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 .
Claim Interpretation
Specification stated that “[0088] It is further noted that herein the terms UL beam, UL TCI (Transmission configuration indicator) state, spatial relation, SRI (SRS resource indicator), and UL transmit spatial filter refer to the same thing and can be used interchangeably.”
A person with ordinary skill in the art would understand Ling; Wei et al. US 20230309022 A1 teaches “multiple beam mapping patterns for mapping at least two beams to at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions,” ([0120] Furthermore, a mapping pattern (or called a beam mapping pattern) is configured by higher layer signaling (for example, RRC signaling) to indicate each repetition of a configured grant PUSCH transmission is associated with which SRS resource for codebook based transmission or SRS resource subset for non-codebook based transmission indicated by the multiple SRS resource indicators or the enhanced SRS resource indicator.)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 31, 34, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ling; Wei et al. US PGPUB 20230309022 A1.
Regarding claim 31. Ling teaches A method, comprising: providing a user equipment with a first configuration comprising multiple beam mapping patterns for mapping at least two beams to at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions, ([0120] Furthermore, a mapping pattern (or called a beam mapping pattern) is configured by higher layer signaling (for example, RRC signaling) to indicate each repetition of a configured grant PUSCH transmission is associated with which SRS resource for codebook based transmission or SRS resource subset for non-codebook based transmission indicated by the multiple SRS resource indicators or the enhanced SRS resource indicator.)
wherein one or more beam mapping patterns are associated with at least one time domain resource assignment option; ([0108] As shown in FIG. 2, in step 210, a BS may transmit a configuration for a configured grant PUSCH transmission which is configured to be transmitted in a plurality of time intervals repeatedly by higher layer signaling, for example, RRC signaling.) and
providing the user equipment with an indication of a time domain resource assignment for allocating network resources for a physical uplink shared channel repetition operation. ([0108] As shown in FIG. 2, in step 210, a BS may transmit a configuration for a configured grant PUSCH transmission which is configured to be transmitted in a plurality of time intervals repeatedly by higher layer signaling,)
Regarding claim 34. Ling teaches An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, (Fig. 8) cause the apparatus at least to perform the method in claim 31. They are rejected for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 37. Ling teaches A non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions ([0180] the steps of a method may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.) executable with the apparatus for performing the method of claim 31. It is rejected for the same reasons.
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 15-20, 22-27, 32-33 and 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ling, further in view of Zhang; Yushu et al. US PGPUB 20220304035 A1.
Regarding claim 15. Ling teaches A method, comprising:
obtaining, with a user equipment, a first configuration from a network element, the first configuration comprising multiple beam mapping patterns for mapping at least two beams to at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions, ([0120] Furthermore, a mapping pattern (or called a beam mapping pattern) is configured by higher layer signaling (for example, RRC signaling) to indicate each repetition of a configured grant PUSCH transmission is associated with which SRS resource for codebook based transmission or SRS resource subset for non-codebook based transmission indicated by the multiple SRS resource indicators or the enhanced SRS resource indicator.) wherein one or more beam mapping patterns are associated with at least one time domain resource assignment option; ([0108] As shown in FIG. 2, in step 210, a BS may transmit a configuration for a configured grant PUSCH transmission which is configured to be transmitted in a plurality of time intervals repeatedly by higher layer signaling, for example, RRC signaling.)
obtaining an indication of a time domain resource assignment for a physical uplink shared channel repetition operation from the network element; ([0108] As shown in FIG. 2, in step 210, a BS may transmit a configuration for a configured grant PUSCH transmission which is configured to be transmitted in a plurality of time intervals repeatedly by higher layer signaling,)
Ling does not teach
checking whether one or more beam mapping patterns are associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment; and
if one beam mapping pattern is associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment, using said one beam mapping pattern for mapping said at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions; or else
selecting, from the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment, one beam mapping pattern for mapping said at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions according to predefined criteria.
