Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/628,467

RACH SELECTION AND FALL BACK MECHANISMS IN SUBBAND FULL DUPLEX NETWORKS

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Apr 05, 2024
Examiner
MILORD, MARCEAU
Art Unit
2641
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
1009 granted / 1133 resolved
+27.1% vs TC avg
Moderate +11% lift
Without
With
+11.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
1145
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.5%
-38.5% vs TC avg
§103
88.8%
+48.8% vs TC avg
§102
2.7%
-37.3% vs TC avg
§112
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1133 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rudolf et al (US 20230054111 A1) in view of Sedin et al (US 20240284514 A1). Regarding claim 1, 2, 3, 4, Rudolf et al discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), comprising: at least one memory (memory 360: the memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340; paragraph 0059); and at least one processor (the UE includes a processor coupled to the transceiver; paragraph 0006) coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to cause the apparatus to: measure (the UE 116 measures an RSRP for one or more received SSB indices or NZP CSI-RS configurations; paragraph 0186) a reference signal received power of a synchronization signal block in comparison with at least a first threshold PRACH resource (a first RSRP threshold for an XDD slot; note that the physical layer of a UE receives a set of SSB indices and provides the UE RRC sublayer a set of RSRP measurements for SSB candidates with the indices; selection configuration using reference signal received power; paragraph 0145-0146); in addition, a gNB performs UL channel measurement, and a random access preamble enabling a UE to perform random access ; paragraph 0024, 0076, 0103, 0181); select (a UE (such as the UE 116) determines and selects an applicable RACH configuration for transmission of PRACH preambles from a set of candidate RACH configurations; paragraph 0189) a random access channel (RACH) configuration based at least on a duplex operation (random access channel (RACH) configurations in a full-duplex communication system; PRACH resource selection configuration using reference signal received power (RSRP); furthermore, a UE (such as the UE 116) determines first and second RACH configurations, where the UE selects an applicable RACH configuration depending on the slot or symbols resources available for random access (PRACH preamble transmission; paragraph 0024, 0040, 0189, 0195) or a RACH type and further based on a measurement value of the RSRP in view of at least the first threshold (the RSRP threshold can be signaled through MAC CE; the RSRP threshold can be an absolute value, or an offset value signaled with respect to another RSRP threshold value, such as an RSRP value for PRACH transmissions on a primary UL carrier or a supplementary UL carrier; paragraph 0181, 0186). However, Rudolf et al, does not specifically disclose the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration selected based at least on the RACH type, wherein a second selection of the RACH type is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold. On the other hand, Sedin et al, from the same field of endeavor, discloses the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration (receiving a configuration for physical random access channel transmission; performing a random access procedure with a network node and transmitting, to the network node, the PRACH transmission by using the first PRACH resource; transmission of RRC setup request message in 2-step RACH RA type and 4-step RA type, respectively; paragraph 0016, 0130-0131) selected (a UE may select a preamble randomly from a pool of preambles shared with other UEs; paragraph 0084) based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type (TYPE-1 and TYPE-2 RA procedures ; setting the variable “ RA TYPE” at the UE to indicate whether the feature is requested or not, wherein the variable “RA_ TYPE “has a value indicating 2-stepRA, 4-stepRA, or 4-stepRA-rep based on the determination; paragraph 0024, 0081), wherein the duplex operation comprises a full duplex operation or a half-duplex operation (symbol configured for PRACH can be used for full- duplex transmissions; paragraph 0275-0276), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select (select SSB being the second or fourth SSB; and determines a PRACH resource, which is associated with the selected SSB and indicates the feature is requested, as the first PRACH resource in response to determining that the feature is requested and in response to the selected SSB being the seventh or eighth SSB; paragraph 0186, 0189) the RACH type after selection of the duplex operation, wherein the RACH type comprises a 4-step RACH or a 2-step RACH (in both 4-step RACH and 2-step RACH, PRACH resources may be selected based on the SSB selection and a SSB to RACH occasion (RO)/preamble mapping; selecting one of multiple SSBs broadcasted by the network node at least partially based on the received configuration and one or more second measurements at the UE; paragraph 0025, 0275, 0277), wherein a second selection of the RACH type (TYPE 1 RA procedure, also known as 4-step RACH, or 4-step RA procedure; and TYPE-2 RA procedure, also known as 2-step RACH, or 2-step RA procedure; paragraph 0081-0083) is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold (the UE will first compare UE_SSB_RSRP>rsrp-ThresholdSSB to select the SSB, and then will compare the downlink pathloss reference to determine whether the UE 110 shall select the PRACH resources to determine whether to signal msg3 repetitions or not; furthermore, the SSB selection may be done by combining the SSB selection with a repetition condition for the UE 110 to determine whether a UE shall select an SSB; the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than the third threshold ; determining that the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than or equal to the fourth threshold plus the repetition offset; paragraph 0033-0034, 0188-0189). