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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-16 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection set forth.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 8-9, 16, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Strong US (2017/0331533) in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333), and further in view of Niu et al. US (2024/0015704), and further in view of Moscovich et al. USP (9,253,592).
Regarding Claim 1, Strong discloses an apparatus (see Fig. 1 & Para [0127] i.e., method of embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented by a processor (i.e., “apparatus”)) comprising: a memory storing processor-readable code (see Para [0127]); and at least one processor coupled to the memory (see Para [0127]), the at least one processor configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to (see Para [0127]) perform operations including: applying gain values to a plurality of signals from a plurality of antennas for a beamforming operation; (see Fig. 1 i.e., antenna array 14, Fig. 4 & Para’s [0105-0106] i.e., the calibrated phase and gain of each respective transmit chain is determined for beamforming, [0109] i.e., This allows a calibration, for example a factory calibration, to be carried out for the gain and phase of each of the signal paths (i.e., initial gain values such as factory calibrated gain values may be applied for each of the signal paths) from the output of each transmit chain to the output of the combiner, and of the paths from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements. This calibration may be used in the calibration of the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain, [0111-0113] i.e., the processor 29 may compare amplitude and phase values of the received tones with the transmitted amplitude and phase values of each tone, to calibrate the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain & [0118] i.e., the calibrating the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data. This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated)
Wherein the gain values are associated with phase calibration (see Para’s [0109] i.e., This allows a calibration, for example a factory calibration, to be carried out for the gain and phase of each of the signal paths from the output of each transmit chain to the output of the combiner, and of the paths from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements. This calibration may be used in the calibration of the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain & [0118] i.e., the calibrating the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data. This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated)
determining a plurality of phase calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas during the beamforming operation with the gain values; (see Fig. 1 i.e., antenna array 14, & Para’s [0105-0106], [0109], [0111-0113] i.e., the processor 29 calibrates the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain, & [0118] i.e., the calibrating the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data (i.e., performing the calibration periodically includes performing a subsequent calibration that includes a determined plurality of phase values with the initial gain values). This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated)
and determining a first plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas during the beamforming operation (see Fig. 1 i.e., antenna array 14, & Para’s [0105-0106], [0109], [0111-0113] i.e., the processor 29 calibrates the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain, & [0118] i.e., the calibrating the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data (i.e., performing the calibration periodically includes performing a subsequent calibration that includes a determined first plurality of gain calibration values). This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated)
Strong does not disclose determining the first plurality of gain values corresponding to the plurality of antennas using the plurality of phase calibration values. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333).
Tiebout discloses a device determining a first plurality of gain values corresponding to a plurality of antennas using a plurality of phase calibration values, (see Fig. 1a & Fig. 3 & Para’s [0059] i.e., The signal pre-distortion circuit 180 may comprise, in the signal path 108, a variable phase shifter 112 to provide a phase-shifter version 114 of the input signal 102. The phase shifter 112 may shift the phase of the signal 102 (i.e., “phase calibration value”) so as to compensate for the unwanted phase variations normally caused by the amplifier 110, [0060] i.e., The signal pre-distortion circuit 180 may comprise, in the signal path 108, a gain adjuster 116 to provide an amplitude-adjusted version 118 of the input signal 102. The gain adjuster 116 may modify the amplitude of the input signal 102 (or its phase-shifted version) (i.e., gain is determined using phase calibration value for each signal path 108) so as to compensate for the unwanted amplitude variations normally caused by the amplifier 110 & [0091-0098] i.e., Fig. 3 shows an example of a system 300 (which may implement equipment of any of the circuit arrangements 100 or 100b). The circuit arrangement 300 may be used, for example, to feed a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array for beamforming).
(Tiebout suggests the gain adjuster may modify the amplitude of the phase-shifted signal so as to compensate for unwanted amplitude variations and for properly controlling the beamforming (see Para’s [0059-0060] & [0091-00098])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined first plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas during the beamforming operation as disclosed in Strong to be based on using the plurality of phase calibration values as disclosed in the teachings of Tiebout who discloses a device determining a first plurality of gain values corresponding to a plurality of antennas using a plurality of phase calibration values for beamforming, because the motivation lies in Tiebout that the gain adjuster may modify the amplitude of the phase-shifted signal so as to compensate for unwanted amplitude variations and for properly controlling the beamforming.