However, Zhang teaches
checking whether one or more beam mapping patterns are associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment; ([0086] The operation flow/algorithmic structure 600 may include, at 604, processing DCI(s) to determine a schedule of a PUSCH transmission. The DCI(s) may include single DCI, two-stage DCI, or multi-DCI that may be used to schedule a PUSCH transmission with a plurality of repetitions on at least two transmit beams.) and
if one beam mapping pattern is associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment, using said one beam mapping pattern for mapping said at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions; ([0087] In some embodiments, a plurality of repetition sets may correspond to a respective plurality of transmit beams. The repetition sets may be configured differently. In some embodiments, the different configurations may include different FDRA configurations, TDRA configurations, or MCS configurations. In some embodiments, the DCI(s) received at 604 may indicate, alone or in conjunction with other control signaling (for example, RRC configuration signaling), the different configurations for the different repetition sets.) or else
selecting, from the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment, one beam mapping pattern for mapping said at least two physical uplink shared channel repetitions according to predefined criteria. ([0091] The operation flow/algorithmic structure 600 may further include, at 608, transmitting the PUSCH transmission with repetitions using a plurality of transmit beams. The UE may transmit the PUSCH transmission with the repetition sets on respective transmit beams according to their different configurations.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 16. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach wherein the one or more beam mapping patterns are associated as common for said time domain resource assignment options.
However, Zhang teaches wherein the one or more beam mapping patterns are associated as common for said time domain resource assignment options. ([0079] In some embodiments, the N DCIs may include common information that allows the UE 104 to determine the plurality of DCIs respectively correspond to a plurality of repetition sets on different beams rather than retransmissions of the PUSCH transmission or transmission of another PUSCH transmission. This common information may include, for example, an uplink (UL)/supplementary UL indicator; bandwidth part indicator; hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number; uplink-shared channel (UL-SCH) indicator; or new data indicator.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 17. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach wherein a different set of one or more beam mapping patterns is associated with said time domain resource assignment options.
However, Zhang teaches
wherein a different set of one or more beam mapping patterns is associated with said time domain resource assignment options. ([0087] In some embodiments, a plurality of repetition sets may correspond to a respective plurality of transmit beams. The repetition sets may be configured differently. In some embodiments, the different configurations may include different FDRA configurations, TDRA configurations, or MCS configurations.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 18. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach comprising, configuring said one or more beam mapping patterns according to one or more of the following parameters: a type of the mapping pattern; or a basis for mapping.
However, Zhang teaches comprising, configuring said one or more beam mapping patterns according to one or more of the following parameters: a type of the mapping pattern; or a basis for mapping. ([0054] In some embodiments, the single DCI may include one or more TDRA fields to allocate time domain resources for the PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the single DCI may include a time domain resource assignment field to define a pointer toward a row within a lookup table that is configured by 3GPP technical specification or RRC signaling. The lookup table may define a slot offset, a PUSCH mapping type, a starting symbol, and a number of allocated symbols. The PUSCH mapping types may be mapping type A or mapping type B and may determine a number of allowed combinations of PUSCH starting symbol and lengths for normal and extended cyclic prefixes.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 19. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach comprising storing said predefined criteria in a non-transitory memory of the user equipment.
However, Zhang teaches
storing said predefined criteria ([0091] … The UE may transmit the PUSCH transmission with the repetition sets on respective transmit beams according to their different configurations.) in a non-transitory memory of the user equipment. ([0113] The memory/storage 1012 may include one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 1036) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 1004 to cause the UE 1000 to perform various operations described herein.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 20. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach comprising obtaining a second configuration from the network element, the second configuration comprising said predefined criteria for selecting among the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment.
However, Zhang teaches
obtaining a second configuration from the network element, the second configuration comprising said predefined criteria for selecting among the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment. ([0134] Example 1 may include a method of operating a UE, the method comprising: processing one or more downlink control information (DCI) to determine a schedule of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission with a plurality of repetitions, wherein first repetitions of the plurality of repetitions are to be transmitted with a first transmit beam with a first configuration and second repetitions of the plurality of repetitions are to be transmitted with a second transmit beam, wherein the first and the second configurations include different time or frequency allocations or modulation orders; )
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 22. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach comprising selecting the type of the mapping pattern that maximizes the number of beam switching instances.
