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 .
This action is in response to the amendments filed on 1/2/2026.
Claims 1, 8-10, 14, 16, 18-19 are amended.
Claims 2-7, 11-13 and 20 are cancelled.
Claims 1, 8-10, 14-19 have been examined and rejected based on new grounds of rejection (and additional mappings from the primary reference Guo).
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph rejection for claim 19 has been withdrawn, based on Applicants arguments and claim amendments.
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.
Claim(s) 1, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo (US 20190297603 A1, from IDS) in view of Zhang (US 20220014344 A1, having provisional date 6/10/2020).
Regarding Claim 1, Guo discloses a method comprising:
receiving, at a user equipment (UE), configuration information from a next generation nodeB (gNB), wherein the gNB includes a first transmission/reception point (TRP) and a second TRP, and the configuration information includes:
(1) a first set of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources or synchronization signal physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) blocks as channel measurement resources (CMR) of the first TRP to measure transmission (Tx) beams thereof; and (2) a second set of CSI-RS resources or SS/PBCH blocks as CMR of the second TRP to measure Tx beams thereof (see para 381; additionally at para 378, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP of those K CSI-RS resources in each of those two configured CSI-RS resource sets transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs) and report … to the gNB; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources … and a second set of CSI-RS resources … in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs.),
receiving from the gNB, a request to report beam measurements for the first TRP and beam measurements for the second TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs; also see para 371, report M=2 groups of CRIs and N=4 CRIs in each group and also report L1-RSRP measurement for each reported CRI. Therefore, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP those K CSI-RS resources transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources … and a second set of CSI-RS resources … in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs);
determining, by the UE, the beam measurements for the first TRP based on the CMR of the first TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs), wherein determining the beam measurements for the first TRP comprises:
measuring, by the UE, a reference signal received power (RSRP) of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the first TRP and/or measuring, by the UE, a signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the first TRP (see para 381, a UE can be configured to measure a set of K=16 CSI-RS resources for multiple TRPs/i.e., for example first TRP; also see para 386, The UE can be requested to report L1-RSRP measurement of each reported CRIs; and at para 383, the UE can be requested to report M≥1 groups of N≥1 CRIs selected from each configured CSI-RS resource set and the corresponding L1-RSRQ or L1-SINR measurement);
determining, by the UE, the beam measurements for the second TRP based on the CMR of the second TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs), wherein determining the beam measurements for the second TRP comprises:
measuring, by the UE, a RSRP of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the second TRP and/or measuring, by the UE, a SINR of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the second TRP, and reporting, by the UE to the gNB, the beam measurements for the first TRP and the beam measurements for the second TRP (see para 381, a UE can be configured to measure a set of K=16 CSI-RS resources for multiple TRPs/i.e., for example second TRP; also see para 386, The UE can be requested to report L1-RSRP measurement of each reported CRIs; and at para 383, the UE can be requested to report M≥1 groups of N≥1 CRIs selected from each configured CSI-RS resource set and the corresponding L1-RSRQ or L1-SINR measurement; additionally also see FIG. 24, para 389, The UE-A can be requested to report Tx beam for each TRP so that the gNB can apply the reported Tx beam on joint transmission from TRP #1 and TRP #2); wherein reporting the beam measurements comprises:
reporting, by the UE to the gNB, K pairs of resource indicators and corresponding beam measurements, wherein K is a predefined number less than or equal to a size of the first set and a size of the second set, and each pair of the K pairs (see para 297, a UE can be configured to measure M (for example=16) CSI-RS resources {CRI_RS1, CSI_RS2, . . . , CSI_RSM}. And the UE can be configured to report one or multiple (Nset) sets/i.e., representing ”K” pairs of CSI-RS resource indicators (CRIs), of selected CRIs and the corresponding SINR measurement that is measured from the selected CRI in the corresponding reporting set. The UE can be configured to report up to N CRIs in each reporting set. For one reporting set with Ns (≤N) reported CRIs; also see para 310) includes:
