DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/08/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
3. The Amendment filed 04/08/2026 has been entered. Claims 1 and 11 have been amended. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
4. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-20 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.
Double Patenting
5. The non-statutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A non-statutory obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a non-statutory double patenting ground provided the conflicting application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement.
Effective January 1, 1994, a registered attorney or agent of record may sign a terminal disclaimer. A terminal disclaimer signed by the assignee must fully comply with 37 CFR 3.73(b).
6. Claims 1 and 11 are rejected on the ground of non-statutory obviousness-type double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1, 7 and 13 of co-pending Application 17/966,636. Although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claims 1 and 11 limitation are found in claims 1, 7 and 13 of co-application with obvious wording variation such as they both sets of claims are drawn to a method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment (UB), a report configuration from a network node, wherein the report configuration is associated with a first resource set and a second resource set.
17/840,860
17/966,636
1 and 11. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a user equipment (UB), a report configuration from a network node, wherein the report configuration is associated with a first resource set and a second resource set; determining, by the UE, at least one resource group, wherein each resource group comprises two reference-signal (RS) resources respectively corresponding to the first resource set and the second resource set; and
transmitting, by the UB, a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node, wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator enables the network to determine that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set
1, 7 and 13. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a user equipment (UE), a report configuration from a network node, wherein the report configuration is associated with a resource set; determining, by the UE, at least one beam group based on the resource set, wherein each beam group comprises two reference-signal (RS) resources respectively associating with a first physical cell index (PCI) and a second PCI; and transmitting, by the UE, a report comprising the at least one beam group to the network node.
This is a provisional obviousness-type double patenting rejection because the conflicting claims have not in fact been patented.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claim 1-7 and 11-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Shi et al. (US 2021/0274372 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 20240039598 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 11. Shi teaches a method, comprising:
receiving, by a user equipment (UB), a report configuration from a network node, wherein the report configuration is associated with a first resource set and a second resource set (Paragraphs [0035], [0037], [0093-0094] teach terminal device received reporting information from network device associated with plurality resource setting));
determining, by the UE, at least one resource group, wherein each resource group comprises two reference-signal (RS) resources respectively corresponding to the first resource set and the second resource set (Paragraph [0026-0029], [0032-0033] teach two reference signal resource set and plurality of resource setting).
Shi is silent on transmitting, by the UE, a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node, wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator indicating a mapping order in the report, and wherein the resource set indicator enables the network to determine that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set.
In an analogous art, Kim teaches transmitting, by the UE, a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node (beam reporting may include preferred DL RS ID (identifier) (s) and L1-RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) corresponding to it. The DL RS ID may be a SSBRI (SSB Resource Indicator) or a CRI (CSI-RS Resource Indicator), [0155]-[0156]; For a different CSI set, a different CRI may be reported respectively. In this case, the different CRI may mean a CRI included in a different resource group (RG), [0372]), wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator indicating a mapping order in the report (a corresponding CRI value may mean an order (or an index) of resources in each RG. In addition, a bit for CRI reporting may be defined based on the number of resources included in a specific resource group (RG), [0373]), and wherein the resource set indicator enables the network to determine that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set (FIG. 19 represents an example in which a CSI entry included in each CSI set is differently defined and FIG. 20 represents an example in which a common CSI entry is defined for a different CSI set. In an example of FIG. 19, CRI/RI/CQI included in CSI #1 may be interpreted as a value which is commonly applied to CSI #1/CSI #2. Alternatively, a CSI set which is commonly applied in an example of FIG. 20 (e.g., CSI #0) may be separately defined, [0371]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Shi with Kim’s system to provide a methos and a system for reducing a feedback overhead and complexity of CSI computation of a terminal as suggested, Kim [0585].
Regarding claims 2 and 12. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1, Shi teaches wherein in an event that the indicator corresponds to a first value, the first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set, and in another event that the indicator corresponds to a second value, the first resource index in the report is associated with the second resource set (Paragraphs [0217-0219]).
Regarding claims 3 and 13. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1, Shi teaches wherein the first resource index in the report corresponds to the largest RSRP value or SINR value in the report (Paragraphs [0085], [0087], [0221]).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 3, Shi teaches wherein a resource index other than the first resource index in the report corresponds to a corresponding differential value based on the largest RSRP value or SINR value (Paragraphs [0087], [0217-0219], [0247]).
Regarding claims 5 and 15. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1, Shi teaches wherein in an event that a periodic or semi-persistent resource configuration is associated with the report configuration, at least one resource set list in the periodic or semi-persistent resource configuration indicates a first resource set ID and a second resource set ID respectively corresponding to the first resource set and the second resource set (Paragraphs [0027], [0094-0096]).
