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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/26/2024 is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the lines, numbers, and letters are not durable, clean, black, sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined in Figures 1-17. Figures 1-17 are all in grayscale which cause the lines, numbers, and letters to not be durable, clean, black, sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. Additionally, drawings must be black and white (monochrome) except when another form (grayscale or color) is the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For Figures 1-17, black and white drawings with solid black lines are sufficient to illustrate the claimed invention. Black and white drawings should be created and filed in monochrome, black only, no gray.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in
reply to the Office Action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended”. If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the Examiner, the Applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office Action. If a response to the present Office Action fails to include proper drawing corrections, corrected drawings or arguments therefor, the response can be held NON-RESPONSIVE and/or the application could be ABANDONED since the objections/corrections to the drawings are no longer held in abeyance.
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)(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.
Claims 1-6 and 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) (1) as being
anticipated by KWAK et al. (US 20190068343 A1), hereinafter KWAK.
Regarding claim 1, KWAK discloses a method of operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
receiving configuration information for a plurality of channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), ((FIG. 11), (TABLE 25), [0155] [0010] “The base station includes a transceiver and a controller operably coupled to the transceiver and configured to transmit channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration information to a terminal, the CSI-RS configuration information used for a CSI-RS resource set which includes a plurality of CSI-RS resources and information on CSI-RS repetition, transmit a plurality of CSI-RSs based on the CSI-RS configuration information to the terminal, and receive feedback information from the terminal”);
obtaining a transmission power change for a downlink signal, based on the received configuration information, ([0179], [0155], (claim 10), [0169] “[…] when boosting of corresponding CSI-RS power Pc or the CSI-RS-FreqBand that is a transmission frequency band are configured differently for the same beam transmission, RSRP specific to a reception beam may vary, and the accuracy may be lowered even if the terminal corrects the RSRP”; [table 25] (essentially, Pc is the power offset between the configured CSI-RS and PDSCH, thus any change in PDSCH power, which is happening due to eNB power control, is applied to CSI-RS));
wherein a transmission power offset is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs, ([0165], [0155] [0176], [table 25] (essentially, Pc can be
identically configured for all CS/RS)).
Regarding claim 2, as applied to claim 1 above, KWAK discloses wherein the received configuration information is single CSI-RS resource configuration information, ([0165] “[…] a plurality of CSI-RS resources are configured into a CSI-RS resource set in order to transmit a plurality of beams for transmission beam-sweeping and to repeatedly transmit a single transmission beam for reception beam-sweeping, and whether each of the CSI-RS resources corresponds to an individual CSI-RS resource or an identical CSI-RS resource is repeated may be configured, […] [0166] In Table 26, […] A plurality of CSI-RS resource sets may be configured, and individual CSI-RS resource sets are individually configured via ResourceSetConfig. […] CSI-RS-ResourceConfigList may allow the configuration of IDs of CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, based on the IDs of CSI-RS resources described in Table 25, so as to indicate the CSI-RS resource configured into the CSI-RS resource set. For CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig may allow configuration of whether individual CSI-RS resources are transmitted based on a different beam for transmission beam-sweeping or individual CSI-RS resources support repetition of the same CSI-RS resource”).
Regarding claim 3, as applied to claim 1 above, KWAK discloses wherein a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs, ((Table 1), [0067] “The terminal is capable of checking frequency and time positions, a period, and an offset via Table 2 and Table 3. Quasi-colocated (Qcl)-CRS-info configures quasi co-position information for coordinated multi-point (CoMP)”).
Regarding claim 4, as applied to claim 1 above, KWAK discloses wherein each of the plurality of CSI-RSs is linked to an identity (ID) associated with a corresponding CSI-RS resource, and the transmission power offset is configured based on the ID.
[0170] [0176] […] a plurality of identical CSI-RS resource IDs are configured, causing the configuration to be recognized as repetition. […] CSI-RS resource repetition transmission may be identified via the same CSI-RS resource ID configured to the CSI-RS resource set without an additional configuration (CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig) field. (TABLE 25) CSI-RS resource configuration CSI-RS-ResourceConfigId CSI-RS resource configuration ID 0 ... CSI-RS-ResourceMax −1.”, [0179] FIG. 19 “[…] aperiodic channel state reporting, and/or transmission power information (Pc) may be included, and a terminal may identify at least one thereof.”).
