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 .
This office correspondence is in response to the application number 19/101458 filed February 5, 2025.
Preliminary Amendment
This applicant filed a preliminary amendment on 2/05/2025 which has been accepted.
Claims 1 – 19 and 22 are pending.
Claims 3, 5 – 6, 13, 16 – 18 and 22 are amended.
Claims 20, 21 and 23 are cancelled,
Claims 1 – 19 and 22 are rejected.
Authorization for Internet Communications
The examiner encourages Applicant to submit an authorization to communicate with the examiner via the Internet by making the following statement (from MPEP 502.03):
“Recognizing that Internet communications are not secure, I hereby authorize the USPTO to communicate with the undersigned and practitioners in accordance with 37 CFR 1.33 and 37 CFR 1.34 concerning any subject matter of this application by video conferencing, instant messaging, or electronic mail. I understand that a copy of these communications will be made of record in the application file.”
Please note that the above statement can only be submitted via Central Fax (not Examiner's Fax), Regular postal mail, or EFS Web using PTO/SB/439.
Priority
This application is the United States national phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/111088, filed August 3, 2023, and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Nos. 202210938491.9, filed August 5, 2022, and 202210940106.4, filed August 5, 2022, Therein the instant application is entitled to a priority date of August 5, 2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on February 5, 2025 and November 11, 2025 were filed after the mailing date of the application on February 5, 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
35 USC § 101 Analysis
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.
The claimed invention is directed to statutory subject matter and no 35 USC 101 rejection is applied for the judicial exception. The claims are directed to non-abstract improvements in computer related technology. A claim is non-statutory when it is directed to a judicial exception (e.g. either one of mathematical concepts, mental processes, or certain methods of organizing human activity) without significantly more. The claimed invention is not directed to a judicial exception. Instead, the claimed invention is directed to a technological improvement for collecting quality-of-experience or QOE measurement data in a communications network with a terminal device served by both a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN). The claimed invention teaches one embodiment applied to a first access network device that is a secondary node (SN), and the SN determines configuration information for a QOE measurement that is used to instruct a terminal device to perform the QOE measurement , and the configuration information comprises an unencapsulated target QOE measurement parameter used to optimize the SN. The claimed invention teaches a second embodiment applied to a terminal device that receives configuration information for a QOE measurement from a SN to instruct the terminal device to perform the QOE measurement, and the configuration information comprises an unencapsulated target QOE measurement parameter used to optimize the SN. The ordered steps of the claim language impose meaningful limits on the scope of the claims and provides an improvement for network optimization because the SN can determine QOE configuration information that include measurement parameters specific to the SN and enable the terminal device to acquire and use the SN specific QOE measurement parameters. Therein the claimed invention is statutory under 35 USC 101.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1 – 6, 8 – 17, 19, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eklof et al. (U.S. 2023/0284058 A1; herein referred to as Eklof) in view of Osman (U.S. 2020/0112504 A1; herein referred to as Osman)
In regard to claim 1, Eklof teaches A quality of experience (QoE) measurement method (see abstract “ . . . methods, for a first radio access network node (RNN) in a wireless network, for configuring quality of experience (QoE) measurements by user equipment (UEs). Such methods include sending, to a UE connected to the first RNN, a QoE measurement configuration for one or more services provided by an application layer of the UE; and sending, to the UE, a configuration for access-layer multi-connectivity of the UE with a second RNN in the wireless network. Such methods also include receiving one or more QoE measurement reports, in accordance with the QoE measurement configuration, from at least one of the UE and the second RNN. The QoE measurement reports include measurements made by the UE while in multi-connectivity with the first and second RNNs. Embodiments also include complementary methods for a second RNN and a UE, as well as RNNs and UEs configured to perform such methods . . .”) , wherein the method is applied to a first access network device, the first access network device is a secondary node (SN) (see ¶ [0013] “ . . . the terms secondary node (SN), booster node, and SeNB can also be used interchangeably . . .” see Fig.4A, 4B¶ [0104-0105] “ . . . SCG bearers are terminated in the SN, which can be directly connected with the S-GW via S1-U (as shown in FIG. 4A). The MN is not involved in the transport of UP data for SCG bearers. An S1-U connection between S-GW and SN is only present if SCG bearers are configured. Finally, split bearers are also terminated in the MN, with PDCP data being transferred between MN and SN via X2-U interface (shown in FIG. 4A). Both SN and MN are involved in transmitting data for split bearers. FIG. 4B shows the inter-eNB CP connectivity for LTE DC. In this arrangement, all MME signaling is carried over the MeNB's S1-MME interface to the MME, with the SeNB's signaling also carried over the X2-C interface with the MeNB. The network's RRC connection with the UE is handled only by the MeNB, such that SRBs are always configured as MCG bearer type and only use radio resources of the MeNB. However, the MeNB can also configure the UE based on input from the SeNB and, in this manner, the SeNB can indirectly control the UE. . . “ ) , and the method comprises:
