Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/730,662

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING UPLINK TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Jul 19, 2024
Priority
Jan 24, 2022 — RE 10-2022-0009679 +1 more
Examiner
CHOWDHURY, FAHMIDA S
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
LG Electronics Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
93%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 93% — above average
93%
Career Allowance Rate
584 granted / 628 resolved
+33.0% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+6.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Fast prosecutor
2y 1m
Avg Prosecution
16 currently pending
Career history
648
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
52.6%
+12.6% vs TC avg
§102
33.6%
-6.4% vs TC avg
§112
4.0%
-36.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 628 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . DETAILED ACTIONThis action is in response to the application filed on 07/19/2024. Claims 12 and 14-15 have been cancelled.Claims 1-11, and 13 have been examined. 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1, 7, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being anticipated by JANG et al. (US 2012/0257569). As of claim 1, JANG discloses a method for of performing uplink transmission by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (para [0064]-[0074] discloses uplink transmission through a SCell belonging to STAG), the method comprising: receiving configuration information related to a serving cell from a base station, wherein the configuration information including information about a plurality of timing advance groups (TAGs) associated with the serving cell (para [0064] [0074] [0079] discloses the eNB categorizes the carriers having similar uplink timings into a group to manage the carriers efficiently. This technique is referred to as Timing Advance Group, the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information); receiving, from the base station, downlink control information (DCI) including first indication information and second indication information (para [0073] [0074] discloses the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, para [0077] discloses the UE then receives a PDCCH order transmitted by the eNB, the PDCCH order instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell); and performing at least one of first uplink transmission or second uplink transmission based on at least one of the first indication information or the second indication information (para [0078] discloses instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell), the UE transmits a Random Access Preamble through the cell indicated by the PDCCH order), wherein based on the first uplink transmission being performed using the first indication information, a first transmission timing of the first uplink transmission is based on a first TA value associated with a first TAG corresponding to the first indication information among the plurality of TAGs (JANG, para [0079] discloses the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information, the uplink timings of the cells corresponding to the respective TAG can be adjusted according to the individual TA information included in the RAR message, it is proposed to transmit the RAR message including the timing advance information of the respective TAGs such that the UE adjusts the uplink timings of the cell belonging to the respective TAGs), and wherein based on the second uplink transmission being performed using the second indication information, a second transmission timing of the second uplink transmission is based on a second TA value associated with a second TAG corresponding to the second indication information among the plurality of TAGs (para [0083] discloses the UE transmits the Random Access Preamble as indicated by the RACH configuration information retained in the SCell 1 and, since the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted through the RACH configured with the SCell 1, the STAG1's TA information received afterward, which the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted so as to adjust the uplink transmission timing of the SCell 2 as well as the uplink transmission timing of the SCell ). As of claim 11, JANG discloses a user equipment (UE) performing uplink transmission in a wireless communication system, (para [0064]-[0074] discloses uplink transmission through a SCell belonging to STAG), the UE comprising: at least one transceiver ([FIG. 10] shows the UE comprises transceiver 1001); and at least one processor coupled to the at least one transceiver controller 1009 (=processor) coupled to the transceiver), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, through the at least one transceiver, configuration information related to a serving cell from a base station, wherein the configuration information including information about a plurality of timing advance groups (TAGs) associated with the serving cell (para [0064] [0074] [0079] discloses the eNB categorizes the carriers having similar uplink timings into a group to manage the carriers efficiently. This technique is referred to as Timing Advance Group, the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information); receive, from the base station through the at least one transceiver, downlink control information (DCI) including first indication information and second indication information (para [0073] [0074] discloses the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, para [0077] discloses the UE then receives a PDCCH order transmitted by the eNB, the PDCCH order instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell); and perform at least one of first uplink transmission or second uplink transmission based on at least one of the first indication information or the second indication information (para [0078] discloses instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell), the UE transmits a Random Access Preamble through the cell indicated by the PDCCH order), wherein based on the first uplink transmission being performed using the first indication information, a first transmission timing of the first uplink transmission is based on a first TA value associated with a first TAG corresponding to the first indication information among the plurality of TAGs (JANG, para [0079] discloses the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information, the uplink timings of the cells corresponding to the respective TAG can be adjusted according to the individual TA information included in the RAR message, it is proposed to transmit the RAR message including the timing advance information of the respective TAGs such that the UE adjusts the uplink timings of the cell belonging to the respective TAGs), and wherein based on the second uplink transmission being performed using the second indication information, a second transmission timing of the second uplink transmission is based on a second TA value associated with a second TAG corresponding to the second indication