DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is a response to an application filed on November 12, 2024, and to the preliminary amendment filed on even date. Prior to the amendment, claims 1-27 as originally filed were pending. By the amendment, claims 6, 8, 14, 18, 20 and 22 were amended, claims 9, 21 and 23-27 were canceled, and no new claims were added. Accordingly, claims 1-8, 10-20 and 22 are currently pending and ready for examination.
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 .
Relevant Technical Information Submittal Requirement
Requirement — Overview
The applicant is required to submit copies of non-patent literature and relevant technical information as set forth below.
Basis for Requirement
35 U.S.C. § 131 provides:
The Director shall cause an examination to be made of the application and the alleged new invention; and if on such examination it appears that the applicant is entitled to a patent under the law, the Director shall issue a patent therefor.
37 C.F.R. § 1.105(a) provides:
In the course of examining or treating a matter in a pending or abandoned application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111 or 371 (including a reissue application), in a patent, or in a reexamination proceeding, the examiner or other Office employee may require the submission, from individuals identified under § 1.56(c), or any assignee, of such information as may be reasonably necessary to properly examine or treat the matter, for example:
….
(iii) Related information: A copy of any non-patent literature, published application, or patent (U.S. or foreign), by any of the inventors, that relates to the claimed invention.
(iv) Information used to draft application: A copy of any non-patent literature, published application, or patent (U.S. or foreign) that was used to draft the application.
(v) Information used in invention process: A copy of any non-patent literature, published application, or patent (U.S. or foreign) that was used in the invention process, such as by designing around or providing a solution to accomplish an invention result.
…
(viii) Technical information known to applicant. Technical information known to applicant concerning the related art, the disclosure, the claimed subject matter, other factual information pertinent to patentability, or concerning the accuracy of the examiner’s stated interpretation of such items.
Background
The applicant has stated in a publicly available European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) record that the present application, Application No. 18/865,193 (“the Application”), identified as “CN202210513339” and “CN117098241 A,” which are the Chinese application and publication, respectively, of a foreign priority parent application of the Application, may be or may become ESSENTIAL in relation to at least the ETSI Work Item(s), STANDARD(S) and/or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION(S) identified in the attached IPR Information Statement Annex.”1
Necessity for this Requirement.
This Requirement is issued pursuant to the Director’s duty and authority to examine patent applications. See 35 U.S.C. § 131; 37 C.F.R. § 1.105(a). The ETSI record indicates the applicant likely possesses information relating to the ETSI Work Item(s), STANDARD(S) and/or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION(S) that is necessary for a more complete understanding of the invention and its context. See MPEP § 704.11. Such information may include non-patent literature and technical materials (e.g., contribution papers or Tdocs) authored, generated, or submitted by the applicant or others that form the basis of, or resulted from, the claimed invention.
Applicant is Required to Submit:
Copies of any non-patent literature relating to the ETSI Work Item(s), STANDARD(S) and/or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION(S) identified in the ETSI record for the Application, which satisfies any of the following criteria:
Authored by any of the inventors and related to the claimed invention,
Used to draft the present application, or
Used in the invention process (for example, used to design around prior art or to provide a solution that enabled the claimed invention); and
Any technical information known to the applicant relating to the ETSI Work Item(s), STANDARD(S) and/or TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION(S) identified in the ETSI record for the Application, which concerns the related art, the disclosure, the claimed subject matter, other factual information pertinent to patentability, or the accuracy of the examiner’s stated interpretation of such items.
Instructions to Applicant
A complete reply to this Requirement is a reply to each enumerated requirement for information giving either the information required or a statement that the information required to be submitted is unknown and/or is not readily available to the applicant. There is no requirement for the applicant to show that the required information was not, in fact, readily attainable, but the applicant is required to make a good faith attempt to obtain the information and to make a reasonable inquiry once the information is requested. See MPEP § 704.12(b).
This Requirement is subject to the provisions of 37 CFR §§ 1.134, 1.135 and 1.136 and is accorded the same period for reply as the action on the merits sent with this Requirement. See MPEP § 704.13 (third paragraph). EXTENSIONS OF THIS TIME PERIOD MAY BE GRANTED UNDER 37 CFR 1.136 (a).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on November 12, 2024 and on October 1, 2025 are compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on November 12, 2014.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims.
Claims 6 and 18 each recite the limitation, “the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a first subset and a second subset, wherein the first subset is in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition, the second subset is in a preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition” (“LIMITATION”). Therefore, the LIMITATION must be shown or the feature(s) must be canceled from the claims. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section151, 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
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kishiyama et al.. (US Published Patent Application No. US 2016/0100431) (hereinafter “Kishiyama”).
