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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/11/26 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8-12, 14-16 and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2020/0404700 A1) in view of Jeong et al. (US 11,178,695 B2).
Consider claim 1, Li teaches a method of operating a wireless device in a wireless communication network (Fig. 1 and paragraph 6), the method comprising:
communicating based on beam selection (paragraph 6, utilizing a beam selected from a set of beams), the communicating comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving a random access message by the wireless device (paragraph 8, performing a random access procedure may comprise transmitting and receiving a random access (RA) message to the RAN and/or network node), the beam selection being based on monitoring for reference signaling in a first resource space (paragraph 14, the beam is selected based on reference signaling… the reference signaling and/or system information signaling may be associated to radio link monitoring), the first resource space being associated to a second resource space associated to reception of a random access message (paragraph 15-16, the message may indicate the same preamble or set of preambles, and/or may indicate different preambles… using different preamble may allow associating the RA messages from the UE with control messages. And a preamble, or set of preambles, may be associated with specific resources, e.g. time/frequency resources…).
Li does not teach the beam selection being based at least in part on obtaining a beamforming gain during a random access procedure.
Jeong further teaches the beam selection being based at least in part on obtaining a beamforming gain during a random access procedure (col. 11, lines 10-15 and col. 12, lines 7-15 and claims 13 and 16, MS selects at least one beam subset satisfying the condition in step 701. The beam subset indicates the set of the beams radiated to different directions, and the MS stores the plurality of the beam subsets. The condition signifies whether the target Rx power of the BS can be satisfied by considering at least one of the beamforming gain).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective fling date of the claimed invention to modify and utilize the above teachings for the purposes of selecting a correct beam under the required condition.
Consider claims 2 and 12, claims 2 and 12 having similar limitation as claim 1, therefore, claims 2 and 12 are rejected for the same reasons claim 1 is rejected.
Consider claims 3 and 14, Li also teaches wherein the reference signaling is associated to a random access message (paragraph 17, a random access procedure may comprise transmitting a RA message utilizing a random access preamble, wherein the preamble may be based on a beam on which the control message was received).
Consider claims 4 and 15, Li also teaches wherein the reference signaling is associated to a random access message intended for a second wireless device (paragraph 60, different types of reference signaling may be considered, e.g. pertaining to uplink, downlink or sidelink).
Consider claims 5 and 16, Li also teaches wherein communicating based on beam selection comprises using one or both of a reception beam and a transmission beam based on the beam selection (paragraph 6, the control message is transmitted utilizing a beam selected from a set of beams).
Consider claims 8 and 19, Li also teaches wherein communicating comprises transmitting one or both data signaling and control signaling by the wireless device (paragraph 74, acknowledgement signaling, e.g. as a form of control information or signaling like uplink control information/signaling, may be transmitted by a terminal on a PUCCH).
Consider claims 9-10 and 20-21, Li also teaches wherein the wireless device has a beam link to the wireless communication network when monitoring for the reference signaling and wherein the wireless device is connected to the wireless communication network when monitoring for the reference signaling (paragraph 14, the reference signaling and/or system information signaling may be associated to radio link monitoring).
Consider claim 11, Li also teaches wherein communicating comprises receiving one or both data signaling and control signaling by the wireless device using a reception beam based on the beam selection (paragraph 6, receiving ,from a network node, a control message indicating the user equipment to perform a random access procedure, wherein the control message is transmitted utilizing a beam selected from a set of beams).
Claim(s) 1-5, 8-12, 14-16 and 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akkarakaran et al. (US 2019/0029049 A1) in view of Jeong et al. (US 11,178,695 B2).
Consider claim 1, Akkarakaran teaches a method of operating a wireless device in a wireless communication network (Abstract), the method comprising:
communicating based on beam selection (paragraph 77, beam selection), the communicating comprising at least one of transmitting and receiving a random access message by the wireless device (Fig. 8 and paragraph 75, the Msg1 and Msg2), the beam selection being based on monitoring for reference signaling in a first resource space (paragraph 78, beam selected based on a SS beam, e.g., one of the swept beams with a corresponding SS having the best receive quality), the first resource space being associated to a second resource space associated to reception of a random access message (paragraph 78, transit Msg1 using a beam selected. A beam is a resource, therefore, a set of beams is a resource space).
Li does not teach the beam selection being based at least in part on obtaining a beamforming gain during a random access procedure.
Jeong further teaches the beam selection being based at least in part on obtaining a beamforming gain during a random access procedure (col. 11, lines 10-15 and col. 12, lines 7-15 and claims 13 and 16, MS selects at least one beam subset satisfying the condition in step 701. The beam subset indicates the set of the beams radiated to different directions, and the MS stores the plurality of the beam subsets. The condition signifies whether the target Rx power of the BS can be satisfied by considering at least one of the beamforming gain).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective fling date of the claimed invention to modify and utilize the above teachings for the purposes of selecting a correct beam under the required condition.
Consider claims 2 and 12, claims 2 and 12 having similar limitation as claim 1, therefore, claims 2 and 12 are rejected for the same reasons claim 1 is rejected.
Consider claims 3 and 14, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein the reference signaling is associated to a random access message (paragraph 93).
Consider claims 4 and 15, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein the reference signaling is associated to a random access message intended for a second wireless device (paragraph 93).
Consider claims 5 and 16, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein communicating based on beam selection comprises using one or both of a reception beam and a transmission beam based on the beam selection (paragraph 72, communication using beams).
Consider claims 8 and 19, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein communicating comprises transmitting one or both data signaling and control signaling by the wireless device (Fig. 8 and paragraph 75, Msg1 and Msg3).
Consider claims 9-10 and 20-21, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein the wireless device has a beam link to the wireless communication network when monitoring for the reference signaling and wherein the wireless device is connected to the wireless communication network when monitoring for the reference signaling (paragraph 73, a connection is established when the UE monitors for a reference signal).
Consider claim 11, Akkarakaran also teaches wherein communicating comprises receiving one or both data signaling and control signaling by the wireless device using a reception beam based on the beam selection (paragraph 72, communication using beams and Fig. 8 and paragraph 75, Msg1 and Msg3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN YE LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5258. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-8:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 5712705371. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN Y LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644 8/27/26
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