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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
(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, 6, 7, 9, 12-14, 18, 22, and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Michalopoulos et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2020/0296633 (hereinafter Michalopoulos).
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 22, Michalopoulos discloses a path handover method, performed by a terminal device, comprising: determining whether a preset condition is satisfied, in response to an execution of a path handover to a target node being triggered [paragraph 0023]; sending first indication information to a network device, in response to the preset condition being satisfied, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate auxiliary information for handover to the target node [paragraph 0023].
Regarding claim 6, Michalopoulos discloses determining that the preset condition is satisfied or that the first indication information is sent, and starting a preset timer; initiating a path handover request to the target node, in response to the preset timer having expired [paragraphs 0023, 0071].
Regarding claim 7, Michalopoulos discloses stopping the preset timer, in response to receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message sent by the network device [paragraph 0047].
Regarding claim 9, Michalopoulos discloses one of: stopping evaluating a handover condition, in response to determining that the preset condition is satisfied; or stopping evaluating the handover condition, in response to the first indication information being sent [paragraph 0080].
Regarding claims 12 and 18, Michalopoulos discloses wherein the first indication information comprises at least one of: an identifier of the target node; a success probability of the path handover; a failure probability of the path handover; a channel measurement result between the terminal device and the target node [paragraph 0023]; or path handover failure indication information.
Regarding claim 13, Michalopoulos discloses initiating a path handover procedure to the target node, in response to the preset condition being not satisfied [paragraph 0050].
Regarding claim 24, Michalopoulos discloses a network device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer programs, and when the computer programs stored in the memory are executed by the processor, the processor is configured to perform the method according to claim 14 [paragraphs 0093-0094].
Claim(s) 1-3, 14, and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Dai et al., CN 103747442 (hereinafter Dai).
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 22, Dai discloses a path handover method, performed by a terminal device, comprising: determining whether a preset condition is satisfied, in response to an execution of a path handover to a target node being triggered [paragraph 0175]; sending first indication information to a network device, in response to the preset condition being satisfied, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate auxiliary information for handover to the target node [paragraph 0175].
Regarding claim 2, Dai discloses wherein the execution of the path handover to the target node being triggered, comprises, one of: determining that a path handover command of the path handover to the target node sent by the network device is received; or determining that a path handover condition is satisfied [paragraph 0284].
Regarding claim 3, Dai discloses wherein the preset condition being satisfied, comprises: determining that the path handover to the target node fails [paragraph 0172].
Claim(s) 1, 14, and 22 /are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Linwong et al., CN 101132313 (hereinafter Linwong).
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 22, Linwong discloses a path handover method, performed by a terminal device, comprising: determining whether a preset condition is satisfied, in response to an execution of a path handover to a target node being triggered [paragraph 0008]; sending first indication information to a network device, in response to the preset condition being satisfied, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate auxiliary information for handover to the target node [paragraph 0008].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, and 15-17 are 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chen et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2021/0014922, disclose a connection re-establishment method and related device.
Wu et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2024/0064593, disclose a method and apparatus for conditional path switch in a wireless communication system.
Xiong, US Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0025720, discloses a path switching method, apparatus, device, and storage medium.
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/EAW/
September 16, 2026
/ERIKA A WASHINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
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