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 notice of allowance. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous notice of allowance has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicants’ submission filed on 9/8/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments/remarks made in an amendment filed September 8, 2026, have been fully considered. In view of the amended claims 16, 25 and 28 and upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection necessitated by the amendments is made in view of different interpretation of the previously applied references and new prior art as presented in this Office action. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-35 are therefore moot.
Claim Objections
Claims 31 and 32 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claims state “Doppler shit”. Should read “Doppler shift”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS. —Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 31 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 31 depends on claim 25 and already incorporates the limitation, “and determine a Doppler shift estimate for the neighboring cell based on whether the coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites” from claim 25 on which it depends. The limitation of claim 31 “The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein determining the Doppler shift estimate for a neighboring cell of the at least one neighboring cell is based on whether coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites” does not specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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 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.
Claims 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200313755 A1 (Chuang et al.) (hereinafter Chuang) in view of WO 2021066696 A1 (EULER et al.) (hereinafter EULER).
In re claim 16, Chuang discloses an apparatus for use by a cell (Fig. 5:520, [0036], “In some implementations, at least one of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a network node or base station (e.g., eNB, gNB or TRP), a small cell”) of a non-terrestrial network (Fig. 1, [0048], “apparatus 520 as a network node (e.g., satellite or UAS platform 130) of an NTN (e.g., NTN 100)”. [0022], “Referring to FIG. 1, NTN 100 may involve a UE 110, a network node 120 (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, eNB or transmit-receive point (TRP)) functioning as a gateway of a network 125 (e.g., a data network or a 5G mobile network), a satellite or UAS platform 130 orbiting around the Earth 140, and a plurality of beam footprints or cells 150”) comprising at least one processor (Fig. 5:522) and at least one memory (Fig. 5:524, [0038], “In some implementations, apparatus 520 may further include a memory 524 coupled to processor 522 and capable of being accessed by processor 522 and storing data therein”) including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus ([0038], “In some implementations, apparatus 520 may also include a transceiver 526 coupled to processor 522 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data) at least to:
transmit, to a user equipment (Fig. 6: 610, [0026], “Under the proposed scheme, the assistance information may be transmitted to UE 110 in a system information block (SIB)”), information indicating ephemeris corresponding to the cell ([0031], “Under the proposed scheme, assistance information corresponding to the serving beam may further indicate certain information. The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout)”. [0020], “Typical satellite ephemeris may include trajectory and beam layout. Thus, it would be desirable that common Doppler pre-compensation with respect to the beam spot center is applied by the satellite and that the position of beam spot center is indicated to the UE” (providing ephemeris assistance information to the UE for compensation for Doppler shift). [0007], “Specifically, various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure aim to provide solutions pertaining to utilization of assistance information for compensation for Doppler shift in NTNs, thereby mitigating or otherwise minimizing the impact of frequency jump”) and information indicating ephemeris corresponding to at least one neighboring cell, wherein the neighboring cell is detectable at the user equipment when the user equipment is in coverage of said cell (Fig. 4, [0029], “Under the proposed scheme, specific cell(s) in the neighbor cell list may be flagged as upcoming beams. This information may be useful in aiding cell change due to mobility of satellite or UAS platform 130 and may enable faster beam switching”. [0033], “In the example shown in FIG. 4, UE 110 is in the coverage of beam 6...assistance information may indicate the information of beam 2 and beam 7 which may be the candidates as the next beam to be the serving beam for UE 110 on the first tier...Advantageously, under the proposed scheme, UE 110 may utilize the assistance information to achieve faster cell re-selection in RRC idle mode as well as faster beam switching in RRC connected mode” (neighbor cell in coverage of UE for reselection). [0028], “Under the proposed scheme, assistance information may be included in a neighbor cell list provided to UE 110. For instance, the neighbor cell list may be broadcasted in the serving beam as in SIB3 and SIB4” (assistance information such as ephemeris included in the neighbor cell list). [0031], “The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout), beam center location of the serving beam, beam center location of the next beam(s) in the first tier, and beam center location of the next beam(s) in the second tier” (sending to a user equipment assistance information including ephemeris information corresponding to at least one neighboring cell for cell reselection)), wherein the transmitted information further indicates whether coverage of said cell and of the neighboring cell is provided by the same satellite or by different satellites.
