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 Objections
Claims 18 and 23 are objected to because of the following informalities: on the third line of the claim, the word “fist TRS” should read “first TRS”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2023/0189181), herein referred to as “Liberg”, in view of Pan et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2020/0037274), herein referred to as “Pan”. The Liberg reference was provided in the information disclosure statement dated December 2, 2024.
Regarding Claim 1,
Liberg discloses: A beam time synchronization method, comprising:
determining, by a terminal device, time synchronization information based on a time synchronization value of a first beam and a time synchronization value of a second beam, wherein the first beam is a current serving beam, and the second beam is a candidate beam or a previous serving beam
Note: The TA values represent the time synchronization values of the different beams, of which some can have similar TA values (“TA Z” per Figure 7) or different values (“TA X and TA Y”).
[0071] FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating SSB beams and their associated TA values. In some cases, certain RS and beams are associated with a similar TA value as illustrated in FIG. 7 for SSB beams 3 and 4. As an exception to the second group of embodiments, the base station may grant a UE permission to perform inter-beam mobility across beams that are determined to be associated with a similar TA range, without invalidating the configured TA. The RS and beams associated with a similar TA may be signaled as part of the configured grant for RRC inactive mode transmission.
[0072] Alternatively, to support inter-beam mobility without invalidating the TA, a UE may provide assistance data that allows a comparison of RSRP measured on RS in different beams. A max antenna gain offset GO.sub.XY for each beam Y relative a selected reference beam X may be signaled. The gain offset can be defined as GO.sub.XY = G.sub.Y - Gx, with G.sub.X and G.sub.Y being the max antenna gain used for beam X and Y, respectively. The signal strength difference dRSRP.sub.xy can then be calculated as dRSRP.sub.xy = (RSRP(RS.sub.Y,T.sub.1) - GO.sub.XY) - RSRP(RS.sub.x,T.sub.0) and compared to a set of RSRP thresholds for determining if the TA should be invalidated or not.
wherein the indication information indicates that the time synchronization information meets the preset condition.
[0072] Alternatively, to support inter-beam mobility without invalidating the TA, a UE may provide assistance data that allows a comparison of RSRP measured on RS in different beams. A max antenna gain offset GO.sub.XY for each beam Y relative a selected reference beam X may be signaled. The gain offset can be defined as GO.sub.XY = G.sub.Y - Gx, with G.sub.X and G.sub.Y being the max antenna gain used for beam X and Y, respectively. The signal strength difference dRSRP.sub.xy can then be calculated as dRSRP.sub.xy = (RSRP(RS.sub.Y,T.sub.1) - GO.sub.XY) - RSRP(RS.sub.x,T.sub.0) and compared to a set of RSRP thresholds for determining if the TA should be invalidated or not.
Note: The assistance data is being interpreted as the indication, where the preset condition is being interpreted here as the comparison of RSRP on the different beams which determines if the TA value can be sustained, similar to Applicant’s specification paragraph [0009].
Liberg does not disclose sending, by the terminal device, indication information to an access network device when the time synchronization information meets a preset condition.
However, Pan discloses sending, by the terminal device, indication information to an access network device when the time synchronization information meets a preset condition.
[0103] FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 of exemplary multiple beam based SYNC and PBCH signals. The example shown in FIG. 6 makes use of both a method where the WTRU sends an ACK when energy is detected above a predetermined threshold for particular beams and where the WTRU sends the ACK when it both detects the SYNC signal and finishes initial synchronization. For example, if two thresholds (A.sub.1>A.sub.2) are used for the WTRU to detect the gNB SYNC signals, and a WTRU's auto-correlated SYNC signal is above the threshold A.sub.2 but below the threshold A.sub.1, then it may be considered to be partially synchronized. If the WTRU's auto-correlated SYNC signal is above the threshold A.sub.1, then it may be considered to be fully synchronized. For partial synchronization, the WTRU may send a pre-synchronization ACK to the gNB. For full synchronization, the WTRU may send a post-synchronization ACK to the gNB. It may also be possible to use multiple levels of pre-synchronization ACKs, each corresponding to a different level of threshold below A.sub.1. The multiple levels of pre-synchronization ACK may trigger different responses from the gNB.