However, Zhang teaches
selecting the type of the mapping pattern that maximizes the number of beam switching instances. ([0054] In some embodiments, the single DCI may include one or more TDRA fields to allocate time domain resources for the PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the single DCI may include a time domain resource assignment field to define a pointer toward a row within a lookup table that is configured by 3GPP technical specification or RRC signaling. The lookup table may define a slot offset, a PUSCH mapping type, a starting symbol, and a number of allocated symbols. The PUSCH mapping types may be mapping type A or mapping type B and may determine a number of allowed combinations of PUSCH starting symbol and lengths for normal and extended cyclic prefixes.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 23. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling does not teach comprising selecting the type of the mapping pattern that minimizes the number of repetitions towards at least one transmission or reception point.
However, Zhang teaches
selecting the type of the mapping pattern that minimizes the number of repetitions towards at least one transmission or reception point. ([0054] In some embodiments, the single DCI may include one or more TDRA fields to allocate time domain resources for the PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the single DCI may include a time domain resource assignment field to define a pointer toward a row within a lookup table that is configured by 3GPP technical specification or RRC signaling. The lookup table may define a slot offset, a PUSCH mapping type, a starting symbol, and a number of allocated symbols. The PUSCH mapping types may be mapping type A or mapping type B and may determine a number of allowed combinations of PUSCH starting symbol and lengths for normal and extended cyclic prefixes.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 24. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, comprising using a starting redundancy version indication per transmission or reception point to determine the type of the mapping pattern. ([0054] In some embodiments, the single DCI may include one or more TDRA fields to allocate time domain resources for the PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the single DCI may include a time domain resource assignment field to define a pointer toward a row within a lookup table that is configured by 3GPP technical specification or RRC signaling. The lookup table may define a slot offset, a PUSCH mapping type, a starting symbol, and a number of allocated symbols. The PUSCH mapping types may be mapping type A or mapping type B and may determine a number of allowed combinations of PUSCH starting symbol and lengths for normal and extended cyclic prefixes.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 25. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, and Ling teaches comprising selecting a default type of the mapping pattern among a plurality of patterns satisfying the predefined criteria. ([0072] If the DCI format activating the PUSCH transmission does not include an SRI field, the UE determines an RS resource index q.sub.d with a respective PUSCH-PathlossReferenceRS-Id value being equal to zero where the RS resource is either on serving cell c or, if provided, on a serving cell indicated by a value of pathlossReferenceLinking PL.sub.b,j,c(q.sub.d) = referenceSignalPower - higher layer filtered RSRP,)
Regarding claim 26. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling teaches comprising obtaining an indication from the network element to activate or deactivate the mapping of the at least two beams for the physical uplink shared channel repetition operation. ([0141] For configured grant Type 2 PUSCH, there is no rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant in configuredGrantConfig in the RRC signaling, and a UE may receive a DCI to activate a configured grant Type 2 PUSCH transmission, from a BS. If there is a SRI field in the DCI, a SRS resource in a SRS resource set with usage set as ‘codebook’ is indicated by the SRI field for codebook based PUSCH transmission or a subset of SRS resources in a SRS resource set with usage set as ‘non-codebook’ are indicated by the SRI field for non-codebook based PUSCH transmission in R15.)
Regarding claim 27. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, Ling teaches comprising obtaining an indication from the network element to use a specific beam mapping pattern. ([0141] For configured grant Type 2 PUSCH, there is no rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant in configuredGrantConfig in the RRC signaling, and a UE may receive a DCI to activate a configured grant Type 2 PUSCH transmission, from a BS. If there is a SRI field in the DCI, a SRS resource in a SRS resource set with usage set as ‘codebook’ is indicated by the SRI field for codebook based PUSCH transmission or a subset of SRS resources in a SRS resource set with usage set as ‘non-codebook’ are indicated by the SRI field for non-codebook based PUSCH transmission in R15.)
Regarding claim 32. Ling teaches The method according to claim 31, but it does not teach comprising providing the user equipment with a second configuration comprising predefined criteria for selecting among the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment.