Chuang does not explicitly disclose wherein the transmitted information further indicates whether coverage of said cell and of the neighboring cell is provided by the same satellite or by different satellites, the neighboring cell detectable at the user equipment when the user equipment is in coverage of said cell.
EULER discloses wherein the transmitted information further indicates whether coverage of said cell and of the neighboring cell is provided by the same satellite or by different satellites, the neighboring cell detectable at the user equipment when the user equipment is in coverage of said cell (Fig. 4A, Page 18, lines 24-27, “In some embodiments, the network can provide updated ephemeris data for one or more satellites and a list of cells served by each of the satellites. Based on this information, the UE can determine which cells share common ephemeris data, which can be beneficial during initial search and acquisition”. Page 9, lines 19-23, “These exemplary methods can include sending, to one or more UEs operating in a cell served by the network node, updated ephemeris data related to one or more satellites in the NTN. In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include sending, in association with the updated ephemeris data, respective lists of cells served by each of the satellites” (each satellite can serve multiple cells. Ephemeris data of multiple satellites serving multiple cells is provided to the UE, these cells include the serving cells and neighboring cells in coverage of UE for reselection). Page 8, lines 30-32, “In some embodiments, the further ephemeris data can be related to one or more first satellites or orbital planes, and the updated ephemeris data is related to one or more second satellites or orbital planes, that are different from the first satellites or orbital planes”. Page 14, lines 30-33, “Moreover, satellites at lower orbital heights (e.g., LEOs and MEOs) are moving relative to the earth's surface, causing various Doppler shifts to the respective signals received by UEs on earth. Furthermore, satellite signals experience significant path loss before reaching UEs on earth” (discloses ephemeris data of serving and neighboring cell may be known. If ephemeris data for serving and neighboring cell is same, then it would mean they are being served by same satellite, if ephemeris data is different for serving and neighboring cell would mean they are being served by different satellites)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chuang's single satellite beam assistance method with EULERs method of updating the ephemeris data with different durations of validity, different PLMNs, and/or different satellites or orbital planes of serving and neighboring cells to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claim 17, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, wherein Chuang discloses wherein, coverage of said cell and the neighboring cell is provided by at least one satellite that is moving with respect to the Earth's surface (Fig. 1, [0005], “As the satellite is moving relative to the Earth, the beams are also moving”. [0022], “a satellite or UAS platform 130 orbiting around the Earth 140”).
In re claim 18, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, wherein Chuang discloses wherein, the information indicating ephemeris corresponding to the cell and the information indicating ephemeris corresponding to at least one neighboring cell is transmitted through system information broadcast ([0031], “Under a proposed scheme in accordance with the present disclosure, during initial access, assistance information may be utilized for faster beam switching. Under the proposed scheme, assistance information corresponding to the serving beam may further indicate certain information. The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout), beam center location of the serving beam, beam center location of the next beam(s) in the first tier, and beam center location of the next beam(s) in the second tier. Under the proposed scheme, the assistance information may be delivered through SIB”).
In re claim 19, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, wherein Chuang discloses wherein coverage of at least one of the neighboring cell is provided by at least one satellite on same orbit as said cell, and wherein the ephemeris corresponding to said at least one of the neighboring cell is indicated in reference with respect to the ephemeris corresponding to said cell (Fig. 3. In the scenario where serving cell and neighbor cell are served by same satellite, there is one satellite so there will be one orbit and same ephemeris)).
