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 .
This Office Action is in response to communications filed on 4/27/2026.
Claims 1-20 are pending and presented for examination.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1, 4, 13, 16, 19 & 20 have been amended.
Rejections of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20 under 35 USC 102 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026 have been withdrawn based on amendments to claims 1, 4, 13, 16, 19 & 20, but new grounds of rejections of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20 have been made under 35 USC 103 based on new reference Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”).
Rejections of claims 3, 6, 7, 9, 15 & 18 under 35 USC 103 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026 have been withdrawn based on amendments to claims 1, 4, 13, 16, 19 & 20, but new grounds of rejections of claims 3, 6, 9, 15 & 18 have been made under 35 USC 103 based on new reference Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see ”Remarks”, filed 4/27/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20 under 35 USC 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, these rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejections are made in view of new reference Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”).
Regarding claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20, applicant submits that amendments to these claims traverse the rejections of these claims under 35 USC 102 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026. Examiner agrees and withdraws rejections of these claims under 35 USC 102 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026. However, after further consideration, examiner introduces new grounds of rejections of these claims under 35 USC 103 based on new reference Ly2. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20 have been considered but are moot because the new grounds of rejections do not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant’s arguments, see ”Remarks”, filed 4/27/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 3, 6, 7, 9, 15 & 18 under 35 USC 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, these rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejections are made in view of new reference Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”).
Regarding claims 3, 6, 7, 9, 15 & 18, applicant submits these claims traverse the rejections of these claims under 35 USC 103 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026 based on amendments to claims 1 & 13 and due to their dependency on claims 1 or 13. Examiner agrees and withdraws rejections of these claims under 35 USC 103 made in the prior record Non-Final Rejection dated 1/26/2026. However, after further consideration, examiner introduces new grounds of rejections of these claims under 35 USC 103 based on new reference Ly2. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 3, 6, 7, 9, 15 & 18 have been considered but are moot because the new grounds of rejections do not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Interpretation
Claims 1, 13 & 19 recite the limitation wherein “the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS”. Examiner could not identify in the current application specification an explanation of how a first DMRS is a coherent DMRS in power as a second DMRS. For the purpose of this review, examiner is interpreting that a first DMRS is a coherent DMRS in power as a second DMRS as the first DMRS having a same transmit power as the second DMRS.
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 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-14, 16, 17, 19 & 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al. (US 20220294667)(herein after “Ly”) in view of Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”).
Regarding Claim 1, Ly discloses a method of performing wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) ([0005] discloses a method of a wireless communication performed by a UE.), comprising:
reporting, to a base station, a capability of the UE to perform joint channel estimation for receiving a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a second PDSCH transmission through a downlink between the base station and the UE, wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission (Fig 7, [0079] & [0082] discloses a reported UE capability based on which an additional offset time for joint channel estimation processing is configured wherein a UE receives from a base station a first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second PDSCH transmission 704, and wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission.);
receiving, from the base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on the reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a base station transmitting to a UE a configuration for performing joint channel estimation. [0079] discloses that the configuration information may be based on a reported UE capability. [0088] discloses the configuration may include an additional offset for performing joint channel estimation, determined by the base station based on feedback 840 from the UE. Fig 7 and [0078]-[0079] & [0081]-[0082] discloses that the additional offset may be a value added to a standards defined equation defining a processing time window within which the UE is to perform joint channel estimation based on decoding multiple PDSCH repetition occasions. [0088] discloses that the BS may transmit the indication of the additional offset before and/or during transmission of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH reception occasions, and that by including the additional offset, the UE may have time to decode the PDSCH of multiple PDSCH occasions. In the scenario where the BS sends the indication of the additional offset before the transmission of the multiple PDSCH receptions, the processing time window may include a duration to receive multiple PDSCH receptions (e.g. if four PDSCH are sent, the base station could send an additional offset indication to the UE before or during the first PDSCH to indicate a processing time window that starts after the last symbol of the first PDSCH and sometime after the reception of the fourth PDSCH but before the transmission of the ACK/NACK for the first PDSCH.).);
determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 7 & [0082] disclose a UE determining whether to perform joint channel estimation based on deciding to wait for the second PDSCH transmission 704 to be received.);
