DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 3, 5, 26, 47 and 49 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 3, 5, 26, 47 and 49 PDCCH is being used for the first time the claim set. Each acronym should be expanded at least once when first used in the claim set.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 6, 7, 24, 41, 50 and 51 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Taherzadeh Boroujeni et al. (US-PGUB 2021/0329692).
Regarding claim 1, ‘692 teaches a coverage enhancement method, performed by a user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (BS), the method comprising: transmitting Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) repetitions in random access transmission occasions [Para 114, UE transmits PRACH repetition message to a base station]; and monitoring random access response (RAR) from the base station within one or more random access response windows determined based on the PRACH repetitions [Para 114, receives RAR from a base station within a random access response window such as after a last repetition].
Regarding claims 6 and 50, ‘692 teaches the size of the random access response window is equal to a configured value [Para 101].
Regarding claims 7 and 51, ‘692 teaches the size of the random access response window is larger than a configured value [Para 118-119].
Regarding claim 24, ‘692 teaches a coverage enhancement method, performed by a base station (BS) communicating with a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving from the UE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) repetitions in random access transmission occasions [Para 114, UE transmits PRACH repetition message to a base station]; and transmitting random access response (RAR) within one or more random access response windows determined based on the PRACH repetitions [Para 114, receives RAR from a base station within a random access response window such as after a last repetition].
Regarding claim 41, ‘692 teaches a user equipment (UE), communicating with a base station (BS) in a network, the UE comprising a processor, configured to call and run program instructions stored in a memory, to execute a coverage enhancement method, wherein the coverage enhancement method comprises: transmitting Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) repetitions in random access transmission occasions [Para 114, UE transmits PRACH repetition message to a base station]; and monitoring random access response (RAR) from the base station within one or more random access response windows determined based on the PRACH repetitions [Para 114, receives RAR from a base station within a random access response window such as after a last repetition].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 8, 25-27, 46-49 and 52 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Xiong et al. (USPN 12,513,553) teaches transmitting physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions from a user equipment (UE) to a base station.
Kwak et al. (USPN 11,856,609) teaches determining physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble transmission parameters associated with PRACH coverage enhancement (CE) levels of a RACH procedure, where the parameters comprise a transmission attempt threshold that indicates a number of PRACH transmission attempts at one of the PRACH CE levels of the procedure.
Zewail et al. (USPN 11,678,379) teaches communicating a random access signal in a frequency band by a first wireless communication device with a second wireless communication device.
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/Chandrahas B Patel/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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