In re claim 20, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, wherein Chuang discloses wherein, coverage of said cell and a first neighboring cell is provided by the same satellite, and the ephemeris corresponding to the first neighboring cell is indicated as same as ephemeris corresponding to said cell (Fig. 3, [0030], “As an example, a flag beamTierInTrajectory provided for a neighbor cell may indicate a value of 1 in case it is the next beam according to the trajectory of satellite or UAS platform 130 or, alternatively, a value of 2 in case it is the beam after this, and so on. Beams that are not in the trajectory of satellite or UAS platform 130 following the serving beam may be assigned a special value for such a flag or, alternatively, may not be configured with the flag at all”. [0031], “The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout), beam center location of the serving beam, beam center location of the next beam(s) in the first tier, and beam center location of the next beam(s) in the second tier” (Chuang discloses serving cell and neighboring cell served by same satellite. So same ephemeris as ephemeris is satellite information)).
Claims 21-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200313755 A1 (Chuang et al.) (hereinafter Chuang) in view of WO 2021066696 A1 (EULER et al.) (hereinafter EULER) and in further view of US 20250159566 A1 (Deenoo et al.) (hereinafter Deenoo).
In re claim 21, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, but does not explicitly disclose wherein, coverage of said cell and a second neighboring cell is provided by different satellites on the same orbit, and the ephemeris corresponding to the second neighboring cell is indicated as the ephemeris corresponding to said cell with an offset related to orbital inter-satellite distance.
Deenoo discloses wherein, coverage of said cell and a second neighboring cell is provided by different satellites on the same orbit, and the ephemeris corresponding to the second neighboring cell is indicated as the ephemeris corresponding to said cell with an offset related to orbital inter-satellite distance (Fig. 5, “for example, cell 1 and cell 2 are neighboring cells served by different satellites and can have same orbit”. Fig. 9 for offset, [0148], “For example, should a WTRU detect the ephemeris data of one or more satellites, an approximate distance to the satellite may be estimated via the timing advance and may be refined with consideration of the Doppler offset which may indicate to the WTRU whether the satellite is moving towards, or receding from, the WTRU”. [0137], “For example, the WTRU may determine an explicit indication of the change in timing advance, Doppler shift or transmission power. This function is readily applicable in a case where the gateway is changed, but the satellite itself is not changed. This function may also be used where the network has approximate knowledge of the WTRU position. To support this function, a WTRU may report its location to the network periodically or when the location has changed by more than a certain distance since the last report. In another example, the WTRU may determine geographic information for the source and target satellite at an activation time using ephemeris data. Such information may be used in combination with the WTRU position to accurately determine the required parameter, for example, a timing advanced offset”. [0138], “In another embodiment, the WTRU may pre-calculate the expected offset via satellite ephemeris data and data regarding the location of the TGW” (As the satellites are on the same orbit, it is also implicit that the position of the neighbor satellites shift from a certain offset)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chuang's single satellite beam assistance method with EULERs method of updating the ephemeris data with different durations of validity, different PLMNs, and/or different satellites or orbital planes of cells with Deenoo’s handover method to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claim 22, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 16, but does not explicitly disclose wherein, coverage of said cell is provided by a satellite on a first orbit, coverage of a third neighboring cell and a fourth neighboring cell is provided by at least one satellite on a second orbit, and wherein, the ephemeris corresponding to the fourth neighboring cell is indicated in reference to the ephemeris corresponding to the third neighboring cell.
