DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to the Request for Continued Examination (RCE) filed on April 13, 2026.
Claims 1-26 are pending.
Claims 1-7, 9, 11-21, 23, 25 and 26 are rejected.
Claims 8, 10, 22 and 24 are objected to.
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on April 13, 2026 has been entered.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 13, 2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7, 9, 11-21, 23, 25 and 26 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The rejection has been revised and set forth below (See Office Action).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3, 11-17, 19-21, 23, 25 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhim et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0120527, hereinafter Rhim, in view of Sandberg U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0357173, hereinafter Sandberg, and Tang U.S. Patent 10,524,132, cited in the IDS, hereinafter Tang.
Regarding Claim 1, Rhim discloses a system comprising: a distributed unit to communicatively couple the system to a core network; and a plurality of remote units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UE) using a wireless interface, each of the remote units associated with a respective set of antennas; wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of remote units over a fronthaul network (Abstract; Figure 1-3, 9, 12, 13 and 25; Paragraph [0006] Open radio access network (O-RAN) with a distributed unit coupled to a core network and plurality or remote units over a fronthaul network);
wherein the distributed unit is configured to do the following for each UE: determine a respective first set of remote units from which to wirelessly transmit user data to that UE (Figure 12B; Paragraph [0135] a DU 1240 transmits control information for MBSFN and user data for MBSFN to an RU 1245. In this case, the control information for the MBSFN may include scheduling information for receiving user data for the MBSFN).
Rhim discloses transmissions from a distributed to different MBSFN areas where different UEs may reside and different remote units can communicate fronthaul user data but fails to explicitly disclose determine a respective second set of remote units that are not used to wirelessly transmit user data to any other UE while user data is being wirelessly transmitted to that UE, wherein the respective second set of remote units for that UE includes the respective first set of remote units for that UE; transmit respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE; and wirelessly transmit respective user data to that UE using the respective first set of remote units for that UE, wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE.
However, Sandberg more specifically teaches determine a respective second set of remote units that are not used to wirelessly transmit user data to any other UE while user data is being wirelessly transmitted to that UE, wherein the respective second set of remote units for that UE includes the respective first set of remote units for that UE; transmit respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE; and wirelessly transmit respective user data to that UE using the respective first set of remote units for that UE, wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE (Paragraph [0010-0011 and 0044-0049] Multicast groups and simulcast zones; A controller 104 can be configured to form the multicast zone for a UE's simulcast zone by trying to form the multicast zone using various combinations of multicast groups 140 included in the set of multicast groups and determining if each combination results in a suitable multicast zone. Paragraph [0051] A particular candidate multicast zone can be considered suitable if it is the union of small number of non-intersecting multicast groups and it includes all of the RPs 106 in the UE's simulcast zone; That is the distributed unit determines different non-intersecting multicast groups to transmit user data and uses respective radio units for transmitting downlink fronthaul data to a UE where a second set of remote units do not transmit wireless to that UE).
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 teachings of Rhim with the teachings of Sandberg. Sandberg provides a solution where the data rate needed communication over the Ethernet network is reduced (Sandberg Abstract; Paragraph [0009-0011 and 0032]).
Rhim in view of Sandberg disclose a first and second set of remote units for communicating and not communicating user data to a UE and disclose isolation and transmitting user data in specific groups using specific remote units but may not explicitly disclose wherein the distributed unit and the plurality of remote units are configured to serve a same cell; wherein the system is configured to permit respective downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs served by the same cell to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell; and wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE.
