DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Summary
This action is in reply to Applicant’s Amendments and Remarks filed on 12/10/2025.
Claims 1, 3-14, 17-19 and 21-23 are pending.
Claims 2, 15-16, 20 and 24-30 are canceled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 12/10/2025 with respect to claims 1 and 3-9 have been considered but they are not persuasive.
The Examiner presents that Applicant’s REMARKS do not cite where the support for the new limitation in amended claim 1 “load the set of parity bits into a parity bit circular buffer, wherein the parity bit circular buffer excludes the set of systematic bits” is disclosed in the originally filed disclosure.
Further, the Examiner finds that Specification [0036] discloses “ loading the set of systematic bits and the set of parity bits into a circular buffer”, and similarly [0106] discloses “The wireless device may insert the set of systematic bits (e.g., including non-uniformly distributed source bits 505 and uniformly distributed source and CRC bits 510) and the set of parity bits 515 into a circular buffer.”
Therefore the Examiner does not see any explicit or implicit disclosure disclosing, the new limitation “load the set of parity bits into a parity bit circular buffer, wherein the parity bit circular buffer excludes the set of systematic bits” recited in amended claim 1.
Accordingly amended claim 1 and corresponding dependent claims 3-9 are considered as a new matter, and rejected.
However, if Fig. 5 515-b for a single redundance version 520-b is referred as support for the new limitation, then Beale Fig. 3 RV2 and RV3 which only include parity bits in a circular buffer for respective single RV versions, teach the limitation.
Accordingly, claim 1 and corresponding dependent claims 3-9 are rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1 and 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 1, lines 8-9 recites “load the set of parity bits into a parity bit circular buffer, wherein the parity bit circular buffer excludes the set of systematic bits“.
The Examiner finds that Specification [0036] discloses “ loading the set of systematic bits and the set of parity bits into a circular buffer”, and similarly [0106] discloses “The wireless device may insert the set of systematic bits (e.g., including non-uniformly distributed source bits 505 and uniformly distributed source and CRC bits 510) and the set of parity bits 515 into a circular buffer.”
Therefore the Examiner does not see any explicit or implicit disclosure disclosing, the new limitation “load the set of parity bits into a parity bit circular buffer, wherein the parity bit circular buffer excludes the set of systematic bits” recited in amended claim 1.
Accordingly amended claim 1 and corresponding dependent claims 3-9 are considered as a new matter, and rejected.
NOTICE for all US Patent Applications filed on or after March 16, 2013
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 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of AIA 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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, 3-6 and 9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as anticipated by Beale et al. (US 20180375616 A1, of IDS, hereinafter ‘BEALE’).
Regarding claim 1, BEALE teaches a user equipment (UE) (Fig. 5, Terminal Devices 506, 508,
[0058] first and second terminal devices 506, 508 are both smartphone type terminal device communicating with the base station 504), comprising:
a memory, and at least one processor coupled to the memory (
See [0058] terminal devices 506, 508 are both smartphone type terminal device), wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
generate a set of parity bits based at least in part on a set of systematic bits for a message (
[0007] Uplink data will typically include some data bits (systematic bits) and some parity bits associated with forward error correction coding (FEC).
Fig. 6, [0065] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates some aspects of established transport and physical channel processing chains for PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) in an LTE-based wireless telecommunications system in respect of a transport block (TB) for transmission. The transport channel processing chain for the PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) is similar….. the operating principles described herein are generally applicable in respect of communications between a first communications/network entity and a second communications/network entity operating in a wireless telecommunications system ,,,,, a base station, ….. or a terminal device…
[0067] Various elements of the transport channel processing chain represented in FIG. 6 are conventional and well understood, and may be summarised as follows:
[0068] CRC attachment 600: 24 bit CRC is added to the transport block (the transport block is the input message that is to be transmitted)
[0069] Turbo coding 602: Forward error correction coding is applied. LTE uses a rate 1/3 Turbo code. In such a code, for every one input bit, three output bits are produced: namely one systematic bit and two parity bits.);
load the set of parity bits into a parity bit circular buffer, wherein the parity bit circular buffer excludes the set of systematic bits (
Fig. 3, RV2 and RV2.
Fig. 3, [0032] Thus the outputs of the FEC process are a stream of systematic bits (corresponding to the TB data for uplink) and two corresponding streams of parity bits. These three streams are individually interleaved and combined to form coded data for a buffer from which the RVs are drawn. The interleaved systematic bits are laid down first, followed by alternating bits from the two parity streams… This process is indicated in Fig. 3......
