DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-22 and 37-42 have been cancelled.
Terminal Disclaimer
2. Terminal Disclaimer was approved on 3/11/2016.
Status of Claims
3. This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 02/11/2026. Claims 23 through 36 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
4. 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 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.
Response to Arguments
5. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 23-36 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Note: Applicant argued that the UE transmits a PUCCH on each antenna port with a single slot on different frequency domain resources of the same BWP.
In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e.,[ the UE transmits a PUCCH on each antenna port with a single slot on different frequency domain resources of the same BWP]) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). In addition, nowhere in the disclosure a single slot is recited.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
Claims 23, 27-30, and 34-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2013/0176982 A1) in view of Baldemair et al. (US 2021/0211343 A1) further in view of Baldemair et al. (US 2019/0319766 A1-hereafter Baldemair-766).
For claims 23 and 30 Han teaches an apparatus comprising:
memory to store multiple antenna port (AP) transmission mode configuration information for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (see Fig. 42 "base station
110 includes memory 114", paragraph 253 "memory 114 is connected to the processor
112 and stores various information related to the operation of the processor 112",
paragraphs 5-10 "plurality of antenna port transmission mode configuration information for multiple PUCCH formats", paragraphs 139-141 tables (stored in memory) 11-13 "multiple antenna ports configuration for PUCCH", and paragraph 192 “a transmission mode for the PUCCH is roughly defined as two modes: one is a single-antenna transmission mode and the other is a multi-antenna transmission mode”); and
processor circuitry, coupled with the memory (see Fig. 42 "base station 110
includes a processor 112 coupled with the memory 114"), to:
retrieve the multiple AP transmission mode configuration information from the memory (see paragraphs 5-10 “plurality of antenna transmission port for multiple PUCCH formats”, paragraphs 139-141 “tables (stored in memory) 11-13 "multiple antenna ports configuration for PUCCH", paragraph 192 “a transmission mode for the PUCCH is roughly defined as two modes: one is a single-antenna transmission mode and the other is a multi-antenna transmission mode”, and paragraph 198 "BS transmit to UE via RRC antenna port transmission configuration information (retrieved from tables 11-13 stored in memory) for a PUCCH"); and
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), an indication of the multiple AP transmission mode configuration information (see paragraph 196 “The antenna (port) transmission mode for PUCCH transmission may be configured through RRC signaling” and paragraph 198 "BS transmit to UE via RRC antenna port transmission configuration information (retrieved from tables 11-13 stored in memory) for a PUCCH");
wherein the multiple AP transmission mode configuration information (see paragraph 192 “A transmission mode for the PUCCH is roughly defined as two modes: one is a single-antenna transmission mode and the other is a multi-antenna transmission mode” and paragraph 198 "BS transmit to UE via RRC antenna port transmission configuration information (retrieved from tables 11-13 stored in memory) for a PUCCH") is to cause the UE to:
transmit, on a first AP of the UE, the PUCCH in a set of time domain resources and at a first frequency domain resource (see paragraph 5 “an antenna port configuration configured for a PUCCH”, pargraph 30, and Fig. 21 “PRB to be used for transmission of PUCCH”, and paragraph 55 “RBs in frequency domain and time domain”); and
transmit, on a second AP of the UE, the PUCCH in the set of time domain resources and at a second frequency domain resource (see paragraph 5 “another antenna port configuration configured for a PUCCH”, pargraph 30 and Fig. 21 “PRB to be used for transmission of PUCCH” and paragraph 55 “RBs in time domain and frequency domain”),
wherein the set of time resources comprise a slot (see paragraphs 55-57 “0.5 ms (one slot) in the time domain”), and
wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resources are different frequency resources within a same bandwidth part (BWP).
Han not explicitly teach, wherein the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resources are different frequency resources within a same bandwidth part (BWP).
