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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/04/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment to the claims filed on 11/04/2025 complies with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.121(c) and has been entered. Objection to Amended Claims 16, 17, 20, 22, 23, 26, 28, 32, 33, and 37 is withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's Arguments/Remarks filed 11/04/2025 (hereinafter Resp.) are fully considered hereinafter. Citations to Specification are made in accordance with paragraph numbers of the “Substitute Specification – Clean” filed on 12/08/2022. Previous Office actions used the original filing marked PCT/KR2021/007638 filed the same day. There are no differences in what concerns the cited content. Examiner apologizes for any confusion this could have created.
Applicant’s argument regarding the § 112(a) rejection points to paragraphs [¶0103] and [¶0107] of the Specification as disclosing an example of the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling that may constitute the basis for the “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling” limitation in the amended independent claims, stating that “paragraphs [0103] and [0107] of the Specification recite the grouping PUSCHs scheduled by one DCI into different DTBGs in units of L time slots” – See Resp., 13:¶3; see also id., 14:¶2, pointing to the example in Fig. 14. While [¶0103] discloses a parameter L as an example of time units basis for grouping PUSCHs scheduled by one DCI “into different PPCGs according to time units,” and that “L may be obtained through receiving higher layer signaling configuration by the UE”, neither [¶0103] nor [¶0107] of the Specification, nor any other part of the Specification, intimates that the higher layer signaling configuration of parameter L is an example of the “configure[d] number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” based on which a person of ordinary skills in the art could identify “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling,” as required by the amended independent claims. Specifically, Manner III of the claimed invention is not concerned with DMRS bundling but with PUSCHs grouping in time units. A person of ordinary skills in the art finds in [¶0103] of the Specification an example, “L time slots,” for defining the boundaries of PPCGs for power control, e.g., based on successive PUSCHs, but cannot find the relationship between this “L” and the “higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” which is the required basis for identifying the boundaries of a time group for the DMRS bundling. Otherwise said, the Specification defines “L” as “obtained through receiving signaling by the UE” – See [¶0103] but does not define “L” as obtained through “higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling,” as required by the amended independent claims. This conclusion finds further support in [¶¶0078-79] of the Specification stating that “[t]he UE can determine the PPCGs by receiving an explicit signaling, an implicit signaling or a combination of the implicit signaling and the explicit signaling” whereby “DMRS time domain bundling indication information” is received through “implicit signaling,” i.e., not by “explicit signaling [which] includes higher layer signaling.” Therefore, [¶0079] indicates that, in any Manner disclosed, the “number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” as required by the amended independent claims is obtained through “implicit signaling,” while “L may be obtained through receiving higher layer signaling configuration by the UE,” – See [¶0103], i.e., “explicit signaling” – See [¶0079]. For these reasons Applicant’s argument fails to rebut the previous Office action statement, at page 9, that “[t]here is no relationship what so ever between the ‘L time units’ . . . and the number of slots for DMRS bundling configured by higher layer signaling.”
