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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed on 2/21/2025 and 1/15/2026 have been considered.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 2/21/2025 are accepted.
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.
Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US-12,593,251 hereinafter, Li) in view of Kim et al. (US-10,772,017 hereinafter, Kim).
Regarding claim 1, Li teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 2 [106]) in a wireless communication system (Fig. 1), comprising:
receiving, from a source cell, an L1/L2 handover command (Col. 14 lines 23-31, Fig. 8 [801] and Col. 17 lines 19-29) including an identifier of a target cell and timing advance (TA) information (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “Physical Cell Identifiers” and TA indicator) related to the target cell (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “target base station”), wherein the L1/L2 handover command is received using a MAC control element (MAC CE); (Col. 14 lines 32-43)
monitoring the target cell; (Fig. 8 [805]) and
transmitting, to the target cell, uplink data. (Fig. 8 [807])
Li differs from the claimed invention by not explicitly reciting monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information from the target cell.
In an analogous art, Kim teaches a method and apparatus for reducing data transmission interruption time during a RACH-less handover in a wireless communication network (Abstract and Col. 70 lines 9-29) that includes receiving a handover command from the source base station (Fig. 4E [4e-30]), monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information (Fig. 4E [4e-50]) from the target cell; (Fig. 4E [4e-03] and Col. 72 lines 26-40) and
transmitting, to the target cell, uplink data. (Fig. 4E [4e-55] and Col. 72 lines 35-40)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be motivated to implement the invention of Li after modifying it to incorporate the ability to monitor the PDCCH for scheduling information from the target cell of Kim since it enables reducing data transmission interruption time during a handover. (Kim Col. 70 lines 18-20)
Regarding claim 2, Li in view of Kim teaches transmitting, to the source cell, a measurement report for providing a link quality of the target cell. (Kim Fig. 4E [4e-15] and Col. 69 lines 16-21)
Regarding claim 3, Li in view of Kim teaches receiving, from the source cell, a reconfiguration message including an identifier of the target cell and resource information. (Kim Col. 72 lines 12-17 “HO to the target base station” and “to perform the RACH-less HO”)
Regarding claim 4, Li in view of Kim teaches transmitting, to the target cell, a reconfiguration complete message indicating a completion of an L1/L2 handover. (Kim Col. 72 lines 40-44)
Regarding claim 5, Li teaches a user equipment (UE), comprising:
a transceiver; (Fig. 3 [330])
a processor (Fig. 3 [302]) coupled to the transceiver (Fig. 3 [330]), the processor configured to:
receive, from a source cell, an L1/L2 handover command (Col. 14 lines 23-31, Fig. 8 [801] and Col. 17 lines 19-29) including an identifier of a target cell and timing advance (TA) information (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “Physical Cell Identifiers” and TA indicator) related to the target cell (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “target base station”), wherein the L1/L2 handover command is received using a MAC control element (MAC CE); (Col. 14 lines 32-43)
monitoring the target cell; (Fig. 8 [805]) and
transmitting, to the target cell, uplink data. (Fig. 8 [807])
Li differs from the claimed invention by not explicitly reciting monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information from the target cell.
In an analogous art, Kim teaches a method and apparatus for reducing data transmission interruption time during a RACH-less handover in a wireless communication network (Abstract and Col. 70 lines 9-29) that includes receiving a handover command from the source base station (Fig. 4E [4e-30]), monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information (Fig. 4E [4e-50]) from the target cell; (Fig. 4E [4e-03] and Col. 72 lines 26-40) and
transmitting, to the target cell, uplink data. (Fig. 4E [4e-55] and Col. 72 lines 35-40)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be motivated to implement the invention of Li after modifying it to incorporate the ability to monitor the PDCCH for scheduling information from the target cell of Kim since it enables reducing data transmission interruption time during a handover. (Kim Col. 70 lines 18-20)
Regarding claims 6-8, the limitations of claims 6-8 are rejected as being the same reasons set forth above in claims 2-4.
