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 Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been fully considered.
Regarding claim 1, Applicant argues that supportedBandwidthDL and supportedBandwidthUL of 3GPP TS 38.306 ‘…are solely used to indicate the maximum channel bandwidth for a single frequency band included in a non-CA band combination…’ and not non-carrier aggregation or carrier aggregation. Examiner disagrees. The claim uses ‘at least one of’ and ‘or’. To meet the claim language, Examiner only has to find one of the alternatives not all the alternatives. So even with Applicant’s interpretation, the claim language is met. Second, even if Applicant’s interpretation of the claim were applied, Umeda discloses carrier aggregation and the reporting of maximum in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda para. 89, 73) Therefore, Applicant’s arguments are not persuasive.
Further, Applicant argues ‘…3GPP TS 38.306 does not disclose supportedBandwidthDL and supportedBandwidthUL can be used in combination with one or more BCS values to enable the base station to determine the channel bandwidth supported by the UE…’ Examiner disagrees. Non-obviousness cannot be established by attacking references individually where, as here, the ground of unpatentability is based upon the teachings of a combination of references. In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 426 (CCPA 1981). Rather, the test for obviousness is whether the combination of references, taken as a whole, would have suggested the patentee’s invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art. In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 1097 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Zhu discloses that the UE reports capability information to the network device and this capability info includes bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes bandwidth combinations in parameters. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3) Umeda discloses the second signaling where the UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89) 3GPP TS 38.306 signaling including channelBWDL and channel BW-UL and supportedBandwidthDL/UL. (See 3GPP TS 38.306 pg. 13-14, 21, 23) That is, Zhu teaches the general framework of UE capability parameters, including BCS, and using the reported parameters jointly to determine UE capability. 3GPP TS 38.306 teaches that suportedBandwidthDL/UL are known UE capability parameters. Therefore, it would have been obvious to add the 3GPP-supported bandwidth parameters into Zhu’s reported UE capability framework so the base station can determine supported channel bandwidth combinations. Applicant’s argument that 3GPP TS 38.306 fails to teach or suggest the disputed limitations is unpersuasive of error because the arguments fail to consider or address the proposed combined teachings.
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 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 54, 57, and 58 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018).
Regarding claim 1, Zhu discloses a method for user equipment (UE) capability processing, performed by a UE, comprising: (See Zhu para. 77, fig. 1; UE with a processor executing an algorithm stored in memory)
reporting a supported bandwidth combination set (BCS) signaling, wherein the BCS signaling carries one or more BCS value, wherein each BCS value is a preset value, and used for a base station to determine a combination of channel bandwidths supported by a UE. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values)
Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Zhu discloses the UE reporting capabilities to the network device/base station (See Zhu fig. 1, 3, para. 52) and using all of these reported parameters jointly to determine UE capability including BCS in an inter-band ENDC (e.g. non-carrier aggregation). (See Zhu para. 72) Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, 3GPP TS38.306 does disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13-14; channelBWs-DL and/or channelBW-UL) a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 21, 23; supportedBandwidthDL, supportedBandwidthUL) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. of 3GPP TS38.306 with the motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 2, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein reporting the first-type signaling comprises at least one of:
reporting the supportedBandwidthUL signaling separately in different sub frequency bands; or (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 24; FeatureSetUplinkperCC parameter; supportedBandwidthUL)
reporting the supportedBandwidthDL signaling separately in different sub frequency bands. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 20-21 FeatureSetDownlinkperCC parameter; supportedBandwidthDL)
The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Regarding claim 3, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first-type signaling comprises at least one of:
a channelBWs-UL signaling, indicating uplink channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation; and
a channelBWs-DL signaling, indicating downlink channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13-14; channelBWs-DL and/or channelBW-UL) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 4, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first-type signaling comprises at least one of:
a channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling, indicating that an uplink channel bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation is 70MHz;
a channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling, indicating that a downlink channel bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation is 70MHz; or
a channelBW-90mhz signaling, indicating that an uplink channel bandwidth and/or a downlink channel bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation is 90MHz. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13-14; channelBW-90Mhz) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 5, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein reporting the second-type signaling comprises at least one of:
reporting the supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling in different sub frequency bands; or (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 14; channelBWs-UL – supporting for each subcarrier spacing bandwidths lower than the max channel bandwidth for FR1, FR2)
reporting the supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling in different sub frequency bands. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13; channelBWs-DL – supporting for each subcarrier spacing bandwidths lower than the max channel bandwidth for FR1, FR2) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 6, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
Zhu discloses UE capability information comprising the first-type signaling and one or more BCS values. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values) Zhu discloses requesting UE capability information and allocating resources based upon the UE capability information. (See Zhu fig. 6) Zhu does not explicitly disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Regarding claim 54, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more BCS values are carried in one or more bits of a BCS signaling. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; supportedBandwidthCombination Set has BCS set to a value) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Regarding claim 57, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising:
reporting a third-type signaling, wherein the third-type signaling indicates channel
bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation; (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; ca-bandwithclassUL-NR, ca-bandwithclassDL-NR)
wherein the third-type signaling and the one or more BCS value are jointly used for the base station to determine the combination of channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation; or the third-type signaling, the one or more BCS value and the first-type signaling are jointly used for the base station to determine the combination of channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation; or (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; supportedBandwidthCombinationSet BCS set to a value)
the third-type signaling, the one or more BCS value, the first-type signaling and the second-type signaling are jointly used for the base station to determine the combination of channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; supportedBandwidthCombinationSet BCS set to a value) (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; ca-bandwithclassUL-NR, ca-bandwithclassDL-NR) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Regarding claim 58, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 57, wherein the third-type signaling comprises at least one of:
a carrier aggregation uplink channel bandwidth signaling, indicating uplink channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation; or
a carrier aggregation downlink channel bandwidth signaling, indicating downlink
channel bandwidths supported by the UE in the carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 12; ca-bandwithclassUL-NR, ca-bandwithclassDL-NR) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Claims 55 and 56 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306v15.9.0 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.9.0; April 2020).
