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 .
Response to Amendment
This is in response to an amendment/response/communication filed 1/15/2024.
Claim(s) 1-38 has/have been cancelled.
Claims(s) 39-56 has/have been added.
Claims(s) 39-56 is/are currently pending.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 1/15/2024. These drawings are accepted.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claim(s) 39-44 and 50 is/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 39 recites the limitation "on the random access channel opportunity", as noted in lines 12-13. It is unclear what "on the random access channel opportunity" is referring to, therefore the claim is indefinite. For the purpose of furthering prosecution, the limitation is being interpreted as "on the random access channel opportunities".
Claim 50 notes “configure a user equipment in a sector of the apparatus and another user equipment in a sector”, where it is unclear what the second “a sector” is referring to, whether the same sector or a different sector, therefore the claim is indefinite. For the purpose of furthering prosecution, the second “a sector” is considered as “the sector”.
Claim(s) 40-44 is/are rejected based upon a rejected parent claim.
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.
Claim(s) 39, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 51, 55 and 56 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”).
As to claim 39:
Abedini et al. discloses:
An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory comprising computer program code,
the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus at least to
receive information on an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks from a network element;
(“FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example beam sweep configuration of an MMW repeater, such as a relay BS 110d, by a gNB, such as macro BS 110a, in a 5G network for supporting RACH procedures using NR. With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the gNB may generate and send a RACH configuration message to the MMW repeater indicating a TX beam form 505 and a RX beam form 515 to use during RACH procedures. The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1.”; Abedini et al.; 0097)
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc.” maps to “receive information on an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks from a network element”, “send” maps to “receive”, “configuration” maps to “information”, “indicate the periods” maps to “an allocation of”, “SSBs” maps to “a plurality of synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”,
receive one or more synchronization signal blocks from the network element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities;
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1” maps to “receive one or more synchronization signal blocks from the network element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities”, where “SSBs” maps to “one or more synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”, “ROs” maps to “random access channel opportunities”, “associate…corresponding” maps to “corresponding”
repeat the one or more synchronization signal blocks in specific angular directions;
(“TX beam forms 502, 503 and 504”/FIG. 5 illustrates “repeat the one or more synchronization signal blocks in specific angular directions”
configure a correct synchronization signal block beam at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity; and
(“During RACH procedures, the gNB may transmit SI using different TX beam forms 502, 503, and 504 during respective SSBs, SS0, SS1, SSN−1, etc., and may receive (or listen for) RACH messages, such as RACH message 1, using different RX beam forms 512, 513, 514, etc. The MMW repeater may relay SI from the gNB by transmitting any received SI from the gNB using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN−1, thereby relaying such SI using TX beam form 505 as specified in the RACH configuration message. Similarly, the MMW repeater may relay any RACH message 1 received from a UE computing device by using a RX beam 515 to receive (or listen for) any RACH message is during the RO RON−1.”; Abedni et al.; 0098)
(where
“The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1”/”The MMW repeater may relay SI from the gNB by transmitting any received SI from the gNB using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN−1, thereby relaying such SI using TX beam form 505 as specified in the RACH configuration message”/FIG. 5 maps to “configure a correct synchronization signal block beam at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity”, where “configuration message” maps to “configure”, “TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN-1”/”using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN-1, thereby relaying” maps to “a correct synchronization signal block beam”, FIG. 5 illustrates “at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity”, as the “TX beam form 505” is illustrated in FIG. 5 with respect to the ROs.
receive from the network element, an indication of which user equipment …of a repeater element … which random access channel opportunities.
(“In block 711, the processor may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with a UE computing device. In various embodiments, the indication may be received from the gNB via a control interface, such as via in-band and/or out-of-band interfaces.
[0119] In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB, the MMW repeater may relay the MSG 4 from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. For example, the MMW repeater may control one or more antennas to send an MSG 4 received from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam.”; Abedini et al.; 0118-0119)
(“In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above Layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signaling connection between the computing device 320 and the base station 350.”; Abedini et al.; 0084)
(where
“In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element, an indication of which user equipment”, where “receiving a MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element”, “receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device” maps to “an indication of which user equipment”, “MMW repeater” maps to “of a repeater element”, where the “MMW repeater” receives the “suitable beam” and has previously received information associating “RX beam” with a “specific RO” and FIG 5. Illustrates the TX beams as having the same timing/angle as the RX beams, therefore the “MMW repeater” has the information to determine “which random access channel opportunities”
Abedini et al. teaches communication of a RACH configuration message to MMW repeater where the RACH configuration information includes SSB allocation information and RO allocation, where based on the SSB/RO/RACH communications, the gNB determines and communicates a suitable beam for the MMW repeater to use for communicating with a UE, where the suitable beam information is associated with a RO.
