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
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-8, 10-14, 16-17, 20-22, 24-27, 29-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dhakal et al. (2025/0,105,962) in view of Ali et al. (12,494,881).
For claims 1, 16, 29, and 30, Dhakal teaches a user equipment (UE) (Para 37), comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code (Para 214); and one or more processors (Para 211) coupled with the one or more memories (Paras 203-204) and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE (abstract; background, summary and claims; Paras 20-35) to:
receive a first control signal (Para 50) that indicates a set of delay values (Paras 70-72) corresponding to a set of antenna ports (Para 220);
receive a first reference signal (Para 51) that has a first delay (Para 54) profile (Para 144), wherein the first reference signal is a multi-port reference signal or is associated with the multi-port reference signal (Para 220; 2 antenna ports);
determine a second delay profile for a demodulation reference signal (Paras 23-24) based at least in part on the first delay profile of the first reference signal, the set of delay values, and an antenna port (Para 220) mapping (Para 43, 59) between the multi-port reference signal and a set of demodulation reference signals, wherein the set of demodulation reference signals comprises the demodulation reference signal; and
perform a channel estimation (Paras 47-49) on the demodulation reference signal based at least in part on the set of delay values and the second delay profile (Paras 78, 87).
Dhakal does not expressly disclose mapping between the multi-port reference signal and a set of demodulation reference signals, wherein the set of demodulation reference signals comprises the demodulation reference signal. Ali teaches a method and system (abstract) in the relevant art (background, summary and claims; col 2, line 45 – col. 7, line 5) that includes mapping (col. 14, lines 30-65) between the multi-port reference signal (col. 19, lines 55-67) and a set of demodulation reference signals (col. 11, lines 15-40), wherein the set of demodulation reference signals comprises the demodulation reference signal, building into channel estimation (col. 14, lines 1-30). At the time of filing, one of ordinary skill in the art would have added Ali in order to provide improvements to the use of DMRS in channel estimation (col. 1, lines 45-60).
For claims 2, 17, Dhakal teaches that to receive the multi-port reference signal via the set of antenna ports, wherein the first reference signal is the multi-port reference signal (Para 220).
For claim 5, Dhakal teaches to map the multi-port reference signal to the set of demodulation reference signals based at least in part on the set of delay values (Paras 60, 79).
For claims 6, 20, Dhakal teaches that the first control signal indicates the set of delay values from a plurality of sets of delay values (Paras 125-126).
For claims 7, 21, Dhakal teaches to receive a second control signal indicating a plurality of sets of delay values, wherein the first control signal indicates the set of delay values from the plurality of sets of delay values (Paras 70, 107).
For claims 8, 22, Dhakal teaches to receive the demodulation reference signal via an antenna port of the set of antenna ports (Para 220), wherein performing the channel estimation (Paras 47-49) is based at least in part on a delay value of the set of delay values corresponding to the antenna port and the second delay profile of the demodulation reference signal (Paras 78, 87).
For claims 10, 24, Dhakal teaches wherein:
receive data signaling via the set of antenna ports (Para 45); and
decode the data signaling based at least in part on performing the channel estimation on the demodulation reference signal (Para 43).
For claims 11, 25, Dhakal teaches to receive the demodulation reference signal based at least in part on the set of delay values (Paras 78, 87) and a quantity of layers of the demodulation reference signal (Paras 96-97).
For claims 12, 26, Dhakal teaches that the first control signal indicates that the set of delay values are applied for a data signal associated with the demodulation reference signal (Paras 23-24).
For claims 13, 27, Ali teaches that a first quantity of the set of antenna ports (col. 19, lines 55-67), a second quantity of antenna ports associated with the multi-port reference signal (col. 19, lines 55-67), and a third quantity of demodulation reference signals in the set of demodulation reference signals are the same (col. 11, lines 15-40).
For claim 14, Dhakal teaches that the first control signal indicates a mapping between the set of delay values and the set of antenna ports (Paras 60, 79).
Claim(s) 3, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dhakal and Ali as applied to claims 1, 16 above, and further in view of Su et al. (2024/0,188,055).
For claims 3, 18, Dhakal and Ali do not expressly disclose that the multi-port reference signal is a virtual reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal. Su teaches a method and system (abstract) in the relevant environment (background, summary and claims) that includes this limitation (Para 236). At the time of filing, one of ordinary skill in the art would have added Su in order to provide improvements to the handling of reference signals (Paras 3-5).
Claim(s) 4, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dhakal and Ali as applied to claims 1, 16 above, and further in view of Koivisto et al. (8,825,069).
For claims 4, 19, Dhakal and Ali do not expressly disclose a doppler profile of the demodulation reference signal corresponds to the first reference signal. Koivisto teaches a method and system (abstract) in the relevant art (background, summary and claims) that includes this limitation (col. 9, line 45 – col. 10, line 20). At the time of filing, one of ordinary skill in the art would have added Koivisto in order to provide improvements to the handling of antenna ports (col. 2, line 50 – col. 3, line 60).
Claim(s) 9, 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dhakal and Ali as applied to claims 1, 16 above, and further in view of Choi et al. (2025/0,007,600).
For claims 9, 23, Dhakal and Ali do not expressly disclose to transmit an uplink data message applying the set of delay values. Choi teaches a method and system (abstract) in the relevant art (background, summary and claims) that includes this limitation (Para 107). At the time the invention was filed, one of ordinary skill in the art would have added Choi in order to provide improvements to CSI (Para 3).
For claims 15, 28, Choi teaches that a maximum delay for the set of delay values corresponds to a difference between cyclic prefix length (Para 38) and a maximum quantity of sample delays (Paras 47, 58-62).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MELVIN H POLLACK whose telephone number is (571)272-3887. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00.
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/MELVIN H POLLACK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2445