Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/859,327

TERMINAL, BASE STATION AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 23, 2024
Priority
Apr 28, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTJP2022019453
Examiner
ZHU, BO HUI ALVIN
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allowance Rate
636 granted / 792 resolved
+20.3% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
817
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.9%
-36.1% vs TC avg
§103
47.7%
+7.7% vs TC avg
§102
27.4%
-12.6% vs TC avg
§112
18.2%
-21.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 792 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (WO 2022/076887 A1, hereinafter “Zhang”). Regarding claim 1: Zhang discloses a terminal (e.g., Fig. 19A, 102) comprising: a communication unit (e.g., Fig. 19F, 120) configured to perform an uplink or downlink communication by using a frequency band in which aggregation is performed by carrier aggregation (e.g., [0076]-[0087], aggregated CCs, see cell group in Fig. 5-6); and a control unit (e.g., Fig. 19F, 118) configured to expect, in a case where scheduling is performed by using a unit including a plurality of component carriers, that a time domain resource allocation is to be configured for each component carrier among the plurality of component carriers or for each unit including a plurality of component carriers in the aggregated frequency band (e.g., [0085]-[0087], Table 7 is a DCI format for scheduling frequency and time domain resources for multiple PDSCHs across CCs, the carrier indicator in DCI can be a cell ID or a cell group ID, a cell group ID corresponds to a unit of a plurality of CCs). Regarding claim 2: Zhang further discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit expects that the time domain resource allocation is to be separately configured for each bandwidth part configured for a corresponding component carrier included in the unit including the plurality of component carriers (e.g., [0085]-[0087], Table, 7, the carrier indicator in DCI used for a cell ID). Regarding claim 3: Zhang further discloses the terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit expects that the time domain resource allocation is to be configured for a bandwidth part that is configured for the unit including the plurality of component carriers (e.g., [0085]-[0087], Table 7, the carrier indicator in DCI used for a cell group ID). Regarding claim 4: Zhang discloses a base station (e.g., Fig. 19A, 114) comprising: a communication unit configured to perform a communication with a terminal by using a frequency band in which aggregation is performed by carrier aggregation; and a control unit configured to configure, in a case where scheduling is performed by using a unit including a plurality of component carriers, a time domain resource allocation for each component carrier among the plurality of component carriers or for each unit including a plurality of component carriers in the aggregated frequency band. (See rejection of similar features with respect to claim 1.) Regarding claim 5: Zhang discloses a communication method performed by a terminal (e.g., Fig. 19A, 102), the communication method comprising: performing an uplink or downlink communication by using a frequency band in which aggregation is performed by carrier aggregation; and expecting, in a case where scheduling is performed by using a unit including a plurality of component carriers, that a time domain resource allocation is to be configured for each component carrier among the plurality of component carriers or for each unit including a plurality of component carriers in the aggregated frequency band. (See rejection of similar features with respect to claim 1.) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alvin ZHU whose telephone number is (571)270-1086. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6am-9am and 2pm-7pm. 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, Gary Mui can be reached at 571-270-1420. 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. /BO HUI A ZHU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 23, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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RADIO LINK MONITORING AND RECEPTION POWER FOR A CARRIER WITHOUT AN SSB IN INTER-BAND CARRIER AGGREGATION
2y 8m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12739838
PUCCH Cell Switching and Cell Activation/Deactivation Status
2y 7m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12739005
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING WIRELESS SIGNAL IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
2y 6m to grant Granted Sep 15, 2026
Patent 12707467
UPLINK REFERENCE SIGNAL ASSOCIATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS
3y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706700
Uplink Control Information Transmission Method, Terminal, and Network Side Device
3y 2m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
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
80%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+15.4%)
3y 1m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 792 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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