DETAILED ACTION
This office action is responsive to communications filed on May 5, 2023. Claims 1-30 are pending in the application.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement filed on 4/9/2024 has been considered.
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)(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 1-3, 16, 17, 21-23, and 26-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243).
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang teaches an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the at least one memory (“The UE 900 may include processors 902, RF interface circuitry 904, memory/storage 906” – See [0110]; “The processors 902 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory/storage 906 to cause the UE 900 to perform operations as described herein” – See [0112]), the at least one processor is configured to:
receive a configuration for a group-based report associated with multiple transmission-reception points (TRPs), each TRP of the multiple TRPs associated with a respective channel measurement resource (CMR) set including one or more beams, and at least a first CMR set being configured with a first repetition value and a second CMR set being configured with a second repetition value different than the first repetition value (“At step 702, the UE receives, from a base station, a beam report configuration that configures the UE to report measurements for a predetermined number of beam pairs, wherein the one or more beam pairs are arranged in a first CMR set and a second CMR set” – See [0085]; “one of the CMR sets may be configured for repetition while the other CMR set may not be configured for repetition. In this scenario, the UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for a first CMR set and set to “OFF” for a second CMR set” – See [0060]; See also Fig. 2; The UE receives a configuration for a group based report, wherein the report is associated with measurements from multiple TRPs (e.g., TRP 1 and TRP 2 as shown in Fig. 2). As further shown in Fig. 2, each of TRP 1 and TRP 2 is respectively associated with CMR set 1 and CMR set 2 and the CMR sets each include a plurality of beams. Additionally, CMR set 1 is associated with a repetition value of “ON” and CMR set 2 is associated with a repetition value of “OFF”, where “ON” and “OFF” are different values);
receive reference signals via the one or more beams associated with each CMR set associated with the group-based report (“the SSBs or CSI-RSs are configured and arranged in a channel measurement resource (CMR) set” – See [0054]; “the processor of the UE performs the measurements based on the beam report configuration” – See [0022]; The UE receives reference signals (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) and measures them in accordance with the configuration for the group-based report); and
transmit the group-based report based on measurements associated with the reference signals and the configuration, the group-based report including a first quantity of report groups, and a second quantity of beams-per-report group, and the group-based report including, for the first CMR set, a single measurement value and excluding respective beam identifiers (“Thus, if the UE determines that the repetition parameter of a CMR set is set to “ON,” it is not necessary for the UE to report the CRI since each CSI-RS in the CMR set is transmitted on the same beam, and the CRI would only indicate the same beam. With this feature, overhead may be reduced by decreasing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, the reporting of CRI for CMR sets for which the repetition parameter is set to “ON.”” – See [0059]; “In some implementations, the UE is configured to select one of one or more options in this scenario. In a first option, the UE is configured to report the CRI for the second CMR set but not for the first CMR set because the first CMR set is configured for repetition with CSI-RS transmitted on the same beam … In some examples, if K (K>1) beam pairs are configured to be reported, the UE may report the L1-RSRP of only one beam for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “ON.” Conversely, for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “OFF,” the UE may report the L1-RSRPs of all K beams” – See [0061]; “At step 706, the UE transmits, based on the first and second repetition parameters, a beam report to the base station” – See [0087]; The UE transmits the group-based report based on the measurements, where the report includes a quantity of report groups (i.e., a first group for the first CMR set and a second group for the second CMR set). The report includes a second quantity (i.e., K) of beams per report group. The reporting for the first CMR set includes only one L1-RSRP measurement value and excludes the CRI (respective beam identifiers)).
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 1. Zhang further teaches that the first quantity is greater than one and at least the second CMR set is configured with the second repetition value (As shown above with respect to Claim 1, the group-based report includes two groups (i.e., a first group and a second group), wherein two is greater than one. Additionally, the second CMR set is configured with a repetition value of “OFF”, which is a second repetition value).
Regarding Claim 3, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 1. Zhang further teaches that the group-based report includes, for the second CMR set, a beam identifier and a corresponding measurement value associated with each respective report group (“In some implementations, the UE is configured to select one of one or more options in this scenario. In a first option, the UE is configured to report the CRI for the second CMR set but not for the first CMR set because the first CMR set is configured for repetition with CSI-RS transmitted on the same beam … In some examples, if K (K>1) beam pairs are configured to be reported, the UE may report the L1-RSRP of only one beam for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “ON.” Conversely, for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “OFF,” the UE may report the L1-RSRPs of all K beams” – See [0061]; The report includes a CRI (beam identifier) for the second CMR set and corresponding L1-RSRPs (measurement values) for each of the K beams).
