DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 18 December 2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 11, 20, and 26 are currently amended; no claims are cancelled; claims 2-10, 12-19, 21-25, and 27-30 are previously presented; no claims have been added. Claims 1-30 are pending and ready for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 11, 20, and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jassal et al. (US 2022/0060238 A1), hereafter referred Jassal, in view of Takada et al. (US 2022/0295303 A1), hereafter referred Takada, further in view of Jiang et al. (US 2021/0167916 A1), hereafter referred Jiang.
Regarding claim 1, Jassal teaches an apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
one or more memories comprising instructions (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0043]; memory could store software instructions); and
one or more processors (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0040]; processing unit could include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.), individually or collectively, configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:
receive, from a first network entity that transmits synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a first type having different directions (Jassal, [0097]-[0098]; a synchronization signal burst may be implemented by the T-TRP in which beam sweeping is used to transmit multiple SSBs, each in a different beam direction), signaling indicating information enabling the UE to measure SSBs of a second type having different ranges and different directions (Jassal, [0112]-[0114]; receive the BAI indicating the beam direction and a set of quantized angular directions defining a range of angular directions for the SSBs).
Jassal does not expressly teach measure the SSBs of the first and second type based on the information; and
report the SSB measurements.
However, Takada teaches measure the SSBs of the first and second type based on the information (Takada, Fig. 2, [0035]-[0037]; using frequency range 2 in radio resource management of 3GPP Release 15, the UE sequentially switches to a direction of a single receive beam to Rx #1 to Rx #n to execute measurement of an RS, (for example, SSB) which is a measurement target, while searching for a direction in which reception characteristics of the receive beam is good); and
report the SSB measurements (Takada, Fig. 7, [0123]-[0134]; the UE may execute L1-RSRP measurement/reporting for the L1-RSRP value for each RS and report back to the radio base station in the radio resource control layer (RRC))).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal to include the above recited limitations as taught by Takada in order to support inter-band carrier aggregation (Takada, [0005]-[0010]).
Jassal in view of Takeda does not expressly teach the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array.
However, Jiang teaches the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array (Jiang, [0106]-[0109], [0134], and [0307]-[0321]; the first reference signal may refer to synchronization signal block such as the Primary Synchronization Signal. The second reference signal may refer to the Secondary Synchronization Signal. The first node may transmit the first reference signal on the first-type antenna port group and may transmit the second reference signal on the second-type antenna port group).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takeda to include the above recited limitations as taught by Jiang in order to achieve beamforming gains and increased reliability (Jiang, [0067]).
Regarding claim 11, Chen teaches an apparatus for wireless communications at a first network entity, comprising:
one or more memories comprising instructions (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0043]; memory could store software instructions); and
one or more processors, individually or collectively (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0040]; processing unit could include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.), configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), signaling indicating information enabling the UE to measure synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a second type having different ranges and different directions (Jassal, [0112]-[0114]; receive the BAI indicating the beam direction and a set of quantized angular directions defining a range of angular directions for the SSBs);
transmit SSBs of a first type having different directions (Jassal, [0097]-[0098]; a synchronization signal burst may be implemented by the T-TRP in which beam sweeping is used to transmit multiple SSBs, each in a different beam direction).
Jassal does not expressly teach receive, from the UE, SSB measurements of the first and second type.
However, Takada teaches receive, from the UE, SSB measurements of the first and second type (Takada, Fig. 7, [0123]-[0134]; the UE may execute L1-RSRP measurement/reporting for the L1-RSRP value for each RS and report back to the radio base station in the radio resource control layer (RRC))).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal to include the above recited limitations as taught by Takada in order to support inter-band carrier aggregation (Takada, [0005]-[0010]).
Jassal in view of Takeda does not expressly teach the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array.
However, Jiang teaches the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array (Jiang, [0106]-[0109], [0134], and [0307]-[0321]; the first reference signal may refer to synchronization signal block such as the Primary Synchronization Signal. The second reference signal may refer to the Secondary Synchronization Signal. The first node may transmit the first reference signal on the first-type antenna port group and may transmit the second reference signal on the second-type antenna port group).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takeda to include the above recited limitations as taught by Jiang in order to achieve beamforming gains and increased reliability (Jiang, [0067]).
Regarding claim 20, Jassal teaches an apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
one or more memories comprising instructions (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0043]; memory could store software instructions); and
one or more processors, individually or collectively (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0040]; processing unit could include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.), configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:
receive, from a first network entity that transmits synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a first type having different directions (Jassal, [0097]-[0098]; a synchronization signal burst may be implemented by the T-TRP in which beam sweeping is used to transmit multiple SSBs, each in a different beam direction), information indicating a presence of SSBs of a second type having different ranges and different directions (Jassal, [0112]-[0114]; receive the BAI indicating the beam direction and a set of quantized angular directions defining a range of angular directions for the SSBs).
