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 .
Response to Amendment
This action is in response to the amendment filed on 3/15/2025. Claims 1-6 have been canceled and claims 7-15 are pending in the application.
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) 7-11 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102[a2] as being anticipated by Nilsson [US 2024/0357529 which claims priority of provisional application 63/240717].
As claims 7 and 13, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses a terminal comprising: a processor that determines, based on an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP), a timing advance (TA) to be applied to an uplink transmission from among a plurality of Tas [Fig 18-19, Par. 0133, 0141-0143, 0350-0353, 0365 discloses the WD determines which TA of Tas matches with TRP having index such 0 or 1]; and a transmitter that performs the uplink transmission, based on the TA [Par. 0054, 0134].
As claim 8, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses when the uplink transmission is a transmission of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) [Par. 0098], the index of the TRP relates to a control resource set (CORESET) [Par. 0141-0143, 0224-0231 TRP with CORESET associated with index].
As claim 9, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses the transmission of the PUSCH is a transmission of a PUSCH dynamically scheduled by downlink control information (DCI) or a transmission of a type 2 configured grant PUSCH [Par. 0050 discloses dynamically grant for PUSCH via DCI and 0235 discloses grant type II via DCI for PUSCH] .
As claim 10, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses when the uplink transmission is a transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) [Par. 0018-0019, 0098, 0236 discloses PUCCH], the index of the TRP relates to a resource of the PUCCH or a resource group of the PUCCH configured by a higher layer parameter [Par. 0050, 0143, 0158, 0173, 0189, 0306-0311 and 0318-0324 discloses resource of PUCCH related with index of coreset of TRP is configured with higher layer].
As claim 11, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses the uplink transmission is a transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) [Par. 0018-0019, 0051, 0098, 0236 discloses SRS], the index of the TRP relates to a resource set of the SRS configured by a higher layer parameter [Par. Par. 0038, 0051, 0143, 0158, 0173, 0189,0306-0311 and 0318-0324 discloses resource of PUCCH related with index of coreset of TRP is configured with higher layer].
As claim 14, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses a base station comprising: a transmitter that transmits an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP) to a terminal [Fig 1-4 discloses TRP send index of TRP to WD, Par. 0022, 0028, 0141, 0156, 0332-337]; and a processor that controls reception of an uplink transmission that is transmitted based on a timing advance determined, from among a plurality of timing advances, based on the index of the TRP [Par. 0054, 0134].
As claim 15, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses system comprising a terminal and a base station [Fig 1-3], wherein the terminal comprises: a processor that determines, based on an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP), a timing advance (TA) to be applied to an uplink transmission from among a plurality of Tas [Fig 18-19, Par. 0133, 0141-0143, 0350-0353, 0365 discloses the WD determines which TA of Tas matches with TRP having index such 0 or 1]; and a transmitter that performs the uplink transmission, based on the TA [Par. 0054, 0134], and the base station comprises: a transmitter that transmits the index of the TA to the terminal [Fig 1-4 discloses TRP send index of TA to WD, Par. 0022, 0028, 0141, 0156, 0332-337]; and a processor that controls reception of the uplink transmission [Par. 0054, 0134].
Claim(s) 7-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102[a2] as being anticipated by Zhu [US 2022/0210825].
As claims 7 and 13, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses a terminal comprising: a processor that determines, based on an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP), a timing advance (TA) to be applied to an uplink transmission from among a plurality of Tas [Fig 8, Par. 0123-0124, 0224, 0237, 0272, 0300 discloses the UE determines which TA of Tas matches with TRP having ID such 0 or 1]; and a transmitter that performs the uplink transmission, based on the TA [Par. 0005-0006].
As claim 8, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses when the uplink transmission is a transmission of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) [Par. 0005-0006], the index of the TRP relates to a control resource set (CORESET) [Par. 0123-0124, 0224, 0237, 0255-0257 0272, 0300 discloses TRP with CORESET associated with index].
As claim 9, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses the transmission of the PUSCH is a transmission of a PUSCH dynamically scheduled by downlink control information (DCI) or a transmission of a type 2 configured grant PUSCH [Par. 0076 discloses PUSCH via DCI] .