However, Zhou teaches when the target UEs at the edges of the adjacent cells transit information by use of different time-frequency resources in the same target BWP, the inter-cell interference may be effectively reduced or eliminated (Zhou: paragraphs 83 and 222). In addition, Zhou teaches different frequency ranges of the same BWP, the inter-cell interference can be effectively avoided (Zhou: paragraph 217).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of claimed invention to use the teachings of Zhou in the transmitting control system of Han to include different frequency ranges in same BWP, in order to avoid the inter-cell interference (see Baldemair-766: paragraph 33).
For claims 27 and 34 Han teaches the apparatus, wherein the time domain resources are time domain resources of a slot (see paragraph 165 “time-domain” and pargraph 55 “time slot length is .5 ms”).
For claims 28 and 35 Han teaches the apparatus, wherein the multiple AP transmission mode configuration information includes an indication of resources to be used for transmission of the PUCCH on the first AP (see paragraph 192 “The multi-antenna transmission mode may be a method in which the UE transmits signals to the BS through multiple antennas” and paragraph 196 “multiple resources configured for UE to transmit PUCCH-the antenna (port) transmission mode for PUCCH transmission may be configured through RRC signaling”).
For claims 29 and 36 Han teaches the apparatus of claim 28, wherein the multiple AP transmission mode configuration information further includes an indication of resources to be used for transmission of the PUCCH on the second AP (see paragraph 192 “The multi-antenna transmission mode may be a method in which the UE transmits signals to the BS through multiple antennas” and paragraph 196 “multiple resources configured for UE to transmit PUCCH-the antenna (port) transmission mode for PUCCH transmission may be configured through RRC signaling”).
7. Claims 24-26 and 31-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han in view of Zhou and further in view of Yang et al. (US 2022/0078708 A1).
For claims 24 and 31 Han in view of Zhou does not explicitly teach the apparatus, wherein the first frequency domain resource has a first starting physical resource block (PRB) index and the second frequency domain resource has a second starting PRB index.
However, Yang teaches in cases where the indication information includes the location parameter, the location parameter may include at least one of: a first offset; a second offset; and a start physical resource block index of a second frequency domain location. The first offset includes one of: a time domain distance between an end location of a second location and a start location of a first location; a time domain distance between an end location of second location and an end location of a first location; or a time domain distance between an end location of a second
location and start location of a search space of a physical a downlink control channel. The second offset includes the number of physical resource blocks between the second frequency domain location and a first frequency domain location (see Yang: paragraphs 36, 59, 275, 296, claims 4 and 22).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of claimed invention to use the teachings of Yang in the combined
transmitting control system of Zhou and Han in order to determine a location based on the a start physical resource block index of frequency domain location (see Yang: paragraphs 36, 59, 275, 296, claims 4 and 22).
For claims 25 and 32 Han in view of Zhou and further in view of Yang teaches the apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first starting PRB index is different than the second starting PRB index (see Yang: paragraphs 36, 59, 275, 296, claims 4 and 22 “a start PRB index of a second frequency domain is different from first frequency domain by an offset”).
For claims 26 and 33 Han in view of Zhou and further in view of Yang teaches the apparatus of claim 24, wherein a frequency distance between the first starting PRB index and the second starting PRB index is half of an initial or active bandwidth part (BWP) bandwidth related to the PUCCH (see Zhou: paragraphs 127, 189, 222 “a strategy of combining different adjustment manners is adopted, so that the adjustment manners may be flexibly adopted for BWP based enhancement of inter-cell interference avoidance of the base station”, pargraph 167 “time-domain resource bitmap”, and paragraph 174 “a frequency resource bitmap…used to determine BWPs”-design choices”) .
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Lee et al. (US 2020/0404684 A1), Baldemair et al. (US 2021/0211343 A1), Baldemair et al. (US 2019/0319766 A1), and Imamura et al. (US 2011/0081875 A1).
9. 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.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to David M OVEISSI whose telephone number is (571)270-3127. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8Am-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached on (571) 270 - 1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANSOUR OVEISSI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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