determining configuration information for a QoE measurement (see ¶ [0079] “ . . . FIGS. 17A-C illustrate various aspects of QoE measurement configuration for a UE in an LTE network . . .” see ¶ [0177] “ . . . FIGS. 17A-C illustrate a procedure between an E-UTRAN and a UE for configuring QoE measurements in an LTE network. FIG. 17A shows an exemplary UE capability transfer procedure used to transfer UE radio access capability information from the UE to E-UTRAN. Initially, the E-UTRAN can send a UE Capability Inquiry message, similar to the arrangement shown in FIG. 16A. The UE can respond with a UE Capability Information message that includes a “UE-EUTRA-Capability” IE. The E-UTRAN can respond with a UE Capability Information Confirm message, similar to the arrangement shown in FIG. 16B . . .”). , wherein the configuration information for the QoE measurement is used to instruct a terminal device (see ¶ [0097] “ . . . As used herein, a “wireless device” (or “WD” for short) is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. Communicating wirelessly can involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), mobile-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. Unless otherwise noted, the term “wireless device” is used interchangeably herein with the term “user equipment” (or “UE” for short). to perform the QoE measurement (see ¶ [0232] “ . . . embodiments of the present disclosure provide network signaling techniques that facilitate configuration of QoE measurements for UEs in DC with a MN and a SN, and reporting of configured QoE measurements to one or both of the MN and the SN. These embodiments can provide various benefits, advantages, and/or solutions to problems described herein. For example, a UE can send QoE measurements to a preferred and/or optimum network node when working in DC. This facilitates better resource utilization in the network, and more flexible and/or efficient QoE measurement reporting by the UE. For example, if the MN is an LTE eNB and the SN is an NR gNB, the UE can more efficiently transfer the QoE measurement files via NR than via LTE. By improving the configuration and reporting of QoE measurements, embodiments facilitate a network to improve application-level QoE for users based on such measurements . . .”) , and the configuration information for the QoE measurement comprises an
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(see ¶ [0178]. . .FIG. 17C shows an exemplary ASN.1 data structure for the qoe-Reference parameter mentioned in Table 10 above. . . “)
used to optimize the first access network device (see ¶ [0140] “ . . . an SN Release procedure may be initiated either by the MN or by the SN and is used to initiate the release of the UE context and relevant resources at the SN. The recipient node of this request can reject it, e.g., if a SN change procedure is triggered by the SN. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary MN-initiated SN Release procedure for MR-DC cases utilizing a 5GC. As shown in FIG. 10, the procedure involves a UE (910), a MN (920), an SN (930), a user plane function (UPF, 940), and an access and mobility management function (AMF, 950). Each of these entities can correspond to an identically numbered entity in FIG. 9. The operations shown in FIG. 10 are labelled numerically, but this numbering is used to facilitate the following description rather than to imply or require a particular order unless expressly stated otherwise. Dashed lines indicate optional operations that may depend on one or more conditions. . . .”) ; and
transmitting the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device (see Fig. 15 ¶ [0167] “ . . . “ . . . The SN-initiated procedure shown in FIG. 15 will now be described. In operation 1, the SN sends a SgNB Modification Required message including a NR RRC configuration message, which may contain bearer context related, other UE context related information, and the new SCG radio resource configuration. For bearer release or modification, a corresponding E-RAB list is included in the SgNBModification Required message. In case of change of security key, the PDCP Change Indication indicates that a S-KgNB update is required. . . .”)
Eklof fails to explicitly teach
However Osman teaches an unencapsulated (e.g. decapsulated traffic) target QoE (see ¶ [0099] “ . . . the system may decapsulate the GTP-U traffic (without requiring the decapsulation of the GTP-C) and changing the decapsulated source IP of the subscriber packet and the next-hop for that packet based on the Downlink Path selected. The path may be selected based at least in part on the QoE associated with the packet and the path as well as the application type of the packet and traffic flow. The system is configured to decapsulate GTP-U and then NATing the internal IP in the GTP-U tunnel in some cases, as opposed to the outer IP of the packet. This decapsulation may be used in a Mobile Roaming use case as detailed herein where the system may be deployed on the Gp/S8 interfaces between the visited SGW and home PGW, and this Gp/S8 interface is encapsulated in GTP-U. . . “see ¶ [0103] “ . . The traffic quality measurement module is configured to measure and track the QoE per application, traffic path, BGP peer, GTP Tunnel Endpoint and the like . . .” see ¶¶ [0107-0108] “ . . .).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the applicant’s invention to incorporate a system and method for adaptive traffic path management where parameter information is decapsulated for QOE configuration measurement transference, into a system and method for configuring QOE measurements for terminal device or UEs to be used in a dual configuration and to configure a SN with an optimal QOE parameter. Such incorporation enables the QOE measurement parameter to be sent to the UE unencapsulated.