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to apply the technique of Sedin to the communication system of Rudolf in order to provide a method for performing a random-access procedure with a network node. Regarding claim 5, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the 2-step RACH is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being greater than the second threshold (the electronic device, in step 1440, validates the RACH occasion (RO) if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB); paragraph 0187), wherein the 4-step RACH is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being less than the second threshold (note that when the first slot is an XDD slot and the second slot is a normal UL slot, first and second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; it means that the measurement value of the RSRP is greater than the second threshold; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Note that RSRP threshold can be associated with a measurement based on a received SSB or CSI-RS, where a UE (such as the UE 116) can derive the measurement using one or more samples obtained from one or more measurement instances, the measurement may be averaged or filtered, or an instantaneous sample value may be used (paragraph 0181, 0193). Regarding claim 6, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH type comprises the 2-step RACH, wherein a third threshold is configured to allow for full-duplex 2-step RACH (the second and third slots allow for full-duplex operation; ; the third threshold can be configures to allow full duplex; paragraph 0164- 0165), wherein the measurement value of the RSRP is compared with the third threshold (RRC informs the UE of the association between the SSB and RACH resources ; the threshold of the SSB for RACH resource association is based on the RSRP and configurable by the network; furthermore, the threshold of the measurement value of the RSRP is less than the second threshold or the third threshold; note that the electronic device, in step 1440 validates the RO if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-ThresholdSSB” represents an RSRP threshold for an SSB selection; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-Threshold CSI-RS” represents an RSRP for a CSI-RS selection; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Regarding claim 7, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the UE performs the 2-step RACH in half-duplex slots (“4-step RA”, “type-1 RA procedure” and “type-1 L1 RA procedure” are used interchangeably; also, the terms “2-step RA”, “type-2 RA procedure” and “type-2 L1 RA procedure” are used interchangeably; paragraph 0132-0135), and performs the 4-step RACH in full-duplex slots (when a half-duplex UE is configured for transmission in symbols of an XDD slot, another UE can be configured for reception in the symbols of the XDD slot; a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; it means that the UE performs the 2-step RACH in half-duplex slots; paragraph 0164-0165, 0179, 0193). Regarding claim 8, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the UE falls back to the half-duplex operation in response to a number of full-duplex attempts exceeding a threshold number of attempts (RA attempts from different UEs; when a half-duplex UE is configured for transmission in symbols of an XDD slot, another UE can be configured for reception in the symbols of the XDD slot; a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; furthermore, an RSRP threshold associated with Msg1 transmission can be used to validate or to de-validate Ros; if the RSRP threshold associated with an SSB or CSI-RS exceeds a predetermined level, a RO in an XDD slot may be used for random access; paragraph 0181, 0183, 0184; paragraph 0164, 0187). Regarding claim 9, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the UE falls back to the 4-step RACH in response to a number of 2-step RACH attempts exceeding a threshold number of attempts (the UE has reached a configured maximum number of PRACH attempts and then the UE reports a random access problem to higher layers and stops the RA procedure; in addition, an RSRP threshold associated with Msg1 transmission can be used to validate or to de-validate Ros; if the RSRP threshold associated with an SSB or CSI-RS exceeds a predetermined level, a RO in an XDD slot may be used for random access; paragraph 0181, 0183, 0184). Regarding claim 10, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select (a UE (such as the UE 116) determines and selects an applicable RACH configuration for transmission of PRACH preambles from a set of candidate RACH configurations; paragraph 0189) the RACH configuration based on the RACH type, wherein the RACH type comprises a 2-step RACH or a 4-step RACH (layer 1 of the UE receives from higher layers an indication to