(1) a first CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SS/PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI) that indicates a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the first TRP (see FIG. 21, para 293, in FIG. 21, the gNB have two TRPs and each TRP has two Tx panels and there are multiple Tx beam directions available on each Tx panel. The gNB can select and use one Tx beam from each Tx panel of each TRP/i.e., representing the Tx panel of the first TRP; also see para 310; and at FIG. 23B, see para 376-378), and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the first TRP (see FIG. 21, para 297, the UE can report: {CRI.sub.a1, CRI.sub.a2, SINR.sub.1}, {CRI.sub.b1, CRI.sub.b2, SINR.sub.2}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-1 of FIG. 21), and
(1) a second CRI or SSBRI corresponding to a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the second TRP (see FIG. 21, para 293, in FIG. 21, the gNB have two TRPs and each TRP has two Tx panels and there are multiple Tx beam directions available on each Tx panel. The gNB can select and use one Tx beam from each Tx panel of each TRP/i.e., representing the Tx panel of the second TRP), and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the second TRP (see FIG. 21, para 297, Then the UE can report: {CRI.sub.c1, CRI.sub.c2, SINR.sub.3}, {CRI.sub.d1, CRI.sub.d2, SINR.sub.4}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-2 of FIG. 21; also see para 378, The UE can also report L1-RSRP measurement for each reported CRI. Therefore, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP of those K CSI-RS resources in each of those two configured CSI-RS resource sets transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs) and report …through uplink channel to the gNB),
wherein:
the first CRI or SSBRI with a value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the first TRP (see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI1,1 etc. for the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., /i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI2,1 etc. for the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting. (Examiners Note: 1) {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} represents (k+1, …) entries in the CMR for the first TRP). 2) There exists a correspondence between the CSI-RS resources (CRI) for the first TRP and a second TRP, for example CSI_RS.sub.1,2, from the first TRP corresponds to the CSI_RS.sub.2,2, from the second TRP, used for joint transmission);
the second CRI or SSBRI with the value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the second TRP (see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., from the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., from the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting. (Examiners Note: 1) {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} represents (k+1, …) entries representing the CMR for the first TRP). 2) There exists a correspondence between the CSI-RS resources (CRI) for the first TRP and a second TRP, for example CSI_RS.sub.1,2, from the first TRP corresponds to the CSI_RS.sub.2,2, from the second TRP, used for joint transmission); and
Examiners Note: Using BRI consistent with the specification, the limitation “in each pair, the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMRs of the first and second TRPs are capable of being received simultaneously by the UE” has been interpreted to mean: “CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the first TRP and the CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the second TRP have a one to one correspondence and are received simultaneously for performing joint transmission from TRP1 and TRP2.” Based on this interpretation, see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs and those selected Tx beams can be used by the gNB to transmit downlink signals on the same OFDM symbols. In other words, the gNB (i.e., supporting two TRPs) can assume those Tx beam selected by the UE can be received simultaneously by the UE; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the second TRP (having correspondence for joint transmission and hence needs to be transmitted simultaneously)).
Guo teaches beam measurements for multi TRP using CSI-RS configuration information, and at para 306, the CSI-RS resources configured in a first Resource setting are used for channel measurement and the reference signal resources configured in a second Resource setting are used for interference measurement.
Guo does not specify beam measurements based on channel measurement resources (CMR), i.e., Guo teaches resources for channel measurement but does not specify “CMR”.
In the same field of endeavor, Zhang teaches this limitation: see para 91, to enable the UE to calculate the SINR or CQI for each TRP pairing, the base station may transmit, to the UE, information to configure one or more channel measurement resources (CMRs) and one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs). Accordingly, for a candidate TRP to be paired with the serving TRP, the base station may configure the candidate TRP to sweep through a set of N candidate SSB beams, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams, and may configure the serving TRP to sweep through a set of active SSB beams, a set of active CSI-RS beams, and/or the like. In this way, a particular SINR or CQI may be determined by measuring a CMR.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Guo, so as to specify channel measurement resources (CMRs) as taught by Zhang, to enable the UE to calculate the SINR or CQI for each TRP pairing (see Zhang, para 91), and to provide full-duplex communications for a reduction in latency, enhanced spectral efficiency per cell or per UE, and more efficient resource utilization (see Zhang, para 6).