In regard to claim 2, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the determining the configuration information for the QoE measurement comprises:
receiving a first indication message from a second access network device, wherein the first indication message comprises an identifier of the QoE measurement and a QoE measurement parameter set (see Eklof ¶ [0203] “ . . . , the NM sends an Activate Measurement Job message to the DM, which forwards the message to the eNB in operation 2. The message includes a service type (e.g., streaming), an area scope, a measurement configuration file for the QoE measurements to be performed, and a QoE reference identifier. In operation 3, the eNB identifies served cells matching the area scope, as well as UEs in these served cells that match other parameters in the message (e.g., service type). The eNB can base this determination on UE capability information sent from the UE to the eNB . . . “) , the QoE measurement parameter set comprises at least one (see Eklof ¶ [0204] “ . . . after identifying the UE matching the received criteria, the eNB sends an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message to the AS (e.g., RRC layer) of the UE. The eNB includes the service type, the area scope (e.g., one or more cells, tracking areas, etc.), the measurement configuration file, and the QoE reference. . . .”) , and the second access network device is a master node (MN) (see Eklof ¶ [0202] “ . ..] FIG. 19 shows a more detailed signal flow of activation of QoE measurement collection and reporting of collected information without UE mobility in an LTE network. This signal flow is between a measurement collection entity (MCE, 1950), a network manager (NM, 1940), a domain manager (DM/EM, 1930), one or more eNBs (1920) in E-UTRAN, and the UE (1910) —particularly access stratum (or access, for short) and application parts of the UE . . . “);
determining, from the QoE measurement parameter set, a QoE measurement parameter used to optimize the first access network device as the target QoE measurement parameter (see Eklof ¶ [0205] “ . . . the UE AS forwards this information to the UE application part using an AT command+CAPPLEVMC, as specified in 3GPP TS 27.007 (v16.4.0). In general, AT commands can be used to transfer information between different layers in the UE, such as between application and AS. In particular, AT command+CAPPLEVMC is of the following form when used for QoE measurement configuration . . .”); and
determining the configuration information for the QoE measurement, according to the target QoE measurement parameter (see Eklof ¶ [0218] “ . . . the UE starts an application associated with the service type and initiates measurement collection according to the received configuration and area. The UE assigns this measurement collection a recording session ID and reports this ID (in operation 7) to the UE AS using the same AT command. In operation 8, the UE AS sends this ID to the eNB in a MeasReportAppLayer RRC message, and the eNB notifies the NM of the initiation of the measurement collection . . .”)
Eklof fails to explicitly teach
However Osman teaches unencapsulated (see ¶ [0099], ¶ [0103], ¶¶ [0107-0108] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein).
In regard to claim 3, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the transmitting the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device (see Fig. 15 ¶ [0167] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) comprises:
transmitting the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device based on a first radio bearer (e.g. SCG signaling radio bearer) (see Eklof ¶ [0030] “ . . . he multi-connectivity includes a master cell group (MCG) for the first RNN and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the second RNN. In such embodiments, the QoE measurement reports can be received from the UE via a split SCG signaling radio bearer (SRB) or via a split MCG SRB. . . .”) , wherein the first radio bearer is used to transmit information between the first access network device and the terminal device (see Eklof ¶ ¶ [0052-00053] “ . . . each QoE measurement reports can be sent by the UE according to one of the following: to the second RNN via an SCG signaling radio bearer . . . “)
In regard to claim 4, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the transmitting the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device comprises:
transmitting a second indication message to the second access network device(see ¶ [0155] “ “ . . . the MN sends an SgNB Addition Request message to request the SN to allocate resources for a specific E-RAB, indicating E-RAB characteristics (e.g., E-RAB parameters, TNL address information corresponding to bearer type). In addition, for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for SN to choose and configure the SCG cell(s). The MN may request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. , wherein the second indication message is used to instruct the second access network device to transmit, based on a second radio bearer (see ¶ [0156] “ . . . For SN terminated bearers, the SN provides the S1-U DL TNL address information for the respective E-RAB and security algorithm. If SCG radio resources have been requested, the SCG radio resource configuration is provided. . . .”), the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device, and the second radio bearer is used to transmit information between the second access network device and the terminal device (see ¶ [0157] “ . . . In case of SN terminated bearers, SN Status Transfer (operation 7) and data forwarding (operation 7) may take place after operation 2. In operation 3, the MN sends to the UE the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including the SN RRC configuration message received in operation 2, without modification. In operation 4, the UE applies the new configuration and replies to MN with RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message, including an SN RRC configuration complete message, if needed. In case the UE is unable to comply with (part of) the configuration included in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, it performs a reconfiguration failure procedure. . . .”)
In regard to claim 5, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the first indication message further comprises at least one of: an internet protocol address of a QoE measurement collection entity, a service type of the QoE measurement, and a type of the QoE measurement (see ¶ ¶ [0174-0176] “ . . . FIGS. 16A-D show various procedures between a UTRAN and a UE for QoE measurements in a legacy UMTS network. As shown in FIG. 16A, the UTRAN can send a UE Capability Enquiry message to request the UE to report its application layer measurement capabilities. As shown in FIG. 16B, the UE can provide its application layer measurement capabilities to the UTRAN via a UE Capability Information message, particularly in a “Measurement Capability” IE that includes information related to UE capability to perform the QoE measurement collection for streaming services and/or MTSI services. Table 7 below shows exemplary contents of this IE:
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FIG. 16D shows that the UE can send QoE measurement results via UTRAN to the TCE using a Measurement Report message that includes an “Application layer measurement reporting” IE. Table 9 below shows exemplary contents of this IE:
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72
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224
356
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In regard to claim 6, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the configuration information for the QoE measurement further comprises configuration information for a third radio bearer (see ¶ [0156] “ . . . For SN terminated bearers, the SN provides the S1-U DL TNL address information for the respective E-RAB and security algorithm. If SCG radio resources have been requested, the SCG radio resource configuration is provided. . . .”), the third radio bearer is used to transmit the configuration information for the QoE measurement between the first access network device and the terminal device (see ¶ [0157] “ . . . In case of SN terminated bearers, SN Status Transfer (operation 7) and data forwarding (operation 7) may take place after operation 2. In operation 3, the MN sends to the UE the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including the SN RRC configuration message received in operation 2, without modification. In operation 4, the UE applies the new configuration and replies to MN with RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message, including an SN RRC configuration complete message, if needed. In case the UE is unable to comply with (part of) the configuration included in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, it performs a reconfiguration failure procedure . . .”).
