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 .
In the amendment filed August 19, 2026, claims 1, 4-7, 2, 14-17 have been amended, claims 8 and 18-20 cancelled, claims 21-23 are new, claims 1-7, 9-17 and 21-23 are currently pending for examination.
Response to Arguments
Regarding 35 U.S.C 101 applicant’s arguments, see page 7 paragraph 2, filed August 19, 2026, with respect to claims 19-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C 101 of claims 19-20 have been withdrawn.
Regarding claim objections applicant’s arguments, see page 7 paragraph 3, filed August 19, 2026, with respect to claims 5 and 15 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The claim objections of claims 5 and 15 have been withdrawn.
Regarding 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 applicant’s arguments, see page 7 paragraphs 4 - page 9, filed August 19, 2026, with respect to claims 1-7, and 9-17 have been fully considered and are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7, and 9-17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Hence a new ground of rejection is further made in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026).
Notice re prior art available under both pre-AIA and AIA
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 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.
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 1, 7, 9, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Intel (INTEL CORPORATION: "On reduced max UE BW for RedCap", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2111501, - 20211106), and further in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026).
As per claim 1, Intel disclose A method for receiving a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), comprising:
acquiring, by a terminal, first information of a first SSB from a network-side device (see Section 3, pages 11-12, acquire and maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring when NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #OA-, are provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S1B1 signaling / acquiring first information, and the UE is provided with the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB / a first SSB from a network-side device); and
receiving, by the terminal, the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises a frequency domain start position (see Section 3, pages 11-12, "For initial DL BWPs, maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring if NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-. is provided {receiving} with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling / a frequency domain start position. The UE is provided with the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB, where the PRB index may be based on: ... or (3) indication of the frequency offset in number of PRBs from the lowest PRB of the CORESET #0A. Subcarrier level-offset, indicated by kSSB and currently provided to the UE via MIB, also optionally provided to the UE via S1B1 signaling ... Proposal 3: □ If Non-Cell Defining-SSB. NCD-SSB. is configured in the separate initial DL BWP for RedCap/ the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, the NCD-SSB periodicity, indexing, Tx power, QCL mapping, and SCS are identical to the Cell Defining SSB, CD-SSB, for the cell but located with non-zero offsets from the NR frequency raster in the frequency.□ When provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-, a RedCap UE can be provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling").
Intel however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Intel, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
As per claim 7, the combination of Intel and Ericsson disclose the method according to claim 1.
Intel further disclose wherein the frequency domain start position is configured based on an absolute frequency domain position (see Section 3, page 11-12, If Non-Cell Defining-SSE (NCD-SSB) is configured in the separate initial DL BWP for RedCap, the
NCD-SSB periodicity, indexing, Tx power, QCL mapping, and SCS are identical to the Cell Defining
SSE (CD-SSE) for the cell but located with non-zero offsets from the NR frequency raster in the frequency. When provided with SSE configuration in the separate initial DL BWP (DL BWP #OA), a RedCap UE can be provided with the frequency location of the SSE via SIB1 signaling / an absolute frequency domain position).
As per claim 9, the combination of Intel and Ericsson disclose the method according to claim 1.
Intel further disclose, wherein first signaling carrying the first information comprises at least one of: terminal-specific signaling, cell-specific signaling, and system information (see Section 3, pages 11-12, for reception of NCD-SSB in an active DL BWP (initial or non-initial) that is different from the Cell Defining-SSB (CD-SSB), a RedCap UE may assume that the configuration for NCD-SSB is same as that for CD-SSB, with the exception of (i) frequency location and (ii) possibly periodicity).
