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 .
Election/Restrictions
2. Claim(s) 1-8, 11, 17, 36-37, and 40 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on March 23, 2026 for claims 18-23, 26-28, and 31-32.
Priority
3. Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on May 11, 2023 and August 14, 2025 have been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Specification
5. The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
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.
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.
Claims 18-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2018/0167900 A1) in view of Ko et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2022/0304018 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Wang et al. teach a method of updating for synchronizing a time counter of a user equipment in a wireless network comprising at least one base station and a plurality of user equipment (Fig(s).1 and 6), the method comprising at the base station:
transmitting information related to a reference time, in order to synchronize the time of the user equipment using a calculated propagation delay (Fig.6 @ S605);
transmitting, in association with the transmitted allocation information, a position reference signal (PRS) used for calculating a propagation delay (read as “… sends a first network reference signal, where the first network reference signal carries location information of the second station.”(Paragraph [0065]) For example, “The first network reference signal includes but is not limited to a CRS (cell-specific reference signal), a PRS (positioning reference signal), a CSI-RS (channel state information-reference signal), and a customized reference signal of another type.”(Paragraph [0068]));
However, Wang et al. fail to explicitly teach transmitting information related to an allocation method for allocating, to each of a plurality of symbols included in a slot within a subframe included in at least one system frame,
at least one of downlink, uplink, and flexible; and
receiving, in association with the transmitted allocation information, a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for calculating a propagation delay.
Ko et al. teach a method for transmitting information related to an allocation method for allocating, to each of a plurality of symbols included in a slot within a subframe included in at least one system frame (read as BS transmitting an RRC configuration to a UE (Fig.15 @ S1520; Paragraph [0328]) For example, “The configuration of the slot-level (e.g., n slot(s)) or the symbol-level (e.g., k symbol(s)) for shift/delay may exist per RRC configuration of each UL channel/RS, or may be configured as one value according to an integrated rule.”(Paragraph [0328])),
at least one of downlink, uplink, and flexible (read as UL (Paragraph [0328])); and
receiving, in association with the transmitted allocation information, a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for calculating a propagation delay. (read as UE sends a SRS transmission to a BS (Fig(s).9 @ S930 and 15 @ S1540; Paragraph [0218]) For example, “the PUSCH may be scheduled by DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, or semi-statically. When the PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_1, the UE determines a PUSCH transmission precoder based on the SRI, the Transmit Precoding Matrix Indicator (TPMI), and the transmission rank from the DCI as given by the SRS resource indicator and the Precoding information and number of layers field.”(Paragraph [0218]))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Regarding claim 19, and as applied to claim 18 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
However, Wang et al. fail to explicitly selecting a resource included in the at least one system frame,
wherein the selected resource is a time slot of the at least one system frame and the selecting further comprises:
selecting at least one time slot in a-the at least one system frame relatively to the a reference time point; and
selecting, for each selected time slot, a slot allocation scheme from amongst predefined slot allocation schemes,
the slot allocation scheme defining an allocation of each symbol composing a time slot to downlink transmission or uplink transmission or both.
Ko et al. teach a method for selecting a resource included in the at least one system frame (read (read as BS transmitting an RRC configuration to a UE (Fig.15 @ S1520; Paragraph [0328])),
wherein the selected resource is a time slot of the at least one system frame and the selecting further comprises:
selecting at least one time slot in a-the at least one system frame relatively to the a reference time point; and
selecting, for each selected time slot, a slot allocation scheme from amongst predefined slot allocation schemes,
the slot allocation scheme defining an allocation of each symbol composing a time slot to downlink transmission or uplink transmission or both. (read as “The configuration of the slot-level (e.g., n slot(s)) or the symbol-level (e.g., k symbol(s)) for shift/delay may exist per RRC configuration of each UL channel/RS, or may be configured as one value according to an integrated rule.”(Paragraph [0328]))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Regarding claim 20, and as applied to claim 19 above, Wang et al., as modified by Ko et al., teach a method wherein a selected resource is comprised in a system frame related to the reference time point (read as synchronization reference time (Abstract)) or
in a system frame adjacent to the system frame.