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
within a sector
has connected on
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/connection capability which includes:
within a sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
has connected on
(“When the repeater device 3104 and the UE 3106 have all relevant information, either or both may enter into a contention-based random access procedure. An existing RACH procedure may be known as a 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120. To begin, the UE 3106 may transmit a contention-based PRACH preamble, also known as Msg1 3124. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 responds with a random-access response (RAR), also known as Msg2 3128. The RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the UE 3106. The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution. The Msg3 3130 may also be known as an RRC connection request. Upon receiving Msg3 3130, the network access node 3102 transmits the contention resolution message, also known as Msg4 3132, with the contention resolution ID. The UE 3106 receives Msg4 3132, and if the UE 3106 finds its contention-resolution ID it sends an acknowledgement on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), which completes the 4-step random access procedure.”; Abedini et al.; 0370)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(where
“MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4”/”The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution.”/”Msg3 RRC Connect Request”/”3130”/FIG. 31 maps to “has connected on”
Abedini2 teaches a user equipment sending a Msg3 rrc connect request to a network access node, the network access node then sends a MsgB RA Response to a repeater, where the MsgB RA Response includes content-resolution ID.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/connection capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/connection capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 43:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“Furthermore, entering into the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 is optional for the repeater device 3104 (as denoted by the dashed lines for the repeater device 3104 Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble and the dashed lines for the network access node 3102 Msg2 3126 RAR. The repeater device 3104 may, however, find the first two steps of the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 useful for exchanging information with the network access node 3102. For example, the repeater device 3104 may use the Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble to convey information up to the network access node 3102 and the network access node 3102 may use the Msg2 3126 RAR to convey information down to the repeater device 3104. To begin, the UE 3106 may optionally transmit a Msg1 3124 PRACH preamble to the network access node 3102. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 may respond with a Msg2 3126 RAR. The Msg2 3126 RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the repeater device 3104; however, if provided the repeater device 3104 may not use the uplink grant.”; Abedini et al.; 0372)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(“In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 3204 may include random access channel (RACH) processing circuitry 3246 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies a direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. In some examples, the RACH processing circuitry 3246 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs processes related to transmitting the predetermined RACH preamble associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in the RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. The RACH processing circuitry 3246 may further be configured to execute RACH processing software 3256 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.”; Abedini et al.; 0383)
(“Some aspects described herein may relate to identifying a wireless communication repeater device to one or more nodes (e.g., devices). According to some aspects, the repeater device and the network access node may use initial signaling (e.g., Msg1-Msg4 or MsgA-MsgB) to provide a repeater device identification to the network access node. Furthermore, the network access node and a core network node may use signaling to provide the repeater device identification to the core network node.”; Abedini et al.; 0427)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 44:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
perform, using the one or more synchronization signal blocks, a synchronization signal block sweep within a sector covered by the repeater element.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ssb/sweep capability which includes:
perform, using the one or more synchronization signal blocks, a synchronization signal block sweep within a sector covered by the repeater element.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to generate and transmit downlink beamformed signals at a mmWave frequency or a sub-6 GHz frequency via the transceiver 2510 and the antenna array 2520. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may be configured to transmit a respective downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) on each of a plurality of downlink beams to the repeater device during a downlink beam sweep via at least one first antenna panel of the antenna array 2520. The communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to receive a beam measurement report from the repeater device.”; Abedini et al.; 0291)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ssb/sweep capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ssb/sweep capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 45:
Abedini et al. discloses:
An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory comprising computer program code,
the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus at least to
inform a repeater element of an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks;
(“FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example beam sweep configuration of an MMW repeater, such as a relay BS 110d, by a gNB, such as macro BS 110a, in a 5G network for supporting RACH procedures using NR. With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the gNB may generate and send a RACH configuration message to the MMW repeater indicating a TX beam form 505 and a RX beam form 515 to use during RACH procedures. The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1.”; Abedini et al.; 0097)
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc.” maps to “receive information on an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks from a network element”, “send” maps to “receive”, “configuration” maps to “information”, “indicate the periods” maps to “an allocation of”, “SSBs” maps to “a plurality of synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”,
transmit one or more synchronization signal blocks to a repeater element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities; and
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1” maps to “receive one or more synchronization signal blocks from the network element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities”, where “SSBs” maps to “one or more synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”, “ROs” maps to “random access channel opportunities”, “associate…corresponding” maps to “corresponding”
inform the repeater element of which user equipment …of the repeater element …the random access channel opportunities.
(“In block 711, the processor may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with a UE computing device. In various embodiments, the indication may be received from the gNB via a control interface, such as via in-band and/or out-of-band interfaces.
[0119] In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB, the MMW repeater may relay the MSG 4 from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. For example, the MMW repeater may control one or more antennas to send an MSG 4 received from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam.”; Abedini et al.; 0118-0119)
(“In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above Layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signaling connection between the computing device 320 and the base station 350.”; Abedini et al.; 0084)
(where
“In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element, an indication of which user equipment”, where “receiving a MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element”, “receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device” maps to “an indication of which user equipment”, “MMW repeater” maps to “of a repeater element”, where the “MMW repeater” receives the “suitable beam” and has previously received information associating “RX beam” with a “specific RO” and FIG 5. Illustrates the TX beams as having the same timing/angle as the RX beams, therefore the “MMW repeater” has the information to determine “which random access channel opportunities”
Abedini et al. teaches communication of a RACH configuration message to MMW repeater where the RACH configuration information includes SSB allocation information and RO allocation, where based on the SSB/RO/RACH communications, the gNB determines and communicates a suitable beam for the MMW repeater to use for communicating with a UE, where the suitable beam information is associated with a RO.