As per claim 12, Intel disclose A method for transmitting a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), comprising:
transmitting, by a network-side device, first information of a first SSB (see Section 3, pages 11-12, transmitting to a UE to maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring when NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #OA-, are provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S1B1 signaling / acquiring first information, and the UE is provided with the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB / a first SSB from a network-side device); and
transmitting, by the network-side device, the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises a frequency domain start position (see Section 3, pages 11-12, "For initial DL BWPs, maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring if NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-. is provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling. The UE is provided with the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB, where the PRB index may be based on: ... or (3) indication of the frequency offset in number of PRBs from the lowest PRB of the CORESET #0A. Subcarrier level-offset, indicated by kSSB and currently provided to the UE via MIB, also optionally provided to the UE via S1B1 signaling ... Proposal 3: □ If Non-Cell Defining-SSB. NCD-SSB. is configured in the separate initial DL BWP for RedCap/ the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, the NCD-SSB periodicity, indexing, Tx power, QCL mapping, and SCS are identical to the Cell Defining SSB, CD-SSB, for the cell but located with non-zero offsets from the NR frequency raster in the frequency.□ When provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-, a RedCap UE can be provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling").
Intel however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Intel, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
Claims 2-3, 13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Intel (INTEL CORPORATION: "On reduced max UE BW for RedCap", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2111501, - 20211106), in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026) and further in view of Kim et al. (WO 2021230726A1).
As per claim 2, the combination of Intel and Ericsson disclose the method according to claim 1.
The combination of Intel and Ericsson however does not explicitly disclose wherein the frequency domain start position is determined based on a frequency offset reference position, and the frequency offset reference position comprises at least one of: a start position of a first Bandwidth Part (BWP), an end position of the first BWP, a start position of a second BWP, an end position of the second BWP, a start position of a second SSB, an end position of the second SSB, a start position of a control resource set with an index of 0, an end position of the control resource set with the index of 0, a start position of a first control resource set, an end position of the first control resource set, a reference point A, a start position of a serving cell, and an end position of the serving cell, wherein the first control resource set is a control resource set with a smallest index or largest index on the first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of the second BWP, the second BWP contains the second SSB, and the second SSB is a cell-defining SSB.
Kim however disclose wherein the frequency domain start position is determined based on a frequency offset reference position, and the frequency offset reference position comprises at least one of: a start position of a first Bandwidth Part (BWP), an end position of the first BWP, a start position of a second BWP, an end position of the second BWP, a start position of a second SSB, an end position of the second SSB, a start position of a control resource set with an index of 0, an end position of the control resource set with the index of 0, a start position of a first control resource set, an end position of the first control resource set, a reference point A, a start position of a serving cell, and an end position of the serving cell, wherein the first control resource set is a control resource set with a smallest index or largest index on the first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of the second BWP, the second BWP contains the second SSB, and the second SSB is a cell-defining SSB (see page 3, 9, 18, 20, 22-23, a start position of a first Bandwidth Part (BWP) and using CD-SSB for accessing RedCap terminals, this method distributes the added traffic load while supporting RedCap terminals on the frequency axis to potentially support more RedCap terminal access, or by designating a dedicated BWP for RedCap terminals. By arranging the non-CD-SSB in the corresponding BWP, it can be used to efficiently support the implementation of the dedicated BWP optimized for the RedCap terminal, para. 147-157, 247-257).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein the frequency domain start position is determined based on a frequency offset reference position, and the frequency offset reference position comprises at least one of: a start position of a first Bandwidth Part (BWP), an end position of the first BWP, a start position of a second BWP, an end position of the second BWP, a start position of a second SSB, an end position of the second SSB, a start position of a control resource set with an index of 0, an end position of the control resource set with the index of 0, a start position of a first control resource set, an end position of the first control resource set, a reference point A, a start position of a serving cell, and an end position of the serving cell, wherein the first control resource set is a control resource set with a smallest index or largest index on the first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of the second BWP, the second BWP contains the second SSB, and the second SSB is a cell-defining SSB, as taught by Kim, in the system of Intel and Ericsson, so that initial cell access of the terminal with reduced performance for the maximum supportable bandwidth can be efficiently performed, see Kim, page 4.
As per claim 3, the combination of Intel, Ericsson and Kim disclose the method according to claim 2.
Kim further disclose wherein the first control resource set is associated with at least one of: Type 1 Common Search Space (CSS); Type 2 or Type 2A CSS; and Type 0 or Type OA CSS (see page 3, 31-32, Type 1 Common Search Space (CSS)).
As per claim 13, claim 13 is rejected the same way as claim 2.
