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
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) 1-5, 8-12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by LUO et al. (US 12557067 with foreign application CN 202010791008.X filed on 08/07/2020).
Regarding claims 1, 16, 18, 20, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches a method for determining an effective time, performed by a terminal device (fig. 1, 2, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, Terminal device), comprising:
receiving system information in at least one system information window within a time-domain range predefined (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission); and
determining the effective time of first information according to a signaling carried in the system information (col. 9 lines 60-67, col. 12 line 65-col. 13 line 10, col. 13 lines 54-67, col. 14 lines 28-43, the terminal device may obtain a location of the NTN device at a moment t through calculation, or the like, for example, may calculate the location of the NTN device at the moment t based on Formula 2. Further, the terminal device may calculate, based on information such as the location of the NTN device at the moment t and a location of the terminal device, a TA of sending uplink data by the terminal device at the moment t).
Regarding claim 2, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one system information window within the time-domain range is configured to collectively receive the system information (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission).
Regarding claim 3, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining the time-domain range according to configuration information of the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, col. 18 lines 29-47, In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement)… In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement)… a modification period of the system information is 0.64 seconds (s), and system information that needs to be transmitted includes the SIB 1, the SIB 2, and the SIB 3. In each modification period (0.64 s), the SIB 1, the SIB 2, and the SIB 3 may be sent for a plurality of times).
Regarding claim 4, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 3, wherein the configuration information of the time-domain range comprises at least one of:
a starting position of the time-domain range;
a length of the time-domain range; or
an ending position of the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, col. 18 lines 29-47, col. 20 lines 7-20, a modification period of the system information is 0.64 seconds (s)…A start system frame of the modification period of the system information satisfies a formula: SFN mod m=099… the modification period of the system information (0.5 s<0.64 s)… the parameter configurations modificationPeriodCoeff and defaultPagingCycle. In addition, the terminal device may find a start point and an end point of a modification period based on SFN mod m=0).
Regarding claim 5, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 3, further comprising:
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range defined by a protocol; or
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to a second signaling sent by a network device (col. 9 lines 1-67, col. 20 lines 7-20, the terminal device may learn of an SFN of sending a signal by the network device, and may learn of parameter configurations modificationPeriodCoeff and defaultPagingCycle in an SIB 1 based on an agreed rule after the SIB 1 is resolved).
Regarding claims 8, 17, 19, 21, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches a method for determining an effective time, performed by a network device (fig. 1, 2, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, NTN device), comprising:
sending system information to a terminal device in at least one system information window within a time-domain range predefined (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission);
wherein the system information carries a signaling for determining the effective time of first information (col. 9 lines 60-67, col. 12 line 65-col. 13 line 10, col. 13 lines 54-67, col. 14 lines 28-43, the terminal device may obtain a location of the NTN device at a moment t through calculation, or the like, for example, may calculate the location of the NTN device at the moment t based on Formula 2. Further, the terminal device may calculate, based on information such as the location of the NTN device at the moment t and a location of the terminal device, a TA of sending uplink data by the terminal device at the moment t).
Regarding claim 9, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 8, further comprising:
sending the system information to the terminal device in at least one system information window not within the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission…One SI message is transmitted in only one SI window (SI-window). For example, one SI message is associated with one SI window. In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement), but another SI message cannot be sent; SIB 1 are sent in one modification period n and not modification period n+1);
wherein the at least one system information window within the time-domain range is configured to collectively receive the system information (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission); and
the at least one system information window not within the time-domain range is configured to receive the system information separately (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission…One SI message is transmitted in only one SI window (SI-window). For example, one SI message is associated with one SI window. In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement), but another SI message cannot be sent; SIB 1 are sent in one modification period n and not modification period n+1).
Regarding claim 10, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 8, further comprising:
sending configuration information of the time-domain range to the terminal device (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, col. 18 lines 29-47, col. 21 line 59-col. 22 line 5, the terminal device may learn of an SFN of sending a signal by the network device, and may learn of parameter configurations modificationPeriodCoeff and defaultPagingCycle in an SIB 1);
wherein the configuration information of the time-domain range is configured to determine the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, col. 18 lines 29-47, In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement)… In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement)… a modification period of the system information is 0.64 seconds (s), and system information that needs to be transmitted includes the SIB 1, the SIB 2, and the SIB 3. In each modification period (0.64 s), the SIB 1, the SIB 2, and the SIB 3 may be sent for a plurality of times).
Regarding claim 11, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 10, wherein the configuration information of the time-domain range comprises at least one of:
a starting position of the time-domain range;
a length of the time-domain range; or
an ending position of the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, col. 18 lines 29-47, col. 20 lines 7-20, a modification period of the system information is 0.64 seconds (s)…A start system frame of the modification period of the system information satisfies a formula: SFN mod m=099… the modification period of the system information (0.5 s<0.64 s)… the parameter configurations modificationPeriodCoeff and defaultPagingCycle. In addition, the terminal device may find a start point and an end point of a modification period based on SFN mod m=0).
Regarding claim 12, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 10, wherein sending the configuration information of the time-domain range to the terminal device comprises:
sending a second signaling to the terminal device, wherein the second signaling is configured to determine the configuration information of the time-domain range (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 48, col. 18 lines 29-47, col. 20 lines 7-20, a modificationPeriodCoeff is set based on SIB1.fwdarw.ServingCellConfigCommon.fwdarw.DownlinkConfigCommonSIB.fwdarw.BCCH-Config, and a value is usually 2, 4, 8, or 16; and defaultPagingCycle is configured based on SIB1.fwdarw.ServingCell ConfigCommon.fwdarw.DownlinkConfigCommon.fwdarw.DownlinkConfigCommonSIB.fwdarw.PCCH-Config.fwdarw.PagingCycle, and a value is rf32, rf64, rf128, or rf256 radio frames. Usually, the modification period is an integer multiple of a paging cycle).
