DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to communication on July 26th, 2024.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
The present application claims priority to provisional application no. 63/531,978, 63/531,973, 63/553,296, 63/575,235, filed August 10th, 2023, August 10th, 2023, February 14th, 2024, and April 5th, 2024, respectively.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jung et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2025/0141644, hereinafter Jung).
With respect to claims 1, 8, and 15, Jung discloses a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, method, and base station (paragraph [0003], lines 1-9), the UE comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a base station (BS) (paragraph [0021], lines 1-3); and
a processor operably coupled to the transceiver (paragraph [0006], lines 1-7), the processor configured to:
determine, based on an indication in the first PDSCH, that a set of synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) blocks is activated for transmission from the BS (paragraph [0042], lines 7-12, corresponding SS/PBCH block);
determine a time domain offset with respect to the first PDSCH; and determine that the set of SS/PBCH blocks is to be transmitted after the time domain offset (paragraph [0042], lines 7-12, UE can determine an offset),
wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive a SS/PBCH block in the set of SS/PBCH blocks (paragraph [0042], lines 7-12).
With respect to claims 2, 9, and 16, Jung discloses the UE of claims 1, 8, and 15, wherein:
the UE is in RRC_CONNECTED state (paragraph [0050], lines 1-8), and
the set of SS/PBCH blocks is to be transmitted in a secondary cell (SCell) (paragraph [0049], lines 1-4).
With respect to claims 3, 10, and 17, Jung discloses the UE of claims 1, 8, and 15, wherein the first PDSCH includes one of 1) a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (paragraph [0050], lines 1-8) or 2) radio resource control (RRC) parameters (paragraph [0050], lines 1-8).
With respect to claims 4, 11, and 18, Jung discloses the UE of claims 1, 8, and 15, wherein the set of SS/PBCH blocks is to be transmitted within a time domain window (paragraph [0064], time duration).
With respect to claims 5, 12, and 19, Jung discloses the UE of claims 4, 11, and 18, wherein:
a starting instance of the time domain window is determined based the first PDSCH (paragraph [0062], time domain position); and
an ending instance of the time domain window is determined based on one of:
a second PDSCH, wherein the second PDSCH includes an indication that the transmission of the set of SS/PBCH blocks is deactivated (paragraph [0052], lines 1-8, dynamic indication);
a counter corresponding to a number of SS/PBCH block bursts in the set of SS/PBCH blocks; or
a duration of the time domain window (paragraph [0052], periodicity).
With respect to claims 6 and 13, Jung discloses the UE of claim 4 and 11, wherein:
the set of SS/PBCH blocks are transmitted periodically within the time domain window (paragraph [0052], lines 1-8, dynamic indication), and
an interval between two neighboring SS/PBCH block bursts is provided by a radio resource control (RRC) parameter (paragraph [0048]).
With respect to claims 7, 14, and 20, Jung discloses the UE of claims 1, 8, and 15, wherein:
the transceiver is further configured to receive radio resource control (RRC) parameters, and the RRC parameters include:
a cell identity (ID) for the set of SS/PBCH blocks (paragraph [0034]);
a bitmap indicating a time domain pattern for the set of SS/PBCH blocks (paragraph [0043]);
a frequency location for the set of SS/PBCH blocks (paragraph [0064]); or
a transmission power for the set of SS/PBCH blocks (paragraph [0050]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kim Pat. Pub. 2024/0314651
Ko Pat. Pub. 2022/0272650
Liou Pat. Pub. 2022/0061117
Molavian Jazi Pat. Pub. 2022/0053522
Su Pat. Pub. 2026/0012979
Prasad Pat. Pub. 2026/0012813
Li Pat. Pub. 2024/0236990
Myung Pat. Pub. 2026/0032692
Oliveira da Costa Pat. Pub. 2025/0184878
Abotabl Pat. Pub. 2024/0306093
Babaei Pat. Pub. 2024/0098636
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Pezeshki Pat. Pub. 2021/0345131
Alfarhan Pat. Pub. 2025/0212291
Zhou Pat. Pub. 2025/0184887
Jung Pat. Pub. 2024/0171362
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BLAKE J RUBIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3802. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ario Etienne can be reached on 571-272-4001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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8/3/26
/BLAKE J RUBIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2457
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