Regarding claim 5, as applied to claim 1 above, KWAK discloses further comprising: receiving at least one CSI-RS; and performing CSI feedback based on the at least one received CSI-RS, ([0011] “[…] receive a plurality of CSI-RSs based on the CSI-RS configuration information from the base station, generate feedback information based on the received plurality of CSI-RSs, and transmit the feedback information to the base station”).
Regarding claim 6, as applied to claim 1 above, KWAK discloses, wherein the configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs is received through a radio resource control (RRC) message, ([0154] “[…] When the resource supported for channel measurement in the resource setting connected to the corresponding link corresponds to an aperiodic CSI-RS 1610, corresponding aperiodic channel state reporting may be performed based on a channel measured at an a periodically configured CSI-RS resource. […] it is also possible that channel state reporting and aperiodic CSI-RS are triggered through a CSI reporting setting rather than a link. [0155] In order to support the channel state reporting, resources for a desired signal and interference measurement may be configured for the terminal via the resource setting illustrated in FIG. 11. The following RRC parameters may be considered for resource setting, as shown in Table 25. [0065] Table 1 described below shows a radio resource control (RRC) field for configuring a CSI-RS configuration. Particularly, Table 1 shows an RRC configuration for supporting a periodic CSI-RS within the CSI process”).
Regarding claim 13, KWAK discloses a communication apparatus in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor (controller 2120 - Fig. 21, and Par [0033]); and
at least one memory (not shown but inherent in all UEs such as the one illustrated in Fig. 21, and Par [0033]), configured to store instructions and be operably electrically connectable to the at least one processor,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions stored in the at least one memory for performing operations of:
receiving configuration information for a plurality of channel state information-reference signals ((CSI-RS), ((FIG. 11), (TABLE 25), [0155], [0010] “The base station includes a transceiver and a controller operably coupled to the transceiver and configured to transmit channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration information to a terminal, the CSI-RS configuration information used for a CSI-RS resource set which includes a plurality of CSI-RS resources and information on CSI-RS repetition, transmit a plurality of CSI-RSs based on the CSI-RS configuration information to the terminal, and receive feedback information from the terminal”)
obtaining a transmission power change for a downlink signal, based on the configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs, ([0179], [0155], (claim 10), [0169] “[…] when boosting of corresponding CSI-RS power Pc or the CSI-RS-FreqBand that is a transmission frequency band are configured differently for the same beam transmission, RSRP specific to a reception beam may vary, and the accuracy may be lowered even if the terminal corrects the RSRP”; [table 25] (essentially, Pc is the power offset between the configured CSI-RS and PDSCH, thus any change in PDSCH power, which is happening due to eNB power control, is applied to CSI-RS)).
wherein a transmission power offset is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs., ([0165], [0155] [0176], [table 25] (essentially, Pc can be identically configured for all CS/RS)).
Regarding claim 14, as applied to claim 13 above, KWAK discloses, wherein the received configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs is single CSI-RS resource configuration information, ([0165] “[…] a plurality of CSI-RS resources are configured into a CSI-RS resource set in order to transmit a plurality of beams for transmission beam-sweeping and to repeatedly transmit a single transmission beam for reception beam-sweeping, and whether each of the CSI-RS resources corresponds to an individual CSI-RS resource or an identical CSI-RS resource is repeated may be configured, […] [0166] In Table 26, […] A plurality of CSI-RS resource sets may be configured, and individual CSI-RS resource sets are individually configured via ResourceSetConfig. […] CSI-RS-ResourceConfigList may allow the configuration of IDs of CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, based on the IDs of CSI-RS resources described in Table 25, so as to indicate the CSI-RS resource configured into the CSI-RS resource set. For CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig may allow configuration of whether individual CSI-RS resources are transmitted based on a different beam for transmission beam-sweeping or individual CSI-RS resources support repetition of the same CSI-RS resource”).
Regarding claim 15, as applied to claim 13 above, KWAK discloses wherein a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs., ((Table 1), [0067] “The terminal is capable of checking frequency and time positions, a period, and an offset via Table 2 and Table 3. Quasi-colocated (Qcl)-CRS-info configures quasi co-position information for coordinated multi-point (CoMP)”).
