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 .
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
3. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
4. Claims 1-7 and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
5. In claims 1, 11 and 20, “the terminal device” lacks antecedent basis. In claims 3 and 13 “a transmission opportunity To” is indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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.
7. 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
8. Claims 1-5, 8-15, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee 2022/0260709 A1.
9. Consider claim 11. Lee teaches a power control apparatus (102 in fig 2, see also fig 1), comprising: at least one processor (215, 220); and a memory (20) storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor, the programming instructions instructing the communication apparatus to perform operations comprising: determining a first path loss (0163 low power mode includes path loss), wherein the first path loss (PL) is a path loss of a detection link, and the detection link is a round-trip link (0066….PL is the two way pass loss….)between the terminal device (102) and at least one object (UE); determining a transmit power of a first signal based on the first path loss (see propagation loss 0068); and sending the first signal based on the transmit power (adaptively in 0068). Method claims 1 and 8 are rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claim 11, since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps. Regarding claim 18, it is inherent in Lee’s processor and memory the they storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor, the programming instructions instructing the communication apparatus to perform operations.
10. Consider claim 12 and 19. Lee teaches wherein the first path loss is determined based on first information, and the first information (0068 reads on measurement results) comprises a first path loss correction value (PL in 0003). Method claims 2 and 9 are rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claims 12 and 19 since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps.
11. Regarding claim 13. In view of the 112b rejection above, Lee teaches wherein that the first path loss is determined by the terminal device (434 in fig 4 see measurement configuration/report in 0161 and 0163) based on a signal (0152 see first signal) from the terminal device comprises: the first signal is transmitted at a transmission opportunity (step 1308) T0 , and the first path loss is determined based on a path loss (low power mode in 0153) obtained at one or more transmission opportunities before the transmission opportunity T0. (reads on second power ramping at 0158). Method claim 3 is rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claims 12 and 13 since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps.
12. Regarding claim 14 and 20. Lee teaches wherein determining the transmit power of the first signal based on the first path loss comprises: determining the transmit power of the first signal based on first power control indication information and the first path loss (0068 information reads on measurement results, 0163 low power mode includes path loss), wherein the first power control indication information comprises a first maximum transmit power (Ptxmax) and a first expected transmit power (Ptxtarget), the first maximum transmit power indicates a maximum power for sending the first signal, the first maximum transmit power is less than or equal to a maximum transmit power of the terminal device (0163 at a power less than a peak power of the transmit power based on at least one of a maximum power range), the transmit power of the first signal is less than (power saving) or equal to the first maximum transmit power (Ptxmax), and the first expected transmit power indicates an expected transmit power that meets a target detection requirement of the terminal device (0066 transmit power depend on the target transmit power). Method claims 4 and 10 are rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claims 14 and 20 since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps.
13. Consider claim 15. Lee further teaches: receiving first indication information (measurement results) from a network device (see power control configuration in 0078), wherein the first indication information comprises the first power control indication information (results will be used to calculate the path loss for the selected low power mode). Method claim 5 is rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claims 15 since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps.
14. 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.
15. Claims 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee 2022/0260709 A1 in view of Agardh WO2020/249314 A1 (cited by applicant).
Regarding claim 16. Lee fails to teach wherein the first indication information further comprises second power control indication information, and the second power control indication information indicates a transmit power of a second signal. However, Agardh, from the same field of endeavor teaches such (see page 16, line 23 to page 17, line 9 where the radar signal and UL signal correspond to the first and second signal respectively.) It would have been obvious, before the effective date, to add a second signal with second power control information as taught by Agardh to compensate for other objects in the area thus making the radar more effective. Method claim 6 is rejected for the same reasons as apparatus claim 16 since the recited elements would perform the claimed steps.
Claim Objections
16. Claims 7 and 17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The prior art of record does not teach or make obvious a power control apparatus and method wherein a time domain resource of the first signal and a time domain resource of the second signal completely or partially overlap, and on the overlapped time domain resource, a sum of the transmit power of the first signal and the transmit power of the second signal is less than or equal to the maximum transmit power of the terminal device as called for in dependent claims 7 and 17.
17. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yano WO 2020249314 A1 teaches a communication system that can perform a transmission power control system following the variation of path loss during D2D communications without increasing the overhead. This communication system (1) includes communication terminals (UE1, UE2) that can perform D2D communications. During D2D communications, the communication terminal (UE1) uses a transmission power, which is the same as a data transmission power, to transmit, to the communication terminal (UE2), an RS1 that is included in a slot (1) and that is a reference signal to be used for data demodulation, while using a known transmission power to transmit, to the communication terminal (UE2), an RS2 that is included in a slot (2) and that is a reference signal to be used for data demodulation. The known transmission power update period of RS2 is preferably larger than the time order of transmission power control based on path loss (for example, RTT, (Round Trip Time) between communication terminals).
Li CN 111465090 A teaches measuring the round-trip time (Round Trip Time, RTT) between devices A and B represents the total time elapsed since the time that the device A sends the unicast packet to the device B to the time that the device A receives the acknowledgement packet from the device B. The time for device A to transmit a unicast packet is referred to herein as a Time Of Delivery, TOD, and the time for device A to receive an acknowledgement packet from device B is referred to herein as the Time Of Arrive (TOA).
Sridhar JP 2014523658 teaches performing navigation operations including indoor navigation operations using a mobile device, three pieces of information need to be determined based on data from the communicating access point node (AP) of the mobile device. possible. These information are: 1) the received signal strength, which can be expressed as a received signal strength indication (RSSI), indicating the power level received by the mobile device's antenna, and 2) a signal is transmitted from the mobile device to the AP. Round trip delay time (RTT), which generally corresponds to the length of time it takes to add to the length of time it takes for a response message to the signal to be received at the mobile device, and 3) the mobile Power transmitted by the AP with which the device is communicating (Tx power). Tx power is required to allow calculation of signal path loss or to facilitate device location determination, particularly in situations where the access point performs dynamic transmit power control operations.
Conclusion
18. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CURTIS A KUNTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7499. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th from 530am to 3pm and Fri from 530am to 10am.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew D Anderson, can be reached at telephone number 5712724177. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CURTIS A KUNTZ/Primary examiner, Art Unit 2646