However, Zhang teaches
providing the user equipment with a second configuration comprising predefined criteria ([0086] The operation flow/algorithmic structure 600 may include, at 604, processing DCI(s) to determine a schedule of a PUSCH transmission. The DCI(s) may include single DCI, two-stage DCI, or multi-DCI that may be used to schedule a PUSCH transmission with a plurality of repetitions on at least two transmit beams.) for selecting among the multiple beam mapping patterns associated with the indicated time domain resource assignment. (([0091] The operation flow/algorithmic structure 600 may further include, at 608, transmitting the PUSCH transmission with repetitions using a plurality of transmit beams. The UE may transmit the PUSCH transmission with the repetition sets on respective transmit beams according to their different configurations.)
in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability by supporting configured grant implementation with beam mapping.
Ling and Zhang 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Zhang in order to reduce communication latency and improve reliability.
Regarding claim 33. Ling and Zhang teach An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed with the at least one processor, (Ling Fig. 7) cause the apparatus at least to: perform the method in claim 15. They are rejected for the same reasons.
Regarding claim 36. Ling and Zhang teach A non-transitory program storage device readable with an apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable with the apparatus (Ling Fig. 7) for performing the method of claim 15. They are rejected for the same reasons.
Claims 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ling and Zhang as applied to claim 15, further in view of NAM; Wooseok et al. US PGPUB 20210337526 A1.
Regarding claim 21. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 15, but they don’t teach comprising selecting the type of the mapping pattern that minimizes the number of symbols that need to be muted accounting for at least one beam switching delay.
However, Nam teaches
selecting the type of the mapping pattern ([0095] Spatial QCL assumptions (QCL-TypeD) may be used to help a UE to select an analog Rx beam (e.g., during beam management procedures). For example, an SSB resource indicator may indicate a same beam for a previous reference signal should be used for a subsequent transmission.) that minimizes the number of symbols that need to be muted accounting for at least one beam switching delay. ([0099] if a beam switching delay associated with a beam switch exceeds a threshold value. As will be described in greater detail below, the techniques presented herein may allow for handling situations where beam switching delay exceeds a cyclic prefix (CP) duration of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbol.)
in order to avoid service interruption by giving UE enough time to switch beams ([0101])
Ling and Nam 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 Ling with the technique of beam switching time in Nam in order to avoid service interruption.
Claim 35 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ling and Zhang as applied to claim 15, further in view of Liu; Bingchao et al. US PGPUB 20230353298 A1.
Regarding claim 35. Ling and Zhang teach The method according to claim 18, but they don’t teach
wherein the type of the mapping pattern comprises one or more of sequential mapping, cyclical mapping, or half-to-half mapping; and wherein the basis for mapping comprises one or more of mapping performed on nominal physical uplink shared channel repetitions, actual physical uplink shared channel repetitions, at least one symbol basis, or a slot-basis.
However, Liu teaches
wherein the type of the mapping pattern comprises one or more of sequential mapping, cyclical mapping, or half-to-half mapping; and wherein the basis for mapping comprises one or more of mapping performed on nominal physical uplink shared channel repetitions, actual physical uplink shared channel repetitions, at least one symbol basis, or a slot-basis. ([0041] In step 206, the plurality of actual PUSCH repetitions using the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern and a mapping scheme may be transmitted. The mapping scheme may be one of: beam mapping per slot, beam mapping per nominal repetition and beam mapping per actual repetition. In other words, the plurality of actual PUSCH repetitions are mapped to the plurality of spatial relation information based on the mapping pattern, e.g., the cyclical mapping pattern or the sequential mapping pattern, and also based on beam mapping per slots, beam mapping per nominal repetition, or beam mapping per actual repetition.)
in order to increase the reliability and robustness of uplink data transmissions. ([0022])
Ling and Liu 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 Ling with the technique of beam mapping in Liu in order to increase the reliability and robustness of uplink data transmissions.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZHAOHUI YANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7527. The examiner can normally be reached 9 AM to 5 PM M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marcus Smith can be reached at 571 270-1096. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZHAOHUI YANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2468
/MARCUS SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2468