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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) were submitted on 28 October 2024 and 30 July 2025. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 15-18 and 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 15 and 32 recite the limitations “determining indication information” in line 3 of claim 15 and “receiving the indication information” in line 5 of claim 15. It is unclear whether the UE determines the indication independently from receiving the indication information or the UE determines the indication information as a result of receiving the indication information. In the former, it is unclear whether the determined indication information is the same information as the received indication information or not. For examining purposes, the examiner will interpret the claims as best understood.
Claims 16-18 are also rejected since they are dependent upon rejected claim 15 as set forth above.
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) 1-2, 11-13, and 31-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Taherzadeh Boroujeni et al. US 2021/0185670 A1 (hereinafter referred to as “Taherzadeh Boroujeni”).
As to claim 1, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches a communication method based on Multiple Transmission Reception Points (M-TRPs), performed by a network device (¶¶82-83 and 89-91; figures 7-8: multi-TRP method performed by BS), comprising:
determining indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate Timing Advance (TA) information about at least two Transmission Reception Points (TRPs) (¶¶83 and 91; figures 7-8: TRP determines a quantity of TAs to apply to multi-TRP transmission); and
sending the indication information to a User Equipment (UE) (¶¶86 and 92; figures 7-8: transmit an indication of the quantity of TAs to UE).
As to claim 2, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches the communication method of claim 1, wherein the indication information is used to indicate at least two TA information, and the at least two TA information correspond to the at least two TRPs respectively (¶¶82-98; figures 7-8).
As to claim 11, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches the communication method of claim 1, wherein the indication information is used to indicate single TA information (¶¶82-98; figures 7-8).
As to claim 12, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches the communication method of claim 11, wherein the single TA information comprises one of:
TA information about a TRP selected from the at least two TRPs based on a predetermined rule;
TA information having a largest value in the at least two TA information about the at least two TRPs;
TA information having a smallest value in the at least two TA information about the at least two TRPs; or
TA information obtained by subjecting values corresponding to the at least two TA information about the at least two TRPs to a mean processing (¶¶82-98; figures 7-8).
As to claim 13, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches the communication method of claim 1, wherein the TA information comprises at least one of a TA or a timing reference time (¶¶82-98; figures 7-8).
As to claim 15, claim 15 is rejected the same way as claim 1.
As to claim 16, claim 16 is rejected the same way as claim 2.
As to claim 31, claim 31 is rejected the same way as claim 1.
As to claim 32, claim 32 is rejected the same way as claim 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.
Claim(s) 3-10, 14, and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu et al. US 2023/0188283 A1 (hereinafter referred to as “Liu”).
As to claim 3, Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches the communication method of claim 2.
Although Taherzadeh Boroujeni teaches “The communication method of claim 2,” Taherzadeh Boroujeni does not explicitly disclose “the indication information…updated TA information”.
However, Liu teaches the indication information comprises first indication information and second indication information,
wherein the first indication information is used to indicate initial TA information, and the second indication information is used to indicate updated TA information (¶¶82-98; figures 7-8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni by including “the indication information…updated TA information” as taught by Liu because it provides Taherzadeh Boroujeni’s method with the enhanced capability of enabling the UE to more accurately adjusting its uplink transmission timing for each TRP (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 4, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 3.
Liu further teaches the first indication information is used to indicate single initial TA information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two updated TA information,
wherein the at least two updated TA information correspond to the at least two TRPs respectively (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the first indication…two TRPs respectively” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 5, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 3.
Liu further teaches the first indication information is used to indicate at least two initial TA information, and the second indication information is used to indicate at least two updated TA information;
the at least two initial TA information correspond to the at least two TRPs respectively; and
the at least two updated TA information correspond to the at least two TRPs respectively (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the first indication…two TRPs respectively” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 6, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 5.
Liu further teaches the first indication information comprises at least two first Timing Advance Command (TAC) indication fields, and the at least two first TAC indication fields correspond to the at least two initial TA information respectively (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the first indication…TA information respectively” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 7, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 5.
Liu further teaches the second indication information comprises a single second TAC indication field, and the single second TAC indication field is used to indicate the at least two updated TA information (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the second indication…updated TA information” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 8, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 5.
Liu further teaches the second indication information comprises at least two second TAC indication fields, and the at least two second TAC indication fields correspond to the at least two updated TA information respectively (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the second indication…TA information respectively” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 9, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 5.
Liu further teaches the second indication information comprises a second TAC indication field and a TA offset indication field;
the second TAC indication field is used to indicate the TA information; and
the TA offset indication field is used to indicate offset information about a TA (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the second indication…about a TA” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 10, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 9.
Liu further teaches the offset information about the TA comprises: relative offset information or absolute offset information;
the relative offset information is an offset relative to the TA information indicated in the second TAC indication field; and
the absolute offset information is determined based on a quantization gradient, and the quantization gradient is determined based on the TA information indicated in the second TAC indication field (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the offset information…second TAC indication” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 5 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 14, Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu teaches the communication method of claim 3.
Liu further teaches the first indication information is a random access response, and the second indication information is a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC-CE) (¶¶62-63 and 75).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to improve upon the method described in Taherzadeh Boroujeni in view of Liu by including “the offset information…second TAC indication” as further taught by Liu for the same rationale as set forth in claim 3 (Liu, ¶¶62-63 and 75).
As to claim 17, claim 17 is rejected the same way as claim 3.
As to claim 18, claim 18 is rejected the same way as claim 4.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN T VAN ROIE whose telephone number is (571)270-0308. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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/JUSTIN T VAN ROIE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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