DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Amendment filed 8/20/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1, 12, and 23 have been amended.
Claim 10 has been cancelled. Claims 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20-22, and 24 have been previously cancelled.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 7-9, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, and 25-28 remain pending.
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, 4, 5, 7-9, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, and 25-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US20220046691A1), hereafter Kim, in view of Fan (US20210337524A1).
Regarding claims 1, 23, and 28,
Kim discloses a beam indication method (Fig. 30) performed by a terminal (UE; Fig. 36, 38) comprising a transceiver (Fig. 38, Transceiver 114), a memory (Fig. 38, Memory unit 130), and a processor (Fig. 38, control unit/processor 120), wherein the processor respectively connects to the transceiver and the memory (paragraph 703-709), and is configured to receive beam indication information of a CORESET group (Fig. 30, S30010-S30020), wherein, a number of CORESETs in the CORESET group comprises one or more CORESETs (Fig. 13, 14, 29; paragraph 402-403; CORESET group 1 including CORESET #1-2 and CORESET group 2 including CORESET #3-4) and the beam indication information is configured to indicate one or more TCI states of one or more beams corresponding respectively to the one or more CORESETs in the CORESET group (paragraphs 404-405; CORESET corresponds to TCI state groups) and receiving control information based on the beam indication information (Fig. 30, S30030; paragraphs 405, 632-634; CORESET/TCI state corresponds to PDCCHs).
Kim discloses the CORESET group comprises one first CORESET and a maximum number of first TCI states corresponding to the DCI codepoint first CORESET is greater than or equal to two (paragraph 405, 448, 565; single CORESET corresponds to multiple TCI states as applied to a codepoint of a DCI BWP indicator) and each first TCI state corresponds to a different CORESET pool index (paragraph 595) or each first TCI state corresponds to a different transmission and reception point (TRP) (Fig. 14, 19; paragraph 258, 264, 374-377).
Kim discloses the beam indication information is a first MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field) comprising at least one of a first CORESET ID of the first CORESET or a CORESET group ID of the CORESET group (Fig. 13, 14, 29; paragraph 402-403; CORESET group 1 including CORESET #1-2 and CORESET group 2 including CORESET #3-4) and further comprises at least one of a first indication field configured to indicate one of: a first TCI state (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field), a first TCI state and a CORESET pool index corresponding to the first TCI state (paragraph 595), or a first TCI state and a TRP corresponding to the first TCI state (Fig. 14, 19; paragraph 258, 264, 374-377) or an associated second indication field configured to indicate whether the associated first indication field presents in the first MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254, 564-565; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field).
Kim discloses non-coherent joint transmission based on detected/decoded PDCCH according to CORESET group associations/TCI state/TRP/etc. (paragraphs 172, 213, 242-246, 408-409, 501-502, 512, 627-630, 658) but fails to expressly disclose combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states.
Fan discloses analogous art including performing combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states (Fig. 3, 4; paragraph 235-240, 305; claims 1, 6, 15; combined decoding by using two TCI states).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Kim by performing combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states, as shown by Fan, thereby improving data receiving success rate and reliability.
Regarding claims 12 and 25,
Kim discloses a beam indication method (Fig. 31) performed by a network device (Fig. 36; base station 3620) comprising a transceiver (Fig. 36, Transceiver 206); a memory (Fig. 36, Memory 204); and a processor (Fig. 36, Processor 202), wherein the processor respectively connects to the transceiver and the memory, and is configured to send beam indication information of a CORESET group to a terminal (Fig. 31, S31010-31020), wherein the CORESET group comprises one or more CORESETs (Fig. 13, 14, 29; paragraph 402-403; CORESET group 1 including CORESET #1-2 and CORESET group 2 including CORESET #3-4) the beam indication information is configured to indicate one or more TCI states of one or more beams corresponding respectively to the one or more CORESETs in the CORESET group (paragraphs 404-405; CORESET corresponds to TCI state groups), and sending control information to the terminal based on the one or more TCI states (Fig. 31, S31030; paragraph 637-639; BS transmits PDCCH using resource according to previously transmitted CORESET and search space/TCI configuration).
