DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to application filed on 02 August 2024. Claims 1-20 are now pending in the present application. This office action is made Non-Final.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on
02 October 2024
are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and is being considered by the examiner.
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, 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (hereinafter Liu; US 2023/0188283 A1) in view of further support by Prasad et al. (hereinafter Prasad; US 2025/0151127 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 9, and 17, Liu discloses a method performed by a user equipment (UE) (e.g., 120) for a multi-transmission and reception point (mTRP)-based operation { (see pg. 4, [0034, lines 3-6]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, & 7) } , the method comprising:
receiving, from a serving cell (e.g., network entity), a serving cell configuration comprising a first timing advance group (TAG) identity (ID) associated with a first physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving cell (e.g., first TRP) and a second TAG ID associated with a second PCI of a non-serving cell (e.g., second TRP) { (see pg. 2, [0006, lines 2-10]; pp. 3-4, [0031]; pg. 8, [0058]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9-12), where the system provides configuration information };
receiving, from the serving cell, downlink control information (DCI) for initiating a random access (RA) procedure, the DCI comprising a field indicating that a physical random access channel (PRACH) is associated with the first TAG ID or the second TAG ID { (see pp. 4-5, [0062; 0061, lines 1-8]; pp. 7-8, [0074-0075]; Figs. 5 & 9-11) }; and
transmitting, based on the field, the PRACH to the serving cell or the non-serving cell { (see pp. 4-5, [0062; 0061, lines 1-8]; pp. 7-8, [0074-0075]; Figs. 5 & 9-11) }.
Liu inexplicitly disclose having the feature(s) a first timing advance group (TAG) identity (ID) associated with a first physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving cell and a second TAG ID associated with a second PCI of a non-serving cell. However, in the alternative, the examiner maintains that the feature(s) a first timing advance group (TAG) identity (ID) associated with a first physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving cell and a second TAG ID associated with a second PCI of a non-serving cell was well known in the art, as taught by Prasad.
As further alternative support in the same field of endeavor, Prasad discloses the feature(s)
a first timing advance group (TAG) identity (ID) associated with a first physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving cell and a second TAG ID associated with a second PCI of a non-serving cell { (see pg. 54, [0616, 0621]; Figs. 17-23), where the system provides cells that have TAG associated with a PCI (see pg. 53, [0608, lines 1-9]) }.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu as further alternatively supported by Prasad to have the feature(s) a first timing advance group (TAG) identity (ID) associated with a first physical cell identity (PCI) of the serving cell and a second TAG ID associated with a second PCI of a non-serving cell, in order to provide a method for receiving configuration parameters, as taught by Prasad (see abstract).
Regarding claims 2, 10, and 18, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that the field indicates that the PRACH is associated with the second TAG ID, transmitting the PRACH based on an RA resource associated with the second TAG ID { (see pp. 4-5, [0062; 0061, lines 1-8]; pp. 7-8, [0074-0075]; Figs. 5 & 9-11) }.
Regarding claims 3, 11, and 19, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that the field indicates that the PRACH is associated with the first TAG ID: transmitting, based on the field, the PRACH to the serving cell, and receiving, from the serving cell, a random access response (RAR); and in a case that the field indicates that the PRACH is associated with the second TAG ID: transmitting, based on the field, the PRACH to the non-serving cell, and receiving, from the serving cell, the RAR { (see pp. 4-5, [0062; 0061, lines 1-8]; pp. 7-8, [0074-0075]; Figs. 5 & 9-11) }.
Regarding claims 4 and 20, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 3), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 3, wherein: in a case that the field indicates that the PRACH is associated with the first TAG ID, the RAR indicates a first timing advance (TA) value associated with the first TAG ID, and in a case that the field indicates that the PRACH is associated with the second TAG ID, the RAR indicates a second TA value associated with the second TAG ID { (see pp. 4-5, [0062; 0061, lines 1-8]; pp. 7-8, [0074-0075]; Figs. 5 & 9-11) }.
Regarding claims 5 and 13, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires, clearing every configured downlink assignment associated with the first TAG ID, without clearing any configured uplink grant associated with the first TAG ID { (see pg. 2, [0006, lines 2-10]; pp. 3-4, [0031]; pg. 8, [0058]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9-12), where the system provides configuration information }. As a note, Prasad at the least discloses the feature(s) a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires, clearing every configured downlink assignment associated with the first TAG ID, without clearing any configured uplink grant associated with the first TAG ID { (see pg. 24, [0251]) }.
Regarding claims 6 and 14, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires, clearing every configured uplink grant associated with the first TAG ID, without clearing any configured downlink assignment associated with the first TAG ID { (see pg. 2, [0006, lines 2-10]; pp. 3-4, [0031]; pg. 8, [0058]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9-12), where the system provides configuration information }. As a note, Prasad at the least discloses the feature(s) a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires { (see pg. 24, [0251]) }.
Regarding claims 7 and 15, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires, clearing every physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource for a semi-persistent channel state information (CSI) reporting associated with the first TAG ID, without maintaining a timing advance (TA) related parameter associated with the first TAG ID { (see pg. 2, [0006, lines 2-10]; pp. 3-4, [0031]; pg. 8, [0058]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9-12), where the system provides configuration information }. As a note, Prasad at the least discloses the feature(s) a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires { (see pg. 24, [0251]) }.
Regarding claims 8 and 16, the combination of Liu and Prasad discloses every limitation claimed, as applied above (see claim 1), in addition Liu further discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a case that a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires, maintaining a timing advance (TA) related parameter associated with the first TAG ID, without clearing any physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource for a semi-persistent channel state information (CSI) reporting associated with the first TAG ID { (see pg. 2, [0006, lines 2-10]; pp. 3-4, [0031]; pg. 8, [0058]; Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 9-12), where the system provides configuration information }. As a note, Prasad at the least discloses the feature(s) a timing alignment timer (TAT) associated with the first TAG ID expires { (see pg. 24, [0251]) }.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIE J DANIEL JR whose telephone number is (571)272-7907. The examiner can normally be reached on 9 - 6.
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/WILLIE J DANIEL JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
WJD,Jr
22 September 2026
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