Regarding claim 16, as applied to claim 13 above, KWAK discloses wherein each of the
plurality of CSI-RSs is linked to an identity (ID) associated with a corresponding CSI-RS resource, and the transmission power offset is configured based on the ID., ([0170] “[…] a plurality of identical CSI-RS resource IDs are configured. [0176] […] a plurality of identical CSI-RS resource IDs are configured, causing the configuration to be recognized as repetition. […] CSI-RS resource repetition transmission may be identified via the same CSI-RS resource ID configured to the CSI-RS resource set without an additional configuration (CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig) field. (TABLE 25) CSI-RS resource configuration CSI-RS-ResourceConfigId CSI-RS resource configuration ID 0 ... CSI-RS-ResourceMax −1.”, [0179] FIG. 19 “[…] aperiodic channel state reporting, and/or transmission power information (Pc) may be included, and a
terminal may identify at least one thereof.”).
Regarding claim 17, as applied to claim 13 above, KWAK discloses wherein the operation further comprises: receiving at least one CSI-RS; and performing CSI feedback based on the at least one received CSI-RS., ([0011] “[…] receive a plurality of CSI-RSs based on the CSI-RS configuration information from the base station, generate feedback information based on the received plurality of CSI-RSs, and transmit the feedback information to the base station”).
Regarding claim 18, as applied to claim 13 above, KWAK discloses wherein the configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs is received through a radio resource control (RRC) message, ([0154] “[…] When the resource supported for channel measurement in the resource setting connected to the corresponding link corresponds to an aperiodic CSI-RS 1610, corresponding aperiodic channel state reporting may be performed based on a channel measured at an a periodically configured CSI-RS resource. […] it is also possible that channel state reporting and aperiodic CSI-RS are triggered through a CSI reporting setting rather than a link. [0155] In order to support the channel state reporting, resources for a desired signal and interference measurement may be configured for the terminal via the resource setting illustrated in FIG. 11. The following RRC parameters may be considered for resource setting, as shown in Table 25. [0065] Table 1 described below shows a radio resource control (RRC) field for configuring a CSI-RS configuration. Particularly, Table 1 shows an RRC configuration for supporting a periodic CSI-RS within the CSI process”).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KWAK et al. (US 20190068343 A1), hereinafter KWAK., in view MAO et al. (US 20200137691 A1), hereinafter MAO.
Regarding claim 7, KWAK discloses a method of operating a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
determining a transmission power change for a downlink signal, ([0071] there
is a power ratio between a PDSCH and a CSI-RS RE (which is referred to as Pc) which is required for a terminal to generate a channel state report, [0073] The base station may variably adjust CSI-RS transmission power for various purposes, such as improving a channel estimation accuracy, etc., and the terminal may figure out how low or high the transmission power to be used for data transmission is, compared with the transmission power used for channel estimation, ([0179], [0155], (claim 10), [0169] “[…] when boosting of corresponding CSI-RS power Pc or the CSI-RS-FreqBand that is a transmission frequency band are configured differently for the same beam transmission, RSRP specific to a reception beam may vary, and the accuracy may be lowered even if the terminal corrects the RSRP”; [table 25] (essentially, Pc is the power offset between the configured CSI-RS and PDSCH, thus any change in PDSCH power, which is happening due to eNB power control, is applied to CSI-RS));
wherein a transmission power offset is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs., ([0165], [0155], [0176], [table 25] (essentially, Pc can be
identically configured for all CS/RS)).
However, KWAK does not disclose transmitting configuration information for a plurality of channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS) after determining the transmission power change.
In the same field of endeavor, MAO discloses transmitting configuration information for a plurality of channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS) after determining the transmission power change, ([0159] “The plurality of signals may further include a plurality of channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS). [0222] the base station may update a transmit power offset value of each SS block at a future moment, and notify a user (the terminal) of an updated transmit power offset value […] [Claim 1] […] receiving pre-configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the pre-configuration information comprises transmit power of a synchronization signal (SS), and further comprises correspondences between a plurality of CSI-RSs and transmit power offset values”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the CSI-RS power Pc, disclosed by KWAK [0169] and [table 25] to include the updated transmit power offset value, disclosed by MAO. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so the base station may notify the terminal of the new value of the transmit power offset, which in return the terminal may use in calculating pathloss, MAO, ([0222], [0159], [Claim 1]).