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
within a sector
has connected on
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/connection capability which includes:
within a sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
has connected on
(“When the repeater device 3104 and the UE 3106 have all relevant information, either or both may enter into a contention-based random access procedure. An existing RACH procedure may be known as a 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120. To begin, the UE 3106 may transmit a contention-based PRACH preamble, also known as Msg1 3124. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 responds with a random-access response (RAR), also known as Msg2 3128. The RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the UE 3106. The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution. The Msg3 3130 may also be known as an RRC connection request. Upon receiving Msg3 3130, the network access node 3102 transmits the contention resolution message, also known as Msg4 3132, with the contention resolution ID. The UE 3106 receives Msg4 3132, and if the UE 3106 finds its contention-resolution ID it sends an acknowledgement on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), which completes the 4-step random access procedure.”; Abedini et al.; 0370)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(where
“MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4”/”The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution.”/”Msg3 RRC Connect Request”/”3130”/FIG. 31 maps to “has connected on”
Abedini2 teaches a user equipment sending a Msg3 rrc connect request to a network access node, the network access node then sends a MsgB RA Response to a repeater, where the MsgB RA Response includes content-resolution ID.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/connection capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/connection capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 47:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“Furthermore, entering into the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 is optional for the repeater device 3104 (as denoted by the dashed lines for the repeater device 3104 Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble and the dashed lines for the network access node 3102 Msg2 3126 RAR. The repeater device 3104 may, however, find the first two steps of the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 useful for exchanging information with the network access node 3102. For example, the repeater device 3104 may use the Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble to convey information up to the network access node 3102 and the network access node 3102 may use the Msg2 3126 RAR to convey information down to the repeater device 3104. To begin, the UE 3106 may optionally transmit a Msg1 3124 PRACH preamble to the network access node 3102. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 may respond with a Msg2 3126 RAR. The Msg2 3126 RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the repeater device 3104; however, if provided the repeater device 3104 may not use the uplink grant.”; Abedini et al.; 0372)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(“In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 3204 may include random access channel (RACH) processing circuitry 3246 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies a direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. In some examples, the RACH processing circuitry 3246 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs processes related to transmitting the predetermined RACH preamble associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in the RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. The RACH processing circuitry 3246 may further be configured to execute RACH processing software 3256 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.”; Abedini et al.; 0383)
(“Some aspects described herein may relate to identifying a wireless communication repeater device to one or more nodes (e.g., devices). According to some aspects, the repeater device and the network access node may use initial signaling (e.g., Msg1-Msg4 or MsgA-MsgB) to provide a repeater device identification to the network access node. Furthermore, the network access node and a core network node may use signaling to provide the repeater device identification to the core network node.”; Abedini et al.; 0427)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 48:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
inform the repeater element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble at the random access channel opportunities.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability which includes:
inform the repeater element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble at the random access channel opportunities.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“Furthermore, entering into the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 is optional for the repeater device 3104 (as denoted by the dashed lines for the repeater device 3104 Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble and the dashed lines for the network access node 3102 Msg2 3126 RAR. The repeater device 3104 may, however, find the first two steps of the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 useful for exchanging information with the network access node 3102. For example, the repeater device 3104 may use the Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble to convey information up to the network access node 3102 and the network access node 3102 may use the Msg2 3126 RAR to convey information down to the repeater device 3104. To begin, the UE 3106 may optionally transmit a Msg1 3124 PRACH preamble to the network access node 3102. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 may respond with a Msg2 3126 RAR. The Msg2 3126 RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the repeater device 3104; however, if provided the repeater device 3104 may not use the uplink grant.”; Abedini et al.; 0372)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(“In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 3204 may include random access channel (RACH) processing circuitry 3246 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies a direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. In some examples, the RACH processing circuitry 3246 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs processes related to transmitting the predetermined RACH preamble associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in the RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. The RACH processing circuitry 3246 may further be configured to execute RACH processing software 3256 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.”; Abedini et al.; 0383)
(“Some aspects described herein may relate to identifying a wireless communication repeater device to one or more nodes (e.g., devices). According to some aspects, the repeater device and the network access node may use initial signaling (e.g., Msg1-Msg4 or MsgA-MsgB) to provide a repeater device identification to the network access node. Furthermore, the network access node and a core network node may use signaling to provide the repeater device identification to the core network node.”; Abedini et al.; 0427)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 51:
Abedini et al. discloses:
A method, comprising:
receive information on an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks from a network element;
(“FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example beam sweep configuration of an MMW repeater, such as a relay BS 110d, by a gNB, such as macro BS 110a, in a 5G network for supporting RACH procedures using NR. With reference to FIGS. 1-5, the gNB may generate and send a RACH configuration message to the MMW repeater indicating a TX beam form 505 and a RX beam form 515 to use during RACH procedures. The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1.”; Abedini et al.; 0097)
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc.” maps to “receive information on an allocation of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks from a network element”, “send” maps to “receive”, “configuration” maps to “information”, “indicate the periods” maps to “an allocation of”, “SSBs” maps to “a plurality of synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”,
receive one or more synchronization signal blocks from the network element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities;
(where
“The RACH configuration message may be sent over a control interface, such as an in-band interface or an out-of-band interface, between the gNB and MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate the number “N” SSBs in use by the gNB, may indicate the periods of the SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., may indicate the number “N” of ROs in use by the gNB, and may indicate the periods of the ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may associate SSBs, such as SS0, SS1, through SSN−1, etc., with corresponding ROs, such as RO0, RO1, through RON−1, etc. The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1. The RACH configuration message may indicate the RX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific RO, such as RX beam form 515 during RO RON−1” maps to “receive one or more synchronization signal blocks from the network element, wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with corresponding random access channel opportunities”, where “SSBs” maps to “one or more synchronization signal blocks”, “gNB” maps to “network element”, “ROs” maps to “random access channel opportunities”, “associate…corresponding” maps to “corresponding”
repeat the one or more synchronization signal blocks in specific angular directions;
(“TX beam forms 502, 503 and 504”/FIG. 5 illustrates “repeat the one or more synchronization signal blocks in specific angular directions”
configure a correct synchronization signal block beam at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity; and
(“During RACH procedures, the gNB may transmit SI using different TX beam forms 502, 503, and 504 during respective SSBs, SS0, SS1, SSN−1, etc., and may receive (or listen for) RACH messages, such as RACH message 1, using different RX beam forms 512, 513, 514, etc. The MMW repeater may relay SI from the gNB by transmitting any received SI from the gNB using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN−1, thereby relaying such SI using TX beam form 505 as specified in the RACH configuration message. Similarly, the MMW repeater may relay any RACH message 1 received from a UE computing device by using a RX beam 515 to receive (or listen for) any RACH message is during the RO RON−1.”; Abedni et al.; 0098)
(where
“The RACH configuration message may indicate the TX beam form the MMW repeater is to use during a specific SSB, such as TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN−1”/”The MMW repeater may relay SI from the gNB by transmitting any received SI from the gNB using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN−1, thereby relaying such SI using TX beam form 505 as specified in the RACH configuration message”/FIG. 5 maps to “configure a correct synchronization signal block beam at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity”, where “configuration message” maps to “configure”, “TX beam form 505 during SSB SSN-1”/”using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN-1, thereby relaying” maps to “a correct synchronization signal block beam”, FIG. 5 illustrates “at a correct time based on the random access channel opportunity”, as the “TX beam form 505” is illustrated in FIG. 5 with respect to the ROs.
receive from the network element, an indication of which user equipment …of a repeater element … which random access channel opportunities.
