DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/29/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
The following is a final office action in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 06/02/2026 for response of the office action mailed on 03/19/2026. Claims 1, 6-8, 13, 16 and 20 have been amended. Claims 1-20 are pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claims 1, 5-6, 13, 16 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Si et al. (US 2025/0056510 A1), Si hereinafter.
Re. Claim 1, Si teaches a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: (Fig. 3);
receive synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising one or more of a cell identifier configured for on-demand system information block 1 (SIB1) transmission, a first parameter configured for on-demand SIB 1 request, or a second parameter configured for on-demand SIB1 request; (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… For one instance, the set of SS/PBCH block(s) can be denoted as on-demand SSB, or triggered SSB. ¶0113 - In yet another example, the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 can include a cell ID associated with the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0239 - In one embodiment, the UE can be provided with at least one parameter in the set of configurations for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 by a gNB);
determine a resource configuration for a SIB 1 request based at least in part on the one or more of the cell identifier, the first parameter, or the second parameter; and transmit the SIB1 request using the resource configuration (Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0088 - A UE can be provided with … a second set of configurations on a second set of PRACH occasions … and use the second set of PRACH occasions for transmitting a PRACH carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0089 - A UE … determines and transmits a second sequence in a second set of PRACH sequences when the PRACH occasion is for carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 … Examiner interprets the PRACH occasion/sequence as the resource configuration. Please also see Fig. 12).
Re. Claim 5, Si teaches Claim 1.
Si further teaches the first parameter comprises at least one of: one or more first parameter values for a first frequency range; or one or more second parameter values for a second frequency range (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0233 - For yet another example, the set of configurations can include a frequency location associated with the on-demand SSB (e.g., the center RE location) and/or SIB1 (e.g., the lowest RE or RB location). For one instance, the frequency location of the on-demand SSB/SIB1 is determined from a set of frequency values (e.g., sync raster entries). For another instance, the frequency location of the on-demand SSB/SIB1 is determined to be not from a set of frequency values (e.g., sync raster entries). For yet another instance, the frequency location of the on-demand SSB/SIB1 can be determined based on a frequency offset from the frequency location of the periodic SSB/SIB1 (e.g., periodic SSB/SIB1 and on-demand SSB/SIB1 are from the same cell, or periodic SSB/SIB1 are in the reference cell for the cell including the on-demand SSB/SIB1)… Fig. 12 & ¶0280 - As illustrated in FIG. 12, in step 1201, a UE receives configuration for on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. In step 1202, the UE determines the time, frequency, and power domain information for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1).
Re. Claim 6, Si teaches Claim 1.
Si further teaches the SSB further comprises an indication of one or more physical random access channel (PRACH) resources for transmission of the SIB1 request, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to transmit the SIB 1 request on at least one PRACH resource of the one or more PRACH resources (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0088 - In one example, the uplink request can be carried by a physical random access channel (PRACH). A UE can be provided with a first set of configurations on a first set of PRACH occasions and a second set of configurations on a second set of PRACH occasions, … ¶0089 - A UE … determines and transmits a second sequence in a second set of PRACH sequences when the PRACH occasion is for carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 …).
Re. Claim 13, Si teaches a network equipment for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network equipment to: (Fig. 2);
transmit synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising one or more of a cell identifier configured for on-demand system information block 1 (SIB1) transmission, a first parameter configured for on-demand SIB 1 request, or a second parameter configured for on-demand SIB 1 request; (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… For one instance, the set of SS/PBCH block(s) can be denoted as on-demand SSB, or triggered SSB. ¶0113 - In yet another example, the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 can include a cell ID associated with the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0239 - In one embodiment, the UE can be provided with at least one parameter in the set of configurations for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 by a gNB);
receive a SIB 1 request via a resource configuration determined based at least in part on the one or more of the cell identifier, the first parameter, or the second parameter; and transmit SIB 1 based at least in part on the SIB 1 request (Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0088 - A UE can be provided with … a second set of configurations on a second set of PRACH occasions … and use the second set of PRACH occasions for transmitting a PRACH carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0089 - A UE … determines and transmits a second sequence in a second set of PRACH sequences when the PRACH occasion is for carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 …¶0240 - For one example, at least one parameter in the set of configurations can be provided by the gNB that transmits the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. Examiner interprets the PRACH occasion/sequence as the resource configuration).