Deenoo discloses coverage of said cell is provided by a satellite on a first orbit, coverage of a third neighboring cell and a fourth neighboring cell is provided by at least one satellite on a second orbit, and wherein, the ephemeris corresponding to the fourth neighboring cell is indicated in reference to the ephemeris corresponding to the third neighboring cell (Fig. 5 shows cell 1 (which could be serving cell) covered by satellite 1 and cell 2 and cell 3 covered by satellite 2. Here, satellite 2 can be in a different orbit than 1. See also “In re claim 21”. Ephemeris for different satellites with different orbits can be related with an offset. Also, although only one satellite is disclosed in Chuang, it is straightforward that satellites are used in constellations and the pattern of cells shown in Fig. 4 may be repeated for another satellite).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chuang's single satellite beam assistance method with EULERs method of updating the ephemeris data with different durations of validity, different PLMNs, and/or different satellites or orbital planes of cells with Deenoo’s handover method to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claim 23, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 22, wherein Deenoo discloses the coverage of the third neighboring cell and the fourth neighboring cell is provided by different satellites on the second orbit, and wherein, the ephemeris corresponding to the fourth neighboring cell is indicated as the ephemeris corresponding to the third neighboring cell with an offset related to orbital inter-satellite distance (See “In re claim 21” and “In re claim 22”. All features are disclosed in claims 21 and 22 as these are design variations).
In re claim 24, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 22, wherein Deenoo discloses wherein the coverage of the third neighboring cell, and the fourth neighboring cell is provided by same satellite on a second orbit (Fig. 5 at T2, cell 1 and cell 2 covered by satellite which could be now in a second orbit), and wherein, the ephemeris corresponding to the fourth neighboring cell is indicated as same as the ephemeris corresponding to the third neighboring cell (cells covered by same satellite with same orbit will have same ephemeris data)).
Claims 25, 27, 28 and 31-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200313755 A1 (Chuang et al.) (hereinafter Chuang) in view of WO 2021066696 A1 (EULER et al.) (hereinafter EULER) and in further view of Ericsson: "NTN impact on RRM", 3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 Meeting #97-e, R4-2016037, Agenda: 12.8.4, Ericsson, November 2-13, 2020, pp. 1-12 (hereinafter Ericsson).
In re claims 25 and 28, Chaung discloses a method (Fig. 6, [0008], “a method may involve a processor of an apparatus implemented in a UE receiving, from a network node of an NTN, assistance information via an access link”. [0022], “In NTN 100, UE 110 and satellite or UAS platform 130 may be in communication via an access link, and UE 110 and satellite or UAS platform 130 may implement various schemes pertaining to utilization of assistance information for compensation for Doppler shift in NTNs”), and an apparatus for use by a user equipment in a non-terrestrial network (Fig. 1, Fig. 5: 510, [0035], “Each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a UE such as a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. For instance, each of apparatus 510 and apparatus 520 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch...”), comprising at least one processor (Fig. 5: 512), and at least one memory (Fig. 5: 514) including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus ([0038], “In some implementations, apparatus 510 may further include a memory 514 coupled to processor 512 and capable of being accessed by processor 512 and storing data therein”)at least to:
receive, from a cell in the non-terrestrial network (Fig. 6:610, [0026], “Under the proposed scheme, the assistance information may be transmitted to UE 110 in a system information block (SIB)”), information indicating ephemeris corresponding to the cell ([0031], “Under the proposed scheme, assistance information corresponding to the serving beam may further indicate certain information. The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout)”. [0020], “Typical satellite ephemeris may include trajectory and beam layout. Thus, it would be desirable that common Doppler pre-compensation with respect to the beam spot center is applied by the satellite and that the position of beam spot center is indicated to the UE” (providing ephemeris assistance information to the UE for compensation for Doppler shift). [0007], “Specifically, various proposed schemes in accordance with the present disclosure aim to provide solutions pertaining to utilization of assistance information for compensation for Doppler shift in NTNs, thereby mitigating or otherwise minimizing the impact of frequency jump”) and information indicating ephemeris corresponding to at least one neighboring cell, wherein the neighboring cell is detectable at the user equipment when the user equipment is in coverage of said cell (Fig. 4, [0029], “Under the proposed scheme, specific cell(s) in the neighbor cell list may be flagged as upcoming beams. This information may be useful in aiding cell change due to mobility of satellite or UAS platform 130 and may enable faster beam switching”. [0033], “In the example shown in FIG. 4, UE 110 is in the coverage of beam 6...assistance information may indicate the information of beam 2 and beam 7 which may be the candidates as the next beam to be the serving beam for UE 110 on the first tier...Advantageously, under the proposed scheme, UE 110 may utilize the assistance information to achieve faster cell re-selection in RRC idle mode as well as faster beam switching in RRC connected mode” (neighbor cell in coverage of UE for reselection). [0028], “Under the proposed scheme, assistance information may be included in a neighbor cell list provided to UE 110. For instance, the neighbor cell list may be broadcasted in the serving beam as in SIB3 and SIB4” (assistance information such as ephemeris included in the neighbor cell list). [0031], “The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout), beam center location of the serving beam, beam center location of the next beam(s) in the first tier, and beam center location of the next beam(s) in the second tier” (sending to a user equipment assistance information including ephemeris information corresponding to at least one neighboring cell for cell reselection));
determine, based on the received information indicating ephemeris, whether coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites: and
determine a Doppler shift estimate for the neighboring cell based on whether the coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites.