Regarding claim 1, Kishiyama discloses a message transmission method (See, e.g., Fig. 5), applied to a terminal device (Fig. 5, #20A, “MTC-UE”) and comprising:
determining a transmission mode for Msgl (See, Fig. 4, #22; ¶[0046], “The mapping table 22 defines the correspondence relation between the subsets 22a, received power levels 22c, and the number of repetitions 22b;” ¶[0047], “By referring to the mapping table 22, the MTC device 20 can specify a subset associated with the received power level at the MTC device 20 itself, and select a preamble sequence from that subset.”), wherein the transmission mode for the Msgl is repetition (See, ¶[0049], “When the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is equal to or lower than X1 but higher than X10, then the MTC device 20 selects subset 2 that includes preamble sequences with index numbers 33 through 44. When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”) or non-repetition (See, ¶[0048], “when the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is higher than X1, any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.”), and the Msgl is used to request random access (See, Fig. 2, “MESSAGE 1: RA PREAMBLE;” ¶[0036], “The MTC device (labeled as MTC-UE) 20 first transmits a random access (RA) preamble in message 1 (Msg1) to establish a connection with the eNB 10.”); and
sending the Msgl to a network device (See, Fig. 5, #S101; ¶[0058], “The MTC device 20A transmits a preamble sequence selected by the preamble selector 23 repeatedly according to the number of repetitions determined by the uplink repetition determination block 24 (S101).”), wherein the Msgl comprises a preamble (See, Fig. 2, “MESSAGE 1: RA PREAMBLE;” ¶[0036], “The MTC device (labeled as MTC-UE) 20 first transmits a random access (RA) preamble in message 1 (Msg1)”), and the preamble indicates the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, ¶[0052], “By sharing the information about the subsets of preamble sequences associated with the numbers of transmission repetitions between the MTC device 20 and the eNB 10, an appropriate number of transmission repetitions can be determined in common between the MTC device 20 and the eNB 10 in the random access procedure;” See, Fig. 4. Any of the preambles with indices 1-32, e.g., preamble #1, indicates a non-repetition mode while a preamble from the other subsets, e.g., preamble #33, indicates a repetition mode.).
Regarding claim 2/1, Kishiyama discloses a method comprising all elements recited in claim 1 as discussed above, including the preamble indicat[ing] the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, the above discussion of claim 1).
Kishiyama further discloses that the preamble (See, Fig. 4, the preamble with the index value of 1 or 32 as an example.) is in a preamble set (See, Fig. 4. For example, preamble index 1 is in the subset 1 while preamble index 32 is in the subset 2) corresponding to the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, Fig. 4. In this example, the subset 1 corresponds to the non-repetition transmission mode while the subset 2 corresponds to the repetition transmission mode.).
Regarding claim 3/2, Kishiyama discloses a method comprising all elements recited in claim 2 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further discloses the method further comprising:
receiving a first indication information sent from the network device (See, ¶[0056], “The MTC device 20A receives the reference signal from the eNB 10 and measures the received strength of the reference signal at the RSRP measurement device 27”), wherein the first indication information indicates a correspondence between the transmission mode for the Msgl and the preamble set (See, ¶[0012], the terminal device is configured to, based upon a receive level of a signal transmitted from the radio base station, select a subset corresponding to the receive level by referring to the correspondence information and transmit a preamble sequence included in the selected subset at the number of repetitions associated with the selected subset.” See, also, Fig. 4, #22c, “RSRP RANGE,” measured from the reference signal (RS) providing the correspondence between the preamble subsets 22a and the number of repetitions 22b.).
Regarding claim 4/3, Kishiyama discloses a method comprising all elements recited in claim 3 as discussed above, including the first indication information indicat[ing] the correspondence between the transmission mode for the Msgl and the preamble set (see, the above discussion of claim 3).
Kishiyama further discloses that the first indication information (See, ¶[0056], “The MTC device 20A receives the reference signal from the eNB 10 and measures the received strength of the reference signal at the RSRP measurement device 27”) indicates a preamble set for Msg1 non-repetition (See, Fig. 4; and ¶[0048] “when the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is higher than X1, any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.”) and/or a preamble set for Msgl repetition (See, Fig. 4; and ¶[0049], “When the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is equal to or lower than X1 but higher than X10, then the MTC device 20 selects subset 2 that includes preamble sequences with index numbers 33 through 44. When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”); or
the first indication information indicates a split point between the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition and the preamble set for Msgl repetition (To the extent, the claimed term “split point” is understood to mean, in light of the Applicant’s own disclosure, see, Applicant’s specification at ¶[0077], a basis for identifying a grouping the preambles into a set for “Msg1 repetition” and a set for “Msg1 non-repetition,” Kishiyama’s disclosure of the reference signal resulting in RSRP range of > X1 for separating the 64 preambles into a group of preamble indices 1-32 and into another group of the remaining preambles, i.e., with indices 33-64, teaches such “split point.”).
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.
Claims 5 and 10-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US 2023/0060894) (hereinafter " Rastegardoost”).
Regarding claim 5/4, Kishiyama teaches a method comprising all elements recited in claim 4 as discussed above.
Kishiyama, however, fails to explicitly teach that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition and the preamble set for Msgl repetition are orthogonal to each other.