Claims 16, 21, and 26 are rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 1.
Claim 17 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 3.
Regarding Claim 22, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 21. Zhang further teaches that the first CMR set and a second CMR set associated with a second network entity are each configured with the first repetition value (“At step 702, the UE receives, from a base station, a beam report configuration that configures the UE to report measurements for a predetermined number of beam pairs, wherein the one or more beam pairs are arranged in a first CMR set and a second CMR set” – See [0085]; “In a second scenario of group-based beam reporting, a UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for both CMR sets” – See [0064]; CMR set 1 associated with TRP 1 (first network entity) and CMR set 2 associated with TRP 2 (second network entity) are both associated with a repetition value of “ON” (first repetition value)), and
the group-based report includes one report group including a first measurement value associated with the first CMR set and a second measurement value associated with the second CMR set (“the UE may report the L1-RSRP of only one beam for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “ON.”” – See [0061]; The group-based report includes one report group including an L1-RSRP (first measurement value) for CMR set 1 and an L1-RSRP (second measurement value) for CMR set 2).
Regarding Claim 23, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 22. Zhang further teaches that the group-based report excludes beam identifiers associated with the first CMR set and the second CMR set (“Thus, if the UE determines that the repetition parameter of a CMR set is set to “ON,” it is not necessary for the UE to report the CRI since each CSI-RS in the CMR set is transmitted on the same beam, and the CRI would only indicate the same beam. With this feature, overhead may be reduced by decreasing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, the reporting of CRI for CMR sets for which the repetition parameter is set to “ON.”” – See [0059]; The report excludes CRIs (beam identifiers) for the measurement results for CMR set 1 and CMR set 2 since they are configured with repetition “ON”).
Claim 27 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 22.
Claim 28 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 23.
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 4, 5, 12-14, 18, 19, 24, 25, 29 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Wang et al. (US 2024/0275457).
Regarding Claim 4, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 3. Zhang further teaches that the single measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and measurement values associated with the second CMR set indicate differential measurement values (“Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3A, the UE does not report the CRI for the first CMR set and reports the CRIs for all four beam pairs of the second CMR set. As also shown in FIG. 3A, the UE reports the L1-RSRP of only one beam for the first CMR set and reports the L1-RSRPs of all four beams for the second CMR set. Note that RSRP is reported for the strongest beam and differential RSRP is reported for other beams” – See [0063]; The single measurement value for the first CMR set is an absolute RSRP and the measurement values for the second CMR set are differential RSRPs).
Zhang does not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; The report includes an indicator that indicates that the highest/strongest value is associated with CMR set 1 (first CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement. Motivation for doing so would be to provide the network device with a correspondence between reported values and a plurality of CMR sets (See Wang, [0053]).
Regarding Claim 5, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 3. Zhang does not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the second CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the single measurement value indicates a differential measurement value, and measurement values associated with the second CMR set indicate an absolute measurement value for a first report group and one or more differential measurement values for remaining report groups of the group-based report.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the second CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, wherein the remaining measurement values for the first and second CMR sets are differential measurement values with respect to the strongest measurement (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; See also Table 2; The indicator indicates that CMR set 2 (second CMR set) is associated with the highest/strongest measurement. Furthermore, the remaining RSRP values for the first and second CMR sets are differential measurement values with respect to the strongest measurement value form the second CMR set).
Thus, modifying Zhang in view of Wang would result in Zhang’s single measurement value for the first CMR set being a differential measurement value when the strongest measurement value is from the second CMR set and wherein the remaining measurement values from the second CMR set are also differential measurement values with respect to the strongest measurement value. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the second CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the single measurement value indicates a differential measurement value, and measurement values associated with the second CMR set indicate an absolute measurement value for a first report group and one or more differential measurement values for remaining report groups of the group-based report for the same reasons as those given with respect to Claim 4.