As per claim 17, Intel disclose A terminal (see pages 1-12, UE), comprising a processor (see pages 11-12, UE with a CPU/a processor) the processor is configured to,
acquire first information of a first SSB from a network-side device (see Section 3, pages 11-12, acquire and maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring if NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #OA-, are provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S1B1 signaling / acquiring first information, and the UE is provided with the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB / a first SSB from a network-side device); and
receive the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises a frequency domain start position (see Section 3, pages 11-12, "For initial DL BWPs, maintain same periodicities between CD- and NCD-SSB to ensure similar Idle mode power consumptions from paging monitoring if NCD-SSB and paging are configured in the separate initial DL BWP ... Also, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-. is provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling. The UE is provided with {receiving} the starting, lowest, PRB index for the SSB, where the PRB index be based on: ... or (3) indication of the frequency offset in number of PRBs from the lowest PRB of the CORESET #0A. Subcarrier level-offset, indicated by kSSB and currently provided to the UE via MIB, also optionally provided to the UE via S1B1 signaling ... Proposal 3: □ If Non-Cell Defining-SSB. NCD-SSB. is configured in the separate initial DL BWP for RedCap/ the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, the NCD-SSB periodicity, indexing, Tx power, QCL mapping, and SCS are identical to the Cell Defining SSB, CD-SSB, for the cell but located with non-zero offsets from the NR frequency raster in the frequency.□ When provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP -DL BWP #0A-, a RedCap UE can be provided with the frequency location of the SSB via S181 signaling").
Intel however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Intel, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
The combination of Intel and Ericsson however does not explicitly disclose the terminal, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instructions executable on the processor, and the processor is configured to, when executing the program or instructions.
Kim however disclose A terminal (see Fig.4, wireless device 100/ a terminal, see page 27), comprising a processor (see Fig.13, one or more processors 102) and a memory (see Fig.13, one or more memories 104), wherein the memory stores a program or instructions executable on the processor, and the processor is configured to, when executing the program or instructions (see page 27, the memory 104 is connected to the processor 102 and stores a program or instructions executable on the processor 102, the memory 104 provides instructions for performing all of the processes controlled by the processor 102).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a terminal, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instructions executable on the processor, and the processor is configured to, when executing the program or instructions, as taught by Kim, in the system of Intel and Ericsson, so that initial cell access of the terminal with reduced performance for the maximum supportable bandwidth can be efficiently performed, see Kim, page 4.
Claims 4-6, 14-16 and 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Intel (INTEL CORPORATION: "On reduced max UE BW for RedCap", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2111501, - 20211106), in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026) and further in view of Jeon (US Pub. No.:2025/0024461).
As per claim 4, the combination of Intel and Ericsson disclose the method according to claim 1.
The combination of Intel and Ericsson however does not explicitly disclose wherein second information of the first SSB is carried by a RRC connection release message.
Jeon however disclose wherein a second information of a first SSB is carried by a RRC connection release message (see Fig.20, para. 0174, 0231, 0294-0298, a second information of a first SSB is carried by a RRC connection release message).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a second information of a first SSB is carried by a RRC connection release message, as taught by Jeon, in the system of Intel and Ericsson, so that a wireless device receives one or more configuration parameters, e.g., via a wireless device specific message (e.g., RRC message), the wireless device specific message is an RRC release message, see Jeon, para. 0263.
As per claim 5, the combination of Intel, Ericsson and Jeon disclose the method according to claim 5.
Intel further disclose wherein the second information of the first SSB comprises availability information or unavailability information (see Section 3, Aspects related to reduced BW support in RRC Idle/Inactive modes, pages 11-12; Section 4 Aspects related to reduced BW support in RRC Connected mode, page 18).
As per claim 6, the combination of Intel, Ericsson and Jeon disclose the method according to claim 1.
Intel further disclose wherein the availability information comprises the terminal considering or expecting that the network-side device has transmitted the first SSB (see Section 1, Section 3, page 11-12, a RedCap UE, when provided with SSB configuration in the separate initial DL BWP (DL BWP #0A), may be provided with the frequency location of the SSB via SIB1 signaling. The UE may be
provided with the starting (lowest) PRB index for the SSB, where the PRB index may be based on: (1)
the Common Resource Block (CRB) grid, or (2) defined within the set of PRBs indexed within the DL
BWP #0A (i.e., indication of the frequency offset in number of PRBs from the lowest PRB of the DL
BWP #0A), or (3) indication of the frequency offset in number of PRBs from the lowest PRB of the
CORESET #0A. Subcarrier level-offset (indicated by ksss and currently provided to the UE via MIB)
can also be optionally provided to the UE via SIBl signaling).