The combination of Strong in view of Tiebout does not disclose the apparatus is a user equipment (UE). However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Niu et al. US (2024/0015704).
Niu discloses a user equipment (UE) processor implements analog beamforming techniques where phases of the signals sent by the antennas of the UE are adjusted (i.e., “beamforming calibration”) (see Para’s [0029] & [0166-0171]).
(Niu suggests user equipment (UE) processor implements analog beamforming for its antenna array where phases of the signals sent by the antennas of the UE are adjusted for achieving an appropriate beam direction and maximizing beamforming gain of the antenna array of the UE, (see Para’s [0029] & [0166-0171]))
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the processor which performs general beamforming calibration techniques as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout to be implemented as the processor of the UE disclosed in Niu which results in performing the beamforming calibration techniques in a UE apparatus, because the motivation lies in Niu that the user equipment (UE) processor implements analog beamforming for its antenna array where phases of the signals sent by the antennas of the UE are adjusted for achieving an appropriate beam direction and maximizing beamforming gain of the antenna array of the UE.
While Strong suggests a predetermined gain value such as the determined factory calibrated initial gain values applied for achieving a desired gain for each of the paths from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements (see Para [0109] i.e., This allows a calibration, for example a factory calibration, to be carried out for the gain and phase of each of the signal paths…from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements. This calibration may be used in the calibration of the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain) and used for subsequent phase calibrations (see Para’s [0109] i.e., This calibration may be used in the calibration of the transmission phase and gain of each transmit chain & [0118] i.e., the calibrating of the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically…This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated), the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu does not explicitly disclose wherein the gain values include a predetermined value. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Moscovich et al. USP (9,253,592).
Moscovich discloses wherein predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of an antenna array 322 to provide desired signal amplitudes at individual antennal elements (see Col. 9 lines 15-37).
(Moscovich suggests the predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of an antenna array 322 to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antennal elements and for achieving a desired beamform direction to a remote device for improved SINR at the receiver (see Col. 9 lines 15-37)).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined factory calibrated initial gain values applied for achieving a desired gain for each of the paths from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements associated with phase calibration as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be a predetermined gain value based on the teachings of Moscovich who discloses wherein predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of an antenna array to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antenna elements, because the motivation lies in Moscovich that the predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of the antenna array to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antennal elements and for achieving a desired beamform direction to a remote device for improved SINR at the receiver.
Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Strong in view of Niu discloses the user equipment of claim 1, including wherein: determining the plurality of phase calibration values comprises transmitting a first reference signal (RS) (see Para’s [0111-0113] i.e., phase calibration values are determined according to sounding tones (i.e., first reference signal) & [0118]), and determining the first plurality of gain calibration values comprises transmitting the first reference signal (RS) (see Para’s [0111-0113] i.e., gain calibration values are determined according to sounding tones (i.e., first reference signal) & [0118]), but does not disclose the transmission is in a millimeter wave band and the claim feature of determining the gain calibration values by transmitting a second reference signal in the millimeter wave band. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333).
Tiebout discloses a devices transmission is in a millimeter wave band which performs beamforming calibration (see Fig. 3 & Para [0091] i.e., circuit arrangement 300 may be used to feed a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array for beamforming…These devices may be millimeter-wave devices).
Tiebout discloses gain calibration is performed after phase calibration for determining a plurality of gain calibration values for each antenna (see Fig. 3 i.e., gain adjustment & Para’s [0059-0060] & [0091-0098])
(Tiebout suggests the millimeter wave device calibrates the phase and gain of each of the antenna elements for properly controlling the beamforming, (see Para’s [0091-0098])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the transmission of the reference signals by the calibration device disclosed in Strong in view of Niu to be implemented as the milli-meter wave calibration device and to include using separate reference signals during the phase calibration and the gain adjustment calibration disclosed in Tiebout who discloses a devices transmission is in a millimeter wave band which performs beamforming calibration, which results in a first reference signal for determining the plurality of phase calibration values during the phase calibration and a second reference signal for determining the gain calibration values during the gain calibration, because the motivation lies in Tiebout that the millimeter wave device calibrates the phase and gain of each of the antenna elements for properly controlling the beamforming.
Regarding Claim 9, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 1. Therefore Claim 9 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu as in claim 1.
Regarding Claim 16, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 8. Therefore Claim 16 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu as in claim 8.
