DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/12/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 7, 13, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. (US 2021/0028907) in view of Kim et al. (US 2023/0292322).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches a method for a terminal device or a chip of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is a reduced capability user device (Paragraphs [0239]-[0240] describes a method performed by a terminal that is a RedCap (reduced capability) UE),
Matsumura teaches the method comprises: determining a physical resource block index based on a first offset parameter (Paragraphs [0039]; [0068]-[0069]; [0157] describes determining PRB indices based on first offset parameter (cell-specific PRB offset from RMSI index)),
Matsumura teaches an uplink control channel resource index (Paragraphs [0038]; [0047]-[0048]; [0054]; [0161] describes the uplink control channel resource index corresponds to primary components ARI(ACK/NACK resource indicator) from DCI. Secondary component, implied value derived from CCE index, function (selects one PUCCH resource from a configured set) and parameters determined (UE-specific PRB offset, initial CS indices, hopping direction)),
Matsumura teaches a physical resource block offset parameter (Paragraphs [0034]-[0036]; [0039]-[0040] describes PRB offset parameter determine the final physical resource block index),
Matsumura teaches and a number of initial cyclic shift indexes comprised in an initial cyclic shift index set (Paragraphs [0039]; [0042; [0048]; [0086]; [0087] describes initial cyclic shift index set exists (multiple CS indices grouped together), number of CS indices is defined (2 for PF0, for PF1), this number is used in resource determination and one CS index is selected from the set (using implied value));
Matsumura doesn’t teach and sending, to a network device without frequency hopping, uplink control information on the resource associated with the physical resource block index; wherein the uplink control information is hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for a contention resolution message; wherein the physical resource block index, the first offset parameter, the uplink control channel resource index, the physical resource block offset parameter, and the number of initial cyclic shift indexes comprised in the initial cyclic shift index set satisfy the following correspondence: X1=RB BWP offset + └rPUCCH/NCS┘ + D, or X2=NBWP size −1− RBBWP offset −└rPUCCH/NCS┘+ D, wherein X1 or X2 is the physical resource block index, NBWP size is a number of resource blocks comprised in a second frequency range, the second frequency range is less than or equal to a maximum channel bandwidth supported by the terminal device RB BWP offset is the physical resource block offset parameter rPUCCH is the uplink control channel resource index NCS is the number of initial cyclic shift indexes comprised in the initial cyclic shift index set D is the first offset parameter, and └rPUCCH/NCS┘ indicates rounding down a result of rPUCCH/NCS.
Kim teaches and sending, to a network device without frequency hopping, uplink control information on the resource associated with the physical resource block index (Paragraphs [0535]-[0536]; [0546] describes when the parameters is provided, the UE transmits PUCCH without frequency hopping);
Kim teaches wherein the uplink control information is hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for a contention resolution message (Paragraphs [0017]; [0538] describes sending uplink control information (HARQ feedback for contention resolution) on resource associated with PRB index);
Kim teaches wherein the physical resource block index, the first offset parameter, the uplink control channel resource index, the physical resource block offset parameter, and the number of initial cyclic shift indexes comprised in the initial cyclic shift index set satisfy the following correspondence:
X1=RB BWP offset + └rPUCCH/NCS┘ + D, or X2=NBWP size −1− RBBWP offset −└rPUCCH/NCS┘+ D, wherein X1 or X2 is the physical resource block index, NBWP size is a number of resource blocks comprised in a second frequency range, the second frequency range is less than or equal to a maximum channel bandwidth supported by the terminal device RB BWP offset is the physical resource block offset parameter rPUCCH is the uplink control channel resource index NCS is the number of initial cyclic shift indexes comprised in the initial cyclic shift index set D is the first offset parameter, and └rPUCCH/NCS┘ indicates rounding down a result of rPUCCH/NCS (Paragraphs [0012]; [0021]; [0508]; [0516]-[0518] and Table 14 describes PRB index of the PUCCH transmission and RB BWP offset1 represent physical resource block offset parameter. rPUCCH represent a PUCCH resource index. describes NCS represent total number of initial cyclic shift indices, and first offset as part of the resource configuration. describes second frequency range” as the configured subband and frequency range is “less than or equal to maximum channel bandwidth.” Discloses computing the base PUCCH PRB resource (Table 14, corresponding to the X1/X2 formula) and then adding an additional cell-specific frequency offset to it. This is structurally identical to adding D to the base formula).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Matsumura’s method of mobile terminals to determine uplink control channel resources during initial network access by using offset values that scale proportionally with the available bandwidth with Kim’s adapting the random access uplink procedure for RedCap UEs so that Msg3 PUSCH and/or Msg4 PUCCH can be transmitted without frequency hopping when the initial uplink bandwidth is larger than the RedCap UE’s bandwidth. The approach is intended to minimize impact on the NR network configuration and improve resource efficiency and reliability.
Regarding claim 4, Matsumura in view Kim, Matsumura teaches wherein the method further comprise: determining, by a terminal device, the first offset parameter comprises one of: determining, by the terminal device, the first offset parameter based on first information, the first information being received by the terminal device from the network device (Paragraph [0058] describes the terminal device processes the received indication to determine the offset parameter and The terminal device recognizes and uses the predefined parameter value);
Claims 7, 13 and 19 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 1 respectively.
Claim 16 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 4 respectively.
Claim(s) 5, 11, 17 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura in view Kim in further view Zhang (US 2022/0200762; hereinafter Zhang).
Regarding claim 5, Matsumura in view of Kim don’t teach wherein the first offset parameter is an integer multiple of K, wherein K= 3.
However, in analogous art Zhang teaches wherein the first offset parameter is an integer multiple of K, wherein K= 3 (Paragraphs [0027]-[0028]; [0041]; [0067]; [0069] describes when M = 5, the offset range integer (1…M-1) = integer (1…4), and valid offset values are 1, 2, 3, 4. The value of 3 is within this range and is 1 × 3 (an integer multiple of K =3. When M =10, valid offsets include 3, 6, 9 (all multiple of 3)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Matsumura’s method of mobile terminals to determine uplink control channel resources during initial network access by using offset values that scale proportionally with the available bandwidth and Kim’s adapting the random access uplink procedure for RedCap UEs so that Msg3 PUSCH and/or Msg4 PUCCH can be transmitted without frequency hopping when the initial uplink bandwidth is larger than the RedCap UE’s bandwidth with Zhang’s method to efficiently configure and indicate interlaced PUCCH resources for uplink control information transmission (Zhang, Paragraph [0026]).
Claims 11, 17 and 22 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 5 respectively.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MEHERET WOLDEGEBREAL KIDANE whose telephone number is (571)270-3642. The examiner can normally be reached M-F8:30-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky Ngo can be reached at 571-272-3139. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/M.W.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/KAN YUEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
Prosecution Insights