Re. Claim 16, Si teaches a processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to: (Fig. 3 – Please see processor 340 & ¶0055 - The processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs resident in the memory 360, such as processes for an operation for triggering on-demand SSB or SIB1 in a wireless communication system);
receive synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising one or more of a cell identifier configured for on-demand SIB1 transmission, a first parameter configured for on-demand SIB1 request, or a second parameter configured for on-demand SIB 1 request; (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… For one instance, the set of SS/PBCH block(s) can be denoted as on-demand SSB, or triggered SSB. ¶0113 - In yet another example, the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 can include a cell ID associated with the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0239 - In one embodiment, the UE can be provided with at least one parameter in the set of configurations for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 by a gNB);
determine a resource configuration for a SIB1 request based at least in part on the one or more of the cell identifier, the first parameter, or the second parameter; and transmit the SIB1 request using the resource configuration (Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0088 - A UE can be provided with … a second set of configurations on a second set of PRACH occasions … and use the second set of PRACH occasions for transmitting a PRACH carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0089 - A UE … determines and transmits a second sequence in a second set of PRACH sequences when the PRACH occasion is for carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 …Examiner interprets the PRACH occasion/sequence as the resource configuration. Please also see Fig. 12).
Re. Claim 20, Si teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: (Fig. 3, 8 & ¶0023 - FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of UE method for receiving on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1…);
receiving synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising one or more of a cell identifier configured for on-demand SIB1 transmission, a first parameter configured for on-demand SIB1 request, or a second parameter configured for on- demand SIB1 request; (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… For one instance, the set of SS/PBCH block(s) can be denoted as on-demand SSB, or triggered SSB. ¶0113 - In yet another example, the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 can include a cell ID associated with the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0239 - In one embodiment, the UE can be provided with at least one parameter in the set of configurations for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 by a gNB);
determine a resource configuration for a SIB1 request based at least in part on the one or more of the cell identifier, the first parameter, or the second parameter; and transmitting the SIB1 request using the resource configuration (Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0088 - A UE can be provided with … a second set of configurations on a second set of PRACH occasions … and use the second set of PRACH occasions for transmitting a PRACH carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0089 - A UE … determines and transmits a second sequence in a second set of PRACH sequences when the PRACH occasion is for carrying the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 … Examiner interprets the PRACH occasion/sequence as the resource configuration. Please also see Fig. 12).
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.
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si, and further in view of Zhou et al. (WO 2024/097295 A1), Zhou hereinafter.
Re. Claim 2, Si teaches Claim 1.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the cell identifier comprises a physical cell identifier (PCID).
However, in the analogous art, Zhou explicitly teaches the cell identifier comprises a physical cell identifier (PCID) (Fig. 24, 28-31 & ¶0143 - The SS/PBCH block may be used by the UE to determine one or more parameters of the cell. For example, the UE may determine a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the cell based on the sequences of the PSS and the SSS, respectively).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Zhou to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention provides different examples of SSB configurations (¶0037-¶0039, Zhou).
Claims 3-4, 7-9, 12 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si, and further in view of Myung et al. (WO-2024035018-A1), Myung hereinafter.