Note: The preset condition here is the variance between thresholds where the signal is either partially or fully synchronized.
Liberg and Pan are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg to include the concept of sending indication information to an access network device if the time synchronization information meets a preset condition as taught by Pan so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 21,
Liberg discloses: An apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising: determining time synchronization information based on a time synchronization value of a first beam and a time synchronization value of a second beam, wherein the first beam is a current serving beam, and the second beam is a candidate beam or a previous serving beam
Note: The TA values represent the time synchronization values of the different beams, of which some can have similar TA values (“TA Z” per Figure 7) or different values (“TA X and TA Y”).
[0071] FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating SSB beams and their associated TA values. In some cases, certain RS and beams are associated with a similar TA value as illustrated in FIG. 7 for SSB beams 3 and 4. As an exception to the second group of embodiments, the base station may grant a UE permission to perform inter-beam mobility across beams that are determined to be associated with a similar TA range, without invalidating the configured TA. The RS and beams associated with a similar TA may be signaled as part of the configured grant for RRC inactive mode transmission.
[0072] Alternatively, to support inter-beam mobility without invalidating the TA, a UE may provide assistance data that allows a comparison of RSRP measured on RS in different beams. A max antenna gain offset GO.sub.XY for each beam Y relative a selected reference beam X may be signaled. The gain offset can be defined as GO.sub.XY = G.sub.Y - Gx, with G.sub.X and G.sub.Y being the max antenna gain used for beam X and Y, respectively. The signal strength difference dRSRP.sub.xy can then be calculated as dRSRP.sub.xy = (RSRP(RS.sub.Y,T.sub.1) - GO.sub.XY) - RSRP(RS.sub.x,T.sub.0) and compared to a set of RSRP thresholds for determining if the TA should be invalidated or not.
wherein the indication information indicates that the time synchronization information meets the preset condition.
[0072] Alternatively, to support inter-beam mobility without invalidating the TA, a UE may provide assistance data that allows a comparison of RSRP measured on RS in different beams. A max antenna gain offset GO.sub.XY for each beam Y relative a selected reference beam X may be signaled. The gain offset can be defined as GO.sub.XY = G.sub.Y - Gx, with G.sub.X and G.sub.Y being the max antenna gain used for beam X and Y, respectively. The signal strength difference dRSRP.sub.xy can then be calculated as dRSRP.sub.xy = (RSRP(RS.sub.Y,T.sub.1) - GO.sub.XY) - RSRP(RS.sub.x,T.sub.0) and compared to a set of RSRP thresholds for determining if the TA should be invalidated or not.
Note: The assistance data is being interpreted as the indication, where the preset condition is being interpreted here as the comparison of RSRP on the different beams which determines if the TA value can be sustained, similar to Applicant’s specification paragraph [0009].
Liberg does not disclose sending indication information to an access network device when the time synchronization information meets a preset condition.
However, Pan discloses sending indication information to an access network device when the time synchronization information meets a preset condition.
[0103] FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 of exemplary multiple beam based SYNC and PBCH signals. The example shown in FIG. 6 makes use of both a method where the WTRU sends an ACK when energy is detected above a predetermined threshold for particular beams and where the WTRU sends the ACK when it both detects the SYNC signal and finishes initial synchronization. For example, if two thresholds (A.sub.1>A.sub.2) are used for the WTRU to detect the gNB SYNC signals, and a WTRU's auto-correlated SYNC signal is above the threshold A.sub.2 but below the threshold A.sub.1, then it may be considered to be partially synchronized. If the WTRU's auto-correlated SYNC signal is above the threshold A.sub.1, then it may be considered to be fully synchronized. For partial synchronization, the WTRU may send a pre-synchronization ACK to the gNB. For full synchronization, the WTRU may send a post-synchronization ACK to the gNB. It may also be possible to use multiple levels of pre-synchronization ACKs, each corresponding to a different level of threshold below A.sub.1. The multiple levels of pre-synchronization ACK may trigger different responses from the gNB.