Chuang does not explicitly disclose determine, based on the received information indicating ephemeris, whether coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites.
EULER discloses determine, based on the received information indicating ephemeris, whether coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites (Fig. 4A, Page 18, lines 24-27, “In some embodiments, the network can provide updated ephemeris data for one or more satellites and a list of cells served by each of the satellites. Based on this information, the UE can determine which cells share common ephemeris data, which can be beneficial during initial search and acquisition”. Page 9, lines 19-23, “These exemplary methods can include sending, to one or more UEs operating in a cell served by the network node, updated ephemeris data related to one or more satellites in the NTN. In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include sending, in association with the updated ephemeris data, respective lists of cells served by each of the satellites” (each satellite can serve multiple cells. Ephemeris data of multiple satellites serving multiple cells is provided to the UE, these cells include the serving cells and neighboring cells in coverage of UE for reselection). Page 8, lines 30-32, “In some embodiments, the further ephemeris data can be related to one or more first satellites or orbital planes, and the updated ephemeris data is related to one or more second satellites or orbital planes, that are different from the first satellites or orbital planes”. Page 14, lines 30-33, “Moreover, satellites at lower orbital heights (e.g., LEOs and MEOs) are moving relative to the earth's surface, causing various Doppler shifts to the respective signals received by UEs on earth. Furthermore, satellite signals experience significant path loss before reaching UEs on earth” (discloses ephemeris data of serving and neighboring cell may be known. If ephemeris data for serving and neighboring cell is same, then it would mean they are being served by same satellite, if ephemeris data is different for serving and neighboring cell would mean they are being served by different satellites)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Chuang's single satellite beam assistance method with EULERs method of updating the ephemeris data with different durations of validity, different PLMNs, and/or different satellites or orbital planes of serving and neighboring cells to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
Chaung and EULER do not explicitly disclose determine a Doppler shift estimate for the neighboring cell based on whether the coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites.