based on a determination to perform the joint channel estimation, determining an actual time domain window within the TDW including the duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions for performing the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission, wherein the actual time domain window is smaller than the TDW ([0050] discloses that the UE determines a processing time (i.e. an actual time domain window) that includes an offset associated with joint channel estimation that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message for the last PDSCH reception. A processing time that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message over which the UE performs joint channel estimation may be interpreted under a broadest reasonable interpretation as an actual time domain window determined by the UE. The actual time domain window would be smaller than the TDW indicated by the base station (as disclosed in [0078]-[0079 & [0088] and discussed above) since the TDW is a window defined from an instant a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions ends to an instant a first symbol of an ACK feedback message begins, while the actual time domain window determined by the UE over which the UE performs joint channel estimation is defined from a point in time AFTER a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions to a point in time BEFORE a first symbol of an ACK feedback message. [0088] discloses that the actual time domain window may include a duration to decode multiple PDSCH reception occasions (e.g. in the scenario discussed above with four PDSCH transmissions).);
performing the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 9 & [0091]-[0093] discloses a UE performing joint channel estimation within an offset time associated with joint channel estimation for multiple PDSCH transmissions based on DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs. The multiple DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs could, for example, be a first DMRS in the first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second DMRS in the second PDSCH transmission 704 in Fig. 7 & [0082].);
wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose three reception slots that may be received by a UE, each slot including DMRSs where cross-slot channel estimation may be performed. A DMRS in the left most slot in fig 3 may be a first DMRS received in a first slot by the UE and a DMRS in the middle slot in fig 3 may be a second DMRS received in a second slot by the UE that is a different slot from the first slot.); and
decoding the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on the joint channel estimation performed based on the first DMRS and the second DMRS (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a UE may decode PDSCHs from multiple PDSCH reception occasions based on join channel estimation of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH occasions);
Ly fails to disclose but Ly2 teaches wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS ([0028] discloses a first DMRS in one slot and another DMRS in a next slot, wherein power consistency in maintained between the two DMRs by using the same transmit power for each DMRS.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a method for receiving, by a UE, from a base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on a reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions; performing the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission; wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot, as disclosed by Ly, wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS, as taught by Ly2. The motivation to do so would have been to have a method for a UE to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions from a base station, wherein a first DMRS in a first slot is transmitted with the same power as a second DMRS in a second slot, so that improved link quality through joint channel estimation and signal gains may be achieved at the UE.
Regarding Claim 2, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses further comprising: receiving a downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission through the downlink ([0057] discloses a UE may receive a downlink channel from a base station including a PDCCH that carries a DCI. Fig 6 & [0075] disclose the DCI may be used to schedule a first PDSCH transmission 610 and a second PDSCH 614.).
Regarding Claim 4, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein the first DMRS and the second DMRS form a DMRS bundling (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose DMRS bundling using DMRSs across 3 slots, demonstrating DMRS bundling of a DMRS in the left most slot of fig 3 (i.e. a first DMRS) with a DMRS in the middle slot of fig 3 (i.e. a second DMRS).).
Regarding Claim 5, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein the first PDSCH transmission occurs at a first slot, and the second PDSCH transmission occurs at a second slot (Fig 3 & [0060] disclose 3 reception occasions over 3 slots. [0005] discloses that the reception occasions may be PDSCH reception occasions. Thus, the first slot in Fig 3 may be a first PDSCH and the second slot in Fig 3 may be a second PDSCH.).
Regarding Claim 8, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein the determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation comprises receiving an indication from the base station to enable the UE to perform the joint channel estimation ([0050]-[0052] discloses a UE having a means for performing joint channel estimation based on a base station transmitting to the UE an indication of whether joint channel estimation is enabled.).
Regarding Claim 10, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein based on a determination of not to perform the joint channel estimation, performing a channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission based on the first DMRS, and performing a channel estimation for the second PDSCH transmission based on the second DMRS separate from the channel estimation for the first PDSCH (Fig 3 & [0060] disclose 3 reception occasions over 3 slots. [0005] discloses that the reception occasions may be PDSCH reception occasions. Thus, the first slot in Fig 3 may be a first PDSCH and the second slot in Fig 3 may be a second PDSCH. Fig 3 & [0060] further discloses a UE, upon determining not to perform joint channel estimation, performing channel estimation, for Example 300, over a first PDSCH transmission based on a first DMRS, and performing a channel estimation for a second PDSCH transmission based on a second DMRS separate from the channel estimation for the first PDSCH.).