However, Tang more specifically teaches wherein the distributed unit and the plurality of remote units are configured to serve a same cell (Figure 1 and 2; Column 1-2 A Base Band Unit (BBU) for intra-cell frequency reuse for an indoor wireless network, wherein the indoor wireless network includes the BBU, one or more micro power Remote Radio Heads (mRRHs) and radio hubs connecting the BBU and the mRRHs; the indoor wireless network belongs to a same cell that serves multiple User Equipments (UEs), the BBU including: a coverage relationship establishing unit configured to establish a coverage relationship between the one or more mRRHs and the multiple UEs; a correspondence relationship determining unit, configured to determine a correspondence relationship between UEs and beam directions covered by each mRRH of the one or more mRRHs; a location distribution determining unit, configured to determine a location distribution of the multiple UEs based on the coverage relationship between the mRRHs and the UEs and the correspondence relationship between the UEs and the beam directions covered by the mRRH; and a power allocating unit configured to perform a power allocation for each mRRH based on the location distribution of the multiple UEs),
wherein the system is configured to permit respective downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs served by the same cell to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell; and wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE (Figure 2; Column 3 [Line 50]- Column 4 A full isolation solution in an indoor wireless network; the floors F1, F2 and F3 of a building are under the coverage of the same cell; each floor has three corresponding rooms A1-A3, B1-B3 and C1-C3, respectively; each room has one corresponding mRRH to provide service for the UEs in the room. Thus, the cell has 9 mRRHs to cover the whole building. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, UE1 and UE7 are separated by several floors and walls, and they can construct a maximum isolated group capable of reusing the same frequency resource. Thus, in such a full isolation solution, radio signals of mRRH1 providing service for UE1 and mRRH9 providing service for UE7 may be separately processed in the baseband unit, and radio signals of all the other mRRHs are still processed together; Column 4-5 Full isolation between permitting multiple UEs to be scheduled for different downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs to be simultaneously wireless transmitting to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell utilizing frequency reuse improving spectrum efficiency and reduce interference).
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 teachings of Rhim in view of Sandberg with the teachings of Tang. Tang provides a solution which Improves capacity and spectrum efficiency of the indoor wireless system and realizes intra-cell frequency reuse between the mutual interfered UE groups by power allocation and re-coordination between UE group serving directional antennas, and thus easily realizes the frequency reuse improves spectrum efficiency and reduces interference to other adjacent rooms or buildings since characteristic is used to realize the frequency reuse between mutually interfered UEs. Eliminates need to split the cell into sub-cells for frequency re-use, thus has low cost, especially in the deployment aspect. The full centralized scheduling obtains high frequency spectrum efficiency and does not introduce frequent handover. The solution is compatible with existing protocols and does not need complexity pre-coding technologies. The solution expands the old frequency reuse range and increases the cell capacity obviously (Tang Abstract; Column 1-2 and Column 10 [Line 55-67]).
Regarding Claim 2, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the distributed unit is configured to do the following for each UE: use unicast transmission to transmit the respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE (Rhim Paragraph [0112-0115]; Sandberg Paragraph [0049-0054] Unicast to transmit downlink user data).
Regarding Claim 3, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the system is configured to permit respective downlink user data intended for each of multiple UEs to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks in situations where: the first set of remote units for each of said multiple UEs does not intersect with the second set of remote units for any other of said multiple UEs; and the second set of remote units for each of said multiple UEs does not intersect with the first set of remote units for any other of said multiple UEs (Sandberg Paragraph [0010-0011 and 0044-0049] Multicast groups and simulcast zones; A controller 104 can be configured to form the multicast zone for a UE's simulcast zone by trying to form the multicast zone using various combinations of multicast groups 140 included in the set of multicast groups and determining if each combination results in a suitable multicast zone. Paragraph [0051] A particular candidate multicast zone can be considered suitable if it is the union of small number of non-intersecting multicast groups and it includes all of the RPs 106 in the UE's simulcast zone).
Regarding Claim 11, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the fronthaul network comprises an Ethernet network (Rhim Paragraph [0061]; Sandberg Paragraph [0004-0009] Ethernet front-haul in a C-RAN).
Regarding Claim 12, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the distributed unit comprise an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) distributed unit and the remote units comprise O-RAN remote units (Rhim Paragraph [0006 and 0061]; Sandberg Figure 1; Paragraph [0018, 0089]).
Regarding Claim 13, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein one or more of the remote units is located remotely from the distributed unit (Rhim Paragraph [0006]; Sandberg Figure 1; Paragraph [0018, 0089]).
Regarding Claim 14, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system of Claim 1. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein one or more of the remote units is located remotely from at least one other remote unit (Rhim Paragraph [0006]; Sandberg Figure 1; Paragraph [0018, 0089]).