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.
(In the above Fig. 4 is a typographical mistake, should be read as Fig. 3, where RV2 and RV3 in the circular buffer includes only Parity bits and exclude Systematic bits))
determine the respective subset of the set of parity bits for each redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions based at least in part on the parity bit circular buffer (
Fig. 3, [0032] the outputs of the FEC process are a stream of systematic bits (corresponding to the TB data for uplink) and two corresponding streams of parity bits. These three streams are individually interleaved and combined to form coded data for a buffer from which the RVs are drawn. This process is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3. Working down from the top, Fig. 3 begins with the transport block plus cyclic redundancy check bits (TB+CRC). This is turbo encoded to provide the systematic bits S and the two streams of parity bits P1 and P2. The streams are individually interleaved to generate respective interleaved versions of S, P1 and P2 which are arranged in a buffer associated with the HARQ process responsible for that particular TB in the order discussed above.
[0033] The RVs for uplink transmission are created by reading bits out of the buffer from different starting points depending on the RV being used, as schematically indicated in Fig. 3. The number of bits read out for each RV depends on current rate matching and MCS conditions.
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.).
generate, based at least in part on determining the respective subset of the set of parity bits for each redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions, the plurality of redundancy versions of the message (
[0008] One retransmission approach would be for the UE to retransmit the data using a different combination of systematic and parity bits. In LTE, these different combinations are referred to as redundancy versions (RVs). An eNB receiving such a retransmission comprising a different RV is able to combine the two (or more) RVs in an effort to increase the likelihood of correct decoding. This process is known as an incremental redundancy process.
See Fig. 3, [0032, 0033] cited above.
Fig. 6, [0071] Rate matching 606: The rate matching function either punctures or repeats its input bits. ….The rate matching function is controlled by an RV (redundancy version) controller. The RV controller indicates a redundancy version that the rate matching function should produce.
[0073] RV0….RV3 output bits …..), each redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions comprising the set of systematic bits and a respective subset of the set of parity bits (
Fig. 3, RV0, RV1,
See [0033-0034] cited above.);
modulate a plurality of signals corresponding to the plurality of redundancy versions based at least in part on the set of systematic bits and the respective subset of the set of parity bits for the respective redundancy versions of the plurality of redundancy versions (
Fig. 6, [0069] Turbo coding 602: Forward error correction coding is applied. LTE uses a rate 1/3 Turbo code. In such a code, for every one input bit, three output bits are produced: namely one systematic bit and two parity bits.
[0071] Rate matching 606:
[0072] When the rate matching function punctures bits …….The RV indicates which puncturing pattern shall be applied.
[0073] RV0….RV3 output bits …..
[0077] RV controller 608: The RV controller indicates to the rate matching function the redundancy version that is to be applied.
(See also Fig. 3, RV0, RV1,
See [0033-0034] cited above, for detail of 602-608)
[0079] Modulation 612: The bits stream is modulated to produce modulation symbols. Typical modulations that could be applied are QPSK and 16QAM. ); and
transmit the plurality of modulated signals (
[0074] Thus, if the transmitting entity (e.g. the base station 504 in downlink or terminal device 506, 508 in uplink) transmits RV0 in an initial transmission, and RV1 in a subsequent transmission, then after the second transmission, the receiver entity will have received all of the bits that were produced by the Turbo encoder (assuming no transmissions failure).
[0082] Resource element mapping 618: The modulation symbols produced by the precoding function are mapped to resource elements using a known mapping rule (in LTE, a resource element is a single subcarrier within a single OFDM symbol). In the example represented in FIG. 6, there are assumed to be two antennae (ant0 and ant1) associated with the transmitting entity, and hence two resource element mapping blocks.
[0084] In order to seek to improve coverage, a transmitting entity (transmitter) may repeat transmissions. ……For example, the transmitter can transmit the following sequence of redundancy versions, relating to the same transport block: RV0, RV2, RV3, RV1.).
Regarding claim 3, BEALE teaches the method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective subset of the set of parity bits for each redundancy version comprises:
selecting the respective subset of the set of parity bits sequentially from the set of parity bits loaded into the parity bit circular buffer based at least in part on a respective start position for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to each redundancy version (
Fig. 3, [0033] The RVs for uplink transmission are created by reading bits out of the buffer from different starting points depending on the RV being used, as schematically indicated in Fig. 3. The number of bits read out for each RV depends on current rate matching and MCS conditions.