As claim 10, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses when the uplink transmission is a transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) [Par. 0005-0006 discloses PUCCH], the index of the TRP relates to a resource of the PUCCH or a resource group of the PUCCH configured by a higher layer parameter [Par. 0144, 0255-0257 discloses resource of PUCCH related with index of coreset of TRP is configured with higher layer].
As claim 11, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses the uplink transmission is a transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) [Par. 0005-0006 discloses SRS], the index of the TRP relates to a resource set of the SRS configured by a higher layer parameter [Par. 0144, 0198-0197, 0244, 0252-0257 discloses resource of PUCCH related with index of coreset of TRP is configured with higher layer].
As claim 12, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses fails to fully disclose what the transmitter transmits at least one of UE capability information regarding whether or not to support different TAs for a plurality of TRPs based on single downlink control information (DCI) and UE capability information regarding whether or not to support different TAs for the plurality of TRPs based on multiple DCI [Par. 0191].
As claim 14, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses a base station comprising: a transmitter that transmits an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP) to a terminal [Par. 0237, 0272, 0300, TRP send index of TRP to WD]; and a processor that controls reception of an uplink transmission that is transmitted based on a timing advance determined, from among a plurality of timing advances, based on the index of the TRP [Par. 0005-0007].
As claim 15, Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses system comprising a terminal and a base station [Fig 1], wherein the terminal comprises: a processor that determines, based on an index of a transmission/reception point (TRP), a timing advance (TA) to be applied to an uplink transmission from among a plurality of Tas Fig 8, Par. 0123-0124, 0224, 0237, 0272, 0300 discloses the UE determines which TA of Tas matches with TRP having ID such 0 or 1]; and a transmitter that performs the uplink transmission, based on the TA [Par. 0005-0007], and the base station comprises: a transmitter that transmits the index of the TA to the terminal [Par. 0237, 0272, 0300, TRP send index of TA to WD ]; and a processor that controls reception of the uplink transmission [Par. 0005-0007].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] in view of Zhu [US 2022/0210825].
As claim 12, Nilsson [US 2024/0357529] discloses fails to fully disclose what Zhu [US 2022/0210825] discloses the transmitter transmits at least one of UE capability information regarding whether or not to support different TAs for a plurality of TRPs based on single downlink control information (DCI) and UE capability information regarding whether or not to support different TAs for the plurality of TRPs based on multiple DCI [Par. 0191].
Since, Nilsson suggests terminal receives configuration based on its capability [Par. 0012, 0015, 0020-0023, 0031-0040 discloses the TRP receiving configuration based on the received capability according to single DCi and Multiple-DCI]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to apply a method and system for transmitting its capability to TRP as disclosed by Zhu into the teaching of Nilsson. The motivation would have been to reduce overhead signaling.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yuan [US 2025/0063522] discloses Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE) may communicating a first uplink message using a first uplink carrier and a first timing advance (TA) value associated with a first transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state and a second uplink message using a second uplink carrier and a second TA value associated with a second TCI state for the UE. The UE may receive a timing advance group (TAG) configuration which indicates a TA value to apply for a supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier of the serving cell, which is one of the first TA or second TA values. The UE may then transmit a SUL message using the SUL carrier of the serving cell in accordance with the TA value determined for the SUL carrier based on the TAG configuration for the UE.
Yuan [US 2025/0039811] discloses Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) are described. A UE may establish communication with a set of transmission reception points including a first transmission reception point and a second transmission reception point. The UE may receive a single control message including one or more respective timing advance indications for uplink channel transmissions to one or more respective transmission reception points. In some examples, each timing advance indication may identify a respective transmission reception point using a respective timing advance value. The UE may determine a first timing advance value for the uplink channel transmissions based on the one or more respective timing advance indications identifying a respective transmission reception point. The UE may then transmit, to the first transmission reception point, an uplink channel transmission over an uplink channel using the first timing advance value determined for the first transmission reception point.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-3159. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Edan Orgad can be reached at 571-272-7884. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/STEVEN HIEU D NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414
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