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 .
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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) 1-4, 8-15, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duan et al. (US 2024/0094325 A1) in view of Meyer et al. (US 2023/0421208 A1) and Ren et al. (US 2025/0024324 A1). Regarding claims 1, 12, 20, Duan et al. discloses an apparatus for wireless communication at a transmitter, comprising: one or more memories (See Fig 3A item 340); and one or more processors(See Fig 3A item 332), coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the transmitter to: transmit, to a first receiver and via an anchor node, a first layer of data (See Fig 11 Para 145 teaches of base station is transmitting data via a relay node (i.e. Anchor node) to the target UE); and transmit, to a second receiver and via one or more helper nodes and the anchor node, a second layer of data (See Fig 11 Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE. Here the Fig 11 does not explicitly discloses a second UE, it is obvious the one or more UE being unreachable behind an obstruction could be reaches using the RIS nodes as shown in Fig 7). Duan et al. does not explicitly disclose an apparatus wherein the second layer of data is spatial domain multiplexed with the first layer of data, and a high effective rank channel is created between the transmitter and the anchor node using a combination of the one or more helper nodes. However Meyer et al. discloses an apparatus wherein the second layer of data is spatial domain multiplexed with the first layer of data (Para 78 teaches of spatial multiplexing data for the first and second UE using the RIS). Duan et al. in view of Meyer et al. does not disclose an apparatus wherein a high effective rank channel is created between the transmitter and the anchor node using a combination of the one or more helper nodes. However Ren et al. discloses an apparatus wherein a high effective rank channel is created between the transmitter and the anchor node using a combination of the one or more helper nodes (Para 44 teaches of creating an high rank channel). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the method of creating a high rank channel of Ren et al. with the method of spatial multiplexing using RIS of Meyer et al. with the system of Duan et al. in order to provide a system that maximizes spatial diversity and data rates creating favorable propagation conditions reducing interference and enabling high capacity MIMO systems. Regarding claims 2, 13, Duan et al. disclose an apparatus, wherein the anchor node is an anchor reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) or an anchor repeater, and the anchor node is line-of-sight with the first receiver and the second receiver (See Fig 8 items RIS1 and RIS2 and Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE). Regarding claims 3, 14, Duan et al. disclose an apparatus, wherein the one or more helper nodes include one or more of: one or more helper reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) or one or more helper repeaters. ( See Fig 8 items RIS1 and RIS2 and Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE). Regarding claims 4, 14, Meyer et al. disclose an apparatus, wherein the high effective rank channel enables spatially multiplexed simultaneous multi-layer transmissions with more than one layer per polarization between the transmitter and a plurality of receivers, including the first receiver and the second receiver, via the anchor node (Para 78 teaches “AP 34 may concurrently transmit wireless signals 46 to both the first and second UE devices by concurrently illuminating reflector 48-1 using AP beam 75-1 and reflector 48-5 using AP beam 75-5 (e.g., in implementations where the phased antenna array(s) on AP 34 support transmission over concurrent AP beams using a spatial multiplexing scheme”). The motivation to combine is the same as indicated in claim 1 above. Regarding claims 8, 19, Duan et al. discloses a apparatus, wherein a vector or configuration for the anchor node is associated with a first beam sweeping, and a common phase term or configuration for the one or more helper nodes is associated with a second beam sweeping (Para 108 teaches “Where the base station 502 is beamforming towards the UE 504 with a single array of antennas (e.g., a single TRP/cell), the base station 502 may perform a “beam sweep” by transmitting first beam 502a, then beam 502b, and so on until lastly transmitting beam 502h. Alternatively, the base station 502 may transmit beams 502a-502h in some pattern, such as beam 502a, then beam 502h, then beam 502b, then beam 502g, and so on. Where the base station 502 is beamforming towards the UE 504 using multiple arrays of antennas (e.g., multiple TRPs/cells), each antenna array may perform a beam sweep of a subset of the beams 502a-502”) Regarding claim 9, Duan et al. discloses an apparatus, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the transmitter to: select the one or more helper nodes based at least in part on a desired effective rank channel between the transmitter, the anchor node, and a plurality of receiver( See Fig 8 items RIS1 and RIS2 and Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE). Regarding claim 10, Duan et al. discloses an apparatus, wherein line-of-sight paths between the transmitter, the first receiver, and the second receiver are blocked by one or more obstacles. (See Fig 11 Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE.).
Regarding claim 11, Duan et al. discloses an apparatus, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the transmitter to: transmit the first layer of data via the anchor node and the one or more helper nodes. (See Fig 11 Para 145 teaches base station sending data via a relay UE i.e. anchor node and one or more RIS (i.e. helper nodes) to send data to target UE.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 16-18 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AJAY P CATTUNGAL whose telephone number is (571)270-7525. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached at 5712723940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AJAY CATTUNGAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
Prosecution Insights