perform a type-1 RA procedure (4-step RA) or a type-2 RA procedure (2-step RA); paragraph 0132-0134); and select the duplex operation after selection of the RACH type, wherein the duplex operation comprises a full-duplex operation or a half-duplex operation (random access channel (RACH) configurations in a full-duplex communication system; PRACH resource selection configuration using reference signal received power (RSRP); furthermore, a UE (such as the UE 116) determines first and second RACH configurations, where the UE selects an applicable RACH configuration depending on the slot or symbols resources available for random access (PRACH preamble transmission; paragraph 0024, 0040, 0189, 0195). Regarding claim 11, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein a second selection of the duplex operation is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold (the UE may select a corresponding PRACH group based on measured RSRP value of the synchronization signal block that satisfy the threshold to assist the gNB in determining the repetition number of Msg2 and Msg4 transmission in RACH procedure; note that when the first slot is an XDD slot and the second slot is a normal UL slot, first and second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Regarding claim 12, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the full-duplex operation is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being greater than the second threshold (the electronic device, in step 1440, validates the RACH occasion (RO) if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB); paragraph 0187), wherein the half-duplex operation is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being less than the second threshold (note that when the first slot is an XDD slot and the second slot is a normal UL slot, first and second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; it means that the measurement value of the RSRP is greater than the second threshold; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Regarding claim 13, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH type comprises the 2-step RACH (layer 1 of the UE receives from higher layers an indication to perform a type-1 RA procedure (4-step RA) or a type-2 RA procedure (2-step RA); paragraph 0132-0134), wherein a third threshold is configured to allow for full-duplex 2-step RACH (paragraph 0139), wherein the measurement value of the RSRP is compared with the third threshold (the threshold of the measurement value of the RSRP is less than the second threshold or the third threshold; note that the electronic device, in step 1440 validates the RO if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-ThresholdSSB” represents an RSRP threshold for an SSB selection; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-Threshold CSI-RS” represents an RSRP for a CSI-RS selection; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Regarding claim 14, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the UE falls back to the 4-step RACH in response to a number of 2-step RACH (a RAR for a 2-step RA procedure indicates fall-back to 4-step RA (namely, a fallbackRAR), a 2-step RA procedure continues similar to a 4-step RA procedure) ; paragraph 0134) attempts exceeding a threshold number of attempts (the RSRP threshold can be an absolute value, or an offset value signaled with respect to another RSRP threshold value, such as an RSRP value for PRACH transmissions on a primary UL carrier or a supplementary UL carrier; in addition, an RSRP threshold associated with Msg1 transmission can be used to validate or to de-validate Ros; if the RSRP threshold associated with an SSB or CSI-RS exceeds a predetermined level, a RO in an XDD slot may be used for random access; paragraph 0181, 0183, 0184). Regarding claim 15, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the UE falls back to the half-duplex operation (a RAR for a 2-step RA procedure indicates fall-back to 4-step RA (namely, a fallbackRAR), a 2-step RA procedure continues similar to a 4-step RA procedure; paragraph 0132-0134) in response to a number of full-duplex attempts exceeding a threshold number of attempts (RA attempts from different UEs ; when a half-duplex UE is configured for transmission in symbols of an XDD slot, another UE can be configured for reception in the symbols of the XDD slot; a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; furthermore, an RSRP threshold associated with Msg1 transmission can be used to validate or to de-validate Ros; if the RSRP threshold associated with an SSB or CSI-RS exceeds a predetermined level, a RO in an XDD slot may be used for random access; paragraph 0181, 0183, 0184; paragraph 0164, 0187). Regarding claim 16, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH configuration based on the duplex operation and the RACH type are selected simultaneously, or is configured at the UE (a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; the UE may select a corresponding PRACH group based on measured RSRP value of the synchronization signal block that satisfy the threshold to assist the gNB in determining the repetition number of Msg2 and Msg4 transmission in RACH procedure; a parameter denoted as “prach-ConfigurationIndex” represents the available set of PRACH occasions for transmission of a Random-Access Preamble; a parameter denoted as “preambleReceivedTargetPower” represents initial Random Access Preamble power; paragraph 0164, 0190). Regarding claim 17, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein a preamble power is reset or is incremented based on a last transmission, when the UE performs a fall back based on the duplex operation (resource selection and parameterization in time, frequency and power domains of PRACH resources with full-duplex operation in XDD slots; a RAR for a 2-step RA procedure indicates fall-back to 4-step RA (namely, a fallbackRAR), a 2-step RA procedure continues similar to a 4-step RA procedure, namely, a PUSCH transmission scheduled by a RAR UL grant, and a PDSCH reception for contention resolution; note that a parameter denoted as “powerRampingStep” represents a power-ramping factor. a parameter denoted as “powerRampingStepHighPriority” represents a power-ramping factor for a prioritized Random-Access procedure; paragraph 0172, 0134, 0190). Regarding claim 18, Rudolf et al as modified discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein a transmission beam of the UE is maintained or switched (switching, full-duplex slots with both transmissions/receptions by a gNB or a UE that occur on same time-domain resources, such as slots or symbols, are labeled by X; paragraph 0165), when the UE performs a fall back based on the duplex operation (fig. 11 shows two example full-duplex communication system configurations; random access channel (RACH) configurations in a full-duplex communication system; furthermore, the higher layers indicate to the physical layer one of (a) an uplink grant when the RAR message is for fallbackRAR and a RAPID associated with the PRACH transmission is identified, and the UE procedure continues as in a 4-step RA procedure when the UE detects a RAR UL grant, or (b) an ACK to be provided in a PUCCH transmission when the RAR message is for successRAR ; paragraph 0022-0023, 0164-0165, 0139). Regarding claims 19, 23, 24, Rudolf et al discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), comprising: measuring (the UE 116 measures an RSRP for one or more received SSB indices or NZP CSI-RS configurations; paragraph 0186) a reference signal received power (RSRP) of a synchronization signal block (SSB) in comparison with at least a first threshold (a first RSRP threshold for an XDD slot; note that the physical layer of a UE receives a set of SSB indices and provides the UE RRC sublayer a set of RSRP measurements for SSB candidates with the indices; selection configuration using reference signal received power; paragraph 0145-0146); in addition, a gNB performs UL channel measurement, and a random access preamble enabling a UE to perform random access ; paragraph 0024, 0076, 0103, 0181); selecting (a UE (such as the UE 116) determines and selects an applicable RACH configuration for transmission of PRACH preambles from a set of candidate RACH configurations; paragraph 0189) a random access channel (RACH) configuration based at least on a duplex operation or a RACH type and further based on a measurement value of the RSRP in view of at least the first threshold (random access channel (RACH) configurations in a full-duplex communication system; PRACH resource selection configuration using reference signal received power (RSRP); furthermore, a UE (such as the UE 116) determines first and second RACH configurations, where the UE selects an applicable RACH configuration depending on the slot or symbols resources available for random access (PRACH preamble transmission; paragraph 0024, 0040, 0189, 0195). However, Rudolf et al, does not specifically disclose the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration selected based at least on the RACH type; selecting the duplex operation after selecting the RACH type, wherein the duplex operation comprises a full-duplex operation or a half-duplex operation, wherein a second selection of the RACH type is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold. On the other hand, Sedin et al, from the same field of endeavor, discloses the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration (receiving a configuration for physical random access channel transmission; performing a random access procedure with a network node and transmitting, to the network node, the PRACH transmission by using the first PRACH resource; transmission of RRC setup request message in 2-step RACH RA type and 4-step RA type, respectively; paragraph 0016, 0130-0131) selected (a UE may select a preamble randomly from a pool of preambles shared with other UEs; paragraph 0084) based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type (TYPE-1 and TYPE-2 RA procedures ; setting the variable “ RA TYPE” at the UE to indicate whether the feature is requested or not, wherein the variable “RA_ TYPE “has a value indicating 2-stepRA, 4-stepRA, or 4-stepRA-rep based on the determination; paragraph 0024, 0081), wherein the duplex operation comprises a full duplex operation or a half-duplex operation (symbol configured for PRACH can be used for full- duplex transmissions; paragraph 0275-0276), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select (select SSB being the second or fourth SSB; and determines a PRACH resource, which is associated with the selected SSB and indicates the feature is requested, as the first PRACH resource in response to determining that the feature is requested and in response to the selected SSB being the seventh or eighth SSB; paragraph 0186, 0189) the RACH type after selection of the duplex operation, wherein the RACH type comprises a 4-step RACH or a 2-step RACH (in both 4-step RACH and 2-step RACH, PRACH resources may be selected based on the SSB selection and a SSB to RACH occasion (RO)/preamble mapping; selecting one of multiple SSBs broadcasted by the network node at least partially based on the received configuration and one or more second measurements at the UE; paragraph 0025, 0275, 0277), wherein a second selection of the RACH type (TYPE 1 RA procedure, also known as 4-step RACH, or 4-step RA procedure; and TYPE-2 RA procedure, also known as 2-step RACH, or 2-step RA procedure; paragraph 0081-0083) is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold (the UE will first compare UE_SSB_RSRP>rsrp-ThresholdSSB to select the SSB, and then will compare the downlink pathloss reference to determine whether the UE 110 shall select the PRACH resources to determine whether to signal msg3 repetitions or not; furthermore, the SSB selection may be done by combining the SSB selection with a repetition condition for the UE 110 to determine whether a UE shall select an SSB; the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than the third threshold ; determining that the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than or equal to the fourth threshold plus the repetition offset; paragraph 0033-0034, 0188-0189). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to apply the technique of Sedin to the communication system of Rudolf in order to provide a method for performing a random-access procedure with a network node. Regarding claim 20, Rudolf et al as modified discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH configuration is selected based on the duplex operation, wherein the duplex operation comprises a full duplex operation or a half-duplex operation, the method further comprising: selecting (a UE (such as the UE 116) determines and selects an applicable RACH configuration for transmission of PRACH preambles from a set of candidate RACH configurations; paragraph 0189) the RACH type after selecting the duplex operation, wherein the RACH type comprises a 4-step RACH or a 2-step RACH (random access channel (RACH) configurations in a full-duplex communication system; PRACH resource selection configuration using reference signal received power (RSRP); furthermore, a UE (such as the UE 116) determines first and second RACH configurations, where the UE selects an applicable RACH configuration depending on the slot or symbols resources available for random access (PRACH preamble transmission; paragraph 0024, 0040, 0189, 0195). Regarding claim 21, Rudolf et al as modified discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein a selection of the RACH type is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold (the electronic device, in step 1440, validates the RACH occasion (RO) if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB); paragraph 0187), wherein the 2-step RACH is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being greater than the second threshold (note that when the first slot is an XDD slot and the second slot is a normal UL slot, first and second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; it means that the measurement value of the RSRP is greater than the second threshold; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190), wherein the 4-step RACH is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being less than the second threshold (the first and the second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; it means that the measurement value of the RSRP is less than the second threshold; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Note that RSRP threshold can be associated with a measurement based on a received SSB or CSI-RS, where a UE (such as the UE 116) can derive the measurement using one or more samples obtained from one or more measurement instances, the measurement may be averaged or filtered, or an instantaneous sample value may be used (paragraph 0181, 0193). Regarding claim 22, Rudolf et al as modified discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH type comprises the 2-step RACH (“4-step RA”, “type-1 RA procedure” and “type-1 L1 RA procedure” are used interchangeably; also, the terms “2-step RA”, “type-2 RA procedure” and “type-2 L1 RA procedure” are used interchangeably; paragraph 0132-0135), wherein a third threshold is configured to allow for full-duplex 2-step RACH (the second and third slots allow for full-duplex operation; the third threshold can be configures to allow full duplex; paragraph 0164- 0165), wherein the measurement value of the RSRP is compared with the third threshold (RRC informs the UE of the association between the SSB and RACH resources ; the threshold of the SSB for RACH resource association is based on the RSRP and configurable by the network; furthermore, the threshold of the measurement value of the RSRP is less than the second threshold or the third threshold; note that the electronic device, in step 1440 validates the RO if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-ThresholdSSB” represents an RSRP threshold for an SSB selection; a parameter denoted as “rsrp-Threshold CSI-RS” represents an RSRP for a CSI-RS selection; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190), wherein the UE performs the 2-step RACH in half-duplex slots, and performs the 4-step RACH in full-duplex slots (when a half-duplex UE is configured for transmission in symbols of an XDD slot, another UE can be configured for reception in the symbols of the XDD