In regard to claim 8, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the first radio bearer used to transmit the configuration information for the QoE measurement is a signaling radio bearer SRB3 of the first radio bearer (see ¶ [0155] “ . . . the MN sends an SgNB Addition Request message to request the SN to allocate resources for a specific E-RAB, indicating E-RAB characteristics (e.g., E-RAB parameters, TNL address information corresponding to bearer type). In addition, for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for SN to choose and configure the SCG cell(s). The MN may request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. The MN provides all the needed security information to the SN (even if no SN terminated bearers are setup) to enable SRB3 to be setup based on SN decision. In case of bearer options that require X2-U resources between the MN and the SN, the MN provides X2-U TNL address information for the respective E-RAB, X2-U DL TNL address information for SN terminated bearers, and X2-U UL TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. In case of SN terminated split bearers the MN provides the maximum QoS level that it can support . . .”)
In regard to claim 9, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the second radio bearer used to transmit the configuration information for the QoE measurement is a signaling radio bearer SRB1 of the second radio bearer(see ¶ [0245] “ . . . upon receiving a QoE measurement configuration related to a particular application, the UE indicates to the RAN which of the DC legs will be used for the application session. This indication can be sent from the UE to the MN (e.g., via SRB1), the SN (e.g., via SRB3), or both. This indication can be in the form of a newly defined IE included in existing RRC messages, or in the form of a newly defined RRC message. Based on this indication from the UE to the MN and/or SN, various other configurations are possible, . . .”).
In regard to claim 10, Eklof teaches A quality of experience (QoE) measurement method (see abstract as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein), wherein the method is applied to a terminal device(see ¶ [0097] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) and comprises:
receiving configuration information for a QoE measurement from a first access network device (see Fig. 15 ¶ [0167] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) , wherein the configuration information for the QoE measurement is used to instruct the terminal device to perform the QoE measurement (see ¶ [0232] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein);
the configuration information for the QoE measurement comprises an (see Table 10 , ¶ [0140] ¶ [0178] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) and the first access network is a secondary node (SN) (see ¶ [0013] Fig.4A, 4B¶ [0104-0105] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein).
Eklof fails to explicitly teach
However Osman teaches an unencapsulated (e.g. decapsulated traffic) target QoE (see ¶ [0099], ¶ [0103], ¶¶ [0107-0108] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein).
The motivation to combine Osman with Eklof is described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein.
In regard to claim 11, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the configuration information for the QoE measurement further comprises configuration information for a third radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0156] as described for the rejection of claim 6 and is incorporated herein ) , and the third radio bearer is used to transmit the configuration information for the QoE measurement between the first access network device and the terminal device (see Eklof ¶ [0157] as described for the rejection of claim 6 and is incorporated herein )
In regard to claim 12,the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the method further comprises : receiving target configuration information from a second access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0205] “ . . . the UE AS forwards this information to the UE application part using an AT command+CAPPLEVMC, as specified in 3GPP TS 27.007 (v16.4.0). In general, AT commands can be used to transfer information between different layers in the UE, such as between application and AS. In particular, AT command+CAPPLEVMC is of the following form when used for QoE measurement configuration . . .”),
wherein the target configuration information comprises configuration information generated by the first access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0204] “ . . . after identifying the UE matching the received criteria, the eNB sends an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message to the AS (e.g., RRC layer) of the UE. The eNB includes the service type, the area scope (e.g., one or more cells, tracking areas, etc.), the measurement configuration file, and the QoE reference. . . .”), and the second access network device is a master node (MN) (see Eklof ¶ [0202] “ . ..] FIG. 19 shows a more detailed signal flow of activation of QoE measurement collection and reporting of collected information without UE mobility in an LTE network. This signal flow is between a measurement collection entity (MCE, 1950), a network manager (NM, 1940), a domain manager (DM/EM, 1930), one or more eNBs (1920) in E-UTRAN, and the UE (1910) —particularly access stratum (or access, for short) and application parts of the UE . . . “);
in response to determining that the target configuration information does not comprise configuration information for a first radio bearer, acquiring configuration information for a second radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0156] “ . . . For SN terminated bearers, the SN provides the S1-U DL TNL address information for the respective E-RAB and security algorithm. If SCG radio resources have been requested, the SCG radio resource configuration is provided. . . .”) , wherein the first radio bearer is used to transmit information between the terminal device and the first access network device (see ¶ [0155] “ “ . . . the MN sends an SgNB Addition Request message to request the SN to allocate resources for a specific E-RAB, indicating E-RAB characteristics (e.g., E-RAB parameters, TNL address information corresponding to bearer type). In addition, for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for SN to choose and configure the SCG cell(s). The MN may request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. , and the second radio bearer is used to transmit information between the terminal device and the second access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0157] “ . . . In case of SN terminated bearers, SN Status Transfer (operation 7) and data forwarding (operation 7) may take place after operation 2. In operation 3, the MN sends to the UE the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message including the SN RRC configuration message received in operation 2, without modification. In operation 4, the UE applies the new configuration and replies to MN with RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message, including an SN RRC configuration complete message, if needed. In case the UE is unable to comply with (part of) the configuration included in the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, it performs a reconfiguration failure procedure. . . .”); and