Regarding Claim 12, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 1. Zhang does not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes a first measurement value and a second measurement value for the first CMR set, and a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set, and measurement values for the first CMR set exclude corresponding beam identifiers.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes a first measurement value and a second measurement value for the first CMR set, and a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set, and measurement values for the first CMR set exclude corresponding beam identifiers (See Table 2; As shown in Table 2, the group-based report includes RSRP #1 and RSRP #3 (first and second measurement values) for CMR set 1 (first CMR set) and includes RSRP #2 and RSRP #4 (third and fourth measurement values) for CMR set 2 (second CMR set), where the CRIs (beam identifiers) for RSRPs 1-4 are excluded/not reported).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes a first measurement value and a second measurement value for the first CMR set, and a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set, and measurement values for the first CMR set exclude corresponding beam identifiers. Motivation for doing so would be to indicate a correspondence between the groups of resources and the CMR sets with a reduced payload size. Thus, report accuracy can be improved (See Wang, [0104]).
Regarding Claim 13, Zhang in view of Wang teaches the apparatus of Claim 12. Wang further teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the first measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the second measurement value, the third measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; See also Table 2; The report includes an indicator that indicates that the highest/strongest value is associated with CMR set 1 (first CMR set). As shown in Table 2, RSRP #1 (first measurement value) is an absolute value and RSRPs #2-4 (second through fourth measurement values) are differential values).
Regarding Claim 14, Zhang in view of Wang teaches the apparatus of Claim 12. Wang further teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the second CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the third measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the first measurement value, the second measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; See also Table 2; As shown in Table 2, when the first indicator is equal to 1, indicating that the highest/strongest value is associated with CMR set 2 (second CMR set), RSRPs #1 and #3 are third and fourth measurement values for CMR set 2, while RSRPs #2 and #4 are first and second measurement values for CMR set 1 (first CMR set). RSRP #1 (third measurement value) is an absolute value and RSRPs #2-4 (first, second, and fourth measurement values) are differential values).
Claim 18 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 4.
Claim 19 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 5.
Regarding Claim 24, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 21. Zhang further teaches that a second CMR set associated with a second network entity is configured with a second repetition value different than the first repetition value (“At step 702, the UE receives, from a base station, a beam report configuration that configures the UE to report measurements for a predetermined number of beam pairs, wherein the one or more beam pairs are arranged in a first CMR set and a second CMR set” – See [0085]; “one of the CMR sets may be configured for repetition while the other CMR set may not be configured for repetition. In this scenario, the UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for a first CMR set and set to “OFF” for a second CMR set” – See [0060]; CMR set 1 is associated with a repetition value of “ON” and CMR set 2 is associated with a repetition value of “OFF”, where “ON” and “OFF” are different values), and
the group-based report includes a first measurement value for the first CMR set, and a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set (“if K (K>1) beam pairs are configured to be reported, the UE may report the L1-RSRP of only one beam for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “ON.” Conversely, for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “OFF,” the UE may report the L1-RSRPs of all K beams” – See [0061]; The report includes a first L1-RSRP (first measurement value) for the first CMR set and multiple L1-RSRPs (e.g., third and fourth measurement values) for the second CMR set), and
measurement values for the first CMR set exclude corresponding beam identifiers (“Thus, if the UE determines that the repetition parameter of a CMR set is set to “ON,” it is not necessary for the UE to report the CRI since each CSI-RS in the CMR set is transmitted on the same beam, and the CRI would only indicate the same beam. With this feature, overhead may be reduced by decreasing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, the reporting of CRI for CMR sets for which the repetition parameter is set to “ON.”” – See [0059]; The report excludes CRIs (beam identifiers) for the measurement results for CMR set 1 since it is configured with repetition “ON”).
Zhang does not explicitly teach that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set.
However, Wang teaches that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set (See Table 10, wherein two measurement values are reported for RSRP #1 in the first CMR set. Thus, the report includes RSRP #1-part 1 (first measurement value for the first CMR set) and RSRP #1-part 2 (second measurement value for the first CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set. Motivation for doing so would be to enable the UE to provide reports for the first CMR set with extended resolution/range (See Wang, [0097]).