Regarding Claim 34, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu discloses the UE of claim 1, but does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute firmware that specifies the predetermined gain value. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Moscovich et al. USP (9,253,592).
Moscovich discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute firmware that specifies the predetermined gain value (see Fig. 3 i.e., the UE applies the predetermined gain based on executing firmware, Col. 9 lines 33-37 & Col. 19 lines 29-52).
(Moscovich suggests the predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of an antenna array 322 to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antennal elements and for achieving a desired beamform direction to a remote device for improved SINR at the receiver (see Col. 9 lines 15-37)).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined factory calibrated initial gain values applied for achieving a desired gain for each of the paths from each transmit chain to the respective antenna elements associated with phase calibration as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be a predetermined gain value based on the teachings of Moscovich who discloses wherein predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of an antenna array to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antenna elements based on the UE executing firmware specifying the predetermined gain value, because the motivation lies in Moscovich that the predetermined gain values may be applied uniformly across the antenna elements of the antenna array to provide desired signal amplitudes at the individual antennal elements and for achieving a desired beamform direction to a remote device for improved SINR at the receiver.
Claims 2-7 and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Strong US (2017/0331533) in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333), and further in view of Niu et al. US (2024/0015704) as applied to claims 1 and 9 above, further in view of Xia et al. US (2018/0191418), and further in view of Yoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu discloses the user equipment of claim 1 including determining the plurality of phase calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas (Strong, see Para’s [0105-0106], [0109], [0111-0113], & [0118]), but does not disclose the determining the plurality of phase calibration values is based on receiving, by the user equipment, a first resource assignment for determining the plurality of phase calibration values, wherein the determining the plurality of phase calibration values is performed using the first resource assignment. However the claim features would be rendered obvious in view of Xia et al. US (2018/0191418).
Xia discloses receiving, by the user equipment, a first resource assignment for determining a plurality of phase calibration values, (see Fig. 4 & Para’s [0025] i.e., a wireless device performs beam calibration by transmitting a reference signal over a Tx antenna using a beam direction, and receiving a reference signal over an Rx antenna using the same beam direction (i.e., it is well known that the Tx and RX reference signals will include allocated resources according to a resource allocation (i.e., “first resource assignment”) assigned from the base station)…Likewise, the reference signal that is transmitted over the Tx antenna of the calibrating device is referred to as the “Tx reference signal” and the reference signal that is received over the Rx antenna of the calibrating device is referred to as the “Rx reference signal”. After transmitting the Tx reference signal, the calibrating device receives feedback including a quality parameter corresponding to the Tx reference signal from a wireless device that received the Tx received signal. The calibrating device then compares the quality parameter corresponding to the Tx reference signal with a quality parameter corresponding to the Rx reference signal. If the difference between the respective quality parameters exceeds a threshold, then the calibrating device calibrates analog beamforming components of the Tx antenna and/or the Rx antenna, [0006] i.e., the analog beamforming components include analog phase adjustment components, [0033-0034] i.e., RX beamforming components and TX beamforming components 435, 445 adjust phase components of the analog RF signal to effectuate direction transmission/reception (i.e., plurality of phase calibration values will be determined for the antennas) & [0038] i.e., Before the calibration, the calibrating device and the other wireless device may exchange information such as i.e., configurations of the reference signals (i.e., reference signal configuration may be a resource assignment associated with the reference signals))
wherein the determining the plurality of phase calibration values is performed using the first resource assignment (see Para’s [0025], [0033-0034], & [0038]).
(Xia suggests the beam calibration is performed for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network, (see Para’s [0023] & [0025])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined plurality of phase calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be determined according to using the beam calibration reference signals allocated to the UE as disclosed in the teachings of Xia, because the motivation lies in Xia that the beam calibration is performed for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network.
