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 .
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.
Claims 1-4, 6-11, 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHENG et al. (US 20250240726, hereinafter, “Cheng”) in view of HU et al. (US 20240267101, hereinafter, “HU”)
Claim 1. Cheng teaches: A first device comprising: - See Fig. 20, ¶ [0148]
at least one processor; - See Fig. 20, ¶ [0148], (processor) and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device at least to perform: - See Fig. 20, ¶ [0148], (memory 2024 coupled to processor)
receiving, from a second device, a change indication indicating at least one antenna port of which at least one antenna element is changed, the antenna port being active before and after the change; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0048], (“the UE may receive an indication of spatial element adaptation (e.g., a TRX-change indication) from the network node…The indication of spatial element adaptation may indicate whether a TRX change occurs…¶ [0049], (the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprise at least one of an antenna element, a transceiver unit (TxRU), an antenna panel, and a logical antenna port.…¶ [0050], (the UE may further adapt…a configured CSI-RS configuration based on the indication of spatial element adaptation…The adapted…CSI-RS configuration may comprise…adapted number of spatial elements or ports.”) and
performing at least one of a measurement of at least one reference signal or a reception of a physical channel in consideration of the at least one antenna port. - See Fig. 1, 21, ¶ [0048], (“the UE may receive an indication of spatial element adaptation…Then, the UE may determine whether to transmit a CSI-RS report (or CSI report) based on the indication of spatial element 35 adaptation.”); ¶ [0050], (“the UE may further adapt…a configured CSI-RS configuration based on the indication of spatial element adaptation…The adapted…CSI-RS configuration may comprise…adapted number of spatial elements or ports.”); ¶ [0060], (“perform CSI measurement after a TRX change.”)
Cheng does not explicitly teach:
receiving, from a second device, a change indication indicating at least one antenna port of which at least one antenna element is changed, the antenna port being active before and after the change;
However, HU teaches:
receiving, from a second device, a change indication indicating at least one antenna port of which at least one antenna element is changed, the antenna port being active before and after the change; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0014], (“the port is still present, but instead of being transmitted by 2 TxRUs, is now transmitted by a single TxRU.”, port is still active before and after number of TXRU’s is changed)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Cheng with HU to include the antenna port being active before and after the change, as taught by HU. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to enhance spatial adaptation, as suggested by HU, This type of technique aims to enhance dynamic adaptation of spatial elements, such as the number of active transceiver chains or the number of active antenna panels at a gNB in transmitting and/or receiving channels and signals. - ¶ [0011]
Claim 2. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Cheng teaches:
wherein the change indication is transmitted through at least one of a medium access control control element, MAC CE, downlink control information, DCI, or a Radio Resource Control, RRC, signaling. - in ¶ [0051], (“the UE may receive the indication of spatial element adaptation from the network node through a RRC signaling, a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) or downlink control information (DCI).”)
Claim 3. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 2, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Cheng further teaches:
wherein the DCI is scrambled by a Radio-Network Temporary Identifier, RNTI, for a group common signaling. - in ¶ [0069], (“DCI scrambled with SP-CSI-radio network temporary identity (RNTI)”)
HU further teaches:
wherein the DCI is scrambled by a Radio-Network Temporary Identifier, RNTI, for a group common signaling. - in ¶ [0025 - 0026], (“Group-common signaling to inform UEs about a dynamic TxRU pattern of CSI-RS transmissions caused by TxRU adaptation…according to new antenna port mapping.”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Cheng with HU to include group common signaling, as taught by HU. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to reduce signaling overhead, as suggested by HU, a group DCI may be sent to indicate the configuration to a group of UEs to save the signaling overhead. - ¶ [0064]
Claim 4. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Cheng teaches:
wherein the change indication indicates at least one of: the at least one antenna element that has changed, a number of the at least one antenna elements, at least one transceiver corresponding to the at least one antenna port that has changed, whether the number of at least one antenna element or a number of the at least one transceiver has changed, whether the at least one antenna element or the at least one transceiver has changed, or whether an energy level or a power level of the at least one antenna port has changed. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0048], (“the UE may receive an indication of spatial element adaptation (e.g., a TRX-change indication) from the network node…The indication of spatial element adaptation may indicate whether a TRX change occurs…¶ [0049], (the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprise at least one of an antenna element, a transceiver unit (TxRU), an antenna panel, and a logical antenna port.…¶ [0050], (The adapted…CSI-RS configuration may comprise…adapted number of spatial elements or ports.”)
