DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to applicant’s response filed under 37 C.F.R §1.111 in response to a non-final office action. Claim(s) 1, 4-5, and 18 have been amended; No claims have been canceled; No Claim(s) have been added. Claim(s) 1-20 are subject to examination.
Acknowledgement is made to the applicant’s amendment to the title to obviate the previous objection to the specification. The previous objection to the specification is/are hereby withdrawn.
Acknowledgement is made to the applicant’s amendment to 1, 4-5, and 18 to obviate the previous 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection to claims 1-20. The previous 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection to claims 1-20 is/are hereby withdrawn.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7, 9, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by WANG et al. (US 20220190887 A1), hereby referred to as WANG.
Claim 1:
WANG teaches a method of processing data for transmission over a communication system comprising a transmitter comprising a plurality of transmitter antennas and a plurality of receiver antennas, each of the plurality of receiver antennas connected to the transmitter via a respective communication channel (WANG: FIG. 1 and para 73 (“…part of a massive MIMO downlink system, includes a transmitter 110 and receivers 120-1,… 120-M…The transmitter 110 comprises transmitting antennas 113-1,…, 113-N…”) and para 76 (“…may communicate with via a wireless channel 112…”)), the method comprising: precoding data prior to transmission to reduce an amplitude of a data element of the data, to a predefined numerical value, resulting in precoded data having a reduced amplitude when transmitted to and received at a receiver antenna of a plurality of receiver antennas (WANG: para 131 (“…if the transmitter 110 determines that the amplitude of the at least one of the first number of signals into or around the quantized level…For each of the first number of signals…is more than the quantized level, reduces the amplitude of the real part or the imaginary part to be equal to the quantized level…”) wherein the transmitter reduces the amplitude value/data element before transmission/reception).
Claim 2:
WANG teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined numerical value is zero (WANG: para 102 (“…the first number of signals to be transmitted may be set to a preset value, for example, 0…”)).
Claim 3:
WANG teaches The method according to claim 2, wherein precoding the data to reduce the amplitude of the data element to zero reduces the amplitude of the precoded data received at the receiver antenna to zero (WANG: para 102 (“…the first number of signals to be transmitted may be set to a preset value, for example, 0…”) and para 131 (“…if the transmitter 110 determines that the amplitude of the at least one of the first number of signals into or around the quantized level…For each of the first number of signals…is more than the quantized level, reduces the amplitude of the real part or the imaginary part to be equal to the quantized level…”) wherein the transmitter reduces the amplitude value/data element before transmission/reception).
Claim 7:
WANG teaches the method according to claim 4, wherein reducing the amplitude of the data element comprises a matrix multiplication of the data, x, by a precoder matrix, P, which depends on the diagonal matrix (WANG: para 41 (“…original signals s…The precoding transmitter may be described in…x=Ws…”) and para 51-para 52 (“x=Wzfs…The columns of the precoding matrix can be normalized to a unit norm by right multiplying a diagonal matrix…”) wherein the data x is the original signals s and W is the precoding matrix which depends on being normalized by a diagonal matrix).
Claim 9:
WANG teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a plurality of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) signals (WANG: para 38 (“…in massive MIMO, precoding at a transmitter which comprises multiple antennas becomes more important to ensure…”)).
Claim 17:
WANG teaches The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the transmitter, the precoded data using the communication channels (WANG: para 131 (“…if the transmitter 110 determines that the amplitude of the at least one of the first number of signals into or around the quantized level…For each of the first number of signals…is more than the quantized level, reduces the amplitude of the real part or the imaginary part to be equal to the quantized level…”) wherein the transmitter reduces the amplitude value/data element before transmission/reception).
Claim 18:
WANG teaches a system for processing data for transmission over a communication system (WANG: FIG. 1). For further limitations, see rejection for claim 1 above.
Claim 19:
WANG teaches the system according to claim 18. For further limitations, see rejection for claim 2 above.
Claim 20:
WANG teaches a communication network comprising the system according to claim 18 (WANG: FIG. 1).
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) 4, 13-14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG in view of NAM et al. (EP 2819313 A1) (see IDS 07/24/2023), hereby referred to as NAM.
Claim 4:
WANG teaches The method according to claim 1, wherein reducing the amplitude of the data element comprises processing the data using a diagonal matrix, (WANG: para 52 (“The columns of the precoding matrix can be normalized to a unit norm by right multiplying a diagonal matrix…”)).
However, WANG does not explicitly disclose each of at least one diagonal element of the diagonal matrix corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of data elements of the data, the plurality of data elements comprising the data element, and the at least one diagonal element corresponding to the data element having the predefined numerical value.
NAM, in the same field of endeavor, teaches each of at least one diagonal element of the diagonal matrix corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of data elements of the data, the plurality of data elements comprising the data element, and the at least one diagonal element corresponding to the data element having the predefined numerical value (NAM: pg 5 Equation 2 and para 41-48; pg 6 equation 4 and equation 5 wherien the diagonal matrix have pre-defined diagonal elements which correspond to the data elements).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with NAM for the benefit of an adaptive codebook for better performance (NAM: para 26) and reduce interference in MU-MIMO scheduling (NAM: para 64).
