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 .
This is responsive to application 18/729,317 filed 07/16/2024 in which claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6-14 and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Xu et al (US 2023/0135073 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Xu teaches a radio access network (RAN) node for wireless communication (Xu; Fig. 6: gNB1; see [0080]-[0097]), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the RAN node to:
determine first time information associated with a neighbor RAN node of the RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6: [0080], step 1, gNB1 receives validity time of gNB2 and gNB3); and
transmit the first time information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the first time information includes at least one of: a first epoch time associated with the neighbor RAN node; or a first validity time associated with the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], step 2b, 2c; gNB1 transmits the validity time to the UE1, UE2).
Regarding claim 10, Xu teaches a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication (Xu; Fig. 6: UE1; see [0080]-[0097]), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to:
receive, from a radio access network (RAN) node, first time information associated with a neighbor RAN node of the RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], step 2b, 2c; gNB1 transmits the validity time received from gNB2, gNB3 to UE1); and
determine time-related status of the neighbor RAN node based on the first time information, wherein the first time information includes at least one of: a
first epoch time associated with the neighbor RAN node; or a
first validity time associated with the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], UE1 received the validity time information from the gNB1).
Regarding claim 16, Xu teaches a processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to:
receive, from a radio access network (RAN) node, first time information associated with a neighbor RAN node of the RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], step 2b, 2c; gNB1 transmits the validity time received from gNB2, gNB3 to UE1); and
determine time-related status of the neighbor RAN node based on the first time information, wherein the first time information includes at least one of: a first epoch time associated with the neighbor RAN node; or a first validity time associated with the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], UE1 receives the validity time information from the gNB1).
Regarding claim 20, Xu teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving, from a radio access network (RAN) node, first time information associated with a neighbor RAN node of the RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], step 2b, 2c; gNB1 transmits the validity time received from gNB2, gNB3 to UE1); and
determining time-related status of the neighbor RAN node based on the first time information, wherein the first time information includes at least one of: a first epoch time associated with the neighbor RAN node; or a first validity time associated with the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], UE1 receives the validity time information from the gNB1).
Regarding claim 2, Xu teaches wherein the first time information is determined based on second time information of the neighbor RAN node, wherein the second time information at least comprises one of: a second epoch time associated with the neighbor RAN node; or a second validity time associated with the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0089]-[0096], UE1 receives the validity time information from the gNB1 that determines the validity time from the information received from gNB2, gNB3).
Regarding claim 3, Xu teaches wherein the second time information is one or more of pre-stored in the RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6; [0064], [0080], [0087]), or received from the neighbor RAN node in response to a request from the RAN node to the neighbor RAN node.
Regarding claim 4, Xu teaches wherein the request comprises at least one of: an indication to request a part of the second time information or all of the second time information; an identity of the neighbor RAN node; or a preferred format of the second time information (This limitation has no patentable weight as it depends on an alternative limitation in claim 2 that was selected for rejection).
Regarding claims 6, 11 and 17, Xu teaches wherein at least one of the first epoch time or the first validity time is associated with at least one of: an ephemeris of the neighbor RAN node (Xu: Fig. 6, [0105]); a common timing advance (TA) of the neighbor RAN node; or a feeder link propagation delay of the neighbor RAN node.
Regarding claims 7 and 12, Xu teaches wherein the first time information further comprises a first reference time point for at least one of the first epoch time or the first validity time (Xu: Figs. 3-4; [0049]-[0050]).
Regarding claim 8, 13 and 19, Xu teaches wherein the first time information is transmitted to the UE by a system information (SI) broadcast, an on-demand SI, or a dedicated signaling (Xu: Fig. 6; [0066], [0094]-[0095]).
Regarding claim 9, Xu teaches wherein the first time information indicates at least one of: the first epoch time has a same value as a third epoch time associated with the RAN node, wherein the third epoch time is associated with at least one of an ephemeris of the RAN node or a common TA of the RAN node; or the first validity time has a same value as a third validity time associated with the RAN node, wherein the third validity time is associated with at least one of an ephemeris of the RAN node or a common TA of the RAN node (Xu: Figs. 3, 4, 6, [0090]-[0095]; [0105]).
Regarding claims 14 and 18, Xu teaches wherein the time-related status of the neighbor RAN node comprises at least one of: at least one of the ephemeris, the common TA, or the feeder link propagation delay at the first epoch time; at least one of the ephemeris, the common TA, or the feeder link propagation delay that is valid (Xu: Fig. 6, [0105]); at least one of the ephemeris, the common TA, or the feeder link propagation delay at a given time; coordinates of the neighbor RAN node at a given time; an orbital position of the neighbor RAN node at a given time; a validity timer for neighbor RAN node parameter values that is started the first time information is received; a length of the validity timer from reception time to the first validity time; the first epoch time has a same value as a third epoch time associated with the RAN node, wherein the third epoch time is associated with at least one of an ephemeris of the RAN node or a common TA of the RAN node; or the first validity time has a same value as a third validity time associated with the RAN node, wherein the third validity time is associated with at least one of an ephemeris of the RAN node or a common TA of the RAN node.
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al (US 2023/0135073 A1) in view of Chen et al (WO 2013/053306 A1) (citation from the attached English Translation).
Regarding claim 5, Xu does not explicitly disclose wherein the first time information is represented in a first format, the second time information is represented in a second format, and the processor is further configured to cause the RAN node to: convert the second time information in the second format to the first time information in the first format.
Chen teaches wherein the first time information is represented in a first format, the second time information is represented in a second format, and the processor is further configured to cause the RAN node to: convert the second time information in the second format to the first time information in the first format (Chen: Fig. 1; Page 15; “Preferably, the RNC 901 is further configured to: when the indication information of the conversion detection format is sent to the base station NodeB1 902 where the primary cell is located, notify the NodeB1 902 to convert the validity time of the detection format”).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu wherein the first time information is represented in a first format, the second time information is represented in a second format, and the processor is further configured to cause the RAN node to: convert the second time information in the second format to the first time information in the first format as disclosed by to provide a system for improving scheduling performance and saving power (Chen: Abstract).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al (US 2023/0135073 A1) in view of Martin et al (US 2025/0159636 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Xu does not explicitly disclose wherein in a case that the first time information comprises the first validity time, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to at least one of: discard received first time information associated with the neighbor RAN node when the first validity time expires; discard determined time-related status based on the first time information when the first validity time expires; consider UE uplink synchronization to the neighbor RAN node lost; or request for updating the first time information associated with the neighbor RAN node when the first validity time expires.
Martin teaches wherein in a case that the first time information comprises the first validity time, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to at least one of: discard received first time information associated with the neighbor RAN node when the first validity time expires; discard determined time-related status based on the first time information when the first validity time expires (Martin: [0168]).
It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Xu wherein in a case that the first time information comprises the first validity time, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to at least one of: discard received first time information associated with the neighbor RAN node when the first validity time expires; discard determined time-related status based on the first time information when the first validity time expires as disclosed by to provide a system for updating system information in NTN networks (Martin: Abstract).
Conclusion
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/KODZOVI ACOLATSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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