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
The Amendment filed 05/26/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-8 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments, see page 9, filed 05/26/2026, with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection has been withdrawn.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baligh et al. (US 20230327714 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Baligh teaches a wireless communication method (The communication operation 1650 in some embodiments comprises a dual connectivity operation, [0307]; Figs. 14-16) in which dual connectivity between a plurality of transmission points (BS#1 1410 and BS#2 1420 of Fig. 14) and a user terminal is used (UE 1450 of Fig. 14), the wireless communication method comprising:
generating a radio link between each of the plurality of transmission points and the user terminal using at least one dynamic reflector (UE 1450 is served by BS#1 1410 via a first radio frequency RF link 1414 between BS#1 1410 and RIS#1 1430 to transmit a first beam B.sub.1 that is reflected on second RF link 1435 between RIS#1 1430 and the UE 1450. BS#1 may also create a third RF link 1416 to RIS#2 1440 to transmit a second beam B.sub.2 that is reflected on a fourth RF link 1445 between RIS#2 1440 and the UE, [0481]); and
transmitting different data streams from the plurality of transmission points to the user terminal via the at least one dynamic reflector (the scheduling information for the UE is sent by the BS and reflected by the RIS to the UE, [0301]; UE 1450 is served by BS#1 1410 via a first radio frequency RF link 1414 between BS#1 1410 and RIS#1 1430 to transmit a first beam B.sub.1 that is reflected on second RF link 1435 between RIS#1 1430 and the UE, [0301]; RIS#2 1440 reflects beam B.sub.4 from BS#2 1420 on a fifth RF link 1426 to the UE 1450 on the fourth RF link, [0483]).
Regarding claim 2, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: measuring a communication quality between each of the plurality of transmission points and the user terminal via the at least one dynamic reflector (In a measurement-based approach to identification of candidate RIS, a BS, UE or RIS performs measurement to determine RIS-UE link quality. In some embodiments, RIS measurement may be performed for per hop link quality, [0230]); and performing communication using the dual connectivity for the user terminal in response to confirmation in which the communication quality exceeds a threshold value at all of the plurality of transmission points (While RIS#1 1430 continues to reflect beam B.sub.1 from BS#1 1410, at a certain point in time, which may be determined by the channel quality of link 1426 being better than 1416, RIS#2 1440 switches the RIS pattern on RIS#2 1440 to reflect beam B.sub.4 from BS#2 1420 to the UE, [0483]).
Regarding claim 4, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: calculating time resources in which each of the plurality of transmission points need to be assigned to the user terminal (BS 802 sends a configuration information message 812 to the UE. This configuration information message may include configuration information about the RS sequence, time frequency resources, beam direction ... Message 812 to setup measurement for multiple RIS panels may use separate messages and they do not necessarily happen at the same time, [0339]); and distributing transmission information to be transmitted to the user terminal to each of the plurality of transmission points on the basis of the time resources assigned to the user terminal by each of the plurality of transmission points (BS 802 sends a configuration information message 812 to the UE. This configuration information message may include configuration information about the RS sequence, time frequency resources, beam direction ... Message 812 to setup measurement for multiple RIS panels may use separate messages and they do not necessarily happen at the same time, [0339]).
Regarding claim 5, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the distributing of the transmission information to each of the plurality of transmission points is performed on the basis of communication quality between each of the plurality of transmission points and the user terminal via the at least one dynamic reflector (This notification message may include enabling the measurement and feedback if not already enabled and may be accompanied by some other details about the scheduling information about when and a transmission resource that will be used when the RS is sent, [0340]).
Regarding claim 6, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein the distributing of the transmission information to each of the plurality of transmission points is performed through sharing, among the plurality of transmission points, the time resources assigned to the user terminal by each of the plurality of transmission points (The RIS can share the determined beam direction information with the BS to help beamforming for further communication from the BS to the UE via reflection off the RIS, [0249]).
Regarding claim 7, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claims 4, further comprising: after performing synchronization processing among the plurality of transmission points (RIS is capable of synchronizing reception at the RIS with the UE transmission by receiving and detecting synchronization signals in terms of SSB or RS, [0263]), transmitting the transmission information distributed to each of the plurality of transmission points using the time resources assigned to the user terminal by each of the plurality of transmission points (Once the RIS and UE are configured for signaling that uses the RIS to redirect a signal, the link is ready for data signaling to occur on the BS to UE link via the activated RIS panel. In some embodiments, the RIS when properly configured and when capable of support appropriate timing accuracy can reflect the data between the BS and the UE. This is performed by the RIS using a proper RIS pattern and proper beamforming at the TRP or the UE, or both, [0305]).
Regarding claim 8, Baligh teaches A wireless communication system (system of Figs. 14-16) comprising: a plurality of transmission points (BS#1 1410 and BS#2 1420 of Fig. 14); a user terminal capable of performing communication using dual connectivity (UE 1450 of Fig. 14); and a plurality of dynamic reflectors (RIS#1 and RIS#2 of Fig. 14);
wherein a radio link is generated between each of the plurality of transmission points and the user terminal using at least one dynamic reflector of the plurality of dynamic reflectors (UE 1450 is served by BS#1 1410 via a first radio frequency RF link 1414 between BS#1 1410 and RIS#1 1430 to transmit a first beam B.sub.1 that is reflected on second RF link 1435 between RIS#1 1430 and the UE 1450. BS#1 may also create a third RF link 1416 to RIS#2 1440 to transmit a second beam B.sub.2 that is reflected on a fourth RF link 1445 between RIS#2 1440 and the UE, [0481]), and
different data streams are transmitted to the user terminal from the plurality of transmission points via the at least one dynamic reflector (UE 1450 is served by BS#1 1410 via a first radio frequency RF link 1414 between BS#1 1410 and RIS#1 1430 to transmit a first beam B.sub.1 that is reflected on second RF link 1435 between RIS#1 1430 and the UE, [0301]; RIS#2 1440 reflects beam B.sub.4 from BS#2 1420 on a fifth RF link 1426 to the UE 1450 on the fourth RF link, [0483]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
Regarding claim 3, Baligh teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 2. However, Baligh alone or in combination do not teach wherein the confirmation in which the communication quality exceeds the threshold value at all of the plurality of transmission points includes sharing the measurement results of the communication quality obtained at each of the plurality of transmission points among the plurality of transmission points.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhuang et al. (US 20230261718 A1): In an information transmission process, a terminal device determines a first antenna unit to be assisted and uses a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) module to assist the first antenna unit in transmitting target information by the RIS module generating an additional transmit beam or receive beam.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS whose telephone number is (571)270-0671. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/NICOLE M LOUIS-FILS/Examiner, Art Unit 2641
/CHARLES N APPIAH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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