slot; a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; it means that the UE performs the 2-step RACH in half-duplex slots; paragraph 0164-0165, 0179, 0193). Regarding claim 25, Rudolf et al as modified discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the full-duplex operation is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being greater than the second threshold (the electronic device, in step 1440, validates the RACH occasion (RO) if measured and adjusted value is greater than a threshold denoted as rsrp-ThresholdSSB); paragraph 0187), wherein the half-duplex operation is selected in response to the measurement value of the RSRP being less than the second threshold (note that when the first slot is an XDD slot and the second slot is a normal UL slot, first and second RSRP thresholds are configured for the first and second slots, respectively; a larger RSRP threshold value can be configured for the first slot to account for lower Rx beamforming gains with fewer available TRX for reception in an XDD slot; it means that the measurement value of the RSRP is greater than the second threshold; paragraph 0186-0187, 0190). Note that RSRP threshold can be associated with a measurement based on a received SSB or CSI-RS, where a UE (such as the UE 116) can derive the measurement using one or more samples obtained from one or more measurement instances, the measurement may be averaged or filtered, or an instantaneous sample value may be used (paragraph 0181, 0193). Regarding claim 26, Rudolf et al as modified discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a user equipment (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), wherein the RACH configuration based on the duplex operation and the RACH type are selected simultaneously, or is configured at the UE (a full-duplex UE can transmit and receive simultaneously in symbols of an XDD slot, possibly in presence of other UEs scheduled or assigned resources for either DL or UL in the symbols of the XDD slot; the UE may select a corresponding PRACH group based on measured RSRP value of the synchronization signal block that satisfy the threshold to assist the gNB in determining the repetition number of Msg2 and Msg4 transmission in RACH procedure; a parameter denoted as “prach-ConfigurationIndex” represents the available set of PRACH occasions for transmission of a Random-Access Preamble; a parameter denoted as “preambleReceivedTargetPower” represents initial Random Access Preamble power; paragraph 0164, 0190). Regarding claims 27, 28, 29, Rudolf et al discloses an apparatus for wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a network entity (UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to cause the apparatus to: provide a random access channel selection configuration comprising instructions to select a RACH configuration based at least on a duplex operation or a RACH type and further based on a measurement value of a reference signal received power in view of at least a first threshold; provide a synchronization signal block for a user equipment to measure (the UE 116 measures an RSRP for one or more received SSB indices or NZP CSI-RS configurations; paragraph 0186) the RSRP of the SSB in comparison with at least the first threshold (a first RSRP threshold for an XDD slot; note that the physical layer of a UE receives a set of SSB indices and provides the UE RRC sublayer a set of RSRP measurements for SSB candidates with the indices; selection configuration using reference signal received power; paragraph 0145-0146); in addition, a gNB performs UL channel measurement, and a random access preamble enabling a UE to perform random access ; paragraph 0024, 0076, 0103, 0181). However, Rudolf et al, does not specifically disclose the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration selected by a UE based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type; selecting the RACH configuration based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type and further based on the measurement value of the RSRP in view of at least the first threshold; providing the SSB for the UE to measure the RSRP of the SSB in comparison with at least the first threshold; and communicate with the UE based on the RACH configuration selected by the UE based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type, wherein the RACH type comprises a 4-step RACH or a 2-step RACH, wherein the duplex operation comprises a full duplex operation or a half-duplex operation. On the other hand, Sedin et al, from the same field of endeavor, discloses the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration (receiving a configuration for physical random access channel transmission; performing a random access procedure with a network node and transmitting, to the network node, the PRACH transmission by using the first PRACH resource; transmission of RRC setup request message in 2-step RACH RA type and 4-step RA type, respectively; paragraph 0016, 0130-0131) selected (a UE may select a preamble randomly from a pool of preambles shared with other UEs; paragraph 0084) based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type (TYPE-1 and TYPE-2 RA procedures ; setting the variable “ RA TYPE” at the UE to indicate whether the feature is requested or not, wherein the variable “RA_ TYPE “has a value indicating 2-stepRA, 4-stepRA, or 4-stepRA-rep based on the determination; paragraph 0024, 0081), wherein the duplex operation comprises a full duplex operation or