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 § 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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 7, 11, 16, 19-20, 22-24 & 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Wu US 2024/0244700 A1.
Claims 1, 19 and 21:
Wu discloses a transmission method for small data transmission (SDT), performed by a terminal, and comprising: determining a target bandwidth part BWP), from a plurality of initial BWPs, for a SDT performed by the terminal (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156); and performing, based on the target BWP, the SDT (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP), wherein the plurality of initial BWPs comprise a first initial BWP and a second initial BWP, and the target BWP comprises the first initial BWP or the second initial BWP (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP).
With regards to claim 19, a processor; and a memory (See para 54, processor and memory).
Claims 3 and 23:
Wu discloses that the first initial BWP comprises a first initial uplink BWP, the second initial BWP comprises a second initial uplink BWP, and performing, based on the target BWP (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP), the SDT comprises: performing an uplink SDT on the first initial uplink BWP or the second initial uplink BWP, or the first initial BWP comprises a first initial downlink BWP, the second initial BWP comprises a second initial downlink BWP (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP), and performing, based on the target BWP, the SDT comprises: performing a downlink SDT on the first initial downlink BWP or the second initial downlink BWP (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP).
Claims 7 and 24:
Wu discloses determining an initial BWP monitored on a cell on which the terminal camps (See para 65, “The UE 102 in the connected state communicates 304 data with the DU 174 on a first DL BWP and a first UL BWP of cell 124”); and determining that, in response to the target BWP being different from the initial BWP, the SDT is completed (See paras 65-67 and fig. 3A-C, UE determines and later camps on second BWP for UL/DL SDT. Also see abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP), and switching to the initial BWP (See fig. 4 step 423, switches to first DL BWP) wherein the target BWP is the second initial downlink BWP, and the initial BWP is the first initial downlink BWP (See paras 65-67 & 156, first UL/DL BWP and second UL/DL BWP).
Claims 11 and 26:
Wu discloses determining the target BWP, from the plurality of initial BWPs, for the SDT performed by the terminal comprises: receiving indication information transmitted by a network device, wherein the indication information is configured to indicate the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal (See para 66 and figs. 3A-C, “configuring second UL BWP and second DL BWP for the UE to camp on…”. Also see para 109).
Claims 16, 20 and 22:
Wu discloses a transmission method for small data transmission (SDT), performed by a network device, and comprising: transmitting indication information (See para 66, “The DU 174 includes, in the DU-to-CU message 308, configuration(s) configuring second UL BWP and second DL BWP for the UE to camp on”), wherein the indication information is configured to indicate a target bandwidth part (BWP) for a SDT performed by a terminal, and the target BWP is a BWP from a plurality of initial BWPs (See para 66, “The DU 174 includes, in the DU-to-CU message 308, configuration(s) configuring second UL BWP and second DL BWP for the UE to camp on”).
With regards to claim 20, a processor; and a memory (See para 55, processor and memory).
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.
Claim(s) 9, 14, 25 & 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. in view of Turtinen et al. US 2024/0334527 A1.
Claims 9 and 25:
Wu doesn’t disclose performing a measurement for synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel PBCH) block (SSB) on the first initial downlink BWP, or performing a measurement for SSB on the second initial downlink BWP, wherein the second initial downlink BWP is configured with at least one of a SSB and a paging message.
Turtinen discloses performing a measurement for synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel PBCH) block (SSB) on the first initial downlink BWP, or performing a measurement for SSB on the second initial downlink BWP (See para 50, “the SSB measurement may be configured for an initial DL bandwidth part (BWP) or non-initial DL BWPs containing the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP”. Also see para 74), wherein the second initial downlink BWP is configured with at least one of a SSB and a paging message (See para 50, “the SSB measurement may be configured for an initial DL bandwidth part (BWP) or non-initial DL BWPs containing the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP”. Also see para 74).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Wu with the teachings of Turtinen to improve the method disclosed by Wu by including the feature of SSB measurement. The motivation to combine would have been to synchronize the UE for SDT.
Claims 14 and 28:
Wu doesn’t disclose determining the target BWP, from the plurality of initial BWPs, for the SDT performed by the terminal comprises at least one of: determining, in response to the second initial downlink BWP being configured with at least one of a SSB and a paging message, the second initial downlink BWP as the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal.
Turtinen discloses determining the target BWP, from the plurality of initial BWPs, for the SDT performed by the terminal comprises at least one of: determining, in response to the second initial downlink BWP being configured with at least one of a SSB and a paging message, the second initial downlink BWP as the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal (See para 50, “the SSB measurement may be configured for…non-initial DL BWPs containing the SSB associated with the initial DL BWP”. Also see para 74).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Wu with the teachings of Turtinen to improve the method disclosed by Wu by including the feature of SSB measurement. The motivation to combine would have been to synchronize the UE for SDT.
Claim(s) 13 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu et al. in view of Yan US 2021/0266920 A1
Claims 13 and 27:
Wu discloses determining, the target BWP, from the plurality of initial BWPs, for the SDT performed by the terminal comprises: the terminal being configured with a first initial uplink BWP and a second initial uplink BWP (See abstract and para 156, SDT performed on second UL/DL BWP).
Wu doesn’t disclose in response to the terminal being configured with a first initial uplink BWP and a second initial uplink BWP, and a bandwidth of the first initial uplink BWP and a bandwidth of the second initial uplink BWP both being less than a receiving and transmitting bandwidth of the terminal, determining the first initial uplink BWP or the second initial uplink BWP as the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal; or
in response to the terminal being configured with a first initial uplink BWP and a second initial uplink BWP, and a bandwidth of the first initial uplink BWP or a bandwidth of the second initial uplink BWP being greater than a receiving and transmitting bandwidth of the terminal, determining that an initial uplink BWP meeting a reception capability of the terminal is the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal.
Yan discloses in response to the terminal being configured with a first initial uplink BWP and a second initial uplink BWP, and a bandwidth of the first initial uplink BWP and a bandwidth of the second initial uplink BWP both being less than a receiving and transmitting bandwidth of the terminal, determining the first initial uplink BWP or the second initial uplink BWP as the target BWP for the SDT performed by the terminal (See para 53, “The first BWP and the second BWP are less than or equal to the maximum bandwidth supported by the first terminal”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Wu with the teachings of Yan to improve the method disclosed by Wu by including the feature of having first and second UL bandwidth less than the bandwidth of the UE. The motivation for doing so would have been to allocate resources efficiently.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 and 29 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HASHIM S BHATTI whose telephone number is (571)270-7748. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00am-5:30pm.
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HASHIM S. BHATTI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/HASHIM S BHATTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475