information among the plurality of TAGs (para [0083] discloses the UE transmits the Random Access Preamble as indicated by the RACH configuration information retained in the SCell 1 and, since the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted through the RACH configured with the SCell 1, the STAG1's TA information received afterward, which the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted so as to adjust the uplink transmission timing of the SCell 2 as well as the uplink transmission timing of the SCell). As of claim 13, JANG discloses a base station performing uplink reception in a wireless communication system (para [0064]- [0074] discloses uplink transmission through a SCell belonging to STAG), the base station comprising: at least one transceiver ([FIG. 11] shows the eNB comprising a controller 1109); and at least one processor coupled to the at least one transceiver ([FIG. 11] shows the controller 1109 coupled to the transceiver 1101), wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, through the at least one transceiver, configuration information related to a serving cell to a user equipment (UE), wherein the configuration information including information about a plurality of timing advance groups (TAGs) associated with the serving cell (para [0064] [0074] [0079] discloses the eNB categorizes the carriers having similar uplink timings into a group to manage the carriers efficiently. This technique is referred to as Timing Advance Group, the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information); transmit, to the UE through the at least one transceiver, downlink control information (DCI) including first indication information and second indication information (para [0073] [0074] discloses the eNB transmits the proposed Random Access Response (RAR) including the TA information by referencing the downlink signal of the cell, para [0077] discloses the UE then receives a PDCCH order transmitted by the eNB, the PDCCH order instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell); and perform at least one of first uplink reception or second uplink reception based on at least one of the first indication information or the second indication information (para [0078] discloses instructing the UE to transmit a preamble through a specific cell (PCell or SCell), the UE transmits a Random Access Preamble through the cell indicated by the PDCCH order which corresponds to eNB receive), wherein based on the first uplink reception being performed using the first indication information, a first reception timing of the first uplink reception is based on a first TA value associated with a first TAG corresponding to the first indication information among the plurality of TAGs (JANG, para [0079] discloses the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information, the uplink timings of the cells corresponding to the respective TAG can be adjusted according to the individual TA information included in the RAR message, it is proposed to transmit the RAR message including the timing advance information of the respective TAGs such that the UE adjusts the uplink timings of the cell belonging to the respective TAGs), and wherein based on the second uplink reception being performed using the second indication information, a second reception timing of the second uplink reception is based on a second TA value associated with a second TAG corresponding to the second indication information among the plurality of TAGs (para [0083] discloses the UE transmits the Random Access Preamble as indicated by the RACH configuration information retained in the SCell 1 and, since the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted through the RACH configured with the SCell 1, the STAG1's TA information received afterward, which the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted so as to adjust the uplink transmission timing of the SCell 2 as well as the uplink transmission timing of the SCell). As of claim 7, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG teaches based on configuration information related to a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) group and a second PUCCH group being received from the base station: the first transmission timing is based on a first TA value associated with the first TAG corresponding to a first PUCCH group among the plurality of TAGs (JANG, para [0079] discloses the RAR message be configured to include a plurality of TA information, the uplink timings of the cells corresponding to the respective TAG can be adjusted according to the individual TA information included in the RAR message, it is proposed to transmit the RAR message including the timing advance information of the respective TAGs such that the UE adjusts the uplink timings of the cell belonging to the respective TAGs),and the second transmission timing is based on a second TA value associated with the second TAG corresponding to a second PUCCH group among the plurality of TAGs (para [0083] discloses the UE transmits the Random Access Preamble as indicated by the RACH configuration information retained in the SCell 1 and, since the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted through the RACH configured with the SCell 1, the STAG1's TA information received afterward, which the Random Access Preamble has been transmitted so as to adjust the uplink transmission timing of the SCell 2 as well as the uplink transmission timing of the SCell). 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 of this title, 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 2, 4-6 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over JANG et al. (US 2012/0257569) in view of SAKHNINI et al. (US 2022/0014328). As of claim 2, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but SAKHNINI teaches the first indication information includes a first sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicated by a first sounding reference signal (SRS) resource indicator field included in the DCI, and the second indication information includes a second SRS resource indicated by the second SRS resource indicator field included in the DCI (SAKHNINI, para [0118] discloses the DCI triggering the aperiodic SRS resource, para [0190] discloses a first SRS resource set be associated with a first TAG and a second SRS resource set be associated with a second TAG which corresponds to SRS resource indicator field included in the DCI). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of SAKHNINI in order to indicates a timing advance to be applied by the UE to uplink signals transmitted to the TRPs within a TAG). As of claim 4, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but SAKHNINI teaches based on at least one of the first uplink transmission or the second uplink transmission being performed, an offset value between the first transmission timing and the second transmission timing is defined (SAKHNINI, para [0118] the starting symbol of SRS resource 714b be configured with an offset of one symbol (e.g., I.sub.offset=1), and the starting symbol of SRS resource 714a be configured with an offset of more than two symbols (e.g., I.sub.offset>2). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of SAKHNINI in order to indicates a timing advance to be applied by the UE to uplink signals transmitted to the TRPs within a TAG). As of claim 5, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but SAKHNINI teaches based on at least one of the first uplink transmission or the second uplink transmission being performed, information about an offset value between the first transmission timing and the second transmission timing is received from the base station (para [0047] discloses a gap length (=offset) between the respective SRS resources associated with each of the TRPs be provided between the SRS resources associated with the different TRPs, the gap length (=offset) be based on a capability of the UE). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of SAKHNINI in order to indicates a timing advance to be applied by the UE to uplink signals transmitted to the TRPs within a TAG). As of claim 6, rejection of claim 5 cited above incorporated herein, in addition modified JANG-SAKHNINI teaches information about the offset value between the first transmission timing and the second transmission timing is based on channel state information (CSI) feedback transmitted from the terminal to the base station or UE capability (SAKHNINI, para [0047] discloses a gap length between the respective SRS resources associated with each of the TRPs be provided to enable antenna port switching between the SRS resources associated with the different TRPs, the gap length be based on a capability of the UE). Claims 3, and 8-10 are rejected under AIA 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over JANG et al. (US 2012/0257569) in view of Bai et al. (US 2022/0217725). As of claim 3, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but Bai teaches the first indication information includes information related to a first uplink transmission configuration indication (TCI) state indicated by a TCI field included in the DCI, and the second indication information includes information related to a second uplink TCI state indicated by the TCI field (Bai, para [0097] discloses the base station transmit DCI to the UE , and the TCI state be selected via an indication (e.g., within one or more fields) provided by the DCI. Para [0103] discloses the TCI state information 215 (both of first TCI state information or second TCI state information ) include an indication of uplink timing advance parameters, the TCI state information include a timing advance group ID or a timing advance value for uplink transmission of an uplink beam). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of Bai in order to improve supporting beam indications for multiple uplink or downlink channels and reference signals. As of claim 8, rejection of claim 7 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but Bai teaches at least one spatial relation information is configured for at least one PUCCH resource included in each of the first PUCCH group and the second PUCCH group (Bai, para [0099] discloses uplink source reference signals provide spatial relation information for spatial transmission parameters as well as the described QCL characteristics associated with uplink QCL). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of Bai in order to improve supporting beam indications for multiple uplink or downlink channels and reference signals. As of claim 9, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG discloses based on a timing advance command for each of a first TAG and a second TAG being received from the base station (JANG, para [0095] discloses the eNB transmits the TA information to the group 1 in the TAC MAC CE or RAR to command uplink timing adjustment includes a 6-bit Timing Advance Command field for adjusting uplink timing), JANG does not explicitly disclose but Bai teaches the first TA value is based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) of a bandwidth part (BWP) in which a largest SCS is configured among at least one BWP corresponding to the first TAG, and the second TA value is based on a SCS of a BWP in which a largest SCS is configured among at least one BWP corresponding to the second TAG (Bai, [0059] [0062] [0063] [0064] discloses where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related, where a numerology include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies, a UE be configured with multiple BWPs, where Δf.sub.max represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of Bai in order to improve supporting beam indications for multiple uplink or downlink channels and reference signals. As of claim 10, rejection of claim 1 cited above incorporated herein, in addition JANG does not explicitly discloses but Bai teaches the first TA value and the second TA value are based on a SCS of a BWP in which a largest SCS is configured among at least one BWP corresponding to a specific TAG among the first TAG and the second TAG (Bai, [0059] [0062] [0063] [0064] discloses where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related, where a numerology include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies, a UE be configured with multiple BWPs, where Δf.sub.max represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing). Therefore it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of JANG with teaching of Bai in order to improve supporting beam indications for multiple uplink or downlink channels and reference signals. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FAHMIDA S CHOWDHURY whose telephone number is (571)272-2547. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am to 5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Sujoy K Kundu can be reached at 571-272-8586. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /FAHMIDA S CHOWDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jul 19, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12641446
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADJUSTING TRANSMISSION POWER FOR A MOBILE DEVICE
3y 5m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12640792
JOINT DESIGN OF USER ASSOCIATION AND HYBRID BEAMFORMING METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUB-THz UDN USING MULTI-AGENT DEEP REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
2y 11m to grant Granted May 26, 2026
Patent 12635023
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, CONTROL DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
2y 9m to grant Granted May 19, 2026
Patent 12627348
RELAY SELECTION FOR MULTI-RELAY COMMUNICATIONS
2y 10m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Patent 12628232
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR BEAM MANAGEMENT IN WIRELESS NETWORKS
2y 7m to grant Granted May 12, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
93%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+6.1%)
2y 1m (~1m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 628 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month