Rastegardoost teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., a random access procedure for coverage enhancement (CE), see, e.g., Fig. 23B; and ¶[0232], “RACH procedure with coverage enhancement”.), and teaches that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition (the “first RACH resource set,” see, below) and the preamble set for Msgl repetition (the “second RACH resource set,” see, below) are orthogonal to each other (See, ¶[0237], The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set;” ¶[0246], “the second RACH resource set (e.g. enhanced RACH configuration);” Figs. 24A and 24B; ¶[0248], “FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B show examples of SSB configuration for enhancement of random access…. SSB #2 and SSB #3 are associated/configured with enhanced RACH resources…. the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6;” and ¶[0269] In an example, the base station may configure/schedule the second RACH resource set and the first RACH resource set such that Msg1/MsgA transmissions are orthogonal/disjoint at least in one of a code domain (e.g. orthogonal preambles) and/or time domain and/or frequency domain (e.g. non-overlapping PRACH occasions and/or MsgA PUSCH occasions.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., a provision of separate orthogonal sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision due to different handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions by different types of UEs (see, e.g., Rastegardoost, ¶[0269], “As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA.”).
Regarding claim 10/1, Kishiyama teaches a method comprising all elements recited in claim 1 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches sending the Msgl to the network device (See, Fig. 5, #S101; ¶[0058], “The MTC device 20A transmits a preamble sequence selected by the preamble selector 23 repeatedly according to the number of repetitions determined by the uplink repetition determination block 24 (S101).”), and a signal measurement result is greater than or equal to a threshold (See, Fig. 4, #22c, “RSRP RANGE;” ¶[0046], “The received power levels 22c are represented by, for example, reference signal received power (RSRP) transmitted from the eNB 10;” and ¶[0048], when the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is higher than X1, any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1.”).
Kishiyama, however, fails to teach explicitly:
sending the Msgl to the network device on a physical random access channel (PRACH) occasion (RO) resource, wherein the RO resource corresponds to a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB), and a signal measurement result of the SSB is greater than or equal to a threshold.
Rastegardoost teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., a random access procedure for coverage enhancement (CE), see, e.g., Fig. 23B; and ¶[0232], “RACH procedure with coverage enhancement”.), and teaches:
sending the Msgl to the network device on a physical random access channel (PRACH) occasion (RO) resource (See, Fig. 13A, #1311; and ¶[0175], “The Msg 1 1311 may be transmitted to the base station via one or more PRACH occasions. The UE may use one or more reference signals (e.g., SSBs and/or CSI-RSs) for selection of the preamble and for determining of the PRACH occasion. One or more RACH parameters (e.g., ra-ssb-OccasionMskIndex and/or ra-OccasionList) may indicate an association between the PRACH occasions and the one or more reference signals”), wherein the RO resource corresponds to a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) (See, Fig. 18; ¶[0220], “FIG. 18 shows an example of RRC configuration of RACH parameters for 4-step RA type. In an example, a base station may transmit to a wireless device, one or more RRC messages ….an indication of association between RACH occasion and SSB (e.g., ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB);” and ¶[0229], “The RA resource selection may comprise selecting an SSB from a plurality of SSBs, selecting a preamble group, selecting a preamble from the preamble group, determining a RACH occasion based on the selected SSB.”), and the signal measurement result is of the SSB (See, e.g., ¶[0174], “The UE may measure an RSRP of one or more reference signals (e.g., SSBs and/or CSI-RSs) and determine at least one reference signal having an RSRP above an RSRP threshold (e.g., rsrp-ThresholdSSB and/or rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS).”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., the selection of random access occasion associated with the SSB selected based on the signal strength (i.e., a RSRP) meeting a threshold, as such teaching would have been recognized by a person having an ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as an implementation of well-known technical features of a random access procedure. See, e.g., MPEP §2144.I.
Regarding claim 11/10, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 10 as discussed above.
Rastegardoost further teaches that:
a correspondence between RO resources and SSBs is a first correspondence (See, Figs. 24A and 24B; and ¶[0248], “the enhanced RACH resources are configured for/associated with SSB #2 and SSB #3”) in response to the transmission mode for the Msgl being repetition (See, e.g., ¶[0237], “The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” and ¶[0274], “the base station may configure the second RACH resource set for wireless devices that require preamble repetition”.); and
a correspondence between RO resources and SSBs is a second correspondence (See, Figs. 24A and 24B; and ¶[0248], “the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6.”) in response to the transmission mode for the Msgl being non-repetition (See, ¶[0249], “The second SSB may be configured with first (e.g. non-enhanced) RACH resources. The second wireless device may use the second RACH resources associated with the second SSB to initiate a random access procedure;” and ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set”.);
wherein the first correspondence (See, Fig. 24A, the correspondence between the SSB#s 2 & 3 and the “Enhanced RACH configuration.) is different from the second correspondence (See, Fig. 24A, the correspondence between the SSB#s 4, 5 & 6 and the “without Enhanced RACH configuration, which is different from the first correspondence.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., a provision of separate orthogonal sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision due to different handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions by different types of UEs (see, e.g., Rastegardoost, ¶[0269], “As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA.”).
