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 .
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 in parent Application No. PCT/EP2022/064265, filed on 25 May 2022 AD.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 15 November 2024 AD was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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)(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, 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu.
Claim 1
An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to:
(See Liu Claim 30, An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a processor, memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:...)
Shows a base station with a processor and memory storing instructions
Shows the processor executes the instructions stored in memory
receive information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device; and
(See Liu paragraph 0277, At 2105, the base station may receive a UE capability message from a UE, the UE capability message including an indication of a UE type, where the UE type is associated with at least one of a reduced bandwidth, or a reduced number of antennas, or a combination thereof for the UE.)
transmit, to the user device, a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device.
(See Liu paragraph 0279, At 2115, the base station may transmit the downlink grant for downlink resources for a data transmission to the UE in accordance with the resource allocation scheme.)
Shows the base station transmitting a downlink grant to the UE based on a resource allocation scheme
(See Liu paragraph 0278, At 2110, the base station may select, based on the UE capability message and a supported bandwidth part of the UE, a resource allocation scheme for a downlink grant for the UE.)
Shows the resource allocation scheme selection based on the UE capability message
Claim 5
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user device is a reduced capability device.
(See Liu paragraph 0276, FIG. 21 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 2100 that supports PDSCH resources for reduced capability UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.)
Claim 7
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises, or is comprised in, an access node.
(See Liu paragraph 0277, At 2105, the base station may receive a UE capability message from a UE, the UE capability message including an indication of a UE type, where the UE type is associated with at least one of a reduced bandwidth, or a reduced number of antennas, or a combination thereof for the UE.)
Shows a base station or access node
Claim 10
An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including computer program code,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to:
(See Liu Claim 29, An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor, memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:...)
Shows a user equipment or UE with a processor and memory
Shows the memory stores instructions and executed by the processor
receive information indicating a bandwidth to be used for receiving a message;
(See Liu paragraph 0272, At 2010, the UE may receive, based on the UE capability message, a downlink grant for downlink resources for a data transmission in accordance with a resource allocation scheme, where the resource allocation scheme is associated with the UE type and a supported bandwidth part of the UE.)
monitor for the message on the indicated bandwidth; and
(See Liu paragraph 0273, At 2015, the UE may monitor a wireless channel based on the downlink grant.)
receive the message on the indicated bandwidth during the monitoring.
(See Liu paragraph 0274, At 2020, the UE may receive the data transmission based on the monitoring of the wireless channel.)
Claim 11
The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the bandwidth to be used for receiving the message is smaller than or equal to a maximum bandwidth supported by the apparatus.
(See Liu paragraph 0175, ...a NR Light UE may be configured with a downlink BWP with the size no larger than the maximum supported bandwidth of the UE.)
Shows a light UE configured with downlink BWP no larger than the maximum supported bandwidth of the UE
(See Liu paragraph 0273, At 2015, the UE may monitor a wireless channel based on the downlink grant.)
Shows the UE monitoring a channel based on a downlink grant
Claim 12
The apparatus according to claims 10, further being caused to: transmit information indicating a bandwidth supported by the apparatus,
(See Liu paragraph 0271, At 2005, the UE may transmit a UE capability message to a base station, the UE capability message including an indication of a UE type, where the UE type is associated with at least one of a reduced bandwidth, or a reduced number of antennas, or a combination thereof for the UE.)
wherein the bandwidth to be used for receiving the message is based on the bandwidth supported by the apparatus.
(See Liu paragraph 0272, At 2010, the UE may receive, based on the UE capability message, a downlink grant for downlink resources for a data transmission in accordance with a resource allocation scheme, where the resource allocation scheme is associated with the UE type and a supported bandwidth part of the UE.)
Shows the UE receiving a downlink resource grant message based on the supported bandwidth of the UE
Claim 15
The apparatus according to claims 10, wherein the apparatus comprises, or is comprised in, a user device.
(See Liu paragraph 0271, At 2005, the UE may transmit a UE capability message to a base station,...)
Claim 16
Liu teaches the limitations of claim 16 as stated in claim 5.
Claim 19
A method comprising:
receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device; and
(See Liu paragraph 0277, At 2105, the base station may receive a UE capability message from a UE, the UE capability message including an indication of a UE type, where the UE type is associated with at least one of a reduced bandwidth, or a reduced number of antennas, or a combination thereof for the UE.)
transmitting, to the user device, a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device.
(See Liu paragraph 0279, At 2115, the base station may transmit the downlink grant for downlink resources for a data transmission to the UE in accordance with the resource allocation scheme.)
Shows the base station transmitting a downlink grant to the UE based on a resource allocation scheme
(See Liu paragraph 0278, At 2110, the base station may select, based on the UE capability message and a supported bandwidth part of the UE, a resource allocation scheme for a downlink grant for the UE.)
Shows the resource allocation scheme selection based on the UE capability message
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 2, 3, 4, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu in view of Chen et al. (US 20200029332 A1) or Chen.
Claim 2
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 2. However, Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claim 1, further being caused to: transmit, to the user device, information indicating a bandwidth to be used for receiving the message.
(See Chen paragraph 0181, At block 1715, the method 1700 may optionally include transmitting, to the UE, a fourth indication of an RF assignment bandwidth for the UE, as described for example with reference to FIGS. 5-11.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling data of the claimed invention to combine the receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device and transmitting a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device to the user device as disclosed by Liu with transmitting information indicating a bandwidth to be used for receiving a message to a user device as disclosed by Chen to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to increase the probability of the user device receiving a message on a bandwidth supported by the user device).