As per claim 14, claim 14 is rejected the same way as claim 4.
As per claim 15, claim 15 is rejected the same way as claim 5.
As per claim 16, claim 16 is rejected the same way as claim 6.
As per claim 21, claim 21 is rejected the same way as claim 4.
As per claim 22, claim 22 is rejected the same way as claim 5.
As per claim 23, claim 23 is rejected the same way as claim 6.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Intel (INTEL CORPORATION: "On reduced max UE BW for RedCap", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2111501, - 20211106), in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026) and further in view of Sakhnini et al. (US Pub No.:2021/0321342).
As per claim 10, the combination of Intel and Ericsson disclose the method according to claim 1.
The combination of Intel and Ericsson however does not explicitly disclose transmitting, by the terminal, a first request to the network-side device based on a first uplink resource, wherein the first request is used to request the network-side device to transmit the first SSB on a first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of a second BWP, and the second BWP is contains a cell-defining SSB.
Sakhnini however disclose transmitting, by the terminal, a first request to the network-side device based on a first uplink resource, wherein the first request is used to request the network-side device to transmit the first SSB on a first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of a second BWP, and the second BWP is contains a cell-defining SSB (see Fig.2, para. 0111, 0112, 0113, Fig,3, 0135 -0141, a first request to the network-side device based on a first uplink resource, wherein the first request is used to request the network-side device to transmit the first SSB on a first BWP, the UE request includes a particular BWP for the SSB configuration 300 / first SSB on a first BWP).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of transmitting, by the terminal, a first request to the network-side device based on a first uplink resource, wherein the first request is used to request the network-side device to transmit the first SSB on a first BWP, the first BWP is at least one of an initial BWP of the terminal and an active BWP of the terminal, the initial BWP is independent of a second BWP, and the second BWP is contains a cell-defining SSB, as taught by Sakhnini, in the system of Intel and Ericsson, so as to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support periodic lean synchronization signal design, and provide for a lean synchronization signal block (SSB) design (e.g., for a subset of signals in an SSB), see Sakhnini, paragraphs 0005-0009.
As per claim 11, the combination of Intel, Ericsson and Sakhnini disclose the method according to claim 10.
Sakhnini further disclose wherein the first uplink resource comprises any one of: a physical random access channel resource, a resource corresponding to message 3, a resource corresponding to message A, and a granted physical uplink shared channel resource that is semi-persistently configured (see para. 0141, the lean SSB configuration 300 is activated/deactivated based on a request from the UE, the UE transmits a signal (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) signal and/or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) signal / granted physical uplink shared channel resource) to the base station requesting activation or deactivation of the one or more instances of the first synchronization signal according to the transmission pattern).
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Second Rejection:
Claims 1, 12, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nordic (NORDIC SEMICONDUCTOR ASA: "On aspects related to reduced maximum UE BW", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2112376, 20211119), and further in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026).
