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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted was filed after the mailing date. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-11, 13-17, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Dai et al. (“Dai”) (US 20220417885 A1) in view of Shin et al. (“Shin”) (US 20250048291 A1, effective filing date of foreign priority application KR 10-2021-0060638 filed May 11, 2021).
Regarding claim 1, Dai teaches:
A wireless device comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors [¶0120], cause the wireless device to:
receive one or more configuration parameters indicating candidate timing advance (TA) values for a first cell of cells [¶0056, network sends TA values to UE, for cell ¶0060]; and transmit, via the first cell, uplink using a TA value selected from the candidate TA values based on one or more measurement power values of reference signals of the cells [¶0080, TA lists obtained, selects suitable TA list based on SSB, then selects TA based on the RSRP, ¶0101, and ¶0105, and send uplink ¶0030 perform uplink transmission, wherein ¶0118 UE may be in random access preamble transmission stage].
Dai teaches sending the uplink based on selected TA value but does not teach sending a preamble and for NTN network.
Shin teaches transmit, via the first cell, a preamble using a TA value selected, for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) [¶0153-154, terminal acquires TA value, for NTN, and ¶0143-145, preamble transmitted in NTN network using TA value selected at UE].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the network being NTN for transmitting preamble based on TA as in Shin. Dai teaches determining TA values based on RSRP in context of random access and it would have been obvious to specify NTN for transmitting preambles based on TA values as in Shin who teaches this allows calculating TA values in NTN for a UE to access the network via random access when a distance between a satellite and a terminal is changed by movement of a satellite regardless of movement of a terminal ¶0142-143, ¶0148.
Regarding Claim 2, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate: a first reference signal (RS) of the first cell; and a second RS of a second cell [Dai ¶0037, terminal measures CSI-RS of serving and neighboring cell (corresponding to first RS and second RS), CSI-RS indicated in configuration see ¶0046, ¶0084].
Regarding claim 3, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the wireless device to determine a first measurement power value based on measuring the first RS of the first cell [Dai ¶0089 RSRP based on RS including CSI-RS].
Regarding claim 4, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the wireless device to determine a second measurement power value based on measuring the second RS of the second cell [Dai ¶0037, terminal measures CSI-RS of serving and neighboring cell, CSI-RS indicated in configuration see ¶0084, ¶0089 determine RSRP measurements based on CSI-RS configured, thus for second cell].
Regarding claim 7, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the wireless device to determine a total TA value based on the selected TA value [Dai ¶0080, TA list, selects suitable TA based on the RSRP, ¶0101, and ¶0105, considered total TA value as this is the TA value used].
Regarding claim 8, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 7.
Dai teaches a TA value but does not expressly teach total TA being a sum of multiple TA values.
Shin teaches wherein the total TA value is a sum of the selected TA value and one or more TA values indicated in the one or more configuration parameters [Shin ¶0178 “transmit a PRACH preamble based on an initial TA (i.e., a sum of a common TA and a UE-specific TA) reflecting an updated UE-specific TA”].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the TA being a sum of two TAs as in Shin who teaches this as part of adjusting or updating a reference for a time and/or a frequency applied to uplink transmission or reception in a wireless communication system including a non-terrestrial network (NTN) in order to collect to a satellite ¶0261.
Regarding claim 9, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the NTN is at least one of: a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite network; a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite network; a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite network; a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite network; a high-altitude platform satellite (HAPS) satellite network; an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) satellite network; or a drone-based satellite network [Shin ¶0125 teaches GEO, see rationale for combination as in claim 1].
Regarding claim 10, Dai teaches:
A base station comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors [¶0015 base station], cause the base station to: transmit one or more configuration parameters, for a non-terrestrial network (NTN), indicating candidate timing advance (TA) values for a first cell of cells [¶0056, base station sends TA values to UE, for cell ¶0060]; and receive, via the first cell, a uplink using a TA value selected from the candidate TA values based on one or more measurement power values of reference signals of the cells [¶0030, based on adjusting TA value at terminal, terminal performs uplink transmission corresponding to TA value, TA chosen based on RSRP at terminal, see ¶0101-106].