Jassal does not expressly teach send, to the first network entity, a report indicating a capability of the UE to support SSBs of the second type.
However, Takada teaches send, to the first network entity, a report indicating a capability of the UE to support SSBs of the second type (Takada, Fig. 7, [0123]-[0134]; the UE may execute L1-RSRP measurement/reporting for the L1-RSRP value for each RS and report back to the radio base station in the radio resource control layer (RRC))).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal to include the above recited limitations as taught by Takada in order to support inter-band carrier aggregation (Takada, [0005]-[0010]).
Jassal in view of Takeda does not expressly teach the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array.
However, Jiang teaches the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array (Jiang, [0106]-[0109], [0134], and [0307]-[0321]; the first reference signal may refer to synchronization signal block such as the Primary Synchronization Signal. The second reference signal may refer to the Secondary Synchronization Signal. The first node may transmit the first reference signal on the first-type antenna port group and may transmit the second reference signal on the second-type antenna port group).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takeda to include the above recited limitations as taught by Jiang in order to achieve beamforming gains and increased reliability (Jiang, [0067]).
Regarding claim 26, Jassal teaches an apparatus for wireless communications at a first network entity, comprising:
one or more memories comprising instructions (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0043]; memory could store software instructions); and
one or more processors, individually or collectively (Jassal, Fig. 2, [0040]; processing unit could include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, etc.), configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:
send, to a user equipment (UE), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) of a first type having different directions (Jassal, [0097]-[0098]; a synchronization signal burst may be implemented by the T-TRP in which beam sweeping is used to transmit multiple SSBs, each in a different beam direction); and
send, to a user equipment (UE), signaling indicating information about a presence of SSBs of a second type having different ranges and different directions (Jassal, [0112]-[0114]; receive the BAI indicating the beam direction and a set of quantized angular directions defining a range of angular directions for the SSBs).
Jassal does not expressly teach receive, from the UE, a report indicating a capability of the UE to support SSBs of the second type.
However, Takada teaches receive, from the UE, a report indicating a capability of the UE to support SSBs of the second type (Takada, Fig. 7, [0123]-[0134]; the UE may execute L1-RSRP measurement/reporting for the L1-RSRP value for each RS and report back to the radio base station in the radio resource control layer (RRC))).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal to include the above recited limitations as taught by Takada in order to support inter-band carrier aggregation (Takada, [0005]-[0010]).
Jassal in view of Takeda does not expressly teach the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array.
However, Jiang teaches the SSBs of a first type being communicated via a first type of antenna array and the SSBs of a second type being communicated via a second type of antenna array (Jiang, [0106]-[0109], [0134], and [0307]-[0321]; the first reference signal may refer to synchronization signal block such as the Primary Synchronization Signal. The second reference signal may refer to the Secondary Synchronization Signal. The first node may transmit the first reference signal on the first-type antenna port group and may transmit the second reference signal on the second-type antenna port group).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takeda to include the above recited limitations as taught by Jiang in order to achieve beamforming gains and increased reliability (Jiang, [0067]).
Claims 2, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 24, 27, and 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang as applied to claims 1, 11, 20, and 26 above, and further in view of Chen et al. (US 2018/0324678 A1), hereafter referred Chen.
Regarding claims 2, 12, 21, and 27, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 1, the apparatus of claim 11, the apparatus of claim 20, the apparatus of claim 26 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein: the information is indicated by the first network entity during an initial access procedure; the information is conveyed via at least one of: a master information block (MIB) associated with an SSB of the first type transmitted by the first network entity or remaining minimum system information (RMSI) associated with an SSB of the first type transmitted by the first network entity; and the at least one of MIB or RMSI indicates indexes for the SSBs of the second type.
However, Chen teaches wherein: the information is indicated by the first network entity during an initial access procedure; the information is conveyed via at least one of: a master information block (MIB) associated with an SSB of the first type transmitted by the first network entity or remaining minimum system information (RMSI) associated with an SSB of the first type transmitted by the first network entity; and the at least one of MIB or RMSI indicates indexes for the SSBs of the second type (Chen, Fig. 8, [0133]-[0135]; the PSS/SSS/PBCH transmission has a frame structure where the PBCH carriers the MIB with just 14 bits hat carries some of the most frequently transmitted parameters used for initial access to the cell, such as DL system bandwidth, PHICH size, and SFN number).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Chen in order to provide flexibility to support various application requirements (Chen, [0016]).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 11 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the information comprises at least one of:
frequency domain or time domain locations to measure SSBs of the second type, or
one reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold for SSBs of the second type.