Ericsson discloses determine a Doppler shift estimate for the neighboring cell based on whether the coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites (Page 2, Observation 1, lines 10-11, “Due to the high speed of a LEO satellite relative to the UE, it is the most challenging scenario from perspective of Doppler shift, whereas GEO satellite has a wider coverage area and may be more challenging from a timing perspective”. Page 2, Observation 2, lines 5-8, “However, it is important to note that the Doppler shift, depends on the UE position within the cell while the pre-compensation can only be performed with one reference point in the cell. Accordingly, the UE would still experience residual Doppler, the magnitude of which depends on the UE position relative to the reference point”. Page 2, Observation 4, lines 3-8, “It is also notable that the differential delay of a neighbor cell (provided by a different satellite than the serving cell) could be even larger, even if we assume synchronous transmission. Effectively then from a UE perspective, neighbors are always asynchronous to the serving cell in an NTN system, regardless of the network is synchronized or not. This is not to say that there is no benefit to synchronizing the cells, conversely it is likely to be rather critical to synchronize transmission of serving and neighbor cells on different satellites, so that the UE can estimate the differential delay and so determine a suitable time window, for example to search for neighbor SSBs” (synchronizing transmission of serving and neighbor cell for estimation of differential delay based on if the neighboring cell and serving cell are served by different or same satellite). Page 2, Observation 4, lines 11-13, “After detecting a cell and receiving relevant system information which may include ephemeris information. Based on knowledge of its own position/speed and the satellite orbit trajectory, both the doppler and the delay RTT may be predicted”. Page 5, lines 16-17, “Estimate difference of timing and frequency (doppler) between serving cell SSBs and neighbor cell SSBs, which is a function of UE position and ephemeris data of the serving / neighbor satellites” (discloses it is critical to synchronize transmission of serving and neighbor cells on different satellites, so that the UE can estimate the differential delay and so determine a suitable time window, for example to search for neighbor SSBs. So, knowledge of whether they are served by same or different satellite and ephemeris information is key to determine a search window, RTT measurement and Dopler estimates)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Ericsson's direct calculation with Chuang's single satellite beam assistance method and EULERs method of updating the ephemeris data with different durations of validity, different PLMNs, and/or different satellites or orbital planes to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claims 27 and 30, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 25 and the method according to claim 28, wherein Ericsson discloses the method according to claim 28, the method further comprising: pre-compensating Doppler shift for respective one of said at least one neighboring cell, based on the respective Doppler shift estimate (Page 2, section 2.1.1, lines 1-6, “Considering observation 2-4, the use of accurate UE position along with satellite ephemeris data is likely to be critical for many RRM and transmission/demodulation procedures. A few RRM related examples are that the UE may need to perform- Doppler and timing pre-compensation for UL PRACH transmission. Possible time and frequency tracking after PRACH transmission. Initial timing difference estimation of a neighbor cell to determine a suitable measurement window. Possible location based beam management or mobility. Doppler and timing tracking for the downlink”); receiving and measuring Synchronization Signal/ Physical Broadcast Channel block from the respective one of said at least one neighboring cell for assessing at least one of signal level or signal quality of the respective neighboring cell (Page 5, lines 11-19, “Considering conventional reselections based on SSB measurements such as SS-RSRP and SS-RSRQ, it seems very likely that a modified cell selection and measurement procedure would be used which is at least partially based on UE position. For example, such a procedure can be envisaged as 1. Estimate UE position, and using ephemeris data estimate candidate neighbor cell(s) which should be visible at the current time at the current UE position 2. Estimate difference of timing and frequency (doppler) between serving cell SSBs and neighbor cell SSBs, which is a function of UE position and ephemeris data of the serving / neighbor satellites 3. Perform measurement of the neighbor SSBs, using the estimated time window and Doppler to make the measurement feasible and yield neighbor SS-RSRP/SS-RSRQ”).
In re claim 31, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 25, wherein Ericsson discloses wherein determining the Doppler shift estimate for a neighboring cell of the at least one neighboring cell is based on whether coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite or by different satellites (Page 2, Observation 1, lines 10-11, “Due to the high speed of a LEO satellite relative to the UE, it is the most challenging scenario from perspective of Doppler shift, whereas GEO satellite has a wider coverage area and may be more challenging from a timing perspective”. Page 2, Observation 2, lines 5-8, “However, it is important to note that the Doppler shift, depends on the UE position within the cell while the pre-compensation can only be performed with one reference point in the cell. Accordingly, the UE would still experience residual Doppler, the magnitude of which depends on the UE position relative to the reference point”. Page 2, Observation 4, lines 3-8, “It is also notable that the differential delay of a neighbor cell (provided by a different satellite than the serving cell) could be even larger, even if we assume synchronous transmission. Effectively then from a UE perspective, neighbors are always asynchronous to the serving cell in an NTN system, regardless of the network is synchronized or not. This is not to say that there is no benefit to synchronizing the cells, conversely it is likely to be rather critical to synchronize transmission of serving and neighbor cells on different satellites, so that the UE can estimate the differential delay and so determine a suitable time window, for example to search for neighbor SSBs” (synchronizing transmission of serving and neighbor cell for estimation of differential delay based on if the neighboring cell and serving cell are served by different or same satellite). Page 2, Observation 4, lines 11-13, “After detecting a cell and receiving relevant system information which may include ephemeris information. Based on knowledge of its own position/speed and the satellite orbit trajectory, both the doppler and the delay RTT may be predicted”. Page 5, lines 16-17, “Estimate difference of timing and frequency (doppler) between serving cell SSBs and neighbor cell SSBs, which is a function of UE position and ephemeris data of the serving / neighbor satellites” (discloses it is critical to synchronize transmission of serving and neighbor cells on different satellites, so that the UE can estimate the differential delay and so determine a suitable time window, for example to search for neighbor SSBs. So, knowledge of whether they are served by same or different satellite and ephemeris information is key to determine a search window, RTT measurement and Dopler estimates)).