(“In block 711, the processor may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with a UE computing device. In various embodiments, the indication may be received from the gNB via a control interface, such as via in-band and/or out-of-band interfaces.
[0119] In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB, the MMW repeater may relay the MSG 4 from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. For example, the MMW repeater may control one or more antennas to send an MSG 4 received from the gNB to the UE computing device using the suitable beam.”; Abedini et al.; 0118-0119)
(“In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above Layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signaling connection between the computing device 320 and the base station 350.”; Abedini et al.; 0084)
(where
“In block 712, the processor may relay an MSG 4 to the UE computing device using the suitable beam. In various embodiments, the MMW repeater may receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device. In response to receiving an MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element, an indication of which user equipment”, where “receiving a MSG 4 from a gNB” maps to “receive from the network element”, “receive an indication of a suitable beam for communicating with the UE computing device” maps to “an indication of which user equipment”, “MMW repeater” maps to “of a repeater element”, where the “MMW repeater” receives the “suitable beam” and has previously received information associating “RX beam” with a “specific RO” and FIG 5. Illustrates the TX beams as having the same timing/angle as the RX beams, therefore the “MMW repeater” has the information to determine “which random access channel opportunities”
Abedini et al. teaches communication of a RACH configuration message to MMW repeater where the RACH configuration information includes SSB allocation information and RO allocation, where based on the SSB/RO/RACH communications, the gNB determines and communicates a suitable beam for the MMW repeater to use for communicating with a UE, where the suitable beam information is associated with a RO.
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
within a sector
has connected on
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/connection capability which includes:
within a sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
has connected on
(“When the repeater device 3104 and the UE 3106 have all relevant information, either or both may enter into a contention-based random access procedure. An existing RACH procedure may be known as a 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120. To begin, the UE 3106 may transmit a contention-based PRACH preamble, also known as Msg1 3124. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 responds with a random-access response (RAR), also known as Msg2 3128. The RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the UE 3106. The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution. The Msg3 3130 may also be known as an RRC connection request. Upon receiving Msg3 3130, the network access node 3102 transmits the contention resolution message, also known as Msg4 3132, with the contention resolution ID. The UE 3106 receives Msg4 3132, and if the UE 3106 finds its contention-resolution ID it sends an acknowledgement on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), which completes the 4-step random access procedure.”; Abedini et al.; 0370)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(where
“MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4”/”The UE transmits Msg3 3130 in response to the Msg 2 3128 RAR including an ID for contention resolution.”/”Msg3 RRC Connect Request”/”3130”/FIG. 31 maps to “has connected on”
Abedini2 teaches a user equipment sending a Msg3 rrc connect request to a network access node, the network access node then sends a MsgB RA Response to a repeater, where the MsgB RA Response includes content-resolution ID.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/connection capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/connection capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 55:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has transmitted a preamble allocated to a specific synchronization signal block for initial access.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“Furthermore, entering into the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 is optional for the repeater device 3104 (as denoted by the dashed lines for the repeater device 3104 Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble and the dashed lines for the network access node 3102 Msg2 3126 RAR. The repeater device 3104 may, however, find the first two steps of the 4-step contention based RACH procedure 3120 useful for exchanging information with the network access node 3102. For example, the repeater device 3104 may use the Msg1 3122 PRACH preamble to convey information up to the network access node 3102 and the network access node 3102 may use the Msg2 3126 RAR to convey information down to the repeater device 3104. To begin, the UE 3106 may optionally transmit a Msg1 3124 PRACH preamble to the network access node 3102. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 may respond with a Msg2 3126 RAR. The Msg2 3126 RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a time-advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling a PUSCH transmission from the repeater device 3104; however, if provided the repeater device 3104 may not use the uplink grant.”; Abedini et al.; 0372)
(“The repeater device 3104 may optionally transmit a MsgA 3142 up to the network access node 3102. The MsgA 3142 may include the PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit a MsgA 3144 up to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the repeater device 3104 with a MsgB 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with a MsgB 3148. The MsgB 3146, 3148 may include content previously associated with Msg2 and Msg4.”; Abedini et al.; 0374)
(“In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 3204 may include random access channel (RACH) processing circuitry 3246 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies a direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. In some examples, the RACH processing circuitry 3246 may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs processes related to transmitting the predetermined RACH preamble associated with the synchronization signal block (SSB) that identifies the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node may convey information to the repeater device in the RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of respective information preestablished to convey the respective information from the repeater device to the network access node. In still further examples, the repeater device may determine an identity of the respective information to be conveyed to the network access node by selection of one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. The RACH processing circuitry 3246 may further be configured to execute RACH processing software 3256 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.”; Abedini et al.; 0383)
(“Some aspects described herein may relate to identifying a wireless communication repeater device to one or more nodes (e.g., devices). According to some aspects, the repeater device and the network access node may use initial signaling (e.g., Msg1-Msg4 or MsgA-MsgB) to provide a repeater device identification to the network access node. Furthermore, the network access node and a core network node may use signaling to provide the repeater device identification to the core network node.”; Abedini et al.; 0427)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ID/initial/SSB/pramble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
As to claim 56:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
perform, using the one or more synchronization signal blocks, a synchronization signal block sweep within a sector covered by the repeater element.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector/ssb/sweep capability which includes:
perform, using the one or more synchronization signal blocks, a synchronization signal block sweep within a sector covered by the repeater element.
