DETAILED ACTION
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 1-2, 8, 12-14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Nimbalker (WO 2023211348 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Nimbalker discloses an apparatus configured for wireless communications, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, the one or more processors (page 15-16 “The hardware 80 of the wireless device 22……processor….memory….software 80 which is stored in”) being configured to cause the apparatus to:
obtain, via a first type of signaling, a configuration that indicates at least a first set of parameters for random access communications (page 1 “NR supports……initial access…….SSB periodically”, fig. 17 elements S172-S174, page 29 “An example rocedure is shown in FIG. 17…..SSB……a first set of RACH resources”, page 30 “Configuration of the first…set of resources…….PRACH occasions, time-domain PRACH occasions….may also be included in the configuration”);
obtain, via one or more of a second type of signaling (fig. 17 elements S176-S178, page 29 “An example procedure is shown in FIG. 17……..a second set of RACH resources and an associated availability …….with an SI-RNTI Block S176”); or a payload (consideration is optional) scheduled by the second type of signaling, an indication of a modification to the configuration, wherein the modification is based on a second set of parameters that are indicated via one or more of: the configuration, the second type of signaling (page 31 “The indicated availability for a second set of resources may be……duration…..a number of slots…..Example A1…….PDSCH…..a paging-related message…..SI-RNTI), or the payload, and wherein the first type of signaling is different from the second type of signaling; and
communicate, with a network entity, via a random access channel, based at least in part on the modification to the configuration (page 32 “Example C1……..and determine one of the first set and the second set to use for random access…..in part on the indication”).
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Nimbalker discloses the first set of parameters indicates a first periodicity for a set of random access occasions (ROs) (page 3 “The master information…..80 ms and repetitions made within that periodicity…..160 ms and variable transmission repetion periodicity within that periodicity”); the second set of parameters indicates a second periodicity for the set of ROs; and the second periodicity is different in duration than the first periodicity (page 31 “In another example……DCI………every 40ms…..every 20ms”.
Regarding claim 8, Nimbalker discloses to communicate via the random access channel, the one or more processors are configured to cause the apparatus to send a message in a random access occasion (RO) associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), wherein the first set of parameters indicate a mapping that indicates the RO is associated with the SSB (page 31 “In another example, the monitoring occasions for monitoring the DCI….every 40ms…..every 20ms”).
Regarding claim 12, Nimbalker discloses the first type of signaling comprises system information (page 3 “NR supports……The master information block….includes parameters SIB1 from the cell”).
Regarding claim 13, Nimbalker an apparatus configured for wireless communications, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories (page 15 “In the embodiment shown, the hardware 58……processor 70 and memory 72……EPROM”).
send, via a first type of signaling, a configuration that indicates at least a first set of parameters for random access communications (page 1 “NR supports……initial access…….SSB periodically”, fig. 17 elements S172-S174, page 29 “An example procedure is shown in FIG. 17…..SSB……a first set of RACH resources”, page 33 “Configuration of the first…set of resources…….PRACH occasions, time-domain PRACH occasions….may also be included in the configuration”);
send, via one or more of a second type of signaling (fig. 17 elements S176-S178, page 29 “An example procedure is shown in FIG. 17……..a second set of RACH resources and an associated availability …….with an SI-RNTI Block S176”); or a payload (consideration is optional) scheduled by the second type of signaling, an indication of a modification to the configuration, wherein the modification is based on a second set of parameters that are indicated via one or more of: the configuration, the second type of signaling (page 33 “The indicated availability for a second set of resources may be……duration…..a number of slots…..Example A1…….PDSCH…..a paging-related message…..SI-RNTI), or the payload, and wherein the first type of signaling is different from the second type of signaling; and
communicate, with a network entity, via a random access channel, based at least in part on the modification to the configuration (page 34 “Example C1……..and determine one of the first set and the second set to use for random access…..in part on the indication”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7, 9-11 and 15-19 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 Examiner Tu Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7883. The examiner can normally be reached on 8AM-5PM Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Rafael Perez-Gutierrez can be reached on 571-272-7915. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300 or mailed to:
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
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/TU X NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642
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