Regarding claim 12, Kishiyama teaches a message transmission method (See, e.g., Fig. 5), applied to a network device (Fig. 5, “eNB”) and comprising:
receiving Msg1 (Fig. 5, #S101) sent by a terminal device (Fig. 5, “MTC-UE”), wherein the Msg1 comprises a preamble (See, Fig. 2, “MESSAGE 1: RA PREAMBLE;” ¶[0036], “The MTC device (labeled as MTC-UE) 20 first transmits a random access (RA) preamble in message 1 (Msg1)”), the preamble indicates a transmission mode for the Msg1 (See, Fig. 4, #22; and ¶[0015], “a table configured to describe subsets of preamble sequences obtained by segmenting preamble sequences available in the radio communication system into groups, each of the subsets being associated with a received signal strength and a number of repetitions for transmitting the preamble sequences included in each of the subsets”. For example, any of the preambles with indices 1-32, e.g., the preamble #1, indicates a non-repetition mode while a preamble from the other subsets, e.g., preamble #33, indicates a repetition mode.”), and the transmission mode comprises repetition (See, e.g., ¶[0049], “When the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is equal to or lower than X1 but higher than X10, then the MTC device 20 selects subset 2 that includes preamble sequences with index numbers 33 through 44. When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”) or non-repetition (See, ¶[0048], “when the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is higher than X1, any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.”).
Kishiyama, however, fails to teach explicitly determining a correspondence between synchronization signal and PBCH blocks (SSBs) and physical random access channel (PRACH) occasion (RO) resources, based on the transmission mode.
Rastegardoost teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., a random access procedure for coverage enhancement (CE), see, e.g., Fig. 23B; and ¶[0232], “RACH procedure with coverage enhancement”.), and teaches determining a correspondence between synchronization signal and PBCH blocks (SSBs) and physical random access channel (PRACH) occasion (RO) resources (See, Fig. 18; and ¶[0220], “FIG. 18 shows an example of RRC configuration of RACH parameters for 4-step RA type. In an example, a base station may transmit to a wireless device, one or more RRC messages ….an indication of association between RACH occasion and SSB (e.g., ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB)”), based on the transmission mode (See, e.g., ¶[0237], “The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” ¶[0274], “the base station may configure the second RACH resource set for wireless devices that require preamble repetition;” ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set;” Figs. 24A and 24B; and ¶[0248], “SSB #2 and SSB #3 are associated/configured with enhanced RACH resources…..the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., the selection of random access occasion associated with the SSB selected based on the signal strength (i.e., a RSRP) meeting a threshold, as such teaching would have been recognized by a person having an ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as an implementation of well-known technical features of a random access procedure. See, e.g., MPEP §2144.I.
Regarding claim 13/12, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 12 as discussed above.
Rastegardoost teaches the method, further comprising:
determining a first SSB based on the correspondence and a first RO resource in response to the Msg1 being received on the first RO resource (See, e.g., Fig. 13A, #1310, ¶[0172], “The one or more RACH parameters provided in the configuration message 1310 may indicate …one or more RACH parameters may indicate an association between (a) one or more PRACH occasions and (b) one or more reference signals. …the one or more RACH parameters may indicate a number of SS/PBCH blocks mapped to a PRACH occasion;” and ¶[0175], “The Msg 1 1311 may be transmitted to the base station via one or more PRACH occasions. The UE may use one or more reference signals (e.g., SSBs and/or CSI-RSs) for selection of the preamble and for determining of the PRACH occasion. One or more RACH parameters (e.g., ra-ssb-OccasionMskIndex and/or ra-OccasionList) may indicate an association between the PRACH occasions and the one or more reference signals”. Accordingly, as it is the base station that configures and provides to the UE the correspondence between the SSBs and the ROs, the base station is thus able to determine which SSB is selected by the UE based on the RO used to transmit the Msg1.), wherein the first SSB is a SSB corresponding to the first RO resource (See, above. The base station is able to determine which SSB is selected by the UE based on the RO used to transmit the Msg1.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., the selection of random access occasion associated with the SSB selected based on the signal strength (i.e., a RSRP) meeting a threshold, as such teaching would have been recognized by a person having an ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as an implementation of well-known technical features of a random access procedure. See, e.g., MPEP §2144.I.
Regarding claim 14/12, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 12 as discussed above, including the preamble indicat[ing] the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, the above discussion of claim 12).
Kishiyama further teaches that the preamble (See, Fig. 4, the preamble with the index value of 1 or 32 as an example.) is in a preamble set (See, Fig. 4. For example, preamble index 1 is in the subset 1 while preamble index 32 is in the subset 2) corresponding to the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, Fig. 4. In this example, the subset 1 corresponds to the non-repetition transmission mode while the subset 2 corresponds to the repetition transmission mode.).
Regarding claim 15/14, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 14 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches that the method, further comprising:
sending a first indication information sent from the network device (See, ¶[0056], “The MTC device 20A receives the reference signal from the eNB 10 and measures the received strength of the reference signal at the RSRP measurement device 27”), wherein the first indication information indicates a correspondence between the transmission mode for the Msgl and the preamble set (See, ¶[0012], the terminal device is configured to, based upon a receive level of a signal transmitted from the radio base station, select a subset corresponding to the receive level by referring to the correspondence information and transmit a preamble sequence included in the selected subset at the number of repetitions associated with the selected subset.” See, also, Fig. 4, #22c, “RSRP RANGE,” measured from the reference signal (RS) providing the correspondence between the preamble subsets 22a and the number of repetitions 22b.).