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.).
Regarding claim 4, BEALE teaches the UE of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
determine each respective start position for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to each redundancy version based at least in part on information indicative of associations between each redundancy version and each respective start position for the parity bit circular buffer (
Fig. 3, [0033] The RVs for uplink transmission are created by reading bits out of the buffer from different starting points depending on the RV being used, as schematically indicated in Fig. 3. The number of bits read out for each RV depends on current rate matching and MCS conditions.
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.
See also Fig. 6, [0071, 0073] cited above).
Regarding claim 5, BEALE teaches the UE of claim 3, wherein each respective start position for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to each redundancy version is equally spaced around the parity bit circular buffer relative to the other respective start positions (
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.
(Construed that for RVs 1-4, start position for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to each of RVs 2-4 is equally spaced around the parity bit circular buffer relative to the other respective start positions)).
Regarding claim 6, BEALE teaches the UE of claim 3, wherein at least one start position of a plurality of start positions for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to the plurality of redundancy versions is unequally spaced around the parity bit circular buffer relative to at least one other start position of the plurality of start positions for the parity bit circular buffer (
[0034] When the end of the buffer is reached, readout wraps around to the beginning (i.e. it is a ‘circular buffer’). The start point for RV number n is approximately n/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset.
(Construed that for RVs 1-4, RV1 start position of a plurality of start positions for the parity bit circular buffer corresponding to the RVs 1-4, is unequally spaced around the parity bit circular buffer relative to at least one other start position for RVs 2-4 due to 1/4 along the length of the buffer from the start plus a fixed offset for RV1 start position)).
Regarding claim 9, BEALE teaches the UE of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of signals is modulated using a same modulation and coding scheme value (
Fig. 6, [0079] Modulation 612: The bits stream is modulated to produce modulation symbols. Typical modulations that could be applied are QPSK and 16QAM).
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 of this title, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beale et al. (US 20180375616 A1, of IDS, hereinafter ‘BEALE’) in view of Cho et al. ("Prefix-Free Code Distribution Matching for 5G New Radio", of IDS, hereinafter ‘CHO’).
Regarding claim 7, BEALE teaches the UE of claim 1, to modulate the plurality of signals, the at least one processor is configured to:
modulate each signal of the plurality of signals corresponding to a respective redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions of the message using the set of systematic bits for amplitude mapping (
Fig. 6, [0079] Modulation 612: The bits stream is modulated to produce modulation symbols. Typical modulations that could be applied are QPSK and 16QAM.).
BEALE does not explicitly disclose modulate each signal of the plurality of signals corresponding to a respective redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions of the message using the set of systematic bits for amplitude mapping and the respective subset of the set of parity bits for the respective redundancy version for sign mapping.
In an analogous art, CHO teaches modulate each signal of the plurality of signals corresponding to a respective redundancy version of the plurality of redundancy versions of the message using the set of systematic bits for amplitude mapping and the respective subset of the set of parity bits for the respective redundancy version for sign mapping (
Page 1 Section 1. Introduction Left Column:
Transmission begins with a high-rate LDPC code first, and in case the decoding fails at the receiver, incremental redundancy hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) is operated such that more parity bits are transmitted for the same data until the decoding succeeds…..
Page 1 Section I Introduction Right Column:
….probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS)….
While RM for user data is almost solely performed by LDPC in the SG NR standard, recent optical communication systems use probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) for RM, in conjunction with a single or a few forward error correction (FEC) codes [6].
.... we study in this work the application of PCS to mobile broadband services. We realize PCS in the probabilistic amplitude shaping (PAS) architecture [7] using Prefix-free code distribution matching (PCDM) [8]. By transferring the role of RM to PCDM....
Page 2 Section III. RATE MATCHING WITH PCDM
PDCM
An essential component of PCS realized using the PAS architecture is the distribution matching (DM), which receives binary information bits of equal probabilities and produces modulation symbols of a target probability distribution. The transmitter of a PCS system, in the PAS architecture [7 ], first synthesizes a target distribution of positive real symbols using a DM, as shown in Fig. 1, then the binary representation of the positive real symbols is encoded by a binary systematic FEC code. The parity bits are then used as sign bits to produce real symbols that are symmetrically distributed around zero, while the systematic information bits preserve the symbol-domain probability distribution made by the DM.