In re claim 32, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 31, wherein Ericsson discloses wherein, when coverages of said cell and of the neighboring cell are provided by different satellites, the determining of the Doppler shift estimate for the neighboring cell is further based on whether the different satellites are in the same orbit or not (Page 2, Observation 4, lines 11-15, “After detecting a cell and receiving relevant system information which may include ephemeris information. Based on knowledge of its own position/speed and the satellite orbit trajectory, both the doppler and the delay RTT may be predicted. The signaling of ephemeris data is an active topic of discussion in other WG, and a full understanding is not yet available, for example of the extent to which the UE is aware of neighbor satellite ephemeris” (discloses that Doppler shift is based on satellite orbit trajectory of the satellites covering the serving and neighboring cells. Knowledge of ephemeris of serving and neighbor cell is key to accurately calculating Doppler shift)).
In re claim 33, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 31, wherein Chuang discloses wherein, when coverages of said cell and the neighboring cell are provided by the same satellite, then the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the same as the ephemeris corresponding to said cell (Fig. 3, [0030], “As an example, a flag beamTierInTrajectory provided for a neighbor cell may indicate a value of 1 in case it is the next beam according to the trajectory of satellite or UAS platform 130 or, alternatively, a value of 2 in case it is the beam after this, and so on. Beams that are not in the trajectory of satellite or UAS platform 130 following the serving beam may be assigned a special value for such a flag or, alternatively, may not be configured with the flag at all”. [0031], “The information indicated may include, for example and without limitation, satellite ephemeris (e.g., trajectory and beam layout), beam center location of the serving beam, beam center location of the next beam(s) in the first tier, and beam center location of the next beam(s) in the second tier” (Chuang discloses serving cell and neighboring cell served by same satellite. So same ephemeris as ephemeris is satellite information)).
Claims 26, 29, 34 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200313755 A1 (Chuang et al.) (hereinafter Chuang) in view of WO 2021066696 A1 (EULER et al.) (hereinafter EULER) in view of Ericsson: "NTN impact on RRM", 3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 Meeting #97-e, R4-2016037, Agenda: 12.8.4, Ericsson, November 2-13, 2020, pp. 1-12 (hereinafter Ericsson) and in further view of US 20250159566 A1 (Deenoo et al.) (hereinafter Deenoo).
In re claims 26 and 29, the combination discloses the apparatus according to claim 25 and the method according to claim 28, but does not explicitly disclose the method further comprising: determining Doppler shift estimate for at least one of said at least one neighboring cell by reusing the ephemeris corresponding to the cell or by applying an offset to the ephemeris corresponding to the cell, based on the received information indicating respective ephemeris.
