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 .
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (US 20240244555 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a wireless communication method in which dual connectivity between a plurality of transmission points and a user terminal is used (BSs 105a-105c may serve the UEs 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity, [0045], Figs. 1-2), 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 (BS 205 may generate three beams 204a, 204b, and 204c. The BS 205 may determine that it may utilize the beam 204b or the beam 204c to communicate with the UE 215, for example, based on abeam discovery or beam selection procedure. The beam 204c is in a beam direction 208 that is along a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the BS 205 and the UE 215, whereas the beam 204b may reach the UE 215 along a non-LOS path via a first reflector 220 and the beam 204a may reach the UE 215 along a non-LOS path via a second reflector…the reflectors 220, 222 include reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), [0065]); and
transmitting different data streams from the plurality of transmission points to the user terminal via the at least one dynamic reflector (BS 205 may determine to use a RIS for some communications to/from the UE, but not others. In other aspects, the BS 205 may determine to use a first RIS (e.g., reflector 220) to receive a first UL communication, and a second RIS (e.g., reflector 222) to receive a second UL communication, [0073]; DL communication may be transmitted by the BS 305 using one of a plurality of RIS states. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates the DL communication being transmitted using an RIS (e.g., RIS on), [0098]).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang 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 (BS 205 may select a transmission beam that provides a best quality (e.g., with the highest receive signal strength) for transmission to the UE 215. The BS 205 may also select a reception beam that provides a best quality (e.g., with the highest receive signal strength) for reception from the UE, [0064]); 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 (BS 205 may select a transmission beam that provides a best quality (e.g., with the highest receive signal strength) for transmission to the UE 215. The BS 205 may also select a reception beam that provides a best quality (e.g., with the highest receive signal strength) for reception from the UE, [0064]).
Regarding claim 3, Zhang teaches the wireless communication method according to claim 2, 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 (the BS 205 and the UE 115 may perform abeam selection procedure with each other to determine a best UL beam and a best DL beam for communications, [0064]).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang 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 (UEs may determine and apply timing advances to the UL communications so that the UL communications are time-aligned with the BS at reception, [0068]); 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 205 may indicate or configure the RIS with a reflection configuration. Further, the BS 205 may use beamforming to transmit and/or receive DL/UL signals in the direction of the RIS. The BS 205 may indicate which RIS state is activated for a scheduled UL communication, and the UE 215 may determine the timing advance to apply based on the timing advance associated with the activated RIS state, [0076]).
Regarding claim 5, Zhang 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 (The BS 205 may also select a reception beam that provides a best quality (e.g., with the highest receive signal strength) for reception from the UE 215, [0064]).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang 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 network 100 may operate over a shared channel, which may include shared frequency bands and/or unlicensed frequency bands, [0059]).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang teaches the wireless communication method according to claims 4, further comprising: after performing synchronization processing among the plurality of transmission points, 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 (BS 205 may indicate or configure the RIS with a reflection configuration. Further, the BS 205 may use beamforming to transmit and/or receive DL/UL signals in the direction of the RIS. The BS 205 may indicate which RIS state is activated for a scheduled UL communication, and the UE 215 may determine the timing advance to apply based on the timing advance associated with the activated RIS state, [0076]).
Regarding claim 8, Zhang teaches A wireless communication system (system of Figs. 1-2) comprising: a plurality of transmission points (reflectors 220, 222 and BS 205); a user terminal capable of performing communication using dual connectivity (UE 215); and a plurality of dynamic reflectors (reflectors 220 and 222);
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 (BS 205 may generate three beams 204a, 204b, and 204c. The BS 205 may determine that it may utilize the beam 204b or the beam 204c to communicate with the UE 215, for example, based on abeam discovery or beam selection procedure. The beam 204c is in abeam direction 208 that is along a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the BS 205 and the UE 215, whereas the beam 204b may reach the UE 215 along a non-LOS path via a first reflector 220 and the beam 204a may reach the UE 215 along a non-LOS path via a second reflector…the reflectors 220, 222 include reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), [0065]), and
different data streams are transmitted to the user terminal from the plurality of transmission points via the at least one dynamic reflector (BS 305 transmits, and the UE 315 receives, a first DL communication. In some aspects, receiving the DL communication may include receiving a DL reference signal (e.g., DMRS), DL control information (e.g., DCI) and/or a DL communication (e.g., PDSCH). The DL communication may be transmitted by the BS 305 using one of a plurality of RIS states, [0098]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Islam et al. (US 20220311503 A1): This disclosure provides systems, apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for beam switching by a repeater node that forwards communications from one of a first node or a second node to the other of the first node or the second node. For example, after a change of position by the second node, the first node may provide the repeater node an instruction to perform a beam change operation to communicate with the second node. In some aspects, performing the beam change operation by the repeater node may improve reliability of wireless communications, such as by focusing signal energy in a particular direction. Further, a beam change delay time interval or a scheduling of the beam change delay time interval may be selected based on scheduling associated with other nodes, which may reduce a number of messages sent to the repeater node (such as by reducing instructions to change beam directions).
Zhuang (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