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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/20/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
35 USC 103 Rejections
Applicant’s arguments regarding the 103-rejection filed on 08/18/2026 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the combination of references being used in the current rejection.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Lie et al. (USPGPub 2021/0266970) in view of Ang et al. (USPGPub 2021/0329574).
As per claim 1, Lei teaches a processor of a user equipment (UE) (Lei, see paragraph [0006], a user equipment (UE), may include receiving) configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving a system information block (SIB) from a base station (Lei, see paragraph [0006], receiving, from the base station and based at least in part on the on-demand SI request, one or more on-demand system information blocks (SIBs) of a set of dedicated on-demand SIBS) wherein a set of physical random access channel (PRACH) resources dedicated for redcap devices are explicitly configured in the SIB (Lei, see paragraph [0048], an example 300 of a call flow for configuring an uplink bandwidth part for a four-step random access channel (RACH) procedure. Also see paragraph [0055], configuration information included in one or more SIBs, perform one or more measurements of reference signals (RSs), …For example, the UE 120 may determine one or more physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission parameters to be used to transmit the RAM, may determine one or more parameters for generating a preamble of the RAM, may identify one or more uplink resources on which the RAM is to be transmitted”) and
transmitting, an indication to the base station that the UE is (redcap) device (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
Lei doesn’t explicitly teach configuration information for multiple different types of UEs wherein a first type of the multiple different types of UEs is a reduced capability (redcap) device.
In analogous art Ang teaches configuration information for multiple different types of UEs wherein a first type of the multiple different types of UEs is a reduced capability (redcap) device (Ang, see paragraph [0007], utilizing initial acquisition parameters for reduced-capability wireless user equipment (UEs). In one example, a wireless base station may transmit a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), with at least one of those SSBs being designated for a category or set of reduced-capability UEs. The base station may further transmit one or more control resource sets (CORESET), with at least one of those CORESETs being designated for the category or set of reduced-capability UEs).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to take the teaching of Ang and apply them on the teaching of Lei as doing so would improve efficiency with reduced capabilities such as narrow bandwidth and reduced number of antennas. (Ang, see paragraph [0004]).
As per claim 2, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is performed using a portion of the set of PRACH resources dedicated for recap devices (Lei, see paragraph [0051], sends Msg.1 with a RACH request via a physical random access channel (PRACH).)
As per claim 3, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 1, wherein message 1 (msg1) of a four step RACH process is explicitly indicated in the SIB for indicating the redcap device (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
As per claim 4, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 1, wherein the PRACH resource is entirely within a bandwidth of a redcap uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP) (Lei, see paragraph [0114], the on-demand SI request is transmitted using uplink control information (UCI).)
As per claim 5, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 1, wherein the set of PRACH resources dedicated for recap devices comprises a partition of a PRACH preamble (Lei, see paragraph [0041], may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and/or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling).
As per claim 6, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 5, wherein the PRACH preamble is a contention based preamble (Lei, see paragraph [0056], msgA, an uplink message, a request message, a first (or initial) message in a two-step RACH procedure, and/or the like. The RAM preamble is sometimes referred to as a message A preamble, a msgA preamble, a preamble, and/or the like).
As per claim 7, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 1, message A (msgA) of a two step RACH process is explicitly indicated in the SIB for indicating the redcap device (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
As per claim 8,
[Rejection rational for claim 1 is applicable].
As per claim 9, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 8, wherein the transmitting is performed using a portion of the set of PRACH resources dedicated for recap devices (Lei, see paragraph [0051], sends Msg.1 with a RACH request via a physical random access channel (PRACH).)
As per claim 10, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 8, wherein message 1 (msg1) of a four step RACH process is explicitly indicated in the SIB for indicating the redcap device. (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
As per claim 11, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 8, wherein the PRACH resource is entirely within a bandwidth of a redcap uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP). (Lei, see paragraph [0114], the on-demand SI request is transmitted using uplink control information (UCI).)
As per claim 12, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 8, wherein the set of PRACH resources comprises a partition of a PRACH preamble dedicated for recap devices. (Lei, see paragraph [0041], may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and/or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling).
As per claim 13, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 12, wherein the PRACH preamble is a contention based preamble. (Lei, see paragraph [0056], msgA, an uplink message, a request message, a first (or initial) message in a two-step RACH procedure, and/or the like. The RAM preamble is sometimes referred to as a message A preamble, a msgA preamble, a preamble, and/or the like).
As per claim 14, Lei-Ang teaches the UE of claim 8, message A (msgA) of a two step RACH process is explicitly indicated in the SIB for indicating the redcap device. (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
As per claim 15,
[Rejection rational for claim 1 is applicable].
As per claim 16, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 15, wherein the indication is received on a portion of the set of PRACH resources dedicated for recap devices. (Lei, see paragraph [0051], sends Msg.1 with a RACH request via a physical random access channel (PRACH).)
As per claim 17, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 15, wherein the SIB explicitly indicates that message 1 (msg1) of a four step RACH process is to be used for the indication. (Lei, see paragraph [0086], …As shown by reference number 760, a UE B 120 may transmit, and the BS 110 may receive, an on-demand SI request that identifies the same UE category. As shown by reference number 765, the BS 110 may transmit, and the UE A 120 and UE B 120 may receive, a groupcast transmission that includes a set of pre-configured SIBs dedicated to the identified UE category (“reduced capability”)).
As per claim 18, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 15, wherein the PRACH resource is entirely within a bandwidth of a redcap uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP). (Lei, see paragraph [0114], the on-demand SI request is transmitted using uplink control information (UCI).)
As per claim 19, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 15, wherein the set of PRACH resources comprises a partition of a PRACH preamble dedicated for recap devices. (Lei, see paragraph [0056], msgA, an uplink message, a request message, a first (or initial) message in a two-step RACH procedure, and/or the like. The RAM preamble is sometimes referred to as a message A preamble, a msgA preamble, a preamble, and/or the like).
As per claim 20, Lei-Ang teaches the processor of claim 19, wherein the PRACH preamble is a contention based preamble. (Lei, see paragraph [0056], msgA, an uplink message, a request message, a first (or initial) message in a two-step RACH procedure, and/or the like. The RAM preamble is sometimes referred to as a message A preamble, a msgA preamble, a preamble, and/or the like).
Conclusion
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/HERMON ASRES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2449
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