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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filled on 12/22/2025 has been entered.
Claims 55,57,58,64 are amended.
Claims 66-69 are added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant arguments filed on 12/22/2025 have been fully considered and but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection(s)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 55-56,64-65 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lunttila to (US 20150195071A1) in view of Gao to (US 20210067291 A1)
Regarding claims 55,64, Lunttila teaches method performed by a user equipment (UE)(fig.3 “304”) , the method comprising: for each transmission point (TP) included in a selected set of N TPs (fig.3 “302B” “302A”) ,( [0067] discloses PMI fed back from the UE 402 contains the inter-transmission point phase feedback information with 2 bits...the fed back PMI can indicate to the eNB 404 (to the resource scheduler 404E) the phase difference between two antennas, each of which is associated with one transmission point of a pair of transmission points) where N ≥2, such that the set of N TPs includes at least a first TP and a second TP, (fig.3 “302B” “302A”) obtaining a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource configuration for the TP,([0096] discloses receive a measurement configuration for a set of n CSI-RS resources, where the set of n CSI-RS resources includes at least one CSI-RS resource that spans over at least two transmission points. Therefore, N ≥2) thereby obtaining N CSI-RS resource configurations;( [0071] discloses the eNB 404… configures … a set of n CSI-RS resources for the UE 402 to measure. The set of n CSI-RS resources includes at least one CSI-RS resource that spans over at least two transmission points, where n is a number greater than the number of cooperating transmission points) receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs; generating a CSI report based on an aggregation of the N CSI-RS resource configurations;( ([0073] At step 1006, the UE 402 performs CSI measurements based on the configured CSI-RS resources) and transmitting the CSI report to a base station([0073] At step 1006, the UE 402 performs CSI measurements based on the configured CSI-RS resources and transmits (reports) the CSI feedback to the network. The CSI feedback contains, for example, at least the PMI and may contain one or both of the RI and the corresponding CQI. The fed back PMI is received by the network)
Lunttila does not explicitly teach CSI RS resource configurations wherein the obtaining comprises:obtaining a first CSI-RS resource configuration for the first TP indicating resourcesthat the first TP is configured to use to transmit a first CSI-RS; and obtaining a second CSI-RS resource configuration for the second TP indicating resources that the second TP is contigured to use to transmit a second CSI-RS: receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs, wherein receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs comprises: receiving the first CSI-RS transmitted by the first TP: and receiving the second CSI-RS transmitted by the second TP
However, Gao teaches CSI RS resource configurations wherein the obtaining comprises:
obtaining a first CSI-RS resource configuration for the first TP indicating resources
that the first TP is configured to use to transmit a first CSI-RS; (([0065] discloses a pair of CSI-RS resources A and B can be configured for CSI-RS transmission from the TRPs 420-1 and 420-2) and obtaining a second CSI-RS resource configuration for the second TP indicating resources that the second TP is configured to use to transmit a second CSI-RS: (([0065] discloses a pair of CSI-RS resources A and B can be configured for CSI-RS transmission from the TRPs 420-1 and 420-2) receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs, wherein receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs comprises: ([0065] Discloses the terminal device 410 may support simultaneous reception from different TRPs) receiving the first CSI-RS transmitted by the first TP ([0065] discloses a pair of CSI-RS resources A and B can be configured for CSI-RS transmission from the TRPs 420-1 and 420-2. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 410 can receive, via the Rx beam 430-1 and from the TRP 420-1, CSI-RS transmitted in the CSI-RS resource A) and receiving the second CSI-RS transmitted by the second TP([0065] discloses a pair of CSI-RS resources A and B can be configured for CSI-RS transmission from the TRPs 420-1 and 420-2. ..the terminal device 410 can receive, via the Rx beam 430-2 and from the TRP 420-1, CSI-RS transmitted in the CSI-RS resource B)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the system of Lunttila include CSI RS resource configurations wherein the obtaining comprises: obtaining a first CSI-RS resource configuration for the first TP indicating resources that the first TP is configured to use to transmit a first CSI-RS; and obtaining a second CSI-RS resource configuration for the second TP indicating resources that the second TP is configured to use to transmit a second CSI-RS: receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs, wherein receiving a CSI-RS from each one of the N TPs comprises: receiving the first CSI-RS transmitted by the first TP: and receiving the second CSI-RS transmitted by the second TP, as suggested by Gao. This modification would benefit the system to reduce transmission interference.
Regarding claims 56,65, Lunttila teaches further comprising receiving, from each one of the N TPs, precoded data signal that was generated using a precoder determined based on the CSI report([0028] , [0074] .. the network may utilize the CSI feedback information (including the indicated inter-transmission point phase relationship) in the selection of preferred precoders for coherent JT CoMP transmission).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 57-58,66-69 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.
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 ZEWDU A BEYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7157. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-6:00.
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, Huy D Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. 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.
/ZEWDU A BEYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
Prosecution Insights