Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to claim amendment filed on July 1, 2026.
Claims 1-15, 21-24, 35, and 41-55 are amended.
Claims 2, 6, 9, 12-15, 17-18 and 20 are cancelled.
Claims 21-25 and 26-30 are newly added.
Claims 1, 3-5, 10-11, 16, 19 and 21-30 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement received July 2, 2026 has been considered.
Response to Arguments
The 35 U.S.C § 112(b) rejection of claims 3-5 has been withdrawn in light of applicant’s amendments and remarks (see remarks Pg. 8).
The 35 USC § 101 abstract idea rejection of claims 1, 6, 10-11 and 16 has been withdrawn in light of applicant’s amendments and remarks (see remarks Pg. 9).
The 35 USC § 101 non-statutory subject matter rejection of claims 19 and 20 has been withdrawn in light of applicant’s amendments and remarks (see remarks Pg. 9).
The 35 U.S.C §102 rejection of claims 1, 3-6, and 9-20, is hereby withdrawn in light of applicant's amendments and arguments (see remarks Pg. 9-11). However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection has been made.
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.
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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 10-11, 16, 19 and 21-30, are rejected under 35 U.S.C.103 as being unpatentable over SEO et al., US 20180124709 A1, (hereinafter SEO) in view of SHAO, WO 2020143514 A1 (see the English translated copy), (hereinafter SHAO).
Regarding claim 1, 16 and 19, SEO teaches a wireless communication method, comprising:
determining, by a terminal device, that transmission power of a plurality of repeated transmissions of an uplink channel in a first transmission occasion set is same (see ¶ [0160] - [0161], e.g., an operation of maintaining transmit power in a specific time unit is also necessary for performing the multi-subframe channel estimation. In this case, the specific time unit corresponds to a repeated transmission section or an RSCW in which the repetition is performed.); and
transmitting, by the terminal device, the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel at the same transmission power (see ¶ [0160] - ¶ [0164], an operation of maintaining transmit power in a specific time unit is also necessary for performing the multi-subframe channel estimation. In this case, the specific time unit corresponds to a repeated transmission section or an RSCW in which the repetition is performed … the UE applies the same TPC value to subframes belonging to a repeated transmission section to maintain transmit power. ¶ [0182], A UE determines maximum transit power at every hopping timing and can consistently use the determined value to perform transmission in the same RB; ¶ [0186], A UE determines maximum transmit power at start timing of repetition and uses the determined maximum transmit power for the entire repetition);
wherein UL scheduling is configured by a network device (see ¶ [0041], Downlink control information (DCI) is transmitted through the PDCCH. DCI formats 0/4 (referred to as UL DCI formats hereinafter) for UL scheduling (or UL grant (UG)) … The DCI formats selectively include information such as hopping flag, RB allocation, MCS (Modulation Coding Scheme), RV (Redundancy Version), NDI (New Data Indicator), TPC (Transmit Power Control), DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal) cyclic shift, etc.)
the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel is performed per time slot (see ¶ [0160], an operation of maintaining transmit power in a specific time unit is also necessary for performing the multi-subframe channel estimation. In this case, the specific time unit corresponds to a repeated transmission section or an RSCW in which the repetition is performed; ¶ [0182], A UE determines maximum transit power at every hopping timing and can consistently use the determined value to perform transmission in the same RB.).
However, SEO does not explicitly teach wherein a number of transmission occasions included in the first transmission occasion set is configured by a network device and
the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel is used for joint channel estimation between time slots.
SHAO teaches wherein a number of transmission occasions included in the first transmission occasion set is configured by a network device, (¶ [0005], The DCI carries indication information such as the length of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, and modulation scheme of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). After receiving the DCI, the terminal device sends the PUSCH on the corresponding time-frequency resource according to the instructions of the DCI; ¶ [0091], the first indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to send at least two uplink channels, wherein the at least two uplink channels include a first uplink channel and a second uplink channel, the time domain resources where the first uplink channel is located do not overlap with the time domain resources where the reference signal is located in the time domain, and the time domain resources where the second uplink channel is located overlap with the time domain resources where at least one reference signal is located in the time domain.), and
the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel is used for joint channel estimation between time slots (see ¶ [0006], e.g., system design ensures that a reference signal is always present during each data (such as PUSCH) transmission. This allows the receiver to perform channel estimation and data demodulation using the reference signal; see ¶ [0027], the uplink channel that meets the above conditions is an uplink channel that needs to be repeatedly transmitted. When the terminal device transmits, it can use the same transmission power to transmit the repeatedly transmitted uplink channel, ensuring that it can share the demodulation reference signal, reducing the overhead of the demodulation reference signal and improving demodulation performance; see ¶ [0065], Time-frequency domain resources include time-domain resources and/or frequency-domain resources… The time domain resource may be one or more time slots, or one or more symbols on one or more time slots.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified DCI based UL scheduling and using repeated transmissions of the uplink channel for joint channel estimation of SEO to incorporate the teachings of SHAO to include wherein a number of transmission occasions included in the first transmission occasion set is configured by a network device and the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel is used for joint channel estimation between time slots. Doing so would facilitate in achieving improved demodulation performance and repeatedly transmitting uplink channel at the same time as suggested by Zhou (see ¶ [0027], the uplink channel that meets the above conditions is an uplink channel that needs to be repeatedly transmitted. When the terminal device transmits, it can use the same transmission power to transmit the repeatedly transmitted uplink channel, ensuring that it can share the demodulation reference signal, reducing the overhead of the demodulation reference signal and improving demodulation performance.).
