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 following is a final office action in response to applicant’s amendment filed on 03/27/2026 for response of the office action mailed on 12/31/2025. Independent Claim 1 is amended. Claims 2-20 are canceled. Claims 21-35 are newly added. Claims 1 and 21-35 are pending in the application.
In light of applicant’s amendments to Claim 1, the rejection of Claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendments to the specification (Title) and Claims have overcome each and every objection set forth in the office action mailed 12/31/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments field 03/27/2025 with respect to the claims, particularly, independent Claim 1 as amended, have been fully considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claims 21-22, 25-26, 29-30 and 33-34 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. Claims 21, 25, 29 and 33,
at line 1, and line 2, “the second reception” should read - - - the second reception via the backhaul link - - - for clarity and consistency;
at line 2, “the first reception” should read - - - the first reception via the control link- - - for clarity and consistency;
at line 4, “reception via the backhaul link” should read - - - the second reception via the backhaul link - - - for clarity and consistency.
Regarding Claims 22 (line 2), Claim 26 (line 3), Claim 30 (line 2), and Claim 34 (line 3), “spatial filter” should read - - a spatial filter - - for clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1 and 21-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 20230268982 A1), hereinafter Li in view of BHAMRI et al. US 20250167950 A1), hereinafter BHAMRI.
Regarding Claim 1, Li teaches a method (Li, FIG. 1, ¶0002, ¶0008; ¶0014; FIG. 26; FIG. 27) performed by a network controlled repeater (NCR) (Li, FIG. 1, NCR 102) including an NCR mobile termination (NCR-MT) (Li FIG. 1, NCR-MT, 120) and an NCR forwarding (NCR-Fwd) in a communication system (Li, FIG. 1, NCR-Fwd 130), the method comprising:
receiving, by the NCR-MT via a control link, information to configure at least one transmission configuration indication (TCI) state (Li, FIG. 1, ¶0007; NCR-MT communicates with gNB 2316 via a control link (C-link) to enable exchange of control information (e.g. side control information at least for the control of NCR-Fwd 130);
identifying a TCI state among the at least one TCI state (Li, ¶0014 the same TCI states as C-link are assumed for beams at NCR-Fwd 130 for backhaul link; [and] the beam of backhaul link is indicated by a new signaling or the beam of backhaul link is determined by a pre-defined rule, “identifying a TCI state”); and overlapped control link and backhaul links(Li, ¶0014, the beam of backhaul link is determined by a pre-defined rule (e.g., in slots/symbols with simultaneous DL receptions/UL transmissions in both C-link and backhaul link) / “overlapped”).
Li does not explicitly teach in case that first reception via the control link and second reception via a backhaul link are overlapped in at least one first time resource: receiving, by the NCR-MT, the first reception via the control link based on the identified TCI state in the at least one first time resource and receiving, by the NCR-Fwd, the second reception via the backhaul link based on the identified TCI state in the at least one first time resource.
However, in the analogous art, BHAMRI explicitly discloses in case that first reception via the control link and second reception via a backhaul link (FIG. 1, backhaul link 108) are overlapped in at least one first time resource (BHAMRI, FIG. 6b, ¶0071, timing diagrams for a repeater/ ”NCR” ¶0071, the two sets of time domain resources are fully overlapping; see also FIG. 5, ¶0067; FIG. 6a; ¶0070): receiving, by the NCR-MT, the first reception via the control link based on the identified TCI state in the at least one first time resource (BHAMRI, FIG. 6b cited herein; FIG. 10, at 1010 repeater/”NCR” receives [via control link 110/”NCR-MT” (see also FIG. 1)] configuration/indication of time domain resource parameters and additional parameters for access link; at 1015 determines time domain resources and direction (Tx/Rx) in determined resources on which to apply an indicated beam; [and] at 1020 receives/forwards DL/UL signals), and receiving, by the NCR-Fwd, the second reception via the backhaul link based on the identified TCI state in the at least one first time resource (BHAMRI, FIG. 10, ¶0050, at 1020 repeater/”NCR” receives and forwards the DL/UL signals/channels to/from the UE on the access link according to the determined time domain resources and indicated beam; FIG. 11, ¶0077, at 1110, multiple beam indications/”TCI states” can be received; additional parameters can include a first UL-DL TDD pattern and a first numerology for the backhaul link and a second UL-DL TDD pattern and a second numerology for the access link).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Li’s network controlled repeater networking with BHAMRI’s timing-related considerations for network-controlled repeaters. The motivation would be to provide network-controlled beam steering functionality that can further improve network coverage and energy efficiency. [BHAMRI, ¶0002; ¶0023-0025].
Regarding Claim 21, Li and BHAMRI teach claim 1.
Li does not explicitly teach the second reception [via the backhaul link] is received based on the identified TCI state in case that the first reception and the second reception are overlapped in the at least one first time resource, after receiving information indicating a TCI state for reception via the backhaul link.
