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
The information disclosure statement submitted on 1/16/2025 has been considered by the Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Claim Objections
Claims 7 and 20 are objected to for minor informalities and require the following or other appropriate correction:
In claim 7, line 3 and claim 20, line 3, “control control element” should be amended, to delete the repeated word “control”, in order to correct an apparent typographical error.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 13-15, 18, 19, 22 and 26-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a2) as being anticipated by Li, et al (US PG Publication 2020/0359410), hereafter Li.
Regarding claim 1, Li teaches
a user equipment (UE)
([0104] Terminal device),
comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code
([0105] Terminal device one or more memories 602 and the computer program codes 603); and
one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to
([0105] The one or more memories 602 and the computer program codes 603 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 601, cause the apparatus 600 at least to perform any operation of the method):
receive, from a network entity, first signaling allocating a first set of resources for uplink response training of one or more hardware components of the UE, the one or more hardware components comprising a radio frequency chain of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device receives, from a network node gNB, resource units for uplink grants scheduling a first set of resources f1, f2 using RF transmitter chains, the network gNB learning that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the first set of resources f1, f2));
perform, via the first set of resources and based at least in part on the first signaling, the uplink response training of the one or more hardware components of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(Based on the scheduling and the network gNB having learned that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the set of resources f1, f2, the terminal device uses the RF transmitter chains to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB)); and
transmit, to the network entity and via a second set of resources, second signaling in accordance with one or more transmission characteristics, the one or more transmission characteristics based at least in part on the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2)
[0078] Based at least in part on the transmission quality estimation for the terminal device and/or the transmission capability of the terminal device, the network node can determine the two or more UL grants that may comprise at least two UL grants which share one or more transmission parameters for the terminal device. For example, if channel conditions of f1 and f2 are similar and thus the same or similar transmission parameter such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value can be configured for data transmissions using f1 and f2, then different UL grants configuring f1 and f2 for the terminal device can share the same MCS value in transmission configurations for f1 and f2
(Based on the network gNB having learned the UE capability, the terminal device transmits on the uplink using a second set of resources that include MCS transmission parameters/characteristics)).
Regarding claim 2, Li teaches the UE of claim 1,
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
receive, from the network entity, third signaling indicating one or more radio frequency requirements for the UE, wherein the UE performs the uplink response training without applying at least one radio frequency requirement of the one or more radio frequency requirements
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0088] Two transmitter chains of the terminal device are both configured to operate in f1. However, it may be possible for the terminal device to initially configure one of the two transmitter chains (such as transmitter chain 2) to perform a LBT procedure for f2
(UE is configured by the gNB network node on frequency f1 or f2, according to UE capability/requirements, the gNB learning the of the required frequency f1 or f2, where the UE is configured to operate in f2 without applying f1))).
Regarding claim 5, Li teaches the UE of claim 1,
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
transmit third signaling indicating a capability of the UE to perform the uplink response training, wherein receiving the first signaling is based at least in part on the capability of the UE to perform the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device transmits the UE capability to the network gNB and then receives the scheduling of the uplink grants based on the network gNB learning of the UE capability to transmit on the uplink)).
Regarding claim 6, Li teaches the UE of claim 1,
wherein, to receive the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
receive the first signaling allocating the first set of resources and a third set of resources for the uplink response training of the one or more hardware components of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
[0093] The UE may perform rank 1 transmission in a first slot and then switch, at the switch point, to rank 2 transmissions in a second slot, as shown in FIG. 4. The switch point may be indicated by a gNB in an UL grant for rank 2 transmissions
(The UE is scheduled with the f1 or f2 first resource and also a time slot resource (third resource) for the UL transmissions, the network gNB learning that the UE is to be operated in the f1 frequency from the first set of resources)); and
receive third signaling activating the first set of resources for the uplink response training, wherein performing the uplink response training via the first set of resources is based at least in part on the third signaling
([0068] The UE may perform a LBT procedure in each granted channel (for example, 20 MHz channel) and then transmit the UL data in one or more channels where the corresponding LBT procedures are successful
[0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0092] In response to a success of the LBT procedure for f1, the UE may start rank 1 transmission in f1 through transmitter chain 1, regardless of a failure of the LBT procedure for f2. When the UE finds that f2 is not available, it may switch transmitter chain 2 from f2 to f1. Since such RF switch may need a certain period of time, no data would be transmitted by the UE through transmitter chain 2 during this period of time, while the rank 1 transmission is performed in f1 through transmitter chain 1
(UE receives LBT signal on granted channel, based on which the UE switches to f1 frequency resource, the network gNB learning that the UE is to be operated in the f1 frequency from the first set of resources)).