Applicant’s argument that “Ly as cited in the Office Action does not teach or suggest at least to ‘receiving a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling’ and ‘identifying one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling, wherein a time group for the DMRS bundling comprises a plurality of PUSCH transmissions among the scheduled PUSCH repetitions within the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling’” – See Resp.,15:¶2, is unpersuasive. First, the conclusion regarding Ly et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0014095 (hereinafter Ly) is non constat, because Applicant has not yet shown how the Specification supports the distinguishing limitations, either individually or together, as explained supra. Second, Applicant’s argument that “para. [0095] of Ly merely discloses that the same set of DMRSs is transmitted over multiple TTIs, but Ly never discloses whether the number of the multiple TTIs is fixed or configured by a higher layer signaling” – See Resp., 16:¶2 is unpersuasive. The previous Office action, at page 10-11, recites the “base station 105-a may configure the UE 115-a (for example, via radio resource control (RRC) signaling . . . to bundle the DMRSs 225 of a physical shared channel 230 (for example, a physical shared channel 230 including one or more physical shared channel segments 230-a, 230-b, 230-c, or 230-d),” citing to [¶0096] and Fig. 2 of Ly. Notwithstanding Applicant’s walk around paragraphs [¶0094] and [¶0096] of Ly explaining Fig. 2 showing “an example of a wireless communications system that supports physical shared channel reference signal bundling in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure” – See [¶0021], Ly clearly discloses a quantity of TTIs configured to the UE – See, e.g., [¶0135] (“the base station 105-b may transmit, to the UE 115-b, an indication of a DMRS bundling configuration . . . based on . . . a quantity of repetitions of the one or more physical shared channels”), i.e., the base station makes a decision on the number of TTIs with which a DMRS is bundled by the UE factoring in, e.g., the number of PUSCH repetitions1 configured with DMRS bundling are named “DMRS-PUSCH pairs” and shown, e.g., in Fig. 7A, and also in Fig. 8. Applicant would be challenged to show Manner III of the present Specification discloses that a “quantity [or number] of PUSCH repetitions are for DMRS bundling” when the “claimed element of Claim 16 is based on Manner III of the Specification” – See Resp.,13:¶2. Third, Applicant’s argument that “PUSCH DMRS bundling was first introduced in 3GPP TS Rel-17” therefore “dmrs-AdditionalPosition defined in 3GPP TS 38.331 Rel-16 is a parameter irrelevant to the number of slots for DMRS bundling as recited in Claim 16” – See Resp., 17:¶2, is non sequitur: 3GPP technical specifications prioritize compatibility of features and configuration parameters. Specifically, regarding the dmrs-AdditionalPosition parameter of the DMRS-UplinkConfig Information Element, Applicant could compare § 6.4.1.1.3 of 3GPP TS 38.211 V16.1.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 16)” with the same section of 3GPP TS 38.211 V17.0.0 (2021-12), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)” to verify that the parameter cited by the Office action fulfills the same function in Rel-17; see also MPEP §2123(I) (stating “[a] reference may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art”). Applicant’s argument does not point to a different meaning or to discontinued use of cited RRC parameters between REL-16 and Rel-17. As another example, DMRS bundling/joint channel estimation for PUSCH coverage enhancement in NR Rel-17, discussed in 3GPP RAN1 prior to the effective filing date of the present application, is evaluated using Rel-16 performance framework – See, e.g., 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #101, R1-2005004, Agenda item: 8.4.1, Title: “[101-e-NR-Cov-Enh] Email discussion on evaluation methodology and simulation assumptions for NR coverage enhancements” for Rel-17, Source: China Telecom (moderator), published June 7, 2020, (hereinafter 3GPP R1-2005004) summarizing, at page 1, “a new Rel-17 study item on NR coverage enhancements” that will “study the potential solutions for coverage enhancements” targeting “at least PUSCH/PUCCH” and “enhanced solutions, e.g., time domain/frequency domain/DM-RS enhancement (including DM-RS-less transmissions),” agreeing, at page 137-138, to use for performance evaluation the base line PUSCH parameters, including DMRS bundling, from 3GPP TR 37.910 V16.1.0 (2019-09), “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on self-evaluation towards IMT-2020 submission (Release 16).” Therefore, the argument for withdrawing the rejection under §102 also fails to persuade.
In sum, Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered but are unpersuasive.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 (a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Amended Claims 16, 22, 28 and 33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
First, each of the Amended Claims 16, 22, 28 and 33 requires “a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling.” However, the Specification discloses that “DMRS time domain bundling indication information” is received through “implicit signaling,” and only “explicit signaling includes higher layer signaling” – See [¶0079]. Because “a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” is “DMRS time domain bundling indication information” it follows that the Specification does not teach the required limitation. In the alternative that a DCI, which is an example of explicit higher layer signaling disclosed in the Specification, could contain, arguendo, DMRS time domain bundling indication information, then the amended independent claims fail to claim this feature: using the plain meaning under the BRI standard of claim interpretation, a person of ordinary skills in the art would consider the limitation “one downlink control information (DCI) that schedules physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions” clearly disjoint from the “higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” limitation when only one DCI is specifically required, concluding that the “higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” is not comprised in that single DCI.