Regarding claim 16/15, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 14 as discussed above, including the first indication information indicat[ing] the correspondence between the transmission mode for the Msgl and the preamble set (see, the above discussion of claim 15).
Kishiyama further teaches that the first indication information (See, ¶[0056], “The MTC device 20A receives the reference signal from the eNB 10 and measures the received strength of the reference signal at the RSRP measurement device 27”) indicates a preamble set for Msg1 non-repetition (See, Fig. 4; and ¶[0048] “when the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is higher than X1, any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.”) and/or a preamble set for Msgl repetition (See, Fig. 4; and ¶[0049], “When the RSRP level measured at the MTC device 20 is equal to or lower than X1 but higher than X10, then the MTC device 20 selects subset 2 that includes preamble sequences with index numbers 33 through 44. When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”); or
the first indication information indicates a split point between the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition and the preamble set for Msgl repetition (To the extent, the claimed term “split point” is understood to mean, in light of the Applicant’s own disclosure, see, Applicant’s specification at ¶[0077], a basis for identifying a grouping the preambles into a set for “Msg1 repetition” and a set for “Msg1 non-repetition,” Kishiyama’s disclosure of the reference signal resulting in RSRP range of > X1 for separating the 64 preambles into a group of preamble indices 1-32 and into another group of the remaining preambles, i.e., with indices 33-64, teaches such “split point.”).
Regarding claim 17/16, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 16 as discussed above.
Rastegardoost further teaches that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition (the “first RACH resource set,” see, below) and the preamble set for Msgl repetition (the “second RACH resource set,” see, below) are orthogonal to each other (See, ¶[0237], The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set;” ¶[0246], “the second RACH resource set (e.g. enhanced RACH configuration);” Figs. 24A and 24B; ¶[0248], “FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B show examples of SSB configuration for enhancement of random access…. SSB #2 and SSB #3 are associated/configured with enhanced RACH resources…. the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6;” and ¶[0269] In an example, the base station may configure/schedule the second RACH resource set and the first RACH resource set such that Msg1/MsgA transmissions are orthogonal/disjoint at least in one of a code domain (e.g. orthogonal preambles) and/or time domain and/or frequency domain (e.g. non-overlapping PRACH occasions and/or MsgA PUSCH occasions.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., a provision of separate orthogonal sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision due to different handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions by different types of UEs (see, e.g., Rastegardoost, ¶[0269], “As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA.”).
Claims 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Kishiyama in view of Xiong et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US 2024/0172272) (hereinafter " Xiong”).
Regarding claim 6/4, Kishiyama teaches a method comprising all elements recited in claim 4 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches that the preamble set for Msgl repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22b; “THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS (PREAMBLE, MSG2, MSG3, MSG4[)];” ¶[0049], “When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”) is in a preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22b; “THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS (PREAMBLE, MSG2, MSG3, MSG4[)];” ¶[0049], “When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”), the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a second subset [that] is in a preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition (See, Fig. 4, “SUBSET 1;” ¶[0048], “any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.” Accordingly, the preamble set for Msg1 non-repetition, i.e., with preamble indices 1-32, is in (i.e., the same as) the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition.).
Kishiyama, however, fails to explicitly teach that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a first subset and a second subset, wherein the first subset is in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition, and the Msg3 is used to request to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection.
Xiong teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., the coverage enhanced random access process, see, e.g., ¶[0014], and teaches that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a first subset, wherein the first subset is in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 2, #s1205 and 1210; and ¶[0129], “the configuration information includes an indication of separate physical random access channel (PRACH) preambles associated with the shared RACH ROs for the UEs requesting the Msg3 PUSCH repetition and the UEs not requesting the Msg3 PUSCH repetition. The process further includes, at 1210, encoding a message that includes the configuration information for transmission to the UE;” Figs. 2-5, e.g., Fig. 2 shows the preambles with indices 16-18 and 40-42 are in the set of preambles for Msg3 repetition. These preambles do not trigger Msg1 repetition, and thus are in the set of preambles for Msg1 non-repetition.), and the Msg3 is used to request to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection (See, Fig. 1, “Msg3,” “L2/L3 message;” ¶[0006], “FIGS. 2-5 illustrate examples of PRACH preambles for request of Msg3 PUSCH repetition and legacy RACH in accordance with various embodiments;” and ¶[0013], [0013] “In Rel-15 NR, a 4-step random access channel (RACH) procedure was defined. As illustrated in FIG. 1, …in the third step, the UE transmits Msg3 physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) which may carry a contention resolution ID.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama to incorporate the above teaching of Xiong, i.e., the provision of a dedicated set of random access preambles for Msg3 repetition, in order to differentiate the enhanced UEs and legacy UEs, when the random access occasions are shared, so that a possible collision handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions (see, e.g., Xiong, ¶[0015], “In case of shared PRACH occasions (RO), separate PRACH preambles can be used to differentiate the enhanced UEs who support the Msg3 PUSCH repetition and legacy UEs or UEs who do not need coverage enhancement. In this case, certain mechanisms may need to be considered in order to allocate the PRACH preambles for the enhanced UEs in case of the shared ROs.”).
