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 .
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 –
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Baldemair et al. US 2011/0275313 A1.
Claims 1, 15 and 21:
Baldemair discloses a signal forwarding method, comprising: combining, by a relay node, N signals into one signal (See paras 40 and 52, combining a repeater signal. “repeater 250 receives a multi-user signal… repeater 250 forms a repeater signal comprising the shifted first user signal and the shifted second user signal and transmits the repeater signal”), wherein the N signals correspond to N receive channels, each signal is obtained by performing frequency shift on a signal received by a receive channel corresponding to each signal (See paras 40 and 52, “repeater 250 receives a multi-user signal… repeater 250 forms a repeater signal comprising the shifted first user signal and the shifted second user signal and transmits the repeater signal”), or each signal is obtained without performing frequency shift on a signal received by a receive channel corresponding to each signal, and at least one signal comprised in the N signals is obtained by performing frequency shift on a signal received by a receive channel corresponding to the at least one signal, wherein the N signals that are combined into one signal are orthogonal to each other (See para 6, multiple users’ data using RBs in OFDM. Also see paras 48-50, OFDM signal for multiusers being frequency shifted before being combined); wherein N is greater than or equal to 2 (See paras 40 and 52, “repeater 250 receives a multi-user signal… repeater 250 forms a repeater signal comprising the shifted first user signal and the shifted second user signal and transmits the repeater signal”); and sending, by the relay node, the combined one signal (See paras 40 and 52, “repeater 250 receives a multi-user signal… repeater 250 forms a repeater signal comprising the shifted first user signal and the shifted second user signal and transmits the repeater signal”).
Claims 2, 16 and 22:
Baldemair discloses at least two signals in the N signals have different frequency shift amounts (See para 52, “the amount by which the first user signal is shifted does not necessarily have to equal the amount by which the second user signal is shifted. In this way, each user signal in the multi-user signal can be shifted by a different amount”).
Claims 3, 17 and 23:
Baldemair discloses a frequency shift amount corresponding to each receive channel in the N receive channels varies (See para 52, “the amount by which the first user signal is shifted does not necessarily have to equal the amount by which the second user signal is shifted. In this way, each user signal in the multi-user signal can be shifted by a different amount”), and a frequency shift amount of a signal received by one receive channel remains unchanged (See para 41, “This is equivalent to not having the branch or the branch filter being zero. In this case, the signal corresponding to this sub band is not repeated. Another special case may occur where the frequency shift applied to certain filtered sub band signal is zero. In this case, the sub band signal is repeated, but not shifted in frequency.”); and the at least one signal is obtained by performing, based on a frequency shift amount corresponding to the receive channel corresponding to the at least one signal, frequency shift on the signal received by the receive channel corresponding to the at least one signal (See para 52, different frequency shift on different signals. Also see para 41, No frequency Shift on the signal(s)).
Claims 4, 18 and 24:
Baldemair discloses that the N signals come from N groups, and each group comprises K signals, wherein K is greater than or equal to 1; the N groups are obtained by grouping a plurality of signals received by the N receive channels; and each signal in the N signals is obtained by performing frequency shift on each signal in the plurality of signals, or each signal in the N signals is one of the plurality of signals (See para 52, “the amount by which the first user signal is shifted does not necessarily have to equal the amount by which the second user signal is shifted. In this way, each user signal in the multi-user signal can be shifted by a different amount”).
Claims 5, 19 and 25:
Baldemair discloses that K is a quantity of transmit channels of the relay node; wherein different groups in the N groups correspond to different frequency shift amounts, and signals in one group have a same frequency shift amount (See para 52, different frequency shift on different signals. Also see para 41, No frequency Shift on the signal(s)).
Claims 6 and 20:
Baldemair discloses receiving, by the relay node, one or more pieces of first indication information from a network device, wherein one piece of first indication information indicates a frequency domain position to which a signal corresponding to one receive channel of the relay node is mapped, and a frequency domain position of a frequency-shifted signal is determined based on the first indication information (See para 50, “The frequency shift may be the same for all subcarriers allocated to one user (as shown in FIG. 7) or may vary among the subcarriers”. This allocation to the user corresponds to first indication).
Claim 7:
Baldemair discloses receiving, by the relay node, N frequency shift modes from a network device, wherein one frequency shift mode corresponds to one receive channel, one frequency shift mode indicates one frequency shift value, and the at least one signal is obtained by performing, based on a frequency shift value indicated by a frequency shift mode corresponding to the receive channel corresponding to the at least one signal, frequency shift on the signal received by the receive channel corresponding to the at least one signal (See para 52, “repeater determines or receives shift amounts. Base station 100, in some embodiments, may be operable to determine a shift amount for a given user based on interference information provided by the user's mobile station in the mobile communication system's service information channel and transmit the shift amount to repeater 250. In other embodiments, shift amount information may be provided to repeater 250 by, for example, a mobile terminal”).
Claim 8:
Baldemair discloses receiving, by the relay node, one or more pieces of second indication information from the network device, wherein one piece of first indication information indicates a transmit channel to which a signal corresponding to one receive channel of the relay node is mapped (See para 50, “The frequency shift may be the same for all subcarriers allocated to one user (as shown in FIG. 7) or may vary among the subcarriers”. This allocation to the user corresponds to the indication. Moreover, it is understood and obvious to the ordinary skilled in the art that if a device is receiving/transmitting a signal then channel has been allocated); and
wherein the combining N signals into one signal comprises: mapping, by the relay node, the N signals to one transmit channel based on second indication information respectively corresponding to the N signals (See paras 40 and 52, “repeater 250 receives a multi-user signal… repeater 250 forms a repeater signal comprising the shifted first user signal and the shifted second user signal and transmits the repeater signal”).
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.
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baldemair et al. US 2011/0275313 A1 in view of Wang et al. US 2023/0171828 A1.
Claim 9:
Baldemair doesn’t disclose sending, by the relay node, a quantity of receive channels, the quantity of transmit channels, and a maximum quantity of supported frequencies to the network device; sending, by the relay node, a supported mapping relationship between a receive channel and a transmit channel to the network device.
Wang discloses sending, by the relay node, a quantity of receive channels, the quantity of transmit channels, and a maximum quantity of supported frequencies to the network device; sending, by the relay node, a supported mapping relationship between a receive channel and a transmit channel to the network device (See para 169, UE reports maximum number of carriers which includes reception and transmit carriers).
Baldemair’s relay can be used report maximum number of supported frequencies for reception and transmission by using Wang’s method. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Baldemair with the teachings of Wang to improve the method disclosed by Baldemair by including the feature of quantity of supported channel. The motivation to combine would have been to enable the network to allocate resources and adjust interference accordingly.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/23/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With regards to claims 1, 15 and 21, the applicant’s remarks the applicant argues that Baldemair doesn’t disclose that the N signals that are combined into one signal are orthogonal to each other.
The examiner respectfully disagrees. In Baldemair’s reference see para 6, multiple users’ data using RBs in OFDM. Also see paras 48-50, OFDM signal for multiusers being frequency shifted before being combined.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HASHIM S BHATTI whose telephone number is (571)270-7748. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00am-5:30pm.
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HASHIM S. BHATTI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2472
/HASHIM S BHATTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475