Second, Manner III of the Specification constituting, by Applicant’s admission, the written description for the limitation “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling” recited in each of the Amended Claims 16, 22, 28 and 33, refers to “a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” requirement (emphasis added), not to any number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling, e.g., “L time slots” as disclosed in [¶0103]. Manner III of the Specification discloses, at most, “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on [[the]] a number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling,” whereby the time unit “may be L time slots,” but does not disclose that “L” is “the number of slots [configured] for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling,” as required. Otherwise said, the Specification describes “L” as a time unit comprising a number of slots and configured by higher layer signaling, but the description of L is not sufficient for a person of ordinary skills in the art to understand that this L described in [¶0103] is the claimed “number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” based on which to further identify the one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling. This is more so when Manner III does not even teach a manner of bundling DRMS with the PUSCHs scheduled by the DCI, but only a manner of grouping those PUSCHs into PPCGs according to a time unit centered around successive PUSCHs, as shown in Figs. 14 and15. To be sure, the Specification teaches that a PPCG is an example of “uplink channel power control groups” wherein “at all PUSCH transmission occasions corresponding to all PUSCH transmissions in the PPCG the same accumulated value of closed-loop power control is used to adjust the transmission power for the corresponding PUSCH transmissions” – See [¶0054], while the “DMRSs carried in at least a part of successively transmitted PUSCH transmissions in the PPCG” may be used to “perform joint channel estimation based on the DMRSs” – See [¶0076]. Furthermore, methods of how “PPCGs are determined according to the DMRS time domain bundling indication information for PUSCH” are “illustrated in detail by means of Manner I and Manner II” – See [¶0082], hence not by the means of Manner III, as argued by the Applicant. Manner III is mainly concerned with grouping PUSCHs in PPCGs and only states by the end that “for each DTBG . . . [t]he joint channel estimation is performed by employing DMRSs carried in the PUSCHs included in the DTBG” whereby “the successive PUSCHs in a PPCG are replaced by the successive PUSCHs in a DTBG” – See [¶0107], one DTBG being defined as “DMRSs carried in all PUSCHs in one DTBG are used for joint channel estimation” – See [¶0084]. A person of ordinary skills in the art would reasonably understand from the disclosure of Manner III and the definition of a DTBG that “all PUSCHs in one DTBG” carry DMRSs, hence the number of successive PUSCHs constituting the time unit, as disclosed in Manner III, becomes the basis for the “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling grouping,” and not the “number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling . . . configured by higher layer,” as claimed.
In sum, the Specification fails to provide sufficient written description for the combination of the limitations “a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling” and “one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling,” therefore Amended Claims 16, 22, 28 and 33 reciting these limitations are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a).
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.
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 16-20, 22-26, and 28-37, as amended, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0014095 (hereinafter Ly), and further in view of Ly et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0322884 (hereinafter Ly2), supported by Provisional Application 62/950,026, filed December 18, 2019.
Regarding Amended Claim 1, Ly teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling2 (“the base station 105-b may transmit . . . via RRC signaling or via DCI,” i.e., higher layer signaling, “to the UE 115-b, an indication of a DMRS bundling configuration, or the DMRS bundling configuration itself, for one or more physical shared channels (for example, PUSCHs)” whereby “[t]he one or more physical shared channels may, in some implementations, repeat over multiple TTIs” and the “indication of the DMRS bundling configuration . . . based on . . . a quantity of repetitions of the one or more physical shared channels” – See [¶0135], whereby the “quantity of repetitions” of a PUSCH transmission is a number specified in 3GPP standards3, hence the DMRS bundling configuration indicates a number of slots for bundling; in the alternative, “a bit (such as an uplink-DMRS-bundling indicating bit) within the DCI may operate as a new data indicator (NDI) bit” – See [¶0101], i.e., “indicate that uplink DMRS bundling is enabled, such that uplink DMRS bundling may be performed by UE 115-a, when the uplink DMRS bundling bit within the DCI is not toggled across multiple consecutive transmissions of DCI” – See [¶0103], therefore DMRS bundling is configured across the number of slots between the first uplink scheduling DCI with uplink-DMRS-bundling bit “on” and the first uplink scheduling DCI that toggles the bit to “off”; see also [¶¶0052-54] explaining frame based transmissions; 3GPP TS 38.214:108-109 explaining PUSCH repetition types, including slot based, and tdd-UL-DL-Configuration of symbols per slot as defined by 3GPP TS 38.331:607-609),