While the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia discloses determining the first plurality of gain calibration values (Strong, see Para’s [0105-0106], [0109], [0111-0113], & [0118]), the references combined do not disclose the claim features of receiving, by the user equipment, a second resource assignment for determining the first plurality of gain calibration values, wherein the determining the first plurality of gain calibration values is performed using the second resource assignment. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Yoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Yoo discloses receiving, by the user equipment, a second resource assignment for determining a plurality of gain calibration values, (see Fig. 5A & Fig.’s 10-11 & Para’s [0002] i.e., UE antenna calibration for performing over-the-air calibration to account for gain and/or phase imbalances between UL channels and DL channels, [0005] i.e., each antenna chain can introduce a mismatch, for example, in amplitude and/or phase, [0061] i.e., the BSs 104 may assign or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks) for DL and UL transmissions in the network 100 (i.e., “resource assignment”), [0062] i.e., Reference signals are predetermined signals…For example, a reference signal may have a particular pilot pattern or structure, where pilot tones may span across an operational bandwidth or frequency band, each positioned at a pre-defined time and a pre-defined frequency (i.e., “resource assignment”), [0063-0065] i.e., The DL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across an operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202… The UL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across the operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202 (i.e., pre-determined DL/UL reference signals will be allocated to the UE according to a resource assignment), [0072] i.e., calibration parameters (e.g., coefficients), [0083] i.e., multiple antennas 316, [0094-0100] i.e., at action 525, the UE determines calibration parameters (i.e., calibration parameters can include gain values determined for each antenna) based on the UL and DL channel estimates, & [0166-0168] i.e., time frequency resources are assigned for UL calibration RS 1108 and DL calibration RS 1110)
wherein the determining the first plurality of gain calibration values is performed using the second resource assignment (see Para’s [0061-0065], [0072], [0094-0100], & [0166-0168]).
(Yoo suggests the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas, (see Para’s [0002], [0005], & [0072-0073])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Niu to be determined according to using the calibration reference signals allocated to the UE according to a second resource assignment as disclosed in the teachings of Yoo, because the motivation lies in Yoo that the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas.
Regarding Claim 3, Strong in view of Xia, and further in view of Niu discloses the user equipment of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations including: determining a second plurality of gain calibration values, (Strong, see Para [0118] i.e., the calibrating the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data (i.e., performing the calibration periodically includes performing a second calibration that includes a determined second plurality of gain calibration values). This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated), but does not disclose the claim feature of and determining the second plurality of gain calibration values during the beamforming operation using the plurality of phase calibration values. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333).
Tiebout discloses a device determining a plurality of gain values corresponding to a plurality of antennas using a plurality of phase calibration values, (see Fig. 1a & Fig. 3 & Para’s [0059] i.e., The signal pre-distortion circuit 180 may comprise, in the signal path 108, a variable phase shifter 112 to provide a phase-shifter version 114 of the input signal 102. The phase shifter 112 may shift the phase of the signal 102 (i.e., “phase calibration value”) so as to compensate for the unwanted phase variations normally caused by the amplifier 110, [0060] i.e., The signal pre-distortion circuit 180 may comprise, in the signal path 108, a gain adjuster 116 to provide an amplitude-adjusted version 118 of the input signal 102. The gain adjuster 116 may modify the amplitude of the input signal 102 (or its phase-shifted version) (i.e., gain is determined using phase calibration value for each signal path 108) so as to compensate for the unwanted amplitude variations normally caused by the amplifier 110 & [0091-0098] i.e., Fig. 3 shows an example of a system 300 (which may implement equipment of any of the circuit arrangements 100 or 100b). The circuit arrangement 300 may be used, for example, to feed a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array for beamforming).
(Tiebout suggests the gain adjuster may modify the amplitude of the phase-shifted signal so as to compensate for unwanted amplitude variations and for properly controlling the beamforming (see Para’s [0059-0060] & [0091-00098])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined second plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas during the beamforming operation as disclosed in Strong in view of Xia, and further in view of Niu to be based on using the plurality of phase calibration values as disclosed in the teachings of Tiebout who discloses a device determining a plurality of gain values corresponding to a plurality of antennas using a plurality of phase calibration values for beamforming, because the motivation lies in Tiebout that the gain adjuster may modify the amplitude of the phase-shifted signal so as to compensate for unwanted amplitude variations and for properly controlling the beamforming.
The combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia does not disclose receiving, by the user equipment, a third resource assignment for determining the second plurality of gain calibration values and determining the second plurality of gain calibration values using the third resource assignment. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Yoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Yoo discloses receiving, by the user equipment, a third resource assignment for determining a second plurality of gain calibration values (see Para’s [0002], [0005], [0061] i.e., the BSs 104 may assign or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks) for DL and UL transmissions in the network 100, [0063] i.e., For example, the UEs 202 may perform calibration in a calibration phase prior to sending data to the BSs 204 and may repeat the calibration periodically (i.e., performing the calibration periodically includes determining a second plurality of gain calibration values for the antennas), [0061-0062] i.e., Reference signals are predetermined signals…For example, a reference signal may have a particular pilot pattern or structure, where pilot tones may span across an operational bandwidth or frequency band, each positioned at a pre-defined time and a pre-defined frequency (i.e., includes “third resource assignment” for period calibration), [0063-0065] i.e., The DL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across an operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202… The UL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across the operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202 (i.e., pre-determined DL/UL reference signals will be allocated to the UE according to a resource assignment), [0072-0073], [0094-0100] i.e., at action 525, the UE determines calibration parameters (i.e., calibration parameters can include gain values determined for each antenna) based on the UL and DL channel estimates, & [0166-0168] i.e., time frequency resources are assigned for UL calibration RS 1108 and DL calibration RS 1110)
and determining the second plurality of gain calibration values using the third resource assignment (see Para’s [0061-0065], [0072-0073], [0094-0100] i.e., at action 525, the UE determines calibration parameters (i.e., calibration parameters can include gain values determined for each antenna) based on the UL and DL channel estimates, & [0166-0168] i.e., time frequency resources are assigned for UL calibration RS 1108 and DL calibration RS 1110).
(Yoo suggests the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas, (see Para’s [0002], [0005], & [0072-0073])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined second plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia, to be determined according to using the calibration reference signals allocated to the UE according to a third resource assignment when the calibration is performed periodically as disclosed in the teachings of Yoo, because the motivation lies in Yoo that the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas.
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo discloses the user equipment of claim 3, wherein: the first plurality of gain calibration values correspond to a first operating point comprising a first frequency and a first temperature value, (Strong, see Para’s [0118] i.e., The calibrating of the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data. This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated (i.e., includes a first temperature for a first operating point (i.e., first calibration) of the antenna elements), [0105] i.e., The gain and phase of the transmit chains and/or receive chains may change with time, in particular as a function of temperature & [0128] i.e., Each weightset may comprise respective amplitude and phase values for respective signal streams for respective antenna elements for respective subcarriers of an OFDM symbol. This allows beamforming to take into account frequency dependent effects, [0129-0130] i.e., operating frequency of the antenna elements (i.e., the antenna elements will operate at a first frequency during the first calibration of the periodic calibrations), & [0158])
the second plurality of gain calibration values correspond to a second operating point comprising a second frequency and a second temperature value, (Strong, see Para’s [0118] i.e., The calibrating of the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data. This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated (i.e., includes a second temperature for a second operating point (i.e., second calibration) of the antenna elements), [0105] i.e., The gain and phase of the transmit chains and/or receive chains may change with time, in particular as a function of temperature & [0128] i.e., Each weightset may comprise respective amplitude and phase values for respective signal streams for respective antenna elements for respective subcarriers of an OFDM symbol. This allows beamforming to take into account frequency dependent effects, [0129-0130] i.e., operating frequency of the antenna elements (i.e., the antenna elements will operate at a second frequency during the second calibration of the periodic calibrations), & [0158])
and at least one of: the second frequency is different from the first frequency
or the second temperature value is different from the first temperature value, (Strong, see Para’s [0118] i.e., The calibrating of the transmission phase and gain of respective transmit chains may be performed periodically as part of a time frame sequence including time frames for the transmission of payload data. This allows variations of the gain and/or phase of the transmit chains with time and/or temperature to be calibrated, & [0105] i.e., The gain and phase of the transmit chains and/or receive chains may change with time, in particular as a function of temperature (i.e., different temperature values))
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu discloses the user equipment of claim 2, but does not disclose wherein: determining the plurality of phase calibration values comprises receiving, by the user equipment, first feedback from a base station, wherein the plurality of phase calibration values is based on the first feedback. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Xia et al. US (2018/0191418).
