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 .
Applicant’s RCE filed 11/26/25 is acknowledged.
Claim 1-6, 10, 20-24, 29, and 30 are amended.
Claim 35 and 36 are added
Claim 33 and 34 have been cancelled
Claims 1-6, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20-26, 28-32, and 35-36 are pending.
Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection previously set forth in the Final Office Action mailed 8/28/2025.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/26/25 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the independent claims (pages 9-12) in a reply filed 11/26/2025 have been considered but are moot because the arguments are based on newly changed limitations in the amendment and new ground of rejections using newly introduced references or a newly introduced portion of an existing reference are applied in the current rejection.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 14-15, 20-22, 25-26, 29-32, and 35-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park US 20230007702 (hereinafter “Park”), in view of Pezeshki et al. US 20220240273 (hereinafter “Pezeshki”)
As to claim 1 and 29 (claim 1 is the method claim for the UE in claim 29):
Park discloses:
An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising a processing system that includes one or more processors and a memory coupled with the one or more processors, the processing system configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to: receive configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes (“A method of performing random access by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system according to an aspect of the disclosure may include an operation of receiving random access-related configuration information from a base station, an operation of determining at least one of a RACH occasion (RO) group related to random access preamble transmission, one or more ROs, and a random access preamble group based on at least one of the random access-related configuration information, the type of UE, and a repetition level, and an operation of transmitting one or more random access preambles in each of the one or more ROs.”, Park [0009])
a plurality of repetition values for an uplink communication of the UE (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152]) (“In this case, there are UEs having different channel environments and different levels of capability in a single cell, and thus the base station (e.g., an NG-RAN) may need to identify different capability levels of the corresponding UEs promptly from the initial cell access process. A cell coverage or a resource allocation scheme that a legacy base station sets based on a UE (e.g., a high-end capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as a “normal UE” or a “first type UE”) that supports NR eMBB, URLLC, and/or a wideband may not be appropriate for a new type of UE (e.g., a medium-low capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as an “RC UE” or a “second type UE”) that is incapable of supporting eMBB, URLLC, and/or broadband (e.g., supporting a narrow band).”, Park [0117])
or (ii) the plurality of repetition values and information that indicates a criterion for selecting a repetition value from the plurality of repetition values, wherein the criterion indicates a mapping between a plurality of parameters and a set of indexes mapped to the plurality of repetition values, and wherein the plurality of parameters comprises a power class of the UE and a service type of the uplink communication; (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152]) (“In this case, there are UEs having different channel environments and different levels of capability in a single cell, and thus the base station (e.g., an NG-RAN) may need to identify different capability levels of the corresponding UEs promptly from the initial cell access process. A cell coverage or a resource allocation scheme that a legacy base station sets based on a UE (e.g., a high-end capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as a “normal UE” or a “first type UE”) that supports NR eMBB, URLLC, and/or a wideband may not be appropriate for a new type of UE (e.g., a medium-low capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as an “RC UE” or a “second type UE”) that is incapable of supporting eMBB, URLLC, and/or broadband (e.g., supporting a narrow band).”, Park [0117])
select, when the configuration information includes the information that indicates the criterion, the repetition value from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with the criterion; (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below.”, Park [0150])
and transmit the uplink communication with a number of repetitions indicated by the repetition value. (“Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level.”, Park [0151])
Park as described above does not explicitly teach:
select, when the configuration information omits the information that indicates the criterion, the repetition value from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with one of a dynamic grant resource allocation table, a configured grant resource allocation table, or a higher layer configured parameter;
However, Pezeshki further teaches selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion which includes
select, when the configuration information omits the information that indicates the criterion, the repetition value from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with one of a dynamic grant resource allocation table, a configured grant resource allocation table, or a higher layer configured parameter; (“Based on the indication of the repetition configuration, a first uplink transmission may be associated with a first priority (for example, a relatively higher priority) that maps to a first number of repetitions, and a second uplink transmission may be associated with a second priority (for example, a relatively lower priority) that maps to a second number of repetitions that is lower than the first number of repetitions based on the first priority being higher than the second priority. The UE may then transmit the first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or both according to determined respective numbers of repetitions. In some examples, the mapping between the priority levels and the repetition values may further be based on an uplink control information (UCI) type or a sounding reference signal (SRS) purpose (for example, if the uplink transmission is an SRS), among other examples, or any combination thereof.”, Pezeshki [0005])
Park and Pezeshki are analogous because they pertain to determining repetition value for uplink transmission.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion as described in Pezeshki into Park. By modifying the method to include selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion as taught by Park, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) are achieved.