Note: The preset condition here is the variance between thresholds where the signal is either partially or fully synchronized.
Liberg and Pan are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg to include the concept of sending indication information to an access network device if the time synchronization information meets a preset condition as taught by Pan so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, held further in view of Svendsen et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0271818), herein referred to as “Svendsen”.
Regarding Claim 2,
Liberg in view of Pan does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 2.
However, Svendsen discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the second beam is the candidate beam, and the method further comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that the time synchronization value of the second beam meets the preset condition if the second beam is a beam with highest reference signal received power (RSRP) or a highest signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) in a candidate beam set.
[0053] As noted, a beam identifier may identify a beam (e.g., CSI-RS beam or SSB beam). For example, the beam identifier may include a beam index, or a time stamp identifying a time when the user equipment received a best beam (e.g., received a beam having a highest RSRP, for example). The UE can receive one or more SSB (synchronization signal block beam) sweeps from the gNB and the UE may select the beam with the best or highest RSRP for time synchronization using the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the secondary Synchronization Signals SSS, which is part of the SSB message.
Note: Figure 3 of this reference has multiple beams, of which there are serving and candidate beams.
Liberg in view of Pan and Svendsen are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan to include the concept of a time synchronization value of a beam meets the preset condition if the beam has the highest RSRP as taught by Svendsen so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 3,
Liberg in view of Pan does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 3.
However, Svendsen discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the second beam is the candidate beam, and the method further comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that the time synchronization value of the first beam meets the preset condition if the first beam is a beam with highest reference signal received power (RSRP) or a highest signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) in a beam set.
[0053] As noted, a beam identifier may identify a beam (e.g., CSI-RS beam or SSB beam). For example, the beam identifier may include a beam index, or a time stamp identifying a time when the user equipment received a best beam (e.g., received a beam having a highest RSRP, for example). The UE can receive one or more SSB (synchronization signal block beam) sweeps from the gNB and the UE may select the beam with the best or highest RSRP for time synchronization using the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the secondary Synchronization Signals SSS, which is part of the SSB message.
Note: Figure 3 of this reference has multiple beams, of which there are serving and candidate beams.
Liberg in view of Pan and Svendsen are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan to include the concept of a time synchronization value of a beam meets the preset condition if the beam has the highest RSRP as taught by Svendsen so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claim 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, held further in view of Nam et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2019/0260447), herein referred to as “Nam”.
Regarding Claim 4,
Liberg in view of Pan does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 4.
However, Nam discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein before the determining, by the terminal device, the time synchronization information, the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource preconfigured by the access network device, wherein the TRS resource comprises a plurality of reference signals corresponding to a plurality of beams.
[0088] The base station 205 may perform an RRC procedure (e.g., cell acquisition procedure, random access procedure, RRC connection procedure, RRC configuration procedure) with the UE 215. The base station 205 may be configured with multiple antennas, which may be used for directional or beamformed transmissions. In some examples, the RRC procedure may include a beam sweep procedure. As part of the RRC procedure, the base station 205 and the UE 215 may establish a bi-directional communication link 220 for communication (e.g., uplink and/or downlink communication). In some cases, the UE 215 may be time-synchronized with the base station 205. UE 215 and base station 205 may be capable of receiving periodic TRS or CSI-RS, or both, during a slot, a TTI, a shortened-TTI (s-TTI), a subframe, or a frame, etc.
Liberg in view of Pan and Nam are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan to include the concept of a TRS resource as taught by Nam so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan and Nam, held further in view of Svendsen..
Regarding Claim 5,
Liberg in view of Pan and Nam does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 5.
However, Svendsen discloses: The method of claim 4, wherein the sending, by the terminal device, the indication information to the access network device comprises: sending, by the terminal device, the indication information to the access network device if a time synchronization value of at least one of the plurality of beams corresponding to the plurality of reference signals meets the preset condition, wherein the indication information comprises a reference signal index corresponding to the at least one beam.