establishing the second radio bearer according to the configuration information for the second radio bearer, and transmitting a third indication message to the second access network device based on the second radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0158] “ . . . the MN informs the SN that the UE has completed the reconfiguration procedure successfully via SN ReconfigurationComplete message, including the encoded NR RRC response message, if received from the UE. In operation 6, if configured with bearers requiring SCG radio resources, the UE performs synchronization towards the PSCell of the SN. The order the UE sends the RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message and performs the Random Access procedure towards the SCG is not defined, and a successful RA procedure towards the SCG is not required for a successful completion of the RRC Connection Reconfiguration procedure. . . .”), wherein the third indication message is used to instruct the second access network device to transmit a first QoE measurement report to the first access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0057] “ . . . the QoE measurement configuration can include a QoE reporting configuration that indicates that QoE measurement reports should be sent by the UE according to one of the following options: [0058] only to the first RNN; [0059] only to the second RNN; [0060] to one or more of the first or second RNN as selected by the UE; [0061] as duplicates to both the first and second RNNs; and [0062] to the RNN that carried the data on which the measurements were performed. . . .”) , and the first QoE measurement report is obtained by performing measurement based on the configuration information for the QoE measurement configured by the first access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0063] “ . . . these exemplary methods can also include selecting at least one of the first and second RNNs to receive the QoE measurement reports based on one or more of the following: a QoE reporting configuration provided by the first RNN; quality of the respective radio links to the first and second RNNs; and data rate of the respective radio links to the first and second RNNs. . . “)
In regard to claim 13, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the method further comprises: in response to determining the target comprises the configuration information for the first radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0104] “ . . . As shown in FIG. 3, the LTE DC UP includes three different types of bearers. MCG bearers are terminated in the MN, and the S1-U connection for the corresponding bearer(s) to the S-GW is terminated in the MN (shown in FIG. 4A). The SN is not involved in the transport of UP data for MCG bearers. Likewise, SCG bearers are terminated in the SN, which can be directly connected with the S-GW via S1-U (as shown in FIG. 4A). The MN is not involved in the transport of UP data for SCG bearers. An S1-U connection between S-GW and SN is only present if SCG bearers are configured. Finally, split bearers are also terminated in the MN, with PDCP data being transferred between MN and SN via X2-U interface (shown in FIG. 4A). Both SN and MN are involved in transmitting data for split bearers . . .”), establishing the first radio bearer according to the configuration information for the first radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0105] “ . . . FIG. 4B shows the inter-eNB CP connectivity for LTE DC. In this arrangement, all MME signaling is carried over the MeNB's S1-MME interface to the MME, with the SeNB's signaling also carried over the X2-C interface with the MeNB. The network's RRC connection with the UE is handled only by the MeNB, such that SRBs are always configured as MCG bearer type and only use radio resources of the MeNB. However, the MeNB can also configure the UE based on input from the SeNB and, in this manner, the SeNB can indirectly control the UE. , and transmitting the first QoE measurement report to the first access network device based on the first radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0128] “ . . . In addition, for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for the SN to use when choosing and configuring the SCG cell(s). The MN can also request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. The MN can also provide the needed security information to the SN (e.g., even if no SN-terminated bearers are setup) to enable SRB3 to be setup based on SN decision. For bearer options that require Xn-U resources between the MN and the SN, MN can also provide Xn-U TNL address information, e.g., Xn-U DL TNL address information for SN-terminated bearers and Xn-U UL TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. The SN may reject the request . . .”)
In regard to claim 14, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the transmitting the third indication message to the second access network device based on the second radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0158] as described for the rejection of claim 12 and is incorporated herein) comprises: transmitting a fourth indication message to the second access network device based on the second radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0159] “ . . . if PDCP termination point is changed to the SN for bearers using RLC AM, and when RRC full configuration is not used, the MN sends an SN Status Transfer message to the SN. In operation 8, for SN terminated bearers moved from the MN, the MN may take actions to minimize service interruption due to activation of EN-DC dependent on the bearer characteristics of the respective E-RAB. This includes data forwarding from the S-GW to SN, as shown. In operations 9-12, an update of the UP path towards the EPC is performed, if needed. . . .”) , wherein the fourth indication message comprises the third indication message and a second QoE measurement report (see Eklof ¶ [0179] “ . . . the UE performs the configured QoE measurements and sends a MeasReportAppLayer RRC message to the eNB, including a QoE measurement result file. Although not shown, the eNB can forward this result file transparently (e.g., to EPC). . . “), and the second QoE measurement report is obtained by performing measurement based on the configuration information for the QoE measurement configured by the second access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0179] “ . . . the QoE configuration file is an application-layer measurement configuration received by the eNB (e.g., from EPC) encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to UE in the RRC message. The UE responds with an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message . . .”).
