DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by RYU et al., US 2020/0204240 A1, (“RYU”).
Regarding claim 1:
RYU discloses a user equipment (UE) (e.g., Fig. 11, 1100) comprising:
a transceiver (Fig. 11, 1108) configured to: receive information about at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) related information (SRS-Info) that is associated with two groups of antenna ports (e.g., [0058], [0073], “The UE may receive a configuration of one or more SRS resource sets. Each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources. Each SRS resource set may be associated with one or more UE antenna groups (e.g., panels).”), and
receive an indication indicating X groups of the two groups of antenna ports, where X ∈ {1,2} (e.g., [0073], [0080], “the UE receives signaling from the BS activating or deactivating one or more of the configured SRS resource sets based on the grouping, for example, to activate or deactivate the corresponding UE antenna groups/panels.”); and
a processor (Fig. 11, 1104) operably coupled to the transceiver, the processor, based on the indication, configured to identify the X groups of antenna ports, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to transmit an uplink (UL) transmission based on the X groups of antenna ports, when X = 1, the UL transmission corresponds to one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission from one of the two groups of antenna ports, and when X = 2, the UL transmission corresponds to one or two PUSCH transmissions from the two groups of antenna ports (e.g., [0073], “For example, the signaling from the BS may activate one or more SRS resource sets associated with a plurality UE antenna groups for a PUSCH) transmission, such as a simultaneous PUSCH transmission with multiple transmission configurations.”).
Regarding claim 2:
RYU further discloses wherein the at least one SRS-Info corresponds to a group of SRS resources or ports (e.g., [0058], [0073], [0080]).
Regarding claim 3:
RYU further discloses wherein: the at least one SRS-Info includes one or more of G1, G2, G3, and G1,2, where: G1 is a first SRS-Info that is associated with a first group of SRS resources or ports, G2 is a second SRS-Info that is associated with a second group of SRS resources or ports, G3 is a third SRS-Info that is associated with both the first and the second groups of SRS resources or ports, and G1,2 is a pair of SRS-Info, one of the pair of SRS-Info is associated with one of the first group of SRS resources or ports and the other of the pair of SRS-Info is associated with the second group of SRS resources or ports, the first group of SRS resources or ports is associated with a first of the two groups of antenna ports, and the second group of SRS resources or ports is associated with a second of the two groups of antenna ports (e.g., [0058], [0073], [0080], configuration of SRS resource sets).
Regarding claim 4:
RYU further discloses wherein the information about the at least one SRS-Info corresponds to one of: a SRS resource set including all of the one or more of G1, G2, G3, and G1,2, one SRS resource set for each of the one or more of G1, G2, G3, and G1,2, or two SRS resource sets, one of the two SRS resource sets for G1 or G2 and the other of the two SRS resource sets for G3 or G1,2 (e.g., [0058], [0073], [0080], “The UE may receive a configuration of one or more SRS resource sets. Each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources. Each SRS resource set may be associated with one or more UE antenna groups (e.g., panels)”).
Regarding claim 5:
RYU further discloses wherein: G1 or G2 is associated with X = 1 and the one PUSCH transmission, and G3 or G1,2 is associated with X = 2 and the one or two PUSCH transmissions (e.g., [0058], [0073], [0080], “Each SRS resource set may be associated with one or more UE antenna groups (e.g., panels) … the signaling from the BS may activate one or more SRS resource sets associated with a plurality UE antenna groups for a PUSCH) transmission, such as a simultaneous PUSCH transmission with multiple transmission configurations”).
Regarding claim 6:
RYU further discloses when a number of antenna ports is N, each of the two groups of antenna ports comprises N.sub.1 antenna ports, where (N, N.sub.1) = (8,4), (8,2), (8,1), (4,2), (4,1), or (2,1) (e.g., [0065], antenna groups shown in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 7:
RYU further discloses the indication is via at least one indicator in a downlink control information (DCI), and the at least one indicator includes: a joint indicator indicating one or both of the two groups, or multiple indicators, each associated with a respective one of the two groups (e.g., [0058], [0073], [0080]).
Regarding claim 8:
RYU further discloses wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a report including information about one or more of G1, G2, G3, and G1,2 (e.g., [0072], Fig. 7, 710).
Regarding claim 9:
RYU discloses a base station (BS) (e.g., Fig. 12, 1200) comprising: a transceiver (Fig. 12, 1208) configured to: transmit information about at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) related information (SRS-Info) that is associated with two groups of antenna ports; transmit an indication indicating X groups of the two groups of antenna ports, where X ∈ {1,2}; and receive an uplink (UL) transmission based on the X groups of antenna ports, wherein, when X = 1, the UL transmission corresponds to one physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission from one of the two groups of antenna ports, and wherein, when X = 2, the UL transmission corresponds to one or two PUSCH transmissions from the two groups of antenna ports. (See similar features in rejection of independent claim 1.)
Regarding claims 10-16:
See similar features in rejection of claims 2-8 above.
Regarding claims 17-20:
See similar features in rejection of claims 1-4 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Alvin ZHU whose telephone number is (571)270-1086. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6am-9am and 2pm-7pm.
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/BO HUI A ZHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465