Re. Claims 3 and 17, Si teaches Claims 1 and 16.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the first parameter comprises a frequency domain offset between the SSB and a resource block grid in numbers of subcarriers, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine,/ the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to determine, if a value for the first parameter is greater than a specified value, that the first parameter is to be determined via a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) field.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the first parameter comprises a frequency domain offset between the SSB and a resource block grid in numbers of subcarriers, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine,/ the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to determine, if a value for the first parameter is greater than a specified value, that the first parameter is to be determined via a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) field (Fig. 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 23, ¶11/Page 24, ¶1 - The ssb-SubcarrierOffset field corresponds to k .sub.SSB , and k .sub.SSB represents the frequency domain offset between the SSB and the entire resource block grid as the number of subcarriers. The range of the ssb-SubcarrierOffset field value may be extended by an additional most significant bit encoded within the PBCH as specified in 3GPP TS 38.213. The ssb-SubcarrierOffset field may indicate that the corresponding cell does not provide SIB1 and therefore does not have CRESET#0 configured by MIB. Please also see Page 24, ¶3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claims 4 and 18, Si teaches Claims 1 and 16.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the second parameter comprises physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for receiving SIB1, and the second parameter comprises common Control Resource Set (CORESET) information, a common search space, and one or more PDCCH parameters.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the second parameter comprises physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for receiving SIB1, and the second parameter comprises common Control Resource Set (CORESET) information, a common search space, and one or more PDCCH parameters (Fig. 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 23, ¶10 - The pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field determines common CORESET, common search space, and required PDCCH parameters. Page 39, ¶7 - In some implementations of this specification, information about whether the SIB1 is an on-demand SI can be obtained based on the SIB1-related PDCCH configuration field in the master information block (MIB) carried by the PBCH).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claim 7, Si teaches Claim 6.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine at least one index value using a combination of the cell identifier, the first parameter, and the second parameter; and determine the at least one PRACH resource based at least in part on the index value.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine at least one index value using a combination of the cell identifier, the first parameter, and the second parameter; and determine the at least one PRACH resource based at least in part on the index value (Fig. 5, 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 28, ¶6 - The PDCCH monitoring timing when the UE attempts to decode the SIB1 PDCCH may be determined based on information in the MIB, for example, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 … For example, for SSB with index i, the system frame number (SFN) of the frame of the associated CORESET is SFN .sub.C , the first slot containing the Type-0 monitoring epoch(s) within the frame with SFN .sub.C n .sub.0 , the combination of parameter values required to determine the index of the first symbol of the corresponding CORESET in the slot n .sub.0 may be indicated by searchSpaceZero .Page 28, ¶7 - The UE may determine the frequency resource allocation and time resource allocation of the SIB1 PDSCH from the DCI carried by the SIB1 PDCCH, and receive/decode SIB1 based on the frequency resource allocation and time resource allocation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claim 8, Si teaches Claim 1.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to attempt, after transmission of the SIB1 request, to receive broadcasted SIB 1.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to attempt, after transmission of the SIB1 request, to receive broadcasted SIB 1 (Fig. 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 23, ¶3 - MIB is always transmitted on the BCH with a period of 80 ms and repetitions made within 80 ms. MIB contains information/parameters related to SIB1 reception and is transmitted over the SSB's PBCH. Page 24, ¶4 - SIB1 includes information related to the availability and scheduling (e.g., transmission period, SI-window size) of the remaining SIBs (hereinafter SIBx, x is an integer greater than or equal to 2). For example, SIB1 can inform whether SIBx is broadcast periodically or provided at the request of the UE in an on-demand manner. If SIBx is provided in an on-demand manner, SIB1 may contain information necessary for the UE to perform an SI request).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claims 9 and 19, Si and Myung teach Claims 8 and 16.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to one or more of:/ the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to one or more of: attempt to receive the broadcasted SIB 1 immediately after transmission of the SIB 1 request; or attempt to receive the broadcasted SIB 1 after a first time duration after transmission of the SIB 1 request.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to one or more of:/ the at least one controller is configured to cause the processor to one or more of: attempt to receive the broadcasted SIB 1 immediately after transmission of the SIB 1 request; or attempt to receive the broadcasted SIB 1 after a first time duration after transmission of the SIB 1 request (Fig. 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 23, ¶3 - MIB is always transmitted on the BCH with a period of 80 ms and repetitions made within 80 ms. MIB contains information/parameters related to SIB1 reception and is transmitted over the SSB's PBCH. Page 24, ¶4 - SIB1 includes information related to the availability and scheduling (e.g., transmission period, SI-window size) of the remaining SIBs (hereinafter SIBx, x is an integer greater than or equal to 2). For example, SIB1 can inform whether SIBx is broadcast periodically or provided at the request of the UE in an on-demand manner. If SIBx is provided in an on-demand manner, SIB1 may contain information necessary for the UE to perform an SI request).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claim 12, Si teaches Claim 1.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive SIB 1, the SIB 1 comprising remaining minimum system information (RMSI).