Regarding claim 8/6, Kishiyama in view of Xiong teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 6 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches the method, further comprising:
receiving a second indication information (See, Fig. 4, #22) from the network device (See, e.g., ¶[0044], “The correspondence relation is shared between the MTC device and the radio base station (eNB);” and ¶[0063] “”the mapping table 22 and the mapping table 12 may be quasi-statistically configured at a higher layer.”) wherein the second indication information indicates the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22a; Subsets 2-n),
wherein the second indication information indicates the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, above) comprises:
the second indication information indicates a split point between the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition and the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, the preambles with an index below 33 are in the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition while the preambles with an index greater or equal to 33 are in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition. The index number 33 is a split point.).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Kishiyama in view of Xiong in further view of Rastegardoost
Regarding claim 7/6, Kishiyama in view of Xiong teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 6 as discussed above.
Kishiyama in view of Xiong, however, fails to teach that the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition and the preamble set for Msg3 repetition are orthogonal to each other.
Rastegardoost teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., a random access procedure for coverage enhancement (CE), see, e.g., Fig. 23B; and ¶[0232], “RACH procedure with coverage enhancement”.), and teaches that the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition (the “first RACH resource set,” see, below) and the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (the “second RACH resource set,” see, below) are orthogonal to each other (See, ¶[0237], The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set;” ¶[0246], “the second RACH resource set (e.g. enhanced RACH configuration);” Figs. 24A and 24B; ¶[0248], “FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B show examples of SSB configuration for enhancement of random access…. SSB #2 and SSB #3 are associated/configured with enhanced RACH resources…. the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6;” and ¶[0269] In an example, the base station may configure/schedule the second RACH resource set and the first RACH resource set such that Msg1/MsgA transmissions are orthogonal/disjoint at least in one of a code domain (e.g. orthogonal preambles) and/or time domain and/or frequency domain (e.g. non-overlapping PRACH occasions and/or MsgA PUSCH occasions. As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA;” Figs. 13A and 13C; and ¶[0185], “The transport block 1342 may comprise contents that are similar and/or equivalent to the contents of the Msg 3 1313 illustrated in FIG. 13A.” The orthogonality requirement between MsgA PUSCH occasions, i.e., the need to distinguish between enhanced device and a legacy device, is the same for the Msg3 PUSCH occasions between the different types of devices.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama in view Xiong to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., a provision of separate orthogonal sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision due to different handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions by different types of UEs (see, e.g., Rastegardoost, ¶[0269], “As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA.”).
Claims 18, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost in further view of Xiong.
Regarding claim 18/16, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost teaches a method comprising all elements recited in claim 16 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches that the preamble set for Msgl repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22b; “THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS (PREAMBLE, MSG2, MSG3, MSG4[)];” ¶[0049], “When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”) is in a preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22b; “THE NUMBER OF REPETITIONS (PREAMBLE, MSG2, MSG3, MSG4[)];” ¶[0049], “When a preamble sequence is selected from the subset 2, the number of transmission repetitions is, for example, ten.”), the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a second subset [that] is in a preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition (See, Fig. 4, “SUBSET 1;” ¶[0048], “any one of preamble sequences with index numbers 1 through 32 is selected from subset 1. In this case, the number of repetitions for transmitting the RA preamble and messages 2, 3 and 4 is one.” Accordingly, the preamble set for Msg1 non-repetition, i.e., with preamble indices 1-32, is in (i.e., the same as) the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition.).
Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost, however, fails to explicitly teach that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a first subset and a second subset, wherein the first subset is in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition, and the Msg3 is used to request to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection.
Xiong teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., the coverage enhanced random access process, see, e.g., ¶[0014], and teaches that the preamble set for Msgl non-repetition comprises a first subset, wherein the first subset is in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 2, #s1205 and 1210; and ¶[0129], “the configuration information includes an indication of separate physical random access channel (PRACH) preambles associated with the shared RACH ROs for the UEs requesting the Msg3 PUSCH repetition and the UEs not requesting the Msg3 PUSCH repetition. The process further includes, at 1210, encoding a message that includes the configuration information for transmission to the UE;” Figs. 2-5, e.g., Fig. 2 shows the preambles with indices 16-18 and 40-42 are in the set of preambles for Msg3 repetition. These preambles do not trigger Msg1 repetition, and thus are in the set of preambles for Msg1 non-repetition.), and the Msg3 is used to request to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection (See, Fig. 1, “Msg3,” “L2/L3 message;” ¶[0006], “FIGS. 2-5 illustrate examples of PRACH preambles for request of Msg3 PUSCH repetition and legacy RACH in accordance with various embodiments;” and ¶[0013], [0013] “In Rel-15 NR, a 4-step random access channel (RACH) procedure was defined. As illustrated in FIG. 1, …in the third step, the UE transmits Msg3 physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) which may carry a contention resolution ID.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost to incorporate the above teaching of Xiong, i.e., the provision of a dedicated set of random access preambles for Msg3 repetition, in order to differentiate the enhanced UEs and legacy UEs, when the random access occasions are shared, so that a possible collision handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions (see, e.g., Xiong, ¶[0015], “In case of shared PRACH occasions (RO), separate PRACH preambles can be used to differentiate the enhanced UEs who support the Msg3 PUSCH repetition and legacy UEs or UEs who do not need coverage enhancement. In this case, certain mechanisms may need to be considered in order to allocate the PRACH preambles for the enhanced UEs in case of the shared ROs.”).