Regarding Claim 25, Zhang in view of Wang teaches the apparatus of Claim 21. Zhang further teaches that the first CMR set and a second CMR set associated with a second network entity are each configured with the first repetition value (“At step 702, the UE receives, from a base station, a beam report configuration that configures the UE to report measurements for a predetermined number of beam pairs, wherein the one or more beam pairs are arranged in a first CMR set and a second CMR set” – See [0085]; “In a second scenario of group-based beam reporting, a UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for both CMR sets” – See [0064]; CMR set 1 associated with TRP 1 (first network entity) and CMR set 2 associated with TRP 2 (second network entity) are both associated with a repetition value of “ON” (first repetition value)), and
the group-based report includes a first measurement value for the first CMR set, and a third measurement value for the second CMR set (“in this example, the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for both CMR sets. Accordingly, the UE can select one of the previously described options for reporting CRI. In this example, the UE selects the option of not reporting the CRI for either the first CMR set or the second CMR set. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3B, the enhanced beam report 320 does not include CRI. Rather, the enhanced beam report 320 only includes the L1-RSRP of only one beam from each CMR set” – See [0065]; The report includes a first measurement value for the first CMR set and a third measurement value for the second CMR set), and
measurement values for the first CMR set and the second CMR set exclude corresponding beam identifiers (“in this example, the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for both CMR sets. Accordingly, the UE can select one of the previously described options for reporting CRI. In this example, the UE selects the option of not reporting the CRI for either the first CMR set or the second CMR set. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3B, the enhanced beam report 320 does not include CRI. Rather, the enhanced beam report 320 only includes the L1-RSRP of only one beam from each CMR set” – See [0065]; The measurement values exclude the CRIs (beam identifiers) for the first and second CMR set).
Zhang does not explicitly teach that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set.
However, Wang teaches that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set (See Table 10, wherein two measurement values are reported for RSRP #1 in the first CMR set. Thus, the report includes RSRP #1-part 1 (first measurement value for the first CMR set) and RSRP #1-part 2 (second measurement value for the first CMR set). Additionally, the report includes RSRP #2 and RSRP #4 (third and fourth measurement values for the second CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the report includes a second measurement value for the first CMR set and a fourth measurement value for the second CMR set for the same reasons as those given with respect to Claim 24.
Claim 29 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 24.
Claim 30 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 25.
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Li et al. (US 2025/0203398).
Regarding Claim 6, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 1. Zhang further teaches that the first CMR set is configured with repetition ON, and the group-based report includes one report group including a first measurement value associated with the first CMR set (“one of the CMR sets may be configured for repetition while the other CMR set may not be configured for repetition. In this scenario, the UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for a first CMR set and set to “OFF” for a second CMR set” – See [0060]; “In some examples, if K (K>1) beam pairs are configured to be reported, the UE may report the L1-RSRP of only one beam for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “ON.” Conversely, for each CMR set with the repetition parameter set to “OFF,” the UE may report the L1-RSRPs of all K beams” – See [0061]; The first CMR set is configured with repetition ON and the group based report includes a first RSRP (first measurement value) for the first CMR set).
Although Zhang teaches that a plurality of CMR sets are configured with repetition ON (“each CMR set may correspond to a repetition parameter that is switchable between “ON” and “OFF.”” – See [0054]), Zhang does not explicitly teach a third CMR set, and the group-based report includes a second measurement value associated with the third CMR set.
However, Li teaches a third CMR set, and the group-based report includes a second measurement value associated with the third CMR set (“As shown in FIG. 3, each CMR resource set corresponds to one TRP. That is, if the network device is configured with four TRPs, one CMR resource set will be configured for each TRP. For example, TRP1 corresponds to CMR resource set 1, TRP2 corresponds to CMR resource set 2, TRP3 corresponds to CMR resource set 3, and TRP4 corresponds to CMR resource set 4” – See [0044]; “After determining the N CMR resource sets configured by the network device, the terminal can perform the measurement based on the N CMR resource sets, obtain the channel state information, and then report the obtained channel state information to the network device” – See [0056]; The group-based report includes a second measurement value associated with CMR set 3 (third CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that a third CMR set is configured with repetition ON, wherein the report group in the group-based report includes a second measurement value associated with the third CMR set. As shown in Fig. 2 of Zhang, the method is limited to performing measurements/reporting for CMRs corresponding to two TRPs. Li expands this capability to measuring/reporting CMR sets for three or more TRPs (See Li, [0044]), thus providing greater reporting capabilities.
Regarding Claim 7, Zhang in view of Li teaches the apparatus of Claim 6. Zhang further teaches that the group-based report excludes, for the first CMR set and the third CMR set, corresponding beam identifiers (“Thus, if the UE determines that the repetition parameter of a CMR set is set to “ON,” it is not necessary for the UE to report the CRI since each CSI-RS in the CMR set is transmitted on the same beam, and the CRI would only indicate the same beam. With this feature, overhead may be reduced by decreasing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, the reporting of CRI for CMR sets for which the repetition parameter is set to “ON.”” – See [0059]; The CRI (beam identifiers) for CMR sets with repetition ON (i.e., first and third CMR sets) is eliminated/excluded).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Li et al. (US 2025/0203398) and further in view of Wang et al. (US 2024/0275457).