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive SIB1, the SIB1 comprising remaining minimum system information (RMSI) (Fig. 7, 9, 12-14 &Page 23, ¶2 - . MIB and multiple SIBs can be further divided into minimum SI (Minimum SI) and other SI. Here, the minimum SI may be composed of MIB and System Information Block 1 ((SystemInformationBlock1, SIB1), and includes information for obtaining a different SI from the basic information required for initial connection. Here, SIB1 is the minimum remaining system Information (remaining minimum system information, RMSI).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Re. Claim 15, Si teaches Claim 13.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the network equipment to transmit an indication of one or more resources for transmission of the SIB 1 request, the indication comprising at least one index value generated using a combination of the cell identifier, the first parameter, and the second parameter.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the network equipment to transmit an indication of one or more resources for transmission of the SIB1 request, the indication comprising at least one index value generated using a combination of the cell identifier, the first parameter, and the second parameter (Fig. 5, 7, 9, 12-14 & Page 28, ¶6 - The PDCCH monitoring timing when the UE attempts to decode the SIB1 PDCCH may be determined based on information in the MIB, for example, pdcch-ConfigSIB1 … For example, for SSB with index i, the system frame number (SFN) of the frame of the associated CORESET is SFN .sub.C , the first slot containing the Type-0 monitoring epoch(s) within the frame with SFN .sub.C n .sub.0 , the combination of parameter values required to determine the index of the first symbol of the corresponding CORESET in the slot n .sub.0 may be indicated by searchSpaceZero .Page 28, ¶7 - The UE may determine the frequency resource allocation and time resource allocation of the SIB1 PDSCH from the DCI carried by the SIB1 PDCCH, and receive/decode SIB1 based on the frequency resource allocation and time resource allocation. Page 32, ¶1 - At this time, SIB1 transmitted by the BS after receiving the UE's SIB1 request may mean SIB1 linked to a specific SSB index corresponding to the RACH transmitted by the UE or SIB1 linked to all SSB indexes being transmitted).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si and Myung, as applied to Claims 3-4, 7-9, 12 and 15-19 above, and further in view of Higashi et al. (WO 2025/191873 A1), Higashi hereinafter.
Re. Claim 10, Si and Myung teach Claim 9.
Yet, Si and Myung do not explicitly teach the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to retransmit the SIB1 request based at least in part on not receiving SIB1 after a second time duration.
However, in the analogous art, Higashi explicitly teaches the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to retransmit the SIB1 request based at least in part on not receiving SIB1 after a second time duration (Fig.4-8 & Page 5, ¶10 - The UL WUS is a message transmitted by the terminal device 100, requesting an on-demand SIB1 from the NES cell 200-2. Page 9, ¶3 - The terminal device 100 then starts a monitoring window in which it waits for the on-demand SIB1. Note that the monitoring window may, for example, be set to Backoff, which indicates the period until monitoring ends, and if the on-demand SIB1 is not received during that period, it will resend the UL-WUS. In this case, the monitoring window is also started again. This retransmission continues until the maximum number of retransmissions is reached).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Higashi to the teachings of Si and Myung. The motivation would be because by transitioning some base station devices to NES cells depending on traffic conditions and other factors, a wireless communication system can curb power consumption due to wireless communication and achieve a reduction in network power consumption (Page 2, ¶1, Higashi).
Claims 11 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Si and Myung, as applied to Claims 3-4, 7-9, 12 and 15-19 above, and further in view of Zhou.
Re. Claim 11, Si teaches Claim 1.