receiving one downlink control information (DCI) that schedules physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions (“The base station may transmit DCI to the UE to configure the UE for uplink or downlink transmissions”– See [¶0040]; whereby “the DCI 305 may be a scheduling DCI 305, . . . or a group common (GC) DCI 305-c” and “may be associated with a PUSCH 315-c that may be repeated in multiple TTIs,” e.g., slots – See [¶0114] and Figs. 4B and 7A)
identifying one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling4 based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling, wherein a time group for the DMRS bundling comprises a plurality of PUSCH transmissions among the scheduled PUSCH repetitions within the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling (when DMRS bundling means “coherent transmission of DMRSs across multiple slots” that “may include the one or more physical shared channels and one or more associated DMRSs” to help the base station “improve a channel estimate by jointly processing the multiple bundled DMRSs” – See [¶0091] and the number of slots for DMRS bundle is based on “quantity of repetitions” of a PUSCH transmission as explained supra, “the example illustrated in FIG. 7A, a DMRS bundle may refer to the four DMRSs 702a through 702d that are transmitted using the same precoding matrix,” i.e., the time group for the DMRS bundling comprises all four slots because “the same PUSCH 703 may be repeated such that the same PUSCH 703 may be transmitted N times, for example four times, resulting in four transmissions of a same PUSCH” with their corresponding DMRSs mapped in each slot, e.g., following DMRS-UplinkConfig, as taught by 3GPP TS 38.211:72-73; but when number of slots for DMRS bundle is based on the uplink-DMRS-bundling indicating bit and the bit was enabled by a previous DCI and not toggled by the one DCI that schedules PUSCH repetitions “[t]he UE 115 may receive the DCI and may determine . . . to alter one or more parameters associated with the phase continuity” and “transmit an uplink transmission to the base station 105 based on the determination” – See [¶0091], resulting in, e.g., in “two sub-bundles of uplink DMRS-bundling phase continuity,” i.e., two time groups for the DMRS bundling, whereby, “a first DMRS bundle of phase continuity may refer to the four DMRSs 802a through 802d transmitted using the same precoding matrix,” based on the previous DCI, and “second DMRS bundle of phase continuity may refer to the four DMRSs 806a through 806d transmitted using the same precoding matrix” based on the current DCI – See [¶0152] and Fig. 8); and
performing the plurality of PUSCH transmissions with a same transmission power in the time group for the DMRS bundling (“FIG. 8 may illustrate two sub-bundles of uplink DMRS-bundling phase continuity” wherein “first DMRS bundle of phase continuity may refer to the four DMRSs 802a through 802d transmitted using the same precoding matrix and the same first transmit power. Similarly, a second DMRS bundle of phase continuity may refer to the four DMRSs 806a through 806d transmitted using the same precoding matrix and the same second transmit power” – See id.).
Ly2 also teaches PUSCH repetition with DMRS bundling using higher layer “signaling includes RRC signaling . . . downlink control signaling . . . MAC-CE signaling” – See [¶0240]. In addition, Ly2 specifically teaches:
a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling (“the base station 105 may configure the UE 115 to support PUSCH DMRS bundling operations for PUSCH repetition or PUSCH (re )transmission, or both . . . for each hop of a time domain hopping pattern . . . related to a PUSCH repetition or a PUSCH (re)transmission” – See [¶0175], i.e., the time domain hopping pattern configures the number of slots for DMRS bundling because “the base station 105 may transmit an indication of the number of symbols, minislots, or slots for PUSCH in each hop to the UE 115”, specifically “the base station 105 may transmit an indication of the number of symbols, mini slots, or slots for PUSCH DMRS coherent transmission in each hop to the UE” – See [¶0183]) and
identifying one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling (“[a]s a result, the UE 115 may bundle PUSCH DMRs of a PUSCH that belong to a same hop” – See [¶0175] and the “PUSCH DMRS coherent transmission is different for each hop” – See [¶0183], i.e., more than one time groups for the DMRS bundling are identified based on the number of slots configured for each slot).