Regarding claim 9, Li teaches a method performed by a base station (Fig. 2 [102]) in a wireless communication system, comprising:
transmitting, to a user equipment (Fig. 2 [106]), an L1/L2 handover command (Col. 14 lines 23-31, Fig. 8 [801] and Col. 17 lines 19-29) including an identifier of a target cell and timing advance (TA) information (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “Physical Cell Identifiers” and TA indicator) related to the target cell (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “target base station”), wherein the L1/L2 handover command is transmitted using a MAC control element (MAC CE); (Col. 14 lines 32-43)
transmitting, to the UE, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); (Col. 13 lines 59-62 and Claim 5) and
receiving, from the UE, an uplink data. (Fig. 8 [807])
Li differs from the claimed invention by not explicitly reciting transmitting, to the UE, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including scheduling information.
In an analogous art, Kim teaches a method and apparatus for reducing data transmission interruption time during a RACH-less handover in a wireless communication network (Abstract and Col. 70 lines 9-29) that includes transmitting a handover command (Fig. 4E [4e-30]) to a UE, transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information (Fig. 4E [4e-50]) from the target cell; (Fig. 4E [4e-03] and Col. 72 lines 26-40) and
receiving, from the UE, uplink data. (Fig. 4E [4e-55] and Col. 72 lines 35-40)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be motivated to implement the invention of Li after modifying it to incorporate the ability to transmit on the PDCCH, scheduling information from the target cell of Kim since it enables reducing data transmission interruption time during a handover. (Kim Col. 70 lines 18-20)
Regarding claim 10, Li in view of Kim teaches receiving, from the UE, a measurement report for providing a link quality of the target cell. (Kim Fig. 4E [4e-15] and Col. 69 lines 16-21)
Regarding claim 11, Li in view of Kim teaches transmitting, to the UE, a reconfiguration message including an identifier of the target cell and resource information. (Kim Col. 72 lines 12-17 “HO to the target base station” and “to perform the RACH-less HO”)
Regarding claim 12, Li in view of Kim teaches receiving, from the UE, a reconfiguration complete message indicating a completion of an L1/L2 handover. (Kim Col. 72 lines 40-44)
Regarding claim 13, Li teaches a base station (BS) comprising
a transceiver; (Fig. 4 [430-432])
a processor (Fig. 4 [404]) coupled with the transceiver (Fig. 4 [430-432]), the processor configured to:
transmit, to a user equipment (Fig. 2 [106]), an L1/L2 handover command (Col. 14 lines 23-31, Fig. 8 [801] and Col. 17 lines 19-29) including an identifier of a target cell and timing advance (TA) information (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “Physical Cell Identifiers” and TA indicator) related to the target cell (Col. 17 lines 19-29 “target base station”), wherein the L1/L2 handover command is transmitted using a MAC control element (MAC CE); (Col. 14 lines 32-43)
transmit, to the UE, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); (Col. 13 lines 59-62 and Claim 5) and
receive, from the UE, an uplink data. (Fig. 8 [807])
Li differs from the claimed invention by not explicitly reciting transmitting, to the UE, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including scheduling information.
In an analogous art, Kim teaches a method and apparatus for reducing data transmission interruption time during a RACH-less handover in a wireless communication network (Abstract and Col. 70 lines 9-29) that includes transmitting a handover command (Fig. 4E [4e-30]) to a UE, transmitting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling information (Fig. 4E [4e-50]) from the target cell; (Fig. 4E [4e-03] and Col. 72 lines 26-40) and
receive, from the UE, uplink data. (Fig. 4E [4e-55] and Col. 72 lines 35-40)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to be motivated to implement the invention of Li after modifying it to incorporate the ability to transmit on the PDCCH, scheduling information from the target cell of Kim since it enables reducing data transmission interruption time during a handover. (Kim Col. 70 lines 18-20)
Regarding claims 14 and 15, the limitations of claims 14 and 15 are rejected as being the same reasons set forth above in claims 10-12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-9,924,533 to Tseng which discloses a method and apparatus for reducing delay when performing handover by monitoring the PDCCH of the SCell through timing advance alignment and utilizing MAC CE messages. (Abstract and Col. 6 line 40 through Col. 7 line 6)
EP-3609232-A1 to Awada et al. which discloses monitoring a PDCCH for an uplink grant from a target cell in a handover process. (Page 4 [0023])
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/Matthew C Sams/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2646
