DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the pending claims, 1-10, 33-42, received 03 March 2026. Accordingly, the detailed action of claims 1-10, 33-42 is as follows:
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 .
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.
Claim 1-2, 6, 33-34 and 39-40 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yokomakura (US 20230198707 A1, hereafter referred to as Yokomakura) in view of Gao et al (US 20220294590 A1, hereafter referred to as Gao) in view of Li et al (US 20230067557 A1, hereafter referred to as Lee) in view of Zhang et al (US 20200052740 A1, hereafter referred to as Zhang).
Regarding claim 1, Yokomakura teaches a user equipment (UE), comprising:
a transceiver (Yokomakura [0192]) configured to communicate with a network (Yokomakura [0041]); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver (Yokomakura [Fig 10-1003]) and configured to perform operations comprising:
determining a Phase Tracking-Reference Signal (PT-RS) to be transmitted from a first panel of a plurality of panels of the UE (Yokomakura [0159 and Fig 7a-b] discloses determining a PT-RS antenna port’s presence (density) is based on the scheduled MCS and scheduled bandwidth, wherein the UE communicates using one or more antenna [0038, 0041]);
decoding, based on signaling received from the network, downlink control information (Yokomakura [0126] teaches monitoring and attempting to decode the monitored DCI [0133]);
mapping the PT-RS to physical resources (Yokomakura [0063] discloses mapping data to time and frequency resources, wherein the PTRS is mapped to physical resources [0166-0171]).
However, Yokomakura does not teach the explicit transmission of the PT-RS such that Yokomakura does not explicitly teach transmitting the PT-RS via the transceiver from the first panel to the network by using the mapped physical resources and determining a PT-RS based on spatial division multiplexing (SDM); determining two demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port associated with a first PT-RS port to be used by the first panel based on the DCI from the network, the first PT-RS port being different from a second PT-RS port to be used by a second panel of the plurality of panels.
Gao, in an analogous art, teaches decoding, based on signaling received from the network, downlink control information (Gao [0060 and 0090] teaches transmitting configuration information including DCI);
transmitting the PT-RS via the transceiver from the first panel to the network by using the mapped physical resources (Gao [Fig 7-730 and Abstract] teaches transmitting or communicating the PTRS using the PTRS port mapped to resource elements).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Yokomakura in view of Gao in order to configure the PTRS, mapped to physical resources, as taught by Yokomakura, to be transmitted via an antenna or panel using the mapped resources, as taught by Gao.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in order to map a plurality of PTRS ports to resource elements to improve phase noise estimation/compensation performance (Gao [0058, 0077-0078]).
However, Yokomakura-Gao does not explicitly teach determining a PT-RS based on spatial division multiplexing (SDM); determining two demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port associated with a first PT-RS port to be used by the first panel based on the DCI from the network, the first PT-RS port being different from a second PT-RS port to be used by a second panel of the plurality of panels.
Li, in an analogous art, teaches determining a PT-RS to be transmitted from a first panel of a plurality of panels based on spatial division multiplexing (SDM) (Li [0029] discloses in a communication system supporting SDM, a UE determines density for a PT-RS and generates spatial streams for separate transmission from a plurality of different antenna according to the spatial processing [0051] wherein the UE includes a plurality of antenna panels [0033]) and transmitting the PT-RS via the transceiver from the first panel (Li [0051, Abstract and 0005] discloses transmission of spatial streams, according to the supporting spatial multiplexing [0029], via different antenna).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Yokomakura-Gao in view of Li in order to configure the determined PT-RS for transmission from a panel based on a bandwidth, as taught by Yokomakura-Gao, further be based on spatial division multiplexing, as taught by Li, wherein the PT-RS is transmitted from the first panel to the network, as taught by Li.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in order to use spatial multiplexing to transmit different streams of data to a single destination to increase the data rate or to multiple TRPs to increase overall system capacity (Li [0029] teaches the use of MIMO antenna technology wherein multiple streams are recovered at the UE [0048]).