Regarding claim 21, and as applied to claim 19 above, Wang et al., as modified by Ko et al., teach a method wherein a selected resource is immediately adjacent to the reference time point. (read as idle resource of a destination station (Paragraph [0068]))
Regarding claim 22, and as applied to claim 18 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
However, Wang et al. fail to explicitly teach wherein the allocation scheme for a first selected resource includes at least one uplink symbol and the SRS is received from the user equipment over the at least one uplink symbol.
Ko et al. teach a method wherein the allocation scheme for a first selected resource includes at least one uplink symbol and the SRS is received from the user equipment over the at least one uplink symbol. (read as “The configuration of the slot-level (e.g., n slot(s)) or the symbol-level (e.g., k symbol(s)) for shift/delay may exist per RRC configuration of each UL channel/RS, or may be configured as one value according to an integrated rule.”(Paragraph [0328]) Also, “the PUSCH may be scheduled by DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, or semi-statically. When the PUSCH is scheduled by DCI format 0_1, the UE determines a PUSCH transmission precoder based on the SRI, the Transmit Precoding Matrix Indicator (TPMI), and the transmission rank from the DCI as given by the SRS resource indicator and the Precoding information and number of layers field.”(Paragraph [0218]))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2018/0167900 A1), in view of Ko et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2022/0304018 A1), and 3GPP (“TS 38.214 V16.2.0”, June 2020).
Regarding claim 23, and as applied to claim 22 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
However, Wang et al. and Ko et al. fail to explicitly teach wherein the allocation scheme for the first selected resource further includes at least one downlink symbol and the PRS is transmitted to the user equipment over the at least one downlink symbol.
The 3GPP document teaches a method wherein the allocation scheme for the first selected resource further includes at least one downlink symbol and the PRS is transmitted to the user equipment over the at least one downlink symbol. (read as “The UE can be configured with one or more DL PRS resource set configuration(s) as indicated by the higher layer parameters nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSet-r16 and nr-DL-PRS-Resource-r16.”(Section 5.1.6.5, page 45) Also, “Each DL PRS resource set consists of K≥1 DL PRS resource(s) where each has an associated spatial transmission filter.” (Section 5.1.6.5, page 45))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring one or more DL PRS resource set(s) in a higher layer signaling as taught by the 3GPP document and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Claims 26-28 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2018/0167900 A1), in view of Ko et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2022/0304018 A1), and Tang (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2020/00329483 A1).
Regarding claim 26, and as applied to claim 22 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
However, Wang et al. and Ko et al. fail to explicitly teach wherein an allocation scheme for a second selected resource includes at least one downlink symbol and at least one measurement frame is transmitted to the user equipment over the at least one downlink symbol.
Tang teaches a method wherein an allocation scheme for a second selected resource includes at least one downlink symbol and at least one measurement frame is transmitted to the user equipment over the at least one downlink symbol. (read as “The base station may also configure data transmission by means of UE-specific RRC signaling. For example, measurement signal transmission is configured by the UE-specific RRC signaling, and the measurement signal transmission corresponds to a fixed transmission direction. For example, a symbol of periodic CSI-RS transmission configured by UE-specific RRC signaling is a DL symbol, and a symbol of periodic CSI-RS transmission configured by UE-specific RRC signaling is a UL symbol.”(Paragraph [0090]))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring a measurement signal transmission with a fixed transmission direction (e.g: DL) as taught by Tang and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Regarding claim 27, and as applied to claim 26 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
However, Wang et al. and Ko et al. fail to explicitly teach wherein the at least one measurement frame includes a second measurement frame.
Tang teaches a method wherein the at least one measurement frame includes a second measurement frame. (read as a second configuration signaling (Fig.2 @ 102))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring a second configuration signal as taught by Tang and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Regarding claim 28, and as applied to claim 26 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
However, Wang et al. and Ko et al. fail to explicitly teach wherein the at least one measurement frame includes a follow-up measurement frame providing the user equipment with time information of one or more exchanged measurement frames.