Claim 6. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Cheng teaches:
wherein the change indication comprises information indicating that at least one configuration related to the at least one antenna element or the at least one antenna port. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0049], (“the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprise at least one of an antenna element…and a logical antenna port.”); ¶ [0052], (“the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprises at least one of an information field which is used to indicate whether the TRX chains are changed…a transceiver (TRX) configuration (TRX-config) ID, a CSI report configuration ID, a CSI resource configuration ID, a CSI-RS configuration or a CSI-RS reconfiguration.”)
Claim 7. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 6, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Cheng teaches:
wherein the at least one configuration comprises at least one the following: a channel state information, CSI, report configuration, a CSI-reference signal, RS, resource configuration, a CSI-RS or CSI configuration, a configuration of at least one resource for channel measurement, a configuration of at least one resource for interference measurement, a CSI triggering state configuration, or a physical downlink channel configuration. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0049], (“the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprise at least one of an antenna element…and a logical antenna port.”); ¶ [0052], (“the indication of spatial element adaptation may comprises at least one of an information field which is used to indicate whether the TRX chains are changed…a transceiver (TRX) configuration (TRX-config) ID, a CSI report configuration ID, a CSI resource configuration ID, a CSI-RS configuration or a CSI-RS reconfiguration.”)
Claim 8 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 1 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 9, 16 are rejected under the same rationale as Claim 2 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 10, 17 are rejected under the same rationale as Claim 3 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 11, 18 are rejected under the same rationale as Claim 4 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 13-15 are rejected under the same rationale as Claims 6-8 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claims 5, 12, 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHENG et al. (US 20250240726, hereinafter, “Cheng”) in view of HU et al. (US 20240267101, hereinafter, “HU”), and further in view of KIM et al. (US 20250192846, hereinafter, “KIM”).
Claim 5. Combination of Cheng and HU teaches The first device of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s).
Combination of Cheng and HU does not explicitly teach:
wherein the change indication is in the form of a bitmap, a codepoint, or a combination of the bitmap and the codepoint, and at least one bit of the change indication represents one of the at least one antenna port.
However, KIM teaches:
wherein the change indication is in the form of a bitmap, a codepoint, or a combination of the bitmap and the codepoint, and at least one bit of the change indication represents one of the at least one antenna port. – in ¶ [0224], (“on/off may be indicated for each antenna port…by a bitmap…on/off of antenna ports or CSI reportings may be controlled by an N2(<N1)-bit bitmap…and the index of an antenna port or CSI reporting linked to each bit may be preconfigured or determined by a rule.”); ¶ [0243], (“UE is capable of recognizing that the number of antenna ports, panels, or TRPs of the BS is changed by signaling such as DCI”)
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Cheng and HU with KIM to include the change indication is in the form of a bitmap or a codepoint and at least one bit represents one of the at least one antenna port, as taught by KIM. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to reduce network energy consumption by using precise signaling for antenna port changes, as suggested by KIM, intended to propose a method of saving energy of a BS by controlling on/off of some of N1 antenna ports. - ¶ [0156]
Claims 12, 19 are rejected under the same rationale as Claim 5 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 6 since they recite nearly identical limitations.
Conclusion
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/SHIMA WASEL/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2475
/KHALED M KASSIM/supervisory patent examiner, Art Unit 2475