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 .
Claims 1-2, 8, 12-13, 17, 21-24 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 23-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 23 was introduced by amendment on 11/30/2023. Claim 23 recites following limitations not found in the original disclosure: “the two first parameters are used for receiving the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks without blind detection of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks”.
The original specification does not use the term “without blind detection” verbatim. The word “blind” only appears once in the original specification, paragraph 07, “When the network device configures, for the terminal device, only a CSI-RS for mobility measurement, and no synchronization signal block is configured for mobility measurement, the terminal device does not know one or more related parameter, such as a frequency position and a subcarrier spacing, of a synchronization signal block associated with the CSI-RS. Therefore, the terminal device needs to blindly detect the associated synchronization signal block. Consequently, complexity of receiving the synchronization signal block by the terminal device is increased.” The original specification seem to state blind detection is the short coming in the state of the art, but does not say explicitly the claimed parameters would avoid blind detection all together.
Claim 24 was introduced by amendment on 06/25/2025. Claim 24 recites following limitations not found in the original disclosure: “a hierarchical configuration structure of the measurement object configuration defines the two first parameters at a first level of the measurement object configuration and defines the second parameter at a second level of the mobility measurement configuration to enable updates to resource-specific parameters in the second parameter without requiring updates to the two first parameters at the first level of the measurement object configuration, and wherein the second parameter defined at the second level of the mobility measurement configuration further comprises a first orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in a time domain indication and a sequence generation configuration.”
Neither hierarchy nor hierarchical appears in the original specification. Claim 24 appears to be directed towards the data structure of Fig. 4a. Examiner kindly asks the word “hierarchical” to be removed from the claims. In addition, the word level appears only once in the original specification as “cell level”. The original specification does not explicitly recite a first or a second level of the measurement object configuration.
For the foregoing reasons, claims 23 and 24 are rejected under 35 USC 112(a).
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 1 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential steps, such omission amounting to a gap between the steps. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted steps are: either a step of measuring or determining a mobility measurement result. Claim 1 recites two steps, 1, receiving measurement configuration and sending measurement result. There appears to be a gap of actual measuring or determining the result based on the received configuration. Claim 12 is the apparatus claims of the method claim 1, it is rejected for the same reason.
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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-2, 8, 12-13, 17 and 21-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Da Silva, WO 2019/194716, provisional US 62/652,505 filed April 04, 2018.
The independent claims of the current application are directed towards Fig. 4a, where the measurement object configuration comprising the two first parameters of one or a plurality of parameters are ssbFrequency and refFreqCSI-RS (annotated Fig. 4a below).
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And the claimed field of CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility is also in Fig. 4a, annotated below.
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For claim 1, Da Silva teaches a method, performed by a terminal device, or a chip for the terminal device, the method comprising:
receiving a measurement object configuration from a network device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 902, Receive a control message),
wherein the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Appendix 2, MeasObjectNR) comprises a field of channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)-Resource ConfigMobility (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility), and two first parameters of one or a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks associated with the measurement object configuration, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, ssbFrequency and refFreqCSI-RS is identical to current application’s disclosure)
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wherein the two first parameters include a single frequency position where the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks are located (Da Silava, Appendix 2 shows ssbFreqnecy has an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (AFRCN)) and a single subcarrier spacing of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (according to Fig. 4a of current application, this is ssbSubCarrierSpacing; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 98 teaches subcarrier spacing),
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And wherein the field of CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows several CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility formats) each of the one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility comprising
mobility measurement configurations of one or more CSI-RS resources, at least a mobility measurement configuration of which further comprises an index of one CSI-RS resource and a second parameter (this limitation is CSI-RS-index and ssb-index based on Fig. 4a of current application; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 shows CSI-RS-index and ssb-index as two CSI-RS-Resource Mobility parameters),
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the second parameter comprising: an index field carrying an index of a first synchronization signal block which belongs to the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (this limitation is about quasi-co-location, or QCL; as show above, Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 teaches quasi-co-location), a Boolean field indicating whether the one CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located with the first synchronization signal block (Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 103, isQuasiColocated: BOOLEAN, see below), the index field and the Boolean field being two fields in the second parameter of the mobility measurement configuration (Da Silava, Appendix, 2 Page 103),
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wherein the field of CSI-RS- ResourceConfigMobility further comprises a serving cell identity that is used to determine timing information of a cell for which the terminal device needs to perform measurement (based on Fig. 4a of current application, this limitation is Cellid and a CSI-RS Measurement bandwidth; Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 101 shows CSI-RS_Cell Mobility has Cellid and csi-rs-MeaseruementBW);
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and sending a mobility measurement result to the network device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 904, perform the measurement). Examiner takes official notice that sending a mobility measurement result to the network device is well known in the art before the effective filing date of the current application.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current application to sending a mobility measurement result to the network device after performing measurement at a terminal.
For claim 2, Da Silva further teaches receiving, according to the two first parameters, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (Da Silva, Page 12, last paragraph teaches synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)).