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(“In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to generate and transmit downlink beamformed signals at a mmWave frequency or a sub-6 GHz frequency via the transceiver 2510 and the antenna array 2520. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may be configured to transmit a respective downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) on each of a plurality of downlink beams to the repeater device during a downlink beam sweep via at least one first antenna panel of the antenna array 2520. The communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to receive a beam measurement report from the repeater device.”; Abedini et al.; 0291)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector/ssb/sweep capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector/ssb/sweep capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
Claim(s) 40 and 52 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”) and in further view of Sampath et al. US 20210067237.
As to claim 40:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive a preamble from a user equipment based on the correct synchronization signal block beam,
wherein the preamble is received at a specific resource allocated for the random access channel opportunities.
However, Sampath et al. further teaches a RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability which includes:
receive a preamble from a user equipment based on the correct synchronization signal block beam,
wherein the preamble is received at a specific resource allocated for the random access channel opportunities.
(“[0116] As per a normal RACH operation, the UE may select the SSB whose SS RSRP was adequate and transmit a RACH preamble in the RACH occasion corresponding to that SSB. The repeater may maintain the correspondence of its beam(s) with that of the gNB's. For example, if the repeater used Rx beam m on the link between the repeater and the gNB and transmitted on Tx beam n, for SS burst k, then, for the corresponding RACH occasion, the repeater will receive the RACH on Rx beam n and transmit (relay the RACH) on Tx beam m to the gNB.”; Sampath et ah.; 0116)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability of Islam et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Islam et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved coverage (Sampath et al.; 0077) are achieved.
As to claim 52:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive a preamble from a user equipment based on the correct synchronization signal block beam,
wherein the preamble is received at a specific resource allocated for the random access channel opportunities.
However, Sampath et al. further teaches a RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability which includes:
receive a preamble from a user equipment based on the correct synchronization signal block beam,
wherein the preamble is received at a specific resource allocated for the random access channel opportunities.
(“[0116] As per a normal RACH operation, the UE may select the SSB whose SS RSRP was adequate and transmit a RACH preamble in the RACH occasion corresponding to that SSB. The repeater may maintain the correspondence of its beam(s) with that of the gNB's. For example, if the repeater used Rx beam m on the link between the repeater and the gNB and transmitted on Tx beam n, for SS burst k, then, for the corresponding RACH occasion, the repeater will receive the RACH on Rx beam n and transmit (relay the RACH) on Tx beam m to the gNB.”; Sampath et ah.; 0116)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability of Islam et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RACH occasion/SSB/preamble capability as taught by the processing/communications of Islam et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved coverage (Sampath et al.; 0077) are achieved.
Claim(s) 41 and 53 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”) and in further view of Islam et al. US 20190159258.
As to claim 41:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with a set of allocated preambles.
However, Islam et al. further teaches a SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability which includes:
wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with a set of allocated preambles.
(“At 1130, the method 1100 includes designating a mapping rule between the number of transmitted SS-blocks to PRACH resources or preamble indices within the PRACH configuration period, wherein the mapping rule assigns different SS-blocks to PRACH resources or PRACH indices for different groups of user equipment. In an aspect, for example, the base station 105 may execute the RACH component 170 to designate the mapping rule 156 between the number of transmitted SS-blocks 420 to PRACH resources 444 or PRACH preambles within the RACH configuration period. The mapping rule 156 may assign different SS-blocks 420 to PRACH resources 444 or PRACH preamble indices for different groups of user equipment 110. The mapping may assign different ratios of SS-blocks to PRACH resources to the different groups of user equipment. For example, the mapping may assign a first number of preamble subsets per RACH resource for one group of UEs and a different second number of preamble subsets per RAC resource for a different group of UEs. The different groups of user equipment may be based on user equipment categories. Example UE categories may include relays, drone UEs, mobile phones, tablets, or wireless hubs.”; Islam et al.; 0104)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability of Islam et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability as taught by the processing/communications of Islam et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved efficiency (Islam et al.; 00039) are achieved.
As to claim 53:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with a set of allocated preambles.
However, Islam et al. further teaches a SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability which includes:
wherein the one or more synchronization signal blocks are configured with a set of allocated preambles.
(“At 1130, the method 1100 includes designating a mapping rule between the number of transmitted SS-blocks to PRACH resources or preamble indices within the PRACH configuration period, wherein the mapping rule assigns different SS-blocks to PRACH resources or PRACH indices for different groups of user equipment. In an aspect, for example, the base station 105 may execute the RACH component 170 to designate the mapping rule 156 between the number of transmitted SS-blocks 420 to PRACH resources 444 or PRACH preambles within the RACH configuration period. The mapping rule 156 may assign different SS-blocks 420 to PRACH resources 444 or PRACH preamble indices for different groups of user equipment 110. The mapping may assign different ratios of SS-blocks to PRACH resources to the different groups of user equipment. For example, the mapping may assign a first number of preamble subsets per RACH resource for one group of UEs and a different second number of preamble subsets per RAC resource for a different group of UEs. The different groups of user equipment may be based on user equipment categories. Example UE categories may include relays, drone UEs, mobile phones, tablets, or wireless hubs.”; Islam et al.; 0104)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability of Islam et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the SS-blocks/preamble mapping capability as taught by the processing/communications of Islam et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved efficiency (Islam et al.; 00039) are achieved.