Regarding claims 6 and 16. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1, Kim teaches wherein the report configuration is associated with a report trigger state configuration, and the report trigger state configuration indicates a first index and a second index respectively corresponding to the first resource set and the second resource set (For CQI, PMI, CRI, SSBRI, LI, RI, L1-RSRP, a terminal is configured by a higher layer with N≤1 CSI-ReportConfig reporting setting, M≤1 CSI-ResourceConfig resource setting and a list of one or two trigger states (provided by aperiodicTriggerStateList and semiPersistentOnPUSCH-TriggerStateList). Each trigger state in the aperiodicTriggerStateList includes an associated CSI-ReportConfigs list which indicates a channel and optional resource set IDs for interference. In semiPersistentOnPUSCH-TriggerStateList, one associated CSI-ReportConfig is included in each trigger state, [0281]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Shi with Kim’s system to provide a methos and a system for reducing a feedback overhead and complexity of CSI computation of a terminal as suggested, Kim [0585].
Regarding claims 7 and 17. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1, Shi teaches wherein the UE is capable to simultaneously receive the RS resources in each resource group (Paragraphs [0015], [0018], [0138]).
9. Claim 8-10 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Shi et al. (US 2021/0274372 A1) in view of Kim and further inv view of Gao et al. (US 20210022130 A1).
Regarding claims 8 and 18. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1 and the UE of claim 11.
However, Shi and Kim do not teach wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index in the report is that the resource index associated with the first resource set is reported first, and then the resource index associated with the second resource set is reported.
In an analogous art, Gao teaches wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index in the report is that the resource index associated with the first resource set is reported first, and then the resource index associated with the second resource set is reported (determining RS indexes to be reported is based on one or more subsets of one or more resource sets, where the one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can depend on the RS resources that have been determined to be reported, e.g., k. For instance, a UE selects the first RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from one or more lists (or pools) of RSs, e.g., one or more resource sets. Based on the first selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, e.g., according to the subset generated by {A+k+B×N1}mod N, UE can updates the list by removing some RSs, e.g., with indexes of {A+k+B×N1 } mod N, from one list, e.g., one resource set, associated with the first selected RS; then, UE selects the 2nd RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from the updated lists. Based on the 2nd selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, the UE can update the list by removing some RSs from one associated list accordingly, etc. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can be determined based on a number of RS resources to be reported, [0091]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Shi and Kim with Gao’s system such that a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node, wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator indicating that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set in order to provide a more complex, sophisticated range of access and flexibilities.
Regarding claims 9 and 19. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1 and the UE of claim 11.
However, Shi and Kim do not teach wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index is that the resource index associated with a smaller resource set ID is reported first, and then the resource index associated with a larger resource set ID is reported.
In an analogous art, Gao teaches wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index is that the resource index associated with a smaller resource set ID is reported first, and then the resource index associated with a larger resource set ID is reported (determining RS indexes to be reported is based on one or more subsets of one or more resource sets, where the one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can depend on the RS resources that have been determined to be reported, e.g., k. For instance, a UE selects the first RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from one or more lists (or pools) of RSs, e.g., one or more resource sets. Based on the first selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, e.g., according to the subset generated by {A+k+B×N1}mod N, UE can updates the list by removing some RSs, e.g., with indexes of {A+k+B×N1 } mod N, from one list, e.g., one resource set, associated with the first selected RS; then, UE selects the 2nd RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from the updated lists. Based on the 2nd selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, the UE can update the list by removing some RSs from one associated list accordingly, etc. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can be determined based on a number of RS resources to be reported, [0091]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Shi and Kim with Gao’s system such that a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node, wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator indicating that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set in order to provide a more complex, sophisticated range of access and flexibilities.
Regarding claims 10 and 20. Shi and Kim teach the method of Claim 1 and the UE of claim 11.
However, Shi and Kim do not teach wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index follows the reporting order associated with the resource group including the first resource index.
In an analogous art, Gao teaches wherein in the report, a reporting the mapping order associated with one resource group other than the resource group including the first resource index follows the reporting order associated with the resource group including the first resource index (determining RS indexes to be reported is based on one or more subsets of one or more resource sets, where the one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can depend on the RS resources that have been determined to be reported, e.g., k. For instance, a UE selects the first RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from one or more lists (or pools) of RSs, e.g., one or more resource sets. Based on the first selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, e.g., according to the subset generated by {A+k+B×N1}mod N, UE can updates the list by removing some RSs, e.g., with indexes of {A+k+B×N1 } mod N, from one list, e.g., one resource set, associated with the first selected RS; then, UE selects the 2nd RS (e.g. by the best RSRP) from the updated lists. Based on the 2nd selected RS and the criteria depending on the selected RS, the UE can update the list by removing some RSs from one associated list accordingly, etc. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more subsets of one or more resource sets can be determined based on a number of RS resources to be reported, [0091]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify Shi and Kim with Gao’s system such that a report comprising the at least one resource group to the network node, wherein the report further comprises a resource set indicator indicating that a first resource index in the report is associated with the first resource set or the second resource set in order to provide a more complex, sophisticated range of access and flexibilities.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Li et al. (US 20240129095 A1): Provide in embodiments of the present disclosure are a method and apparatus for requesting a system information block (SIB), a communication device, and a storage medium. The method for requesting a SIB may comprise: receiving an acquisition request requesting a SIB; and issuing feedback information for the acquisition request.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS whose telephone number is (571)270-0671. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached at 571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS/Examiner, Art Unit 2641
/CHARLES N APPIAH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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