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 action is in response to the application filed on 24 July 2024.
Claims 1-11 are under examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 24 July 2024 and 25 April 2025. The submission 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 § 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, 2, 6, 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Medina et al. (WO 2025233531)
With respect to claims 1 and 11, Medina teaches An internet of things (IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN) device user equipment (UE), (UE, Figure 21) comprising:
receiving circuitry configured to:
receive a separately configured orthogonal cover code radio network temporary identifier (OCC-RNTI) and/or a number of repetitions table for a repetition number field in downlink control information (DCI) format 0; (new RNTI type can defined (e.g., OCC-RNTI) which would be used only for a DCI carrying scheduling information targeting a group of one or more UEs scheduled to perform the simultaneous OCC-based transmissions on the same time-frequency UL resources. In a particular embodiment, a UE can be assigned more than one OCC-RNTI and attempts 10 to decode the CRC assuming scrambling with each of its assigned OCC-RNTIs. In all of the above embodiments described in this section, the G-RNTI or OCC-RNTI (or other new type of RNTI) is configured for a UE by provided the G-RNTI, OCC-RNTI (or other new type of RNTI) to the UE using MAC signaling (e.g., using a new MAC CE) and/or in conjunction with a random access procedure, or using RRC signaling (e.g., using an 15 RRCReconfiguration message, an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, an RRCSetup message, or an RRCConnectionSetup message), or via PDCCH (or NPDCCH) signaling (e.g., in a DCI message), page 30 Lines 1-20)
receive a DCI format N0 for a narrowband physical uplink shared channel (NPUSCH) transmission with an OCC signaling including whether OCC is applied, and if OCC is applied, an OCC multiplexing factor and an OCC index; (wherein the reception of the common DCI carrying scheduling information (i.e., UL grant) indicates to the one or more UEs to perform simultaneous 25 OCC-based transmissions on the same time-frequency UL resources, and where the DCI indicates for each UE index an associated index to the OCC sequence table, thus indicating to each UE which OCC sequence it should use for the transmission. The UE index and a table of one or more OCC sequences may be configured in the UE via MAC signaling (e.g., using a new MAC CE) or via RRC signaling (e.g., using an RRCReconfiguration message, an 30 RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, an RRCSetup message, or an RRCConnectionSetup message), or via PDCCH (or NPDCCH) signaling (e.g., in a DCI message), page 22 Lines 4-16. a 1-bit indicator is included in the DCI to indicate if the DCI is intended for OCC multiplexing, Page 28 lines 21-24) and
transmitting circuitry configured to:
transmit a NPUSCH with OCC multiplexing with the provided OCC multiplexing factor and the indicated OCC index on a schedule resource if OCC is indicated, or transmit an NPUSCH without OCC multiplexing on the schedule resource if OCC is not indicated. (the UE transmits the first and second OCC-based UL 25 transmissions based on the first and second scheduling information, respectively. In a particular embodiment, the first and second UEs are within a group of UEs. In a particular embodiment, the first UE is in a first group of UEs and the second UE is in a second group of UEs. In a particular embodiment, a common group RNTI and/or a OCC-RNTI is assigned to 30 each group of UEs and is indicated in the first and second DCI. In a particular embodiment, the each of the first and second DCI comprise an UL grant, page 40 lines 24-31. In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first OCC sequence configured for the first UE and the second DCI indicates a second OCC sequence configured for the second UE. The first OCC sequence is different from the second OCC sequence, and the first UE and the second UE are both in a group of UEs. 5 In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first UE index configured for the first UE and the second DCI indicates a second UE index configured for the second UE. The first UE index is different from the second UE index. In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first number of C-RNTI bits associated with the first UE assigned to a first UE index and the second DCI indicates a second number of C- 10 RNTI bits associated with the second UE assigned to a second UE index that is different from the first UE index. In a particular embodiment, the first and second OCC-based UL transmissions comprise simultaneous OCC-based transmissions, page 41 lines 1-13.)