Regarding claim 8, Li teaches the UE of claim 1,
wherein the first set of resources comprises time resources,
frequency resources
([0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB), or both.
Regarding claim 13, Li teaches the UE of claim 1,
wherein the one or more hardware components comprises
an amplifier,
a duplexer,
an antenna
([0071] The radio device may be configured with two or more antennas or RF chains),
a filter,
an attenuator,
a detector,
a mixer, or a
combination thereof.
Regarding claim 14, Li teaches
a network entity
([0071] Network node gNB),
comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code
([0105] Network node gNB one or more memories 602 and the computer program codes 603); and
one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to
([0105] The one or more memories 602 and the computer program codes 603 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 601, cause the apparatus 600 at least to perform any operation of the method):
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), first signaling allocating a first set of resources for uplink response training of one or more hardware components of the UE, the one or more hardware components comprising a radio frequency chain of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device receives, from a network node gNB, resource units for uplink grants scheduling a first set of resources f1, f2 using RF transmitter chains, the network gNB learning that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the first set of resources f1, f2)); and
receive, from the UE and via a second set of resources, second signaling in accordance with one or more transmission characteristics, the one or more transmission characteristics based at least in part on the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2)
[0078] Based at least in part on the transmission quality estimation for the terminal device and/or the transmission capability of the terminal device, the network node can determine the two or more UL grants that may comprise at least two UL grants which share one or more transmission parameters for the terminal device. For example, if channel conditions of f1 and f2 are similar and thus the same or similar transmission parameter such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value can be configured for data transmissions using f1 and f2, then different UL grants configuring f1 and f2 for the terminal device can share the same MCS value in transmission configurations for f1 and f2
(Based on the network gNB having learned the UE capability, the terminal device transmits on the uplink using a second set of resources that include MCS transmission parameters/characteristics)).
Regarding claim 15, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14,
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit, to the UE, third signaling indicating one or more radio frequency requirements for the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(F1, F2, according to terminal device capability)).
Regarding claim 18, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14,
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
receive third signaling indicating a capability of the UE to perform the uplink response training, wherein transmitting the first signaling is based at least in part on the capability of the UE to perform the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device transmits the UE capability to the network gNB and then receives the scheduling of the uplink grants based on the network gNB learning of the UE capability to transmit on the uplink)).
Regarding claim 19, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14,
wherein, to transmit the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit the first signaling allocating the first set of resources and a third set of resources for the uplink response training of the one or more hardware components of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
[0093] The UE may perform rank 1 transmission in a first slot and then switch, at the switch point, to rank 2 transmissions in a second slot, as shown in FIG. 4. The switch point may be indicated by a gNB in an UL grant for rank 2 transmissions
(The UE is scheduled with the f1 or f2 first resource and also a time slot resource (third resource) for the UL transmissions, the network gNB learning that the UE is to be operated in the f1 frequency from the first set of resources)); and
transmit third signaling activating the first set of resources for the uplink response training, wherein receiving the second signaling is based at least in part on the third signaling
([0068] The UE may perform a LBT procedure in each granted channel (for example, 20 MHz channel) and then transmit the UL data in one or more channels where the corresponding LBT procedures are successful
[0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0092] In response to a success of the LBT procedure for f1, the UE may start rank 1 transmission in f1 through transmitter chain 1, regardless of a failure of the LBT procedure for f2. When the UE finds that f2 is not available, it may switch transmitter chain 2 from f2 to f1. Since such RF switch may need a certain period of time, no data would be transmitted by the UE through transmitter chain 2 during this period of time, while the rank 1 transmission is performed in f1 through transmitter chain 1
(UE receives LBT signal on granted channel, based on which the UE switches to f1 frequency resource, the network gNB learning that the UE is to be operated in the f1 frequency from the first set of resources)).
Regarding claim 22, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14,
wherein the first set of resources comprises time resources,
frequency resources
([0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB), or
both.
Regarding claim 26, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14,
wherein the one or more hardware components comprises
an amplifier,
a duplexer,
an antenna
([0071] The radio device may be configured with two or more antennas or RF chains),
a filter,
an attenuator,
a detector,
a mixer, or
a combination thereof.