Regarding Claim 8, Zhang in view of Li teaches the apparatus of Claim 7. Zhang further teaches that the first measurement value is an absolute measurement value, and the second measurement value is a differential measurement value (“Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3A, the UE does not report the CRI for the first CMR set and reports the CRIs for all four beam pairs of the second CMR set. As also shown in FIG. 3A, the UE reports the L1-RSRP of only one beam for the first CMR set and reports the L1-RSRPs of all four beams for the second CMR set. Note that RSRP is reported for the strongest beam and differential RSRP is reported for other beams” – See [0063]; The single measurement value for the first CMR set is an absolute RSRP and the other remaining measurement values are differential RSRPs).
Zhang and Li do not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes a first indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes a first indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; The report includes an indicator that indicates that the highest/strongest value is associated with CMR set 1 (first CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes a first indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement. Motivation for doing so would be to provide the network device with a correspondence between reported values and a plurality of CMR sets (See Wang, [0053]).
Claims 9 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Li (US 2025/0203398) and Li et al. (US 2023/0026501, hereinafter Li ‘501).
Regarding Claim 9, Zhang teaches the apparatus of Claim 1. Zhang further teaches that the first CMR set is configured with repetition ON (“one of the CMR sets may be configured for repetition while the other CMR set may not be configured for repetition. In this scenario, the UE determines that the repetition parameter is set to “ON” for a first CMR set and set to “OFF” for a second CMR set” – See [0060]; The first CMR set is configured with repetition ON).
Zhang further teaches that the measurement values for CMR sets with repetition ON respectively exclude corresponding beam identifiers (“Thus, if the UE determines that the repetition parameter of a CMR set is set to “ON,” it is not necessary for the UE to report the CRI since each CSI-RS in the CMR set is transmitted on the same beam, and the CRI would only indicate the same beam. With this feature, overhead may be reduced by decreasing the frequency of, or eliminating altogether, the reporting of CRI for CMR sets for which the repetition parameter is set to “ON.”” – See [0059]; The CRI (beam identifiers) for CMR sets with repetition ON is eliminated/excluded).
Zhang does not explicitly teach a third CMR set, wherein the group-based report includes a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the third CMR set.
However, Li teaches a third CMR set, wherein the group-based report includes a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the third CMR set (“As shown in FIG. 3, each CMR resource set corresponds to one TRP. That is, if the network device is configured with four TRPs, one CMR resource set will be configured for each TRP. For example, TRP1 corresponds to CMR resource set 1, TRP2 corresponds to CMR resource set 2, TRP3 corresponds to CMR resource set 3, and TRP4 corresponds to CMR resource set 4” – See [0044]; “After determining the N CMR resource sets configured by the network device, the terminal can perform the measurement based on the N CMR resource sets, obtain the channel state information, and then report the obtained channel state information to the network device” – See [0056]; “CMR resource set #3 includes three CMR resources, namely CMR resource 7, CMR resource 8, and CMR resource 9” – See [0149]; The group-based report includes a third and fourth measurement values (e.g., values for CMR resource 7 and 8) associated with CMR set 3 (third CMR set)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes a third measurement value and a fourth measurement value for the third CMR set. As shown in Fig. 2 of Zhang, the method is limited to performing measurements/reporting for CMRs corresponding to two TRPs. Li expands this capability to measuring/reporting CMR sets for three or more TRPs (See Li, [0044]), thus providing greater reporting capabilities.
Zhang and Li do not explicitly teach that the third CMR set is configured with repetition ON.
However, Li ‘501 teaches that the third CMR set is configured with repetition ON (“a repetition parameter repetition of the third CSI-RS resource set is configured as “on”, and the CSI-RS resource in the third CSI-RS resource set is a CMR that can be used to measure the L1-SINR, or the CSI-RS resource in the third CSI-RS resource set is a CMR that can be used to measure an L1-RSRP” – See [0032]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the third CMR set is configured with repetition ON. Motivation for doing so would be to enable the terminal to determine an optimal receive beam for the third CMR set (See Li ‘501, [0133]).
Claim 20 is rejected based on reasoning similar to Claim 9.
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Li (US 2025/0203398) and Li et al. (US 2023/0026501, hereinafter Li ‘501) and further in view of Wang et al. (US 2024/0275457).