a half-duplex operation (symbol configured for PRACH can be used for full- duplex transmissions; paragraph 0275-0276), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select (select SSB being the second or fourth SSB; and determines a PRACH resource, which is associated with the selected SSB and indicates the feature is requested, as the first PRACH resource in response to determining that the feature is requested and in response to the selected SSB being the seventh or eighth SSB; paragraph 0186, 0189) the RACH type after selection of the duplex operation, wherein the RACH type comprises a 4-step RACH or a 2-step RACH (in both 4-step RACH and 2-step RACH, PRACH resources may be selected based on the SSB selection and a SSB to RACH occasion (RO)/preamble mapping; selecting one of multiple SSBs broadcasted by the network node at least partially based on the received configuration and one or more second measurements at the UE; paragraph 0025, 0275, 0277), wherein a second selection of the RACH type (TYPE 1 RA procedure, also known as 4-step RACH, or 4-step RA procedure; and TYPE-2 RA procedure, also known as 2-step RACH, or 2-step RA procedure; paragraph 0081-0083) is based on a second comparison of the measurement value of the RSRP and a second threshold (the UE will first compare UE_SSB_RSRP>rsrp-ThresholdSSB to select the SSB, and then will compare the downlink pathloss reference to determine whether the UE 110 shall select the PRACH resources to determine whether to signal msg3 repetitions or not; furthermore, the SSB selection may be done by combining the SSB selection with a repetition condition for the UE 110 to determine whether a UE shall select an SSB; the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than the third threshold ; determining that the RSRP of the selected SSB is higher than or equal to the fourth threshold plus the repetition offset; paragraph 0033-0034, 0188-0189). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to apply the technique of Sedin to the communication system of Rudolf in order to provide a method for performing a random access procedure with a network node. Regarding claim 30, Rudolf et al discloses a method of wireless communication (figs. 14-15) at a network entity(UEs 111-116: the UE includes a transceiver configured to receive first information for first parameters of a first RACH configuration; paragraph 0006), comprising: providing a random access channel (RACH) selection configuration comprising instructions to select (a UE (such as the UE 116) determines and selects an applicable RACH configuration for transmission of PRACH preambles from a set of candidate RACH configurations; paragraph 0189) a RACH configuration based at least on a duplex operation or a RACH type and further based on a measurement value of a reference signal received power (RSRP) in view of at least a first threshold ; providing a synchronization signal block (SSB) for a user equipment (UE) to measure (the UE 116 measures an RSRP for one or more received SSB indices or NZP CSI-RS configurations; paragraph 0186) the RSRP of the SSB in comparison with at least the first threshold (a first RSRP threshold for an XDD slot; note that the physical layer of a UE receives a set of SSB indices and provides the UE RRC sublayer a set of RSRP measurements for SSB candidates with the indices; selection configuration using reference signal received power; paragraph 0145-0146); in addition, a gNB performs UL channel measurement, and a random access preamble enabling a UE to perform random access ; paragraph 0024, 0076, 0103, 0181). However, Rudolf et al, does not specifically disclose the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration selected based at least on the RACH type. On the other hand, Sedin et al, from the same field of endeavor, discloses the features of communicating with a network entity based on the RACH configuration (receiving a configuration for physical random access channel transmission; performing a random access procedure with a network node and transmitting, to the network node, the PRACH transmission by using the first PRACH resource; transmission of RRC setup request message in 2-step RACH RA type and 4-step RA type, respectively; paragraph 0016, 0130-0131). Note that a UE may select a preamble randomly from a pool of preambles shared with other UEs; paragraph 0084) based at least on the duplex operation or the RACH type (TYPE-1 and TYPE-2 RA procedures ; setting the variable “ RA TYPE” at the UE to indicate whether the feature is requested or not, wherein the variable “RA_ TYPE “has a value indicating 2-stepRA, 4-stepRA, or 4-stepRA-rep based on the determination; paragraph 0024, 0081). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to apply the technique of Sedin to the communication system of Rudolf in order to provide a method for performing a random-access procedure with a network node. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCEAU MILORD whose telephone number is (571)272-7853. The examiner can normally be reached 10-6. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHARLES APPIAH can be reached at 571-2727904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. MARCEAU MILORD Examiner Art Unit 2641 /MARCEAU MILORD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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Prosecution Timeline

Apr 05, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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