Regarding Claim 10, Guo discloses an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
receive from a next generation nodeB (gNB), configuration information, wherein the gNB includes a first transmission/reception point (TRP) and a second TRP, and the configuration information includes:
(1) a first set of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources or synchronization signal physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) blocks as channel measurement resources (CMR) of the first TRP to measure transmission (Tx) beams thereof; and (2) a second set of CSI-RS resources or SS/PBCH blocks as CMR of the second TRP to measure Tx beams thereof (see para 381; additionally at para 378, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP of those K CSI-RS resources in each of those two configured CSI-RS resource sets transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs) and report … to the gNB; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources … and a second set of CSI-RS resources … in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs.),
receive from the gNB, a request to report beam measurements for the first TRP and beam measurements for the second TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs; also see para 371, report M=2 groups of CRIs and N=4 CRIs in each group and also report L1-RSRP measurement for each reported CRI. Therefore, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP those K CSI-RS resources transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources … and a second set of CSI-RS resources … in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs);
determine, by the UE, the beam measurements for the first TRP based on the CMR of the first TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs), wherein determining the beam measurements for the first TRP comprises:
measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the first TRP and/or measuring, by the UE, a signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the first TRP (see para 381, a UE can be configured to measure a set of K=16 CSI-RS resources for multiple TRPs/i.e., for example first TRP; also see para 386, The UE can be requested to report L1-RSRP measurement of each reported CRIs; and at para 383, the UE can be requested to report M≥1 groups of N≥1 CRIs selected from each configured CSI-RS resource set and the corresponding L1-RSRQ or L1-SINR measurement);
determine the beam measurements for the second TRP based on the CMR of the second TRP (see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs), wherein determining the beam measurements for the second TRP comprises:
measuring a RSRP of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the second TRP and/or measuring, by the UE, a SINR of each CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block of the CMR of the second TRP, and reporting, by the UE to the gNB, the beam measurements for the first TRP and the beam measurements for the second TRP (see para 381, a UE can be configured to measure a set of K=16 CSI-RS resources for multiple TRPs/i.e., for example second TRP; also see para 386, The UE can be requested to report L1-RSRP measurement of each reported CRIs; and at para 383, the UE can be requested to report M≥1 groups of N≥1 CRIs selected from each configured CSI-RS resource set and the corresponding L1-RSRQ or L1-SINR measurement; additionally also see FIG. 24, para 389, The UE-A can be requested to report Tx beam for each TRP so that the gNB can apply the reported Tx beam on joint transmission from TRP #1 and TRP #2);
report to the gNB the beam measurements for the first TRP and the beam measurements for the second TRP, wherein the reporting the beam measurement comprises: report to the gNB, K pairs of resource indicators and corresponding beam measurements, wherein K is a predefined number less than or equal to a size of the first set and a size of the second set, and each pair of the K pairs (see para 297, a UE can be configured to measure M (for example=16) CSI-RS resources {CRI_RS1, CSI_RS2, . . . , CSI_RSM}. And the UE can be configured to report one or multiple (Nset) sets/i.e., representing ”K” pairs of CSI-RS resource indicators (CRIs), of selected CRIs and the corresponding SINR measurement that is measured from the selected CRI in the corresponding reporting set. The UE can be configured to report up to N CRIs in each reporting set. For one reporting set with Ns (≤N) reported CRIs) includes:
(1) a first CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SS/PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI) that indicates a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the first TRP (see FIG. 21, para 293, in FIG. 21, the gNB have two TRPs and each TRP has two Tx panels and there are multiple Tx beam directions available on each Tx panel. The gNB can select and use one Tx beam from each Tx panel of each TRP/i.e., representing the Tx panel of the first TRP; also see FIG. 23B, para 376-378), and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the first TRP (see FIG. 21, para 297, Then the UE can report: {CRI.sub.a1, CRI.sub.a2, SINR.sub.1}, {CRI.sub.b1, CRI.sub.b2, SINR.sub.2}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-1 of FIG. 21), and