Regarding claim 19/18, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost in further view of Xiong teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 18 as discussed above.
Rastegardoost further teaches that the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition (the “first RACH resource set,” see, below) and the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (the “second RACH resource set,” see, below) are orthogonal to each other (See, ¶[0237], The network may employ coverage enhancement techniques for initial access of a wireless device such that an efficiency and a likelihood of successful random access is increased for the wireless device, e.g. by configuring preamble/MsgA repetition;” ¶[0242], “a normal wireless device, that has/can meet regular requirements, may use the first RACH resource set;” ¶[0246], “the second RACH resource set (e.g. enhanced RACH configuration);” Figs. 24A and 24B; ¶[0248], “FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B show examples of SSB configuration for enhancement of random access…. SSB #2 and SSB #3 are associated/configured with enhanced RACH resources…. the enhanced RACH resources are not configured for/associated with SSB #4 and SSB #5 and SSB #6;” and ¶[0269] In an example, the base station may configure/schedule the second RACH resource set and the first RACH resource set such that Msg1/MsgA transmissions are orthogonal/disjoint at least in one of a code domain (e.g. orthogonal preambles) and/or time domain and/or frequency domain (e.g. non-overlapping PRACH occasions and/or MsgA PUSCH occasions. As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA;” Figs. 13A and 13C; and ¶[0185], “The transport block 1342 may comprise contents that are similar and/or equivalent to the contents of the Msg 3 1313 illustrated in FIG. 13A.” The orthogonality requirement between MsgA PUSCH occasions, i.e., the need to distinguish between enhanced device and a legacy device, is the same for the Msg3 PUSCH occasions between the different types of devices.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Kishiyama in view Xiong to incorporate the above teaching of Rastegardoost, i.e., a provision of separate orthogonal sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision due to different handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions by different types of UEs (see, e.g., Rastegardoost, ¶[0269], “As a result, the base station can distinguish/identify a type/category of the wireless device based on the received Msg1/MsgA.”).
Regarding claim 20/18 or 19, Kishiyama in view of Rastegardoost in further view of Xiong teach a method comprising all elements recited in claim 18 and 19 as discussed above.
Kishiyama further teaches the method, further comprising:
sending a second indication information (See, Fig. 4, #22) to the terminal device (See, e.g., ¶[0044], “The correspondence relation is shared between the MTC device and the radio base station (eNB);” and ¶[0063] “”the mapping table 22 and the mapping table 12 may be quasi-statistically configured at a higher layer.”) wherein the second indication information indicates the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, #22a; Subsets 2-n),
wherein the second indication information indicates the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, above) comprises:
the second indication information indicates a split point between the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition and the preamble set for Msg3 repetition (See, Fig. 4, the preambles with an index below 33 are in the preamble set for Msg3 non-repetition while the preambles with an index greater or equal to 33 are in the preamble set for Msg3 repetition. The index number 33 is a split point.).
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Wei et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US 2023/0247682) (hereinafter " Wei”) in view of Wang (US Published Patent Application No. US 2024/0414773).
Regarding claim 22, Wei teaches a terminal device (See, e.g., Fig. 1, “UE;” Fig. 15, #1500; ¶[0179], “[t]he node 1500 may be a UE”.), comprising:
a transceiver (Fig. 15, #1520);
a processor (Fig. 15, #1528); and
a memory (Fig. 15, #1534) storing computer programs which, when executed by the processor, are operable with the processor to (See, ¶[0185], “the memory 1534 may store a computer-readable and/or computer-executable instruction 1532 (e.g., software codes or program(s)) that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor 1528 to perform various functions disclosed herein, for example, with reference to FIGS. 1 through 14.”):
determine a transmission mode for Msgl (See, Fig. 1, , #102; Fig. 3, #302; Fig. 5, #504; and ¶[0098], “In action 504, the UE may determine whether a specific condition(s) is satisfied.” See, e.g., ¶[0104], “If the channel quality/condition is good or qualified, RA can be successful using SP transmissions without using MP transmissions.”), wherein the transmission mode for the Msgl is repetition (See, Fig. 5, #510; ¶[0098], If yes, in action 506, the UE may perform a PRACH resource selection procedure. …In action 510, after the PRACH resource is selected through the PRACH resource selection procedure, the UE may perform MP transmissions on the selected PRACH resource;” and ¶[0099], “The MP transmissions may include the UE performing a PRACH transmission Np times, where Np is an integer greater than 1;” and ¶[0103], “once the UE decides to perform MP transmissions for an initiated RA procedure, the UE may transmit an MSG1/RA preamble (or other radio signals) on a PRACH resource Np times”. See, Fig. 3, #302.) or non-repetition (See, ¶[0098], “If no, in action 508, the UE may perform an SP transmission to transmit the RA preamble;” and ¶[0099], “If the one or more specific