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 .
Response to Amendment
This communication is in response to the amendment of 11/7/2025. Accordingly, Claims 17-20 are currently pending in the application and claims 1-16 withdrawn.
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.
Claim(s) 17, 18, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gorokhov et al. (US 2011/0098054) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2010/0226327).
Regarding claim 17, Gorokhov discloses a method of operating a wireless communication system (systems and methodologies are described that facilitate configuring a sounding reference signal transmission in a wireless communication environment and the multiple cells can coordinate to set and control a transmit power of the sounding reference signal, abstract) , comprising:
transmitting uplink transmit power control commands via a downlink control information (DCI) (a power control command specifying the power adjustment can be transmitted to the UE. In an example, the power control command can be included in downlink control information and power control adjustments based upon explicit power control commands included in downlink control information and serving base station 210…can provide power control information and configuration information to UE 230 via one or more downlinks and serving base station 210 can explicitly signal configuration information and power control commands to UE 230, wherein the configuration information and power control commands are generated in part on data provided by neighbor base station 220 to serving base station 210 over the backhaul, [0098] and [0048] and [0081] and [0071] and [0074] and [0096]-[0099]) from a network to a user equipment (System 300 can include a serving base station 210, neighbor base station 220, and UE 230,…In addition to transmitting downlink data to UE 230, serving base station 210 and/or neighbor base station 220 can provide power control information and configuration information to UE 230 via one or more downlinks. Further, UE 230 can transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) to serving base station 210 and neighbor base station 220 via one or more uplinks and serving base station 210 can include a power control module 312 that generates power control configuration parameters and/or power control commands which can be signaled to UE 230 to establish transmit power of the SRS, [0071]-[0072] and [0074] and [0083] and [0087] and [0095] and [0098] and figure 3 and figure 6 and figure 7);
receiving, at a user equipment, a first uplink transmit power control command for transmitting uplink control information and/or a sounding reference signal to a first base station (two or more power control commands are received from a plurality of cells within the cooperating set. At reference numeral 704, transmit power of sounding reference signal transmissions can be incrementally adjusted based upon the power control command… the sounding reference signal can be transmitted to one or more members of the cooperating set in accordance with the adjusted transmit power, [0095] and [0071]-[0072] and [0074] and [0083] and [0087] and [0098] and figure 3 and figure 6 and figure 7);
receiving, at the user equipment, a second uplink transmit power control command for transmitting a sounding reference signal to a second base station (two or more power control commands are received from a plurality of cells within the cooperating set. At reference numeral 704, transmit power of sounding reference signal transmissions can be incrementally adjusted based upon the power control command…At reference numeral 706, the sounding reference signal can be transmitted to one or more members of the cooperating set in accordance with the adjusted transmit power, [0095] and [0071]-[0072] and [0074] and [0083] and [0087] and [0098] and figure 3 and figure 6 and figure 7).
Gorokhov however fails to disclose at least two uplink transmit power control commands via a single downlink control information (DCI) format in a single downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission and receiving at the user equipment via the signal PDDCH transmission. However in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang discloses at least two uplink transmit power control commands via a single downlink control information (DCI) format in a single downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission and receiving at the user equipment via the signal PDDCH transmission (base station transmits a Downlink (DL) grant to a subscriber station in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and Power Control (PC) bits can be provided in the UL SA grant (DCI format) and receiving, by a receiver, a transmit power control (TPC) command message jointly encoding a plurality of TPC fields, wherein each of the plurality of TPC fields is…to associate with at least one of the plurality of uplink component carriers and multiple PC fields 1225, 1230 exists in the UL SA 1240. There is a first PC field 1225 for CCC1 1215 and a second PC field 1230 for CCC2 1220 in the UL transmission and the index to the TPC command is provided…for each subscriber station and each CCC, [0004] and [0012] and [0094] and [0101]-[0102] and [0091]-[0092] and [0096] and [0049] and [0058] and figure 1 and figure 12B and figure 13). It would have thus 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 to incorporate the concept of transmitting at least two uplink power control commands via single DCI format in a signal PDCCH transmission as disclosed by Zhang into the method for configuring sounding reference signal transmissions comprising transmitting power control commands via downlink control information as disclosed by Gorokhov in order to improve such method and flexibly provide power control commands to a UE, such as via a single DCI, in order to reduce resources and overhead.
Regarding claim 18, Gorokhov discloses a transmit power control command for transmitting uplink control information and/or a sounding reference signal to the first base station and a transmit power control command for transmitting a sounding reference signal to the second base station (In another aspect, two or more power control commands are received from a plurality of cells within the cooperating set. At reference numeral 704, transmit power of sounding reference signal transmissions can be incrementally adjusted based upon the power control command…the sounding reference signal can be transmitted to one or more members of the cooperating set in accordance with the adjusted transmit power, [0095] and [0071]-[0072] and [0074] and [0083] and [0087] and [0098] and figure 3 and figure 6 and figure 7).