See also Page 2 Right Column, disclosing Table II with bit stream encoded into symbol stream, the right entries contains only the positive real part of complex-valued 16-QAM symbols X + iY…
(Construed that each signal corresponding to a respective redundancy version of the message are modulated using the set of information bits or systemic bits for amplitude mapping and corresponding parity bits for the respective redundancy version for sign mapping)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to take the technique of realizing PCS in the probabilistic amplitude shaping (PAS) architecture using PCDM for Rate Matching of CHO to the system of wireless communication system using Turbo Coding with Rate Matching and Modulation of BIALE in order to take the advantage of providing a method for achieving gain in SNR at a given BLER using a subset of 5G NR LDPC codes for FEC at a smaller cost (CHO: Page 1, Abstract, Right Column Paragraph 3).
Regarding claim 8, BEALE, in view of CHO, teaches the UE of claim 7.
BEALE does not explicitly disclose determine the amplitude mapping based at least in part on a distribution matcher configured with a non-uniform distribution, wherein to determine the amplitude mapping the at least one processor is configured to:
input the systematic bits into the distribution matcher; and
output the systematic bits from the distribution matcher with the non-uniform distribution.
CHO discloses determine the amplitude mapping based at least in part on a distribution matcher (Fig. 1 DM in PCS based on the PAS architecture [7]) configured with a non-uniform distribution (
Page 1 Right Column, Paragraph 2:
systems use probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) for RM, in conjunction with a single or a few forward error correction (FEC) codes [6]. PCS shapes the probability distribution of modulation symbols such that symbols with a low energy are sent more frequently than those with a high energy, thereby reducing the average symbol energy. .... Since a non-uniform distribution has a lower entropy than the uniform distribution over the same support, PCS can intrinsically adjust the information rate (IR), i.e., it can realize RM.
Page 2 Section III. RATE MATCHING WITH PCDM
PDCM
An essential component of PCS realized using the PAS architecture is the distribution matching (DM), which receives binary information bits of equal probabilities and produces modulation symbols of a target probability distribution.), wherein to determine the amplitude mapping the at least one processor is configured to:
input the systematic bits into the distribution matcher (
Page 2, Fig. 1, in Fig. 1 Un-shaped Information or Systemic Bits are inputted in DM for PCS based on the PAS architecture [7]); and
output the systematic bits from the distribution matcher with the non-uniform distribution (
Page 2, Fig. 1, DM outputs Shaped bits with probabilistic target distribution,
Page 2 Section III. RATE MATCHING WITH PCDM
PDCM
An essential component of PCS realized using the PAS architecture is the distribution matching (DM), which receives binary information bits of equal probabilities and produces modulation symbols of a target probability distribution. The transmitter of a PCS system, in the PAS architecture [7 ], first synthesizes a target distribution of positive real symbols using a DM, as shown in Fig. 1, then the binary representation of the positive real symbols is encoded by a binary systematic FEC code.
See also cited above, Page 1 Right Column, Paragraph 2 as that PCS produce non-uniform probability distribution of modulation symbols for information or systemic bits; and
Page 2 Right Column, disclosing Table II with bit stream encoded into symbol stream, the right entries contains only the positive real part of complex-valued 16-QAM symbols X + iY…).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to take the technique of realizing PCS in the probabilistic amplitude shaping (PAS) architecture using PCDM for Rate Matching of CHO to the system of wireless communication system using Turbo Coding with Rate Matching and Modulation of BIALE in order to take the advantage of providing a method for achieving gain in SNR at a given BLER using a subset of 5G NR LDPC codes for FEC at a smaller cost (CHO: Page 1, Abstract, Right Column Paragraph 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-14, 17-19 and 21-23 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Ye et al. (US 20200235759 A1), describing METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOW-DENSITY PARITY-CHECK (LDPC) CODING
Blankenship et al. (US 20080320353 A1), describing APPARATUS COMPRISING A CIRCULAR BUFFER AND METHOD FOR ASSIGNING REDUNDANCY VERSIONS TO A CIRCULAR BUFFER
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 SHAH M RAHMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8951. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30AM-5:30PM PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, UN C CHO can be reached at 571-272-7919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHAH M RAHMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413
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