(1) a second CRI or SSBRI corresponding to a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the second TRP (see FIG. 21, para 293, in FIG. 21, the gNB have two TRPs and each TRP has two Tx panels and there are multiple Tx beam directions available on each Tx panel. The gNB can select and use one Tx beam from each Tx panel of each TRP/i.e., representing the Tx panel of the second TRP), and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the second TRP (see FIG. 21, para 297, Then the UE can report: {CRI.sub.c1, CRI.sub.c2, SINR.sub.3}, {CRI.sub.d1, CRI.sub.d2, SINR.sub.4}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-2 of FIG. 21; also see para 378, The UE can also report L1-RSRP measurement for each reported CRI. Therefore, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP of those K CSI-RS resources in each of those two configured CSI-RS resource sets transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs) and report …through uplink channel to the gNB),
wherein:
the first CRI or SSBRI with a value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the first TRP (see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI1,1 etc. for the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., /i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI2,1 etc. for the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting. (Examiners Note: 1) {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} represents (k+1, …) entries in the CMR for the first TRP). 2) There exists a correspondence between the CSI-RS resources (CRI) for the first TRP and a second TRP, for example CSI_RS.sub.1,2, from the first TRP corresponds to the CSI_RS.sub.2,2, from the second TRP, used for joint transmission);
the second CRI or SSBRI with the value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the second TRP (see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., from the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., from the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting. (Examiners Note: 1) {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} represents (k+1, …) entries representing the CMR for the first TRP). 2) There exists a correspondence between the CSI-RS resources (CRI) for the first TRP and a second TRP, for example CSI_RS.sub.1,2, from the first TRP corresponds to the CSI_RS.sub.2,2, from the second TRP, used for joint transmission); and
Examiners Note: Using BRI consistent with the specification, the limitation “in each pair, the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMRs of the first and second TRPs are capable of being received simultaneously by the UE” has been interpreted to mean: “CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the first TRP and the CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the second TRP have a one to one correspondence and are received simultaneously for performing joint transmission from TRP1 and TRP2.” Based on this interpretation, see para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs and those selected Tx beams can be used by the gNB to transmit downlink signals on the same OFDM symbols. In other words, the gNB (i.e., supporting two TRPs) can assume those Tx beam selected by the UE can be received simultaneously by the UE; also see para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., CSI-RS resources (CMR) from the second TRP (having correspondence for joint transmission and hence needs to be transmitted simultaneously)).
Guo teaches beam measurements for multi TRP using CSI-RS configuration information, and at para 306, the CSI-RS resources configured in a first Resource setting are used for channel measurement and the reference signal resources configured in a second Resource setting are used for interference measurement.
Guo does not specify beam measurements based on channel measurement resources (CMR), i.e., Guo teaches resources for channel measurement but does not specify “CMR”.
In the same field of endeavor, Zhang teaches this limitation: see para 91, to enable the UE to calculate the SINR or CQI for each TRP pairing, the base station may transmit, to the UE, information to configure one or more channel measurement resources (CMRs) and one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs). Accordingly, for a candidate TRP to be paired with the serving TRP, the base station may configure the candidate TRP to sweep through a set of N candidate SSB beams, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) beams, and may configure the serving TRP to sweep through a set of active SSB beams, a set of active CSI-RS beams, and/or the like. In this way, a particular SINR or CQI may be determined by measuring a CMR.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Guo, so as to specify channel measurement resources (CMRs) as taught by Zhang, to enable the UE to calculate the SINR or CQI for each TRP pairing (see Zhang, para 91), and to provide full-duplex communications for a reduction in latency, enhanced spectral efficiency per cell or per UE, and more efficient resource utilization (see Zhang, para 6).
Regarding Claim 16, Guo discloses the apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration information further includes: a third set of CSI-RS resources or CSI-interference measurement (CSI-IM) resources (see para 308, the UE can be configured with three Resource settings, a first Resource setting and a second resource setting and a third resource setting. In each of a first Resource setting and a second resource setting, one or multiple CSI-RS resources are configured. In a third Resource setting, RS resources for interference measurement are configured).