Regarding Claims 15, Rhim discloses a method of communicating downlink fronthaul data in a system comprising a distributed unit to communicatively couple the system to a core network and a plurality of remote units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UE) using a wireless interface, each of the remote units associated with a respective set of antennas, wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of remote units over a fronthaul network, the method comprising doing the following for each UE (Abstract; Figure 1-3, 9, 12, 13 and 25; Paragraph [0006] Open radio access network (O-RAN) with a distributed unit coupled to a core network and plurality or remote units over a fronthaul network):
determining a respective first set of remote units from which to wirelessly transmit user data to that UE (Figure 12B; Paragraph [0135] a DU 1240 transmits control information for MBSFN and user data for MBSFN to an RU 1245. In this case, the control information for the MBSFN may include scheduling information for receiving user data for the MBSFN).
Rhim discloses transmissions from a distributed to different MBSFN areas where different UEs may reside and different remote units can communicate fronthaul user data but fails to explicitly disclose determine a respective second set of remote units that are not used to wirelessly transmit user data to any other UE served by the same cell while user data is being wirelessly transmitted to that UE, wherein the respective second set of remote units for that UE includes the respective first set of remote units for that UE; transmit respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE; and wirelessly transmit respective user data to that UE using the respective first set of remote units for that UE, wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE.
However, Sandberg more specifically teaches determining a respective second set of remote units that are not used to wirelessly transmit user data to any other UE, served by the same cell while user data is being wirelessly transmitted to that UE, wherein the respective second set of remote units for that UE includes the first set of remote units for that UE; transmitting respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE; and wirelessly transmitting respective user data to that UE using the respective first set of remote units for that UE, wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE (Paragraph [0010-0011 and 0044-0049] Multicast groups and simulcast zones; A controller 104 can be configured to form the multicast zone for a UE's simulcast zone by trying to form the multicast zone using various combinations of multicast groups 140 included in the set of multicast groups and determining if each combination results in a suitable multicast zone. Paragraph [0051] A particular candidate multicast zone can be considered suitable if it is the union of small number of non-intersecting multicast groups and it includes all of the RPs 106 in the UE's simulcast zone; That is the distributed unit determines different non-intersecting multicast groups to transmit user data and uses respective radio units for transmitting downlink fronthaul data to a UE where a second set of remote units do not transmit wireless to that UE).
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 teachings of Rhim with the teachings of Sandberg. Sandberg provides a solution where the data rate needed communication over the Ethernet network is reduced (Sandberg Abstract; Paragraph [0009-0011 and 0032]).
Rhim in view of Sandberg disclose a first and second set of remote units for communicating and not communicating user data to a UE and disclose isolation and transmitting user data in specific groups using specific remote units but may not explicitly disclose wherein the distributed unit and the plurality of remote units are configured to serve a same cell, wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE and wherein the method further comprises: permitting multiple UEs to be scheduled for different downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell.
However, Tang more specifically teaches wherein the distributed unit and the plurality of remote units are configured to serve a same cell (Figure 1 and 2; Column 1-2 A Base Band Unit (BBU) for intra-cell frequency reuse for an indoor wireless network, wherein the indoor wireless network includes the BBU, one or more micro power Remote Radio Heads (mRRHs) and radio hubs connecting the BBU and the mRRHs; the indoor wireless network belongs to a same cell that serves multiple User Equipments (UEs), the BBU including: a coverage relationship establishing unit configured to establish a coverage relationship between the one or more mRRHs and the multiple UEs; a correspondence relationship determining unit, configured to determine a correspondence relationship between UEs and beam directions covered by each mRRH of the one or more mRRHs; a location distribution determining unit, configured to determine a location distribution of the multiple UEs based on the coverage relationship between the mRRHs and the UEs and the correspondence relationship between the UEs and the beam directions covered by the mRRH; and a power allocating unit configured to perform a power allocation for each mRRH based on the location distribution of the multiple UEs),
wherein no remote unit included in the respective second set of remote units for that UE is used to wirelessly transmit user data while wirelessly transmitting to that UE and wherein the method further comprises: permitting multiple UEs to be scheduled for different downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell (Figure 2; Column 3 [Line 50]- Column 4 A full isolation solution in an indoor wireless network; the floors F1, F2 and F3 of a building are under the coverage of the same cell; each floor has three corresponding rooms A1-A3, B1-B3 and C1-C3, respectively; each room has one corresponding mRRH to provide service for the UEs in the room. Thus, the cell has 9 mRRHs to cover the whole building. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, UE1 and UE7 are separated by several floors and walls, and they can construct a maximum isolated group capable of reusing the same frequency resource. Thus, in such a full isolation solution, radio signals of mRRH1 providing service for UE1 and mRRH9 providing service for UE7 may be separately processed in the baseband unit, and radio signals of all the other mRRHs are still processed together; Column 4-5 Full isolation between permitting multiple UEs to be scheduled for different downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs to be simultaneously wireless transmitting to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks of the same cell utilizing frequency reuse improving spectrum efficiency and reduce interference).