Claim(s) 42, 46 and 54 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”) and in further view of Yang et al. US 20240063867.
As to claim 42:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector capability which includes:
sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
However, Yang et al. further teaches a RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
(“In some aspects, the BS 105 may switch between the relay 320 and 330 for DL communication with the UE 115, for example, as the channel condition varies. As an example, at a certain period of time, the link 325 (via the relay 320) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 335 (via the relay 330), and thus the BS 105 may select the relay 320 for communication with UE 115. At a later time period, the link 335 (via the relay 330) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 325 (via the relay 320), and thus the BS 105 may switch back to the relay 330 for communication with UE 115. Accordingly, the BS 105 may select a most suitable link for communication with the UE 115 at any given time adapting to channel conditions.”; 0076)
(“At action 422, UE 115 may perform channel measurement based on the reference signals received from relays 320 and 330. The UE 115 may determine an RSRP and/or SINR indicating the channel quality of the link between the UE 115 and each relay 320 and 330. The UE may also determine a CRI and/or and SSB-idx associated with the channel measurements. For instance, when a DL reference signal is a CSI-RS, CRI may indicate which resource of the one or more resources a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, different resources of the one or more resources may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit a CSI-RS (DL reference signal) in a certain resource using a certain transmission beam. Alternatively, when a DL reference signal is an SSB, an SSB-idx may indicate which SSB a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, SSBs with different SSB indices may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit an SSB with a certain SSB-idx using a certain transmission beam. Accordingly, the CRI and/or SSB-idx can indicate the best DL beam for each relay 320 and 330.”; Yang et al.; 0070)
(“At action 402, BS 105 may establish a connection (e.g., an RRC connection) with UE 115 via relay 330. For example, UE 115 may be outside or near the boundary of the coverage area of BS 105, and relay 330 may be between BS 105 and UE 115.”; Yang et al.; 0065)
(“Communication between wireless communication devices, for example, a user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS) may be aided by one or more additional wireless communication devices, which may act as relays between the UE and the BS. Each relay may itself be a UE. For instance, in some situations, communication between a UE and a BS may be more reliable if routed through one or more relays positioned between the UE and the BS than if routed through a direct link between the UE and the BS. This may be the case, for example, if the UE is outside the coverage area of the BS, or close to the outer boundaries of the coverage area. A signal from the UE to BS may travel through a single relay (e.g., over two hops, one from the UE to the relay, and one from the relay to the BS), or through multiple relays, and vice versa. In some aspects, a UE may be positioned where it may be able to use more than one relay to communicate with a BS. In other words, there may be multiple links available to the UE, each link involving a different relay, or a different series of relays. In addition, multiple UEs may be able to share access to the same relay, which may cause the shared relay to combine data from the multiple UEs before transmitting the data to the BS (directly, or via additional relays). Similarly, the shared relay may need to break up combined data transmissions from the BS, and transmit the data intended for each UE to the intended UE. Combining and uncombining data from and for different UEs may increase resource utilization (e.g., power consumption) at a relay acting as intermediary between the UE and the BS. Aspects of the present disclosure may prevent the increase in resource consumption by enabling a BS and/or a UE to select a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) between them, based on the quality of the link(s) connecting the UE and BS to the relay(s). Selecting a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) may reduce the number of UEs connected to a given relay, preventing the increased resource consumption that may occur as the number of UEs connected to a relay increases.”; Yang et al.; 0031)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability of Yang et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability as taught by the processing/communications of Yang et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved relay selection (Yang et al.; Abstract) are achieved.
As to claim 46:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector capability which includes:
sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
However, Yang et al. further teaches a RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
(“In some aspects, the BS 105 may switch between the relay 320 and 330 for DL communication with the UE 115, for example, as the channel condition varies. As an example, at a certain period of time, the link 325 (via the relay 320) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 335 (via the relay 330), and thus the BS 105 may select the relay 320 for communication with UE 115. At a later time period, the link 335 (via the relay 330) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 325 (via the relay 320), and thus the BS 105 may switch back to the relay 330 for communication with UE 115. Accordingly, the BS 105 may select a most suitable link for communication with the UE 115 at any given time adapting to channel conditions.”; 0076)
(“At action 422, UE 115 may perform channel measurement based on the reference signals received from relays 320 and 330. The UE 115 may determine an RSRP and/or SINR indicating the channel quality of the link between the UE 115 and each relay 320 and 330. The UE may also determine a CRI and/or and SSB-idx associated with the channel measurements. For instance, when a DL reference signal is a CSI-RS, CRI may indicate which resource of the one or more resources a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, different resources of the one or more resources may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit a CSI-RS (DL reference signal) in a certain resource using a certain transmission beam. Alternatively, when a DL reference signal is an SSB, an SSB-idx may indicate which SSB a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, SSBs with different SSB indices may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit an SSB with a certain SSB-idx using a certain transmission beam. Accordingly, the CRI and/or SSB-idx can indicate the best DL beam for each relay 320 and 330.”; Yang et al.; 0070)
(“At action 402, BS 105 may establish a connection (e.g., an RRC connection) with UE 115 via relay 330. For example, UE 115 may be outside or near the boundary of the coverage area of BS 105, and relay 330 may be between BS 105 and UE 115.”; Yang et al.; 0065)
(“Communication between wireless communication devices, for example, a user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS) may be aided by one or more additional wireless communication devices, which may act as relays between the UE and the BS. Each relay may itself be a UE. For instance, in some situations, communication between a UE and a BS may be more reliable if routed through one or more relays positioned between the UE and the BS than if routed through a direct link between the UE and the BS. This may be the case, for example, if the UE is outside the coverage area of the BS, or close to the outer boundaries of the coverage area. A signal from the UE to BS may travel through a single relay (e.g., over two hops, one from the UE to the relay, and one from the relay to the BS), or through multiple relays, and vice versa. In some aspects, a UE may be positioned where it may be able to use more than one relay to communicate with a BS. In other words, there may be multiple links available to the UE, each link involving a different relay, or a different series of relays. In addition, multiple UEs may be able to share access to the same relay, which may cause the shared relay to combine data from the multiple UEs before transmitting the data to the BS (directly, or via additional relays). Similarly, the shared relay may need to break up combined data transmissions from the BS, and transmit the data intended for each UE to the intended UE. Combining and uncombining data from and for different UEs may increase resource utilization (e.g., power consumption) at a relay acting as intermediary between the UE and the BS. Aspects of the present disclosure may prevent the increase in resource consumption by enabling a BS and/or a UE to select a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) between them, based on the quality of the link(s) connecting the UE and BS to the relay(s). Selecting a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) may reduce the number of UEs connected to a given relay, preventing the increased resource consumption that may occur as the number of UEs connected to a relay increases.”; Yang et al.; 0031)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability of Yang et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability as taught by the processing/communications of Yang et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved relay selection (Yang et al.; Abstract) are achieved.