As to claim 2:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to select the repetition value from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with the criterion, the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: select an index mapped to the power class of the UE and the service type of the uplink communication; and identify the repetition value mapped to the selected index. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152])
As to claim 3:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least one of an elevation angle or a downlink measurement value. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152])
As to claim 4:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein to select the repetition value from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with the criterion, the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: select an index mapped to the power class of the UE, the service type of the uplink communication, and the at least one of the elevation angle or the downlink measurement value; and identify the repetition value mapped to the selected index. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152])
As to claim 14:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to cause the UE to receive the configuration information, the processing system is configured to cause the UE to receive the configuration information, or information indicating a criterion for selecting the repetition value, via system information signaling. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152])
As to claim 15:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the uplink communication comprises at least one of a physical random access channel transmission, a physical uplink control channel transmission, or a physical uplink shared channel transmission. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152])
As to claim 20 and 30 (claim 30 is the method claim for the network node in claim 20):
Claim 20 and 30 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 1 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 21:
Claim 21 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 2 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 22:
Claim 22 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 3 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 25:
Claim 25 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 14 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 26:
Claim 26 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 15 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 31:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service type of the uplink communication is one of a short message service (SMS) service type, a Voice over IP (VoIP) service type, an Internet of Things (IoT) service type, or an ultra-reliable service type. (“In this case, there are UEs having different channel environments and different levels of capability in a single cell, and thus the base station (e.g., an NG-RAN) may need to identify different capability levels of the corresponding UEs promptly from the initial cell access process. A cell coverage or a resource allocation scheme that a legacy base station sets based on a UE (e.g., a high-end capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as a “normal UE” or a “first type UE”) that supports NR eMBB, URLLC, and/or a wideband may not be appropriate for a new type of UE (e.g., a medium-low capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as an “RC UE” or a “second type UE”) that is incapable of supporting eMBB, URLLC, and/or broadband (e.g., supporting a narrow band).”, Park [0117])
As to claim 32:
Claim 32 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 31 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 35:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes the information that indicates the criterion, and wherein the repetition value is selected from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with the criterion. (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below.”, Park [0150])
As to claim 36:
Park as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information omits the information that indicates the criterion, and wherein the repetition value is selected from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with one of a dynamic grant resource allocation table, a configured grant resource allocation table, or a higher layer configured parameter.
However, Pezeshki further teaches selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion which includes
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information omits the information that indicates the criterion, and wherein the repetition value is selected from the plurality of repetition values in accordance with one of a dynamic grant resource allocation table, a configured grant resource allocation table, or a higher layer configured parameter. (“Based on the indication of the repetition configuration, a first uplink transmission may be associated with a first priority (for example, a relatively higher priority) that maps to a first number of repetitions, and a second uplink transmission may be associated with a second priority (for example, a relatively lower priority) that maps to a second number of repetitions that is lower than the first number of repetitions based on the first priority being higher than the second priority. The UE may then transmit the first uplink transmission, the second uplink transmission, or both according to determined respective numbers of repetitions. In some examples, the mapping between the priority levels and the repetition values may further be based on an uplink control information (UCI) type or a sounding reference signal (SRS) purpose (for example, if the uplink transmission is an SRS), among other examples, or any combination thereof.”, Pezeshki [0005])
Park and Pezeshki are analogous because they pertain to determining repetition value for uplink transmission.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion as described in Pezeshki into Park. By modifying the method to include selecting a repetition value when the configuration information omits the information that indicates a criterion as taught by Park, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) are achieved.
