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 .
Status of Claims
The following is a non-final, first action on the merits, in response to application filed March 21, 2024. The preliminary amended claims 1-19 and 24, are currently pending. Claims 20-23 and 25-29, stand canceled in the instant case.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 10/14/2024 and 06/09/2025, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3, 8-10, 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 3, recites the limitation "where in the non-terrestrial network node … " in line 1-2. There is no mention or recitation of such a limit recited in claim 1, amounting to insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Perhaps claim 3 should be amended to show dependency to claim 2.
Claim 8, recites the limitation, “before expiry of the ….. “ in line 4. It is not sufficiently clear whether expiry is the “expected expiry” recited in claim 1, line 6.
Claim 8, recites the limitation, “updated synchronization data” in line 5. There is no updated synchronization data, except for “updated uplink synchronization data …. ” recited in claim 1, line 8. Claims 9-10, show dependency to claim 8, therefore rejected likewise.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 11-19, 24, are allowable.
Claims 3, 8-10, would be allowable if amended/rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
NPL:
THALES: "Considerations on UL timing and frequency synchronization in NTN",
vol. RAN WG1, no. e-Meeting; 20210816 - 20210827 6 August 2021 (2021-08-06), XP052033238.
MODERATOR (MEDIATEK): "Summary #7 of AI 8.15.1 Enhancements to time and frequency synchronization", vol. RAN WG1, no. e-Meeting; 20210816 - 20210827 27 August 2021 (2021-08-27), XP052042862.
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/QUTBUDDIN GHULAMALI/
Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2632.