Xia discloses determining the plurality of phase calibration values comprises receiving, by the user equipment, first feedback from a base station, (see Para [0025] i.e., The reference signals may be transmitted to, and received from, another wireless device (e.g., a base station)…After transmitting the Tx reference signal, the calibrating device receives feedback including a quality parameter corresponding to the Tx reference signal from a wireless device that received the Tx received signal)
wherein the plurality of phase calibration values is based on the first feedback (see Para [0025] i.e., After transmitting the Tx reference signal, the calibrating device receives feedback including a quality parameter corresponding to the Tx reference signal from a wireless device that received the Tx received signal. The calibrating device then compares the quality parameter corresponding to the Tx reference signal with a quality parameter corresponding to the Rx reference signal. If the difference between the respective quality parameter exceeds a threshold, then the calibrating device calibrates analog beamforming components of the Tx antenna and/or Rx antenna, [0006] i.e., the analog beamforming components include analog phase adjustment components, & [0033-0034] i.e., RX beamforming components and TX beamforming components 435, 445 adjust phase components of the analog RF signal to effectuate direction transmission/reception (i.e., plurality of phase calibration values will be determined for the antennas))
(Xia suggests the beam calibration is performed for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network, (see Para’s [0023] & [0025])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined plurality of phase calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be determined according to using the beam calibration reference signals allocated to the UE and the first feedback from a base station as disclosed in the teachings of Xia, because the motivation lies in Xia that the beam calibration is performed for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network.
Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia do not disclose determining the first plurality of gain calibration values comprises receiving, by the user equipment, second feedback from the base station, wherein the first plurality of gain calibration values is based on the second feedback. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Yoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Yoo discloses determining the first plurality of gain calibration values comprises receiving, by the user equipment, second feedback from the base station, (see Fig. 5A i.e., UL channel estimate (i.e., “second feedback”) received from BS 204a in step 515 & Para’s [0094-0100] i.e., At action 515, the BS 204a transmits the determined UL channel estimate and a DL calibration RS to the UE 202a)
wherein the first plurality of gain calibration values is based on the second feedback (see Fig. 5a i.e., step 525 & Para’s [0002] i.e., calibration to account for gain and/pr phase imbalances between UL channels and DL channels, [0072-0074], [0094-0100] i.e., At action 525, the UE 202a determines calibration parameters (i.e., calibration parameters can include gain values determined for each antenna) based on the UL and DL channel estimates)
(Yoo suggests the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas, (see Para’s [0002], [0005], & [0072-0073])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined second plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia, to be determined according to using the calibration reference signals allocated to the UE and the second feedback from the base station as disclosed in the teachings of Yoo, because the motivation lies in Yoo that the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas.
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia discloses the user equipment of claim 2, wherein: the first resource assignment comprises a first number of symbols for which the user equipment is configured for determining the plurality of phase calibration values based on phase measurements, (Strong, see Para’s [0111] i.e., sounding tones may be generated for use in calibrating the calibrated module 72. The sounding tones, typically predetermined OFDM subcarrier amplitude and phase values to be used for test purposes, including calibration of the transmit chains, may be transmitted…in which the frequency domain tones are converted to time domain sounding symbols (i.e., a sounding tone may be a sounding symbol) & [0112-0113] i.e., the processor may compare the amplitude and phase of the transmitted and received tones (i.e., may include a single transmit symbol and single receive symbol (i.e., two symbols) for determining the phase calibration values), generating calibration data for the respective transmit chains), but does not disclose and the first resource assignment comprises a second number of symbols greater than the first number of symbols for which the user equipment is configured for determining the plurality of phase calibration values based on signal strength measurements. However the claim features would be rendered obvious in view of HoweYoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Yoo discloses and the first resource assignment comprises a second number of symbols greater than the first number of symbols for which the user equipment is configured for determining the plurality of phase calibration values based on signal strength measurements (see Fig. 5A & Fig.’s 10-11 & Para’s [0002] i.e., calibration to account for phase imbalances between UL channels and downlink channels, [0072-0074] i.e., DL calibration RS may be CSI-RS which can be used for signal strength measurement and UL calibration RS may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) which can be used for signal strength measurement, [0083], [0094-0100], & [0166-0168] i.e., DL slots and UL slots which are used for phase calibration include multiple symbols (i.e., greater than two symbols) for which the user equipment is configured for determining the plurality of phase calibrations values based on signal strength measurements).
(Yoo suggests the UE computes calibration parameters such as the phase to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas, (see Para’s [0002], [0005], & [0072-0073])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for beamforming calibration performed by the UE as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia to perform using the first resource assignment comprising a second number of symbols greater than the first number of symbols for which the user equipment is configured for determining the plurality of phase calibrations values based on signal strength measurements as disclosed in the teachings of Yoo, because the motivation lies in Yoo that the UE computes calibration parameters such as the phase to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas.