Regarding Claim 17, Guo discloses the apparatus of claim 16,wherein measuring the SINR of each of the CMR of the first TRP is based on the third set of CSI-RS resources or CSI-IM resources, and wherein measuring the SINR of each of the CMR of the second TRP is based on the third set of CSI-RS resources or CSI-IM resources (see para 308, The UE can be configured to report one or multiple (Nset) sets of up to N=2 CRIs and corresponding SINR measurement for each reporting set. In each reporting set, the UE can report one CRI selected from the CSI-RS resources configured in a first Resource setting or one CRI selected from the CSI-RS resources configured in a second Resource setting or two CRIs including one selected from the CSI-RS resources configured in a first Resource setting and another one selected from the CSI-RS resources configured in a second Resource setting. In each reporting set, the SINR is calculated by assuming one data stream is sent with the same spatial domain transmit filter used to send the reported CRI and assuming interference is measured from the associated RS resource(s) configured in a third resource setting); or
Claim(s) 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo in view of Zhang, in view of Matsumura (EP 4192148 A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Guo in view of Zhang discloses at para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs and those selected Tx beams can be used by the gNB to transmit downlink signals on the same OFDM symbols. In other words, the gNB (with multiple TRPs) can assume those Tx beam selected by the UE can be received simultaneously by the UE
Guo in view of Zhan not disclose the underlined details: in each pair, the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMRs of the first and second TRPs are capable of being received simultaneously by the UE with different spatial domain receive filters.
Matsumura teaches this limitation: see paras 143-144, a case that two PDCCH candidates with different QCL type D are detected simultaneously by blind detection (for example, in the same symbol). This operation may be applied to only the UE reporting the UE capability indicating that this operation is possible (is supported). The UE capability may be at least one of capabilities: Capability 1 - Capability indicating simultaneous reception of different QCL type D, defined in Rel. 16. Default QCL enhancement for multi-DCI based multi-TRP (support of default QCL assumption per CORESET pool index). Capability (support) of simultaneous reception with different type D (based on a plurality of spatial domain reception filters) (applied to PDCCH/PDSCH).
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo and Zhang, so as to specify the CSI-RS resource block selected from the CMRs of the first and second TRPs are capable of being received simultaneously by the UE with different spatial domain receive filters as taught by Matsumura, as capability for PDCCH multiTRP (for reliability improvement) (see Matsumura, para 143).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo in view of Zhang, in view of Gao (US 20220140960 A1).
Regarding Claim 9, Guo discloses in view of Zhang do not teach details regarding: in each pair: the measured SINR corresponding to the first CRI or SSBRI is calculated based on assuming resources indicated by the second CRI or SSBRI are the interference measurement resources (IMR), and the measured SINR corresponding to the second CRI or SSBRI is calculated based on assuming resources indicated by the first CRI or SSBRI are the IMR.
Examiners Note: The above limitation has been interpreted to mean “For the SINR reporting, if the subset of CMR(s) and subset of NZP-IMR(s) are associated if CMR(s) of the subset and NZP-IMR(s) of the subset have the same channel property assumption (CPA or QCL)”. Based on this interpretation, and in the same field of endeavor, Gao teaches this limitation: see FIG. 6, paras 240-243, the association or combination between CMR and NZP-IMR is performed according to the following rules: Step 1. The subset of CMR(s) and subset of NZP-IMR(s) are associated if CMR(s) of the subset and NZP-IMR(s) of the subset have the same CPA. Step 2. For the subset of CMR(s) and its associated subset of NZP-IMR(s), the one CMR of the CMR subset and respective K NZP-IMR of the NZP-IMR subset in order are associated. According to SINR measurement, the L CRI (s) and the SINR value corresponding to each of CRI(s) are reported in a reporting instance; also see para 91.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo and Zhang, so as to report SINR for sets of CRI and MRI based on their same channel assumption properties or QCL properties as taught by Gao, to provide support for an increased number of users and devices, as well as support for higher data rates and considering aspects such as energy consumption, device cost, spectral efficiency, and latency that are important to meeting the needs of various communication scenarios (see Gao, Background).
Claim(s) 14, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo in view of Zhang, in view of Liu (US 20230262503 A1).
Regarding Claim 14, Guo discloses the apparatus of claim 10, wherein reporting the beams measurements comprises:
reporting, to the gNB, a first reporting group and a second reporting group, each with N resource indicators and corresponding beam measurements (see FIG. 21, para 297, a UE can be configured to measure M (for example=16) CSI-RS resources {CRI_RS1, CSI_RS2, . . . , CSI_RSM}, And the UE can be configured to report one or multiple (Nset) sets of selected CRIs and the corresponding SINR measurement that is measured from the selected CRI in the corresponding reporting set);
wherein N is a predefined number less than or equal to the size of the first and second sets (see para 297, a UE can be configured to measure M (for example=16) CSI-RS resources {CRI_RS1, CSI_RS2, . . . , CSI_RSM}. And the UE can be configured to report one or multiple (Nset) sets/i.e., representing ”K” pairs of CSI-RS resource indicators (CRIs), of selected CRIs and the corresponding SINR measurement that is measured from the selected CRI in the corresponding reporting set. The UE can be configured to report up to N CRIs in each reporting set. For one reporting set with Ns (≤N) reported CRIs).