Claim 3
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 2. However, Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indicated bandwidth supported by the user device is smaller than or equal to a maximum bandwidth supported by the user device.
(See Chen paragraph 0013, ...the method may include receiving a third indication of a contiguous assignment bandwidth for a Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) waveform, the contiguous assignment bandwidth associated with a bandwidth less than or equal to an aggregate bandwidth of the UE included in the supported bandwidth capability of the UE,...)
Shows the third indication contains an indicated bandwidth supported by the user equipment or UE being less than or equal to an aggregate bandwidth or maximum bandwidth supported by the UE
(See Chen paragraph 0008, ...the method may include transmitting a third indication of a component configuration associated with the supported bandwidth capability of the UE,....)
Shows the UE transmitting the third indication
(See Chen paragraph 0007, The method may include transmitting, to a network access device, a first indication of a supported bandwidth capability of the UE,...)
Shows the transmitting of a first indication to a network access device
The motivation to combine Liu and Chen in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 4
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 4. However, Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the message comprises one of: a paging message,
(See Chen paragraph 0123, ...the RF assignment bandwidth manager 1230 may be used to receive, from the network access device, a fourth indication of an RF assignment bandwidth associated with a transmission of a SIB, a paging message,...)
a paging early indication, a wake- up signal, or a short message.
The motivation to combine Liu and Chen in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 14
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 14. However, Chen, in the same field of endeavor, teaches the limitations of claim 14 as stated in claim 4. The motivation to combine Liu and Chen in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu in view of Bhattad et al. (US 20180220257 A1) or Bhattad.
Claim 6
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 6. However, Bhattad, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claims 1, further being caused to: determine, based on the information indicating the bandwidth supported by the user device, a bandwidth to be used for transmitting the message.
(See Bhattad paragraph 0106, At 425, base station 405 may select a bandwidth for a data transmission with UE 410. In some aspects, selecting the bandwidth may include selecting the widest bandwidth that UE 410 supports, e.g., per the bandwidth capability of UE 410.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling data of the claimed invention to combine the receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device and transmitting a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device to the user device as disclosed by Liu with determining a bandwidth to be used for transmitting a message based on the information indicating the bandwidth supported by the user device as disclosed by Bhattad to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to increase the probability of the user device receiving a message on a bandwidth supported by the user device).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu in view of Xu et al. (CN 106900033 A) or Xu.
Claim 8
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 8. However, Xu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information indicating the bandwidth supported by the user device is received from another access node.
(See Xu claim 21, ...,said base station is further used for sending the flexible bandwidth capability information in the terminal supporting flexible belt width of the frequency point information and base station self-supporting flexible with wide frequency point information,...)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling data of the claimed invention to combine the receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device and transmitting a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device to the user device as disclosed by Liu with the information indicating the bandwidth supported by the user device is received by another access node as disclosed by Xu to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce the probability of the user device incorrectly transmitting the bandwidth supported by the user device).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu in view of Abedini et al. (US 20190306829 A1) or Abedini.
Claim 9
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 9. However, Abedini, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claims 1, further being caused to:
receive, from an access and mobility management function, a paging message for the user device,
(See Abedini paragraph 0063, When circumstances require the UE 502 to be paged, the AMF 508 may initiate a paging request 524 that is sent to a RAN, e.g., RAN2 506. RAN2 506 may comprise an NG-RAN.)
Shows the RAN receiving a paging request for the UE by the AMF or access and mobility function
the paging message comprising the information indicating the bandwidth supported by the user device.
(See Abedini paragraph 0063, In addition to the paging request, or along with the paging request 524, the AMF may provide assistance information to RAN2 506 for paging the UE 502. The assistance information 526 may include any combination of recommended cells for paging the UE, UE radio capability (e.g., a supported bandwidth),...)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling data of the claimed invention to combine the receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device and transmitting a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device to the user device as disclosed by Liu with receiving a paging message for a user device by a access and mobility function or AMF with the paging message consisting of information indicating a bandwidth supported by the user device as disclosed by Abedini to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce the probability of transmitting a paging message to a user device with a bandwidth not supported by the user device).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210099991 A1) or Liu in view of Sirotkin et al. (US 20230125160 A1) or Sirotkin.
Claim 13
Liu fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 13. However, Sirotkin, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the information is transmitted to an access and mobility management function via non-access stratum signaling.
(See Sirotkin paragraph 0202, ...UE supporting sidelink positioning may indicate this capability in a non-access stratum (NAS) Registration Request message to the access and mobility management function (AMF)...)
Shows the UE transmitting support sidelink positioning capability to AMF by a non-access stratum message
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling data of the claimed invention to combine the receiving information indicating a bandwidth supported by a user device and transmitting a message based on the bandwidth supported by the user device to the user device as disclosed by Liu with information transmitted to an access and mobility function by a non-access stratum signaling as disclosed by Sirotkin to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to increase the probability of a base station transmitting and receiving with a user device with the correct bandwidth supported by the user device).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Breuer (US 20230145892 A1) teaches a base station receiving capability frequency information of a reduced capability user equipment.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAMUEL ROBERGE BETTENDORF whose telephone number is (571)272-4352. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri, 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m..
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/SAMUEL ROBERGE BETTENDORF/Examiner, Art Unit 2414
/EDAN ORGAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2414
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