't specifically disclose the first message is a handover request message, and the second message is a handover preparation failure message. However, Liang discloses this feature (see If the T-RAN can't establish shared tunnel for the MBS service, the T-RAN informs the S-RAN of the failure and a cause for the failure. The dummy flow linked in the unicast PDU session which is related to the MBS session may be indicated as a flow that is not accepted in col. 5, lines 48-52; a list of PDU sessions to hand-over with N2 SM information, a list of PDU sessions that failed to be established with a failure cause given in the N2 SM information element in col. 8, lines 25-30). The claim would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense.
Claims 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiong in view of Li et al (2024/0205781)
Regarding claims 12-17, claims 12-17 have the substantially same features as claims 1-4 have except that the steps in claims 12-17 are performed at the other end of the communication where the step of receiving become the step of sending. Xiong doesn't specifically disclose a second candidate cell. However, Li discloses a list of candidate cells where the communication can be hand overed to (see the list of target cells with priority and the timing of handover, if UE should handover to another target cell within a threshold of timing, the network will configure the UE to handover to target cell, together with the best time to perform handover in paragraphs 0041-0042; the network can also configure this outcome “the group of target cells and the corresponding handover timing, priority” to the UE as CHO (conditional handover) candidate cell(s), the corresponding configuration are sent as conditional handover configuration. The UE can execute CHO configuration and handover to the candidate target cell according to the configured handover execution timing in paragraph 0043). The claim would have been obvious because a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense.
Regarding claims 18-20, claims 18-20 claim a method that is reverse process of the method claimed in claim 12. In addition, Li discloses selecting the second target cell (see UE selects the target cell to handover according to the priority. If handover is fails, UE will continue to select the remaining target cell which has the highest priority until the handover procedure succeeds in paragraph 0045). Claims 18-20 are, therefore, subject to the same rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3084. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 - 4:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khaled Kassim can be reached at 571-270-3770. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/BRIAN D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475
Prosecution Insights