Regarding claim 55, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 3, wherein the ChannelBWs-UL signaling indicates a combination of uplink channel bandwidths, an uplink channel bandwidth indicated by a channelBW- 90mhz signaling, and a maximum uplink bandwidth indicated by the supportedBandwidthUL signaling; or(See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 14; channelBWs-UL; pg. 23; channelBW-90mhz, supportedBandwidthUL)
the ChannelBWs-DL signaling indicates a combination of downlink channel bandwidths, a downlink channel bandwidth indicated by the channelBW-90mhz signaling, and a maximum downlink bandwidth indicated by the supportedBandwidthDL signaling. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13; channelBWs-DL; pg. 21; channelBW-90mhz, supportedBandwidthDL) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 does not explicitly disclose separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling. However, 3GPP TS 38.306v15.9.0 does disclose separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling. (See 3GPP TS38.306v15.9.0 pg. 19-20, channelBWs-DL-v1590, channelBWs-UL-v1590) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 to include the teaching of separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling of 3GPP TS 38.306v15.9.0 with the motivation being to extends mapping to add new granularity for different intermediate bandwidths (such as 70MHz) and further leads to efficient spectrum utilization because some allowable spectrum may fall between previous bandwidths and further to increase throughput and further to provide backwards compatibility and smooth network upgrades.
Regarding claim 56, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first-type signaling in non-carrier aggregation, and the other numerical channel bandwidths refer to channel bandwidths other than channel bandwidths indicated by channelBW-90mhz signaling. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 14; channelBWs-UL; pg. 23; channelBW-90mhz, supportedBandwidthUL) (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13; channelBWs-DL; pg. 21; channelBW-90mhz, supportedBandwidthDL) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 does not explicitly disclose separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling. However, 3GPP TS 38.306v15.9.0 does disclose separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling. (See 3GPP TS38.306v15.9.0 pg. 19-20, channelBWs-DL-v1590, channelBWs-UL-v1590) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 to include the teaching of separate indicators for channelBWs-UL-v1590 signaling and channelBWs-DL-v1590 signaling of 3GPP TS 38.306v15.9.0 with the motivation being to extends mapping to add new granularity for different intermediate bandwidths (such as 70MHz) and further leads to efficient spectrum utilization because some allowable spectrum may fall between previous bandwidths and further to increase throughput and further to provide backwards compatibility and smooth network upgrades.
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 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018).
Regarding claim 10, Zhu discloses a method for UE capability processing, performed by a base station, comprising: (See Zhu para. 52, 78, fig. 1; network device, base station, (e.g. a base station) with a processor executing an algorithm stored in memory)
receiving a supported bandwidth combination set (BCS) signaling; and
in response to the BSC signaling carrying one or more BCS value each being a preset value, determining a combination of channel bandwidths supported by a UE based on the one or more BCS value. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device (e.g. base station receives it); UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values; fig. 6; network device allocates resources based upon UE capability information)
Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink; 73 max) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Zhu discloses the UE reporting capabilities to the network device/base station (See Zhu fig. 1, 3, para. 52) and using all of these reported parameters jointly to determine UE capability including BCS in an inter-band ENDC (e.g. non-carrier aggregation). (See Zhu para. 72) Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, 3GPP TS38.306 does disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13-14; channelBWs-DL and/or channelBW-UL) a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 21, 23; supportedBandwidthDL, supportedBandwidthUL) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. of 3GPP TS38.306 with the motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 11, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the first-type signaling comprises at least one of:
receiving the supportedBandwidthUL signaling separately in different sub frequency bands; or (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 24; FeatureSetUplinkperCC parameter; supportedBandwidthUL)
receiving the supportedBandwidthDL signaling separately in different sub frequency bands. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 20-21 FeatureSetDownlinkperCC parameter; supportedBandwidthDL)
The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources and further to match capabilities to available network resources which efficiently utilizes limited resources.
