DETAILED ACTION
Status of Case
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This Office Action is in response to the amendment filed on 1/28/2026.
Claims 1-15 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 1/28/2026 with respect to the pending claims have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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.
Claims 1, 2, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nokia et al. (“Time and frequency synchronization for NTN systems,” R1-2101297, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #104, e-Meeting, January 25th-February 5th, 2021) (cited in Applicant’s IDS filed on 9/12/2023) (hereinafter “Nokia) in view of Xu (USPAN 2021/0075501) and Abedini (USPAN 2021/0153145).
Consider claims 1 and 2, Nokia discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) communicating with a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node (see figure 5, reproduced below for convenience, wherein shown is said method), and a corresponding user equipment (UE) communicating with a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node, comprising: one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon; and at least one processor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions (see figure 5, wherein the UE is communicating with a NTN node, which is communication with a ground base station) to:
transmit one or more parameters to a base station (BS) coupled to the NTN node, the one or more parameters transmitted to the BS for indicating accuracy of time and frequency synchronization associated with communication between the UE and the NTN node (see sections 2.2.4, 2.4.2, and figure 5: the UE communicates with gNB through a satellite, auto adjusts the timing based on the satellite ephemeris data, which includes speed and direction, and applies frequency pre-compensation in UL relying on GNSS-provided UE location and satellite ephemeris).
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Nokia does not specifically disclose that the one or more parameters transmitted through at least one of uplink control information (UCI), a periodic Channel State Information (CSI) report with CSI information, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), and a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).
Xu discloses that the one or more parameters transmitted through at least one of uplink control information (UCI), a periodic Channel State Information (CSI) report with CSI information, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), and a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (see paragraph 6: “…determining the channel delay in an NTN may be based on one or more of a location of a high-altitude device in the NTN, a location of a beam of the high-altitude device, or a location of the user terminal. In some examples, the channel delay may be dynamically determined due to the large variations in the channel delay between a user terminal and a high-altitude device in the NTN. After determining the MAC-CE delay, the user terminal may receive a MAC-CE command that indicates a communication parameter to implement at some time in the future. The user terminal may transmit feedback to the high-altitude device in response to the MAC-CE command, and the user terminal and high-altitude device may communicate according to the communication parameter in the MAC-CE command after the expiration of the MAC-CE delay”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Nokia and combine it with the noted teachings of Xu. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a MAC-CE delay for non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), to thereby provide efficient and high-speed communications (see paragraphs 1-5 of Xu).
Nokia does not specifically disclose that the one or more parameters are transmitted to the BS for notifying accuracy of frequency synchronization.
Abidini discloses that the one or more parameters are transmitted for notifying accuracy of frequency synchronization (see paragraph 7: the wireless device may determine a frequency synchronization accuracy for the wireless device and the wireless device may transmit an indication of the determined frequency synchronization accuracy).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Nokia and combine it with the noted teachings of Abidini. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method for synchronization in a wireless communication network (see paragraph 2 of Abidini).
Consider claim 14, Nokia discloses a ground-based base station (BS) communicatively coupled to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node that communicates with a user equipment (UE), the BS comprising: one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon; and at least one processor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and configured to execute the computer-executable instructions (see figure 5, wherein the UE is communicating with a NTN node, which is communication with a ground base station) to:
receive one or more parameters from the UE, wherein the one or more parameters are transmitted by the UE to indicate accuracy of time and frequency synchronization associated with communication between the UE and the NTN node (see sections 2.2.4, 2.4.2, and figure 5: the UE communicates with gNB through a satellite, auto adjusts the timing based on the satellite ephemeris data, which includes speed and direction, and applies frequency pre-compensation in UL relying on GNSS-provided UE location and satellite ephemeris).
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Nokia does not specifically disclose that the one or more parameters transmitted through at least one of uplink control information (UCI), a periodic Channel State Information (CSI) report with CSI information, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), and a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).
Xu discloses that the one or more parameters transmitted through at least one of uplink control information (UCI), a periodic Channel State Information (CSI) report with CSI information, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), and a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (see paragraph 6: “…determining the channel delay in an NTN may be based on one or more of a location of a high-altitude device in the NTN, a location of a beam of the high-altitude device, or a location of the user terminal. In some examples, the channel delay may be dynamically determined due to the large variations in the channel delay between a user terminal and a high-altitude device in the NTN. After determining the MAC-CE delay, the user terminal may receive a MAC-CE command that indicates a communication parameter to implement at some time in the future. The user terminal may transmit feedback to the high-altitude device in response to the MAC-CE command, and the user terminal and high-altitude device may communicate according to the communication parameter in the MAC-CE command after the expiration of the MAC-CE delay”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Nokia and combine it with the noted teachings of Xu. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a MAC-CE delay for non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), to thereby provide efficient and high-speed communications (see paragraphs 1-5 of Xu).
Nokia does not specifically disclose that the one or more parameters are transmitted to the BS for notifying accuracy of frequency synchronization.
Abidini discloses that the one or more parameters are transmitted for notifying accuracy of frequency synchronization (see paragraph 7: the wireless device may determine a frequency synchronization accuracy for the wireless device and the wireless device may transmit an indication of the determined frequency synchronization accuracy).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Nokia and combine it with the noted teachings of Abidini. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method for synchronization in a wireless communication network (see paragraph 2 of Abidini).
Claims 3 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nokia et al. (“Time and frequency synchronization for NTN systems,” R1-2101297, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #104, e-Meeting, January 25th-February 5th, 2021) (cited in Applicant’s IDS filed on 9/12/2023) (hereinafter “Nokia) in view of Xu (USPAN 2021/0075501), Abedini (USPAN 2021/0153145), and Ohtani (USPAN 2006/0171328).
Consider claims 3 and 15, although Nokia discloses the communication between the UE and the NTN node (see above), Nokia does not disclose that the ground-based BS uses the one or more parameters to (re)configure the UE to adjust the time and frequency synchronization of communication.
Ohtani discloses that the ground-based BS uses the one or more parameters to (re)configure the UE to adjust the time and frequency synchronization of communication (see claim 2: “…a forward data transmitter configured to prepare and transmit at least one frame of data, using transmission parameters, to the plurality of base stations, wherein the transmission parameters comprise a frame number for the at least one frame which corresponds to a transmission time of the at least one frame from each base station, and the transmission parameters are configured to ensure substantially simultaneous transmissions of the at least one frame from the plurality of base stations to the mobile terminal; a reverse data receiver configured to receive timing adjustment information from at least one of the plurality of base stations, where the timing adjustment information is made, based on a difference between an actual arrival time of the at least one frame at the at least one base station and an estimated arrival time of the at least one frame at the at least one base station; and a synchronization adjuster configured to reconfigure at least one of the transmission parameters based on the timing adjustment information to achieve synchronization of transmissions of a subsequent frame from the at least one base station and one or more other base stations to the mobile terminal”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Nokia and combine it with the noted teachings of Ohtani. The motivation to combine these references is to provide a method of providing communication that permits varying transmission delay according to service types, to thereby enable efficient communications between a UE and BS (see paragraph 14 of Ohtani).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jamal Javaid whose telephone number is 571-270-5137 and email address is Jamal.Javaid@uspto.gov.
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/JAMAL JAVAID/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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