Guo in view of Zhang teach the above limitation for multi TRP in FIG. 21, but does not disclose details regarding: the N resource indicators and the corresponding beam measurements of the first reporting group correspond to N of the CMR of the first TRP, the N resource indicators and the corresponding beam measurements of the second reporting group correspond to N of the CMR of the second TRP.
In the same field of endeavor, Liu teaches these limitations: see FIG. 1, para 52, CSI-RS resource set #1 (the first resource set)/for TRP 1, containing 5 CSI-RS resources in the first Resource Setting is linked with one ‘CSI-ReportConfig’; CSI-RS resource set #2 (the second resource set)/for TRP 2, containing the same number of 5 CSI-RS resources in the second Resource Setting is linked with the same one ‘CSI-ReportConfig’; at para 57, the CSI parameters to be reported depend on reportQuantity contained in the ‘CSI-ReportConfig’. For example, when ‘reportQuantity’ in the ‘CSI-ReportConfig’ is set to ‘cri-RI-LI-PMI-CQI’, CRI, RI, PMI, LI and CQI for both the first resource set in the first Resource Setting that is related to the first TRP and the second resource set in the second Resource Setting that is related to the second TRP would be reported. That is, CRI #1, RI #1, PMI #1, LI #1 and CQI #1, and CRI #2, RI #2, PMI #2, LI #2 and CQI #2 are reported.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo and Zhang, so as specify details regarding beam measurement for a first reporting set for TRP1, and beam measurement for a first reporting set for TRP2 as taught by Liu, for joint CSI reporting (see Liu, Field), since multiple separate CSI reports for different TRPs can be achieved by triggering different CSI reporting settings, unnecessary measurement latency would be caused (see Liu, para 13).
Regarding Claim 18, Guo in view of Zhang o not disclose: reporting the beams measurements comprises: reporting, to the gNB, one or more resource indicators and corresponding beam measurements, corresponding to one or more of the CMR of the first TRP, in a first CSI report instance; and reporting, to the gNB, one or more resource indicators and corresponding beam measurements, corresponding to one or more of the CMR of the second TRP, in a second CSI report instance.
In the same field of endeavor, Liu teaches these limitations: see FIG. 1, para 58, CSI parameters CRI #1, RI #1, PMI #1, LI #1 and CQI #1 (CSI #1) are obtained with respect to the first resource set that is related to TRP #1; and CSI parameters CRI #2, RI #2, PMI #2, LI #2 and CQI #2 (CSI #2) are obtained with respect to the second resource set that is related to TRP #2.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo and Zhang, so as specify details regarding CSI for TRP1, and CSI for TRP2 as taught by Liu, to provide distinct CSI reports for TRP1 and TRP2, and based on the CSI parameters to be reported in reportQuantity contained in the ‘CSI-ReportConfig’ (see Liu, para 58).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo in view of Zhang, in view of Liu, further in view of Ahmed Salem (US 20230283342 A1).
Regarding Claim 15, Guo teaches multi-TRP beam measurement.
Zhang teaches differential feedback on L1-RSRP or L1-SINR at para 102.
Liu teaches CSI for TRP1, and CSI for TRP2.