Regarding claim 3, 21 and 26, SEO as combined with SHAO teaches the limitations of Claim 1, 16 and 19.
SEO further teaches, wherein said determining, by the terminal device, that the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel in the first transmission occasion set is same comprises:
ignoring, by the terminal device in the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel in the first transmission occasion set, a power control command applied to any one or more of the plurality of repeated transmissions in the first transmission occasion set (see ¶ [0162] - [0163], e.g., the x may correspond to KPUSCH or KPUCCH in the explanation on the transmit power… if the subframe n+x is not a start subframe of a specific repeated transmission section or an RSCW, the UE may not apply the TPC in the subframe n+x. Moreover, it means that the UE may delay applying the TPC until a subframe starting after the subframe n+x.),
to enable the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel to be the same (see ¶ [0159]- [0161], when a TPC command is received, the present invention proposes a method of maintaining transmit power while repetition is performed according to a repetition number or in an RSCW by controlling the timing to which the command is applied … a TPC value is changed at a boundary of a repeated transmission section or an RSCW only. In the following, assume that transmission timing is maintained by maintaining the TPC value.), or
refraining, by the terminal device, from receiving a power control command applied to any one or more of the plurality of repeated transmissions in the first transmission occasion set, to enable the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel to be the same.
Regarding claim 4, 22 and 27, SEO as combined with SHAO teaches the limitations of Claim 1, 16 and 19.
SEO further teaches, wherein said determining, by the terminal device, that the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel in the first transmission occasion set is same comprises:
performing, by the terminal device in the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel in the first transmission occasion set, same power adjustment for the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel according to a power control command effective in the first transmission occasion set (see Fig. 13, e.g., element adjust power according to TCP command, maintain transmit power during RSC #0 or repetition section #0; see ¶ [0165], e.g., If a TPC command is received in a subframe n, a subframe n+7 corresponds to a first subframe of an RSCW #0. Hence, the TPC received in the subframe n is applied to the subframe n+7 in the RSCW #0 and repeated transmission is performed in subframes belonging to the RSCW #0 using corresponding transmit power.),
to enable the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel to be the same (see ¶ [0159]- [0161], when a TPC command is received, the present invention proposes a method of maintaining transmit power while repetition is performed according to a repetition number or in an RSCW by controlling the timing to which the command is applied … a TPC value is changed at a boundary of a repeated transmission section or an RSCW only. In the following, assume that transmission timing is maintained by maintaining the TPC value.).
Regarding claim 5, 23 and 28, SEO as combined with SHAO teaches the limitations of Claim 1, 16 and 19.
SEO further teaches, wherein said determining, by the terminal device, that the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel in the first transmission occasion set is same comprises:
receiving, by the terminal device in the first transmission occasion set, a power control command applied to any one or more of the plurality of repeated transmissions in the first transmission occasion set (see ¶ [0163], e.g., If a TPC command is received in a subframe n, a UE applies a value received from a repeated transmission section or an RSCW firstly starting in a subframe n+x or after the subframe n+x); and
performing, by the terminal device, power adjustment for the uplink channel according to the power control command at a transmission occasion or a transmission occasion set after the first transmission occasion set (see ¶ [0164], e.g., In particular, the UE applies the TPC in a subframe n+y (y>=x) and the subframe n+y becomes a start subframe of a specific repeated transmission section or an RSCW. In other word, the UE applies the same TPC value to subframes belonging to a repeated transmission section to maintain transmit power.),
to enable the transmission power of the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel to be the same (see ¶ [0159]- [0161], when a TPC command is received, the present invention proposes a method of maintaining transmit power while repetition is performed according to a repetition number or in an RSCW by controlling the timing to which the command is applied … a TPC value is changed at a boundary of a repeated transmission section or an RSCW only. In the following, assume that transmission timing is maintained by maintaining the TPC value.).
Regarding claim 10, 24 and 29, SEO as combined with SHAO teaches the limitations of Claim 1, 16 and 19.
SEO further teaches, wherein the plurality of repeated transmissions of the uplink channel are part or all repeated transmissions of the uplink channel (see ¶ [0160] - [0162], In FIG. 13, a case that a repeated transmission section or an RSCW in which data is repeatedly transmitted is configured by 4 subframes.).
Regarding claim 11, 25 and 30, SEO as combined with SHAO teaches the limitations of Claim 1, 16 and 19.
SEO further teaches, wherein the uplink channel comprises at least one of: a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) or a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (see ¶ [0163], e.g., In this case, n+x may correspond to a first UL subframe after the processing time in consideration of a subframe configuration in TDD. In particular, the x may correspond to KPUSCH or KPUCCH in the explanation on the transmit power.).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) 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 POONAM SHARMA whose telephone number is (571)272-6579. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru 8:30-5:30 pm, ET.
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/POONAM SHARMA/Examiner, Art Unit 2472
/KEVIN T BATES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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