Regarding Claim 11, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein the determining the actual time domain window within the TDW comprises determining the actual time domain window based on whether power consistency and phase continuity are satisfied within the TDW ([0050] discloses that the UE determines a processing time (i.e. an actual time domain window) that includes an offset associated with joint channel estimation that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message for the last PDSCH reception. A processing time that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message over which the UE performs joint channel estimation may be interpreted under a broadest reasonable interpretation as an actual time domain window determined by the UE. The actual time domain window would be within the TDW indicated by the base station (as disclosed in [0078]-[0079 & [0088] and discussed above) since the TDW is a window defined from an instant a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions ends to an instant a first symbol of an ACK feedback message begins, while the actual time domain window determined by the UE over which the UE performs joint channel estimation is defined from a point in time AFTER a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions to a point in time BEFORE a first symbol of an ACK feedback message. Fig 3. & [0061] disclose that for joint channel estimation to be effective, there must be coherent transmission across the DMRSs in the processing time window, including both phase continuity and the maxima and minima signal level must be aligned (i.e. power consistency). Thus, a broadest reasonable interpretation is that the offset associated with joint channel estimation included in the processing time within the TDW disclosed in [0050] is based on alignment of maxima and minima signal levels (i.e. power consistency) and phase continuity that enables joint channel estimation to be effective (i.e. phase continuity and power consistency are satisfied within the TDW).).
Regarding Claim 12, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of claim 1.
Ly discloses wherein the first PDSCH transmission includes at least a part of a first transport block (TB), and the second PDSCH transmission includes at least a part of a second TB different from the first TB (Fig 3 & [0060] disclose three reception occasions or slots of transport blocks. [0005] discloses that the reception occasions may be PDSCH reception occasions. Thus, the first slot in Fig 3 may be a first PDSCH transmission as part of a first transport block and the second slot in Fig 3 may be a second PDSCH transmission as part of a second transport block.).
Regarding Claim 13, Ly discloses a user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver ([0047] discloses a UE including a transceiver.) configured to enable wireless communication over a wireless network with a base station ([0003] discloses a wireless network including base stations that can communicate with UEs.);
and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver ([0047] discloses the transceiver may be used by a processor.) and configured to:
report, to the base station, a capability of the UE to perform joint channel estimation for receiving a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a second PDSCH transmission through a downlink between the base station and the UE, wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission (Fig 7, [0079] & [0082] discloses a reported UE capability based on which an additional offset time for joint channel estimation processing is configured wherein a UE receives from a base station a first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second PDSCH transmission 704, and wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission.);
receive, from the base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on the reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a base station transmitting to a UE a configuration for performing joint channel estimation. [0079] discloses that the configuration information may be based on a reported UE capability. [0088] discloses the configuration may include an additional offset for performing joint channel estimation, determined by the base station based on feedback 840 from the UE. Fig 7 and [0078]-[0079] & [0081]-[0082] discloses that the additional offset may be a value added to a standards defined equation defining a processing time window within which the UE is to perform joint channel estimation based on decoding multiple PDSCH repetition occasions. [0088] discloses that the BS may transmit the indication of the additional offset before and/or during transmission of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH reception occasions, and that by including the additional offset, the UE may have time to decode the PDSCH of multiple PDSCH occasions. In the scenario where the BS sends the indication of the additional offset before the transmission of the multiple PDSCH receptions, the processing time window may include a duration to receive multiple PDSCH receptions (e.g. if four PDSCH are sent, the base station could send an additional offset indication to the UE before or during the first PDSCH to indicate a processing time window that starts after the last symbol of the first PDSCH and sometime after the reception of the fourth PDSCH but before the transmission of the ACK/NACK for the first PDSCH.).);
determine whether to perform the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 7 & [0082] disclose a UE determining whether to perform joint channel estimation based on deciding to wait for the second PDSCH transmission 704 to be received.);