In regard to claim 15, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the method further comprises: receiving configuration information for a third radio bearer from the first access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0126] “. . . the SN Addition procedure shown in FIG. 9 is initiated by the MN and is used to establish a UE context at the SN to facilitate the SN providing radio resources to the UE. For bearers requiring SCG radio resources, this procedure can be used to add at least the initial SCG serving cell of the SCG. This procedure can also be used to configure an SN-terminated MCG bearer (where no SCG configuration is needed). The operations shown in FIG. 9 are labelled numerically, but this numbering is used to facilitate the following description rather than to imply or require a particular order unless expressly stated otherwise. Dashed lines indicate optional operations that may depend on one or more conditions . . .”), wherein the third radio bearer is used to transmit the first QoE measurement report (see Eklof ¶ [0128] “. . . , for bearers requiring SCG radio resources, MN indicates the requested SCG configuration information, including the entire UE capabilities and the UE capability coordination result. In this case, the MN also provides the latest measurement results for the SN to use when choosing and configuring the SCG cell(s). The MN can also request the SN to allocate radio resources for split SRB operation. The MN can also provide the needed security information to the SN (e.g., even if no SN-terminated bearers are setup) to enable SRB3 to be setup based on SN decision. For bearer options that require Xn-U resources between the MN and the SN, MN can also provide Xn-U TNL address information, e.g., Xn-U DL TNL address information for SN-terminated bearers and Xn-U UL TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. The SN may reject the request. . . .”) ; and
establishing the third radio bearer according to the configuration information for the third radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0129] “. . . if the RRM entity in the SN is able to admit the resource request, it allocates respective radio resources and, dependent on the bearer type options, respective transport network resources. For bearers requiring SCG radio resources the SN triggers UE Random Access so that synchronization of the SN radio resource configuration can be performed. The SN decides the PScell and other SCG SCells and provides the new SCG radio resource configuration to the MN in a SN RRC configuration message contained in the SN Addition Request Acknowledge message. In case of bearer options that require Xn-U resources between the MN and the SN, the SN provides Xn-U TNL address information for the respective E-RAB, Xn-U UL TNL address information for SN-terminated bearers, Xn-U DL TNL address information for MN terminated bearers. For SN-terminated bearers, the SN provides the NG-U DL TNL address information for the respective PDU Session and security algorithm. If SCG radio resources have been requested, the SCG radio resource configuration is provided. . . .”)., and transmitting the first QoE measurement report to the first access network device based on the third radio bearer (see Eklof ¶ [0144] “. . . the MN initiates the SN change by invoking the SN Addition procedure, specifically by sending an SN Addition Request message requesting the target SN to allocate resources for the UE. The MN may include measurement results related to the target SN. If data forwarding is needed, the target SN provides data forwarding addresses to the MN in the acknowledgement (operation 2). The target SN can also include an indication of the full or delta RRC configuration. . . .”)
In regard to claim 16, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the first QoE measurement report comprises an identifier of the first QoE measurement report, and a measurement result of the target QoE measurement parameter (see Eklof ¶¶ [0203 -0204] as described for the rejection of claim 2 and is incorporated herein , and the measurement result is unencapsulated (see Osman ¶ [0099], ¶ [0103], ¶¶ [0107-0108] as described for the rejection of claim 2 and is incorporated herein).
The motivation to combine Osman with Eklof is described for the rejection
In regard to claim 17, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the first QoE measurement report is carried in a radio resource control transfer (RRC Transfer) information, or is carried in target information (see Eklof ¶ [0015] “ . . . RRC signaling is used to configure application layer measurements in UEs and to collect QoE measurement result files from the configured UEs. In particular, an application layer measurement configuration from the core network (e.g., EPC) or a network operations/administration/maintenance (OAM) function is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the serving eNB, which forwards it to a UE in an RRC message. Application layer measurements made by the UE are encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to the serving eNB in an RRC message. The serving eNB then forwards the container to a Trace Collector Entity (TCE) or a Measurement Collection Entity (MCE) associated with the EPC . . .”)
the target information is used for transmission of the first QoE measurement report and/or a second QoE measurement report (see Eklof ¶ [0021] “ . . . sending, to a UE connected to the first RNN, a QoE measurement configuration for one or more services provided by an application layer of the UE. These exemplary methods can also include sending, to the UE, a configuration for access-layer multi-connectivity of the UE with a second RNN in the wireless network. These exemplary methods can also include receiving one or more QoE measurement reports, in accordance with the QoE measurement configuration, from at least one of the UE and the second RNN. The QoE measurement reports include measurements made by the UE while in multi-connectivity with the first and second RNNs . . .”) , and the second QoE measurement report is obtained by performing measurement based on the configuration information for the QoE measurement configured by the second access network device (see Eklof ¶ [0031] “ . . . sending, to the second RNN, a request for QoE measurement reports received by the second RNN from the UE in accordance with the QoE measurement configuration. In such embodiments, the receiving operations can include receiving, from the second RNN, a response including one or more of the following: at least one of the requested QoE measurement reports; and an indication of availability or non-availability of the requested QoE measurement reports. . . “)
In regard to claim 19, the combination of Eklof and Osman teaches wherein the second radio bearer used to transmit the third indication message and/or the second QoE measurement report is a signaling radio bearer SRB4 of the second radio bearer (see 18C ¶¶ [0194 -0195] “ . . . FIG. 18C shows an exemplary ASN.1 data structure for a measReportAppLayer IE, by which a UE can send to the E-UTRAN (e.g., via SRB4) the QoE measurement results of an application (or service). The service for which the report is being sent is indicated in the “serviceType” IE. The measReportAppLayer IE can also include a qoe-reference IE, as discussed above, containing the PLMN identity and an ID associated with the QoE measurement collection. A UE capable of application layer measurement reporting in RRC_CONNECTED may initiate the procedure when configured with application layer measurement, i.e., when measConfigAppLayer has been configured by E-UTRAN. Upon initiating the procedure, the UE shall: [0196] 1> if configured with application layer measurement, and SRB4 is configured, and the UE has received application layer measurement report information from upper layers: [0197] 2> set the measReportAppLayerContainer in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the value of the application layer measurement report information; [0198] 2> set the serviceType in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the type of the application layer measurement report information; [0199] 2> set the qoe-Reference in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the value received from upper layer; [0200] 2> set the recordingSessionIndication in the MeasReportAppLayer message to the value received from upper layer; [0201] 2> submit MeasReportAppLayer message to lower layers for transmission via SRB4. . . .”)