Thus, Ly and Ly2 each discloses method and apparatus for DMRS bundling across multiple time-domain PUSCH repetitions. A person of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have understood that the configuring by a base station of the number of slots for PUSCH DMRS budling per each time-domain hop in Ly2 could have been substituted in for (or combined with) the indication of a DMRS bundling configuration by higher layer signaling as taught in Ly because both provide a UE with indication about budling PUSCH-DMRS pairs in time-domain. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the substitution/combination through techniques known in the art. Finally, the substitution achieves the predictable result of allowing the UEs to support PUSCH DMRS bundling operations for one or more hops of a time domain hopping pattern, as taught in Ly2.
Therefore, Amended Claim 16 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 17, dependent from Amended Claim 16, Ly further teaches the method of claim 16, wherein identifying the one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling includes:
identifying the PUSCH transmissions scheduled by the DCI as different time groups based on the number of slots (when “phase continuity may not exist across all eight of the consecutively transmitted DMRS-PUSCH pairs 804,” e.g., “when transmit power is changed between the consecutively transmitted DMRSs” – See [¶0151] and Fig. 8, whereby the configured number of slots for DMRS bundling is 8, the result is “two sub-bundles of uplink DMRS-bundling phase continuity” within the 8 slots – See [¶0152], i.e., two different time groups based on the configured number of slots for DMRS bundling).
Ly2 teaches the same in Fig. 11, showing PUSCH repetition, e.g., indicated by DCI, with DMRS bundling and time-domain hopping “based on a configuration by a base station 105 . . . and implemented by the UE 115” – See [¶0181] whereby the configuration indicates “one or more PUSCH DMRS 1105 that may be part of a PUSCH DMRS bundle 1110 and one or more PUSCH DMRS 1115 that may be part of a PUSCH DMRS bundle 1120” – See [¶0182], i.e., different time groups based on the configured number of slots in the time-domain hopping pattern.
Therefore, Amended Claim 17 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Claim 18, dependent from Amended Claim 17, Ly further teaches the method of claim 17, wherein the number of slots includes 2 (e.g., “FIG. 9 illustrates uplink DMRS bundling in which a transmit power associated with each of DMRS-PUSCH pairs 904 transmitted in consecutive transmission slots may not be maintained constant,” i.e., different time groups – See [¶0154], wherein “a first transmit power may be used to transmit the DMRSs 902a through 902c of the DMRS-PUSCH pairs 904a through 904c, a second transmit power may be used to transmit the DMRSs 906a through 906b of the DMRS-PUSCH pairs 904d through 904e, and a third transmit power may be used to transmit the DMRSs 908a through 908c of the DMRS-PUSCH pairs 904fthrough 904h,” i.e., N can be 2 or 3 – See [¶0155] and Fig. 9; see also See 3GPP TS 38.214:108, teaching that the number of repetitions K is “1,” i.e., two PUSCHs, when neither numberofrepetitions nor the pusch-AggregationFactor parameter is configured).
Therefore, Claim 18 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 19, dependent from Amended Claim 16, Ly further teaches the method of claim 16, wherein the one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling is identified based on a preset maximum time unit5 (“UE 115 may additionally or alternatively bundle DMRSs for example, in a time domain by transmitting (for example, coherently transmitting) the DMRSs in multiple TTIs or by transmitting (for example, coherently transmitting) the DMRSs in multiple slots” – See [¶0088], i.e., transmitting a time group, wherein “a non-contiguous time resource allocation having a timing gap between physical shared channel symbols larger than a given threshold may affect a phase continuity of the physical shared channel symbols, including symbols carrying the DMRSs 225” – See [¶0098] and Fig. 2, i.e., destroy the time group; therefore, the preset maximum time unit is the threshold number of contiguous symbols constituting the time gap beyond which the coherent transmission of DMRS groups, including across the groups, is affected) whereby the maximum time unit may be preset (“base station 105-b may additionally or alternatively transmit an indication of the DMRS bundling configuration based on . . . a timing gap between the one or more physical shared channel symbols, a quantity of repetitions of the one or more physical shared channels” – See [¶0135]). Furthermore, the maximum time unit for DMRS bundling of PUSH repetitions, e.g., in one bundle is preset by the RRC parameters specified in 3GPP TS 38.214:108 and defined by the various PUSCH config IE defined by 3GPP TS 38.331, i.e., the numberOfRepetitions preset at a maximum 16, and/or the pusch-AggregationFactor preset at maximum 8.
