DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-4, 9-11, 21-22, 29-31, 41-42, 49-51, 63-66 and 71-73 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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 9-11, 21-22, 29-31, 41-42, 49-51, 63-65 and 71-73 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cheng (US Pub. 2020/0314763).
Regarding claim 1, Cheng discloses a method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
receiving, from a base station, an indication (par.008 “receiving a transmission power control (TPC) command indicating at least a power control adjust value carried by downlink control information (DCI)”) of a configuration for a multi-panel transmission power control command to be transmitted by the base station (par.008 “a method of closed-loop power control for…multi-panel……a power control adjust value carried by downlink control information DCI….applying the power control adjust value to at least one antenna panel for ……PUSCH….PUCCH”);
receiving, according to the indicated configuration, a downlink control information message comprising a first field indicative of a first transmission power control command for a first antenna panel (par.055 “DCI format ….2bits in the DCI…..the PC command to the antenna panel with index 00 of the bit field is 00”) and a second field indicative of a second transmission power control command for a second antenna panel (par.059 “TPC command to the indicated antenna panel”, par.061 “TPC command… 11….antenna panel information is 01”).
determining, based at least in part on the first field indicating the first transmission power control command for the first antenna panel and the second field indicating the second transmission power control command for second first antenna panel in the downlink control information message, a first transmit power for the first antenna panel of the UE and a second transmit power for the second antenna panel of the UE (par.055, 059, 061); and
transmitting an uplink signal using the first antenna panel at the first transmit power and the second antenna panel at the second transmit power (par.008, 055, 059, 061).
Regarding claims 2, 22, 42 and 64, Cheng discloses determining, based at least in part on the received indication, that the configuration for the multi-panel transmission power control command indicates that the downlink control information message comprises the first transmission power control command (par.055) and second transmission power control command, wherein the first transmission power control command is different from the second transmission power control command (par.058 “the TPC command….11 indicates increasing 3 dB TX power…….index in the DCI format….is 01”, par.061 “antenna panel is information is 01”).
Regarding claims 3 and 64, Cheng discloses determining the first transmit power based at least in part on the first transmission power control command; and determining the second transmit power based at least in part on the second transmission power control command, wherein the second transmission power control command includes a differential value applied to the first transmission power control command (par.061 “increasing 3 dB TX power”).
Regarding claims 9, 29, 49 and 71, Cheng discloses determining, based at least in part on the received indication (par.008 “receiving a transmission power control (TPC) command indicating at least a power control adjust value carried by downlink control information (DCI)”) that the configuration for the multi-panel transmission power control command indicates that the downlink control information message comprises the first transmission power control command and the second transmission power control command, wherein the first transmission power control command is a same value (par.074 “the same power control adjust value”) as the second transmission power control command (par.055, 059, 061).
Regarding claims 10, 30, 50 or 72, Cheng discloses receiving the configuration comprises: receiving, from the base station, radio resource control signaling (par.029) or a medium access control element comprising the indication of the configuration (consideration is optional).
Regarding claims 11, 31, 51 and 73, Cheng discloses the downlink control information message comprises the indication of the configuration (par.034 “the DCI…….an UL transmission configuration indicator”).
Regarding claim 21, Cheng discloses everything as claim 1 above. More specifically, Cheng discloses an apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more processors, one or more memories coupled with the one or more processors; and instructions stored in the one or more memories and executable by the one or more processors (par.009).
Regarding claim 41, Cheng discloses a method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
means for receiving, from a base station, an indication (par.008 “receiving a transmission power control (TPC) command indicating at least a power control adjust value carried by downlink control information (DCI)”) of a configuration for a multi-panel transmission power control command to be transmitted by the base station (par.008 “a method of closed-loop power control for…multi-panel……a power control adjust value carried by downlink control information DCI….applying the power control adjust value to at least one antenna panel for ……PUSCH….PUCCH”);
means for receiving, according to the indicated configuration, a downlink control information message comprising a first field indicative of a first transmission power control command for a first antenna panel (par.055 “DCI format ….2bits in the DCI…..the PC command to the antenna panel with index 00 of the bit field is 00”) and a second field indicative of a second transmission power control command for a second antenna panel (par.059 “TPC command to the indicated antenna panel”, par.061 “TPC command… 11….antenna panel information is 01”).
means for determining, based at least in part on the first field indicating the first transmission power control command for the first antenna panel and the second field indicating the second transmission power control command for second first antenna panel in the downlink control information message, a first transmit power for the first antenna panel of the UE and a second transmit power for the second antenna panel of the UE (par.055, 059, 061); and
means for transmitting an uplink signal using the first antenna panel at the first transmit power and the second antenna panel at the second transmit power (par.008, 055, 059, 061).
Regarding claim 63, Cheng discloses everything as claim 1 above. More specifically, Cheng discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processors (par.009).
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.
Claims 4 and 66 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng (US Pub. 2020/0314763) in view of Chen (2022/0369235).
Regarding claims 4 and 66, Cheng discloses the first transmission power control command comprises two bits par.058 “the TPC command….11 indicates increasing 3 dB TX power…….index in the DCI format….is 01”, par.061 “antenna panel is information is 01”). Cheng fails to teach the second transmission power control command comprises one bit.
Chen discloses the second transmission power control command comprises one bit (par.0104 “1 bit in the first DCI can indicate that a certain closed-loop power control”). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the system of Cheng with the above teaching of Chen in order to provide Closed-loop power control for different states.
Conclusion
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.
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/TU X NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2642