[0053] As noted, a beam identifier may identify a beam (e.g., CSI-RS beam or SSB beam). For example, the beam identifier may include a beam index, or a time stamp identifying a time when the user equipment received a best beam (e.g., received a beam having a highest RSRP, for example). The UE can receive one or more SSB (synchronization signal block beam) sweeps from the gNB and the UE may select the beam with the best or highest RSRP for time synchronization using the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the secondary Synchronization Signals SSS, which is part of the SSB message.
Liberg in view of Pan, Nam, and Svendsen are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan and Nam to include the concept of a signal/beam index as taught by Svendsen so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 6,
Liberg in view of Pan and Nam does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 6.
However, Svendsen discloses: The method of claim 5, wherein the reference signal index comprises a reportConfig identifier (ID) of at least one reference signal or an ID of the at least one reference signal.
[0053] As noted, a beam identifier may identify a beam (e.g., CSI-RS beam or SSB beam). For example, the beam identifier may include a beam index, or a time stamp identifying a time when the user equipment received a best beam (e.g., received a beam having a highest RSRP, for example). The UE can receive one or more SSB (synchronization signal block beam) sweeps from the gNB and the UE may select the beam with the best or highest RSRP for time synchronization using the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and the secondary Synchronization Signals SSS, which is part of the SSB message.
Liberg in view of Pan, Nam, and Svendsen are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan and Nam to include the concept of a signal identifier as taught by Svendsen so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claim 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, and Nam, held further in view of Kim et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2024/0206000), herein referred to as “Kim”.
Regarding Claim 7,
Liberg in view of Pan and Nam does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 7.
However, Kim discloses: The method of claim 4, wherein the sending, by the terminal device, the indication information to the access network device comprises:
sending, by the terminal device, the indication information to the access network device if a difference between time synchronization values of two of the plurality of beams corresponding to the plurality of reference signals meets the preset condition, wherein the indication information comprises identifiers of the two beams or the difference between the time synchronization values.
[0126] When the DL-RS # received by the terminal is a TRS, CSI-RS, and/or DM-RS, time synchronization and/or frequency synchronization may not be accurate. The reason is that the DL-RS # transmitted by different TRPs undergo different fading. In order to supplement the above problem, the terminal may receive the SS/PBCH block #, and may measure an RSRP (e.g., SS-RSRP) and/or SINR (e.g., SS-SINR) based on the SS/PBCH block #. Alternatively, the terminal may receive different DL-RSs from different TRPs, acquire time synchronization and/or frequency synchronization in consideration of fading of each of the different TRPs, and then receive the DL-RS #.
[0127] The terminal may derive an RSRP (e.g., SS-RSRP), SINR (e.g., SS-SINR), and/or CSI by measuring the DL-RS #, and may report a measurement result to the TRP (e.g., TRP set). The TRP set may receive the RSRP (e.g., SS-RSRP), SINR (e.g., SS-SINR), and/or CSI from the terminal, and may adjust the time synchronization and/or frequency synchronization between the terminal and each TRP so that an MCS derived based on the RSRP (e.g., SS-RSRP), SINR (e.g., SS-SINR), and/or CSI becomes higher. The TRP set may use other metrics as well as the RSRP (e.g., SS-RSRP) and/or SINR (e.g., SS-SINR). For example, the TRP (e.g., TRP set) may use an Rx-Tx time difference, a reference signal time difference or received signal time difference (RSTD), and/or a TA. Since the Rx-Tx time difference, RSTD, and/or TA may be used to estimate a propagation delay, the TRP may pre-compensate for a time offset in the radio link between the TRP and the terminal. The TRP may pre-compensate for a frequency offset in consideration of a Doppler effect in the radio link between the TRP and the terminal.
Liberg in view of Pan, Nam, and Kim are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan and Nam to include the concept of difference of time synchronization values as taught by Kim so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claims 13 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2021/0022168), herein referred to as “Zhou”, in view of Lei et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0182949), herein referred to as “Lei.”