Regarding claim 8, as applied to claim 7 above, KWAK, as modified by MAO, discloses, wherein the configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs is single CSI-RS resource configuration information, ([0165] “[…] a plurality of CSI-RS resources are configured into a CSI-RS resource set in order to transmit a plurality of beams for transmission beam-sweeping and to repeatedly transmit a single transmission beam for reception beam-sweeping, and whether each of the CSI-RS resources corresponds to an individual CSI-RS resource or an identical CSI-RS resource is repeated may be configured, […] [0166] In Table 26, […] A plurality of CSI-RS resource sets may be configured, and individual CSI-RS resource sets are individually configured via ResourceSetConfig. […] CSI-RS-ResourceConfigList may allow the configuration of IDs of CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, based on the IDs of CSI-RS resources described in Table 25, so as to indicate the CSI-RS resource configured into the CSI-RS resource set. For CSI-RS resources configured into a corresponding CSI-RS resource set, CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig may allow configuration of whether individual CSI-RS resources are transmitted based on a different beam for transmission beam-sweeping or individual CSI-RS resources support repetition of the same CSI-RS resource”).
Regarding claim 9, as applied to claim 7 above, KWAK, as modified by MAO discloses, wherein a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship is configured for each of the plurality of CSI-RSs., (Table 1), [0067] “The terminal is capable of checking frequency and time positions, a period, and an offset via Table 2 and Table 3. Quasi-colocated (Qcl)-CRS-info configures quasi co-position information for coordinated multi-point (CoMP)”).
Regarding claim 10, as applied to claim 7 above, KWAK, as modified by MAO
discloses, wherein each of the plurality of CSI-RSs is linked to an identity (ID) associated with a corresponding CSI-RS resource, and the transmission power offset is configured based on the ID, ([0170] [0176] “[…] a plurality of identical CSI-RS resource IDs are configured, causing the configuration to be recognized as repetition. […] CSI-RS resource repetition transmission may be identified via the same CSI-RS resource ID configured to the CSI-RS resource set without an additional configuration (CSI-RS ResourceRepetitionConfig) field. (TABLE 25) CSI-RS resource configuration CSI-RS-ResourceConfigId CSI-RS resource configuration ID 0 ... CSI-RS-ResourceMax −1.”, [0179] FIG. 19 “[…] aperiodic channel state reporting, and/or transmission power information (Pc) may be included, and a terminal may identify at least one thereof.”).
Regarding claim 11, as applied to claim 7 above, KWAK, as modified by MAO discloses, further comprising: transmitting at least one CSI-RS; and receiving CSI feedback after transmitting the at least one CSI-RS, ([0011] “[…] receive a plurality of CSI-RSs based on the CSI-RS configuration information from the base station, generate feedback information based on the received plurality of CSI-RSs, and transmit the feedback information to the base station”).
Regarding claim 12, as applied to claim 7 above, KWAK, as modified by MAO discloses, wherein the configuration information for the plurality of CSI-RSs is transmitted through a radio resource control (RRC) message, ([0154] “[…] When the resource supported for channel measurement in the resource setting connected to the corresponding link corresponds to an aperiodic CSI-RS 1610, corresponding aperiodic channel state reporting may be performed based on a channel measured at an a periodically configured CSI-RS resource. […] it is also possible that channel state reporting and aperiodic CSI-RS are triggered through a CSI reporting setting rather than a link. [0155] In order to support the channel state reporting, resources for a desired signal and interference measurement may be configured for the terminal via the resource setting illustrated in FIG. 11. The following RRC parameters may be considered for resource setting, as shown in Table 25. [0065] Table 1 described below shows a radio resource control (RRC) field for configuring a CSI-RS configuration. Particularly, Table 1 shows an RRC configuration for supporting a periodic CSI-RS within the CSI process”).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GILBERT GRANT whose telephone number is (703)756-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 7:00 pm, Monday - Thursday.
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/GILBERT M. GRANT/Examiner, Art Unit 2642
/Rafael Pérez-Gutiérrez/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2642