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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
1a. Claims 5, 11-14, 21 and 27-30 are objected to as dependent upon rejected claims, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
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.
2a. Claims 1-4, 6-10, 15-20, 22-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gelvez (US 20240014864 A1) in view of Rusek (US 2023/0421206)
2b. Summary of the Cited Prior Art
Gelvez discloses a method for radio channel estimation in present of controllable scattering.
Rusek discloses a method for multiple data stream via a re-configurable reflective device.
2c. Claim Analysis
Regarding Claim 1, Gelvez discloses:
A method (Fig 7; see: [0003] … a digitally controllable scatterer (DCS) may be also referred to as a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)) for wireless communication at a base station (Fig 7, BS 121), comprising:
Transmitting (Fig 7, Step 701), to a user equipment (UE) (Fig 7, UE 111), control signaling (Fig, Step 701; see: [0148] At operation 701, the UE 111 and the BS 121 may initiate a channel estimation procedure) indicating a configuration for transmitting a reference signal (Fig 4, Step 403; see: [0122] …. A signal used for channel estimation during the operation 403, … may comprise a second reference signal) for reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS Surface 132) configuration;
Receiving (Fig 7, Step 701), via a reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS Surface 132, HNF and HFF paths), the reference signal (Fig 4, Step 403; see: [0122] …. A signal used for channel estimation during the operation 403, … may comprise a second reference signal) based at least in part on transmitting the control signaling (Fig, Step 701; see: [0148] At operation 701, the UE 111 and the BS 121 may initiate a channel estimation procedure); and
transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709) to a controller (Fig 7, DCS 130) of the reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS Surface 132), a set of parameters (Fig 7, Configure F2(0) 710; see: [0150] …. This DCS configuration may comprise the first configuration of the controllable phase shifts) for configuring the reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS Surface 132) for communications between the base station (Fig 7, BS 121) and the UE (Fig 7, UE 111) based at least in part on receiving the reference signal (Fig 4, Step 403; see: [0122] …. A signal used for channel estimation during the operation 403, … may comprise a second reference signal) via the reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS 130, HNF and HFF paths).
Vvv does not elaborate about “via a reconfigurable surface”.
However, Rusek disclose communication between RRD and BS.
Receiving (Fig 3, RRD 109 to BS 101), via a reconfigurable surface (Fig 7, 692; see: [0068] … Two UEs 102, 103 are served by the BS 101 via an RRD 109) the reference signal based at least in part on transmitting the control signaling.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to integrate Gelvez’s method for radio channel estimation in present of controllable scattering with Rusek’s method for multiple data stream via a re-configurable reflective device with the motivation being to enhance reliability and/or throughput of wireless communication (Rusek, [0034]).
Regarding Claim 2, Gelvez discloses:
transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709), to the controller (Fig 7, DCS 130) of the reconfigurable surface (Fig 1, DCS Surface 132), a phase ramp indicator (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076] The radio channel between the DCS 130 and the receiver 120 may depend on controllable phase shifts ϕ and the resulting scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) introduced by the DCS elements 132.) indicating a portion of the reconfigurable surface (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]:
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wherein receiving the reference signal (Fig 4, Step 403; see: [0122] …. A signal used for channel estimation during the operation 403, … may comprise a second reference signal) associated with the portion of the reconfigurable surface (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]) is based at least in part on transmitting the phase ramp indicator (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076] The radio channel between the DCS 130 and the receiver 120 may depend on controllable phase shifts ϕ and the resulting scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) introduced by the DCS elements 132.)
Regarding Claim 3, Gelvez discloses:
wherein transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709), the set of parameters (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076]) comprises: transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709) an indication of a co-phase (see: scattering pattern F(ϕ) is one of the plurality of candidate configurations of the plurality of controllable phase shifts, in [0043]) for a portion of the reconfigurable surface (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]:
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Regarding Claim 4, Gelvez discloses:
wherein transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709) the set of parameters (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076]) comprises: transmitting (Fig 7, DCS config 709) an indication of a phase ramp slope (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076] may function as slope) for a portion of the reconfigurable surface (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]).
Regarding Claim 6, Gelvez discloses:
wherein the reference signal comprises a sounding reference signal (see: [0119] Estimation of H.sub.0 may comprise observing the channel over K consecutive channel realizations by any suitable channel sounding techniques (training using training signals, pilots, or the like); Examiner’s Note: pilots are reference signals).
Regarding Claims 7-10 and 15, the controller claims disclose similar features as of Claims 1-4 and 6 are rejected accordingly.
Regarding Claim 16, Gelvez discloses:
determining a phase shift (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076]) for each element (Fig 1, Scatter element 132) in a portion of the reconfigurable surface based (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]:
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at least in part on the set of parameters (see phase shifts ϕ and scattering pattern F(ϕ) (filter) in [0076]); and
reflecting a transmission ( see Fig 1, HNF and HFF paths) between the base station (Fig 1, Tx 110) and the UE (Fig 1, Rx 120) based at least in part on determining the phase shift (see scattering pattern F(ϕ) related to S scattering element number in [0079-0080]:
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Regarding Claims 17-20 and 22, the base station claims disclose similar features as of Claims 1-4 and 6 are rejected accordingly. Further, Gelvez also discloses apparatus in Fig 3.
Regarding Claims 23-26, the controller claims disclose similar features as of Claims 7-10 are rejected accordingly. Further, Gelvez also discloses apparatus in Fig 3.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung-Jen Liu whose telephone number is 571-270-7643. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B. Yao can be reached on 5712723182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUNG LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473