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 teachings of Rhim in view of Sandberg with the teachings of Tang. Tang provides a solution which Improves capacity and spectrum efficiency of the indoor wireless system and realizes intra-cell frequency reuse between the mutual interfered UE groups by power allocation and re-coordination between UE group serving directional antennas, and thus easily realizes the frequency reuse improves spectrum efficiency and reduces interference to other adjacent rooms or buildings since characteristic is used to realize the frequency reuse between mutually interfered UEs. Eliminates need to split the cell into sub-cells for frequency re-use, thus has low cost, especially in the deployment aspect. The full centralized scheduling obtains high frequency spectrum efficiency and does not introduce frequent handover. The solution is compatible with existing protocols and does not need complexity pre-coding technologies. The solution expands the old frequency reuse range and increases the cell capacity obviously (Tang Abstract; Column 1-2 and Column 10 [Line 55-67]).
Regarding Claim 16, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein, for each UE, wirelessly transmitting the respective user data to that UE using the respective first set of remote units for that UE comprises using unicast transmission to transmit the respective downlink fronthaul data for that UE over the fronthaul network to only the remote units included in the respective first set of remote units for that UE (Rhim Paragraph [0112-0115]; Sandberg Paragraph [0049-0054] Unicast to transmit downlink user data).
Regarding Claim 17, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose permitting multiple UEs to be scheduled for different downlink user data intended for each of the multiple UEs to be simultaneously wirelessly transmitted to the multiple UEs during one or more physical resource blocks in situations where: the first set of remote units for each of said multiple UEs does not intersect with the second set of remote units for any other of said multiple UEs; and the second set of remote units for each of said multiple UEs does not intersect with the first set of remote units for any other of said multiple UEs (Sandberg Paragraph [0010-0011 and 0044-0049] Multicast groups and simulcast zones; A controller 104 can be configured to form the multicast zone for a UE's simulcast zone by trying to form the multicast zone using various combinations of multicast groups 140 included in the set of multicast groups and determining if each combination results in a suitable multicast zone. Paragraph [0051] A particular candidate multicast zone can be considered suitable if it is the union of small number of non-intersecting multicast groups and it includes all of the RPs 106 in the UE's simulcast zone).
Regarding Claim 19, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the system is configured to define at least one of a maximum size of the first set of remote units for each UE and a maximum size of the second set of remote units for each UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] the bandwidth requirements at each RP 106 is minimized, with an increase in the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 that is a factor of the number of multicast groups 140 typically used to form the multicast zone. In contrast, if unicast addressing where used, the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 would increase by a factor of the maximum simulcast zone size. Where multicast addressing is used, if each simulcast zone is formed from only a small number of multicast groups 140 that is much less than the maximum simulcast zone size, then the increase in the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 is much less than would be the case if unicast addressing where used. If the number of RPs 106 in the system 100 is small enough, it is possible to obtain perfect bandwidth efficiency at both RPs 106 and the baseband units 104 by defining the multicast groups 140 so there is a corresponding multicast group 140 for each possible simulcast zone. If this is the case, then each multicast zone can be formed using a single multicast group 140. As the number of RPs 106 in the system 100 increases, the corresponding number of possible simulcast zones can become too large to have a corresponding multicast group 140 for each simulcast zone. In this case, the number of multicast groups 140 is limited. This is done by constraining each multicast group 140 to contain a small number of RPs 106 (for example, 4 or fewer) and forming larger simulcast zones (and the associated multicast zone) as a combination of multiple multicast groups 140).