Therefore, Amended Claim 19 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 20, dependent from Amended Claim 16, Ly further teaches the method of claim 16, wherein identifying the one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling includes:
identifying successive PUSCH transmissions among the PUSCH repetitions scheduled by the one DCI as one time group for the DMRS bundling (“FIG. 8 may illustrate two sub-bundles of uplink DMRS-bundling phase continuity” wherein “first DMRS bundle of phase continuity may refer to the four DMRSs 802a through 802d transmitted using the same precoding matrix and the same first transmit power” – See [¶0152], i.e., a first time group for the DMRS bundling comprising successive PUSCH transmissions among the PUSCH repetitions, e.g., the “all eight of the DMRS-PUSCH pairs 804” in Fig. 8 – See [¶0151]).
Therefore, Amended Claim 20 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 22, Ly teaches a user equipment, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor configured to control the transceiver (“FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a device 1005 that supports physical shared channel reference signal bundling in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115” – See [¶0180]; see also Fig. 13 showing the transceiver in communication with the processor) to execute the steps required by Amended Claim 16 and recited with substantially the same language. Because Amended Claim 16 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2, Amended Claim 22 is also over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Claims 23-26, as amended, dependent from Amended Claim 22, each reciting the limitations in Claims 17-20, respectively, as amended, with no additional limitations, only applied to the user equipment of Amended Claim 22, Ly in view of Ly2 teaches each of the Claims 17-20, and 22, as amended. Therefore, each of the Claims 23-26, as amended, is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 28, Ly teaches a method performed by a base station (“a device 1505 that supports physical shared channel reference signal bundling in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure,” e.g., a base station 105 – See [¶0221] and Fig. 15, whereby “[t]he operations of method 2400 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components” – See [¶0293] and Fig. 24) the method comprising:
transmitting a higher layer signaling that configures a number of slots for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling (“The DMRS bundling configuration transmission component 1525 may transmit, to the UE, an indication of the DMRS bundling configuration” – See [¶0224] and step 2405 of Fig. 24; whereby “the DMRS bundling configuration transmission component 1615 transmits the indication of the DMRS bundling configuration via RRC signaling” – See [¶0229]),
transmitting one downlink control information (DCI) that schedules physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions (“The DCI component 1535 may transmit, to the UE based on receiving the indication of the UE capability . . . for DMRS bundling for the one or more physical shared channels” – See [¶0224], whereby “base station 105 may transmit DCI 505 to the UE 115 that includes scheduling . . . for one or more PUSCHs 515 that may carry one or more DMRSs 510” – See [¶0127] and “may be associated with a PUSCH 315-c that may be repeated in multiple TTIs” – See [¶0114]);
determining one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling based on the number of slots configured by the higher layer signaling (when DMRS bundling means “coherent transmission of DMRSs across multiple slots” that “may include the one or more physical shared channels and one or more associated DMRSs” to help the base station “improve a channel estimate by jointly processing the multiple bundled DMRSs” – See [¶0091] and the number of slots for DMRS bundle is based on “quantity of repetitions” of a PUSCH transmission, “a DMRS bundle may refer to the four DMRSs 702a through 702d that are transmitted using the same precoding matrix,” i.e., the time group for the DMRS bundling comprises all four slots because the base station uses the same precoding matrix across all four slots)
wherein the same limitations apply to the one or more time groups for the DMRS bundling as recited in Amended Claim 16 with the same language; and
receiving the plurality PUSCH transmissions with a same transmission power in the time group for the DMRS bundling (“the base station may receive, from the UE based on transmitting the DCI, one or more bundled DMRSs associated with one or more physical shared channel symbols associated with the one or more physical shared channels” – See [¶0298], including the case where, as in Fig. 7A, “uplink DMRS bundling in which a same DMRS-PUSCH pair 704 may be transmitted (for example, by a UE 115 or a mobile device) in four consecutive transmission slots using the same pre coding matrix for each DMRS-PUSCH pair 704” and “same PUSCH 703 may be repeated such that the same PUSCH 703 may be transmitted N times, for example four times, resulting in four transmissions of a same PUSCH, such as the PUSCHs 703a, 703b, 703c, and 703d” – See [¶0145], wherein “a transmit power for transmission of each of the DMRS-PUSCH pairs of FIG. 7 A . . . may be maintained constant to maintain phase continuity across the multiple DMRSs transmitted consecutively on the uplink” – See [¶0148]).
