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 1-16, 26-27, 30, 31 are presented for examination.
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, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-11, 15-16, 26-27, 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ramachandra et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0082301 A1 (hereinafter Ramachandra).
As per claims 1, 26, 27, Ramachandra discloses a method for receiving configuration information (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network devices as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), performed by a user equipment (UE) (see user equipment UE as a drone with speed sensor information on page 11 section [0161]), the method comprising:
receiving configuration information sent by a network device (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network device as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), wherein the configuration information comprises at least one trigger condition for a conditional reconfiguration (see CHO configuration include handover command and associated execution condition on page 2 section [0037]); and
determining, based on a movement parameter of the UE (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]), a trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration (see determining execution condition is met and UE perform the handover, or conditional reconfiguration as claimed, on page 2 section [0038]).
As per claim 2, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein determining, based on the movement parameter of the UE, the trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration, comprises:
determining, based on whether the movement parameter (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]) of the UE fulfills a demand (see handover condition fulfill a threshold for a demand for radio link condition on page 2 section [0035]), the trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration (see execution of conditional handover if trigger condition is met on page 2 section [0038]).
As per claim 3, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein the configuration information further comprises at least one parameter for triggering corresponding to each trigger condition in the at least one trigger condition, and wherein determining, based on whether the movement parameter of the UE fulfills the demand, the trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration, comprises:
determining, based on whether the movement parameter (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]) of the UE fulfills the demand (see handover condition fulfill a threshold for a demand for radio link condition on page 2 section [0035]), a parameter for triggering to be adopted (see execution of conditional handover if trigger condition is met on page 2 section [0038]); and
determining, based on the parameter for triggering to be adopted, the trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration (see execution of conditional handover if trigger condition is met on page 2 section [0038]).
As per claim 5, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein determining, based on whether the movement parameter of the UE fulfills the demand, the trigger condition corresponding to triggering of the conditional reconfiguration, comprises:
in the case that the movement parameter changes from fulfilling the demand to not fulfilling the demand during a first time period, determining that the trigger condition changes from a trigger condition corresponding to fulfilling the demand to a trigger condition corresponding to not fulfilling the demand (see execution of handover condition can be delayed if condition do not met, or fulfilling the demand to a trigger condition as claimed, and trigger at a later point when condition is met on page 2 section [0035]).
As per claim 6, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 2, wherein fulfilling the demand comprises one of:
the movement parameter (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]) being greater than a threshold (see condition meeting or exceeding a threshold on page 2 section [0035]) corresponding thereto; or the movement parameter fulfilling an event (see trigger event such as UE’s movement parameter via GPS location on page 10 section [0157]) corresponding thereto.
As per claim 7, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 6, wherein the threshold corresponding to the movement parameter is defined in a protocol (see CHO configuration protocol in a RRCReconfiguratoin message on page 2 section [0037]), or the configuration information further comprises the threshold (see condition meeting or exceeding a threshold on page 2 section [0035]) corresponding to the movement parameter (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]).
As per claim 8, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 6, wherein the event corresponding to the movement parameter is defined in a protocol (see CHO configuration protocol in a RRCReconfiguratoin message on page 2 section [0037]), or the configuration information further comprises the event (see trigger event such as UE’s movement parameter via GPS location on page 10 section [0157]) corresponding to the movement parameter.
As per claim 9, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the movement parameter comprises at least one of a speed or an altitude (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]).
As per claims 10, 30, Ramachandra discloses a method for receiving configuration information (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network devices as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), performed by a user equipment (UE) (see user equipment UE as a drone with speed sensor information on page 11 section [0161]), the method comprising:
receiving configuration information sent by a network device (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network device as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), wherein the configuration information comprises a first type of trigger condition for a conditional reconfiguration (see determining execution condition is met and UE perform the handover, or conditional reconfiguration as claimed, on page 2 section [0038]), and the first type of trigger condition is related to a movement parameter of the UE (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]).
As per claim 11, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 10, further comprising: determining, based on the movement parameter of the UE, whether the first type of trigger condition is met (see determining the execution condition is met on page 2 section [0038]); and in the case that the first type of trigger condition is met, triggering the conditional reconfiguration (see performing conditional handover on page 2 section [0038]).
