DETAILED ACTION
It is hereby acknowledged that the following papers have been received and placed of record in the file: Amendment date 10/24/2025.
Claims 1-8 are presented for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-8 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 5 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 line 5 recites “a RAN node” suggests amend to “a Radio Access Network (RAN) node” for clarity purpose because it is unclear what abbreviation of “RAN” stands for. Similar issue exists in claim 5 line 6.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cao et al. (US 2016/0295532 A1) in view of Prakash et al. (US 2022/0046565 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Cao teaches a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE) for maintaining less than 1 microsecond synchronicity between Time-Sensitive Networking Grand Master (TSN GM) clock and a UE clock, the method comprising:
receiving a reference time information (TRef) from a (R)AN node (MTCD 200 receiving broadcast system information 310 from transmit point 10 at step 310 see Cao: Fig.4; ¶[0036]);
receiving a Timing Advance (TA) command from the RAN node (If the propagation delay for MTCD 200 is TP, then an estimated TA 100 is approximately 2TP The RAR from transmit point 10 may include a timer alignment command (“TAC”) that is intended to configure and start a timer alignment timer (“TAT”) and define a maximum uplink timing alignment period during which the MTCD is permitted to use the TA 100 see Cao: Fig.4; ¶[0036]);
computing Propagation Delay (PD) from the TA command (at 340, determines a propagation delay TP and calculates uplink timing adjustment value TA 100 that is sent to MTCD 200 in a random access response RAR message at 350 see Fig.4; ¶[0036]); and
applying UE clock update (DL synchronization based on a DL subframe “Prior to the next UL transmission, at 380, MTCD 200 performs DL synchronization based on a DL sub-frame received from transmit point 10 at 375” see Cao: Fig.4 step 375),
wherein the UE clock update is applied at the reference time information reception in a case where PD change is not detected after the TA command reception and before the reference time information reception (perform DL synchronization at step 380 when MTCH location not changed corresponding PD change is not detected and after stored TA see Cao: Fig.5 step 370’-396’; Fig.2A-2B), and
in a case where the PD change is detected and an updated TA command is not received after the TA command reception and before the reference time information reception, the UE clock update is applied when the updated TA command is received (when MTCD location changed corresponding to propagation delay change, loop back to initial access to obtain and store TA to perform synchronization see Cao: Fig.5 step 397; Steps 310-360; ¶[0039]; Fig.2B; ¶[0031]).
Cao does not explicitly teaches a UE clock comprising a crystal oscillator and transmitting a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the RAN node.
However, Prakash teaches the UE clock comprising a crystal oscillator (UE includes local clock 418 see Prakash: Fig.4 element 418; ¶[0068-0069]) and transmitting a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the RAN node (The UE may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) see Prakash: ¶[0050]) in order to accurate synchronization timing between a base station and UE (see Prakash: ¶[0007]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to create the invention of Cao to include (or to use, etc.) the UE clock comprising a crystal oscillator and transmitting a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to the RAN node as taught by Prakash in order to accurate synchronization timing between a base station and UE (see Prakash: ¶[0007]).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Cao taught the method as claimed in claim 1 as described hereinabove. Cao further comprising: applying the UE clock update with T_Ref + PD + delta; where the delta is a difference between a UE clock value at the UE clock update and a UE clock value at the reference time information reception (UE adjust UL timing TA′=TA+2ΔTDL see Cao: Fig.2B; ¶[0033]).
Regarding claim 3, the modified Cao taught the method as claimed in claim 1 as described hereinabove. Cao further teaches wherein: the PD computed is equal to half of TA value (RAR message with TA =2TP, which TP is propagation delay is half of TA value see Cao: ¶0036]; step 340).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Cao taught the method as claimed in claim 1 as described hereinabove. Cao further teaches wherein: detecting the PD change, when there is a change in the PD due to beam change or path change, and the PD change is computed as a difference between UE Downlink (DL) timing at the beam change or the path change and a UE DL timing at the TA command reception (detected MTCD location change at step 396 due to location change and re-execute and perform DL sync transmission see Cao: Fig.5 step 396; ¶[0038-0039]’ ¶[0031]).
Regarding claims 5-8, they are rejected for the same reason as claims 1-4 as set forth hereinabove. Regarding claims 5-8, they are disclose a user equipment that perform the same functionalities as method of claims 1-4 as described hereinabove.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUANG W LI whose telephone number is (571)270-1897. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7AM-5PMET.
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GUANG W. LI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2478
February 4, 2026
/GUANG W LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478