based on a determination to perform the joint channel estimation, determining by the UE an actual time domain window within the TDW including the duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions for performing the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission, wherein the actual time domain window is smaller than the TDW ([0050] discloses that the UE determines a processing time (i.e. an actual time domain window) that includes an offset associated with joint channel estimation that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message for the last PDSCH reception. A processing time that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message over which the UE performs joint channel estimation may be interpreted under a broadest reasonable interpretation as an actual time domain window determined by the UE. The actual time domain window would be smaller than the TDW indicated by the base station (as disclosed in [0078]-[0079 & [0088] and discussed above) since the TDW is a window defined from an instant a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions ends to an instant a first symbol of an ACK feedback message begins, while the actual time domain window determined by the UE over which the UE performs joint channel estimation is defined from a point in time AFTER a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions to a point in time BEFORE a first symbol of an ACK feedback message. [0088] discloses that the actual time domain window may include a duration to decode multiple PDSCH reception occasions (e.g. in the scenario discussed above with four PDSCH transmissions).);
perform the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 9 & [0091]-[0093] discloses a UE performing joint channel estimation within an offset time associated with joint channel estimation for multiple PDSCH transmissions based on DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs. The multiple DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs could, for example, be a first DMRS in the first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second DMRS in the second PDSCH transmission 704 in Fig. 7 & [0082].); and
wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose three reception slots that may be received by a UE, each slot including DMRSs where cross-slot channel estimation may be performed. A DMRS in the left most slot in fig 3 may be a first DMRS received in a first slot by the UE and a DMRS in the middle slot in fig 3 may be a second DMRS received in a second slot by the UE that is a different slot from the first slot.); and
decode the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on the joint channel estimation performed based on the first DMRS and the second DMRS (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a UE may decode PDSCHs from multiple PDSCH reception occasions based on join channel estimation of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH occasions);
Ly fails to disclose but Ly2 teaches wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS ([0028] discloses a first DMRS in one slot and another DMRS in a next slot, wherein power consistency in maintained between the two DMRs by using the same transmit power for each DMRS.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a UE receive, from a base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on a reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions; perform the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission; wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot, as disclosed by Ly, wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS, as taught by Ly2. The motivation to do so would have been to have a UE that can receive multiple PDSCH transmissions from a base station, wherein a first DMRS in a first slot is transmitted with the same power as a second DMRS in a second slot, so that improved link quality through joint channel estimation and signal gains may be achieved at the UE.
Regarding Claim 14, Ly in view of Ly 2 disclose the UE of claim 13.
Ly discloses wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission through the downlink ([0057] discloses a UE may receive a downlink channel from a base station including a PDCCH that carries a DCI. Fig 6 & [0075] disclose the DCI may be used to schedule a first PDSCH transmission 610 and a second PDSCH 614.).
Regarding Claim 16, Ly in view of Ly 2 disclose the UE of claim 13.
Ly discloses wherein the first DMRS and the second DMRS form a DMRS bundling (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose DMRS bundling using DMRSs across 3 slots, demonstrating DMRS bundling of a DMRS in the left most slot of fig 3 (i.e. a first DMRS) with a DMRS in the middle slot of fig 3 (i.e. a second DMRS).).
Regarding Claim 17, Ly in view of Ly 2 disclose the UE of claim 13.
Ly discloses wherein the first PDSCH transmission occurs at a first slot, and the second PDSCH transmission occurs at a second slot (Fig 3 & [0060] disclose 3 reception occasions over 3 slots. [0005] discloses that the reception occasions may be PDSCH reception occasions. Thus, the first slot in Fig 3 may be a first PDSCH and the second slot in Fig 3 may be a second PDSCH.).
Regarding Claim 19, Ly discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations ([0009] discloses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the UE to perform operations.) comprising:
reporting, to a base station, a capability of the UE to perform joint channel estimation for receiving a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission and a second PDSCH transmission through a downlink between the base station and the UE, wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission (Fig 7, [0079] & [0082] discloses a reported UE capability based on which an additional offset time for joint channel estimation processing is configured wherein a UE receives from a base station a first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second PDSCH transmission 704, and wherein the second PDSCH transmission is a repetition of the first PDSCH transmission.);
receiving, from the base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on the reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a base station transmitting to a UE a configuration for performing joint channel estimation. [0079] discloses that the configuration information may be based on a reported UE capability. [0088] discloses the configuration may include an additional offset for performing joint channel estimation, determined by the base station based on feedback 840 from the UE. Fig 7 and [0078]-[0079] & [0081]-[0082] discloses that the additional offset may be a value added to a standards defined equation defining a processing time window within which the UE is to perform joint channel estimation based on decoding multiple PDSCH repetition occasions. [0088] discloses that the BS may transmit the indication of the additional offset before and/or during transmission of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH reception occasions, and that by including the additional offset, the UE may have time to decode the PDSCH of multiple PDSCH occasions. In the scenario where the BS sends the indication of the additional offset before the transmission of the multiple PDSCH receptions, the processing time window may include a duration to receive multiple PDSCH receptions (e.g. if four PDSCH are sent, the base station could send an additional offset indication to the UE before or during the first PDSCH to indicate a processing time window that starts after the last symbol of the first PDSCH and sometime after the reception of the fourth PDSCH but before the transmission of the ACK/NACK for the first PDSCH.).);
determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 7 & [0082] disclose a UE determining whether to perform joint channel estimation based on deciding to wait for the second PDSCH transmission 704 to be received.);
based on a determination to perform the joint channel estimation, determining by the UE an actual time domain window within the TDW including the duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions for performing the joint channel estimation for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission, wherein the actual time domain window is smaller than the TDW ([0050] discloses that the UE determines a processing time (i.e. an actual time domain window) that includes an offset associated with joint channel estimation that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message for the last PDSCH reception. A processing time that starts after a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions and ends before a first symbol of an ACK feedback message over which the UE performs joint channel estimation may be interpreted under a broadest reasonable interpretation as an actual time domain window determined by the UE. The actual time domain window would be smaller than the TDW indicated by the base station (as disclosed in [0078]-[0079 & [0088] and discussed above) since the TDW is a window defined from an instant a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions ends to an instant a first symbol of an ACK feedback message begins, while the actual time domain window determined by the UE over which the UE performs joint channel estimation is defined from a point in time AFTER a last symbol of a PDSCH reception occasion of the multiple PDSCH reception occasions to a point in time BEFORE a first symbol of an ACK feedback message. [0088] discloses that the actual time domain window may include a duration to decode multiple PDSCH reception occasions (e.g. in the scenario discussed above with four PDSCH transmissions).);
performing the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 9 & [0091]-[0093] discloses a UE performing joint channel estimation within an offset time associated with joint channel estimation for multiple PDSCH transmissions based on DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs. The multiple DMRSs in the multiple PDSCHs could, for example, be a first DMRS in the first PDSCH transmission 702 and a second DMRS in the second PDSCH transmission 704 in Fig. 7 & [0082].); and
wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose three reception slots that may be received by a UE, each slot including DMRSs where cross-slot channel estimation may be performed. A DMRS in the left most slot in fig 3 may be a first DMRS received in a first slot by the UE and a DMRS in the middle slot in fig 3 may be a second DMRS received in a second slot by the UE that is a different slot from the first slot.); and
decoding the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on the joint channel estimation performed based on the first DMRS and the second DMRS (Fig 8 & [0088] disclose a UE may decode PDSCHs from multiple PDSCH reception occasions based on join channel estimation of the DMRSs in the multiple PDSCH occasions);
Ly fails to disclose but Ly2 teaches wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS ([0028] discloses a first DMRS in one slot and another DMRS in a next slot, wherein power consistency in maintained between the two DMRs by using the same transmit power for each DMRS.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to perform operations comprising receiving, from a base station, a configuration for joint channel estimation, wherein the configuration is determined based on a reported capability of the UE, and the configuration includes a time domain window (TDW) determined by the base station indicating a duration of performing the joint channel estimation including a duration to receive multiple PDSCH transmissions; performing the joint channel estimation within the actual time domain window for the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission based on a first demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the first PDSCH transmission and a second DMRS associated with the second PDSCH transmission; wherein the first DMRS is received in a first time slot and the second DMRS is received in a second time slot different from the first time slot, as disclosed by Ly, wherein the first DMRS is a same DMRS or a coherent DMRS in power as the second DMRS to have a consistent power as the second DMRS, as taught by Ly2. The motivation to do so would have been to have a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to perform operations comprising receiving multiple PDSCH transmissions from a base station, wherein a first DMRS in a first slot is transmitted with the same power as a second DMRS in a second slot, so that improved link quality through joint channel estimation and signal gains may be achieved at the UE.
Regarding Claim 20, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19.
Ly discloses wherein the first DMRS and the second DMRS form a DMRS bundling (Fig 3 & [0060]-[0061] disclose DMRS bundling using DMRSs across 3 slots, demonstrating DMRS bundling of a DMRS in the left most slot of fig 3 (i.e. a first DMRS) with a DMRS in the middle slot of fig 3 (i.e. a second DMRS).).
Claim 3 & 15 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al. (US 20220294667)(herein after “Ly”) in view of Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”), as applied to claims 1 & 13, and further in view of Ma et al. (US 20240120976)(herein after “Ma”).
Regarding Claim 3, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of Claim 1.
Ly fails to disclose wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE.