Si further teaches and transmit the SIB 1 request based at least in part on the cell identifier configured for on-demand SIB 1 transmission, the first parameter configured for on- demand SIB 1 request, the second parameter configured for on-demand SIB 1 request, (Fig. 7-9 & ¶0074 - In one embodiment, a set of SS/PBCH block(s) and/or a set of PDCCH/PDSCH for SIB1 can be transmitted by a gNB and/or received by a UE… For one instance, the set of SS/PBCH block(s) can be denoted as on-demand SSB, or triggered SSB. (Fig. 8 & ¶0085 - As illustrated in FIG. 8, in step 801, a UE transmits an uplink request for on-demand SSB and/or on-demand SIB1. ¶0113 - In yet another example, the information on requesting the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 can include a cell ID associated with the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1. ¶0239 - In one embodiment, the UE can be provided with at least one parameter in the set of configurations for the on-demand SSB and/or SIB1 by a gNB);
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the SSB comprises a master information block (MIB), and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the MIB comprises an indication that cell access is barred; and the MIB indicating that cell access is barred.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the SSB comprises a master information block (MIB) (Fig. 14 & Page 17, ¶1 - The master information block (MIB) on the PBCH provides the UE with parameters…);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Yet, Si and Myung do not explicitly teach and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the MIB comprises an indication that cell access is barred; and the MIB indicating that cell access is barred.
However, in the analogous art, Zhou explicitly teaches and wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine that the MIB comprises an indication that cell access is barred; (Fig. 24-31 & ¶0253 - The configuration parameters of a MIB may comprise … an indication (cellBarred) indicating whether the cell is bared…);
and the MIB indicating that cell access is barred (0253 - The configuration parameters of a MIB may comprise … an indication (cellBarred) indicating whether the cell is bared…).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Zhou to the teachings of Si and Myung. The motivation would be because the invention provides different examples of SSB configurations (¶0037-¶0039, Zhou).
Re. Claim 14, Si teaches Claim 13.
Yet, Si does not explicitly teach the cell identifier comprises a physical cell identifier (PCID), the first parameter comprises a frequency domain offset between the SSB and a resource block grid in numbers of subcarriers, and the second parameter comprises physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for receiving SIB1, and the second parameter comprising common Control Resource Set (CORESET) information, a common search space, and one or more PDCCH parameters.
However, in the analogous art, Myung explicitly teaches the first parameter comprises a frequency domain offset between the SSB and a resource block grid in numbers of subcarriers, (Fig. 14 & Page 23, ¶11/Page 24, ¶1 - The ssb-SubcarrierOffset field corresponds to k .sub.SSB , and k .sub.SSB represents the frequency domain offset between the SSB and the entire resource block grid as the number of subcarriers. The range of the ssb-SubcarrierOffset field value may be extended by an additional most significant bit encoded within the PBCH as specified in 3GPP TS 38.213. The ssb-SubcarrierOffset field may indicate that the corresponding cell does not provide SIB1 and therefore does not have CRESET#0 configured by MIB. Please also see Page 24, ¶3);
and the second parameter comprises physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for receiving SIB1, and the second parameter comprising common Control Resource Set (CORESET) information, a common search space, and one or more PDCCH parameters (Fig. 14 & Page 23, ¶10 - The pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field determines common CORESET, common search space, and required PDCCH parameters. Page 39, ¶7 - In some implementations of this specification, information about whether the SIB1 is an on-demand SI can be obtained based on the SIB1-related PDCCH configuration field in the master information block (MIB) carried by the PBCH);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Myung to the teaching of Si. The motivation would be because the invention describes a UE detecting, in a cell, a synchronization signal block (SSB) comprising a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), acquiring, from the SSB, information related to whether system information block 1 (SIB1) is on demand system information (SI) and transmitting a SIB1 request on the basis that the SIB1 is the on-demand SI (Abstract, Myung).
Yet, Si and Myung do not explicitly teach the cell identifier comprises a physical cell identifier (PCID),
However, in the analogous art, Zhou explicitly teaches the cell identifier comprises a physical cell identifier (PCID), (Fig. 24, 28-31 & ¶0143 - The SS/PBCH block may be used by the UE to determine one or more parameters of the cell. For example, the UE may determine a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the cell based on the sequences of the PSS and the SSS, respectively).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Zhou to the teachings of Si and Myung. The motivation would be because the invention provides different examples of SSB configurations (¶0037-¶0039, Zhou).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALYSSA WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)270-7673. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5pm. 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, Ayman Abaza can be reached on (571) 270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALYSSA WILLIAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 2465B
/AYMAN A ABAZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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