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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Examiner recommends reciting full words for the acronym (SSB) in claim 1, i.e., (SS/PBCH block, SSB). Appropriate correction is required.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 5, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Oh et al. (US 10939396).
Regarding claims 1 and 14, Oh teaches generating a sequence corresponding to a first synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel block (SSB) (Fig. 3, SS/PBCH block 300 (83), col. 17 line 19, The SS block 300 includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) 301, and (84) col. 17 line 28, the PSS 301 may have three different values according to a physical layer identification (ID) of a cell);
determining a first SSB frequency location (Fig. 4, SS Block #0 (407) in pattern #1 (401), SS Block #0 (409) in pattern #2 (402), SS Block #0 (413) in pattern #3 (403)), wherein the first SSB frequency location is associated with bandwidth of the network (Fig. 1, the entire system transmission bandwidth includes a total of N.sub.BW subcarriers 105 and (87) col. 17 line 65, In an OFDM symbol in which the PSS 301 and the SSS 303 are transmitted within the transmission bandwidth (20 RBs 306) of the PBCH 302), or the first SSB frequency location is related to at least one of a lowest frequency of the network or a highest frequency of the network; and
sending, based on the first SSB frequency location, the sequence corresponding to the first SSB (Fig. 4, Fig. 10, step 1050-Transmit SS Block).
Regarding claims 7 and 20, Oh teaches, similar to claim 1 above, detecting a sequence of a first synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel block (SSB) at a first SSB frequency location (Fig. 11, 1100 and (179) col. 37 line 40, 1100, the terminal determines a frequency band, in which a synchronization signal is to be received, and determines a subcarrier spacing of an SS block which is defined for the determined frequency band… the terminal attempts to detect a synchronization signal (e.g., a PSS)), wherein the first SSB frequency location is associated with bandwidth of the network (Fig. 1, Fig. 4, SS Block #0, (87) In an OFDM symbol in which the PSS 301 and the SSS 303 are transmitted within the transmission bandwidth (20 RBs 306) of the PBCH 302), or the first SSB frequency location is related to at least one of a lowest frequency of the network or a highest frequency of the network; and
obtaining time (Fig. 7 and (124) col. 24 line 10, The terminal having detected the SS block #2 720 knows time domain location of the SS block #2 720) and frequency synchronization based on the sequence of the first SSB (Fig. 11, steps 1100-1130 (179) col. 37 line 40, the terminal determines a frequency band, in which a synchronization signal is to be received, and determines a subcarrier spacing of an SS block which is defined for the determined frequency band).
Regarding claims 5, 11, and 18, Oh teaches determining the bandwidth of the network based on a frequency band number of the network and an association relationship between the bandwidth of the network and the frequency band number of the network (Fig. 4, (78) col. 16 line 59, Equation 1, Δf=f.sub.02.sup.m (90) col. 18 line 25, In the frequency band below 6 GHz of the 5G communication system, a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz (as indicated by reference numeral 420) and a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz (as indicated by reference numerals 430 or 440) may be used to transmit an SS block).
Regarding claim 13, Oh teaches wherein each of P SSB frequency locations for detecting the first SSB meets that a synchronization signal in the first SSB is mapped into a frequency range of the network based on the SSB frequency location (Fig. 4, 15kHz, SS Block #0 (407) in pattern #1 (401), 30kHz SS Block #0 (409) in pattern #2 (402), 30kHz SS Block #0 (413) in pattern #3 (403)), wherein P is a positive integer, and the P SSB frequency locations comprise the first SSB frequency location (Fig. 4).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4, 6, 8-10, 12, 15-17, and 19 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUNSOOK CHOI whose telephone number is (571)270-1822. The examiner can normally be reached on 8am-4:30pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached on 5712723940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EUNSOOK CHOI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467