However, Ma further teaches wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE (Fig 4 & [0065] disclose a downlink 460-D from a base station 450 that includes a link 430-D from a satellite 440 to a UE 120).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the method of Claim 1, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE, as further taught by Ma. The motivation to do so would be to reduce downlink decoding errors in systems including a satellite link that send repeated PDSCHs as an alternative to enabling HARQ that is less effective due to latency in the satellite link.
Regarding Claim 15, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the UE of claim 13.
Ly fails to disclose wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE.
However Ma further teaches wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE (Fig 4 & [0065] disclose a downlink 460-D from a base station 450 that includes a link 430-D from a satellite 440 to a UE 120).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the UE of Claim 13, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the downlink from the base station includes a link from a satellite to the UE, as further taught by Ma. The motivation to do so would be to have a UE with reduced downlink decoding errors in systems including a satellite link that send repeated PDSCHs as an alternative to enabling HARQ that is less effective due to latency in the satellite link.
Claim 6 & 18 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al. (US 20220294667)(herein after “Ly”) in view of Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”), as applied to claims 1 & 13, and further in view of Yu et al. (US 20230361960)(herein after “Yu”).
Regarding Claim 6, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of Claim 1.
Ly fails to disclose wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation.
However, Yu further teaches wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation ([0501] discloses a capability of a UE including a maximum of four slots for performing joint channel estimation.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the method of Claim 1, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation, as further taught by Yu. The motivation to do so would be to enable various complexity vs. cost capable UEs that support a range of maximum number of slots to perform joint channel estimation.
Regarding Claim 18, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the UE of Claim 13.
Ly fails to disclose wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation.
However, Yu further teaches wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation ([0501] discloses a capability of a UE including a maximum of four slots for performing joint channel estimation.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the UE of Claim 13, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the capability of the UE includes a maximum number of slots for performing the joint channel estimation, as further taught by Yu. The motivation to do so would be to enable various complexity vs. cost capable UEs that support a range of maximum number of slots to perform joint channel estimation.
Claim 7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al. (US 20220294667)(herein after “Ly”) in view of Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”), as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Khoshnevisan et al. (US 20210298051)(herein after “Khoshnevisan”).
Regarding Claim 7, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of Claim 1.
Ly fails to disclose wherein the configuration includes a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table having an indication of a number of repetitions of PDSCH transmissions including the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission.
However, Khoshnevisan further teaches wherein the configuration includes a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table having an indication of a number of repetitions of PDSCH transmissions including the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission (Fig 3B & [0147] disclose a PDSCH configuration including a TDRA table that indicates a number of PDSCH repetitions including a first PDSCH transmission and a second PDSCH transmission within 340-a.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the method of Claim 1, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the configuration includes a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) table having an indication of a number of repetitions of PDSCH transmissions including the first PDSCH transmission and the second PDSCH transmission, as further taught by Khoshnevisan. The motivation to do so would be to improve PDSCH decoding through joint channel estimation across a number of PDSCH repetitions using a TDRA table in a Semi-Persistent Scheduling configuration.
Claim 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly et al. (US 20220294667)(herein after “Ly”) in view of Ly et al. (US 20240007247)(herein after “Ly2”), as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Liu et al. (US 20240187280)(herein after “Liu”).
Regarding Claim 9, Ly in view of Ly2 disclose the method of Claim 1.
Ly fails to discloses wherein the determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation comprises determining an indication from the UE to start performing the joint channel estimation.
However Liu further teaches wherein the determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation comprises determining an indication from the UE to start performing the joint channel estimation ([0004] & [0015] disclose a UE sending a message indicating whether to perform joint channel estimation to trigger a network device to determine whether to perform joint channel estimation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the method of Claim 1, as disclosed by Ly in view of Ly2, wherein the determining whether to perform the joint channel estimation comprises determining an indication from the UE to start performing the joint channel estimation, as further taught by Liu. The motivation to do so would be to enable a UE to signal to a network device when a constraint condition is met to enable the network device to perform joint channel estimation.
Conclusion
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wu et al. (US 20240236955) discloses a Method and Device in Nodes Used for Wireless Communication.
Wang et al. (US 20240235779) discloses a Time Window Determination Method, Terminal, and Non-Transitory Storage Medium.
Manolakos et al. (US 20190222380) discloses Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) Bundling in Slot Aggregation and Slot Format Considerations for New Radio.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES P SEYMOUR whose telephone number is (571)272-7654. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nishant Divecha can be reached at 571-270-3125. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JAMES P SEYMOUR/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/Nishant Divecha/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419
Prosecution Insights