Claim(s) 5-6, 10, 17, 23-24, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park in view of Pezeshki, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in Wen et al. US 20240089033 (hereinafter “Wen”)
As to claim 5:
The combination of Park and Pezeshki as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of repetitions is in accordance with the plurality of parameters further comprising an original elevation angle, and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: identify a changed elevation angle during transmission of the uplink communication; and transmit the uplink communication with the number of repetitions irrespective of the changed elevation angle.
However, Wen further teaches identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes which includes:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of repetitions is in accordance with the plurality of parameters further comprising an original elevation angle, and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: identify a changed elevation angle during transmission of the uplink communication; (“repetition number is able to be selected/determined at both the first device 110 and the second device 120 based on the information such as the change trend of pathloss, the change trend of RSRP of a signal received from the second device 120, the change trend of a distance between the first device 110 and the second device 120, the change trend of an elevation angle”, Wen [0051]) and transmit the uplink communication with the number of repetitions irrespective of the changed elevation angle. (“determine the repetition number for future transmission based on the received information such as change trend of pathloss/RSRP or elevation angle of the second device 120, thereby optimizing the resource usage of the network and reducing the transmission time as well as the power consumption for the first device 110 or reducing the failure of the transmission”, Wen [0051]) (Examiner’s Note: “transmit the uplink communication with the number of repetitions irrespective of the changed elevation angle” is interpreted as setting the repetition number for future transmission and not changing this repetition number during transmission in real-time even if there is a change in the elevation angle. Wen teaches setting the repetition number for future transmission which implies the repetition number is not updated in real-time even if there is a change in the elevation angle during transmission.)
Park, Pezeshki, and Wen are analogous because they pertain to improving uplink coverage for UEs.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes as described in Wen into Park as modified by Pezeshki. By modifying the method to include identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes as taught by Wen, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) and improved uplink coverage (Wen [0051]) are achieved.
As to claim 6:
The combination of Park and Pezeshki as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to report the at least one of the elevation angle or the downlink measurement value of the UE to a network node.
However, Wen further teaches reporting the elevation angle which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to report the at least one of the elevation angle or the downlink measurement value of the UE to a network node. (“the first device 110 may report the change trend of pathloss/RSRP or elevation angle in this Msg 3.”, Wen [0092])
Park, Pezeshki, and Wen are analogous because they pertain to improving uplink coverage for UEs.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include reporting the elevation angle as described in Wen into Park as modified by Pezeshki. By modifying the method to include reporting the elevation angle as taught by Wen, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) and improved uplink coverage (Wen [0051]) are achieved.
As to claim 10:
Park discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters further comprises an original downlink measurement value, (“Based on signaling by a base station (e.g., system information or dedicated RRC signaling), a UE may determine at least the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) and/or a transmission power offset value. Alternatively, in the case that a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble index/RO is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to a corresponding repetitive transmission level and/or transmission power offset value based on measured channel information and channel measurement threshold values set for each repetition level, as described below. In addition, the UE may determine a repetition level based on a configuration for an SSB index (or SSB indices) that shares the same RO(s).Alternatively, based on channel information (e.g., the RSRP of a downlink pathloss), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, the type of UE, a UE category, and the like measured by a UE itself, the UE may determine the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted (or a repetitive transmission level) based on a predetermined threshold value set or defined for the UE in advance. Alternatively, a mapping relationship between the number of times of repetitive preamble transmission and a preamble is defined, a UE may select a preamble corresponding to the corresponding repetitive transmission level. In addition, the number of times that a random access preamble is repeatedly transmitted may be determined based on the type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) in addition to comparing the measured RSRP value of the downlink pathloss and a threshold value thereof. Here, the above-mentioned type of UE (or a UE category or UE capability) may be taken into consideration in order to distinguish the transmission/reception capability of an RC UE (e.g., the maximum supportable bandwidth, whether a half-duplex mode is available, the number of antennas, whether MIMO transmission is performed, and the like), transmission power, a transmission power offset, a power class, and the like, and it is assumed that the types of UEs may have different UE characteristics and capability levels from each other. In addition, the RC UE may determine the number of times of preamble transmission, which differs depending on a random access procedure-related method (i.e., 4-step CBRA, 2-step CBRA or 4-step CFRA, 2-step CFRA). Particularly, in the case of 2-step CBRA and 2-step CFRA, preamble transmission and uplink message (PUSCH) transmission are performed together, and thus the number of times of repetitive transmission may be determined independently based on the above-described method for successful reception of a preamble and an uplink message.”, Park [0150-0152]) (“In this case, there are UEs having different channel environments and different levels of capability in a single cell, and thus the base station (e.g., an NG-RAN) may need to identify different capability levels of the corresponding UEs promptly from the initial cell access process. A cell coverage or a resource allocation scheme that a legacy base station sets based on a UE (e.g., a high-end capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as a “normal UE” or a “first type UE”) that supports NR eMBB, URLLC, and/or a wideband may not be appropriate for a new type of UE (e.g., a medium-low capability UE, hereinafter, referred to as an “RC UE” or a “second type UE”) that is incapable of supporting eMBB, URLLC, and/or broadband (e.g., supporting a narrow band).”, Park [0117])
The combination of Park and Pezeshki as described above does not explicitly teach:
and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: identify a changed downlink measurement value during transmission of the uplink communication; and transmit the uplink communication with the number of repetitions irrespective of the changed downlink measurement value.
