DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority as a CON of PCT/CN2022/0103080 filed 6/30/2022 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-20 as filed 12/26/2024 remain pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 12/26/2024 and 7/9/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it merely repeats the pending claim language. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure. A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
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.
Claims 1-20 are 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.
Regarding Independent claims 1, 14, and 20, each of these claims recite the limitation “the reference signal” for which there is insufficient antecedent basis in the claims. Further, each of claims 1, 14, and 20 uses “and/or” between the “in the first state” and “in the second state” steps, such that it is unclear if both or only 1 of the steps is required. Dependent claims 2-13 and 15-19 are rejected based on their dependence from claims 1 and 14, respectively.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter because the claimed “computer-readable storage medium” is open-endedly described in paragraphs 147-153 of the Specification such that the claimed medium could be construed as a non-statutory transitory signal.
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 names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-11 and 13-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shrivastava et al. (US20220279445A1), hereafter Shrivastava.
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 20 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses a terminal device (i.e. UE; Fig. 10-12) comprising a processor (i.e. paragraph 167) that executes a computer program stored in memory/medium to cause the terminal device to perform state determination method (Fig. 2, step 202, monitoring transition among predetermined states; Fig. 8A).
Shrivastava shows, in a first state (i.e. Fig. 8A; deep/light sleep states S0/S1 to WUS monitoring state S2; paragraphs 58, 71, 82, 115-117), maintaining the first state (paragraph 98, 115-117; if WUS indicates absence of control channels, maintain sleep states) or switching to a different second state according to a wake up signal (i.e. active states S3-5; Fig. 2, step 202; Fig. 8A; paragraphs 98, 115-116; WUS indicates presence of control channel, move into S3 state); and/or in the second state (i.e. Fig. 8A; active states S3-S5), maintaining the second state or switching to the first state according to signal strength of the reference signal (Fig. 8A; paragraph 8, 10, 74, 115-116, 126-128, 143, 154; S3-5 states including mobility measurement of signal strength of reference signals/return to sleep states).
Regarding claims 2, 3 and 15 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses the wake up signal carries terminal identifier information used to indicate one or more target terminal devices, comprising at least one of following: a cell access identifier of a target terminal device, an access group identifier of the target terminal device, or an inherent identifier of the target terminal device (paragraph 71-79; providing the WUS to respective UEs via broadcast signaling, common scrambling identity, PDCCH/DCI or dedicated RRC signaling).
Regarding claims 4 and 16 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses maintaining the first state or switching to the second state according to the wake up signal comprises, in a case where the one or more target terminal devices comprise the terminal device, switching to the second state (paragraph 98-99; if control channel is found and allocation for the UE is indicated in the same, UE moves to active states S3-5); and/or, in a case where the one or more target terminal devices do not comprise the terminal device, maintaining the first state (paragraph 98-99; no allocation indicated in control channel during ON-duration results in UE remaining in sleep state).
Regarding claim 13 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses the reference signal comprises at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, TRS, or PT-RS (paragraph 71).
Regarding claims 5-7 and 17 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses the wake up signal carries network identifier information used to indicate one or more target cells, wherein the network identifier information and identifier information corresponding to a target cell have an association relationship therebetween comprising at least one of following: a cell identifier corresponding to the target cell, or a beam identifier corresponding to the target cell (Fig. 6D-F; paragraph 108; target cells support/no support for pre-DRX measurement informed to UEs; paragraphs 10-15, 22; measured beams/cells inherently identifiable by corresponding UEs via SSB/PSS/SSS/CSI-RSs).
Regarding claims 8, 9, and 18 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses maintaining the first state or switching to the second state according to the wake up signal, comprises: if signal strength of the wake up signal is less than a first threshold value or failed, switching to the second state; and if not, maintaining the first state (paragraphs 78, 82, 90; measurement validation of WUS/reference signals to satisfy thresholds for state transitions).
Regarding claims 10, 11, and 19 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses maintaining the second state or switching to the first state according to the signal strength of the reference signal, comprises: if the signal strength of the reference signal is greater than a threshold value or failed, switching to the first state; and if not, maintaining the second state (paragraphs 78, 82, 90; measurement validation of WUS/reference signals to satisfy thresholds for state transitions).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shrivastava in view of Sarkis et al. (US20200314755A1), hereafter Sarkis.
Regarding claim 12 (as best understood),
Shrivastava discloses the wake up signal acts as a reference signal itself (paragraph 82) but does not expressly disclose a signal generated by modulating a binary sequence in a form of at least one of following: a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence,
a Gold sequence, an M sequence, or a Hadamard sequence.
Sarkis discloses analogous art (Title: Monitoring Wake-up Signal using Common Identifier) showing a wake-up signal a generated by modulating a binary sequence in a form of at least one of following: a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence,
a Gold sequence, an M sequence, or a Hadamard sequence (paragraph 82; switching active/sleep states based on wake-up signal modulating PN/Gold sequence).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Shrivastava by providing a wake-up signal a generated by modulating a binary sequence in a form of at least one of PN, Gold, M or Hadamard sequence, as shown by Sarkis, thereby optimizing power saving during state transitions.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shrivastava (US20240080152A1); UE Power Saving Using TRS/CSIRS Configurations; paragraphs 9, 70, 11-138; Wakeup/SSB in idle DRX.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY B SEFCHECK whose telephone number is (571)272-3098. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6AM-4PM.
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/GREGORY B SEFCHECK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477