Kim discloses the CORESET group comprises one first CORESET and a maximum number of first TCI states corresponding to the first CORESET is greater than or equal to two (paragraph 405, 448; single CORESET corresponds to multiple TCI states) and each first TCI state corresponds to a different CORESET pool index (paragraph 595) or each first TCI state corresponds to a different transmission and reception point (TRP) (Fig. 14, 19; paragraph 258, 264, 374-377).
Kim discloses the beam indication information is a first MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field) comprising at least one of a first CORESET ID of the first CORESET or a CORESET group ID of the CORESET group (Fig. 13, 14, 29; paragraph 402-403; CORESET group 1 including CORESET #1-2 and CORESET group 2 including CORESET #3-4) and further comprises at least one of a first indication field configured to indicate one of: a first TCI state (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field), a first TCI state and a CORESET pool index corresponding to the first TCI state (paragraph 595), or a first TCI state and a TRP corresponding to the first TCI state (Fig. 14, 19; paragraph 258, 264, 374-377) or an associated second indication field configured to indicate whether the associated first indication field presents in the first MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254, 564-565; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field).
Kim discloses non-coherent joint transmission based on detected/decoded PDCCH according to CORESET group associations/TCI state/TRP/etc. (paragraphs 172, 213, 242-246, 408-409, 501-502, 512, 627-630, 658) but fails to expressly disclose combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states.
Fan discloses analogous art including performing combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states (Fig. 3, 4; paragraph 235-240, 305; claims 1, 6, 15; combined decoding by using two TCI states).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing to modify Kim by performing combined decoding on control information corresponding to at least two TCI states, as shown by Fan, thereby improving data receiving success rate and reliability.
Regarding claims 4 and 15,
The combination of Kim and Fan discloses the beam indication information is first DCI comprising one first code point, wherein a first TCI state corresponding to the first code point is indicated by a second MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field).
Regarding claims 5, 7-9, 16, 18, and 19,
The combination of Kim and Fan discloses the MAC CE comprises at least one of a first CORESET ID of the first CORESET or a CORESET group ID of the CORESET group points (Fig. 13, 14, 29; paragraph 402-403; CORESET group 1 including CORESET #1-2 and CORESET group 2 including CORESET #3-4) and further comprises one or more indication fields corresponding to one or more first code (paragraph 181, 254; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field) and an indication field corresponding to a first code point comprises at least one of an indication field configured to indicate one of: a first TCI state and a CORESET pool index corresponding to the first TCI state (paragraph 595), or a first TCI state and a TRP corresponding to the first TCI state (Fig. 14, 19; paragraph 258, 264, 374-377) or an associated second indication field configured to indicate whether the associated first indication field presents in the first MAC CE (paragraph 181, 254, 564-565; MAC CE signaling used to map up to 8 TCI states to the code point of a DCI field).
The express language “second”, “third”, etc. in claims 5, 7-9, 16, 18, and 19 simply iterates the claim language in their parent claims of using MAC CE signaling to convey the CORESET group ID in association with TCI state, CORESET pool indices and corresponding TRP.
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of effective filing would have found these iterative claims to be obvious given the disclosure of initial operation provided in Kim, in order to allow for beam indication to be continuous and adaptive to the surrounding environment.
Regarding claims 26 and 27,
The combination of Kim and Fan discloses the CORESET group comprises one or more second CORESETs (Fig. 13, 14, 29), each second CORESET corresponds to at most one second TCI state (paragraph 273; single TCI state configured in each specific CORESET).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection relies on newly-cited Fan reference for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Li (US20240057105A1); combined decoding mode indicating two TCI states (paragraph 90).
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.
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/GREGORY B SEFCHECK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477
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