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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-6 filed on October 10, 2024 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 10 2024, February 11 2026 and June 16, 2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner and an initialed and dated copy of the Applicant’s IDS form 1449 is attached to the instant Office Action.
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) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US 2025/0274846 A1, hereinafter "Kim").
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a terminal (Kim, Fig. 17 100) comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive a control signal in downlink (Kim, [0360] when the base station configures SIB1 and SIB1-R as a separate TB…transmitted via DCI (i.e. control signal in downlink)); and
a control unit configured to expect that the control signal is to be received based on a separate configuration for a reduced function terminal (Kim, [0361] Scheduling of SIB1-R Using Separate DCI in CORESET #0).
Regarding claim 2, Kim discloses wherein the control unit expects that the control signal is to be received based on a configuration of a separate control resource set or search space for the reduced function terminal (Kim, [0365] configuring separate CORESET #0 for the RedCap UE and transmitting SIB1-R scheduling information via DCI transmitted through the corresponding CORESET).
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses wherein the control unit expects that a frequency resource of a control resource set is to be separately configured for the reduced function terminal (Kim, [0028-29] spectral efficiency in a frequency band by transmitting and receiving cell barring information based on a UE type).
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses wherein the control unit expects that the control signal related to a search space with a same index is to be received by receiving a plurality of divided segments of the control signal (Kim, [0188-0190] SIB1-R: (additional) SIB1 for reduced capability NR devices. It may be limited when it is generated with a separate TB from SIB1 and is transmitted on a separate PDSCH. Type0-PDCCH-R CSS set: a search space set (i.e. search space with a same index) in which a RedCap UE monitors a set of PDCCH candidates for a DCI format with CRC scrambled by a SI-RNTI).
Regarding claims 5-6, these claims recite "a base station" and "a communication method performed by a terminal" that disclose similar steps as recited by claims 1-4, thus are rejected with the same rationale applied against claims 1-4 as presented above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUNA WEISSBERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-3315. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:30pm.
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/LUNA WEISSBERGER/Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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