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 .
Response to Amendment
This Action is in response to Applicant’s Amendment filed on September 4, 2025. Claims 1, 5 and 9-12 are still pending in the present application. This Action is made FINAL.
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 5 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MolavianJazi et al (US Pat. Pub. No. 2021/0058971) in view of Qian et al (US Pat. No. 2020/0154377).
Regarding claim 1, MolavianJazi et al discloses a user equipment (UE) comprising: reception circuitry configured to receive a downlink control information (DCI) with a DCI format for a random access procedure initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order (see at least paragraph 201 discloses a number of PRACH transmission indicated by DCI format); and transmission circuitry configured to transmit N repetitions of physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, using N random access channel (RACH) occasions, within a RACH attempt, based on the DCI; N is a positive integer greater than one (see at least paragraph 201-202 discloses a number of PRACH transmission; further paragraph 205 discloses UE transmitting PRACH with repetition in time), wherein the DCI format includes a first field which indicates a random access preamble index used for the PRACH transmission, a second field which indicates a synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) index, and a third field which indicates the N RACH occasions associated with a SS/PBCH indicated by the SS/PBCH index for the N repetitions of the PRACH transmission (see at least paragraph 91-92 and 202 discloses the PRACH mask field in the PDCCH order and paragraph 203 discloses ROs for a PRACH).
MolavianJazi et al fails to explicitly disclose the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH. However, in the same field of endeavor, Qian et al discloses the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH (see at least paragraphs 157-159 discloses indicating association with bitmap). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify to incorporate above mention feature as taught by Qian et al into the system of MolavianJazi et al for purpose of indication manner utilizes a bitmap; indication manner established the association between the synchronization signal blocks and the random access occasions flexibly.
Regarding claim 5, MolavianJazi et al discloses a base station comprising: transmission circuitry configured to transmit a downlink control information (DCI) with a DCI format for a random access procedure initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order (see at least paragraph 201 discloses a number of PRACH transmission indicated by DCI format), reception circuitry configured to receive N repetitions of a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, using N random access channel (RACH) occasions, within a RACH attempt; N is a positive integer greater than one (see at least paragraph 201-202 discloses a number of PRACH transmission; further paragraph 205 discloses UE transmitting PRACH with repetition in time), wherein the DCI format includes a first field which indicates a random access preamble index used for the PRACH transmission, a second field which indicates a synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) index, and a third field which indicates the N RACH occasions associated with a SS/PBCH indicated by the SS/PBCH index for the N repetitions of the PRACH transmission (see at least paragraph 91-92 and 202 discloses the PRACH mask field in the PDCCH order and paragraph 203 discloses ROs for a PRACH).
MolavianJazi et al fails to explicitly disclose the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH. However, in the same field of endeavor, Qian et al discloses the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH (see at least paragraphs 157-159 discloses indicating association with bitmap). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify to incorporate above mention feature as taught by Qian et al into the system of MolavianJazi et al for purpose of indication manner utilizes a bitmap; indication manner established the association between the synchronization signal blocks and the random access occasions flexibly.
Regarding claim 9, MolavianJazi et al discloses a method for a base station comprising: transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) with a DCI format for a random access procedure initiated by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order (see at least paragraph 201 discloses a number of PRACH transmission indicated by DCI format), receiving N repetitions of a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, using N random access channel (RACH) occasions, within a RACH attempt; N is a positive integer greater than one (see at least paragraph 201-202 discloses a number of PRACH transmission; further paragraph 205 discloses UE transmitting PRACH with repetition in time), wherein the DCI format includes a first field which indicates a random access preamble index used for the PRACH transmission, a second field which indicates a synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) index, and a third field which indicates the N RACH occasions associated with a SS/PBCH indicated by the SS/PBCH index for the N repetitions of the multiple PRACH transmission (see at least paragraph 91-92 and 202 discloses the PRACH mask field in the PDCCH order and paragraph 203 discloses ROs for a PRACH).
MolavianJazi et al fails to explicitly disclose the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH. However, in the same field of endeavor, Qian et al discloses the third field is indicated with a bitmap different bits of which correspond to different RACH occasions associated with the SS/PBCH (see at least paragraphs 157-159 discloses indicating association with bitmap). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify to incorporate above mention feature as taught by Qian et al into the system of MolavianJazi et al for purpose of indication manner utilizes a bitmap; indication manner established the association between the synchronization signal blocks and the random access occasions flexibly.
Regarding claim 10, Qian et al discloses a number of bits having a value of "1" in the bitmap is the N (see at least paragraphs 157-159). Same motivation as claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, Qian et al discloses a number of bits having a value of "1" in the bitmap is the N (see at least paragraphs 157-159). Same motivation as claim 5.
Regarding claim 12, Qian et al discloses a number of bits having a value of "1" in the bitmap is the N (see at least paragraphs 157-159). Same motivation as claim 9.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments, filed on September 4, 2025, with respect to claim 1, 5 and 9 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection, necessitated by amendment. See the above rejection of claims 1, 5 and 9-12 for the relevant citations found in MolavianJazi et al and Qian et al disclosing the newly added limitations.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/LITON MIAH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642
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