Claim 13:
WANG teaches the method according to claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose further comprising identifying the receiver antenna based on channel state information associated with the communication channels.
NAM, in the same field of endeavor, discloses further comprising identifying the receiver antenna based on channel state information associated with the communication channels (NAM: pg 2 para 7 (“…scheduling the pieces of UE on the basis of the instantaneous channel information…”) wherein pieces/antennas of the UE are identified based on channel station information).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with NAM, the combination hereby referred to as WANG-NAM, for the benefit of an adaptive codebook for better performance (NAM: para 26) and reduce interference in MU-MIMO scheduling (NAM: para 64).
Claim 14:
WANG-NAM teaches The method according to claim 13, wherein identifying the receiver antenna based on the channel state information comprises: using the channel state information to rank the plurality of receiver antennas; and identifying the receiver antenna based on a rank of the receiver antenna (NAM: pg 2 para 7 (“…scheduling the pieces of UE on the basis of the instantaneous channel information…”) wherein pieces/antennas of the UE are identified based on channel station information).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with NAM for the benefit of an adaptive codebook for better performance (NAM: para 26) and reduce interference in MU-MIMO scheduling (NAM: para 64).
Claim 16:
WANG-NAM teaches the method according to claim 13, further comprising iteratively identifying respective receiver antennas for which an amplitude of a corresponding data element of the data, for receipt by the respective receiver antenna, is to be reduced to the predefined numerical value, based on the channel state information (NAM: pg 8 para 81-83 (“The base station can receive feedback of instantaneous channel information measured from CSI-RS signals…instantaneous channel information may include…dominant eigenvector matrices…adaptive codebook indices, fixed codebook indices…SU-CQI…MU-CQI…”) wherein each piece/receiver antenna is identified based on channel state information).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with NAM for the benefit of an adaptive codebook for better performance (NAM: para 26) and reduce interference in MU-MIMO scheduling (NAM: para 64).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG in view of CHO et al. (US 20170244467 A1) (see 892 10/01/2025), hereby referred to as CHO.
Claim 10:
WANG teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the receiver antenna is a first receiver antenna, the plurality of receiver antennas comprises a second receiver antenna (WANG: FIG. 1 and para 73 (“…part of a massive MIMO downlink system, includes a transmitter 110 and receivers 120-1,… 120-M…The transmitter 110 comprises transmitting antennas 113-1,…, 113-N…”) and para 76 (“…may communicate with via a wireless channel 112…”)), but does not explicitly disclose that precoding the data comprises precoding the data based on a priority ranking of the first receiver antenna relative to the second receiver antenna, the priority ranking indicating that the first receiver antenna has a lower priority than the second receiver antenna.
CHO, in the same field of endeavor, teaches precoding the data comprises precoding the data based on a priority ranking of the first receiver antenna relative to the second receiver antenna, the priority ranking indicating that the first receiver antenna has a lower priority than the second receiver antenna (CHO: para 102 (“select an antenna group…among the plurality of antenna groups…by comparing at least one of channel gains, rank values, and condition numbers of channel matrices…according to an order of priorities…may assign a weight to…a condition numbers of criterion for selection an antenna group…according to the order of priorities, and select an antenna group on the basis of a weighted sum…) wherein antennas can be ranked in a way that one antenna has a lower priority than another antenna).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with CHO for the benefit of allocating resources in MIMO environment (CHO: para 2-6).
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG in view of KIM et al. (US 20170195100 A1) (see 891 10/01/2025), hereby referred to as KIM.
Claim 11:
WANG teaches the method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the receiver antenna based on an activity level of the receiver antenna.
KIM, in the same field of endeavor, teaches further comprising identifying the receiver antenna based on an activity level of the receiver antenna (KIM: para 176-177 (“…BS may indicate which antenna port group in a certain CSI-RS configuration is activated or deactivated…The UE may exclude the antenna port group deactivated by…the command…”) wherein antennas are identified to be active or inactive).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with KIM, the combination hereby referred to as WANG-KIM, for the benefit of reduced overhead (KIM: para 175).
Claim 12:
WANG-KIM teaches The method according to claim 11, wherein identifying the receiver antenna comprises identifying that the activity level of the receiver antenna satisfies an inactivity condition indicative of relative inactivity (KIM: para 176-177 (“…BS may indicate which antenna port group in a certain CSI-RS configuration is activated or deactivated…The UE may exclude the antenna port group deactivated by…the command…”) wherein antennas can be identified as having met the deactivated condition).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to have modified WANG with KIM for the benefit of reduced overhead (KIM: para 175).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 8, and 15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Similarly, claim 6 is objected to as being dependent on claim 5.
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 ANGELIE T NGO whose telephone number is (571)272-0180. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Thur: 8am - 5pm; 2nd Fri: 8am - 3pm.
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/A.T.N./Examiner, Art Unit 2416
/NOEL R BEHARRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2416
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