Regarding claim 22, LUO et al. (US 12557067) teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein at least one system information window not within the time-domain range is configured to receive the system information separately (fig. 1, col. 8 lines 33-col. 9 lines 34, One or more SIBs having a same scheduling period other than the SIB 1 may be included in one SI message for transmission…One SI message is transmitted in only one SI window (SI-window). For example, one SI message is associated with one SI window. In the SI window, only the SI message can be sent and may be repeatedly sent for a plurality of times (a specific quantity of times of sending the SI message and a specific slot in which the SI message is sent may be set based on a requirement), but another SI message cannot be sent; SIB 1 are sent in one modification period n and not modification period n+1).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 6, 7, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LUO et al. (US 12557067 with foreign application CN 202010791008.X filed on 08/07/2020) in view of LIU et al. (US 10925069).
Regarding claim 6, LUO et al. (US 12557067) does not teach the method according to claim 3, further comprising: receiving at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sent by a network device; and determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to the at least one of the PSS or the SSS.
But, LIU et al. (US 10925069) in a similar or same field of endeavor teaches receiving at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sent by a network device (col. 1 line 21-30, col. 13 lines 8-37, 60-65, col. 16 lines 43-59, col. 20 lines 24-44, col. 22 lines 1-8, time and frequency synchronization is achieved between a terminal and each network device according to a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) that are broadcast by the network device); and
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to the at least one of the PSS or the SSS (col. 13 lines 8-37, 60-65, col. 16 lines 43-59, col. 20 lines 24-44, col. 22 lines 1-8, the reference point may be a time point corresponding to a common signal block, for example, an i.sup.th SS/BCH block…An SS may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)…an offset of the detection window relative to an SS/BCH block…).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effectively filing date of the claimed invention to implement the system or method as taught by LIU in the system of LUO to determine the detection window for system information using the PSS or SSS.
The motivation would have been to synchronize the timing for modification time between devices.
Regarding claim 7, LUO et al. (US 12557067) does not teach the method according to claim 6, wherein determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to the at least one of the PSS or the SSS comprises:
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to sequence information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS; or
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to transmission position information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS.
But, LIU et al. (US 10925069) in a similar or same field of endeavor teaches determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to sequence information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS; or
determining the configuration information of the time-domain range according to transmission position information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS (col. 13 lines 8-37, 60-65, col. 16 lines 43-59, col. 20 lines 24-44, col. 22 lines 1-8, the reference point may be a time point corresponding to a common signal block, for example, an i.sup.th SS/BCH block…An SS may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)…an offset of the detection window relative to an SS/BCH block…).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effectively filing date of the claimed invention to implement the system or method as taught by LIU in the system of LUO to determine the detection window for system information using the PSS or SSS.
The motivation would have been to synchronize the timing for modification time between devices.
Regarding claim 13, LUO et al. (US 12557067) does not teach the method according to claim 10, wherein sending the configuration information of the time-domain range to the terminal device comprises:
sending at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to the terminal device;
wherein sequence information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS is configured to determine the configuration information of the time-domain range; or
transmission position information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS is configured to determine the configuration information of the time-domain range.
But, LIU et al. (US 10925069) in a similar or same field of endeavor teaches sending at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to the terminal device (col. 1 line 21-30, col. 13 lines 8-37, 60-65, col. 16 lines 43-59, col. 20 lines 24-44, col. 22 lines 1-8, time and frequency synchronization is achieved between a terminal and each network device according to a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) that are broadcast by the network device);
wherein sequence information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS is configured to determine the configuration information of the time-domain range; or
transmission position information of the at least one of the PSS or the SSS is configured to determine the configuration information of the time-domain range (col. 13 lines 8-37, 60-65, col. 16 lines 43-59, col. 20 lines 24-44, col. 22 lines 1-8, the reference point may be a time point corresponding to a common signal block, for example, an i.sup.th SS/BCH block…An SS may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)…an offset of the detection window relative to an SS/BCH block…).
Thus, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effectively filing date of the claimed invention to implement the system or method as taught by LIU in the system of LUO to determine the detection window for system information using the PSS or SSS.
The motivation would have been to synchronize the timing for modification time between devices.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
NISHIO et al. (US 20250142426) teaches the epoch time, the satellite ephemeris, and the common TA parameter is indicated by an SIB to terminal… when the epoch time, the satellite ephemeris, and the common TA parameter, which are based on the timing of the SFN and/or subframe of base station 100 (i.e., serving cell), is indicated to terminal 200, the epoch time may be implicitly indicated by the first or last subframe (e.g., subframe number) of an SI-window in which the SIB is transmitted (par. 218).
YAN et al. (US 20240340074) teaches BCCH modification period (n) and BCCH modification period (n+1). Each BCCH modification period includes four SI windows, i.e., SI window 1, SI window 2, SI window 3, and SI window 4. The length of the SI periodicity is twice the length of the SI window (fig. 6, par. 94).
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/THINH D TRAN/for /Thinh Tran/, Patent Examiner of Art Unit 2466 07/25/2026
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