For claim 8, Da Silva teaches a method, performed by a network device, or a chip for the network device, the method comprising: sending a measurement object configuration to a terminal device, (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 902, control message from base state to terminal)
wherein the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Appendix 2, MeasObjectNR) comprises a field of channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)-Resource ConfigMobility (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility), and two first parameters of one or a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks associated with the measurement object configuration, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, ssbFrequency and refFreqCSI-RS is identical to current application’s disclosure)
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wherein the two first parameters include a single frequency position where the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks are located (Da Silava, Appendix 2 shows ssbFreqnecy has an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (AFRCN)) and a single subcarrier spacing of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (according to Fig. 4a of current application, this is ssbSubCarrierSpacing; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 98 teaches subcarrier spacing),
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And wherein the field of CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows several CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility formats) each of the one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility comprising
mobility measurement configurations of one or more CSI-RS resources, at least a mobility measurement configuration of which further comprises an index of one CSI-RS resource and a second parameter (this limitation is CSI-RS-index and ssb-index based on Fig. 4a of current application; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 shows CSI-RS-index and ssb-index as two CSI-RS-Resource Mobility parameters),
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the second parameter comprising: an index field carrying an index of a first synchronization signal block which belongs to the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (this limitation is about quasi-co-location, or QCL; as show above, Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 teaches quasi-co-location), a Boolean field indicating whether the one CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located with the first synchronization signal block (Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 103, isQuasiColocated: BOOLEAN, see below), the index field and the Boolean field being two fields in the second parameter of the mobility measurement configuration (Da Silava, Appendix, 2 Page 103),
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wherein the field of CSI-RS- ResourceConfigMobility further comprises a serving cell identity that is used to determine timing information of a cell for which the terminal device needs to perform measurement (based on Fig. 4a of current application, this limitation is Cellid and a CSI-RS Measurement bandwidth; Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 101 shows CSI-RS_Cell Mobility has Cellid and csi-rs-MeaseruementBW);
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And receiving a mobility measurement result from the terminal device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 904, perform the measurement). Examiner takes official notice that receiving a mobility measurement result from a terminal is well known in the art before the effective filing date of the current application.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current application to receiving a mobility measurement result from a terminal after performing measurement at a terminal.
For claim 12, Da Silva teaches an apparatus which is a terminal device, or a chip for the terminal device, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to (Da Silva, Fig. 3 shows processor and memory on a terminal) :
receive a measurement object configuration from a network device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 902, Receive a control message),
wherein the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Appendix 2, MeasObjectNR) comprises a field of channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)-Resource ConfigMobility (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility), and two first parameters of one or a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks associated with the measurement object configuration, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, ssbFrequency and refFreqCSI-RS is identical to current application’s disclosure)
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wherein the two first parameters include a single frequency position where the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks are located (Da Silava, Appendix 2 shows ssbFreqnecy has an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (AFRCN)) and a single subcarrier spacing of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (according to Fig. 4a of current application, this is ssbSubCarrierSpacing; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 98 teaches subcarrier spacing),
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And wherein the field of CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows several CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility formats) each of the one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility comprising
mobility measurement configurations of one or more CSI-RS resources, at least a mobility measurement configuration of which further comprises an index of one CSI-RS resource and a second parameter (this limitation is CSI-RS-index and ssb-index based on Fig. 4a of current application; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 shows CSI-RS-index and ssb-index as two CSI-RS-Resource Mobility parameters),
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the second parameter comprising: an index field carrying an index of a first synchronization signal block which belongs to the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (this limitation is about quasi-co-location, or QCL; as show above, Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 teaches quasi-co-location), a Boolean field indicating whether the one CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located with the first synchronization signal block (Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 103, isQuasiColocated: BOOLEAN, see below), the index field and the Boolean field being two fields in the second parameter of the mobility measurement configuration (Da Silava, Appendix, 2 Page 103),
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wherein the field of CSI-RS- ResourceConfigMobility further comprises a serving cell identity that is used to determine timing information of a cell for which the terminal device needs to perform measurement (based on Fig. 4a of current application, this limitation is Cellid and a CSI-RS Measurement bandwidth; Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 101 shows CSI-RS_Cell Mobility has Cellid and csi-rs-MeaseruementBW);
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and send a mobility measurement result to the network device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 904, perform the measurement). Examiner takes official notice that sending a mobility measurement result to the network device is well known in the art before the effective filing date of the current application.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current application to sending a mobility measurement result to the network device after performing measurement at a terminal.
For claim 13, Da Silva further teaches the one or more processors are further configured to receive, according to the two first parameters, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks. (Da Silva, Page 12, last paragraph teaches synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)).
