Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/694,518

ENHANCED UPLINK SYNCHRONIZATION SCHEME

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Mar 22, 2024
Examiner
LO, DIANE LEE
Art Unit
2466
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Nokia Technologies Oy
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
90%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 3m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 90% — above average
90%
Career Allow Rate
842 granted / 941 resolved
+31.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +8% lift
Without
With
+8.5%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 3m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
966
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.7%
-36.3% vs TC avg
§103
50.4%
+10.4% vs TC avg
§102
32.8%
-7.2% vs TC avg
§112
3.0%
-37.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 941 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . DETAILED ACTION This is response to Application 18/694,518 filed on 03/22/2024 in which claims 1-20 are presented for examination. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 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. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by 3GPP TSG RAN WG #106e R1-2107779 hereby referred to as R1-2107779. 1. Regarding claim 1, R1-2107779 teaches a first device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device at least to: obtain a configuration of a gap within which a radio resource control connected state of the first device is kept (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode); receive, within the gap, system broadcasted information used for deriving a compensation associated with a transmission between the first device and a second device (Section 3.3 valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation); and perform a uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device within the gap (Introduction: UE pre-compensation for UL synchronization in RRC connected states based at least on GNSS and ephemeris). 2. Regarding claim 2, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to receive the system broadcasted information by: receiving the system broadcasted information not earlier than at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 3. Regarding claim 3, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the system broadcasted information comprises at least one of the following: Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, data; or satellite ephemeris data (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast; SIB; ephemeris data). 4. Regarding claim 4, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to obtain the configuration of the gap by: receiving, from the second device, the configuration of the gap during a process for establishing a RRC connection between the first device and second device or after the RRC connection has been established (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode). 5. Regarding claim 5, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to obtain the configuration of the gap by: determining the configuration of the gap before at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode; Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 6. Regarding claim 6, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to perform the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device by: performing the uplink synchronization after receiving the system broadcasted information via a contention free random access procedure (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode; Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 7. Regarding claim 7, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to perform the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device by: receiving, from the second device, a parameters configuration for a contention free random access procedure for the first device to access the second device; and performing the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device based on the parameters configuration and the system broadcasted information (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode; Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 8. Regarding claim 8, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to receive the parameters configuration by: receiving the parameters configuration before at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 9. Regarding claim 9, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is caused to perform the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device by: obtaining a configuration of a time window for monitoring a control channel from the second device to the first device (Section 3.1 and 3.2 PUSCH and PRACH transmissions; segmented pre-compensation via more frequent new UL gaps); monitoring the control channel within the time window not earlier than at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation); receiving a random-access command and a set of parameters for a contention free random access procedure for the first device to access the second device through the control channel (Section 3.1 and 3.2 PUSCH and PRACH transmissions; segmented pre-compensation via more frequent new UL gaps); and performing the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device based on the set of parameters and the system broadcasted information (Introduction: UE pre-compensation for UL synchronization in RRC connected states based at least on GNSS and ephemeris). 10. Regarding claim 10, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device is further caused to: perform, within the gap, a downlink synchronization between the second device to the first device after receiving the system broadcasted information and before performing the uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device (Proposals 8 to 11 valid time length; linked to DL subframe where SIB information is broadcast; upon expiry of the validity timer, synchronization is lost). 11. Regarding claim 11, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device (Proposals 8 to 11 broadcast from BS; UE). 12. Regarding claim 12, R1-2107779 teaches a second device comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second device at least to: transmit, to a first device, a configuration of a gap within which a radio resource control connected state of the first device is kept (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode); transmit, within the gap, system broadcasted information used for deriving a compensation associated with a transmission between the first device and a second device (Section 3.3 valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation); and receive, from the first device, random access information to perform an uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device within the gap (Introduction: UE pre-compensation for UL synchronization in RRC connected states based at least on GNSS and ephemeris; Section 3.1 and 3.2 PUSCH and PRACH transmissions). 13. Regarding claim 13, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the second device is caused to transmit the system broadcasted information by: transmitting the system broadcasted information not earlier than at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 14. Regarding claim 14, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the system broadcasted information comprises at least one of the following: Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, data; or satellite ephemeris data (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast; SIB; ephemeris data). 15. Regarding claim 15, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein the second device is caused to transmit the configuration of the gap by: transmitting the configuration of the gap during a process for establishing a RRC connection between the first device and second device or after the RRC connection has been established (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode). 16. Regarding claim 16, R1-2107779 teaches wherein the second device is further caused to: transmit, to the first device, parameters configuration for a contention free random access procedure for the first device to access the second device before at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). 17. Regarding claim 17, R1-2107779 teaches wherein the second device is further caused to: transmit a random-access command and a set of parameters for a contention free random access procedure for the first device to access the second device through the control channel (Section 3.1 and 3.2 PUSCH and PRACH transmissions; segmented pre-compensation via more frequent new UL gaps). 18. Regarding claim 18, R1-2107779 teaches wherein the first device comprises a terminal device and the second device comprises a network device (Proposals 8 to 11 broadcast from BS; UE). 19. Regarding claim 19, R1-2107779 teaches a method comprising: obtaining a configuration of a gap within which a radio resource control connected state of the first device is kept (Section 3.2 Gaps for GNSS position fix supported in RRC connected mode); receiving, within the gap, system broadcasted information used for deriving a compensation associated with a transmission between the first device and a second device (Section 3.3 valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation); and performing a uplink synchronization between the first device to the second device within the gap (Introduction: UE pre-compensation for UL synchronization in RRC connected states based at least on GNSS and ephemeris). 20. Regarding claim 20, R1-2107779 teaches, wherein receiving the system broadcasted information comprises: receiving the system broadcasted information not earlier than at least one of the following: a validity timer for a current Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, measurement expires, or a validity timer for current satellite ephemeris data expires (Section 3.3 Proposal 8 to 11, valid time length broadcast along with assistance information; pre-compensation). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: Astrom et al. (US 2023/0134701 A1) Zhang et al. (US 2024/0031009 A1) Narasimha et al. (US 2022/0086786 A1) Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIANE LEE LO whose telephone number is (571)270-1952. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm. 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, Faruk Hamza can be reached at (571)272-7969. 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. /DIANE L LO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 22, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
90%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+8.5%)
2y 3m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 941 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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