Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/837,124

TERMINAL, BASE STATION, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 08, 2024
Priority
Feb 14, 2022 — JP 2022-020566 +2 more
Examiner
WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Panasonic Holdings Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3m
Est. Remaining
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
906 granted / 1017 resolved
+29.1% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 2m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
1029
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.6%
-38.4% vs TC avg
§103
33.9%
-6.1% vs TC avg
§102
31.6%
-8.4% vs TC avg
§112
5.9%
-34.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1017 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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. 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. Claim(s) 11-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cheng et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2023/0098798 (hereinafter Cheng). Regarding claims 11 and 17, Cheng discloses a terminal comprising; a receiver, which, in operation, receives on a first cell control information relating to a second cell, which is different from the first cell [paragraph 0085]; circuitry, which, in operation, determines epoch time for assistance information based on the control information [paragraph 0086]. Regarding claims 12 and 18, Cheng discloses wherein the epoch time for the assistance information is epoch time for at least one of a serving satellite ephemeris or a parameter of transmission timing control [paragraphs 0011, 0062, 0066]. Regarding claims 13 and 19, Cheng discloses wherein the control information indicates a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the first cell [paragraph 0076]. Regarding claims 14 and 20, Cheng discloses wherein the control information indicates a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the second cell in case of a handover [paragraphs 0076, 0078, 0080]. Regarding claims 15 and 21, Cheng discloses wherein the control information indicates a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the first cell in a first case, and the control information indicates a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the second cell in a second case [paragraphs 0076-0078, 0080]. Regarding claims 16 and 22, Cheng discloses wherein the control information relating to a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the first cell is received by a System Information Block (SIB), and the control information relating to a system frame number and a subframe number based on a timing of the second cell is received by a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message [paragraph 0085]. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nishio et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2025/0280384, disclose a terminal, base station, and communication method. Leng et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2023/0199680, disclose a method and apparatus of SS/PBCH block based measurement timing configuration. Fujishiro et al., US Patent Application Publication Number 2018/0332507, disclose a radio terminal and base station for performing handover. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIKA WASHINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-7841. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday. 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, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 571-270-5371. 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. /EAW/ July 7, 2026 /ERIKA A WASHINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2644
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Aug 08, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+4.3%)
2y 2m (~3m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1017 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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