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
Claims 9 and 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claims 9 and 18, in line 7, replace “an indication of when” with --an indication when--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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, 7-8, 10-14, 16-17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yi et al (US 2025/0254614 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 19, Yi discloses an apparatus configured for wireless communications (Fig. 26), comprising:
one or more memories (Fig. 26, memory 2603); and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories (Fig. 26, processor 2602), the one or more processors being configured to cause the apparatus to:
obtain, via a first cell, a first configuration for communications via a second cell (Fig. 24, block 2401, UE receives SCell configuration information through higher layer signaling);
obtain an indication to switch from a first mode to a second mode for synchronization signal communications via the second cell, wherein the first mode is different than the second mode (Fig. 24, block 2405, UE receives SCell activation and SSB transmission configuration information. Herein, SCell is switched from inactive state to active state);
obtain, via the second cell, at least one synchronization signal in accordance with the second mode (Fig. 24, block 2406, UE receives SSB in activated SCell); and
communicate one or more signals via the second cell based at least in part on the at least one synchronization signal (277th paragraph, UE may perform initial access based on received SSB).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, Yi discloses that wherein the first cell is a primary cell in a cell group and the second cell is a secondary cell in the cell group (Fig. 19, PCell A is the primary cell in cell group and SCell B is the secondary cell in the cell group).
Regarding claims 3 and 12, Yi discloses that wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the apparatus to obtain a second configuration that indicates one or more parameters for the synchronization signal communications via the second cell in one or more of: the first mode or the second mode (Fig. 24, block 2405, UE receives SSB transmission configuration information through higher layer signaling (RRC) and L1 signaling).
Regarding claims 4 and 13, Yi discloses that wherein the indication to switch from the first mode to the second mode comprises an indication to activate the first configuration for communications via the second cell (Fig. 24, block 2403, UE receives SCell activation with operation configuration information).
Regarding claims 5 and 14, Yi discloses that wherein to obtain the indication to switch from the first mode to the second mode, the one or more processors are configured to cause the apparatus to obtain signaling that indicates to switch from the first mode to the second mode (Fig. 24, block 2405, UE receives SCell activation. Herein, SCell state is switched from inactive to active).
Regarding claims 7 and 16, Yi discloses that wherein to obtain the at least one synchronization signal, the one or more processors are configured to cause the apparatus to obtain, via the second cell, the at least one synchronization signal in a transmission occasion offset in time (Fig. 22, UE receives SSB from SCell based on SSB occasion offset) based at least in part on the indication to switch from the first mode to the second mode (Fig. 24, block 2405, UE receives SCell activation and SSB transmission configuration information).
Regarding claims 8 and 17, Yi discloses that wherein the indication to switch from the first mode to the second mode comprises an indication of a selection of a subset of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) in a set of SSBs (Fig. 21, PCell transmits SSB configuration for SCell and wherein the total number of SSB=LPCell + LSCell0 + LSCell1. Herein, LSCell0 is a subset of total SSBs).
Regarding claim 10, Yi discloses an apparatus configured for wireless communications (Fig. 27), comprising:
one or more memories (Fig. 27, memory 2703); and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories (Fig. 27, processor 2702), the one or more processors being configured to cause the apparatus to:
send, via a first cell, a first configuration for communications via a second cell (Fig. 25, block 2501, BS transmits secondary cell configuration information via RRC signaling);
send an indication to switch from a first mode to a second mode for synchronization signal communications via the second cell, wherein the first mode is different than the second mode (Fig. 25, block 2505, BS transmits SCell activation and SSB transmission configuration information through RRC and L1 signaling. Herein, SCell is switched from inactive state to active state);
send, via the second cell, at least one synchronization signal in accordance with the second mode (Fig. 25, block 2506, SCell transmits SSB in active state); and
communicate with a user equipment via the second cell based at least in part on the at least one synchronization signal (Fig. 25, block 2506, SCell receives WUS in activated state).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 9, 15, and 18 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
Abedini et al (US 2025/0247784 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses network energy saving mode (Figs. 4-9).
Jung (US 2025/0063477 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses an energy saving state of neighboring cell (Figs. 12-15).
Lu (US 2025/0168748 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses SSB configuration of in multi-cell configuration (Figs. 3-7).
Tsai et al (US 2021/0105722 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses power saving operations in multi-cell configuration (Figs. 6-7).
Sha et al (US 2025/0212144 A1), same field of endeavor, discloses power saving in multi-cell configuration (Figs. 4-16).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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ANH VU H. LY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472