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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
IDS(es) submitted on 6/6/2023, 4/9/2024, 1/13/2025 has/have been considered.
Oath/Declaration
Oath/Declaration filed on 6/6/2023 has been acknowledged.
Drawings
Drawing(s) submitted on 6/6/2023 have been acknowledged.
Preliminary Amendment
The preliminary amendment made dated 6/6/2023 does not contain any new matter, and has been accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-16, 20, 22, 24, 29 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ko et al. (CA 3070072 A1; Effective filing date: 7/27/2018).
Regarding claims 1, 15, 29 and 30, Ko discloses an access control method, comprising:
acquiring a first synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel block (SSB), wherein the first SSB comprises access information for indicating a second SSB (Abstract, [6]: receiving a first SSB by the UE, and obtaining an index of the second SSB using the time information of the first SSB);
reading the access information of the second SSB from the first SSB and
acquiring the second SSB according to the access information ([8]: acquiring the index of the second SSB by reading the index of the first SSB); and
performing access according to the second SSB (Abstract; having access to the second SSB index; [6]: receiving a first SSB by the UE, and obtaining an index of the second SSB using the time information of the first SSB; [8]: acquiring the index of the second SSB by reading the index of the first SSB).
Regarding claims 2-5 and 16, Ko discloses wherein the first SSB supports monitoring by a first type of terminal and a second type of terminal, and the second SSB supports the monitoring by the second type of terminal and is not identified by the first type of terminal ([59]: wherein each SIB includes a set functionality parameters Type 1, Type 2, etc.);
a terminal capability of the first type of terminal is stronger than a terminal capability of the second type of terminal ([62]-[63]: having more bandwidth); and
the terminal capability comprises one or more of:
transceiver antenna, transceiver bandwidth ([62]-[63]: having more bandwidth), and processing delay.
Regarding claims 6, 7, 14, and 20, Ko discloses wherein the first SSB comprises at least one of:
an access configuration for a first type of terminal, or an access information identifier for indicating a position of the second SSB ([8]: acquiring the index of the second SSB by reading the index of the first SSB), the access information identifier being recorded in one of a spare bit of the first SSB, or a reserve bit in a SSB index field of the first SSB ([282]; Table 2; reserved bit); and
the second SSB comprises an access configuration for a second type of terminal ([59]: wherein each SIB includes a set functionality parameters Type 1, Type 2, etc.).
Regarding claims 8, 9, and 22, Ko discloses the method of claim 15, wherein a rule for determining a candidate transmission position of the second SSB is different from a rule for determining a candidate transmission position of the first SSB (Fig. 9; [122]: arranging of SSB at different frequency); and
the rule for determining the candidate transmission position comprises at least one of:
a requirement to be met by a raster, or a requirement to be met by transmission time (Fig. 9; [122]: arranging of SSB at different frequency).
Regarding claim 10, Ko discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first SSB is contained in a first access resource, and the method further comprises:
acquiring, by a first type of terminal, the first access resource (Abstract, [6]: receiving a first SSB by the UE, and obtaining an index of the second SSB using the time information of the first SSB).
Regarding claim 11, Ko discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the second SSB is contained in a second access resource, and the method further comprises:
acquiring, by a second type of terminal, the second access resource (Abstract, [6]: receiving a first SSB by the UE, and obtaining an index of the second SSB using the time information of the first SSB).
Regarding claims 12, 13, and 24, Ko discloses wherein the second access resource is different from the first access resource ([59]: wherein each SIB includes a set functionality parameters Type 1, Type 2, etc.); and
the first access resource and the second access resource comprise access configuration information that includes one or more of:
an initial bandwidth part (BWP), remaining minimum system information (RMSI) ([151]: RMSI), other system information (OSI) ([151]: OSI), a control resource set (CORESET)#0 ([282]; Table 2; CORESET), and subcarrier spacing (SCS).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUCK HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)272-7866. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10am - 6pm.
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, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 571-270-5371. 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.
/CHUCK HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644