Dai teaches sending the uplink based on selected TA value but does not teach sending a preamble and for NTN network.
Shin teaches receive, via the first cell, a preamble using a TA value selected, for a non-terrestrial network (NTN) [¶0153-154, terminal acquires TA value, for NTN, and ¶0143-145, preamble transmitted in NTN network using TA value selected at UE].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify the network being NTN for transmitting preamble based on TA as in Shin. Dai teaches determining TA values based on RSRP in context of random access and it would have been obvious to specify NTN for transmitting preambles based on TA values as in Shin who teaches this allows calculating TA values in NTN when a distance between a satellite and a terminal is changed by movement of a satellite regardless of movement of a terminal ¶0143, ¶0148.
Regarding Claim 11, Dai-Shin teaches:
The base station of claim 10, wherein the one or more configuration parameters further indicate: a first reference signal (RS) of the first cell; and a second RS of a second cell [Dai ¶0037, terminal measures CSI-RS of serving and neighboring cell, CSI-RS indicated in configuration see ¶0084].
Regarding claim 13, Dai-Shin teaches:
The base station of claim 10, wherein the NTN is at least one of: a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite network; a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite network; a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite network; a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite network; a high-altitude platform satellite (HAPS) satellite network; an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) satellite network; or a drone-based satellite network [Shin ¶0125, see rationale for combination as in claim 10 regarding NTN].
Regarding claim 14-17, 19-20, see similar rejection for claims 1-4, 7-8 respectively which teaches the physical structure comprising components to carry out the claimed steps.
Claim(s) 5, 12, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Dai et al. (“Dai”) (US 20220417885 A1) in view of Shin et al. (“Shin”) (US 20250048291 A1, effective filing date of foreign priority application KR 10-2021-0060638 filed May 11, 2021) and Wang et al. (“Wang”) (US 20190037453 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 1.
Dai teaches TA values but does not teach broadcast.
Wang teaches wherein the one or more configuration parameters are broadcast configuration parameters [¶0148 “ the user equipment can periodically receive uplink timing information, to be specific, each network parameter and a TA value corresponding to the network parameter, broadcast by the network device for a local cell.”].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify that the information is delivered via broadcast. Dai teaches indicating the TA values and it would have been obvious to specify broadcast as in Wang in order that other devices may receive the same indication ¶0014.
Regarding claim 12, Dai-Shin teaches the base station of claim 10.
Dai teaches TA values but does not teach broadcast.
Wang teaches wherein the one or more configuration parameters are broadcast configuration parameters [¶0148 “ the user equipment can periodically receive uplink timing information, to be specific, each network parameter and a TA value corresponding to the network parameter, broadcast by the network device for a local cell.”].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify that the information is delivered via broadcast. Dai teaches indicating the TA values and it would have been obvious to specify broadcast as in Wang in order that other devices may receive the same indication ¶0014.
Regarding claim 18, see similar rejection for claims 5 respectively which teaches the physical structure comprising components to carry out the claimed steps.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Dai et al. (“Dai”) (US 20220417885 A1) in view of Shin et al. (“Shin”) (US 20250048291 A1, effective filing date of foreign priority application KR 10-2021-0060638 filed May 11, 2021) and KHOSHNEVISAN et al. (“Khoshnevisan”) (US 20210111817 A1).
Regarding Claim 6, Dai-Shin teaches:
The wireless device of claim 1.
Dai teaches RSRP but not differential power.
Khoshnevisan teaches wherein an inter-cell/beam differential power value is a difference between a first measurement power value and a second measurement power value [Khoshnevisan ¶0093, Examiner notes the previous claims do not indicate using a differential power parameter, thus this claim is merely reciting a measurement that is not explicitly acquired by the claimed invention].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to specify differential power values measured based on differences between power values. Examiner notes that the claim does not expressly recite that this value is used or actually measured by the device. It would have been obvious to specify the differential power as in Koshnevisan ¶0094 in order to report measurements for a group of beams.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #97 “Considerations on uplink timing advance and RACH procedure for NTN.”
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/JAY L VOGEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478