Regarding claim 14, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the second-type signaling comprises at least one of:
receiving the supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling in different sub frequency bands; or (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 14; channelBWs-UL – supporting for each subcarrier spacing bandwidths lower than the max channel bandwidth for FR1, FR2)
receiving the supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling in different sub frequency bands. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13; channelBWs-DL – supporting for each subcarrier spacing bandwidths lower than the max channel bandwidth for FR1, FR2) The motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
Regarding claim 15, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 11, further comprising:
Zhu discloses UE capability information comprising the first-type signaling and one or more BCS values. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values) Zhu discloses requesting UE capability information and allocating resources based upon the UE capability information. (See Zhu fig. 6) Zhu does not explicitly disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Regarding claim 17, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 15. Zhu discloses UE capability information comprising the first-type signaling and one or more BCS values. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values) Zhu discloses requesting UE capability information and allocating resources based upon the UE capability information. (See Zhu fig. 6; using the combination of parameters) Zhu does not explicitly disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Regarding claim 18, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 the method of claim 15.
Zhu discloses UE capability information comprising the first-type signaling and one or more BCS values. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values) Zhu discloses requesting UE capability information and allocating resources based upon the UE capability information. (See Zhu fig. 6; using the combination of parameters) Zhu does not explicitly disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018) and further in view of Wu (2010/0267394).
Regarding claim 19, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses the method of claim 15.
Zhu discloses UE capability information comprising the first-type signaling and one or more BCS values. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values) Zhu discloses requesting UE capability information and allocating resources based upon the UE capability information. (See Zhu fig. 6; using the combination of parameters) Zhu does not explicitly disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of additional UE capability information including a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Zhu in view of Umeda does not explicitly disclose wherein the capability information includes component carrier information. However, Wu does disclose wherein the capability information includes component carrier information. (See Wu para. 34; component carrier capability (e.g. sub bands); para. 32; component carriers (e.g. different; more than one)) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu in view of Umeda to include the teaching of the capability information includes component carrier information of Wu with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs and further to allow for finer granularity in determining usable parts of the spectrum which may lead to more efficiency, throughput, and less latency.
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 51 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018).
Regarding claim 51, Zhu discloses a communication device user equipment (UE), comprising:
a processor; and
a memory configured to store instructions executable by the processor, (See Zhu para. 77, fig. 1; UE with a processor executing an algorithm stored in memory)
wherein the processor is configured to report a supported bandwidth combination set (BCS) signaling, wherein the BCS signaling carries one or more BCS value, wherein each BCS value is a preset value, and used for a base station to determine a combination of channel bandwidths supported by a UE. (See Zhu para. 3, 4, 5, fig. 3; UE reports capability information to network device; UE includes in the capability a bandwidth combination set (BCS) which includes one or more band combinations in parameters such as supportedBandwidthCombinationSet; table 1; BCS is 0 (e.g. a value which is set before the message is sent); see also para. 117; BCS set to different values)
Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, Umeda does disclose reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See Umeda fig. 2, para. 74, 89; UE reports supportedMinBandwidthDL with minimum CBW in downlink; para. 73; max) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a second-type signaling, wherein the second-type signaling indicates a minimum channel bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; wherein the second-type signaling comprises at least one of: a supported minimum uplink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation; or a supported minimum downlink bandwidth signaling, indicating a minimum bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation of Umeda with the motivation being to ensure communication is occurring within UE capabilities and further to increase efficiency by utilizing the full capability of a UE which assists in maximizing limited wireless resources and further to allow for new and/or different feature differentiation while still supporting less capable UEs.
Zhu discloses the UE reporting capabilities to the network device/base station (See Zhu fig. 1, 3, para. 52) and using all of these reported parameters jointly to determine UE capability including BCS in an inter-band ENDC (e.g. non-carrier aggregation). (See Zhu para. 72) Zhu does not explicitly disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. However, 3GPP TS38.306 does disclose reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 13-14; channelBWs-DL and/or channelBW-UL) a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. (See 3GPP TS38.306 pg. 21, 23; supportedBandwidthDL, supportedBandwidthUL) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Zhu to include the teaching of reporting a first-type signaling, wherein the first-type signaling indicates channel bandwidths supported by the UE in non-carrier aggregation; and a supportedBandwidthDL signaling, indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in the non-carrier aggregation or indicating a maximum downlink bandwidth supported by the UE in carrier aggregation. of 3GPP TS38.306 with the motivation being to provide compatibility with the 3GPP suite of standards which saves time and money and further to optimize limited wireless resources and further to effectively meet end user goals of delay, jitter, etc. and further to optimize network resources.
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 53 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu (2022/0174476), and further in view of Umeda (2022/0132503; Provisional 22 Oct 2020) and further in view of 3GPP TS 38.306 (“5G; NR; User Equipment (UE) radio access capabilities”; ETSI TS138 306 v15.3.0; October 2018).
Regarding claim 53, Zhu in view of Umeda in view of 3GPP TS38.306 discloses a base station, configured to implement the method of claim 10, comprising: (See Claim 10)
a processor; and
a memory, configured to store instructions executable by the processor. (See Zhu para. 52, 78, fig. 1; network device, base station, (e.g. a base station) with a processor executing an algorithm stored in memory)
Conclusion
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/Stephen J Clawson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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