Regarding Claim 13,
Zhou discloses: A beam time synchronization method, comprising:
receiving, by a terminal device, configuration information sent by an access network device, wherein the configuration information comprises an association relationship between transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state information and
[0065] In 5G networks, control information (for uplink and/or downlink) may be conveyed in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (i.e., in a MAC header) of a physical channel packet (i.e., a data packet or physical channel signal). For example, a UE 115 may transmit a MAC-CE in a PUCCH or a PUSCH, and a base station may transmit a MAC-CE in a PDCCH or a PDSCH, i.e., in headers thereof. Additionally, MAC-CEs can be transmitted in a payload of a physical channel packet. Examples of control information include information for carrier aggregation and cross carrier repetition, such as a component carrier (CC) identified (ID, CC ID). Examples of MAC-CEs include a Buffer Status Report type MAC-CE, a C-RNTI type MAC-CE, a UE Contention Resolution Identity type MAC-CE, a Timing Advance Command type MAC-CE, a DRX Command type MAC-CE, a Long DRX Command type MAC-CE, a Configured Grant Confirmation type MAC-CE, a Single Entry PHR type MAC-CE, a Multiple Entry PHR type MAC-CE, a SCell Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a Duplication Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP CSI-RS/CSI-IM Resource Set Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, an Aperiodic CSI Trigger State Subselection type MAC-CE, a TCI States Activation/Deactivation for UE-specific PDSCH type MAC-CE, a TCI State Indication for UE-specific PDCCH type MAC-CE, a SP CSI reporting on PUCCH Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP SRS Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a PUCCH spatial relation Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP ZP CSI-RS Resource Set Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, and a Recommended bit rate type MAC-CE.
Note: The PDDCH/MAC-CE transmitted to the base station is the “configuration information.” The timing information in the uplink transmission signal is the association relationship between control information and timing advance.
Zhou does not disclose: timing advances (TAs) of at least two time synchronization values.
However, Lei discloses: timing advances (TAs) of at least two time synchronization values.
[0103] For PUR based SDT, transmit power control commands (TPC) can be transmitted in a PUR response message. In this case, the UE may apply CLPC for subsequent SDT, for example, based on a TPC in the PUR response message. In some cases, the PUR response message can be mapped to PDCCH, or to both the PDCCH and PDSCH. In some cases, the TPC can be multiplexed with a timing advance command and/or with a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state (if any).
Zhou in view of Lei are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhou to include the concept of two time synchronization values as taught by Lei so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 16,
Zhou discloses: The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the association relationship is carried in medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling.
[0065] In 5G networks, control information (for uplink and/or downlink) may be conveyed in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (i.e., in a MAC header) of a physical channel packet (i.e., a data packet or physical channel signal). For example, a UE 115 may transmit a MAC-CE in a PUCCH or a PUSCH, and a base station may transmit a MAC-CE in a PDCCH or a PDSCH, i.e., in headers thereof. Additionally, MAC-CEs can be transmitted in a payload of a physical channel packet. Examples of control information include information for carrier aggregation and cross carrier repetition, such as a component carrier (CC) identified (ID, CC ID). Examples of MAC-CEs include a Buffer Status Report type MAC-CE, a C-RNTI type MAC-CE, a UE Contention Resolution Identity type MAC-CE, a Timing Advance Command type MAC-CE, a DRX Command type MAC-CE, a Long DRX Command type MAC-CE, a Configured Grant Confirmation type MAC-CE, a Single Entry PHR type MAC-CE, a Multiple Entry PHR type MAC-CE, a SCell Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a Duplication Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP CSI-RS/CSI-IM Resource Set Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, an Aperiodic CSI Trigger State Subselection type MAC-CE, a TCI States Activation/Deactivation for UE-specific PDSCH type MAC-CE, a TCI State Indication for UE-specific PDCCH type MAC-CE, a SP CSI reporting on PUCCH Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP SRS Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a PUCCH spatial relation Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, a SP ZP CSI-RS Resource Set Activation/Deactivation type MAC-CE, and a Recommended bit rate type MAC-CE.
Note: The PDDCH/MAC-CE transmitted to the base station is the “configuration information.” The timing information in the uplink transmission signal is the association relationship between control information and timing advance.