As per claim 1, Nordic disclose A method for receiving a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), comprising:
acquiring, by a terminal, first information of a first SSB from a network-side device (side device (see Section 3.1 RLM, RLF and Beam management in RRC connected, page 3, "RLM in section 8.1 of 38.133 does not differentiate between CD and NCO SSB and moreover says that RLM-RS shall not be outside active BWP. It is just a matter of defining RLM Detection resources. This means that RLM config would indicate SSB indices as Detection Resource of the NCD-SSB present in the active BWP when NCD-SSB configured to a RedCap UE, i.e. based on current specification, NCD-SSB would be used automatically. Observation-1: RLM, RLF and Beam failure is currently supported based on CD or NCO SSB within active BWP'; Section 3.5 Configuration of separate initial DL BWP, page 5, "Proposal-5: □ In lnitialDownlinkBWP-RedCap a gNB shall configure at least o location/size of separate Initial DL BWP o separate CORESET#0 for RedCap and/or commonCORESET □ In ServingCellConfig a gNB shall configure auxiliary NCD-SSB for RedCap UEs, if lnitialDownlinkBWP- RedCap is used in RRC connected for a RedCap UE''); and
receiving, by the terminal, the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises at least one of: a frequency domain start position, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an SSB index, an SSB period, SSB transmission power, and a Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) (see PCI (Section 3.1 RLM, RLF and Beam management in RRC connected, page 3, "This means that RLM config would indicate SSB indices as Detection Resource of the NCD-SSB present in the active BWP when NCD-SSB configured to a RedCap UE'; Section 3.5 Configuration of separate initial DL BWP, page 5, "If UE can be configured with separate initial DL BWP lnitialDownlinkBWP-RedCap by BWP-DownlinkCommon, it should contain □ BWP location is configured. 16-bits. o SCS/CP could be the same as for legacy initial DL BWP □ PDCCH-configCommon o CommonCORESET. optional 45bits. and/or o separate CORESET#0 for RedCap. e.g. relative to BWP start reusing 4bits. In addition,ServingCel/Config should allow for configuration of one -in R17- NCD-SSB within resources of lnitialDownlinkBWP-RedCap □ NCD-SSB o position,e.g. delta NR EARFCN from CD SSB. Bbits o periodicity. 3bits").
Nordic however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Nordic, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
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Third Rejection:
Claims 1, 12 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qualcomm (QUALCOMM INCORPORATED: "BW Reduction for RedCap UE", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2112223, 20211111 - 20211119), and further in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026).
As per claim 1, Qualcomm disclose A method for receiving a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), comprising:
acquiring, by a terminal, first information of a first SSB from a network-side device (side device (see Section 2.1.4 Minimizing Specification Impacts for Initial BWP without CD-SSB and CORESET#0, page 7, "Figure 3: SIB-configured Initial DL BWP of RedCap UE with NCD-SSB and CSS for RA and Paging ...Proposal 6: RO applicable to RedCap UE is configured in the initial UL BWP of RedCap UE by SIB.□ RO applicable to RedCap UE is associated with the CD-SSB or NCD-SSB transmitted in the initial DL BWP of RedCap UE.□ SSB index provided by ssb-PositionslnBurst in SIB1 or in SevingCel/ConfigCommon are mapped at least once to the valid RO-s- of RedCap UE within a SSB-to-RO association period'; Fig. 3); and
receiving, by the terminal, the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises at least one of: a frequency domain start position, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an SSB index, an SSB period, SSB transmission power, and a Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) (PCI (see Section 2.1.4 Minimizing Specification Impacts for Initial BWP without CD-SSB and CORESET#0, page 7, "D RO applicable to RedCap UE is associated with the CD-SSB or NCD-SSB transmitted in the initial DL BWP of RedCap UE.□ SSB index provided by ssb-PositionslnBurst in S/81 or in ServingCellConfigCommon are mapped at least once to the valid RO-s- of RedCap UE within a SSB-to-RO association period'; Section 2.2.3 NCD-SSB Transmission by Serving Cell of RedCap UE, pages 11-12, "Observation 15: It is beneficial to configure same PC/ for the CD-SSB and NCD-SSB transmitted from the serving cell of RedCap UE ... Proposal 15: The NCD-SSB transmitted by the serving cell of RedCap UE can be used for serving and non-serving cell measurements for idle. inactive, or connected mode for all of RRM, RLM, BFD, link recovery, RO selection, mobility, time/frequency tracking and AGC. Proposal 16: If both NCD-SSB and CD-SSB are transmitted on the serving cell of RedCap UE, they should have the same PC/. same Tx power. same block indices. as provided by ssb-PositionslnBurst in S/81 or in ServingCellConfigCommon, and same QCL sources ... o kSSB derived from PBCH payload of NCD-SSB should be configured within the range of).
Qualcomm however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Qualcomm, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
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Fourth Rejection:
Claims 1, 12, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Samsung (SAMSUNG: "UE complexity reduction", 3GPP DRAFT; R1-2111744, 20211111 - 20211119), and further in view of Ericsson (Summary of NCD-SSB and Initial BWP aspects, R2-2201732, 2022-01-25, IDS submitted 8/19/2026).