As to claim 54:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector capability which includes:
sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
However, Yang et al. further teaches a RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability which includes:
receive an indication from the network element of which user equipment in the repeater element sector has reported a synchronization signal block indicator for radio resource control based on at least one of a reference signal received power, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a signal-to-noise and interference ratio.
(“In some aspects, the BS 105 may switch between the relay 320 and 330 for DL communication with the UE 115, for example, as the channel condition varies. As an example, at a certain period of time, the link 325 (via the relay 320) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 335 (via the relay 330), and thus the BS 105 may select the relay 320 for communication with UE 115. At a later time period, the link 335 (via the relay 330) may provide a better channel quality (e.g., a higher RSRP, SNR, and/or SINR) than the link 325 (via the relay 320), and thus the BS 105 may switch back to the relay 330 for communication with UE 115. Accordingly, the BS 105 may select a most suitable link for communication with the UE 115 at any given time adapting to channel conditions.”; 0076)
(“At action 422, UE 115 may perform channel measurement based on the reference signals received from relays 320 and 330. The UE 115 may determine an RSRP and/or SINR indicating the channel quality of the link between the UE 115 and each relay 320 and 330. The UE may also determine a CRI and/or and SSB-idx associated with the channel measurements. For instance, when a DL reference signal is a CSI-RS, CRI may indicate which resource of the one or more resources a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, different resources of the one or more resources may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit a CSI-RS (DL reference signal) in a certain resource using a certain transmission beam. Alternatively, when a DL reference signal is an SSB, an SSB-idx may indicate which SSB a channel measurement corresponds to. Additionally, SSBs with different SSB indices may be associated with different beam directions. For example, each of the relay 320 or relay 330 may transmit an SSB with a certain SSB-idx using a certain transmission beam. Accordingly, the CRI and/or SSB-idx can indicate the best DL beam for each relay 320 and 330.”; Yang et al.; 0070)
(“At action 402, BS 105 may establish a connection (e.g., an RRC connection) with UE 115 via relay 330. For example, UE 115 may be outside or near the boundary of the coverage area of BS 105, and relay 330 may be between BS 105 and UE 115.”; Yang et al.; 0065)
(“Communication between wireless communication devices, for example, a user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS) may be aided by one or more additional wireless communication devices, which may act as relays between the UE and the BS. Each relay may itself be a UE. For instance, in some situations, communication between a UE and a BS may be more reliable if routed through one or more relays positioned between the UE and the BS than if routed through a direct link between the UE and the BS. This may be the case, for example, if the UE is outside the coverage area of the BS, or close to the outer boundaries of the coverage area. A signal from the UE to BS may travel through a single relay (e.g., over two hops, one from the UE to the relay, and one from the relay to the BS), or through multiple relays, and vice versa. In some aspects, a UE may be positioned where it may be able to use more than one relay to communicate with a BS. In other words, there may be multiple links available to the UE, each link involving a different relay, or a different series of relays. In addition, multiple UEs may be able to share access to the same relay, which may cause the shared relay to combine data from the multiple UEs before transmitting the data to the BS (directly, or via additional relays). Similarly, the shared relay may need to break up combined data transmissions from the BS, and transmit the data intended for each UE to the intended UE. Combining and uncombining data from and for different UEs may increase resource utilization (e.g., power consumption) at a relay acting as intermediary between the UE and the BS. Aspects of the present disclosure may prevent the increase in resource consumption by enabling a BS and/or a UE to select a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) between them, based on the quality of the link(s) connecting the UE and BS to the relay(s). Selecting a single relay (or a fewer number of relays) may reduce the number of UEs connected to a given relay, preventing the increased resource consumption that may occur as the number of UEs connected to a relay increases.”; Yang et al.; 0031)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability of Yang et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RSRP/SNR/SINR/SSB-idx/RRC/relay/UES/sharing capability as taught by the processing/communications of Yang et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved relay selection (Yang et al.; Abstract) are achieved.
Claim(s) 49 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”) and in further view of Abedini et al. US 20210235501 (hereinafter “Agbedini3”).
As to claim 49:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
configure a user equipment in a sector of the apparatus, via radio resource control, to use a predefined set of synchronization signal blocks for beam management.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector capability which includes:
sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
However, Abedini3 further teaches a RACH configuration/SI/broadcast/RRC capability which includes:
configure a user equipment in a … of the apparatus, via radio resource control, to use a predefined set of synchronization signal blocks for beam management.