Claims 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou in view of Lei, held further in view Zhang et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0330192), herein referred to as “Zhang”. This reference is the U.S.-based counterpart to the WIPO reference (WO 2021093217) provided in the information disclosure statement dated December 2, 2024.
Regarding Claim 14,
Zhou in view of Lei does not explicitly disclose all the limitations of Claim 14.
However, Zhang discloses: The method of claim 13, the method further comprising:
determining, by the terminal device, a TA adjustment value corresponding to the TCI state information; and determining, by the terminal device, a new TA based on the TA adjustment value and the correspondence.
[0030] The beam and TA relationship determiner 220 in this example may determine a first set of beam indications and a second set of timing advance command (TAC) values, e.g. based on a command or signaling from a BS. Each beam indication in the first set is associated with a respective TAC value in the second set. In one embodiment, each beam indication comprises at least one of: a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set; a spatial relation information (SRI); a quasi co location (QCL) state; a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state. In one example, the beam group comprises a group of beams that are transmitted to different transmission/reception points (TRPs) in a same serving cell. In another example, the beam group comprises a group of beams that are transmitted in different serving cells.
[0092] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary uplink transmission conflict 900 caused by TA modification, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. When a UE receives TA information from a base station and applies it to the subsequent adjustment of the transmission TA of the uplink signal, it may overlap with the former adjacent uplink signal without TA adjustment in the time domain, causing the uplink signal collision. As shown in FIG. 9, slot n 911 starts from a timing alignment baseline 901 in time domain. Before the TA modification, slot n 911, slot n+1 912 . . . slot n+k 913 are not overlapping. After the TA modification, slots starting from slot n+1 922 have an updated or adjusted TA, while slot n 921 still uses the old TA or unadjusted TA. As a result, the two adjacent slots, slot n 921 and slot n+1 922, have an overlapping slot portion 930 due to the TA adjustment 940, which causes a potential uplink transmission conflict. In addition, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 uses TA adjustment during timing synchronization. Compared with the uplink signal of time slot n 921, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 has better anti-interference ability and transmission quality due to the TA adjustment. Due to misalignment of uplink timing, the uplink signal of time slot n 921 may not be effectively decoded and used by the base station. As such, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 should be completely reserved for transmission.
Note: Since there is a relationship between the TCI and TA as noted in paragraph [0030], paragraph [0092]/Figure 9 is demonstrating a new TA value based one the adjustment (before and after).
Zhou in view of Lei and Zhang are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhou in view of Lei to include the concept of determining a TA adjustment value and a new TA based on the adjustment as taught by Zhang so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 15,
Zhou in view of Lei does not explicitly disclose all the limitations of Claim 15.
However, Zhang discloses: The method of claim 14, wherein the determining, by the terminal device, the new TA based on the TA adjustment value and the correspondence comprises: determining, by the terminal device, that a sum of the TA adjustment value and an original TA value is a value of the new TA.
[0092] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary uplink transmission conflict 900 caused by TA modification, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. When a UE receives TA information from a base station and applies it to the subsequent adjustment of the transmission TA of the uplink signal, it may overlap with the former adjacent uplink signal without TA adjustment in the time domain, causing the uplink signal collision. As shown in FIG. 9, slot n 911 starts from a timing alignment baseline 901 in time domain. Before the TA modification, slot n 911, slot n+1 912 . . . slot n+k 913 are not overlapping. After the TA modification, slots starting from slot n+1 922 have an updated or adjusted TA, while slot n 921 still uses the old TA or unadjusted TA. As a result, the two adjacent slots, slot n 921 and slot n+1 922, have an overlapping slot portion 930 due to the TA adjustment 940, which causes a potential uplink transmission conflict. In addition, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 uses TA adjustment during timing synchronization. Compared with the uplink signal of time slot n 921, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 has better anti-interference ability and transmission quality due to the TA adjustment. Due to misalignment of uplink timing, the uplink signal of time slot n 921 may not be effectively decoded and used by the base station. As such, the uplink signal of slot n+1 922 should be completely reserved for transmission.
Note: The “sum” can be interpreted as the combination of the old/unadjusted TA and the adjusted TA (element 930).