Guo in view of Zhang in view of Liu do not disclose detials regarding the underlined limitation: the measured RSRP of each of the CMR of the first TRP is a differential layer 1 RSRP (L1-RSRP) value computed based on a dB step size and the largest L1-RSRP value in the first reporting group, and/or
In the same field of endeavor, Ahmed Salem teaches: see para 73, For L1-RSRP/L1-SINR, if the joint quantization across reports is enabled and the higher layer CSI quantity nrofReportedRS is configured to be larger than one, or if the higher layer CSI quantity groupBasedBeamReporting is configured as ‘enabled’, the UE shall use differential L1-RSRP based reporting, where the largest measured value of L1-RSRP is quantized to a 7-bit value in the range [−140, −44] dBm with 1 dB step size. This value is taken as reference for all RSRP values.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo, Zhang and Liu, so as specify details regarding differential L1-based reporting as taught by Ahmed Salem, to reduce the number of bits used for L-RSRP (see Ahmed Salem, Abstract), because generally for parameters in a CSI report, the differential quantity has a smaller range of values than the raw values of the CSI quantity, a quantization of the differential value of the CSI quantity will have fewer bits than the raw value; for example, for L1-RSRP, the raw value has 7 bits while the differential value has 4 bits (see Ahmed Salem, para 41).
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo in view of Zhang, in view of Khoshnevis (US 20230120578 A1).
Regarding Claim 19, Guo in view of Zhang teaches at para 381, simultaneous reception of CMR from first TRP and CMR from second TRP so as to perform joint transmission.
Guo in view of Zhang do not disclose details regarding the underlined limitation: the second CSI report instance is a latest CSI report instance before the first CSI report instance, and any of the CMR of the first TRP and any of the CMR of the second TRP are capable of being received simultaneously.
In the same field of endeavor, Khoshnevis teaches this limitation: see para 53, a wireless network may enable multiple CSI reports to be configured in a single CSI report configuration (e.g., to enable non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) CSI reporting for multi-TRP communication). For example, if a CSI report configuration indicates multiple hypotheses corresponding to different NZP-CMR resources, CSI-IM resources, NZP-IMR resources, and/or the like, enabling multiple CSI reports to be configured in a single CSI report configuration may allow the UE to transmit a first CSI report including one hypothesis corresponding to a single TRP and a second CSI report including one hypothesis corresponding to multiple TRPs, in which case the second CSI report becomes a multi-TRP report.
It would have been obvious, to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined system of Guo and Zhang, so as include details regarding selection of a second CSI report instance for joint transmission as taught by Khoshnevis, to enable multiple CSI reports to be configured in a single CSI report configuration (e.g., to enable non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) CSI reporting for multi-TRP communication (see Khoshnevis, para 53).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive as detailed below:
First argument: On pages 12-13, the applicant argues that: “… Guo is silent on that the "the CSI-RS resources configured in a first Resource setting" (and thus the "one CRI" selected therefrom) belongs to one TRP, and the "the CSI-RS resources configured in a second Resource setting" (and thus the "one CRI" selected therefrom) belongs to another TRP. Thus, Guo fails to disclose reporting in each reporting set one CRI and the corresponding SINR measurement of one TRP and one CRI and the corresponding SINR measurement of another TRP”.
The above argument is with respect to the claim limitation: “… each pair of the K pairs includes: (1) a first CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SS/PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI) that indicates a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the first TRP, and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the first TRP; and (1) a second CRI or SSBRI corresponding to a CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block, respectively, selected from the CMR of the second TRP, and (2) the corresponding measured RSRP and/or SINR of the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMR of the second TRP,"
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Both Guo teaches the above limitation in the context of both multi-TRP and single TRP operation for joint transmission (NCJT), with each TRP having multiple antenna panels. As detailed in claim 1 rejection above, Guo discloses in FIG. 21, and para 297, the UE can report: {CRI.sub.a1, CRI.sub.a2, SINR.sub.1}, {CRI.sub.b1, CRI.sub.b2, SINR.sub.2}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-1 of FIG. 21 … the UE can report: {CRI.sub.c1, CRI.sub.c2, SINR.sub.3}, {CRI.sub.d1, CRI.sub.d2, SINR.sub.4}/i.e., CRI and SINR for TRP-2 of FIG. 21. Also see para 378, The UE can also report L1-RSRP measurement for each reported CRI. Therefore, the UE can measure the L1-RSRP of those K CSI-RS resources in each of those two configured CSI-RS resource sets transmitted from the gNB (from multiple TRPs) and report …through uplink channel to the gNB).
Hence Guo in view of Zhang clearly teaches the above limitation.