Deenoo discloses the method further comprising: determining Doppler shift estimate for at least one of said at least one neighboring cell by reusing the ephemeris corresponding to the cell or by applying an offset to the ephemeris corresponding to the cell, based on the received information indicating respective ephemeris (Fig. 9, Fig. 5, “received information can be like cells 1 and 2 having different satellites and same orbit. This scenario would use an offset to the ephemeris of the serving cell to calculate doppler shift for neighboring cell. [0148], “For example, should a WTRU detect the ephemeris data of one or more satellites, an approximate distance to the satellite may be estimated via the timing advance and may be refined with consideration of the Doppler offset which may indicate to the WTRU whether the satellite is moving towards, or receding from, the WTRU”. [0137], “For example, the WTRU may determine an explicit indication of the change in timing advance, Doppler shift or transmission power. This function is readily applicable in a case where the gateway is changed, but the satellite itself is not changed. This function may also be used where the network has approximate knowledge of the WTRU position. To support this function, a WTRU may report its location to the network periodically or when the location has changed by more than a certain distance since the last report. In another example, the WTRU may determine geographic information for the source and target satellite at an activation time using ephemeris data. Such information may be used in combination with the WTRU position to accurately determine the required parameter, for example, a timing advanced offset”. [0138], “In another embodiment, the WTRU may pre-calculate the expected offset via satellite ephemeris data and data regarding the location of the TGW” (As the satellites are on the same orbit, it is also implicit that the position of the neighbor satellites shift from a certain offset)).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of CHUANG, EULER and Ericsson with Deenoo to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claim 34, the combination of Chuang, EULER and Ericsson discloses the apparatus according to claim 32, but does not explicitly disclose when coverage of said cell and the neighboring cell are provided by different satellites on the same orbit, then the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the ephemeris corresponding to said cell modified with an offset related to orbital inter-satellite distance.
Deenoo discloses when coverage of said cell and the neighboring cell are provided by different satellites on the same orbit, then the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the ephemeris corresponding to said cell modified with an offset related to orbital inter-satellite distance (Fig. 5, “for example, cell 1 and cell 2 are neighboring cells served by different satellites and can have same orbit”. Fig. 9 for offset, [0148], “For example, should a WTRU detect the ephemeris data of one or more satellites, an approximate distance to the satellite may be estimated via the timing advance and may be refined with consideration of the Doppler offset which may indicate to the WTRU whether the satellite is moving towards, or receding from, the WTRU”. [0137], “For example, the WTRU may determine an explicit indication of the change in timing advance, Doppler shift or transmission power. This function is readily applicable in a case where the gateway is changed, but the satellite itself is not changed. This function may also be used where the network has approximate knowledge of the WTRU position. To support this function, a WTRU may report its location to the network periodically or when the location has changed by more than a certain distance since the last report. In another example, the WTRU may determine geographic information for the source and target satellite at an activation time using ephemeris data. Such information may be used in combination with the WTRU position to accurately determine the required parameter, for example, a timing advanced offset”. [0138], “In another embodiment, the WTRU may pre-calculate the expected offset via satellite ephemeris data and data regarding the location of the TGW” (As the satellites are on the same orbit, it is also implicit that the position of the neighbor satellites shift from a certain offset).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of CHUANG, EULER and Ericsson with Deenoo to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
In re claim 35, the combination of Chuang, EULER and Ericsson discloses the apparatus according to claim 32, but does not explicitly disclose when coverage of said cell and the neighboring cell are provided by different satellites on different orbits, then the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell.
Deenoo discloses when coverage of said cell and the neighboring cell are provided by different satellites on different orbits (Fig. 5, “cell 2 covered by satellite 2 at T1 and then covered by satellite 1 at time T2, the two satellites at different time can have different orbits”), then the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell (If satellites are in different orbits, then no offset as offset is applied when different satellites same orbit and ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell is the ephemeris corresponding to the neighboring cell as different satellite so it will have its own orbital information).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of CHUANG, EULER and Ericsson with Deenoo to enable a UE to compensate for Doppler shift and reduce the initial search time for a satellite signal in a non-terrestrial network. The advantage of doing so is reducing UE energy consumption and improving user access to 3GPP services provided by an NTN.
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/SWATI JAIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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