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
Reply filed on 03/02/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 are pending. The rejections of claims 4, 9, 14, and 19 under 35 U.S.C. 112 have been withdrawn in view of the amendment to the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-3, 5-8, 10-13, 15-18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cirik et al., US2022/0007410A1 (“Cirik”).
Regarding independent claim 1:
Cirik discloses a method performed by a terminal (e.g., Fig. 3, 110) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
receiving first downlink control information (DCI); identifying a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) based on the first DCI; receiving a second DCI; identifying a second PUSCH based on the second DCI (e.g., [0549], DCIs scheduling PUSCHs, PUSCH-1 and PUSCH-2 in Fig. 21-25);
receiving a third DCI; identifying a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information based on the third DCI, wherein the PUCCH overlap with the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH (e.g., [0559], DCI scheduling a PDSCH, [0578], HARQ-ACK of the PDSCH, PUCCH in Fig. 21-25); and
in case that simultaneous transmissions across multi panels (STxMP) are enabled (e.g., Fig. 25, TRP-1 and TRP-2), identifying a PUSCH, among the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, for multiplexing uplink control information (UCI) including the HARQ-ACK information,
wherein the identified PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH (e.g., [0433]-[0435], [0535]-[0537], [0551], selecting the PUSCH with a coreset group same as the coreset group of UCI for multiplexing the UCI in PUSCH, Fig. 25-26, [0552], [0568], [0572]).
Regarding claim 2:
Cirik further discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the first DCI is associated with a first CORESET pool index, and the second DCI is associated with a second CORESET pool index different from the first CORESET pool index (e.g., [0568]-[0569]).
Regarding claim 3:
Cirik further discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the HARQ-ACK information is for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) scheduled by the third DCI (e.g., [0559]).
Regarding claim 5:
Cirik further discloses the method of claim 1, wherein, in case that the PUCCH is based on a single frequency network (SFN) scheme: the PUCCH is considered as a PUCCH repetition and the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH are dropped; or the PUCCH is not considered as the PUCCH repetition and the UCI is multiplexed in the PUSCH (e.g., [0562], PUCCH in Fig. 21-25, the PUCCH is not considered as a PUCCH repetition, UCI is multiplexed in the first PUSCH).
Regarding independent claim 6:
Cirik discloses a method performed by a base station (e.g., Fig. 3, 120) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: transmitting first downlink control information (DCI) for a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); transmitting a second DCI for a second PUSCH; transmitting a third DCI for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, wherein the PUCCH overlap with the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH; and in case that simultaneous transmissions across multi panels (STxMP) are enabled, receiving a PUSCH, among the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, to which uplink control information (UCI) including the HARQ-ACK information is multiplexed, wherein the identified PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH). (See similar features in rejection of claim 1.)
Regarding claim independent claim 11:
Cirik discloses a terminal (e.g., Fig. 3, 110) in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising: a transceiver (Fig. 3, 310); and a controller (Fig. 3, 314) coupled with the transceiver and configured to: receive first downlink control information (DCI), identify a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) based on the first DCI, receive a second DCI, identify a second PUSCH based on the second DCI, receive a third DCI, identify a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information based on the third DCI, wherein the PUCCH overlap with the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, and in case that simultaneous transmissions across multi panels (STxMP) are enabled, identify a PUSCH, among the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, for multiplexing uplink control information (UCI) including the HARQ-ACK information, wherein the identified PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH). (See similar features in rejection of claim 1.)
Regarding independent claim 16:
Cirik discloses a base station (e.g., Fig. 3, 120A) in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: a transceiver (Fig. 3, 320A) ; and a controller (Fig. 3, 321A) coupled with the transceiver and configured to: transmit first downlink control information (DCI) for a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), transmit a second DCI for a second PUSCH, transmit a third DCI for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information, wherein the PUCCH overlap with the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, and in case that simultaneous transmissions across multi panels (STxMP) are enabled, receive a PUSCH, among the first PUSCH and the second PUSCH, to which uplink control information (UCI) including the HARQ-ACK information is multiplexed, wherein the identified PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH). (See similar features in rejection of claim 1.)
Regarding dependent claims 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, and 20:
See similar features in rejection of claims 2, 3, and 5.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 4, 9, 14, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cirik in view of Guo et al., US2025/0227693 A1, (“Guo”).
Regarding claim 4:
Cirik does not disclose wherein a beta offset for STxMP is applied for the PUSCH multiplexed with the UCI, and the beta offset for STxMP is different from a beta offset for the UCI.
Guo teaches a beta offset for STxMP is applied for a PUSCH multiplexed with the UCI (e.g., [0090], [0101], beta offset for calculation of the PUSCH resources required for a given UCI), and the beta offset for STxMP is different from a beta offset for UCI (e.g., [0086]-[0088], a different beta offset is configured for each UCI type).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Cirk in view of the teaching from Guo to include the feature wherein a beta offset for STxMP is applied for the PUSCH multiplexed with the UCI, and the beta offset for STxMP is different from a beta offset for the UCI, in order to enable UE to determine the resource elements to facilitate simultaneous multi-panel uplink transmissions.
Regarding dependent claims 9, 14, and 19:
See similar features in rejection of claim 4.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 of claim 1 based on Cirik
Applicant argues Cirik does not teach or suggest “the PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH.” (Remarks, page 8.)
Examine respectfully disagrees.
[0551] of Cirik describes “the wireless device may select the selected PUSCH, for example, based on a first group (e.g., the TCI state group, the antenna port group, the HARQ process group, the coreset group) of the UCI, a second group of the first PUSCH and a third group of the second PUSCH. In an example, the selecting the selected PUSCH, for example, based on the first group, the second group and the third group may comprise selecting the selected PUSCH with a group (e.g., the second group, the third group) same as the first group of the UCI.”
[0552] of Cirik describes “based on the selecting the selected PUSCH, the wireless device multiplexes the UCI in the selected PUSCH. The wireless device may transmit the selected PUSCH with the UCI based on/after the multiplexing.
[0572] of Cirik describes “The one or more RRC messages may comprise a first control resource set (coreset) group index associated with the configured uplink grant … At 2730, the wireless device may determine that a coreset group index associated with the PUCCH resource is the same as the first coreset group index. At 2740, based on the determining that the PUCCH resource overlaps in time with the PUSCH resource and the coreset group index is the same as the first coreset group index, the wireless device may multiplex the UCI in the PUSCH resource.”
Based on at least the cited portions of Cirik above, Cirik teaches the claimed feature “the PUSCH for multiplexing the UCI is associated with same control resource set (CORESET) pool index as for the PUCCH.”
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/BO HUI A ZHU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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