Regarding claim 27, Li teaches
a method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
receiving, from a network entity, first signaling allocating a first set of resources for uplink response training of one or more hardware components of the UE, the one or more hardware components comprising a radio frequency chain of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device receives, from a network node gNB, resource units for uplink grants scheduling a first set of resources f1, f2 using RF transmitter chains, the network gNB learning that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the first set of resources f1, f2));
performing, via the first set of resources and based at least in part on the first signaling, the uplink response training of the one or more hardware components of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(Based on the scheduling and the network gNB having learned that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the set of resources f1, f2, the terminal device uses the RF transmitter chains to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB)); and
transmitting, to the network entity and via a second set of resources, second signaling in accordance with one or more transmission characteristics, the one or more transmission characteristics based at least in part on the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2)
[0078] Based at least in part on the transmission quality estimation for the terminal device and/or the transmission capability of the terminal device, the network node can determine the two or more UL grants that may comprise at least two UL grants which share one or more transmission parameters for the terminal device. For example, if channel conditions of f1 and f2 are similar and thus the same or similar transmission parameter such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value can be configured for data transmissions using f1 and f2, then different UL grants configuring f1 and f2 for the terminal device can share the same MCS value in transmission configurations for f1 and f2
(Based on the network gNB having learned the UE capability, the terminal device transmits on the uplink using a second set of resources that include MCS transmission parameters/characteristics)).
Regarding claim 28, Li teaches the method of claim 27,
further comprising:
receiving, from the network entity, third signaling indicating one or more radio frequency requirements for the UE, wherein the UE performs the uplink response training without applying at least one radio frequency requirement of the one or more radio frequency requirements
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0088] Two transmitter chains of the terminal device are both configured to operate in f1. However, it may be possible for the terminal device to initially configure one of the two transmitter chains (such as transmitter chain 2) to perform a LBT procedure for f2
(UE is configured by the gNB network node on frequency f1 or f2, according to UE capability/requirements, the gNB learning the of the required frequency f1 or f2, where the UE is configured to operate in f2 without applying f1))).
Regarding claim 29, Li teaches
a method for wireless communications at a network entity, comprising:
transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), first signaling allocating a first set of resources for uplink response training of one or more hardware components of the UE, the one or more hardware components comprising a radio frequency chain of the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0077] The configuration of the SRS transmissions may indicate the terminal device to use each transmitter chain to transmit reference signals for individual candidate resource units (such as f1 and f2) of the terminal device to the network node
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(A terminal device receives, from a network node gNB, resource units for uplink grants scheduling a first set of resources f1, f2 using RF transmitter chains, the network gNB learning that the UE has the two RF chains and that each of them can be operated in the first set of resources f1, f2)); and
receiving, from the UE and via a second set of resources, second signaling in accordance with one or more transmission characteristics, the one or more transmission characteristics based at least in part on the uplink response training
([0076] The transmission capability of the terminal device may be signaled from the terminal device to the network node to indicate the number of transmitter chains of the terminal device and the maximum operation bandwidth per transmitter chain. The terminal device such as a UE may send its RF chain capability related information to the network node such as a gNB. The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2)
[0078] Based at least in part on the transmission quality estimation for the terminal device and/or the transmission capability of the terminal device, the network node can determine the two or more UL grants that may comprise at least two UL grants which share one or more transmission parameters for the terminal device. For example, if channel conditions of f1 and f2 are similar and thus the same or similar transmission parameter such as a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) value can be configured for data transmissions using f1 and f2, then different UL grants configuring f1 and f2 for the terminal device can share the same MCS value in transmission configurations for f1 and f2
(Based on the network gNB having learned the UE capability, the terminal device transmits on the uplink using a second set of resources that include MCS transmission parameters/characteristics)).
Regarding claim 30, Li teaches the method of claim 29,
further comprising:
transmitting, to the UE, third signaling indicating one or more radio frequency requirements for the UE
([0076] The gNB may learn from the UE capability related information that the UE has two RF chains and each of them can be operated in f1 or f2
[0081] UE may be scheduled to use transmitter chain 1 and transmitter chain 2 to transmit UL data respectively in resource units f1 and f2 granted by a gNB
(F1, F2, according to terminal device capability)).