Therefore, Amended Claim 28 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Claims 29-32, as amended, dependent from Amended Claim 28, Ly in view of Ly2 further teaches the method of claim 28, wherein the limitations are recited using the same language and for the same limitations of the DMRS bundling as are disclosed in Claims 17-20, respectively, each as amended. Because each of the Claims 17-20, and 28, as amended, is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2, Claims 29-32, as amended, are obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Amended Claim 33, any of Ly and Ly2 further teaches a base station comprising: a transceiver; and a processor configured to control the transceiver, e.g., as shown in Fig. 17 of Ly and Figs. 16-19 of Ly2, whereby the base station performs the steps of Amended Claim 28. Because Amended Claim 28 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2, Amended Claim 33 is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Regarding Claims 34-37, as amended, dependent from Amended Claim 33, each of these claims recites the same limitations using the same language as for the limitations disclosed in in Claims 23-26, respectively, each as amended. Because each of the Claims 23-26 and 33, as amended, is obvious over Ly in view of Ly2, Claims 34-37, as amended, are obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
In sum, Claims 16-20, 22-26, and 28-37, as amended, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Ly in view of Ly2.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Ma et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0087095 discloses DMRS multi-slot bundling for PDCCH;
Chen et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0092820 discloses method, a terminal device, a network device and a computer storage medium of uplink power control, wherein the method comprises: determining number of bits of a Transmission Power Control TPC command field of the terminal device in Downlink Control Information DCI;
Kwak et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20230396385 discloses PUCCH DM-RS enhancement based on usage of slot bundling or the number of slots for scheduling whereby a WTRU receives DCI which schedules a number of bundled slots which is larger than a threshold;
Manolakos et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0222380 discloses for time domain bundling of demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) in slot aggregation;
Manolakos et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20190319757 disclosing a method of transmitting uplink signals by a user equipment in a wireless communication system performing DMRS bundling/sharing for the purpose of reducing DMRS overhead;
Manolakos et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0078867 disclosing shared channel communications to be time-domain reference signal (RS) bundled based at least in part on an RS associated with the shared channel;
Lee et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0221474 disclosing repeatedly transmitting a first SPS uplink signal to the base station, whereby a time resource of a second SPS uplink signal overlaps;
Hwang et al., U.S. Patent No. 11,394,590 discloses method for transmitting, by a terminal, DMRS in a wireless communication system supporting narrowband (NB)-Internet of things (IOT) with a 2-slot bundle;
3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #101, R1-2005004, Agenda item: 8.4.1, Title: “[101-e-NR-Cov-Enh] Email discussion on evaluation methodology and simulation assumptions for NR coverage enhancements” for Rel-17, Source: China Telecom (moderator), published June 7, 2020;
3GPP TR 37.910 V16.1.0 (2019-09), “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on self evaluation towards IMT-2020 submission (Release 16)”;
3GPP TS 38.331 V16.0.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 16),” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.331), considered the “Bible” of RRC procedures and associated messages;
3GPP TS 38.211 V16.1.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 16)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.211), cited by 3GPP TS 38.331 in relationship with uplink DMRS configuration through RRC;
3GPP TS 38.214 V16.1.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 16),” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.214) cited by 3GPP TS 38.331 in relationship with configuration of PUSCH transmissions;
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/L.G.G./ Examiner, Art Unit 2478
/JOSEPH E AVELLINO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2478
1 In addition, Ly even considers factoring in the configured number of PUSCH TTIs the UE capability for DMRS bundling – See [¶0136] (“the UE 115-b may transmit, to the base station 105-b and based on receiving the DMRS bundling configuration, an indication of a capability of the UE 115-b for DMRS bundling for the one or more physical shared channels (for example, PUSCHs)”).