In regard to claim 22, Eklof teaches A communication apparatus (see Fig. 24, ¶ [0327] “ . . . In FIG. 24, network node 2460 includes processing circuitry 2470, device readable medium 2480, interface 2490, auxiliary equipment 2484, power source 2486, power circuitry 2487, and antenna 2462. Although network node 2460 illustrated in the example wireless network of FIG. 24 can represent a device that includes the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments can comprise network nodes with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that a network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods and/or procedures disclosed herein. Moreover, while the components of network node 2460 are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node can comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., device readable medium 2480 can comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAM modules).. . .”), comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled with the processor (see ¶ [0330] “ . . . Processing circuitry 2470 can comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide various functionality of network node 2460, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 2460 components (e.g., device readable medium 2480). Such functionality can include any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. . . .”) , and the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to implement steps of (see ¶ [0331] “ . . . For example, processing circuitry 2470 can execute instructions stored in device readable medium 2480 or in memory within processing circuitry 2470. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 2470 can include a system on a chip (SOC). As a more specific example, instructions (also referred to as a computer program product) stored in medium 2480 can include instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry 2470, can configure network node 2460 to perform operations corresponding to various exemplary methods (e.g., procedures) described herein: . . .”)
determining configuration information for a quality of experience (QOE) measurement (see ¶ [0079], ¶ [0177] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) , wherever the configuration information for the QOE measurement is used to instruct a terminal device (see ¶ [0097] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) to perform the QOE measurement (see ¶ [0232] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein), and the configuration information for the QOE measurement comprises(see Table 10, ¶ [0178] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein) used to optimize the first access network device (see ¶ [0140] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein); and
transmitting the configuration information for the QoE measurement to the terminal device (see Fig. 15 ¶ [0167] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein)
Eklof fails to explicitly teach
However Osman teaches an unencapsulated (e.g. decapsulated traffic) target QoE (see ¶ [0099], ¶ [0103], ¶¶ [0107-0108] as described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein).
The motivation to combine Osman with Eklof is described for the rejection of claim 1 and is incorporated herein.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eklof et al. (U.S. 2023/0284058 A1; herein referred to as Eklof) in view of Osman (U.S. 2020/0112504 A1; herein referred to as Osman) as applied to claims 1 – 6, 8 – 17, 19, and 22 in further view of Lunardi et al. (U.S. 12,707,356 B2l herein referred to as Lunardi)
In regard to claim 7, the combination of Eklof and Osman fails to explicitly teach,
However Lumardi teaches wherein the first indication message 1s carried in secondary node-terminal device application layer measurement reconfiguration information (S-NG-RAN node UE Application Layer Measurement Configuration Information) (see Col 17: Lines 35 – 50 “ . . . As specified in 3GPP TS 28.405, LTE RAN nodes (i.e., eNBs) are allowed to temporarily stop and restart QoE measurement reporting when an overload situation is observed. This behavior can be summarized as follows. In case of overload in RAN, an eNB may temporarily stop UE reporting by sending to relevant UEs an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message with a measConfigAppLayer IE (in otherConfig) set to temporarily stop application layer measurement reporting. The application stops the reporting and may stop recording further information. When the overload situation in RAN is ended, an eNB may restart UE reporting by sending to relevant UEs an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message with a measConfigAppLayer IE (in otherConfig) set to restart application layer measurement reporting. The application restarts the reporting and recording if it was stopped. . . .”; see Col 26: Lines 10-22: “ . . . Non-limiting examples of XnAP procedures and related messages that can be impacted for Dual Connectivity: S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation, S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change, S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release, S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release, S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED Trace Start, TRACE START . . . “)
the S-NG-RAN node UE Application Layer Measurement Configuration Information is carried in secondary node quality management control reconfiguration information (S-NG-RAN node QMC Configuration Information) see Col 4: Lines 26-49 “ . . . The “UE Application layer measurement configuration” IE is described in 3GPP TS 36.413 v16.3.0 and TS 36.423 v16.3.0. According to 3GPP TS 28.405, the area scope parameter defines the area in terms of cells or Tracking Area/Routing Area/Location Area where the QoE Measurement Collection (QMC) shall take place. If the parameter is not present, the QMC shall be done throughout the PLMN specified in PLMN target. The area scope parameter in UMTS is either: List of cells, identified by CGI. Maximum 32 CGI can be defined. List of Routing Area, identified by RAI. Maximum of 8 RAIs can be defined. List of Location Area, identified by LAI. Maximum of 8 LAIs can be defined. The area scope parameter in LTE is either: list of cells, identified by E-UTRAN-CGI. Maximum 32 CGI can be defined. List of Tracking Area, identified by TAC. Maximum of 8 TAC can be defined. The parameter is mandatory if area based QMC is requested . . . “).;
the S-NG-RAN node QMC Configuration Information is carried in a secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST) or a secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST) (see Col 25: Lines 57 – 67;Col 26 Lines 1 – 23 “ . . . Examples of implementation of the above-described techniques according to the specifications for NG-RAN are now described. These examples are provided in relation to Dual Connectivity operation, Mobility, Resume and Reestablishments Non-limiting examples of X2AP procedures and related messages that can be impacted for Dual Connectivity: SgNB Addition Preparation, SGNB ADDITION REQUEST SgNB initiated SgNB Release, SGNB RELEASE REQUIRED MeNB initiated SgNB Release, SGNB RELEASE REQUEST SgNB Cell Change, SGB CHANGE REQUIRED SeNB Addition Preparation, SENB ADDITION REQUEST SeNB initiated SeNB Release, SENB RELEASE REQUIRED MeNB initiated SeNB Release, SENB RELEASE REQUEST Trace Start, TRACE START. Non-limiting examples of XnAP procedures and related messages that can be impacted for Dual Connectivity: S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation, S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change, S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release, S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release, S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED Trace Start, TRACE START . . .”)
