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 .
The preliminary amendment filed 7/13/23 has been entered and the claims therein have been examined on their merits. Claims 1-2, 7, 9, 15, 17-18, 23-24, 30, 32-33, 38, 40, 46, 48-49, 54-55, and 61 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDS statements filed to date have been considered by the examiner.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 7, 9, 17-18, 23-24, 32-33, 38, 40, 48-49, and 54-55 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being clearly anticipated by Ly et al., US 2024/0015707, (“Ly”).
Independent Claims
Regarding claim 1, Ly teaches “A method for determining a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling window size, applied to a terminal, comprising:
determining a DMRS bundling window size for an uplink multi-slot DMRS transmission pattern based on a configuration from a network side device or a predefined rule agreed by a network side device and the terminal” (see, e.g., Fig. 5 and its respective written description; see paragraph nos. 0073, 0076 and in particular, 0073, “the base station may provide the UE with a configuration indicating or enabling the UE to perform DMRS bundling across PUCCH repetitions. For instance, the base station may provide the configuration enabling DMRS bundling to the UE for each PUCCH format within the PUCCH format configuration (e.g., in PUCCH-FormatConfig), for each PUCCH resource within the PUCCH resource set configuration (e.g., in PUCCH-ResourceSetConfig), or within the PUCCH configuration itself (e.g., PUCCH-Config) … Thus, in this example, the UE may determine the DMRS bundling window to encompass the indicated number of repetitions (e.g., in the PUCCH format configuration via parameter nrOfSlots, or in DCI)”; see Fig. 5 which shows an uplink multi-slot DMRS transmission pattern; note that the second alternative “a predefined rule agreed …” is also taught in paragraph no. 0074 which discloses that the UE transmits to a base station its capability to support PUCCH DMRS bundling for PUCCH repetitions).
Regarding independent claims 17 and 32, these independent claims are corresponding network method and terminal claims of the terminal method claim 1 and recite similar subject matter. As such, the rationale behind the above rejection of claim 1 applies with equal force to these independent claims and as further amplified below to highlight the minor differences between the claims.
Regarding independent claim 32, see Fig. 3, UE 350 for the claimed structural elements of the claim.
Dependent Claims
Regarding claim 48, see Fig. 3, base station 310 for the claimed structural elements of the claim.
Regarding claims 2, 18, 33, and 49, Ly teaches “determining the DMRS bundling window size based on an uplink channel repetition factor” (paragraph no. 0076 discloses K PUCCH repetitions via RRC), “determining the uplink channel repetition factor as the DMRS bundling window size” (paragraph no. 0076 discloses “When the UE receives the number of repetitions K, the UE may determine a DMRS bundling window 508”), and “wherein the uplink channel repetition factor is semi-statically indicated by radio resource control (RRC) signaling” (paragraph no. 0076). The remaining limitations of each claim are written in alternative form and hence, are not addressed at this time.
Regarding claims 7, 23, 38, and 54, Ly teaches “determining whether the terminal has a DMRS bundling capability based on terminal capability; and in a case that the terminal has the DMRS bundling capability, determining the DMRS bundling window size (paragraph no. 0074); and/or,
transmitting terminal capability information to the network side device, wherein the terminal capability information carries information indicating whether the terminal has a DMRS bundling capability” (paragraph no. 0074).
Regarding claims 9, 24, 40, 55, Ly teaches “wherein the determining the DMRS bundling window size for the uplink multi-slot DMRS transmission pattern based on the configuration from the network side device comprises:
receiving indication information configured by the network side device through an RRC signaling or DCI, wherein the indication information carries the DMRS bundling window size (paragraph no. 0073); and
determining the DMRS bundling window size based on the indication information” (paragraph no. 0073).
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.
Claim(s) 15, 30, 46, and 61 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ly or alternatively, Ly in view of the 3GPP document entitled “Discussion on potential techniques for PUCCH coverage enhancement” by CATT, R1-2007875, (“Catt”).
Regarding claims 15, 30, 46, and 61, Ly teaches “wherein after the determining the DMRS bundling window size for the uplink multi-slot DMRS transmission pattern, the method further comprising:
dividing the DMRS bundling window size based on a time division duplex (TDD) resource configuration or an invalid symbol to obtain actual DMRS bundling window sizes (the “a TDD resource configuration” alternative is addressed – see paragraph no. 0072, “Additionally, although the following examples to be described with respect to DMRS bundling refer to PUCCH transmissions occupying a single DMRS bundling window, the transmissions may alternatively occupy or be split across multiple, consecutive or inconsecutive DMRS bundling windows in other examples”);
and/or in a case that frequency hopping for the uplink transmission is enabled, determining an actual DMRS bundling window size based on a frequency hopping pattern,
wherein the actual DMRS bundling window size is less than or equal to a number of slots comprised in each hop.”
Ly’s disclosure that the transmissions may be split across multiple, consecutive or inconsecutive DMRS bundling windows appears to teach that the division of the window size is based on a “TDD resource configuration” as recited in each claim. However, assuming arguendo that Ly does not teach this TDD resource configuration, then it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of this claimed invention to modify Ly by dividing the window size based on a TDD resource configuration to facilitate the transmission of DMRS in multiple PUCCH transmissions.
Examiner’s note: see paragraph no. 0072 which discloses frequency hopping which seems to suggest the second alternative “or in a case that frequency hopping …” recited in each claim.
Alternatively, Ly does not teach but Catt teaches the second alternative limitation “or in a case that frequency hopping for the uplink transmission is enabled, determining an actual DMRS bundling window size based on a frequency hopping pattern,
wherein the actual DMRS bundling window size is less than or equal to a number of slots comprised in each hop” (see page 5, Figure 4 which discloses a frequency hopping pattern used in determining a DMRS bundling window in which the window size is two slots and each frequency hop includes two slots).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of this claimed invention to modify Ly by incorporating the teachings of Catt to combine DMRS bundling with time spacial diversity (TSD), as suggested by Catt on page 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WON TAE C. KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1812. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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, Edan Orgad can be reached at (571)272-7884. 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.
/WON TAE C KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2414
Prosecution Insights