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li, in view of Xi, et al (US PG Publication 2021/0159966), hereafter Xi.
Regarding claim 3, Li teaches the UE of claim 2.
Li does not teach
wherein the one or more radio frequency requirements comprise a threshold uplink power, a threshold signal quality value, a threshold amount of out-of-band emission, a threshold amount of in-band emission, or a combination thereof.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the one or more radio frequency requirements comprise a threshold
uplink power, a threshold signal quality value, a threshold amount of out-of-band emission, a threshold amount of in-band emission, or a combination thereof
([0189] A network device, gNB, TRP, or the like may perform UL BM and evaluate optimal beams based on beam quality metrics such as a higher value of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), RSRP, reference signal received quality (RSRQ), L1-RSRP, L1-RSRQ, L1-SINR, or the like. The network element may then send the selected beam index to the WTRU via beam indication, such as SRI. SRI may also include explicit indication of a selected WTRU panel(s) or single SRS resource transmitted associated with multiple panels. Once a WTRU receives one or more beam indications, such as SRI from the network, the WTRU may perform multi-panel based PUSCH transmission (2712)
[0190] In the examples given herein, TRP specific beam training and panel specific beam training may be performed jointly or separately. For example, when a WTRU is connected with two or more TRPs, any one of the TRPs may perform panel specific beam training separately, or even perform beam training only on a single WTRU panel. Both TRPs may be configured to jointly perform UL beam training with one or multiple panels of the WTRU).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 4, Li teaches the UE of claim 1.
Li does not teach
wherein:
the first signaling comprises one or more bits, and logic values of the one or more bits indicate that the first set of resources are for the uplink response training.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein:
the first signaling comprises one or more bits, and logic values of the one or more bits indicate that the first set of resources are for the uplink response training
([0127] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of signaling for BM. In FIG. 6, a SRS configuration message and a SRS triggering message, such as a RRC or DCI trigger, may be received by the WTRU
[0131] The resource repetition flag may be a 1-bit DCI field to indicate whether the SRS resources within activated SRS resource sets are transmitted with the same UL spatial domain transmission filter
[0181] In explicit panel specific UL beam training, a network may trigger N>1 WTRU panels by specifying panel indications or identifications ID(s) along with triggered SRS resource sets. The panel ID(s) may be configured in higher layer parameters associated with each configured SRS resource set, or dynamically included with each SRS triggering message, such as in one or multiple fields within a DCI).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 7, Li teaches the UE of claim 6.
Li does not teach
wherein the first signaling comprises radio resource control signaling and the second signaling comprises downlink control information or a medium access control element.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the first signaling comprises radio resource control signaling and the second signaling comprises downlink control information or a medium access control element
([0136] The WTRU may perform initial UL beam training when the WTRU is configured with a higher layer or RRC connection
[0178] When any one of the two resource sets or both are triggered, such as through L1 or DCI signaling, or activated, such as through layer 2, MAC-CE, higher layer, or RRC signaling, a corresponding WTRU panel(s) may be used to perform beam training).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 9, Li teaches the UE of claim 1.
Li does not teach
wherein, to receive the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
receive a periodicity associated with the first set of resources, the periodicity comprising a number of slots or a number of symbols, wherein performing the uplink response training via the first set of resources is based at least in part on the periodicity.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein, to receive the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
receive a periodicity associated with the first set of resources, the periodicity comprising a number of slots or a number of symbols, wherein performing the uplink response training via the first set of resources is based at least in part on the periodicity
([0200] UL BM or UL beam training may be performed by associating a SRS resource set with a WTRU panel. If UL BM or UL beam training is performed by associating a SRS resource with a WTRU panel, panel information may not be needed. For example, in 2304, if a WTRU receives beam indication with SRI#2 and SRI#3, the WTRU may send PUSCH simultaneously from WTRU panel 1 and panel 2 in the next slots).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 10, Li teaches the UE of claim 1.
Li does not teach
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
transmit third signaling requesting resources for the uplink response training based at least in part on a trigger condition being satisfied, wherein receiving the first signaling is based at least in part on the third signaling.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
transmit third signaling requesting resources for the uplink response training based at least in part on a trigger condition being satisfied, wherein receiving the first signaling is based at least in part on the third signaling
([0182] If multiple WTRU panels are configured or triggered to perform UL beam training, the panel ID associated with each triggered or configured SRS resource set may be jointly or independently indicated. FIG. 22 illustrates an example of independent physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) beam indication and joint PUSCH beam indication, where SRS field, to indicate a SRS resource ID, may be replaced by an extended SRS request field, to indicate one or multiple SRS resource set IDs).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 11, Li, in view of Xi, teaches the UE of claim 10.