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu discloses the user equipment of claim 2, but does not disclose wherein the first resource assignment comprises a first reference signal (RS) resource assignment. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Xia et al. US (2018/0191418).
Xia discloses wherein the first resource assignment comprises a first reference signal (RS) resource assignment (see Fig. 4 & Para’s [0025] i.e., a wireless device performs beam calibration by transmitting a reference signal over a Tx antenna using a beam direction, and receiving a reference signal over an Rx antenna using the same beam direction (i.e., it is well known that the Tx and RX reference signals will include allocated resources according to a resource allocation (i.e., “first resource assignment”) assigned from the base station)…Likewise, the reference signal that is transmitted over the Tx antenna of the calibrating device is referred to as the “Tx reference signal” and the reference signal that is received over the Rx antenna of the calibrating device is referred to as the “Rx reference signal”, [0033-0034], & [0038] i.e., Before the calibration, the calibrating device and the other wireless device may exchange information such as i.e., configurations of the reference signals (i.e., reference signal configuration may be a resource assignment associated with the reference signals))
(Xia suggests the beam calibration is performed based on the reference signals for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network, (see Para’s [0023] & [0025])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined plurality of phase calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be determined according to the first resource assignment for beam calibration reference signals allocated to the UE as disclosed in the teachings of Xia, because the motivation lies in Xia that the beam calibration is performed for proper beamforming which is generally achieved in the analog domain by adjusting the phase of signal components on each of the antenna paths and for satisfying a calibration criteria for meeting performance requirements and/or conditions of the network.
The combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia does not disclose and the second resource assignment comprises a second reference signal (RS) resource assignment. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of HoweYoo et al. US (2018/0279311).
Yoo discloses the second resource assignment comprises a second reference signal (RS) resource assignment (see Fig. 5A & Fig.’s 10-11 & Para’s [0002] i.e., UE antenna calibration for performing over-the-air calibration to account for gain and/or phase imbalances between UL channels and DL channels, [0005] i.e., each antenna chain can introduce a mismatch, for example, in amplitude and/or phase, [0061] i.e., the BSs 104 may assign or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks) for DL and UL transmissions in the network 100 (i.e., “resource assignment”), [0062] i.e., Reference signals are predetermined signals…For example, a reference signal may have a particular pilot pattern or structure, where pilot tones may span across an operational bandwidth or frequency band, each positioned at a pre-defined time and a pre-defined frequency (i.e., “resource assignment”), [0063-0065] i.e., The DL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across an operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202… The UL calibration RS may be a pre-determined signal, for example, including a pre-defined pattern of pilot tones distributed across the operational frequency band in use by the BS 204 and the UE 202 (i.e., pre-determined DL/UL reference signals will be allocated to the UE according to a resource assignment), [0072] i.e., calibration parameters (e.g., coefficients), [0083] i.e., multiple antennas 316, [0094-0100] i.e., at action 525, the UE determines calibration parameters (i.e., calibration parameters can include gain values determined for each antenna) based on the UL and DL channel estimates, & [0166-0168] i.e., time frequency resources are assigned for UL calibration RS 1108 and DL calibration RS 1110)
(Yoo suggests the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas based on the resource assignment of the reference signals, (see Para’s [0002], [0005], & [0072-0073])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determined plurality of gain calibration values corresponding to the plurality of antennas as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Xia, to be determined according to the calibration reference signals allocated to the UE according to the second resource assignment as disclosed in the teachings of Yoo, because the motivation lies in Yoo that the UE computes calibration parameters such as the gain to address or correct one or more possible RF chain imbalances at the UE for properly calibrating the UEs antennas based on the resource assignment of the reference signals.
Regarding Claim 10, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 2. Therefore Claim 10 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 2.
Regarding Claim 11, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 3. Therefore Claim 11 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 3.
Regarding Claim 12, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 4. Therefore Claim 12 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 4.
Regarding Claim 13, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 5. Therefore Claim 13 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 5.
Regarding Claim 14, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 6. Therefore Claim 14 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 6.
Regarding Claim 15, the claim is directed towards a method performed by a UE which performs the same claim steps as the UE of claim 7. Therefore Claim 15 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, further in view of Xia, and further in view of Yoo as in claim 7.