Regarding Claim 20, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 19. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the system is configured to determine, for each remote unit, associated one or more signal reception characteristics for that UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Regarding Claim 21, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 20. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the associated one or more signal reception characteristics for each UE determined for the remote units comprise a signature vector for that UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Regarding Claim 23, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 20. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the system is configured to determine, for each UE, the respective set of signal reception characteristics for the remote units on at least one of: signal reception metrics determined at the remote units based on one or more uplink transmissions made by that UE; and signal reception metrics determined at that UE based on one or more downlink transmissions made from the remote units (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Regarding Claim 25, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein one or more of the remote units is located remotely from the distributed unit (Rhim Paragraph [0006]; Sandberg Figure 1; Paragraph [0018, 0089]).
Regarding Claim 26, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the method of Claim 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein one or more of the remote units is located remotely from at least one other remote unit (Rhim Paragraph [0006]; Sandberg Figure 1; Paragraph [0018, 0089]).
Claims 4-7, 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang as applied to claim 1 and 15 above, and further in view of Reis et al. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/0104131, hereinafter Reis.
Regarding Claim 4 and 18, Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose the system and method of Claim 1 and 15. Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang further disclose wherein the first set of remote units for each UE comprises a simulcast zone for each UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] Simulcast zones).
Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang disclose separation of zones for simulcast but may not explicitly disclose wherein the second set of remote units for each UE comprises a protection zone for each UE.
However, Reis more specifically teaches wherein the second set of remote units for each UE comprises a protection zone for each UE (Paragraph [0053-0060] Protection zones set up by base station to ensure that terminals within the protection zone will not attempt to transmit on frequency channel’s that may interfere with another set of remote units).
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 teachings of Rhim in view of Sandberg and Tang with the teachings of Reis. Reis provides a solution that ensures that components can be located at distant portions of a distributed network such as communications network, node, and/or Internet, or within a dedicated secured, unsecured, and/or encrypted system and/or within a network operation or management device that is located inside or outside the network, and can safely utilize a frequency channel without causing interference to PtPR when a base station operates outside a protection zone (Reis Abstract; Paragraph [0001-0013 and 0056]).
Regarding Claim 5, Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis disclose the system of Claim 4. Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis further disclose wherein the system is configured to define at least one of a maximum size of the respective first set of remote units for each UE and a maximum size of the respective second set of remote units for each UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] the bandwidth requirements at each RP 106 is minimized, with an increase in the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 that is a factor of the number of multicast groups 140 typically used to form the multicast zone. In contrast, if unicast addressing where used, the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 would increase by a factor of the maximum simulcast zone size. Where multicast addressing is used, if each simulcast zone is formed from only a small number of multicast groups 140 that is much less than the maximum simulcast zone size, then the increase in the bandwidth requirements at the baseband controller 104 is much less than would be the case if unicast addressing where used. If the number of RPs 106 in the system 100 is small enough, it is possible to obtain perfect bandwidth efficiency at both RPs 106 and the baseband units 104 by defining the multicast groups 140 so there is a corresponding multicast group 140 for each possible simulcast zone. If this is the case, then each multicast zone can be formed using a single multicast group 140. As the number of RPs 106 in the system 100 increases, the corresponding number of possible simulcast zones can become too large to have a corresponding multicast group 140 for each simulcast zone. In this case, the number of multicast groups 140 is limited. This is done by constraining each multicast group 140 to contain a small number of RPs 106 (for example, 4 or fewer) and forming larger simulcast zones (and the associated multicast zone) as a combination of multiple multicast groups 140).