conditions are not satisfied, the UE may perform an SP transmission for the initiated RA procedure (action 508). For example, the UE may transmit the RA preamble only once before the UE begins monitoring for the corresponding RAR within a configured time window”. See, Fig. 1, #`102.), and the Msgl is used to request random access (See, Fig. 1, #102; ¶[0079], In action 102 (or an RA preamble transmission step/stage), a UE may transmit a MSG1 to a BS (e.g., gNB). For example, the MSG1 transmission may include an RA preamble transmission on a PRACH;” Fig. 3, #302; and ¶[0087], in action 302, MP transmissions are performed (in a single round of the RA preamble transmission step/stage). The MP transmissions may include a UE transmitting a MSG1 (which includes an RA preamble) multiple times on a PRACH resource to a BS.” See, ¶[0077], “In NR, RA (or RA procedure) refers to a procedure that a UE uses to inform a gNB of the UE's presence and then to establish an RRC configuration/connection for the UE to move from an RRC IDLE/RRC INACTIVE state to an RRC_CONNECTED state.”); and
cause the transceiver (See, ¶[0186], “The processor 1528 may also process information to send to the transceiver 1520 for transmission via the antenna 1536 to the network;” and ¶[0180], “The transceiver 1520 may be configured to transmit in different types of subframes and slots”.) to send the Msgl to a network device (See, Fig. 1, #102; Fig. 5, #508; ¶[0099], “the UE may perform an SP transmission transmit the RA preamble only once;” Fig. 3, #302; Fig. 5, #510; and ¶[0099], “The MP transmissions may include the UE performing a PRACH transmission Np times, where Np is an integer greater than 1”), wherein the Msgl comprises a preamble (See, e.g., ¶[0079], “the MSG1 transmission may include an RA preamble transmission on a PRACH”).
Wei, however, fails to explicitly teach that the preamble indicates the transmission mode for the Msgl.
Wang teaches an analogous field of art, i.e., a random access procedure in which a “terminal device performs repetitions for at least one PRACH based on the determination.” See, e.g., Wang, the Abstract) that a preamble indicates the transmission mode for the Msgl (See, Fig. 2, #2010; ¶0034], “The network device 120 transmits 2010 a first PRACH repetition pattern to the terminal device 110-1…..the first PRACH repetition pattern can comprise a set of preambles for the PRACH repetition;” ¶[0026], “Potential impacts of multiple PRACH transmissions may include: … differentiation between enhanced UE and legacy UE and possible collision handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions;” ¶[0046], The network device 120 may configure separate preambles and/or PRACH occasions to the terminal device supporting PRACH repetition. The network device 120 may configure PRACH repetition resource lists to the terminal device 110-1. Entries in the list may comprise a set of PRACH occasions and preambles that the terminal device 110-1 can transmit. For example, the first list of resource sets can comprise a first set of PRACH occasions and a first set of preambles. The second list of resource sets may comprise a second set of PRACH occasions and a second set of preambles. In this way, the network device 120 can distinguish different UE types.” Accordingly, a particular RA preamble being transmitted indicates whether repetition mode or non-repetition mode is being employed base on which set, e.g., the first set or the second set, to which the preamble belongs.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the above teachings of Wei to incorporate the above teaching of Wang, i.e., a provision of separate sets of RA preambles, one for repetitious transmission mode and the other for a non-repetitious transmission, in order to improve the system performance by avoiding a possible collision handling between PRACH transmission with and without multiple PRACH transmissions (see, e.g., Wang, ¶s[0026] and [0046]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure.
1) Alfarhan et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US2024/0381429) teaches various aspects of the claimed invention. See, e.g., Fig. 3A; and the description thereof;
2) Yang et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US2024/0298356) teaches various aspects of the claimed invention. See, e.g., Fig. 4; and the description thereof;
3) Cozzo et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US2024/0381429) teaches TDRA of DCI indicating Msg3 repetition;
4) Xu et al. (US Published Patent Application No. US2025/0024508) teaches various aspects of the claimed invention. See, e.g., Figs. 4A and 4B (single Msg1 transmission/repeated Msg3); and the description thereof; and
5) Each of Mi et al. (US 20210219297) (¶[0085]); Ramamurthi et al. (US 20170094686) (¶[0030]) teach orthogonality of RA preambles sets.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KI S KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-9141. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:00AM - 5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Moo R Jeong can be reached at (571) 272-9617. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K.S.K./Examiner, Art Unit 2418 July 23, 2026
/Moo Jeong/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2418
1 See Spreadtrum Communications (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.’s IPR Information Statement and IPR Licensing Declaration and IPR Information Statement Annex, ISLD-202410-068, pp 1 & 14 (listing the Application as “CN202210513339” and “CN117098241 A”), Retrieved from the Internet<URL: https://ipr.etsi.org/IPRDetails.aspx?IPRD_ID=8860&IPRD_TYPE_ID=2&MODE=2&sessionkey=a9f5f> (Year: 2024). A copy of the ISLD-202410-068 is being provided herewith.
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