With respect to claims 2 and 7, Lee teaches wherein a separate OCC-RNTI is configured, and wherein OCC is not applied if a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is scrambled with a legacy cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) in the DCI format N0, and wherein OCC is applied if the CRC is scrambled with the OCC-RNTI in the DCI format N0. (a UE can be assigned more than one OCC-RNTI and attempts 10 to decode the CRC assuming scrambling with each of its assigned OCC-RNTIs., Page 30 Lines 9-10)
With respect to claim 6, Medina teaches An e-NodeB (eNB), (Network node, Figure 22) comprising: transmitting circuitry configured to: transmit configurations on separately configured orthogonal cover code radio network temporary identifier (OCC-RNTI) and/or a number of repetitions table for a repetition number field in downlink control information (DCI) format 0; (new RNTI type can defined (e.g., OCC-RNTI) which would be used only for a DCI carrying scheduling information targeting a group of one or more UEs scheduled to perform the simultaneous OCC-based transmissions on the same time-frequency UL resources. In a particular embodiment, a UE can be assigned more than one OCC-RNTI and attempts 10 to decode the CRC assuming scrambling with each of its assigned OCC-RNTIs. In all of the above embodiments described in this section, the G-RNTI or OCC-RNTI (or other new type of RNTI) is configured for a UE by provided the G-RNTI, OCC-RNTI (or other new type of RNTI) to the UE using MAC signaling (e.g., using a new MAC CE) and/or in conjunction with a random access procedure, or using RRC signaling (e.g., using an 15 RRCReconfiguration message, an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, an RRCSetup message, or an RRCConnectionSetup message), or via PDCCH (or NPDCCH) signaling (e.g., in a DCI message), page 30 Lines 1-20)
transmit a DCI format N0 for a narrowband physical uplink shared channel (NPUSCH) transmission with an OCC signaling including whether OCC is applied, and if OCC is applied, an OCC multiplexing factor and an OCC index; (wherein the reception of the common DCI carrying scheduling information (i.e., UL grant) indicates to the one or more UEs to perform simultaneous 25 OCC-based transmissions on the same time-frequency UL resources, and where the DCI indicates for each UE index an associated index to the OCC sequence table, thus indicating to each UE which OCC sequence it should use for the transmission. The UE index and a table of one or more OCC sequences may be configured in the UE via MAC signaling (e.g., using a new MAC CE) or via RRC signaling (e.g., using an RRCReconfiguration message, an 30 RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, an RRCSetup message, or an RRCConnectionSetup message), or via PDCCH (or NPDCCH) signaling (e.g., in a DCI message), page 22 Lines 4-16. a 1-bit indicator is included in the DCI to indicate if the DCI is intended for OCC multiplexing, Page 28 lines 21-24) and
receiving circuitry configured to: receive a NPUSCH with OCC multiplexing with the provided OCC multiplexing factor and the indicated OCC index on a schedule resource if OCC is indicated, or receive a NPUSCH without OCC multiplexing on the schedule resource if OCC is not indicated. (the UE transmits the first and second OCC-based UL 25 transmissions based on the first and second scheduling information, respectively. In a particular embodiment, the first and second UEs are within a group of UEs. In a particular embodiment, the first UE is in a first group of UEs and the second UE is in a second group of UEs. In a particular embodiment, a common group RNTI and/or a OCC-RNTI is assigned to 30 each group of UEs and is indicated in the first and second DCI. In a particular embodiment, the each of the first and second DCI comprise an UL grant, page 40 lines 24-31. In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first OCC sequence configured for the first UE and the second DCI indicates a second OCC sequence configured for the second UE. The first OCC sequence is different from the second OCC sequence, and the first UE and the second UE are both in a group of UEs. 5 In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first UE index configured for the first UE and the second DCI indicates a second UE index configured for the second UE. The first UE index is different from the second UE index. In a particular embodiment, the first DCI indicates a first number of C-RNTI bits associated with the first UE assigned to a first UE index and the second DCI indicates a second number of C- 10 RNTI bits associated with the second UE assigned to a second UE index that is different from the first UE index. In a particular embodiment, the first and second OCC-based UL transmissions comprise simultaneous OCC-based transmissions, page 41 lines 1-13.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 8-10 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. Cheng et al. (US Publication 2022/0232503) discloses transmitting an uplink signal ending in a first subframe; determining a monitoring window starting from a second subframe according to the first subframe and a time offset; and monitoring a downlink signal corresponding to the uplink signal according to the monitoring window.
Yin et al. (US publication 2025/0317974) discloses the receiving circuitry is also configured to determine an OCC index indicated in the NPDCCH or the RAR, and compare the determined OCC index with a selected OCC index. Transmitting circuitry is configured to select an NPRACH resource, randomly select an OCC index for an OCC multiplexing and transmit NPRACH preambles.
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the examiner should be directed to ABDULLAHI AHMED whose telephone number is (571) 270-3652. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khalid Kassim can be reached on 571-270-3370. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ABDULLAHI AHMED/Examiner, Art Unit 2475
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