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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This communication is in response to applicant’s 12/24/2025 amendment or response in the application of SHI et al. for “GUARD PERIOD DETERMINATION METHOD AND APPARATUS, TERMINAL AND STORAGE MEDIUM” filed 09/27/2023. The amendment or response to the claims have been entered. Claims 9-10 have been canceled. Claims 21-22 have been added. Claims 1-8, 11-22 are now pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-8, 11-14, 17-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by CHEN et al. (US023/0144253 A1), hereinafter CHEN.
Regarding claim 1, CHEN discloses a guard period determination method, comprising:
determining, by a terminal, a target guard period between two target sounding reference signal resources (the UE is configured with guard period for SRS transmission, see ¶ 0060); and
transmitting, by the terminal, two target sounding reference signals based on the target sounding reference signal resources and the target guard period, wherein the two target sounding reference signal resources are any two sounding reference signal resources that are adjacent in the time domain within an antenna switching group (the UE is configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using antenna switching, where the SRS transmission may be associated with a guard period, see ¶ 0060); and
one antenna switching group comprises all sounding reference signal resources used to detect one piece of complete channel state information, and all sounding reference signal resources in the one antenna switching group are of the same resource type (an antenna switching SRS resource set may be used to indicate downlink channel state information (CSI) with reciprocity between an uplink and downlink channel, see ¶ 0066), and the same resource type is one of aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic (the SRS configuration may indicate a time domain configuration for an SRS resource set, such as whether an SRS resource set is periodic, aperiodic, semi-persistent, and/or the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the SRS configuration may indicate a periodicity for an SRS resource set (e.g., how often SRS are to be transmitted in the time domain for the SRS resource set), see ¶ 0067, 0069, 0074).
Regarding claim 2, CHEN discloses determining the target guard period between the two target sounding reference signal resources comprises: determining all symbols between the two target sounding reference signal resources as the target guard period, wherein the sounding reference signal resource set containing the two target sounding reference signal resources satisfies at least one of the following: a guard period between multiple sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in one sounding reference signal resource set is greater than a minimum guard period; a guard period between sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in multiple sounding reference signal resource sets is greater than a minimum guard period; multiple sounding reference signal resource sets are sent in a same slot; a guard period between multiple sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in one sounding reference signal resource set is less than a maximum guard period; or a guard period between sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in multiple sounding reference signal resource sets is less than a maximum guard period, wherein the maximum guard period comprises a maximum slot period or a maximum symbol period (a UE may be configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using different sets of one or more antenna ports. When performing antenna switching, a UE may perform one or more RF switches associated with connecting an antenna port to a physical antenna module. In some cases, an SRS transmission associated with antenna switching may be associated with a guard period. The guard period may be a quantity of symbols associated with an amount of time required by the UE to perform the one or more RF switches. The UE may be configured to not transmit any signals during the guard period to allow for the UE to perform the one or more RF switches, see ¶ 0060).
Regarding claim 3, CHEN discloses determining a target guard period of the two target sounding reference signal resources based on time domain positions of the two target sounding reference signal resources (the SRS configuration may indicate a time domain configuration for an SRS resource set, such as whether an SRS resource set is periodic, aperiodic, semi-persistent, and/or the like, see ¶ 0067).
Regarding claim 7, CHEN discloses the two target sounding reference signal resources satisfy at least one of the following: associated sounding reference signal resource set numbers are the same; carrier numbers are the same; subset bandwidth numbers are the same; sounding reference signal resource numbers are different; slot offsets are the same; slot offsets are different; period parameters among period and offset parameters are the same; offset parameters among period and offset parameters are the same; offset parameters among period and offset parameters are different; symbol position indexes are different; or time domain position orders are different (the first radio frame and the second radio frame may be associated with the same time domain resources or a different time domain resources. In some aspects, the first radio frame and the second radio frame may be associated with the same frame structure (e.g., the first radio frame may occur prior to the second radio frame in the time domain in the same frame structure), see ¶ 0088).
Regarding claim 8, CHEN discloses transmitting at least one of the following through a symbol that is not used as the target guard period and that is between the two target sounding reference signal resources: physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical random access channel (PRACH), or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (UE transmitting PUSCH and SRS transmission, see ¶ 0015).
Regarding claim 11, CHEN discloses when the usage associated with the sounding reference signal resource or the sounding reference signal resource set comprises antenna switching and a codebook (a UE may be configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using different sets of one or more antenna ports. When performing antenna switching, a UE may perform one or more RF switches associated with connecting an antenna port to a physical antenna module. In some cases, an SRS transmission associated with antenna switching may be associated with a guard period. The guard period may be a quantity of symbols associated with an amount of time required by the UE to perform the one or more RF switches. The UE may be configured to not transmit any signals during the guard period to allow for the UE to perform the one or more RF switches, see ¶ 0060; an SRS resource set may have a usage of antenna switching, codebook, non-codebook, beam management (sometimes referred to as uplink beam management), and/or the like, see ¶ 0064); or when the sounding reference signal resource or the sounding reference signal resource set is used for antenna switching and codebook-based transmission at the same time, and the number of guard periods is 1 or 2, skipping using the guard period.