However, Wen further teaches identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes which includes:
and wherein the processing system is configured to cause the UE to: identify a changed downlink measurement value during transmission of the uplink communication; (“repetition number is able to be selected/determined at both the first device 110 and the second device 120 based on the information such as the change trend of pathloss, the change trend of RSRP of a signal received from the second device 120, the change trend of a distance between the first device 110 and the second device 120, the change trend of an elevation angle”, Wen [0051]) and transmit the uplink communication with the number of repetitions irrespective of the changed downlink measurement value. (“determine the repetition number for future transmission based on the received information such as change trend of pathloss/RSRP or elevation angle of the second device 120, thereby optimizing the resource usage of the network and reducing the transmission time as well as the power consumption for the first device 110 or reducing the failure of the transmission”, Wen [0051])
Park, Pezeshki, and Wen are analogous because they pertain to improving uplink coverage for UEs.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes as described in Wen into Park as modified by Pezeshki. By modifying the method to include identifying a changed elevation angle and setting the repetition number that does not change while the elevation angle changes as taught by Wen, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) and improved uplink coverage (Wen [0051]) are achieved.
As to claim 17:
The combination of Park and Pezeshki as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the configuration information or the repetition value is based at least in part on the uplink communication being directed to a non-terrestrial network node.
However, Wen further teaches repetition value that is based on the uplink communication being directed to a NTN node which includes:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the configuration information or the repetition value is based at least in part on the uplink communication being directed to a non-terrestrial network node. (“FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. In the example of FIG. 1, two types of communication networks are shown, including a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network with one or more NTN network devices or non-ground network devices for providing communication coverage, and a terrestrial network (TN) or ground network with one or more terrestrial or ground network devices for providing communication coverage. In the following, a NTN is referred to as a NTN network and a TN is referred to as a TN network in order to improve the readability although “network” is redundant.”, Wen [0042]) (“determine the repetition number for future transmission based on the received information such as change trend of pathloss/RSRP or elevation angle of the second device 120, thereby optimizing the resource usage of the network and reducing the transmission time as well as the power consumption for the first device 110 or reducing the failure of the transmission”, Wen [0051])
Park, Pezeshki, and Wen are analogous because they pertain to improving uplink coverage for UEs.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include repetition value that is based on the uplink communication being directed to a NTN node as described in Wen into Park as modified by Pezeshki. By modifying the method to include repetition value that is based on the uplink communication being directed to a NTN node as taught by Wen, the benefits of improved reliability (Pezeshki [0067] and Park [0118]) and improved uplink coverage (Wen [0051]) are achieved.
As to claim 23:
Claim 23 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 5 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 24:
Claim 24 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 10 from the perspective of the network node.
As to claim 28:
Claim 27 are rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 17 from the perspective of the network node.
Conclusion
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/A.C.K./
Examiner
Art Unit 2471
/MOHAMMAD S ADHAMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471