However, Chen teaches wherein the information comprises at least one of:
frequency domain or time domain locations to measure SSBs of the second type (Chen, [0190]-[0193]; indication of actual SS block locations using bitmap or quantized bitmap is considered in the information transmitted to a UE).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Chen in order to provide flexibility to support various application requirements (Chen, [0016]).
Regarding claims 23 and 29, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 20 and the apparatus of claim 26 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the report indicates at least one of:
whether the UE supports detection and decoding of SSBs of the second type;
what types of SSBs of the second type the UE supports; or
one or more types of multiplexing of SSBs of the second type the UE supports.
However, Chen teaches wherein the report indicates at least one of:
whether the UE supports detection and decoding of SSBs of the second type (Chen, [0180]; the UE is configured to report full beam ID, where the full beam ID is derived from detecting and decoding PBCH).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Chen in order to provide flexibility to support various application requirements (Chen, [0016]).
Regarding claim 24, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 20 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the report indicates at least one of:
a maximum number of SSBs of the second type the UE supports; or
a type of index identification scheme for SSBs of the second type the UE supports.
However, Chen teaches wherein the report indicates at least one of:
a maximum number of SSBs of the second type the UE supports (Chen, [0188]-[0192]; the number of bits indicate the maximum number of SS blocks for each frequency band).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Chen in order to provide flexibility to support various application requirements (Chen, [0016]).
Claims 3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang as applied to claims 1 and 11 above, and further in view of Lin et al. (US 2021/0203429 A1), hereafter referred Lin.
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 11 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein at least some SSBs of the second type lack a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and have a primary synchronization sequence (PSS) and secondary synchronization sequence (SSS) in adjacent symbols.
However, Lin teaches wherein at least some SSBs of the second type lack a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and have a primary synchronization sequence (PSS) and secondary synchronization sequence (SSS) in adjacent symbols (Lin, [0051]; within the SSB, there are a plurality of adjacent OFDM symbols used for S-PSS and S-SSS, as well as 0 to 1 OFDM symbol used for the PSBCH and positions of the adjacent OFDM symbols used for the S-PSS are in front of positions of the adjacent OFDM symbols used for the S-SSS).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Lin in order to (Lin, [0005]-[0010]).
Claims 5-10, 15-19, 22, 25, 28, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang as applied to claims 1, 11, 20, and 26 above, and further in view of Xu et al. (US 2021/0360701 A1), hereafter referred Xu.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 11 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive, from the first network entity, signaling indicating a mechanism to access a second network entity that transmits SSBs of the second type, wherein the mechanism involves: compare reference signal received power (RSRP) of SSBs of the second type with a threshold; and access the second network entity if the RSRP of SSBs of the second type exceeds the threshold.
However, Xu teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive, from the first network entity, signaling indicating a mechanism to access a second network entity that transmits SSBs of the second type, wherein the mechanism involves: compare reference signal received power (RSRP) of SSBs of the second type with a threshold; and access the second network entity if the RSRP of SSBs of the second type exceeds the threshold (Xu, [0220]-[0224]; the wireless device may determine one or more random access resources based on measurements of one or more downlink RSs before transmitting a preamble to the base station for a random access procedure, where the measurements may comprise RSRP measurements, such that the one or more downlink RSs which may comprise one or more SSBs. The wireless device may determine an SSB with an RSRP value being greater than an RSRP threshold, then the wireless device may determine a preamble index associated with the RS based on the association relationship between the RS and the preamble index and transmit the preamble to the base station via one or more TRPs connected to the base station).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Jassal in view of Takada in view of Jiang further in view of Xu teaches the apparatus of claim 5 and the apparatus of claim 15 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein:
the information comprises an indication of associations of at least one of a random access channel (RACH) occasion (RO), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) occasion (PO), or preamble associated to SSBs of the second type; and accessing the second network entity comprises performing a RACH procedure based on the associations.
However, Xu teaches wherein:
the information comprises an indication of associations of at least one of a random access channel (RACH) occasion (RO), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) occasion (PO), or preamble associated to SSBs of the second type; and accessing the second network entity comprises performing a RACH procedure based on the associations (Xu, [0171]-[0174]; the configuration message may indicate one or more RACH parameters to the UE, where the RACH parameters may indicate one or more Physical RACH occasions available for transmission of the Msg 1, where the one or more RACH parameters may indicate an association between one or more preambles and one or more SS/PBCH blocks mapped to the PRACH occasion).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Jassal in view of Takada in view of Jiang further in view of Xu teaches the apparatus of claim 5 and the apparatus of claim 16 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: access the first network entity if the RSRP of SSBs of the second type is less than or equal to the threshold.
