DETAILED ACTION
Notice
The previous Office Action mailed on 4/2/2026 is hereby vacated and replaced by following:
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 3/5/2026 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-11 and 17-20 objected to because of the following informalities:
As claim 1, line 9, “the determined downlink pathloss value” must be changed to “the estimated downlink pathloss value in order to consistent with line 6 or line 6, “estimating downlink pathloss value must be changed to “determining downlink pathloss value” in order to consistent with line 9.
As claim 17, line 14, “the determined downlink pathloss value” must be changed to “the estimated downlink pathloss value in order to consistent with line 11 or line 11, “estimating downlink pathloss value” must be changed to “determining downlink pathloss value” in order to consistent with line 14.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 12-16 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for base station to determine a pathloss threshold parameter, broadcast the pathloss threshold parameter and receive a random access request by a base station with indication of a selected TBS wherein the selected TBS is selected based on estimated downlink pathloss value by UE and the pathloss threshold parameter, does not reasonably provide enablement for a UE determines a pathloss threshold parameter, broadcasts the pathloss threshold parameter and receives a random access request with indication of a selected TBS wherein the selected TBS is selected based on estimated pathloss value and the pathloss threshold parameter. The specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims.
As claim 12, the preamble discloses a method performs by UE but steps in the body of claim are performed by the base station such as determine a pathloss threshold parameter, broadcast the pathloss threshold parameter and receiving a request receives a random access request with indication of a selected TBS.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12-16 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As claim 12, “estimated path loss” is vague and indefinite because it is unclear if the UE performs it or the base station perform it. Please clarify, so the metes and bound can be determined.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 and 17-21 allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As claims 1 and 17, the prior arts in the record fail to disclose selecting a TBS value based on the determined/estimated downlink pathloss value and the pathloss threshold parameter; and sending a random access request containing an indication of the selected TBS Value.
As claim 21, the prior arts in the record fail to disclose a method comprising selecting a random access preamble group for use in a random procedure based on
whether a pathloss is less than a maximum power parameter minus an initial target received preamble power parameter minus a Delta PREAMBLE-Msg3 parameter minus
the threshold parameter received via the SIB.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang [US 2009/0042582] discloses a method and apparatus for random access channel (RACH) channel selection in a long term evolution (LTE) network includes determining a distance from a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) to an evolved Node-B (eNB) in a cell of the LTE network. A RACH channel is then selected based upon the distance determination.
Lee [US 20090047912] discloses A method of transmitting feedback information at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system comprising a network and a plurality of UEs is disclosed, the method comprising receiving information associated with a time-frequency region for transmitting feedback information related with downlink data, the time-frequency region being dynamically allocated by the network, receiving the downlink data from the network, and transmitting the feedback information for the downlink data to the network on the time-frequency region.
Parkwall [US 20090041240] discloses a user terminal determines one of a first type of uplink scrambling sequences and generates a random access message using the determined one of the first type of uplink scrambling sequences. The random access message is transmitted to the base station. The user terminal receives from the base station a second, different type of uplink scrambling sequence and uses it for subsequent communication with the radio base station. For example, the first uplink scrambling sequences may be specifically associated with the radio base station's cell area or a random access radio channel associated with the radio base station, but they are not specifically assigned to any user terminal, and the second uplink scrambling sequence may be selected from a second set of uplink scrambling sequences specifically assignable to individual user terminals.
Petrovic [US 2007/0155388] discloses methods for signaling uplink channel quality characteristics, that are considered when controlling the plurality of base stations. Finally, the present invention relates to a base station, the control unit and the communication terminal which are specifically adapted to perform the control method and the signaling method respectively. To reduce the signaling load on the wired interface between a base station and a control unit the present invention selects a serving base station based on uplink channel quality characteristics and controls one or more of the base stations except the serving base station not to transmit data via the wired interface.
Ishii [US 2010/0111008] discloses a base station apparatus capable of communicating with a user equipment terminal using an uplink shared channel includes a calculation unit configured to calculate path loss between the user equipment terminal and the base station apparatus; an MCS selection unit configured to select an MCS level of the shared channel based on the path loss; a first offset calculation unit configured to calculate a transmission power offset for the shared channel based on both a decoding result of the uplink shared channel and a required uplink quality; a notification unit configured to notify the user equipment terminal of a difference between the transmission power offset for the shared channel and a transmission power offset retained by the user equipment terminal; and a reception unit configured to receive the shared channel from the user equipment terminal.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3159. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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/STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414