Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Application No. 18/982,786

TERMINAL APPARATUS, METHOD FOR TERMINAL APPARATUS, AND BASE STATION APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Dec 16, 2024
Priority
Jun 21, 2022 — JP 2022-099929 +1 more
Examiner
SHARMA, GAUTAM
Art Unit
2467
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Denso Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
88%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 88% — above average
88%
Career Allowance Rate
578 granted / 660 resolved
+29.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +12% lift
Without
With
+12.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
696
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.7%
-32.3% vs TC avg
§103
59.9%
+19.9% vs TC avg
§102
16.7%
-23.3% vs TC avg
§112
3.8%
-36.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 660 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Claims 1-9 are pending. 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. 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 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al, application no. 2023/0051778, hereinafter known as Lee in view of Kunt et al, application no. 2025/0193965, hereinafter known as Kunt. As to claim 1, Lee discloses a terminal apparatus comprising: a control unit (Lee, figure 2, terminal 120 with control manager 140); and a receiving unit configured to receive, from a base station apparatus, a radio resource control (RRC) message including a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration, the DRX configuration including information for indicating a value of an on- duration timer for a DRX group (Lee, [0048], terminal receiving DRX cycle configuration from the base station; [0087]-[0088], DRX on-duration timer for DRX group received by terminal from base station;.[0095], [0099], RRC message sent by base station to terminal that includes configuration for DRX cycle), wherein the control unit is configured to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in an active time which includes a time while the on-duration timer for the DRX group is running (Lee, [0086], terminal monitors PDCCH grant sent by base station during active time of the DRX cycle), wherein the on-duration timer for the DRX group is started based on a first mathematical expression using a DRX cycle in a case where the terminal apparatus receives information for indicating a non-integer value of a length of the DRX cycle, the DRX configuration including the information for indicating the non-integer value of the length of the DRX cycle (Lee, [0092]-[0099], Terminal receives indication from base station of DRX cycle with non-integer value that further enables computing formula for determination of periodicity and timer of the DRX cycle), the on-duration timer for the DRX group is started based on a second mathematical expression using the DRX cycle in a case where the terminal apparatus does not receive the information for indicating the non-integer value of the length of the DRX cycle (Lee, figure 5, [0071]-[0073], conventional use of DRX cycle timer at 515 and 520 when a non-integer value of the length of DRX is not available). Lee does not expressly disclose however Kunt discloses and the first mathematical expression includes an addition operation of a System Frame Number (SFN) and a first value, the first value being computed based on a second value which is incremented by one in a case where the SFN changes to zero (Kunt,[0021]-[0022], an extend-SFN used to compute DRX formulas that determine the start of subframe of the DRX-onDuration Timer. The SFN is wrapped around and increment by 1 when it reaches zero; SFN indication sent by base station to terminal; [0058]-[0059], [0071], determining DRX cycle formula with n (first number) based on E-SFN (second number)). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee to include the limitations of and the first mathematical expression includes an addition operation of a System Frame Number (SFN) and a first value, the first value being computed based on a second value which is incremented by one in a case where the SFN changes to zero as taught by Kunt. Incrementing the second value by one when it reaches zero helps DRX cycle stay time aligned for low latency application such as XR devices (Lee, [0069]). As to claim 2, Lee and Kunt disclose the terminal apparatus according to claim 1. Lee does not disclose however Kunt discloses wherein the second mathematical expression does not include the first value computed based on the second value (Kunt, [0022], use of legacy formula when DRX cycle is not a factor of 10240). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee to include the limitations of wherein the second mathematical expression does not include the first value computed based on the second value as taught by Kunt. The second expression without the first value means legacy DRX cycle computation can be used thereby lowering computational needs. As to claim 3, Lee and Kunt disclose the terminal apparatus according to claim 1. Lee does not disclose however Kunt discloses wherein the first value is computed based on a multiplication operation of the second value and a predetermined integer value (Kunt, [0059, [0071], first value based on E-SFN multiplied by 10240). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee to include the limitations of wherein the first value is computed based on a multiplication operation of the second value and a predetermined integer value as taught by Kunt. Use of predetermined value integer DRX Cycle can help align for plural types of devices such XR devices and DRX cycle value (Kunt, [0022]). As to claims 4-6, the claims are rejected as applied to claim 1-3 respectively above by Lee in view of Kunt. As to claim 7, Lee discloses a base station apparatus comprising: a control unit (Lee, figure 2, base station 200 with control unit 244); and a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to a terminal apparatus, a radio resource control (RRC) message including a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration, the DRX configuration including information for indicating a value of an on-duration timer for a DRX group (Lee, [0048], terminal receiving DRX cycle configuration from the base station; [0087]-[0088], DRX on-duration timer for DRX group received by terminal from base station;.[0095], [0099], RRC message sent by base station to terminal that includes configuration for DRX cycle), wherein the control unit is configured to control a DRX operation for the terminal apparatus to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in an active time which includes a time while the on-duration timer for the DRX group is running (Lee, [0086], terminal monitors PDCCH grant sent by base station during active time of the DRX cycle), wherein the on-duration timer for the DRX group is started based on a first mathematical expression using a DRX cycle in a case where information for indicating a non-integer value of a length of the DRX cycle is configured, the DRX configuration including the information for indicating the non-integer value of the length of the DRX cycle (Lee, [0092]-[0099], Terminal receives indication from base station of DRX cycle with non-integer value that further enables computing formula for determination of periodicity and timer of the DRX cycle), the on-duration timer for the DRX group is started based on a second mathematical expression using the DRX cycle in a case where the information for indicating that the non-integer value of the length of the DRX cycle is not configured (Lee, figure 5, [0071]-[0073], conventional use of DRX cycle timer at 515 and 520 when a non-integer value of the length of DRX is not available). Lee does not disclose however Kunt discloses and the first mathematical expression includes an addition operation of a System Frame Number (SFN) and a first value, the first value being computed based on a second value which is incremented by one in a case where the SFN changes to zero (Kunt,[0021]-[0022], an extend-SFN used to compute DRX formulas that determine the start of subframe of the DRX-onDuration Timer. The SFN is wrapped around and increment by 1 when it reaches zero; SFN indication sent by base station to terminal; [0058]-[0059], [0071], determining DRX cycle formula with n (first number) based on E-SFN (second number). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Lee to include the limitations of and the first mathematical expression includes an addition operation of a System Frame Number (SFN) and a first value, the first value being computed based on a second value which is incremented by one in a case where the SFN changes to zero as taught by Kunt. Incrementing the second value by one when it reaches zero helps DRX cycle stay time aligned for low latency application such as XR devices (Lee, [0069]). As to claims 8-9, the claims are rejected as applied to claim 2-3 respectively above by Lee in view of Kunt. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GAUTAM SHARMA whose telephone number is (571)270-7182. The examiner can normally be reached 11am-8pm. 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, Hassan Phillips can be reached at 571-272-3940. 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. /GAUTAM SHARMA/ Examiner, Art Unit 2467 /HASSAN A PHILLIPS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2467
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 16, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 30, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
88%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+12.3%)
2y 6m (~8m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 660 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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