Xi further teaches
wherein the trigger condition comprises an operating temperature of the UE being above a threshold, a change in operating frequency, or a combination thereof
([0136] The WTRU may perform initial UL beam training when the WTRU is configured with a higher layer or RRC connection
[0148] A WTRU may be configured with one or multiple BWPs for the DL or the UL where at a given time moment, for each WTRU, only one BWP may be active, for the DL and the UL, respectively. This single active BWP may change dynamically as available frequency or time resources change, a wider bandwidth is needed, radio environment degradation, interference, path loss, or the like. Before switching or changing to a new active BWP, the WTRU may evaluate candidate BWPs based on QoS and then select the target BWP properly. WTRU may be configured or triggered via RRC to perform per-BWP based beam measurement and reporting dynamically).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, in view of Xi, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 16, Li teaches the network entity of claim 15.
Li does not teach
wherein the one or more radio frequency requirements comprise a threshold uplink power, a threshold signal quality value, a threshold amount of out-of-band emission, a threshold amount of in-band emission, or a combination thereof.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the one or more radio frequency requirements comprise a threshold uplink power, a threshold signal quality value, a threshold amount of out-of-band emission, a threshold amount of in-band emission, or a combination thereof
([0189] A network device, gNB, TRP, or the like may perform UL BM and evaluate optimal beams based on beam quality metrics such as a higher value of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), RSRP, reference signal received quality (RSRQ), L1-RSRP, L1-RSRQ, L1-SINR, or the like. The network element may then send the selected beam index to the WTRU via beam indication, such as SRI. SRI may also include explicit indication of a selected WTRU panel(s) or single SRS resource transmitted associated with multiple panels. Once a WTRU receives one or more beam indications, such as SRI from the network, the WTRU may perform multi-panel based PUSCH transmission (2712)
[0190] In the examples given herein, TRP specific beam training and panel specific beam training may be performed jointly or separately. For example, when a WTRU is connected with two or more TRPs, any one of the TRPs may perform panel specific beam training separately, or even perform beam training only on a single WTRU panel. Both TRPs may be configured to jointly perform UL beam training with one or multiple panels of the WTRU).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 17, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14.
Li does not teach
wherein:
the first signaling comprises one or more bits, and logic values of the one or more bits indicate that the first set of resources are for the uplink response training.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein:
the first signaling comprises one or more bits, and logic values of the one or more bits indicate that the first set of resources are for the uplink response training
([0127] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of signaling for BM. In FIG. 6, a SRS configuration message and a SRS triggering message, such as a RRC or DCI trigger, may be received by the WTRU
[0131] The resource repetition flag may be a 1-bit DCI field to indicate whether the SRS resources within activated SRS resource sets are transmitted with the same UL spatial domain transmission filter
[0181] In explicit panel specific UL beam training, a network may trigger N>1 WTRU panels by specifying panel indications or identifications ID(s) along with triggered SRS resource sets. The panel ID(s) may be configured in higher layer parameters associated with each configured SRS resource set, or dynamically included with each SRS triggering message, such as in one or multiple fields within a DCI).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 20, Li teaches the network entity of claim 19.
Li does not teach
wherein the first signaling comprises radio resource control signaling and the second signaling comprises downlink control information or a medium access control control element.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the first signaling comprises radio resource control signaling and the second signaling comprises downlink control information or a medium access control control element.
([0136] The WTRU may perform initial UL beam training when the WTRU is configured with a higher layer or RRC connection
[0178] When any one of the two resource sets or both are triggered, such as through L1 or DCI signaling, or activated, such as through layer 2, MAC-CE, higher layer, or RRC signaling, a corresponding WTRU panel(s) may be used to perform beam training).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 23, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14.