Regarding claim 12, CHEN discloses determining that a sending port of the sounding reference signal resource is consistent with a sending port of a PUSCH (the second SRS transmission uses a first set of one or more antenna ports of the UE, and the PUSCH transmission uses a second set of one or more antenna ports of the UE, see ¶ 0016).
Regarding clam 13, CHEN discloses when resource types of the two target sounding reference signal resources are periodic or semi-persistent, the two target sounding reference signals satisfy at least one of the following:
the two target sounding reference signal resources are associated with a same target sounding reference signal resource set;
the usage configured in the two target sounding reference signal resources comprises antenna switching (a UE may be configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using different sets of one or more antenna ports. When performing antenna switching, a UE may perform one or more RF switches associated with connecting an antenna port to a physical antenna module. In some cases, an SRS transmission associated with antenna switching may be associated with a guard period. The guard period may be a quantity of symbols associated with an amount of time required by the UE to perform the one or more RF switches. The UE may be configured to not transmit any signals during the guard period to allow for the UE to perform the one or more RF switches, see ¶ 0060);
path loss influence coefficients configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same;
network reception expected powers configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same;
path loss reference signals configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same;
sounding reference signal power control adjustment states configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; or the two target sounding reference signal resources are sent on a same slot.
Regarding claim 14, CHEN discloses when resource types of the two target sounding reference signal resources are aperiodic, the two target sounding reference signal resources satisfy at least one of the following: the two target sounding reference signal resources are associated with different target sounding reference signal resource sets; the usage configured in the two target sounding reference signal resources comprises antenna switching (a UE may be configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using different sets of one or more antenna ports. When performing antenna switching, a UE may perform one or more RF switches associated with connecting an antenna port to a physical antenna module. In some cases, an SRS transmission associated with antenna switching may be associated with a guard period. The guard period may be a quantity of symbols associated with an amount of time required by the UE to perform the one or more RF switches. The UE may be configured to not transmit any signals during the guard period to allow for the UE to perform the one or more RF switches, see ¶ 0060); path loss influence coefficients configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; network reception expected powers configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; path loss reference signals configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; sounding reference signal power control adjustment states configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; aperiodic sounding reference signal resource triggers configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; aperiodic sounding reference signal resource trigger lists configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; the two target sounding reference signal resources are sent on a same slot; slot offsets configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same; or valid slot offsets configured or associated in the two target sounding reference signal resources are the same.
Regarding claim 17, CHEN discloses a terminal, comprising a memory storing a computer program; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the computer program to perform operations comprising:
determining a target guard period between two target sounding reference signal resources (the UE is configured with guard period for SRS transmission, see ¶ 0060); and
transmitting two target sounding reference signals based on the target sounding reference signal resources and the target guard period, wherein the two target sounding reference signal resources are any two sounding reference signal resources that are adjacent in the time domain within an antenna switching group (the UE is configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using antenna switching, where the SRS transmission may be associated with a guard period, see ¶ 0060); and
one antenna switching group comprises all sounding reference signal resources used to detect one piece of complete channel state information, and all sounding reference signal resources in the one antenna switching group are of the same resource type (an antenna switching SRS resource set may be used to indicate downlink channel state information (CSI) with reciprocity between an uplink and downlink channel, see ¶ 0066).
Regarding claim 18, CHEN discloses determining the target guard period between the two target sounding reference signal resources comprises: determining all symbols between the two target sounding reference signal resources as the target guard period, wherein the sounding reference signal resource set containing the two target sounding reference signal resources satisfies at least one of the following: a guard period between multiple sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in one sounding reference signal resource set is greater than a minimum guard period; a guard period between sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in multiple sounding reference signal resource sets is greater than a minimum guard period; multiple sounding reference signal resource sets are sent in a same slot; a guard period between multiple sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in one sounding reference signal resource set is less than a maximum guard period; or a guard period between sounding reference signal resources used for antenna switching in multiple sounding reference signal resource sets is less than a maximum guard period, wherein the maximum guard period comprises a maximum slot period or a maximum symbol period (a UE may be configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using different sets of one or more antenna ports. When performing antenna switching, a UE may perform one or more RF switches associated with connecting an antenna port to a physical antenna module. In some cases, an SRS transmission associated with antenna switching may be associated with a guard period. The guard period may be a quantity of symbols associated with an amount of time required by the UE to perform the one or more RF switches. The UE may be configured to not transmit any signals during the guard period to allow for the UE to perform the one or more RF switches, see ¶ 0060).