Zhou in view of Lei and Zhang are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Zhou in view of Lei to include the concept of a sum of a TA adjustment as taught by Zhang so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Claims 17 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, held further in view of Hsieh et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0271899), herein referred to as “Hsieh”.
Regarding Claim 17,
Liberg in view of Pan does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 17.
However, Hsieh discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein one or more reference signals of the first beam corresponds to a first tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, the indication information further indicates the access network device to configure a new TRS resource and the method further comprises:
receiving, by the terminal device from the access network device in response to the indication information, second indication information indicating a second TRS resource as the new TRS resource[0061] In some other techniques, the base station 702 may transmit a one-time, aperiodic TRS burst to assist the periodic synchronization signal blocks and the periodic TRSs. The properties of the aperiodic TRS burst may include one or more of: number of consecutive slots in the aperiodic TRS burst, the bandwidth (e.g., number of RBs) of the aperiodic TRS burst, a subcarrier spacing between two TRS resource elements (e.g., a transmission comb size) in an OFDM symbol; an OFDM symbol spacing between two TRS symbols in a slot. Those properties may be the same as or different from the properties of the periodic TRSs 742. Further, the assisted (aperiodic) TRS burst does not need to be triggered if one periodic TRS burst occurrence on the SCell 720 is close to the SCell activation command on the PCell 710.
Note: The first and second TRS resources are periodic and aperiodic, respectively. The burst is the indication.
performing, by the terminal device, joint processing on a plurality of TRS resources on a same time domain orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, the plurality of TRS resources including the first TRS resource and the second TRS resource.
[0061] In some other techniques, the base station 702 may transmit a one-time, aperiodic TRS burst to assist the periodic synchronization signal blocks and the periodic TRSs. The properties of the aperiodic TRS burst may include one or more of: number of consecutive slots in the aperiodic TRS burst, the bandwidth (e.g., number of RBs) of the aperiodic TRS burst, a subcarrier spacing between two TRS resource elements (e.g., a transmission comb size) in an OFDM symbol; an OFDM symbol spacing between two TRS symbols in a slot. Those properties may be the same as or different from the properties of the periodic TRSs 742. Further, the assisted (aperiodic) TRS burst does not need to be triggered if one periodic TRS burst occurrence on the SCell 720 is close to the SCell activation command on the PCell 710.
Note: These operations are performed by the UE (see Figure 7).
Liberg in view of Pan and Hsieh are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan to include the concepts of two different TRS resource sets and process on the same OFDM slot as taught by Hsieh so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 22,
Claim 22 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 17.
Claims 18 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan and Hsieh, held further in view of Haghighat et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/02710899), herein referred to as “Haghighat”.
Regarding Claim 18,
Liberg in view of Pan and Hsieh does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 18.
However, Haghighat discloses: The method of claim 17, wherein the indication information further includes an identifier (ID) of the first TRS resource or a first TRS resource set including the first TRS resource, the second TRS resource is derived based on a preset offset value and the ID of the first TRS Resource or the first TRS resource set.
[0182] In some embodiments, a WTRU may be configured with aperiodic TRS, periodic TRS and associations between the aperiodic TRS and the periodic TRS via RRC signaling. The association may be based on a TRS resource set ID and/or a QCL type. For example, a periodic TRS resource set configuration may comprise an associated aperiodic TRS resource set ID. One or more QCL types, for example, one or more of QCL type-A, QCL type-B, QCL type-C, QCL type-D, etc., of an aperiodic TRS may comprise an associated periodic TRS resource set ID.
Liberg in view of Pan, Hsieh, and Haghighat are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan and Hsieh to include the concept of having an identifier of the TRS set as taught by Haghighat so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 23,
Claim 23 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 18.
Claims 19 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, Hsieh, and Haghighat, held further in view of Zhang et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0376855), herein referred to as “Zhang II”.
Regarding Claim 19,
Liberg in view of Pan, Hsieh, and Haghighat does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 19.
However, Zhang II discloses: The method of claim 18, wherein the first TRS resource is a periodic TRS resource and the second TRS resource is a non-periodic TRS resource.