However, Yokomakura-Gao-Li does not explicitly teach determining two demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port associated with a first PT-RS port to be used by the first panel based on the DCI from the network, the first PT-RS port being different from a second PT-RS port to be used by a second panel of the plurality of panels.
Zhang, in an analogous art, teaches determining two demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port associated with a first PT-RS port to be used by the first panel based on the DCI from the network, the first PT-RS port being different from a second PT-RS port to be used by a second panel of the plurality of panels (Zhang [0161] teaches the association between PTRS antenna port and DMRS antenna port can be dynamically indicated in the DCI, wherein a particular DCI indicates a first PTRS antenna port (4) is associated with DMRS antenna port 0 and antenna port 1 and a second, different, PTRS antenna port (5) is associated with DMRS antenna port 2 and antenna port 3).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Yokomakura-Gao-Li in view of Zhang in order to configure the DCI, as taught by Yokomakura-Gao-Li, to identify tow demodulation reference signal ports associated with a first PTRS port to be used by the first panel, the first PTRS port being different from a second PTRS port being used by a second panel, as taught by Zhang.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in order to facilitate phase noise compensation for diversity transmission and mitigation of orphan resource elements and associated resources (Zhang [0093]).
Regarding claim 2, Yokomakura-Gao-Li-Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Yokomakura-Gao-Li-Zhang teaches the UE wherein transform precoding is enabled (Yokomakura [0177] teaches enabling transform precoding) and determining the PT-RS to be transmitted from the first panel (Yokomakura [0159 and Fi 7a-b]) comprises:
determining a number of PT-RS groups within a symbol and a number of PT-RS samples in a PT-RS group (Gao [0050] teaches determining a group pattern including the number of PTRS groups and the number of samples per PTRS group) based on a threshold (Gao [Table 5.1.6.3-1 and 5.1.6.3-2] teaches a plurality of thresholds ([0051 -PTRS and 0052-NRB]) and one of:
a bandwidth scheduled for the first panel, a total bandwidth of bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, an average bandwidth of bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, a maximum bandwidth among bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, or a minimum bandwidth among bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels (Gao [0050, 0052] discloses a scheduled bandwidth).
Regarding claim 6, Yokomakura-Gao-Li-Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Yokomakura-Gao-Li-Zhang teaches the UE wherein transform precoding is not enabled (Gao [0051] discloses an OFDM based system (non-precoding) rather than an DFT-S-OFDM (precoded). Likewise, Yokomakura [0173] teaches precoding not enabled) and determining the PT-RS to be transmitted from the first panel (Gao [0052] teaches determining a frequency density. Yokomakura [0173] teaches the PTRS antenna port’s presence (density)) comprises:
determining a frequency domain density of the PT-RS based on a threshold (Gao [0052] discloses determining the frequency density using a bandwidth threshold. Likewise, Yokomakura [0173]) and one of:
a bandwidth scheduled for the first panel, a total bandwidth of bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, an average bandwidth of bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, a maximum bandwidth among bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels, or a minimum bandwidth among bandwidths scheduled for the plurality of panels (Gao [0052] discloses a scheduled bandwidth. Likewise, Yokomakura [0173]); and
determining a time domain density of the PT-RS (Gao [0050-0051] teaches a time domain density. Likewise, Yokomakura [0173]) based on one of:
a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) indicated for the first panel, a MCS with the highest index among MCSs indicated for the plurality of panels, or a MCS with the lowest index among the MCSs indicated for the plurality of panels (Gao [0050, 0051] discloses a scheduled MCS. Likewise, Yokomakura [0173]).
Regarding claims 33 and 34, they do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claims 1 and 6.
Therefore, claims 33 and 34 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claims 1 and 6.
Regarding claims 39 and 40, they do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claims 1 and 6.
Therefore, claims 39 and 40 are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claims 1 and 6.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3-5, 7-10, 35-38, 41-42 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhang et al (US 20190296876 A1);
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEAN TOKUTA whose telephone number is (571)272-5145. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 630-430.
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SHEAN TOKUTA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2446
/SHEAN TOKUTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2446
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