2 The Specification does not define “DMRS bundling” per se, therefore the understanding of a person of ordinary skills in the art would apply here, e.g. mapping of DMRS symbols onto slots with PUSCH transmission occasions based on the DMRS-UplinkConfig IE, as explained in § 6.4.1.1.3 of 3GPP TS 38.211 V16.1.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 16)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.211); accord with Ly, wherein bundling means, “transmitting multiple, redundant versions of a same set of DMRSs to a base station in one or more transmission time intervals (TTIs) or one or more slots” – See [¶0005]; “DMRS bundling may be achieved by using the same precoding matrix to code or map multiple DMRSs transmitted consecutively” – See [¶0092] whereby “same precoding matrix may be used for multiple consecutive transmissions of DMRS-PUSCH pairs to achieve phase continuity across the multiple consecutively transmitted DMRSs” so that “a base station 105 may more easily estimate a channel” – See [¶0093].
3 See, e.g., § 6.1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 V16.1.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 16),” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.214), disclosing that, e.g., “[f]or PUSCH repetition Type A, the PUSCH mapping type is set to Type A,” i.e., slot based repetitions, “the same symbol allocation is applied across the K consecutive slots” whereby “the number of repetitions K is determined as” the numberofrepetitions parameter if configured, else as pusch-AggregationFactor parameter, if configured, and else as “1” – See 3GPP TS 38.214:108; see also 3GPP TS 38.331 V16.0.0 (2020-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 16),” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.331), defining, at page 502-503, the RRC Information Element PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationNew, indicating the numberOfRepetitions field for a DCI format 0_1/0_2 (see TS 38.214 [19], clause 6.1.2.1) and the startSymbol field for indicating on which symbol in a slot should a PUSCH be transmitted; further defining, at page 489-495, the IE PUSCH-Config comprising the pusch-AggregationFactor field, as the “[n]umber of repetitions for data (see TS 38.214 [19], clause 6.1.2.1)” and the dmrs-UplinkForPUSCH-MappingTypeA field, indicating “DMRS configuration for PUSCH transmissions using PUSCH mapping type A (chosen dynamically via PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation).”
4 As stated in Note 2, the Specification does not define “DMRS bundling,” but only discloses “DMRS time domain bundling indication information for PUSCH (illustrated in detail by means of Manner I and Manner II . . . )” – See [¶0082] whereby a “DMRS time domain bundling is performed” on “PUSCHs for at least two transmission occasions,” and a “DMRS time bundling group (DTBG)” comprises “DMRSs carried in all PUSCHs . . . used for joint channel estimation” – See [¶0084]. This is not different from the teachings in Ly, whereby “a UE 115 is to perform DMRS bundling on one or more physical shared channels (for example, one or more PUSCHs)” – See [¶0090], whereby bundling means “for example, maintain a phase continuity or precoder continuity . . . including symbols carrying DMRSs (for example, coherent transmission of DMRSs across multiple slots)” and “the uplink transmission may include the one or more physical shared channels and one or more associated DMRSs” so that “base station 105 may receive the DMRSs from the UE 115 and may improve a channel estimate by jointly processing the multiple bundled DMRSs”– See [¶0091].
5 The Specification further defines “preset” numbers N1, N2, N3, and N4 of PUSCH repetitions “belonging to one PPCG” – See [¶0106] [¶0110],[¶0116] but no “preset maximum time unit” identifying a time-group for DMRS bundling. While it is true that the Specification defines a “time unit” as both “L time slots” and “P OFDM symbols” – See [¶0103], and further teaches that a “PPCG is grouped based on a preset maximum number of OFDM symbols in PUSCHs” – See [¶0125], the OFDM symbols are frequency division multiplexed over a time unit hence it is difficult for a person of ordinary skills in the art to map a ”preset maximum time unit” over a number of OFDM symbols. Furthermore, the Specification is silent as to PUSCH repetition type B (symbol level) as requirement for counting repetitions in terms of symbols.