Regarding Claim 10, Zhang in view of Li and Li ‘501 teaches the apparatus of Claim 9. Zhang, Li, and Li ‘501 do not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the first measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the second measurement value, the third measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the first measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the second measurement value, the third measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; See also Table 2; The report includes an indicator that indicates that the highest/strongest value is associated with CMR set 1 (first CMR set). As shown in Table 2, the group-based report includes RSRP #1 and RSRP #3 (first and second measurement values) and includes RSRP #2 and RSRP #4 (third and fourth measurement values), such that RSRP #1 is an absolute measurement value and RSRPs #2, #3, and #4 are differential measurement values).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the first CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the first measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the second measurement value, the third measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values. Motivation for doing so would be to provide the network device with a correspondence between reported values and a plurality of CMR sets (See Wang, [0053]).
Regarding Claim 11, Zhang in view of Li and Li ‘501 teaches the apparatus of Claim 9. Zhang, Li, and Li ‘501 do not explicitly teach that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the third CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the third measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the first measurement value, the second measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values.
However, Wang teaches that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the third CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the third measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the first measurement value, the second measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values (“As discussed above, the highest reported value may correspond to either the resources in CMR set 1 or the resources in CMR set 2. In some example embodiments, the correspondence may be indicated by a first indicator in the CSI report. The first indicator may indicate a CMR set on which the largest one of the reported values is obtained. For example, a value of the first indicator may indicate a highest reported value is measured on the CMR set 1 or the CMR set 2” – See [0071]; See also Table 2; The report includes an indicator that indicates that the highest/strongest value is associated with another CMR set (e.g., third CMR set). As shown in Table 2, the group-based report includes RSRP #1 and RSRP #3 (third and fourth measurement values) and includes RSRP #2 and RSRP #4 (first and second measurement values), such that RSRP #1 is an absolute measurement value and RSRPs #2, #3, and #4 are differential measurement values).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang such that the group-based report includes an indicator indicating that the third CMR set is associated with a strongest measurement, the third measurement value indicates an absolute measurement value, and the first measurement value, the second measurement value, and the fourth measurement value each indicate differential measurement values for the same reasons as those given with respect to Claim 10.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (US 2025/0287243) in view of Wang et al. (US 2024/0275457) and further in view of Zhang et al. (US 2024/0196247, hereinafter Zhang ‘247).
Regarding Claim 15, Zhang in view of Wang teaches the apparatus of Claim 12. Wang further teaches at least one antenna coupled to the at least one processor (“The TX/RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication” – See [0135]).
Zhang and Wang do not explicitly teach that the at least one processor is further configured to: store a first receiver beam configuration associated with a first beam identifier corresponding to the third measurement value; and store a second receiver beam configuration associated with a second beam identifier corresponding to the fourth measurement value.
However, Zhang ‘247 teaches storing a first receiver beam configuration associated with a first beam identifier corresponding to the third measurement value; and storing a second receiver beam configuration associated with a second beam identifier corresponding to the fourth measurement value (“FIG. 7 illustrates an example configuration regarding the above-mentioned scenario. In FIG. 7, both CMRs and IMRs are SSB signals, e.g., each of which may take 4 symbols. Both CMR2 and CMR3 in CRM set 1 are SSB2, and their associated IMR, i.e., IMR2 and IMR3, are SSB3 and SSB4, respectively. The same signals may be considered as naturally QCLed. According to aforementioned mutual QCL relation, CMR2 and CMR4 may form a beam pair, and CMR3 and CMR6 may form a beam pair for L1-SINR measurement. During the measurements of CMR2 and CMR3 which are both symbols of SSB2, UE uses different Rx beam pairs (e.g., Rx beam {2, 3} and Rx beam {2, 4}) to receive symbols of SSB2. Similarly, During the measurements of CMR5 and CMR6 which are both symbols of SSB4. UE uses different Rx beam pairs (e.g., Rx beam {1, 4} and Rx beam {2, 4}) to receive symbols of SSB4. Thus, the UE may obtain inter-beam interference for multiple pairs of Tx beams” – See [0115]; See Fig 7; First and second receive beam configurations correspond to third and fourth measurements (e.g., CMR 4/5/6) of a second CMR set).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhang to store a first receiver beam configuration associated with a first beam identifier corresponding to the third measurement value; and store a second receiver beam configuration associated with a second beam identifier corresponding to the fourth measurement value. Motivation for doing so would be to enable the UE to determine inter-beam interference for multiple pairs of TX beams from different TRPs (See Zhang ‘247, [0115]).
Conclusion
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/SCOTT M SCIACCA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478