Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This is a final action for application number 18/726,313 in response to an amendment filed 08/27/2026; the original application filed on 07/02/2024.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Claims 1, 10 and 19 are independent claims.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS), submitted on 06/09/2026, is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-7, 9-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang et al. (US 2020/0367168 A1) in view of Sengupta et al. (US 2022/0038151 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, a method, comprising:
receiving, by a processor of an apparatus, from an anchor cell, a system information and a timing information [To this end, the UE synchronizes its timing to the base station and acquires information such as a cell identifier (ID) by receiving a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) from the base station , (Hwang et al., Paragraph 49)], of a non-anchor cell for waking up the non-anchor cell, [A method suggested in the present disclosure may include a method of enabling/disabling an operation related to a WUS in unit of a cell like Method 1. To this end, whether to enable/disable a WUS in a corresponding cell may be indicated through cell common system information that is not restricted to a specific resource part. For example, information related to enabling/disabling of a WUS may be indicated through Master Information Block (MIB) (or MIB-NB), System Information Block type 1, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 126)],
and transmitting, by the processor, a wake-up-signal (WUS) to the non-anchor cell based on the system information and the timing information to wake up the non-anchor cell, [Figure 10, Ref # S1004, if the WUS is enabled, the UE may monitor the WUS and/or a channel corresponding to the WUS. If Method 1 according to the present disclosure is applied, the configuration information may include a resource part list for a UE, (Hwang et al., Paragraphs 230-235)],
wherein the anchor cell comprises a cell where the apparatus is capable of receiving the system information and the timing information, [in case that a plurality of resource parts are operated in a single cell, a UE may need information on a resource part list and a reference for selecting a resource part. In a situation of applying Method 1 according to the present disclosure, if presence or non-presence of applicability of WUS is defined as capability from the perspective of a UE and a WUS capable UE and a WUS incapable UE exist in the same cell, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 127)],
and performing a timing and frequency synchronization, [the UE synchronizes its timing to the base station and acquires information such as a cell identifier (ID) by receiving a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) from the base station, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 49)],
Hwang et al. fails to explicitly teach that the non-anchor cell comprises a cell that does not transmit a system block and where the apparatus cannot receive the system information and the timing information,
Sengupta et al. teaches that in some cases, at least one carrier in each beam may be used to send synchronization signals, system information, or both. For example, an anchor carrier 415 of a set of carriers 410 may be used to send synchronization signals and system information. In some cases, other carriers (e.g., a carrier 420) of the set of carriers 410 may be used for communications and may not be used to send synchronization signals and system information, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 242),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Hwang et al. by including that the non-anchor cell comprises a cell that does not transmit a system block and where the apparatus cannot receive the system information and the timing information, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 242), in order to support connected mode beam management for narrowband systems, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 4).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, the method wherein the receiving comprises receiving the timing information from at least one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite, [TDMA may be embodied through wireless (or radio) technology such as global system for mobile communication (GSM)/general packet radio service (GPRS)/enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), (Hwang et al., Paragraph 34)].
Regarding claims 3 and 12, the method further comprising: performing, by the processor, a cell selection, a cell re-selection or a random access procedure with the non-anchor cell based on the system information and the timing information, [To complete access to the base station, the UE may perform a random access procedure such as steps S203 to S206 with the base station, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 51)].
Regarding claims 4 and 13, the method wherein the system information comprises a configuration for at least one of carrier information, physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, a preamble index, a preamble sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and a PRACH resource, [The UE determines a level in each operation ode and transmits the determined level to the BS. Particularly, an MTC UE determines a level in an operation mode based on a measured channel quality (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.), and may be then able to inform a BS of the determined level using a PRACH resource, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 95)].
Regarding claims 5 and 14, the method wherein the WUS comprises a base station (BS)-WUS sequence, and wherein the WUS is used to request a transition from no or reduced transmission or reception activity to activate transmission or reception activity of a channel or a signal, or is used to trigger a synchronization signal block (SSB) or system information block (SIB) transmission, [where the one or more messages include a medium access control (MAC) control element, DCI, or any combination thereof, and where the one or more messages activate transmissions of the one or more channel sounding messages, deactivate the transmissions of the one or more channel sounding messages, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 24)].
Regarding claims 6 and 15, the method wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the WUS through a wake-up transceiver of the apparatus, [a technical task of the present disclosure is to provide a method of transceiving a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) efficiently in a wireless communication system and apparatus therefore, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 3)].
Regarding claims 7 and 16, the method wherein the WUS comprises at least one of a wake-up preamble, an address identification (ID), a sender ID and a sub-carrier spacing (SCS), [the UE synchronizes its timing to the base station and acquires information such as a cell identifier (ID) by receiving a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) from the base station, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 49)].
Regarding claims 9 and 18, the method further comprising: receiving, by the processor, a master information block (MIB) or a system information block 1 (SIB1) to determine whether wake up the non-anchor cell, [Master Information Block (MIB) is transceived through PBCH, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 92)].
Regarding claim 19, a method, comprising:
receiving, by a first transceiver of an apparatus, a wake-up-signal (WUS) from a user equipment (UE), [Figure 10, Ref # S1002, a UE may receive configuration information related to WUS enabling/disabling. In case of applying Method 1 according to the present disclosure, the configuration information related to the WUS enabling/disabling may be configured in cell unit (and/or cell-commonly), (Hwang et al., Paragraphs 224-229)],
and waking up, by the first transceiver, a second transceiver of the apparatus based on the WUS from the UE, [Figure 10, Ref # S1004, if the WUS is enabled, the UE may monitor the WUS and/or a channel corresponding to the WUS. If Method 1 according to the present disclosure is applied, the configuration information may include a resource part list for a UE, (Hwang et al., Paragraphs 230-235)],
Hwang et al. fails to explicitly teach transiting, by a processor of an apparatus, from no or reduced transmission or reception activity to activate transmission or reception activity for a channel or a signal,
Sengupta et al. teaches that the one or more messages include a medium access control (MAC) control element, DCI, or any combination thereof, and where the one or more messages activate transmissions of the one or more channel sounding messages, deactivate the transmissions of the one or more channel sounding messages, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 24),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to modify Hwang et al. by transiting, by a processor of an apparatus, from no or reduced transmission or reception activity to activate transmission or reception activity for a channel or a signal, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 24), in order to support connected mode beam management for narrowband systems, (Sengupta et al., Paragraph 4).
Regarding claim 20, the method of Claim 19, wherein the second transceiver is in a power saving mode in an event that the processor is in no or reduced transmission or reception activity, [A WUS may be used for the purpose of reducing power consumption due to monitoring of a corresponding channel from the perspective of a receiving end, for the purpose of providing information for monitoring of a corresponding channel, (Hwang et al., Paragraph 117)].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 17 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
Applicants’ 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 replying 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 Shukri Taha whose telephone number is 571-270-1921. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Avellino, can be reached on 571-272-3905.
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/SHUKRI TAHA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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