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
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 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.
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 nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 7, 9, 13, 14, 18, 20, 26, 28, 32, 33, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin et al (US 2021/0288773 A1) in view of Zhang et al (US 2023/0300786 A1) further in view of Li et al (US 2021/0045003 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 20, Lin discloses a wireless device, WD, configured to communicate with a network node (Fig. 1, UE 115 communicates with BS 103), the WD comprising processing circuitry (Fig. 3, processor 340) configured to:
determine whether a first signal reception, FSR, condition is met, the FSR condition including one of receipt and availability of at least N reference signals (297th paragraph and Fig. 26, validating number of TRS/CSI-RS reception in symbols 2602, 2603, 2604, 2605, 2606) during a time interval ΔT (Fig. 26, time interval 2601) ending at a time T2 (Fig. 26, start of paging occasion 2611), N being an integer greater than zero (Fig. 26, TRS/CSI-RSs in symbols 2602, 2603, 2604, 2605, 2606); and
provided that the FSR condition is met, receive a paging signal on a paging resource at the time T2 (Fig. 26, UE receives paging at the start of a paging occasion (PO) 2611 after validating the reception of TRS/CSI-RS in the configured set of symbols 2602, 2603, 2604, 2605, 2606).
Lin does not disclose that the wireless device communicating with the network node in a half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) mode. Zhang discloses HD-FDD UE communicating with a base station in a wireless network (41st paragraph and Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include HD-FDD UEs in Lin’s system, as suggested by Zhang, since HD-FDD mode prolongs battery life of UEs.
Lin does not disclose that wherein the at least N reference signals have a bandwidth exceeding a threshold. Li discloses that number of resource blocks (RBs) of CSI-RS is higher than a threshold (161st paragraph). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include reference signal bandwidth exceed a threshold in Lin’s system, as suggested by Li, to increase reception reliability.
Regarding claims 7 and 26, Lin discloses that wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to prioritize downlink reception of the at least N reference signals to enable synchronization between the WD and the network node prior to a paging occasion that starts at the time T2 (Fig. 26, TRS/CSI-RS receptions are prioritized over paging occasion PO 2611).
Regarding claims 9 and 28, Lin discloses receiving reference signals during an interval 2601. Lin does not disclose that wherein the FSR condition includes receiving at least N2 reference signals during the time interval ΔT that have a bandwidth that falls below a second threshold, N2 being an integer greater than 1. Li discloses that number of CSI-RS (RBs) is lower than a threshold (165th paragraph). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include reference signal bandwidth that falls below a second threshold in Lin’s system, as suggested by Li, to reduce bandwidth over usage.
Regarding claims 13 and 32, Lin discloses that wherein when the FSR condition is not met, the processing circuitry is further configured to one of postpone, defer, and delay receiving the paging signal (Fig. 28, paging occasion PO 2800 is moved to symbols 2809, 2810, and 2811 based on TRS/CSI-RS validation).
Regarding claims 14 and 33, Lin discloses that wherein when the FSR condition is not met, the processing circuitry is further configured to one of postpone, defer, and delay receiving the paging signal until the FSR condition is met (Fig. 28, paging occasion PO 2800 is moved to symbols 2809, 2810, and 2811 based on TRS/CSI-RS validation).
Regarding claims 18 and 37, Lin discloses that wherein ΔT is determined based at least in part on one of a synchronization status of the WD, a discontinuous reception time, and a reference signal transmission periodicity (Fig. 26, interval 2601 is determined based on TRS/CSI-RS transmission periodicity).
Claims 2 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, Zhang, and Li further in view of Wei et al (US 2024/0284361 A1).
Regarding claims 2 and 21, Lin discloses receiving reference signals during an interval 2601. Lin does not disclose that wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to prioritize downlink reception over uplink transmission during the time interval ΔT. Wei discloses that SSB reception has a higher priority than configured uplink transmissions, e.g., PUCCH, in SSB resources or time interval (58th paragraph and Fig. 4). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to prioritize SSB reception over configured uplink transmission in a time interval in Lin’s system, as suggested by Wei, to prioritize UE’s synchronization.
Claims 3 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, Zhang, and Li further in view of Islam et al (US 2024/0244668 A1).
Regarding claims 3 and 22, Lin discloses receiving reference signals during an interval 2601. Lin does not disclose that wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to prioritize reception of the at least N reference signals over transmission of a random access. Islam discloses that the UE may prioritize the monitoring and reception of the downlink reference signals and may refrain from initiating and transmitting RACH (113th paragraph and Fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to prioritize SSB reception over transmission of a random access in Lin’s system, as suggested by Wei, to prioritize UE’s synchronization.
Claims 17 and 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin, Zhang, and Li further in view of the admitted prior art disclosed in pages 1-11 of the specification. Hereinafter, refer to as Lin, Zhang, Li, and APA.
Regarding claims 17 and 36, Lin discloses receiving reference signals during an interval 2601. Lin does not disclose that wherein, when the WD is in a low-activity radio resource control, RRC state, the processing circuitry is further configured to re-synchronize with the network node and to perform automatic gain control during the time interval ΔT. APA discloses that when the WD is in sleep mode, WD re-synchronizes with the network node by receiving TRS during reception interval and adjusts the gain of LNA by using automatic gain control algorithm (page 8, lines 4-17). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to re-synchronize and adjust AGC in Lin’s system, as suggested by APA, to synchronize UE to network node.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed July 1, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues in page 11 that Li does not disclose determining whether a number of reference signals have a bandwidth that exceeds a threshold as a condition for receiving a paging signal. Examiner respectfully agrees. However, Li is relied on to show that reference signals having a bandwidth that exceeds a threshold. Lin discloses validating the reception of TRS/CSI-RS as a condition for receiving a paging signal.
Applicant argues in page 11 that a number of resource blocks is not the same as bandwidth. Examiner respectfully disagrees. A bandwidth is a PRBs as known in the art.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 ANH VU H LY whose telephone number is (571)272-3175. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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ANH VU H. LY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/ANH VU H LY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
Prosecution Insights