(“In various embodiments, a network device (e.g., a gNB) may generate and send a RACH configuration message to an MMW repeater. The RACH configuration message may indicate two or more different RX beam sweep configurations for one or more ROs. In various embodiments, an MMW repeater may receive the RACH configuration message. The MMW repeater may use the RACH configuration message to control one or more RX antennas to perform RX beam sweeping during the one or more ROs to receive a RACH message 1 form UE computing device. In some embodiments, the RACH configuration message may indicate the format of the RACH message 1 to be used by the UE computing device. In some embodiments, the RACH configuration message may further indicate the RX beam the MMW repeater is to use for receiving the SSB from the network computing device (e.g., gNB) and/or one or more TX beams the MMW repeater is to use for sending any received RACH message 1 back to the network computing device (e.g., gNB). In this manner, the RACH configuration message may control the transmit and receipt between the MMW relay and any UE computing devices along with the transmit and receipt between the MMW relay and the network computing device (e.g., gNB) itself In various embodiments, the RACH configuration message may be sent to the MMW repeater via a control interface between the network device (e.g., a gNB) and the MMW repeater. A control interface may be an out-of-band interface using a different radio technology than that used for RACH operations or a control interface may be an in-band interface using bandwidth of the same carrier frequency (e.g., bandwidth of MMW signals in a mmWave spectrum band) used for RACH operations.”; Abedini et al.; 0039)
(“During RACH procedures, the gNB may transmit SSBs and/or SI using different TX beam forms 502, 503, and 504 during respective SSBs, SS0, SS1, SSN-1, etc., and may receive (or listen for) RACH messages, such as RACH message 1, using different RX beam forms 512, 513, 514, etc. The MMW repeater may relay SSBs and/or SI from the gNB by transmitting any received SSBs and/or SI from the gNB using TX beam form 505 during the SSB SSN-1, thereby relaying such SSBs and/or SI using TX beam form 505 as specified in the RACH configuration message. Similarly, the MMW repeater may relay any RACH message 1 received from a UE computing device by using a RX beam 515 to receive (or listen for) any RACH message is during the RO RON-1.”; Abedini et al.; 0092)
(“In block 706, the processor may control one or more TX antennas of the MMW repeater according to the RACH configuration message to send the SSB. In various embodiments, in response to the RACH configuration message, the processor may control one or more TX antennas to apply a TX beam configuration indicated in the RACH configuration message to broadcast the SSB from the MMW repeater. In this manner, the RACH configuration message may control the relay of the SSB from the MMW repeater to a UE computing device.”; Abedini et al.; 0106)
(“In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above Layer 3. In various embodiments, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signaling connection between the computing device 320 and the base station 350.”; Abedini et al.; 0078)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the RACH configuration/SI/broadcast/RRC capability of Abedini3 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the RACH configuration/SI/broadcast/RRC capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini3, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved RACH configuration (Abedini3; Abstract) are achieved.
Claim(s) 50 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abedini et al. US 20210235283 A1 in view of Abedini et al. US 20220053433 (hereinafter “Abedini2”) and in further view of Jones US 11838151.
As to claim 50:
Abedini et al. as described above does not explicitly teach:
configure a user equipment in a sector of the apparatus and another user equipment in a sector of the repeater element to listen to different parts of a pre-defined synchronization signal block sequence.
However, Abedini2 further teaches a sector capability which includes:
sector
(“…while the latter RF repeater device may need a fixed sector beam for satisfactory operation…”; Abedini et al.; 0071)
(“The geographic region covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or network access node. FIG. 2 illustrates cells 202, 204, 206, and 208, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same network access node. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.”; Abedini et al.; 0088)
(where
“repeater device may need a fixed sector beam”/”multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell” Maps to “within a sector”
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the sector capability of Abedini2 into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the sector capability as taught by the processing/communications of Abedini2, the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved network coverage (Abedini2; 0071) are achieved.
However, Jones et al. further teaches a PCI capability which includes:
configure a user equipment in a … of the apparatus and another user equipment in a … of the repeater element to listen to different parts of a pre-defined synchronization signal block sequence.
(“We start the description of the system with initial access in a standalone 5G NR mesh network. We use the call flow diagram shown in FIG. 50 to illustrate the procedure. As we discussed earlier, in 4G LTE+5G NR dual connectivity, initial access is replaced by a procedure to add the mesh network as a secondary node. This will be discussed later. As we saw earlier, SSB transmissions play a critical role in initial access in 5G NR. In mm wave 5G NR systems, SSBs 501 are transmitted using a beam sweep. Idle UEs use SSB beam sweep to identify a preferred DL Tx beam and use the preferred beam to select a corresponding PRACH resource. This allows the MP or MN-RN receiving the PRACH to form a reciprocal UL Rx beam to reliably receive the PRACH preamble. When neighboring MPs and MN-RNs use different PCIs, their SSB transmissions can be distinguished by UEs, because the synchronization sequence transmitted in the SSB depends on the PCI. When neighboring RF nodes use the same PCI and the same MIB, their SSB transmissions will be indistinguishable to a UE.”; Jones et al.; col. 69, lines 8-26)
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement PCI capability of Jones et al. into Abedini et al. By modifying the processing/communications of Abedini et al. to include the PCI capability as taught by the processing/communications of Jones et al., the benefits of improved RACH (Abedini et al.; Abstract) with improved reliability (Jones et al.; col. 69, lines 62-66) are achieved.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 20220174509 – teaches SSBs associated with ROs (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 8).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL K PHILLIPS whose telephone number is (571)272-1037. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-10am, 1pm-5pm.
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MICHAEL K. PHILLIPS
Examiner
Art Unit 2464
/MICHAEL K PHILLIPS/Examiner, Art Unit 2464