the configuration information for the QoE measurement is carried in secondary node to master node container (S-NG-RAN node to M-NG-RAN node Container) information (see Col 17: Lines 3-29 “ . . . FIGS. 9A-C illustrate various aspects of QoE measurement collection for a UE in an LTE network. In particular, FIG. 9A shows an example signal flow diagram of a QoE measurement collection process for LTE. To initiate QoE measurements, the serving eNB sends to a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message that includes a QoE configuration file, e.g., a measConfigAppLayer IE within an OtherConfig IE. As discussed above, the QoE configuration file is an application-layer measurement configuration received by the eNB (e.g., from EPC) encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to UE in the RRC message. The UE responds with an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message. Subsequently, the UE performs the configured QoE measurements and sends a MeasReportAppLayer RRC message to the eNB, including a QoE measurement result file. Although not shown, the eNB can forward this result file transparently (e.g., to EPC). FIG. 9B shows an example ASN.1 data structure for a measConfigAppLayer IE. The setup includes the transparent container measConfigAppLayerContainer which specifies the QoE measurement configuration for the Application of interest. In the service Type field, a value of “qoe” indicates Quality of Experience Measurement Collection for streaming services and a value of “qoemtsi” indicates Enhanced Quality of Experience Measurement Collection for MTSI. This field also includes various spare values. . . .”)
the S-NG-RAN node to M-NG-RAN node Container information is carried in a response to the secondary node addition request (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) or a response to the secondary node modification request (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE) (see Col 17: Lines 3 – 29 “ . . . Non-limiting examples of NGAP procedures and related messages that can be impacted for mobility Handover Preparation, HANDOVER REQUIRED, HANDOVER COMMAND Handover Resource Allocation, HANDOVER REQUEST, HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE Handover Success, HANDOVER SUCCESS Handover Cancel, HANDOVER CANCEL As a non-limiting example of implementation, an IE “UE Application layer measurement configuration,” which includes QMC related configuration parameters, is extended to include options according to the present invention. The “UE Application layer measurement configuration” is added to various XnAP, X2AP, NGAP, S1AP messages. An example is provided below for S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST, which can apply to NR-DC scenario: . . .”).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the applicant’s invention to incorporate a system and method for managing quality-of-experience (QoE) measurements by a user equipment (UE), such that in a first node in a radio access network (RAN), comprises transmitting to a second node in the RAN, status information for measurements associated to one or more QoE measurements configured for the UE by the first node, and the second node may be associated with the first node with respect to at least one of the following: changing a configuration for the UE for dual connectivity; mobility of the UE; RRC resume or RRC reestablishment of the UE, as taught by Lunardi, into a system and method for configuring QOE measurements for terminal device or UEs to be used in a dual configuration and to configure a SN with an optimal QOE parameter, the parameter information is decapsulated for QOE configuration measurement transference, as taught by the combination of Eklof and Osman. Such incorporation provides means to reconfigure the SN based on the QOE measurements.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eklof et al. (U.S. 2023/0284058 A1; herein referred to as Eklof) in view of Osman (U.S. 2020/0112504 A1; herein referred to as Osman) as applied to claims 1 – 6, 8 – 17, 19, and 22 in further view of Li et al. (U.S. 2023/0247466 A1; herein referred to as Li)
In regard to claim 18, the combination of Eklof and Osman fails to explicitly teach
However Li teaches wherein the first radio bearer used to transmit the first QoE measurement report is a signaling radio bearer SRB5 of the first radio bearer (see ¶ [0068] “ . . . information requesting establishment of the first bearer, such as information requesting establishment of a split SRB4 or a new SRB (e.g., an SRB5), wherein the new SRB may be a bearer used for transmitting the first measurement report between the UE and the SN. . . “; see ¶ [0130] “ . . . in a multi-connectivity scenario, even if the SN configures an application layer measurement (such as QoE measurement), the application layer measurement configuration may be sent to the UE, without conflicting with the application layer measurement configuration of the MN, allowing carriers to more flexibly collect application layer measurement results in different coverage scenarios, so as to further optimize and adjust the network and improve user experience. . . .”).
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the applicant’s invention to incorporate a system and method that sends QOE measurement reports and configurations among the nodes in the network, as taught by Li, into a system and method for configuring QOE measurements for terminal device or UEs to be used in a dual configuration and to configure a SN with an optimal QOE parameter, the parameter information is decapsulated for QOE configuration measurement transference, as taught by the combination of Eklof and Osman. Such incorporation enables sharing measurement configurations among the nodes in the wireless network.
Conclusion
There are prior art made of record which are not relied upon but are considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. They are listed on the PTO-892 accompanying this action.
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/JAMES N FIORILLO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2444
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