Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/441,441

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCING LINK ADAPTATION IN WIRELESS NETWORK

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Feb 14, 2024
Examiner
PHAM, BRENDA H
Art Unit
2412
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
91%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 91% — above average
91%
Career Allow Rate
1055 granted / 1164 resolved
+32.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
25 currently pending
Career history
1189
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
8.9%
-31.1% vs TC avg
§103
33.2%
-6.8% vs TC avg
§102
28.7%
-11.3% vs TC avg
§112
15.2%
-24.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1164 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 14 March 2024 is being considered by the examiner. Claims 1-20 are pending. Figure 3A of the application illustrates the claimed invention. PNG media_image1.png 631 801 media_image1.png Greyscale 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)(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. Claim(s) 1, 12 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being Levitsky et al. (US 2023/0006762 A1). Regarding claims 1, 12 and 20, Levitsky et al. (US 2023/0006762 A1) discloses a method for communication by a base station, in a wireless network, the method comprising: establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a user equipment (UE) in the wireless network ([0003]: “The UE may receive radio resource control (RRC) signaling from the base station indicating or transmission mode options and a set of DMRS configurations corresponding to each one of the transmission modes.”); receiving a least one report including information indicating channel condition of at least one radio channel, from the UE ([0089]: “For example, a UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions and may report to the base station 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with a highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality.”); and configuring additional demodulation reference signal (DMRS) based on the information indicating the channel condition of the at least one radio channel ([0048]: “the additional DMRS position parameter (dmrs-AdditionalPosition) for one or more DMRS configurations used on the UE side per transmission mode, per TRP”), using a media access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) ([0011]: “The base station may transmit the information in control signaling dynamically, such as via a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), a downlink control information (DCI) message, or the like. The UE may identify a DMRS configuration and a transmission mode based on the additional control signaling”). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2-11, 13-19 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 BRENDA H PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-3135. The examiner can normally be reached 571-272-3135. 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, Charles Jiang can be reached at 571-270-7191. 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. BRENDA H. PHAM Primary Examiner Art Unit 2412 /BRENDA H PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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Prosecution Timeline

Feb 14, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 23, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102
Mar 17, 2026
Examiner Interview Summary
Mar 17, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12604319
INDICATION OF UNUSED RESOURCE FOR UPLINK TRANSMISSION
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598595
COMMUNICATION METHOD AND APPARATUS
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12581350
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING SPLIT POINT IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12581420
COMMUNICATION METHOD, TERMINAL DEVICE, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Patent 12574974
UE RACH RESOURCE CONFIGURATION SELECTION FUNCTION AND RESOURCE PRIORITIZATION TO SUPPORT SLICING
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
91%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+2.0%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1164 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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