Second argument: On pages 12-13, the applicant argues that: “…"the first CRI or SSBRI with a value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the first TRP, and the second CRI or SSBRI with the value of k corresponds to a (k+ 1)-th entry in the CMR of the second TRP, as required by amended claim 1... Therefore, Guo also fails to disclose "the first CRI or SSBRI with a value of k corresponds to a (k+1)-th entry in the CMR of the first TRP, and the second CRI or SSBRI with the value of k corresponds to a (k+ 1)-th entry in the CMR of the second TRP," as required by amended claim 1.
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Guo teaches this limitation with respect to FIG. 21 para 293, depicting two TRPs each with two antenna panels. The gNB have two TRPs and each TRP has two Tx panels and there are multiple Tx beam directions available on each Tx panel. The gNB can select and use one Tx beam from each Tx panel of each TRP for signal transmission… at para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI1,1 etc. for the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., /i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI2,1 etc. for the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting.
Guo teaches: 1) {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} represents (k+1, …) entries in the CMR for the first TRP). 2) There exists a correspondence between the CSI-RS resources (CRI) for the first TRP and a second TRP, for example CSI_RS.sub.1,2, from the first TRP corresponds to the CSI_RS.sub.2,2, from the second TRP, used for joint transmission.
Hence Guo in view of Zhang clearly teaches the above limitation.
Third argument: On pages 14-15, the Applicant argues that: “… Guo also fails to disclose "in each pair, the CSI-RS resource or SS/PBCH block selected from the CMRs of the first and second TRPs are capable of being received simultaneously by the UE," as required by amended claim 1.”
The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Guo teaches at para 387, a UE can be requested to measure the quality of multiple Tx beams from one or multiple TRPs and then the UE can report one or more Tx beams selected from the Tx beams of different TRPs and those selected Tx beams can be used by the gNB to transmit downlink signals on the same OFDM symbols. In other words, the gNB can assume those Tx beam selected by the UE can be received simultaneously by the UE. In other word, the UE can be requested to report one or more Tx beams selected by the UE to the gNB and the gNB can assume the gNB can use apply the reported Tx beams on the downlink transmission on same time resource, for example, on same OFDM symbol.
Also at para 398, a UE can be configured with two sets of CSI-RS resources a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . CSI_RS.sub.1,P}/i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI1,1 etc. for the first TRP, and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,Q}/i.e., /i.e., representing CSI-RS resources (CRI) with entries indicates as CRI2,1 etc. for the second TRP, in one resource setting and a reporting setting that indicates the UE to report M≥1 pairs of CRIs for joint transmission from multiple TRPs. Then the UE can report one M pairs of CRIs and in each pair, one CRI indicates one CSI-RS resource in a first set of CSI-RS resources and another CRI indicates one CSI-RS resources in a second set of CSI-RS resources. In one example, a UE can be configured to measure two sets of CSI-RS resources: a first set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.1,1, CSI_RS.sub.1,2, CSI_RS.sub.1,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.1,16} and a second set of CSI-RS resources is {CSI_RS.sub.2,1, CSI_RS.sub.2,2, CSI_RS.sub.2,3, . . . , CSI_RS.sub.2,16} in a resource setting and the resource setting is linked with a reporting setting.
Also, Liu (US 20230262503 A1) at para 82, The present invention also applies to multiple TRPs (more than two TRPs). In condition of multiple TRPs (e.g. more than two TRPs), the same number as the number of TRPs of Resource Settings for channel measurement is configured for a UE for one CSI reporting setting ‘CSI-ReportConfig’. That is, one CSI reporting setting ‘CSI-ReportConfig’ is linked to a plurality of Resource Settings for channel measurement, wherein the number of Resource Settings for channel measurement is the same as the number of TRPs. Each Resource Setting for channel measurement linked to the one CSI reporting setting ‘CSI-ReportConfig’ is related to a different TRP. All of the Resource Settings for channel measurement may have the same number of CSI-RS resources. Each CSI-RS resource in one of the Resource Settings for channel measurement has one associated CSI-RS resource in each of the other Resource Settings for channel measurement. It means that the associated CSI-RS resources are transmitted simultaneously from different TRPs with different beams.
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph rejection for claim 19 has been withdrawn, based on Applicants arguments and claim amendments.
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 DEEPA BELUR whose telephone number is (571)270-3722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am - 4:30 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kevin Bates can be reached at 571-272-3980. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DEEPA BELUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472