Tang teaches a method wherein the at least one measurement frame includes a follow-up measurement frame providing the user equipment with time information of one or more exchanged measurement frames. (read as a second configuration signaling (Fig.2 @ 102))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring a second configuration signal as taught by Tang and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Regarding claim 31, and as applied to claim 18 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
However, Wang et al. and Ko et al. fail to explicitly teach clearly shows and discloses a method wherein all slots of the subframe in the at least one system frame are assigned to provide only uplink symbols made of a plurality of subcarriers, and the SRS is received from the user equipment over slots of this subframe.
Tang teaches a method wherein all slots of the subframe in the at least one system frame are assigned to provide only uplink symbols made of a plurality of subcarriers, and the SRS is received from the user equipment over slots of this subframe. (read as “UE-specific RRC signaling configured transmission also implicitly indicates whether its corresponding symbol is a DL symbol or a UL symbol. For example, a symbol corresponding to a periodic CSI-RS is a DL symbol, a symbol corresponding to a periodic SRS is a UL symbol, and a symbol corresponding to a PRACH is a UL symbol.”(Paragraph [0038]))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring a measurement signal transmission with a fixed transmission direction (e.g: UL) as taught by Tang and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Claim 32 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2018/0167900 A1), in view of Ko et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2022/0304018 A1), Tang (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2020/00329483 A1), and 3GPP (“TS 38.214 V16.2.0”, June 2020).
Regarding claim 32, and as applied to claim 31 above, Wang et al. teach “a synchronization method and apparatus.”(Fig(s).1 and 6; Paragraph [0002])
Ko et al. teach “a method of transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), an uplink channel in a wireless communication system, the method comprising transmitting capability information related to a panel for a transmission of the uplink channel, receiving configuration information related to the transmission of the uplink channel, and transmitting the uplink channel based on the configuration information.” (Fig(s).5; Paragraph [0007])
Tang teaches “a transmission direction determining method and apparatus, a transmission channel determining method and apparatus, and a computer storage medium.”(Paragraph [0002])
However, Wang et al., Ko et al., and Tang fail to explicitly teach wherein all slots of another subframe in a system frame assigned to provide only downlink symbols made of a plurality of subcarriers, and the PRS is transmitted to the user equipment over slots of this other subframe.
The 3GPP document teaches a method wherein all slots of another subframe in a system frame assigned to provide only downlink symbols made of a plurality of subcarriers, and the PRS is transmitted to the user equipment over slots of this other subframe. (read as “The UE can be configured with one or more DL PRS resource set configuration(s) as indicated by the higher layer parameters nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSet-r16 and nr-DL-PRS-Resource-r16.”(Section 5.1.6.5, page 45) Also, “Each DL PRS resource set consists of K≥1 DL PRS resource(s) where each has an associated spatial transmission filter.” (Section 5.1.6.5, page 45))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ the function for configuring one or more DL PRS resource set(s) in a higher layer signaling as taught by the 3GPP document and the function for using control configuration messages (e.g.: RRC, DCI) as taught by Ko et al. with the devices as taught by Wang et al. for the purpose of improving synchronization methods by devices in a communication network.
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure:
Matsumura et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2023/0397226 A1) teach “When a resource assigned in consecutive K slots is different in a communication direction in UL, DL, or flexible and at least one symbol in each slot indicated by at least one of uplink and downlink communication direction instruction information for TDD control (for example, “TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon” and “TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated” of RRC IE) and a slot format identifier (slot format indicator) of DCI (for example, DCI format 2_0), the resource of the slot including the symbol may not be transmitted (or not received).”(Paragraph [0038])
Kurita et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication # 2023/0388932 A1) teach “the reference signal may include a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for position information.”(Paragraph [0051]) Also, Kurita et al. teach “the control unit 170 may acquire a transmit/receive pattern that is explicitly indicated by DCI or RRC signaling, or may implicitly acquire a transmit/receive pattern of a radio signal with a child node, depending on whether the slot or symbol transmitted by the IAB-MT is a DL or UL transmission.”(Paragraph [0080])
Any response to this Office Action should be faxed to (571) 273-8300 or mailed to:
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Any inquiry concerning this communication or early communications from the Examiner should be directed to Salvador E. Rivas whose telephone number is (571) 270-1784. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 7:00AM to 3:30PM.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Un C. Cho can be reached on (571) 272- 7919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/SALVADOR E RIVAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413
May 2, 2026
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