As per claim 1, Samsung disclose A method for receiving a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), comprising:
acquiring, by a terminal, first information of a first SSB from a network-side device (side device (see Section 2.1 Measurements in Separate DL BWP for RedCap UE, page 3, "6. PCls indicated by the NCD-SSB and CD-SSB should be configured as same if both NCD-SSB and CD-SSB are transmitted on the serving cell. 7. According to the current RRC specification. periodicities and/or TX power and/or block indexes. provided by ssb-PositionslnBurst in S181 or in ServingCel/ConfigCommon, and/or QCL sources of other SSB may be either the same or different from those of CD-SSB, if both other SSB and CD-SSB are transmitted on the serving cell'); and
receiving, by the terminal, the first SSB based on the first information, wherein the first SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB, and the first information comprises at least one of: a frequency domain start position, a Subcarrier Spacing (SCS), an SSB index, an SSB period, SSB transmission power, and a Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) (PCI (see Section 2.2.1 Support of NCD-SSB for serving cell, page 7, "When UE is configured for NCD-SSB based RLF/BFD measurement, gNB can indicate frequency position of the NCD-SSB to UE. absoulteFreguencySSB-NCD can be added in FreguencylnfoDL under DownlinkConfigureCommo ... Regarding time configuration of NCD-SSB, same transmission pattern as CD-SSB can be used, i.e., reuse ssb-PositionslnBurst in ServingCel/ConfigCommon for CD-SSB to indicate which SSB-s- in time domain are transmitted within the half frame ... A new RRC parameter. e.g.. ssb-periodicityServingCell-R17. can be added in ServingCel/ConfigCommon to configure NCD-SSB periodicity").
Samsung however does not explicitly disclose wherein the first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling.
Ericsson however disclose wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling (see section 2.2.1, the network configures NCD - SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP - DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP", and discloses that the network configures NCD-SSB (non-cell defined SSB) by BWP-SSB (BWP dedicated downlink signaling), DownlinkDedicated IE. In addition, "The network may provide absoluteFrequencySSB, ssh - PositionsinBurst, and ssh - periodicity explicitly for NCD - SSB" is described, and it is disclosed that the network provides the frequency domain start position and the SSB period).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the functionality of wherein a first information is contained in Bandwidth Part (BWP) dedicated downlink signaling, as taught by Ericsson, in the system of Samsung, so that the network configures NCD-SSB for a RedCap UE to use in a dedicated DL BWP in a new field under the BWP-DownlinkDedicated IE associated with that BWP, see Ericsson, section 2.2.1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Guo et al (US Pub. No.:2023/0007656) – see para. 0004, “Two types of SSBs are defined in NR. One is a cell-defining (CD) SSB, and is referred to as a CD-SSB for short, and the other is a non-cell-defining SSB (NCD) SSB, and is referred to as an NCD-SSB for short. The NCD-SSB indicates a frequency domain position of the CD-SSB. Generally, in one frequency domain bandwidth, NR may support a plurality of SSBs but support only one CD-SSB. Data transmission is performed in a cell by using a frequency domain position of a CD-SSB. This manner limits a coverage area of the cell”.
Guo et al (US Pub. No.:2022/0353793) – see para. 0064, “The SSB in embodiments of this application may be a cell-defining SSB, or may be a non-cell-defining SSB. The terminal device may determine, based on an indication of a value of an ssb-SubcarrierOffset field that is in the MIB and that is for determining an offset between an SSB subcarrier and a data subcarrier, whether the SSB is a cell-defining SSB or a non-cell-defining SSB. Ifa pdcch-ConfigSIB1 field in the SSB indicates configuration information of a PDCCH of a SIB1, the SSB is a cell-defining SSB; otherwise, the SSB is a non-cell-defining SSB. There are a series of cell-defining SSBs (which may be referred to as an SSB set) on a wideband of a cell. Each SSB corresponds to one beam direction and carries same information. All SSBs in one SSB set need to be in a same half-frame. The network device broadcasts the SSB, for camping of the terminal device”.
Applicant's 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 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 LAKERAM JANGBAHADUR whose telephone number is (571)272-1335. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7 am - 4 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ian Moore can be reached on 571-272-3085. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LAKERAM JANGBAHADUR/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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