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 .
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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/2/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-21 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWAK; Kyuhwan et al. US PGPUB 20170251463 A1, in view of KIM; Youngtae et al. US PGPUB 20170155434 A1, supported by provisional application 62/031,162, filed on 7/31/2014.
Regarding claim 1, Kwak teaches An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising: one or more processors; memory coupled with the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the memory and operable, (Fig. 12, UE Processor 1221, Memory 1222) when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to:
determine whether an uplink physical layer channel is configured for frequency domain code division multiplexing (CDM); ([0134] Further, in various embodiments of the present invention, a code division multiplexing (CDM) scheme may be considered between the terminals configured by the same structure (i.e., the same resource structure) for the uplink control channel resources, and in this case, multiplexing between the terminals of different symbol units may be considered together.)
determine whether to switch from a first waveform type to a second waveform type for the uplink physical layer channel during a transmission time interval ([0115] Herein, whether or not to support simultaneously the different multiplexing schemes (the OFDM scheme and the SC-FDM scheme may be included as the capability of the terminal.
See Fig. 3, UL data to UL control region for ACK/NACK or SR are transmitted timewise, and“[0116] In more detail, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, when the terminal simultaneously transmits an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and an uplink control channel (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the terminal may transmit the uplink control channel in the SC-FDM scheme and the uplink data channel in the OFDM scheme.” )
based at least in part on the determination of whether the uplink physical layer channel is configured for frequency domain CDM; ([0134] Further, in various embodiments of the present invention, a code division multiplexing (CDM) scheme may be considered between the terminals configured by the same structure (i.e., the same resource structure) for the uplink control channel resources, and in this case, multiplexing between the terminals of different symbol units may be considered together.)
wherein the transmission time interval spans two or more symbols (see Fig. 3 of TTI being one subframe, and see [0103] In this case, the terminal may transmit the uplink control information by using multiple symbols on the time axis.) and
communicate on the uplink physical layer channel using at least one of the first waveform type or the second waveform type during the transmission time interval ([0116] In more detail, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, when the terminal simultaneously transmits an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and an uplink control channel (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the terminal may transmit the uplink control channel in the SC-FDM scheme and the uplink data channel in the OFDM scheme.) in accordance with the determination of whether to switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type. ([0115] Herein, whether or not to support simultaneously the different multiplexing schemes (the OFDM scheme and the SC-FDM scheme) may be included as the capability of the terminal. And see Fig. 13 and [0116] and [0083])
Kwak does not teach
determine whether to switch from a first waveform type to a second waveform type for the uplink physical layer channel … based at least in part on whether the switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type would interfere with an orthogonality of one or more transmissions during the transmission time interval,
However, Kim teaches
determine whether to switch from a first waveform type to a second waveform type for the uplink physical layer channel … based at least in part on whether the switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type would interfere with an orthogonality of one or more transmissions during the transmission time interval, ([0108] [0108] In the LTE-A system, the resources used for CSI-RS transmission of different antenna ports are orthogonal to each other. When an eNB transmits CSI-RSs for different antenna ports, the CSI-RSs for the respective antenna ports may be mapped to different resource elements, such that the resource elements are allocated so as to be orthogonal to each other in a manner of FDM/TDM.
See ‘162, page 16, second full paragraph starting with “In the LTE-A system…”)
In order to improve communication quality by achieve more accurate channel measurement with CSI-RS orthogonality.
Kwak and Kim are analogous art in the same field of endeavor of wireless communication. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person with ordinary skill in the art to modify the method in Kwak with the technique of CSI-RS multiplexing in Kim in order to improve communication quality by achieve more accurate channel measurement.
Regarding claim 2. Kwak and Kim teach The apparatus of claim 1, Kwak teaches wherein the instructions are further operable, when executed by the one or more processor, to cause the apparatus to: switch the waveform for the uplink physical layer channel based at least in part determining to switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type. ([0115] For example, in a single carrier (alternatively, between carrier/band combinations), the terminal may transmit data and/or control information by applying both an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme and single carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) scheme. Herein, whether or not to support simultaneously the different multiplexing schemes (the OFDM scheme and the SC-FDM scheme) may be included as the capability of the terminal.
[0118] In addition, the base station may configure the uplink data channel and the uplink control channel to be transmitted by the same multiplexing scheme (e.g., OFDM, SC-FDM) by considering a coverage class and/or a latency of the terminal.)
Regarding claim 3. Kwak and Kim teach The apparatus of claim 1, Kwak teaches wherein the uplink physical layer channel is configured for frequency domain CDM, ([0134] Further, in various embodiments of the present invention, a code division multiplexing (CDM) scheme may be considered between the terminals configured by the same structure (i.e., the same resource structure) for the uplink control channel resources, and in this case, multiplexing between the terminals of different symbol units may be considered together.)and wherein the uplink physical laver channel is communicated during the transmission time interval in accordance with the first waveform type. ([0116] In more detail, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, when the terminal simultaneously transmits an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and an uplink control channel (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the terminal may transmit the uplink control channel in the SC-FDM scheme and the uplink data channel in the OFDM scheme.)
Regarding claim 4. Kwak and Kim teach The apparatus of claim 1, Kwak teaches wherein the uplink physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). ([0116] In more detail, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, when the terminal simultaneously transmits an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and an uplink control channel (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the terminal may transmit the uplink control channel in the SC-FDM scheme and the uplink data channel in the OFDM scheme.)
Regarding claim 5. Kwak and Kim teach The apparatus of claim 1, Kwak teaches wherein first waveform type comprises an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform and the second waveform type comprises a single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) waveform. ([0116] In more detail, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 3, when the terminal simultaneously transmits an uplink data channel (e.g., a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and an uplink control channel (e.g., a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)), the terminal may transmit the uplink control channel in the SC-FDM scheme and the uplink data channel in the OFDM scheme.)
Regarding claim 6-10. Kwak and Kim teach A method for wireless communications, comprising steps recited in claims 1-3 and 5, respectively. They are rejected for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 11-15. Kwak and Kim teach An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:
means for determining (Fig. 12, UE 1220 with Processor and Memory ) means for selecting (Id.) means for identifying (Id.) and means for communicating (Fig. 2, transceiver 252 and 254) performing the steps recited in claim 1-5, respective
Regarding claim 16-20. Kwak and Kim teach A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processor (Fig. 12, 1221) to perform the steps recited in claim 1-5, respectively. They are rejected for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 21, Kwak and Kim teach The apparatus of claim 1, but Kwak does not teach wherein the instructions are further operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the apparatus to: set, in a transmission on the uplink physical layer channel, a bit indicative of the switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type based at least in part on determining to switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type.
However, Kim teaches
set, in a transmission on the uplink physical layer channel, a bit indicative of the switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type based at least in part on determining to switch from the first waveform type to the second waveform type. ([0110] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an aperiodic CSI-RS transmission scheme. In FIG. 10, the eNB transmits a CSI-RS in subframe indexes 3 and 4. The transmission pattern is composed of 10 subframes. Whether the CSI-RS is transmitted in each subframe may be designated by a bit indicator.
See ‘162 page 17, paragraph starting with “Figure 2-E-5 illustrates …”)
In order to improve communication quality by achieve more accurate channel measurement with CSI-RS orthogonality.
Kwak and Kim are analogous art in the same field of endeavor of wireless communication. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person with ordinary skill in the art to modify the method in Kwak with the technique of CSI-RS multiplexing in Kim in order to improve communication quality by achieve more accurate channel measurement.
Conclusion
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/ZHAOHUI YANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2468
/MARCUS SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2468