However, in the analogous art, BHAMRI explicitly discloses the second reception is received based on the identified TCI state in case that the first reception and the second reception are overlapped in the at least one first time resource, after receiving information indicating a TCI state for reception via the backhaul link (BHAMRI, FIG. 10; FIG. 11; FIG. 6b, an indication of Tx and/or Rx spatial filter can be included in the configuration parameters. . . [and] . . . the time domain resource set and the beam indication (TCI state) can be jointly signaled . . [and] the repeater determines which direction to apply the beams in the determined time domain resources i.e., Tx beams (for forwarding DL) and/or Rx beams (for receiving UL); [and thereafter], at 1020/1120 the repeater receives and forwards the DL/UL signals/channels to/from the UE on the access link according to the determined time domain resources and indicated beam).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Li’s network controlled repeater networking with BHAMRI’s timing-related considerations for network-controlled repeaters. The motivation would be to provide network-controlled beam steering functionality that can further improve network coverage and energy efficiency. [BHAMRI, ¶0002; ¶0023-0025]
Regarding Claim 22, Li and BHAMRI teach claim 1.
Li further teaches receiving, by the NCR-MT, configuration information, . . . transmitting, by the NCR-MT, the first transmission via the control link (Li, FIG. 1, ¶0007, NCR-MT 120 communicates with gNB 2316 via control link (C-link); ¶0025 the NCR-MT is used to establish and maintain connection with the RAN node to receive configurations and the side control information). . . and transmitting, by the NCR-Fwd [information]. . . via the backhaul link, (Li, FIG. 1, NCR-Fwd 130 transmitting information to gNB 2316 via Backhaul link; ¶0008, the behavior of the NCR-Fwd 130 is controlled according to the received side control information from the gNB 2316).
Li does not explicitly teach receiving configuration information associated with spatial filter; identifying the spatial filter based on the configuration information; and in case that first transmission via the control link and second transmission via the backhaul link are overlapped in at least one second time resource: transmitting, by the NCR-MT, the first transmission via the control link based on the identified spatial filter in the at least one second time resource, and transmitting, by the NCR-Fwd, the second transmission via the backhaul link based on the identified spatial filter in the at least one second time resource.
However, in the analogous art, BHAMRI explicitly discloses receiving configuration information associated with spatial filter (BHAMRI, FIG. 11 at 1110, the repeater receives a configuration and/or indication of multiple sets of time domain resource parameters and additional parameters for access link Tx/Rx with the UE; ¶0077 an indication of Tx and/or Rx spatial filter can be included in the configuration parameters);
identifying the spatial filter based on the configuration information (BHAMRI, FIG. 6b, ¶0070 beam indications associated with TCI1 and TCI2; FIG. 10 at 1015; FIG. 11 at 1115 repeater determines/time-domain resources and direction (Tx/Rx) on which to apply the indicated beam, therefore “identifies the spatial filter”); and
in case that first transmission via the control link (FIG. 1, control link 110) and second transmission via the backhaul link (FIG. 1, backhaul link 108) are overlapped in at least one second time resource (BHAMRI, ¶0077, the time domain resource set and the beam indication (TCI state) can be jointly signaled [and]. . . the respective time domain resources can be non-overlapping, partially overlapping or fully overlapping; FIG. 6b, side control information including two sets of partially or fully overlapping time domain resources and corresponding spatial filter (beam) parameters / TCI1 and TCI2):
transmitting, by the NCR-MT, the first transmission via the control link based on the identified spatial filter in the at least one second time resource (BHAMRI, FIG. 10, at 1020 repeater receives/forwards DL/UL signals/channels to/from the UE), and transmitting, by the NCR-Fwd, the second transmission via the backhaul link based on the identified spatial filter in the at least one second time resource (BHAMRI, FIG. 1; ¶0027, on the backhaul link 108, the repeater 104/”NCR” can transmit the UL signals/channels received from the UE 102 to the gNB 106 and receive the DL signals/channels from the gNB 106 for forwarding to the UE 102; [and] FIG. 10, at 1020 , FIG. 10, at 1020 repeater receives/forwards TL/UL signals); see also ¶0077, the additional parameters can further include respective beam forming parameters for each of the sets of time domain resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine Li’s network controlled repeater networking with BHAMRI’s timing-related considerations for network-controlled repeaters. The motivation would be to provide network-controlled beam steering functionality that can further improve network coverage and energy efficiency. [BHAMRI, ¶0002; ¶0023-0025]
Regarding Claim 23, Li and BHAMRI teach claim 1.
Li further teaches the at least one first time resource is a set of symbols (Li, ¶0014, the beam of backhaul link is determined by a pre-defined rule (e.g., in slots/symbols with simultaneous DL receptions/UL transmissions in both C-link and backhaul link); see also ¶0019).
Regarding Claims 24-27, the claims disclose similar features of Claims 1, 21-23 respectively, and are rejected same rationales of Claims 1, 21-23, in apparatus form (Li, a network controlled repeater (NCR) (Li, FIG. 1 NCR 102) including an NCR mobile termination (NCR-MT) (Li FIG. 1, NCR-MT, 120) and an NCR forwarding (NCR-Fwd) (Li, FIG. 1, NCR-Fwd 130)).
Regarding Claims 28- 31 the claims disclose similar features of Claims 1, 21-23 respectively, and are rejected based on the same rationales of Claims 1 and 21-23 (Li, FIG. 1, a method performed by a base station (BS) (FIG. 1, gNB 2316 / “base station”) in a communication system).
Regarding Claims 32-35, the claim discloses similar features of Claims 28-31 and are rejected based on the same rationales of Claims 28 and 31, in apparatus form (Li, a base station (BS) (Li, FIG. 1, gNB 2316 / “base station”).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRACY L WILLIAMS whose telephone number is 571-270-7694. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayman Abaza can be reached at 571-270-0422. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRACY L WILLIAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 2465 /CHRISTOPHER T WYLLIE/Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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