[0035] In some embodiments UE 135 uses one or more aperiodic TRS 495 without periodic TRSs (not shown) to measure a Doppler offset. In some embodiments, UE 135 uses one or more aperiodic TRS 495g-495l with periodic TRSs to measure a Doppler offset (e.g., include Doppler offset measurements based on a periodic TRS to determine an average Doppler offset.)
Liberg in view of Pan, Hsieh, Haghighat, and Zhang II are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan, Hsieh, and Haghighat to include the concept of having both periodic and aperiodic TRS resources as taught by Zhang II so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 24,
Claim 24 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 19.
Claims 20 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Liberg in view of Pan, held further in view of Reial et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2020/0053673), herein referred to as “Reial”.
Regarding Claim 20,
Liberg in view of Pan does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 20.
However, Reial discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the time synchronization information comprises a difference between the time synchronization value of the first beam and the time synchronization value of the second beam, the preset condition comprises that the difference exceeds a threshold, and the indication information indicates that the difference exceeds the threshold and the time synchronization value of the second beam.
[0054] In such a system, various MRS measurement and reporting strategies may be employed. In an LTE-like setup, the UE may be continuously monitoring the received sample stream for the presence of MRS. When some event criterion is fulfilled, e.g. any MRS is detected with signal quality exceeding a threshold, the UE would report the received beam ID and signal quality to the network. The reports would be used for mobility decisions and for building an ANR database at AN or beam resolution level. In an alternative 5G-style setup as described in WO 2016/045695 A1, the network triggers MRS measurements by transmitting a measurement command via control signaling, e.g. when degrading serving link quality or another reason for initiating mobility measurements is identified. The measurement command may contain reporting instructions and, in some embodiments, an explicit list of MRS to measure. The serving and/or other candidate ANs reserve UL resources for receiving measurement reports in the UL.
[0063] Consider candidate CSI-RS signals that a UE is to measure and that are T/F-aligned with the UE's current T/F references. The current T/F references may be achieved by tight network synchronisation, by relying on the SSB (PSS/SSS) from the same TRP, generally an SSB that is QCL with the CSI-RS, or any other assumption. In this disclosure, the expression “preliminary time and/or frequency synchronisation assumption” means some information about time synchronisation, frequency synchronisation, or time and frequency synchronisation. When the T/F alignment is fairly precise, CSI-RS can be efficiently measured by the UE in the F-domain. However, if the candidate CSI-RS are received non-negligibly T/F misaligned, e.g. with a time offset by more than the CP length, measurement quality starts to deteriorate. At larger T/F offsets, it may become impossible to even detect the CSI-RS signals for beam management or AMM measurements. Such misalignment may occur when the candidate NW nodes are not tightly synchronized and/or large propagation path length differences exist between different candidate beam signals.
Liberg in view of Pan and Reial are considered to be analogous because they pertain to wireless communications. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Liberg in view of Pan to include the concept of time synchronization of beam exceeding a threshold as taught by Reial so as to promote effective beam synchronization within the network.
Regarding Claim 25,
Claim 25 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 20.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s response filed on April 28, 2025 is acknowledged.
The following claims were amended: 1.
The following claims have been canceled: 8.
The following claims are new: 17-25.
Foreign priority is now perfected.
Claims 1-7, and 13-25 are pending.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims 1, 13, and 21 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
As for the arguments pertaining to Jung, Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims 1 and 21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
In response to applicant's argument that Pan is nonanalogous art, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor' s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992). In this case, the previous Office Action asserted that the preset condition here is the variance between thresholds where the signal is either partially or fully synchronized. A signal can be broadly interpreted as a beam, and a synchronization variance can be interpreted as time synchronization.
As for claim 13, Applicant again is attacking the references individually. One cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Further, many terms are broad, to which the Examiner uses broadest reasonable interpretation for the claim language. The Examiner suggests further defining the key terms in the claim set.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSE P. SAMLUK whose telephone number is (571)270-5607. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/JESSE P. SAMLUK/Examiner, Art Unit 2411
/DERRICK W FERRIS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2411