Gorokhov however fails to disclose determining at least two indices in a group power control command received in a detected downlink control information format, wherein a first index indicates a transmit power control command and a second index indicates a transmit power control command. Zhang however discloses at least two indices in a group power control command received in a detected downlink control information format, wherein a first index indicates a transmit power control command and a second index indicates a transmit power control command (Power Control (PC) bits can be provided in the UL SA grant (DCI format) and receiving , by a receiver, a transmit power control (TPC) command message jointly encoding a plurality of TPC fields, wherein each of the plurality of TPC fields is…to associate with at least one of the plurality of uplink component carriers and multiple PC fields 1225, 1230 exists in the UL SA 1240. There is a first PC field 1225 for CCC1 1215 and a second PC field 1230 for CCC2 1220 in the UL transmission and the index to the TPC command is provided…for each subscriber station and each CCC, [0004] and [0012] and [0094] and [0101]-[0102] and [0091]-[0092] and [0096] and [0049] and [0058] and figure 1 and figure 12B and figure 13). It 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 to incorporate the concept of transmitting at least two uplink power control commands consisting of indexes via single DCI format as disclosed by Zhang into the method for configuring sounding reference signal transmissions comprising transmitting power control commands via downlink control information as disclosed by Gorokhov in order to improve such method and flexibly provide power control commands to a UE, such as via a single DCI, in order to reduce resources and overhead.
Regarding claim 19, Gorokhov discloses a method comprising: requesting by the first base station a cell-common sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration of a cell controlled by a second base station; and transmitting by the second base station the cell-common SRS configuration to the first base station (Configuration information can include a set of parameters associated with sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission… each parameter in the set of parameter can be cell-specific (correlating to cell-common SRS configuration) and power control commands are generated in part on data provided by neighbor base station 220 to serving base station 210 over the backhaul (correlating to transmitting by the second base station) and neighbor base station 220 conveys the set of SRS configuration parameters 329 to serving base station 210 which considers the set of parameters 329 when configuring UE 230 and a base station (e.g., base stations 110, 120, 210, and/or 220) and/or any other suitable network entity and can include a module 1102 for obtaining cell information from a neighbor cell via a backhaul (correlating to requesting by a first base station)…a module 1104 for generating a set of configuration parameters in accordance with the cell information, and a module 1106 for transmitting the set of configuration parameters to the mobile device, [0091] and [0074] and [0081] and [0101] and [0047] and [0050]-[0051] and [0075] and [0084]).
Regarding claim 20, Gorokhov discloses wherein the cell-common SRS configuration includes one of an SRS bandwidth configuration, an SRS subframe configuration, and a parameter that defines a maximum uplink region of a subframe in a time division duplex (TDD) system (The bandwidth parameter (e.g., cell-specific and/or UE-specific parameter) specifies a bandwidth for transmission of SRS 132. For instance, SRS bandwidth can be the frequency range in which SRS symbols are included, [0050]-[0051] [0075]-[0076] and [0084] and [0074])
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/7/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant submits that Gorokhov et al. (US 2011/0098054) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2010/0226327) fails to disclose “transmitting at least two uplink transmit power control commands via a signal downlink control information (DCI) format in a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission from a network to a user equipment” and that the “two or more power control commands” of Gorokhov are “received from a plurality of cells” and that different cells send the different power control commands in Gorokhov (remarks page 1-3). Examiner however respectfully disagrees as Gorokhov discloses “serving base station 210 can explicitly signal configuration information and power control commands to UE 230, wherein the configuration information and power control commands are generated in part on data provided by neighbor base station 220 to serving base station 210 over the backhaul” ([0074] and [0072]) and “SRS power module 404 utilizes power control commands received from serving base station 210, wherein the power control commands are generated based, in part, on information exchanged between serving base station 210 and neighbor base station 220” ([0087] and [0081] and [0083]) and “power control adjustments based upon explicit power control commands included in downlink control information” ([0048]). Examiner thus correlates such teachings to “transmitting uplink transmit power control commands via a downlink control information (DCI) from a network to a user equipment” or in other words a serving base station transmitting power control commands via DCI to a UE based upon information received via a neighboring base station. Examiner then relies upon Zhang to discloses “base station transmits a Downlink (DL) grant to a subscriber station in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and Power Control (PC) bits can be provided in the UL SA grant (DCI format) and receiving, by a receiver, a transmit power control (TPC) command message jointly encoding a plurality of TPC fields, wherein each of the plurality of TPC fields is…to associate with at least one of the plurality of uplink component carriers and multiple PC fields 1225, 1230 exists in the UL SA 1240. There is a first PC field 1225 for CCC1 1215 and a second PC field 1230 for CCC2 1220 in the UL transmission and the index to the TPC command is provided…for each subscriber station and each CCC “ ([0004] and [0012] and [0094] and [0101]-[0102] and [0091]-[0092] and [0096] and [0049] and [0058] and figure 1 and figure 12B and figure 13) in which Examiner correlates to “at least two uplink transmit power control commands via a single downlink control information (DCI) format in a single downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission and receiving at the user equipment via the signal PDDCH transmission”. In other words, Examiner relies upon Gorokhov to disclose a serving base station transmitting power control commands via DCI in which transmit power of SRS is determined and relies upon Zhang to disclose at least two uplink transmit power control commands via a single downlink control information (DCI) format in a single downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission may be used. It should further be noted that Gorokhov discloses “With carrier aggregation, multiple component carriers can be aggregated or grouped to result in an overall wider system bandwidth. Each component carrier can include a complete downlink and uplink with control and traffic channels”([0007]) in which Zhang similarly discloses “multiple component carriers with each following the current LTE numerology can be aggregated together” ([0057]-[0058]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Papasakellariou et al. (US 2012/0034927) disclosing “the NodeB can configure a UE with Carrier Aggregation (CA) of multiple cells to provide higher operating BWs” ([0046]).
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN HOANG NGO whose telephone number is (571)272-8398. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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/NGUYEN H NGO/Examiner, Art Unit 2473