DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/15/2025 has been entered.
Status of Claims
3. Claims 2-15 and 21-22 are pending wherein claims 2 and 9 are in independent form.
4. Claims 2, 8, 9, and 15 have been amended. In view of amendments, rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph and 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph are withdrawn.
5. Claims 1 and 16-20 have been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
6. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 2 and 9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
7. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
8. Claims 2-15 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 2 recites to descramble a scrambled PBCH payload after descrambling the PBCH transmission. Claim does not recite that PBCH transmission and PBCH payload are separately received. Therefore, it is assumed that the PBCH payload is included within the PBCH transmission. When PBCH transmission is descrambled, the PBCH payload within that PBCH transmission should also be descrambled. Claim does not recite that descrambling the PBCH transmission excludes descrambling the PBCH payload.
Moreover, claim 2 recites to decode the PBCH transmission. Claim does not clearly specify that the descrambled PBCH transmission is decoded (i.e., decoding the PBCH transmission after descrambling).
Claim 9 recites limitations similar to claim 2 above and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 2.
Claims 3-8 and 21 depend upon claim 2 and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 2.
Claims 10-15 and 22 depend upon claim 9 and thereby, are rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
9. 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.
10. Claims 2-6, 9-13, and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YU et al (US 20190281534 A1, hereinafter referred to as Yu) in view of Eckardt et al (US 20180234112, hereinafter referred to as Eckardt) and further in view of Si et al (US 20180167946 A1, hereinafter referred to as Si).
Re claim 2, Yu teaches a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) (Terminal) (Fig. 2, Fig. 18, Fig. 33), the WTRU comprising:
(i) a processor (Controller) (Fig. 2, Fig. 18, Par 0108-0111) configured to:
(ii) receive a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) transmission (physical broadcast channel (PBCH)) (Fig. 2, Fig. 5-7, Par 0009-0013, Par 0017, Par 0061, Par 0067);
(iii) descramble the PBCH transmission using a first sequence associated with at least a synchronization signal (SS) block index corresponding to the PBCH transmission (descrambling PBCH using a sequence associated with the SS block index) (Fig. 2, Fig. 7, Fig. 35-36, Par 0009-0016, Par 0061, Par 0067, Par 0074-0075, Par 0191-0202);
Yu does not explicitly disclose to
(iv) decode the PBCH transmission to generate timing information associated with the PBCH transmission and a scrambled PBCH payload,
(v) the PBCH transmission is polar encoded; and
(vi) after the PBCH transmission is decoded to generate the timing information, descramble the scrambled PBCH payload to generate a PBCH payload, wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the timing information.
Re components (iv) and (vi), Eckardt teaches to
(iv) decode the PBCH transmission (decoding PBCH transmission, step 46, Fig. 4) to generate timing information associated with the PBCH transmission (after the CRC check failed with the initial timing=0 (step 48, Fig. 4), next timing/system frame number is applied to descramble (step 44) the PBCH transmission) and a scrambled PBCH payload (until CRC is successful, MIB within the PBCH transmission is not descrambled correctly) (Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Par 0003-0004, Par 0018-0020, Par 0022-0023, Par 0033),
(vi) after the PBCH transmission is decoded to generate the timing information (obtaining system frame number/timing information at step 411, Fig. 4), descramble the scrambled PBCH payload to generate a PBCH payload (descrambling PBCH transmission to obtain MIB), wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the timing information (descrambling PBCH transmission to retrieve MIB by using the system frame number/timing information obtained at step 411) (Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Par 0003-0004, Par 0018-0020, Par 0022-0023, Par 0033).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify Yu by including the step to (iv) decode the PBCH transmission to generate timing information associated with the PBCH transmission and a scrambled PBCH payload, (vi) after the PBCH transmission is decoded to generate the timing information, descramble the scrambled PBCH payload to generate a PBCH payload, wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the timing information, as taught by Eckardt for the purpose of properly retrieving MIB (Master Information Block) included in the PBCH transmission to perform initial cell access, as taught by Eckardt (Par 0003).
Re component (v), Si teaches that the PBCH transmission is polar encoded (Polar coding PBCH) (Fig. 17, Fig. 21-22, Par 0184, Par 0209, Par 0219-0220, Par 0243-0252).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify Yu by including the step that (v) the PBCH transmission is polar encoded, as taught by Si, for the purpose of efficiently transmitting system information over a broadcast channel to enhance initial access procedure and RRM for the new radio access technology (NR), as taught by Si (Par 0002, Par 0129).
Claim 9 recites a method performing the functions recited in claim 2 above and thereby, is rejected for the reasons discussed above with respect to claim 2.
Re claims 3, 10, Yu teaches that the PBCH transmission comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits (PBCH including CRC bits) (Fig. 7-8, Par 0071, Par 0084-0090).
Re claims 4, 11, Yu teaches to perform an error check of the timing information using the cyclic redundancy check bits (CRC tests indicating successful decoding to acquire system information including SS Block index, symbol index) (Fig. 7-8, Fig. 36, Par 0084-0090, Par 0202).
Re claims 5, 12, Yu teaches that the cyclic redundancy check bits are descrambled based on cell information (PBCH including CRC bits descrambled using cell ID) (Fig. 2, Fig. 8, Fig. 35-36, Par 0009-0016, Par 0067-0071, Par 0084-0090, Par 0200-0202).
Re claims 6, 13, Yu teaches that the cell information is a cell identity (PBCH descrambled using cell ID) (Par 0009-0016, Par 0067, Par 0074-0075).
Re claims 21, 22, Yu does not explicitly disclose that the timing information comprises a subset of system frame number bits, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the subset of system frame number bits.
Si teaches that the timing information comprises a subset of system frame number bits, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the subset of system frame number bits (PBCH payload including system frame number) (Abstract, Par 0005-0007, Par 0066, Par 0081, Par 0172).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify Yu by including the step that the timing information comprises a subset of system frame number bits, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the PBCH payload based on at least the subset of system frame number bits, as taught by Si for the purpose of efficiently transmitting system information over a broadcast channel to enhance initial access procedure and RRM for the new radio access technology (NR), as taught by Si (Par 0002, Par 0129).
11. Claims 7-8 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YU, Eckardt, and Si as applied to claims 2 and 9 above and further in view of Malladi et al (US 20090046672 A1, hereinafter referred to as Malladi).
Re claims 7, 14, Yu teaches that the timing information comprises SS block index information (system information including SS block index) (Par 0009-0017, Par 0074-0075).
Yu does not explicitly disclose that the timing information comprises frame boundary information.
Malladi teaches that the timing information comprises frame boundary information (acquiring frame boundary by decoding PBCH) (Par 0061).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify Yu by including the step that the timing information comprises frame boundary information, as taught by Malladi, for the purpose of providing system parameters more efficiently to optimize communication between the mobile device and base station, as taught by Malladi (Par 0012).
Re claims 8, 15, Yu teaches to generate the PBCH payload based on the SS block index information (system information including SS block index) (Par 0009-0017, Par 0074-0075).
Yu does not explicitly disclose to generate the PBCH payload based on frame boundary information.
Malladi teaches to generate the PBCH payload based on frame boundary information (acquiring frame boundary by decoding PBCH) (Par 0061).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify Yu by including the step to generate the PBCH payload based on frame boundary information, as taught by Malladi, for the purpose of providing system parameters more efficiently to optimize communication between the mobile device and base station, as taught by Malladi (Par 0012).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARUN UR R CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)270-3895. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B Yao can be reached at 5712723182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARUN CHOWDHURY/Examiner, Art Unit 2473