As per claim 15, Ramachandra discloses the method according to claim 10,
wherein the first type of trigger condition comprises at least one of following events: the movement parameter being greater than a first threshold corresponding thereto; the movement parameter being less than a second threshold corresponding thereto; or a change in the movement parameter during a second time period being greater than a third threshold corresponding thereto (see multiple CHO candidate cells each with their own thresholds to trigger handover condition on page 2 section [0035]).
As per claims 16, 31, Ramachandra discloses a method for sending configuration information, performed by a network device (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network devices as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), the method comprising:
sending configuration information to a user equipment (UE) (see user equipment UE receiving a condition handover CHO configuration from a gNB, or network device as claimed, on page 2 section [0035] and Figure 2), wherein the configuration information comprises one of: at least one trigger condition for a conditional reconfiguration (see sending conditional handover CHO configuration with multiple CHO candidate cells with multiple trigger condition on page 2 section [0035]), and one of a threshold corresponding to a movement parameter of the UE (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]), or an event corresponding to the movement parameter of the UE (see trigger event such as UE’s movement parameter via GPS location on page 10 section [0157]); or a first type of trigger condition for a conditional reconfiguration, and the first type of trigger condition is related to the movement parameter of the UE (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162]).
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 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramachandra et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0082301 A1 (hereinafter Ramachandra), and further in view of Deng et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2024/0064600 A1 (hereinafter Deng).
As per claim 12, Ramachandra do not disclose expressly: wherein the configuration information further comprises a second type of trigger condition for the conditional reconfiguration, and the second type of trigger condition is related to a signal strength in a cell.
Deng teaches: wherein the configuration information further comprises a second type of trigger condition for the conditional reconfiguration, and the second type of trigger condition is related to a signal strength in a cell (see using signal quality as execution condition for CHO handover on page 3 section [0045]).
Ramachandra and Deng are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor, conditional handover CHO network systems. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to use signal strength as a condition for handover, the motivation for doing so would have been to use the candidate cell with the optimal signal strength (see page 3 section [0045] in Deng). Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Ramachandra and Deng for the benefit of using signal strength as trigger condition to obtain the invention as specified in claim 12.
As per claim 13, Ramachandra and Deng disclose the method according to claim 12, further comprising: determining, based on the movement parameter of the UE (see UE sensor such as the drone’s speed information as determining trigger condition for performing conditional handover on page 11 section [0162] in Ramachandra), whether a demand is fulfilled (see execution condition is fulfilled on page 2 section [0038] in Ramachandra); and in the case that the demand is fulfilled, triggering the conditional reconfiguration (see performing the conditional handover when triggering condition is fulfilled on page 2 section [0038] in Ramachandra). The motivation to combine is same as above.
As per claim 14, Ramachandra and Deng disclose the method according to claim 13, wherein fulfilling the demand comprises: any one of events in the first type of trigger condition being met (see multiple CHO candidates with multiple thresholds to be met on page 2 section [0035] in Ramachandra), and the second type of trigger condition (see using signal quality as execution condition for CHO handover on page 3 section [0045] in Deng) that corresponds to the any one of events being met (see performing the conditional handover when triggering condition is fulfilled on page 2 section [0038] in Ramachandra). The motivation to combine is same as above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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.
Salim et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0088881 A1. Wireless Transmit/Receive Unit WTRU selecting candidate beams (see Abstract) based on UE mobility parameters such as speed and absolute position (see section [0361]).
Parichehrehteroujeni et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0214543 A1. User Equipment UE handover decisions (see section [0022]).
Koskinen et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0095744 A1. Terminal device performing reconfiguration operation (see Abstract).
Ozturk et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2021/0058829 A1. User Equipment UE performing handover request and response (see Abstract).
Xiong et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2024/0098612 A1. Conditional Handover CHO to candidate cell (see Abstract).
Xiong et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2026/0281864 A1. Conditional mobility configuration for network device (see Abstract).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALAN S CHOU whose telephone number is (571)272-5779. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chris L Parry can be reached at (571)272-8328. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALAN S CHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2451