Regarding claim 19, CHEN discloses determining a target guard period of the two target sounding reference signal resources based on time domain positions of the two target sounding reference signal resources (the SRS configuration may indicate a time domain configuration for an SRS resource set, such as whether an SRS resource set is periodic, aperiodic, semi-persistent, and/or the like, see ¶ 0067).
Regarding claim 20, CHEN discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
determining a target guard period between two target sounding reference signal resources (the UE is configured with guard period for SRS transmission, see ¶ 0060); and
transmitting two target sounding reference signals based on the target sounding reference signal resources and the target guard period, wherein the two target sounding reference signal resources are any two sounding reference signal resources that are adjacent in the time domain within an antenna switching group (the UE is configured to transmit one or more SRS transmissions using antenna switching, where the SRS transmission may be associated with a guard period, see ¶ 0060); and
one antenna switching group comprises all sounding reference signal resources used to detect one piece of complete channel state information, and all sounding reference signal resources in the one antenna switching group are of the same resource type (an antenna switching SRS resource set may be used to indicate downlink channel state information (CSI) with reciprocity between an uplink and downlink channel, see ¶ 0066).
Regarding claim 21, CHEN discloses the one antenna switching group comprises sounding reference signal resources that are in different sounding reference signal resource sets and that are adjacent in the time domain, wherein the different sounding reference signal resource sets are on different slots (the base station 110 may configure the UE 120 with one or more SRS resource sets to allocate resources for SRS transmissions by the UE 120. The configuration for SRS resource sets may be indicated in the SRS resource configuration (sometimes referred to as an SRS configuration, an SRS resource set configuration, and/or the like)... The SRS resource configuration may indicate one or more resources that are included in an SRS resource set. The resources may include time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, and/or the like (e.g., a slot, a symbol, a resource block, a periodicity for the time resources, a beam, and/or a spatial reference), see ¶ 0064; where the SRS sets are transmitted in the time domain, see ¶ 0067).
Regarding claim 22, CHEN discloses the one antenna switching group comprises sounding reference signal resources that are in different sounding reference signal resource sets and that are adjacent in the time domain, wherein the different sounding reference signal resource sets are on different slots (the base station 110 may configure the UE 120 with one or more SRS resource sets to allocate resources for SRS transmissions by the UE 120. The configuration for SRS resource sets may be indicated in the SRS resource configuration (sometimes referred to as an SRS configuration, an SRS resource set configuration, and/or the like)... The SRS resource configuration may indicate one or more resources that are included in an SRS resource set. The resources may include time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, and/or the like (e.g., a slot, a symbol, a resource block, a periodicity for the time resources, a beam, and/or a spatial reference), see ¶ 0064; where the SRS sets are transmitted in the time domain, see ¶ 0067).
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) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHEN.
Regarding claim 16, CHEN fails to explicitly disclose before a sounding reference signal resource transmitted first in the time domain, and after a sounding reference signal resource transmitted last in the time domain, skipping determining the guard period.
However, it is well known in the art that the inserting guard band or cyclic prefix between two symbols, signals is to avoid inter symbol interference or avoid interference from the adjacent symbol or signal.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to skipping determining guard band for the first signal and the last signal since there no adjacent signal to interfere for the first and the last signal, respectively.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6,15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed12/24/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. CHEN discloses the following:
In some aspects, the SRS resource configuration may indicate a single antenna port for an SRS resource set. In some aspects, the SRS configuration may indicate multiple antenna ports for an SRS resource set (e.g., two antenna ports, three antenna ports, and/or another number of antenna ports). In some aspects, the SRS resource configuration may indicate a number of SRS resource sets configured for the UE 120. Additionally, or alternatively, the SRS configuration may indicate the usages for those SRS resource sets(s), thereby indicating a number of SRS resource sets configured for each specific usage. Additionally, or alternatively, the SRS configuration may indicate a time domain configuration for an SRS resource set, such as whether an SRS resource set is periodic, aperiodic, semi-persistent, and/or the like. Additionally, or alternatively, the SRS configuration may indicate a periodicity for an SRS resource set (e.g., how often SRS are to be transmitted in the time domain for the SRS resource set) (see ¶ 0067).
As cited above, the SRS resource set is either periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent configuration. Therefore, the cited reference CHEN discloses the amended claimed subject matter.
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.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bob A. Phunkulh whose telephone number is (571) 272-3083. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (first week of the bi-week) and Monday-Friday (for second week of the bi-week).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor CHARLES C. JIANG can be reach on (571) 270-7191.
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/BOB A PHUNKULH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412