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
Claim(s) 2, 3, 5-10, 16, 17 is/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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites "the separate downlink transmission configuration indicator state pool, the separate uplink transmission configuration indicator state pool, and the joint transmission configuration indicator state pool.” There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner notes that it appears that claim 12 should depend from claim 2 as opposed to claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 11, 13-15, 20, 21, 24, 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20210385832 A1 to Zhang; Di et al.
Re: Claim(s) 1, 15, 20, 21, 24, 25
Zhang discloses a method for configuring a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state, performed by a terminal device, comprising: (Fig. 4)
receiving configuration information sent by a network device, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one transmission configuration indicator state corresponding to at least one transmission configuration indicator codepoint (Fig. 4 – 400 and [0199] - Step 400: A network device 101 sends configuration information to a terminal device 111, where the configuration information includes M pieces of TCI state configuration information, and M is a positive integer greater than 1. Correspondingly, the terminal device 111 receives the configuration information. Fig. 4 – 401 and [0222] - Step 401: The network device 111 sends the first indication information to the terminal device 111, where the first indication information indicates A TCI states, and A is a positive integer. Correspondingly, the terminal device 111 receives the first indication information.. Fig. 4 – 402 and [0277] - Step 402: The network device 101 determines, according to a preset rule and based on at least one TCI state, a first codepoint corresponding to the at least one TCI state. Fig. 4 – 403 and [0493] - Step 403: The network device 101 sends second indication information to the terminal device 111, where the second indication information is used to indicate the first codepoint. Correspondingly, the terminal device 111 receives the second indication information);
and acquiring a transmission configuration indicator state corresponding to a communication transmission according to the transmission configuration indicator codepoint (Fig. 4 – 404 and [0500-0501] - Step 404: The terminal device 111 determines, according to the preset rule and based on the first codepoint value, the at least one TCI state corresponding to the first codepoint value … in step 404, the terminal device 111 performs a reverse process, that is, determines the at least one TCI state based on the value of the received first codepoint).
Zhang further discloses:
A corresponding method performed by a network device (Fig. 4), as required by claim 15;
A communication device (i.e. terminal device) comprising a processor and memory (Fig. 3 – 302, 303), as required by claim 20;
A communication device (i.e. network device) comprising a processor and memory (Fig. 2 – 201 and 203), as required by claim 21;
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (i.e. embedded within a terminal device) (Fig. 3 – 303 and [0137]), as required by claim 24; and
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (i.e. embedded within a network device) (Fig. 2 – 203 and [0125]), as required by claim 25.
Re: Claim(s) 11
Zhang discloses wherein the communication transmission comprises at least one of a downlink communication transmission or an uplink communication transmission, wherein the downlink communication transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) transmission, a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmission, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) transmission, or a positioning reference signal (PRS) transmission; and wherein the uplink communication transmission comprises at least one of: a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) transmission (Fig. 4 – 405 and [0506-0508] - Step 405: The terminal device 111 communicates with the network device 101 based on the determined at least one TCI state … the network device 101 sends downlink information to the terminal device 111 based on the determined at least one TCI state, where the downlink information includes downlink signaling information and downlink data information. For example, the downlink information is sent on a PDCCH, or the downlink information is sent on a PDSCH. Alternatively, the network device 101 receives uplink information from the terminal device 111 based on the determined at least one TCI state, where the uplink information includes uplink signaling information and uplink data information. For example, the information is received on a PUSCH or the information is received on a PUCCH).
Re: Claim(s) 13
Zhang discloses wherein the configuration information comprises a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) ([0227-0230]).
Re: Claim(s) 14
Zhang discloses wherein acquiring the transmission configuration indicator state corresponding the communication transmission according to the transmission configuration indicator codepoint comprises: receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the network device, and determining the transmission configuration indicator codepoint according to the DCI ([0266]).
Conclusion
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/KASHIF SIDDIQUI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415