Claim 31 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Strong US (2017/0331533) in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333), and further in view of Niu et al. US (2024/0015704) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chiu et al. US (2023/0205165).
Regarding Claim 31, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu discloses the UE of claim 1 including determining the plurality of phase calibration values during a first calibration stage associated with the beamforming operation (Strong, see Para’s [0105-0113] & [0118] & Tiebout, see Fig. 3 i.e., phase shifter 112 calibration (i.e., may be a “first stage”) and gain adjuster 116 calibration (i.e., may be a “second stage”) & Para’s [0059-0060] & [0091-0098]), and determining the first plurality of gain calibration values during a second calibration stage associated with the beamforming operation (Strong, see Para’s [0105-0113] & [0118] & Tiebout, see Fig. 3 i.e., phase shifter 112 calibration (i.e., may be a “first stage”) and gain adjuster 116 calibration (i.e., may be a “second stage”) & Para’s [0059-0060] & [0091-0098]), but does not disclose the claim features of the first stage occurring during a first time interval and the second stage occurring during a second time interval different than the first time interval. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Chiu et al. US (2023/0205165).
Chiu discloses wherein the at least one processor (see Fig. 6, 610) is further configured to perform phase calibration during a first stage (see Fig. 6 i.e., phase calibration stage 616), the first stage occurring during a first time interval (see Fig. 6 i.e., phase stage 616 occurs during a first time interval when performing the phase calibration), and gain calibration during a second stage (see Fig. 6 i.e., gain calibration stage 618), the second stage occurring during a second time interval different than the first time interval (see Fig. 6 i.e., gain calibration stage 618 occurs during a second time interval different than the first time interval) (see Para’s [0015] & [0033] i.e., The encoder sequentially (i.e., sequentially suggests different time intervals for performing the calibrations) performs first-stage gain calibration 612…performs phase calibration 616…performs a second-stage gain calibration 618…In other words, the calibration for at least one of gain, offset, and phase can be divided into multiple stages).
(Chiu suggests the encoder will sequentially perform the phase calibration and gain calibration by performing the gain calibration after the phase calibration thereby reducing the time spent on calibration, and to improve the correctness of the calibration, (see Para’s [0033-0034])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the determining the plurality of phase calibration values during a first calibration stage associated with the beamforming operation and the determining of the first plurality of gain calibration values during a second calibration stage associated with the beamforming operation as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, and further in view of Niu to be performed according to the phase calibration stage time interval and the gain calibration stage time interval as disclosed in the teachings of Chiu who discloses a processor performs phase calibration during a first stage, the first stage occurring during a first time interval, and gain calibration during a second stage, the second stage occurring during a second time interval different than the first time interval, because the motivation lies in Chiu that the encoder will sequentially perform the phase calibration and gain calibration by performing the gain calibration after the phase calibration thereby reducing the time spent on calibration, and to improve the correctness of the calibration.
Claim 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Strong US (2017/0331533) in view of Tiebout et al. US (2020/0169333), and further in view of Niu et al. US (2024/0015704), and further in view of Moscovich et al. USP (9,253,592) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Oteri et al. US (2021/0058967).
Regarding Claim 33, the combination of Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Moscovich discloses the UE of claim 1, but does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a configuration of the predetermined gain value from a base station. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Oteri et al. US (2021/0058967).
Oteri discloses wherein a WTRU processor is further configured to receive a configuration of the predetermined gain value from a base station, (see Para [0149] i.e., The gain information (e.g., the gain value and/or an indication of the gain value), and transmit/receive beam association may be predetermined and signaled by the gNB and for example, placed in a lookup table for the WTRU to use).
(Oteri suggests the gain information (e.g., the gain value and/or an indication of the gain value) and transmit/receive beam association is signaled by the gNB for the UE to learn the gain value and transmit/receive beam association as part of a gain discovery procedure for performing beam management, (see Para [0149])).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the predetermined gain value configuration as disclosed in Strong in view of Tiebout, further in view of Niu, and further in view of Moscovich to receive a configuration of the predetermined gain value from a base station as disclosed in the teachings of Oteri because the motivation lies in Oteri that the gain information (e.g., the gain value and/or an indication of the gain value) and transmit/receive beam association is signaled by the gNB for the UE to learn the gain value and transmit/receive beam association as part of a gain discovery procedure for performing beam management.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 35 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/ADNAN BAIG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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