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 .
RCE filed 2/3/2026 is acknowledged. Amendment filed 12/24/2025 is entered.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, and 23 have been amended.
Claims 2, 3, 13, and 14 have been cancelled. Claims 6, 11, 17, 20-22, and 24 have been previously cancelled.
Claims 26 and 27 have been newly added.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 7-10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, and 25-27 remain pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4, 10, 12, 15, 23, and 25-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (US20220046691A1), hereafter Kim.
Regarding claims 1 and 23,
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 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).
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).
Regarding claims 4 and 15,
Kim 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 claim 10,
Kim discloses further comprising one of: performing combined decoding on control information received by beams corresponding to at least two TCI states indicated by the beam indication information, where the beam indication information is configured to indicate at least two states or performing independent decoding on control information received by one beam corresponding to one TCI state indicated by the beam indication information, wherein the beam indication information is configured to indicated the one TCI state (paragraphs 172, 213, 242-246, 408-409, 501-502, 512, 627-630, 658; decoding PDSCH based on detected/decoded PDCCH according to CORESET group associations/TCI state/TRP/etc.; non-coherent joint transmission considerations).
Regarding claims 26 and 27,
Kim 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).
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 5, 7-9, 16, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim.
Regarding claims 5, 7-9, 16, 18, and 19,
Kim 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/3/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In the Remarks on pg. 14-15 of the Amendment, Applicant contends Kim’s disclosure of configuring the CORESET and search space as a group or the use of serving cell ID, BWP ID, or MAC CE cannot be equated with a CORESET ID, group ID, or MAC CE comprising the CORESET or group ID, as claimed.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As cited in the rejection, Fig. 13a-b, 14a-b and 29 of Kim shows how multiple CORESETs of a CORESET group and how each CORESET corresponds with a particular portion of the associated BWP. The numbering of the CORESET set forth in paragraphs 402-403 illustrates an “identification” of the respective CORESETs, as claimed. Further disclosure how CORESETs correspond to TCI state groups and PDCCHs as well as the use of MAC CE and DCI signaling for conveying such associations meets a broadest possible interpretation of the contested claim limitations without improperly reading limitations in from the instant Specification. Therefore, rejections based on Kim are properly maintained.
In the Remarks on pg. 15 of the Amendment, Applicant contends that Kim’s disclosure that respective CORESET groups may be distinguished according to an index value or TRP correspondence, but that neither this index value or TRP correspondence is indicated by the first indication field.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Continuing from the cited disclosure above, paragraphs 404-406 of Kim further discloses how multiple PDCCHs correspond to different TRPs and/or CORESETs indexed by pool index (paragraph 595), meeting a broadest possible interpretation of the contested claim limitations without improperly reading limitations in from the instant Specification. Therefore, rejections based on Kim are properly maintained.
In the Remarks on pg. 15-16 of the Amendment, Applicant contends Kim’s disclosure that MAC CE is used to map up to 8 TCI states to code points in the DCI field does not disclose or suggest indicating whether the first indication field is present in the MAC CE nor does it disclose “second indication field is configured to indicate whether the associated first indication field is present in the first MAC CE”, as claimed.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Again, as shown in the rejections above, the cited disclosures from Kim that show correspondence between CORESETs, pool indices, TCI states, and TRPs according to associated MAC CE and DCI signaling meets the contested claim limitations. The alternative language (“or”, “at least one of”) present in the amended limitations further illustrates how the variously cited disclosure of Kim meets a broadest possible interpretation of the contested claim limitations without improperly reading limitations in from the instant Specification. Therefore, rejections based on Kim are properly maintained.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY B SEFCHECK whose telephone number is (571)272-3098. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 6AM-4PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chirag Shah can be reached at 571-272-3144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/GREGORY B SEFCHECK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477
Prosecution Insights