Prior art

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent 9,769,776

Washington D.C. - A detailed analysis of the prior art cited against U.S. Patent No. 9,769,776, titled "Apparatus and method for uplink synchronizing in multiple component carrier system," has been conducted to assess potential anticipation of its claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The patent, granted on September 19, 2017, addresses the challenge of maintaining uplink synchronization in wireless communication systems that utilize multiple component carriers, a key technology in modern cellular networks.

The core of the invention lies in the management of Timing Advance Groups (TAGs), which group serving cells with similar uplink timing requirements. The patent details methods for a user equipment (UE) to reorganize these TAGs when a secondary serving cell (SCell) is added or removed, ensuring that the UE's transmissions on different carriers arrive at the base station (eNB) in a synchronized manner.

The following is a breakdown of the most relevant prior art cited during the patent's examination and their potential impact on the patent's claims.

Key Prior Art and Potential Anticipation:

1. US 2011/0286398 A1

• Full Citation: United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0286398 A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Published November 24, 2011; Filed May 19, 2011.
• Brief Description: This application, assigned to LG Electronics, discloses a method for managing multiple timing advances in a carrier aggregation system. It describes grouping serving cells into timing advance groups and applying a timing advance command to a specific group. The document outlines procedures for activating and deactivating secondary cells and the corresponding handling of timing advance.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference appears to be highly relevant to the core concepts of US 9,769,776. It teaches the fundamental idea of TAGs and the application of timing advance to these groups. Specifically, its disclosure around the activation and deactivation of SCells and the management of their timing could potentially anticipate the broader independent claims of the '776 patent, such as claim 1, which describes receiving SCell configuration information and reorganizing a TAG. The dependent claims, which add more specific limitations, may still be considered novel over this reference alone.

2. US 2011/0280209 A1

• Full Citation: United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0280209 A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Published November 17, 2011; Filed May 12, 2011.
• Brief Description: This publication from Research in Motion (now BlackBerry) focuses on uplink timing control in a multi-carrier LTE-A system. It describes methods for a UE to maintain uplink synchronization for a secondary component carrier, including processes for initial timing alignment and subsequent adjustments. The document discusses the concept of a timing reference cell within a group of carriers.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference provides a detailed description of the mechanics of uplink synchronization in a carrier aggregation context. Its teachings on initial timing alignment for an SCell and the concept of a reference cell within a group of carriers could be seen as anticipating certain aspects of the claims in the '776 patent. For instance, claims that recite the process of obtaining an initial timing advance for a newly added SCell may be challenged by the disclosures in this document.

3. US 2012/0026978 A1

• Full Citation: United States Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0026978 A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Published February 2, 2012; Filed July 28, 2011.
• Brief Description: This application, assigned to Qualcomm, addresses the configuration and management of multiple timing advances in a wireless communication system. It details the signaling between the eNB and the UE for establishing and modifying TAGs. The disclosure includes the use of Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages to convey TAG configuration information.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: The focus of this reference on the RRC signaling for TAG management is particularly pertinent. It describes the mechanism by which the network informs the UE about the grouping of serving cells. This could potentially anticipate claims in the '776 patent that are directed to the reception of RRC messages containing SCell and TAG configuration information. The specific structure and content of the RRC messages as claimed in the '776 patent would need to be compared closely with the teachings of this reference to determine the extent of any overlap.

4. US 2013/0208688 A1

• Full Citation: United States Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0208688 A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Published August 15, 2013; Filed February 14, 2013.
• Brief Description: This document from Samsung Electronics describes a method for managing timing advance groups in a carrier aggregation system. It specifically addresses scenarios where SCells are added or removed, and how the UE should handle the TAG configuration in response to these changes. The publication discusses the updating of TAG information based on network commands.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly relevant as it directly addresses the dynamic reconfiguration of TAGs, a central theme of the '776 patent. Its disclosure on how a UE adapts to the addition or removal of SCells by reorganizing TAGs could be argued to anticipate the core inventive concept claimed in US 9,769,776. A detailed comparison of the specific steps of TAG reorganization described in both documents would be necessary to ascertain the novelty of the '776 patent's claims.

5. US 2013/0070697 A1

• Full Citation: United States Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0070697 A1
• Publication/Filing Date: Published March 21, 2013; Filed September 14, 2012.
• Brief Description: This patent application, also from Samsung Electronics, details methods for uplink timing synchronization in a system with multiple timing advances. It describes the process of a UE performing a random access procedure on an SCell to acquire uplink synchronization. The document also touches upon the association of an SCell with a particular TAG.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is significant for its focus on the random access procedure in the context of TAGs. Claims in the '776 patent that involve the UE performing a random access procedure on a newly added SCell to obtain a timing advance value could be challenged by the teachings of this prior art. The level of detail provided in this reference regarding the random access procedure and its link to TAG management would be a key factor in any potential anticipation argument.

In conclusion, the prior art landscape for US Patent 9,769,776 includes several key references that disclose the foundational concepts of managing uplink synchronization in multi-carrier systems through the use of Timing Advance Groups. While the '776 patent was granted over these references, a thorough invalidity analysis would require a meticulous, claim-by-claim comparison against the specific teachings of each of these prior art documents. The novelty of the claimed invention likely resides in the specific sequence of steps and the detailed signaling procedures for reorganizing TAGs in response to changes in the SCell configuration.