Regarding Claim 6, Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis disclose the system of Claim 5. Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis further disclose wherein the system is configured to determine, for each UE, a respective set of signal reception characteristics for the remote units (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Regarding Claim 7, Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis disclose the system of Claim 6. Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis further disclose wherein the respective set of signal reception characteristics for the remote units determined for each UE comprises a respective signature vector for that UE (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Regarding Claim 9, Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis disclose the system of Claim 6. Rhim in view of Sandberg, Tang and Reis further disclose wherein the system is configured to determine, for each UE, the respective set of signal reception characteristics for the remote units on at least one of: signal reception metrics determined at the remote units based on one or more uplink transmissions made by that UE; and signal reception metrics determined at that UE based on one or more downlink transmissions made from the remote units (Sandberg Paragraph [0018, 0039-0042 and 0054-0056] When a UE 110 makes initial LTE Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions to access the cell 103, each RP 106 will receive those initial PRACH transmissions and a signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the PRACH transmissions received by that RP 106 is measured (or otherwise determined). One example of such a signal reception metric is a signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SNIR). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the PRACH transmissions are also referred to here as “PRACH metrics.” Each signature vector is determined and updated over the course of that UE's connection to the cell 103 based on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE 110. A signal reception metric indicative of the power level of the SRS transmissions received by the RPs 106 (for example, a SNIR) is measured (or otherwise determined). The signal reception metrics that are determined based on the SRS transmissions are also referred to here as “SRS metrics.” Each signature vector is a set of floating point SINR values (or other metric), with each value or element corresponding to a RP 106 used to serve the cell 103. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 contains the M RPs 106 with the best SV signal reception metrics, where M is the minimum number of RPs 106 required to achieve a specified SINR. The simulcast zone for a UE 110 is determined by selecting those M RPs 106 based on the current SV).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10, 22 and 24 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 8 and 22, the prior art of record fail to disclose, alone or in any reasonable combination, as required by the dependent claims, “wherein each UE has an associated respective total simulcast zone power calculated by summing the respective signal reception metrics determined for that UE corresponding to the remote units included in the respective simulcast zone for that UE; wherein each UE has an associated respective total available power calculated by summing the respective signal reception metrics determined for that UE corresponding to all of the remote units; wherein the system is configured to determine the respective simulcast zone for each UE by: sorting the remote units based on the respective corresponding signal reception metrics determined for that UE in descending order from strongest power to weakest power; and starting with a respective empty simulcast zone for that UE, adding, to the respective simulcast zone for that UE, successive remote units from the descending order until the total simulcast zone power calculated for that UE is within a threshold amount of the respective total available power calculated for that UE or until the number of remote units included in the respective simulcast zone for that UE is equal to a predetermined simulcast zone cap.”
The Examiner notes the above limitation(s) are not taken alone but in view of the entirety of the claim language including any preceding claim limitations, any proceeding claim limitations, and any intervening claim limitations.
Regarding Claim 10 and 24, the prior art of record fail to disclose, alone or in any reasonable combination, as required by the dependent claims, “ wherein each UE has an associated respective remaining available power calculated by summing the respective signal reception metrics determined for that UE corresponding to the remote units not included in the protection zone for that UE; wherein determining, for each UE, the respective protection zone comprises: sorting the remote units based on the respective corresponding signal reception metrics determined for that UE in descending order from strongest power to weakest power; and starting with an empty protection zone, adding to the respective protection zone for that UE the remote units included in the respective simulcast zone for that UE and, from the remaining remote units not included in the respective protection zone for that UE, successive remotes unit in the descending order until the ratio of the respective total simulcast zone power for that UE and the respective remaining available power for that UE exceeds a predetermined threshold value or until the total number of remote units included in the respective protection zone for that UE equals a predetermined protection zone cap.
The Examiner notes the above limitation(s) are not taken alone but in view of the entirety of the claim language including any preceding claim limitations, any proceeding claim limitations, and any intervening claim limitations.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IVAN O LATORRE whose telephone number is (571)272-6264. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hadi Armouche can be reached at (571) 270-3618. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
IVAN O. LATORRE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2409
/IVAN O LATORRE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2409
Prosecution Insights