However, Xu teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: access the first network entity if the RSRP of SSBs of the second type is less than or equal to the threshold (Xu, [0240]-[0242]; the wireless device may select the RS from the plurality of RSs within greater of the RSRP values of the first RS group and the RSRP values of the second RS group).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, Jassal in view of Takada in view of Jiang further in view of Xu teaches the apparatus of claim 5 and the apparatus of claim 15 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the mechanism involves:
reporting reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of SSBs of both the first type and the second type, via a random access channel (RACH) procedure associated with the first network entity.
However, Xu teaches wherein the mechanism involves:
reporting reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements of SSBs of both the first type and the second type, via a random access channel (RACH) procedure associated with the first network entity (Xu, [0100]; the RRCs provide control plane functionality between the UE 210 and gNB 220 via signaling messages, referred as RRC messages, which include the UE measurement reporting and control of the reporting).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 9 and 19, Jassal in view of Takada in view of Jiang further in view of Xu teaches the apparatus of claim 8 and the apparatus of claim 18 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive a request, from the first network entity, to transmit a RACH preamble or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on a certain RACH occasion (RO) or PUSCH occasion (PO) associated with a preferred SSB of the second type; and
after transmitting the RACH preamble or PUSCH, monitor for a RACH message from the first network entity, wherein the RACH preamble to be transmitted and the RO or PO associated with the preferred SSB of the second type are indicated together, or determined based on remaining minimum system information (RMSJ) associated with the second network entity.
However, Xu teaches wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive a request, from the first network entity, to transmit a RACH preamble or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) on a certain RACH occasion (RO) or PUSCH occasion (PO) associated with a preferred SSB of the second type (Xu, [0171]-[0174]; the configuration message may indicate one or more RACH parameters to the UE, where the RACH parameters may indicate one or more Physical RACH occasions available for transmission of the Msg 1, where the one or more RACH parameters may indicate an association between one or more preambles and one or more SS/PBCH blocks mapped to the PRACH occasion); and
after transmitting the RACH preamble or PUSCH, monitor for a RACH message from the first network entity, wherein the RACH preamble to be transmitted and the RO or PO associated with the preferred SSB of the second type are indicated together, or determined based on remaining minimum system information (RMSI) associated with the second network entity (Xu, [0140]-[0144]; the MIB may be used by the UE to locate remaining minimum system information (RMSI) associated with the cell).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 10, 22, and 28, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 1 and the apparatus of claim 20 and the apparatus of claim 26 above. Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach wherein: the information is received via one or more configurations indicated by a message received, from the first network entity before radio resource control (RRC) setup, or is received via a random access channel (RACH) message received from the first network entity.
However, Xu teaches wherein: the information is received via one or more configurations indicated by a message received, from the first network entity before radio resource control (RRC) setup, or is received via a random access channel (RACH) message received from the first network entity (Xu, [0171]-[0174]; the configuration message may indicate one or more RACH parameters to the UE, where the RACH parameters may indicate one or more Physical RACH occasions available for transmission of the Msg 1, where the one or more RACH parameters may indicate an association between one or more preambles and one or more SS/PBCH blocks mapped to the PRACH occasion).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Regarding claims 25 and 30, Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang teaches the apparatus of claim 20 and the apparatus of claim 26 above. Further, Jassal teaches wherein the one or more processors, individually or collectively, are configured to execute the instruction to cause the apparatus to:
receive a configuration for SSBs of the second type (Jassal, Fig. 14, [0141]; the configuration may be transmitted dynamically in DCI where the UE performs UE sensing measurements to obtain a map of its environment using different directions and ranges).
Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang does not expressly teach monitor for the SSBs of the second type in accordance with the configuration, wherein the configuration is received via a random access channel (RACH) procedure message or other type of downlink message before radio resource control (RRC) setup, and wherein the configuration is selected based on the capability of the UE indicated in the report.
However, Xu teaches monitor for the SSBs of the second type in accordance with the configuration, wherein the configuration is received via a random access channel (RACH) procedure message or other type of downlink message before radio resource control (RRC) setup, and wherein the configuration is selected based on the capability of the UE indicated in the report (Xu, [0171]-[0174]; the configuration message may indicate one or more RACH parameters to the UE, where the RACH parameters may indicate one or more Physical RACH occasions available for transmission of the Msg 1, where the one or more RACH parameters may indicate an association between one or more preambles and one or more SS/PBCH blocks mapped to the PRACH occasion).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the invention to create the invention of Jassal in view of Takada further in view of Jiang to include the above recited limitations as taught by Xu in order to guarantee throughput and coverage of the NR system (Xu, [0223]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
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/R.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2416
/NOEL R BEHARRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2416