Li does not teach
wherein, to transmit the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit a periodicity associated with the first set of resources, the periodicity comprising a number of slots or a number of symbols.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein, to transmit the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit a periodicity associated with the first set of resources, the periodicity comprising a number of slots or a number of symbols
([0200] UL BM or UL beam training may be performed by associating a SRS resource set with a WTRU panel. If UL BM or UL beam training is performed by associating a SRS resource with a WTRU panel, panel information may not be needed. For example, in 2304, if a WTRU receives beam indication with SRI#2 and SRI#3, the WTRU may send PUSCH simultaneously from WTRU panel 1 and panel 2 in the next slots).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 24, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14.
Li does not teach
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
receive third signaling requesting resources for the uplink response training based at least in part on a trigger condition being satisfied, wherein transmitting the first signaling is based at least in part on the third signaling.
In the same field of endeavor, Xi teaches
wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
receive third signaling requesting resources for the uplink response training based at least in part on a trigger condition being satisfied, wherein transmitting the first signaling is based at least in part on the third signaling
([0182] If multiple WTRU panels are configured or triggered to perform UL beam training, the panel ID associated with each triggered or configured SRS resource set may be jointly or independently indicated. FIG. 22 illustrates an example of independent physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) beam indication and joint PUSCH beam indication, where SRS field, to indicate a SRS resource ID, may be replaced by an extended SRS request field, to indicate one or multiple SRS resource set IDs).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Regarding claim 25, Li, in view of Xi, teaches the network entity of claim 24.
Xi further teaches
wherein the trigger condition comprises an operating temperature of the UE being above a threshold, a change in operating frequency, or a combination thereof
([0136] The WTRU may perform initial UL beam training when the WTRU is configured with a higher layer or RRC connection
[0148] A WTRU may be configured with one or multiple BWPs for the DL or the UL where at a given time moment, for each WTRU, only one BWP may be active, for the DL and the UL, respectively. This single active BWP may change dynamically as available frequency or time resources change, a wider bandwidth is needed, radio environment degradation, interference, path loss, or the like. Before switching or changing to a new active BWP, the WTRU may evaluate candidate BWPs based on QoS and then select the target BWP properly. WTRU may be configured or triggered via RRC to perform per-BWP based beam measurement and reporting dynamically).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, in view of Xi, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Xi’s teaching of uplink training, for the benefit of low latency and efficient beam indication (see [0004]).
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li, in view of Kapetanovic (US PG Publication 2019/0305836).
Regarding claim 21, Li teaches the network entity of claim 14.
Li does not teach
wherein, to transmit the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit, to a group of UEs that are located within a cell associated with the network entity, the first signaling allocating the first set of resources for the uplink response training, wherein the group of UEs comprise the UE.
In the same field of endeavor, Kapetanovic teaches
wherein, to transmit the first signaling, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to:
transmit, to a group of UEs that are located within a cell associated with the network entity, the first signaling allocating the first set of resources for the uplink response training, wherein the group of UEs comprise the UE.
([0038] In the case of uplink beamforming training, the network node 100 may signal a selection for the receive beam to the wireless devices 200
[0040] Consider a single cell with a network node 100 and a group of wireless devices 200 to be trained
[0058] and Fig. 6 Signaling overhead may be expressed in terms of any resource, such as number of time slots used, number of subcarriers used, etc). The network node 100 uses the selected uplink beamforming training to determine one or more beamforming codes for downlink transmissions to one or more wireless devices 200 in said group of wireless devices 200 (block 540).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the invention of Li, which includes uplink training for a mobile device, to include Kapetanovic’s teaching of uplink training for a group of mobile devices, for the benefit of, depending on the total number of RF chains at the wireless devices to be served in the downlink, using uplink beamforming training to significantly reduce the training overhead compared to downlink beamforming training and, as a result, increasing the overall throughput of the wireless communication network (see [0006]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is 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
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art not Applied
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kalantari, et al (US PG Publication 2023/0314554), hereafter Kalantari, teaches a UE can utilize both uplink and downlink beam training approaches to efficiently estimate the power of each beam at a BS.
Chen (US PG Publication 2016/0099763) teaches that by using uplink pilot signals for beam training, combined with switched beamforming at the UE and adaptive beamforming at the BS, an effective beam administration is achieved with reduced overhead, complexity, and cost.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Frank Donado whose telephone number is (571) 270-5361. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays through Fridays between 8 am and 4 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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 Patent Examiner (SPE) Charles Appiah can be reached at 571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov.
Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/FRANK E DONADO/Examiner, Art Unit 2641
/CHARLES N APPIAH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2641