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 .
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.
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 3, 9-13 and 15 is 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. Claim 3 depends upon claim 1 and recites, in part, “the step of receiving further comprises detecting system information.” Claim 1 includes two steps of “receiving”; this it is unclear to which receiving step claim 3 refers.
There is lack of antecedent basis in claims 9 and 15 and 15 for “the received system information” (line 8 in claim 9; line 10 in claim 15) rendering the scope of said claims indefinite. Claims 10-13 depend upon claim 9 and do not alleviate the lack of clarity in claim 9.
Accordingly, claims 3, 9-13 and 15 are rejected as indefinite under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b).
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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(s)(2) as being anticipated by Yeo et al. (US 2018/0054800 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yeo appears to disclose a method for enabling multiple numerologies corresponding to different subcarrier spacings in a wireless network ([0013]-[0015]), the method being performed by a user equipment, UE, and comprising:
receiving synchronization signals ([0347] ,[0349] disclosing the terminal receives (the base station transmits) the synchronization signal such as the PSS/SSS; Fig. 3D);
receiving system information on a broadcast channel with a first numerology, wherein the numerology of the broadcast channel is based on information deduced from the synchronization signals ([0349] disclosing “The base station 3g-02 maps a specific sequence of the synchronization signal to one of subcarrier spacing's, and when the terminal 3g-01 acquires synchronization in the corresponding sequence, the information on the sequence of the received synchronization signal can be utilized as information on the subcarrier spacing of the next transmitted PBCH; [0298] disclosing the “physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 3d-03 is a physical layer channel to which a master information block (MIB) having a very limited amount of system information is transmitted);
determining a common search space from the received system information ([0013] disclosing “a master information block (MIB) is acquired by physical broadcast channel (PBCH) decoding. The MIB contains the most basic information for connection to the system. Based on the information, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are decoded to obtain a system information block (SIB); [0314], [0322], [0330] disclosing the “frequency-domain scheduling information on the PDSCH 3d-04 to which the SIB1 is transmitted may be acquired from the common search space of the PDCCH configured as the system information radio network temporary identifier (SI-RNTI)); and
receiving further system information in the common search space with a second numerology, which is indicated in the received system information and is independent of the first numerology ([0350]-[0353] disclosing decoding the PDCCH and the PDSCH with the associated SIB (the PDCCH and the SIB seen as a common search space) wherein “the SIBx is transmitted through the PDSCH 3d-04. At this time, the control information for decoding the PDSCH 3d-04 can be obtained through the PDCCH 3d-05 configured as the SI-RNTI” and the subcarrier spacing of the PDCCH and PDSCH scheduled as SI-RNTI can be specified by the PBCH/MIB and can be different from the subcarrier spacing of the PBCH/MIB), wherein the further system information comprises references to one or more additional search spaces ([0330] disclosing “The time-domain scheduling information of the PDSCH 3d-04 to which the SIB2 is transmitted can be obtained through the above-mentioned SIB1”; [0353] disclosing “As described above, the SIB1 contains the carrier information of the cell for the initial connection and the scheduling information in the time domain for different SIBs.”).
Regarding claim 3, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the first numerology is different from the second numerology ([0351], [0353]).
Regarding claim 3, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving further comprises detecting system information ([0347] ,[0349], [0350]-[0353]).
Regarding claim 4, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, comprising: receiving synchronization information for a broadcast channel prior to receiving on the broadcast channel (Fig. 3D, [0305]).
Regarding claim 5, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the system information includes a Master Information Block (MIB) ([0298], [0307]).
Regarding claim 6, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the further system information includes a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) ([0314], [0322]).
Regarding claim 7, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the following is received in the common search space: scheduling of paging information ([0379]), random access responses ([0333], [0357]-[0358]), scheduling of additional search spaces ([0353]).
Regarding claim 8, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises determining a further search space with a third numerology ([0354]).
Regarding claim 9, Yeo appears to disclose a method for enabling multiple numerologies corresponding to different subcarrier spacings in a wireless network ([0013]-[0015]), the method being performed by a base station (BS) and comprising:
sending synchronization signals ([0347] ,[0349] disclosing the terminal receives (the base station transmits) the synchronization signal such as the PSS/SSS; Fig. 3D), wherein information about a first numerology of a broadcast channel is deducible from the synchronization signals ([0349] disclosing “The base station 3g-02 maps a specific sequence of the synchronization signal to one of subcarrier spacing's, and when the terminal 3g-01 acquires synchronization in the corresponding sequence, the information on the sequence of the received synchronization signal can be utilized as information on the subcarrier spacing of the next transmitted PBCH);
sending system information on the broadcast channel with the first numerology ([0298] disclosing the “physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 3d-03 is a physical layer channel to which a master information block (MIB) having a very limited amount of system information is transmitted); and
sending further system information in a common search space with a second numerology, which is indicated in the received system information and is independent of the first numerology ([0013], [0314] disclosing the SIB1 is transmitted in the downlink PDSCH; [0350]-[0353] disclosing the PDCCH and the PDSCH with the associated SIB (the PDCCH and the SIB seen as a common search space) wherein “the SIBx is transmitted through the PDSCH 3d-04. At this time, the control information for decoding the PDSCH 3d-04 can be obtained through the PDCCH 3d-05 configured as the SI-RNTI” and the subcarrier spacing of the PDCCH and PDSCH scheduled as SI-RNTI can be specified by the PBCH/MIB and can be different from the subcarrier spacing of the PBCH/MIB), and wherein the further system information comprises references to one or more additional search spaces ([0330] disclosing “The time-domain scheduling information of the PDSCH 3d-04 to which the SIB2 is transmitted can be obtained through the above-mentioned SIB1”; [0353] disclosing “As described above, the SIB1 contains the carrier information of the cell for the initial connection and the scheduling information in the time domain for different SIBs.”).
Regarding claim 10, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 9, wherein the system information includes a Master Information Block (MIB) ([0298], [0307]).
Regarding claim 11, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 9, wherein the further system information includes a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) ([0314], [0322]).
Regarding claim 12, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 9, wherein one or more of the following is sent in the common search space: scheduling of paging information ([0379]), random access responses ([0333], [0357]-[0358]), scheduling of additional search spaces ([0353]).
Regarding claim 13, Yeo appears to disclose the method according to claim 9, further comprising sending additional information in a further search space with a third numerology ([0354]).
Claim 14 is directed towards a user equipment (UE) supporting multiple numerologies corresponding to different subcarrier spacings in a wireless network, the UE comprising: a processor; and a memory storing computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to perform the method of claim 1. Yeo discloses such embodiments ([0099]; Fig. 3Q, [0390]-[0391]); accordingly, claim 14 is rejected on the grounds presented above for claim 1.
Claim 15 is directed towards a base station, BS, supporting multiple numerologies corresponding to different subcarrier spacings in a wireless network, the BS comprising: a processor; and a computer program with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the BS to perform the method of claim 9. Yeo discloses such embodiments ([0099], Fig. 3R, [0392]-[0394]).
Conclusion
Fwu et al. (US 2018/0007673 A1) discloses common search space is for paging, system information and random access responses ([0023]).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joseph A Bednash whose telephone number is (571)270-7500. The examiner can normally be reached 7 AM - 4:30 PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Vu can be reached at (571)272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSEPH A BEDNASH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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