For claim 17, Da Silva teaches an apparatus which is a network device, or a chip for the network device, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: (Da Silva, Fig 2, Network Node 260 includes processor 370 and memory 280)
send a measurement object configuration to a terminal device, (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 902, control message from base state to terminal)
wherein the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Appendix 2, MeasObjectNR) comprises a field of channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)-Resource ConfigMobility (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility), and two first parameters of one or a plurality of synchronization signal blocks, the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks associated with the measurement object configuration, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, ssbFrequency and refFreqCSI-RS is identical to current application’s disclosure)
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wherein the two first parameters include a single frequency position where the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks are located (Da Silava, Appendix 2 shows ssbFreqnecy has an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (AFRCN)) and a single subcarrier spacing of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (according to Fig. 4a of current application, this is ssbSubCarrierSpacing; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 98 teaches subcarrier spacing),
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And wherein the field of CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility, (Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 101 to 103 shows several CSI-RS ResourceConfigMobility formats) each of the one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility comprising
mobility measurement configurations of one or more CSI-RS resources, at least a mobility measurement configuration of which further comprises an index of one CSI-RS resource and a second parameter (this limitation is CSI-RS-index and ssb-index based on Fig. 4a of current application; Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 shows CSI-RS-index and ssb-index as two CSI-RS-Resource Mobility parameters),
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the second parameter comprising: an index field carrying an index of a first synchronization signal block which belongs to the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks (this limitation is about quasi-co-location, or QCL; as show above, Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 102 teaches quasi-co-location), a Boolean field indicating whether the one CSI-RS resource is quasi co-located with the first synchronization signal block (Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 103, isQuasiColocated: BOOLEAN, see below), the index field and the Boolean field being two fields in the second parameter of the mobility measurement configuration (Da Silava, Appendix, 2 Page 103),
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wherein the field of CSI-RS- ResourceConfigMobility further comprises a serving cell identity that is used to determine timing information of a cell for which the terminal device needs to perform measurement (based on Fig. 4a of current application, this limitation is Cellid and a CSI-RS Measurement bandwidth; Da Silva, Appendix 2, Page 101 shows CSI-RS_Cell Mobility has Cellid and csi-rs-MeaseruementBW);
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And receive a mobility measurement result from the terminal device (Da Silva, Fig. 9 step 904, perform the measurement). Examiner takes official notice that receiving a mobility measurement result from a terminal is well known in the art before the effective filing date of the current application.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current application to receiving a mobility measurement result from a terminal after performing measurement at a terminal.
For claims 21, Da Silva further teaches there are a plurality of serving cells communicating with the terminal device, and different serving cells have different timing information. (Da Silva, bottom of page 98, ssb-toMeasure -- Indicates whether the UE can utilize serving cell timing to derive the index of SS block transmitted by neighbour cell)
For claims 22, this claim is essentially the same as claim 21. Da Silva further teaches the terminal device is configured to communicate with a plurality of different serving cells having different timing information from each other. (Da Silva, bottom of page 98, ssb-toMeasure -- Indicates whether the UE can utilize serving cell timing to derive the index of SS block transmitted by neighbour cell)
For claims 23, Da Silva further teaches the two first parameters are used for receiving the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks without blind detection of the one or the plurality of synchronization signal blocks. (the original specification does not use the term “without blind detection” verbatim. The word “blind” only appears once in the original specification, paragraph 07, “When the network device configures, for the terminal device, only a CSI-RS for mobility measurement, and no synchronization signal block is configured for mobility measurement, the terminal device does not know one or more related parameter, such as a frequency position and a subcarrier spacing, of a synchronization signal block associated with the CSI-RS. Therefore, the terminal device needs to blindly detect the associated synchronization signal block. Consequently, complexity of receiving the synchronization signal block by the terminal device is increased.” It appears this claim merely reiterates te benefits of this invention – SSB parameters. Da Silva, Appendix 2, page 98 teaches ssb parameters)
For claim 24, a hierarchical configuration structure of the measurement object configuration defines the two first parameters at a first level of the measurement object configuration and defines the second parameter at a second level of the mobility measurement configuration to enable updates to resource-specific parameters in the second parameter without requiring updates to the two first parameters at the first level of the measurement object configuration (examiner interpretations: there are two levels of measurement object configuration, it is not clear if one level is above or below another level, it is also not clear if the word level correspond to a level in the data structure; nonetheless, the two levels correspond to in Fig. 4A of the original drawings),
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Da Silva, Appendix 2, pages 96 to 103 teach a hierarchical configuration structure of the measurement object configuration defines the two first parameters at a first level of the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Page 96, MeasObjectNR Information Element has one data structure that defines ssbFrequency , refFreqCSI-RS and referenceSignalConfig) and defines the second parameter at a second level of the mobility measurement configuration to enable updates to resource-specific parameters in the second parameter without requiring updates to the two first parameters at the first level of the measurement object configuration (Da Silva, Page 101 shows CSI-RS-ResourceConfigMobility comprises one or more fields of CSI-RS-CellMobility; although Da Silva express this relationship in computer program code, it appears the relationship is the same);
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And the second parameter defined at the second level of the mobility measurement configuration further comprises a first orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in a time domain indication and a sequence generation configuration (Da Silva, Appendix 2, on page 103 teaches “-- Time domain allocation within a physical resource block. The field indicates the first OFDM symbol in the PRB used for CSI-RS” and scrambling ID).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Charles C Jiang whose telephone number is (571)270-7191. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 7 am to 5 pm Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, TC Group director, Deborah Reynolds can be reached at (571) 272-0734. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHARLES C JIANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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