DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 11/27/2023 in which claims 1-3, 9-11, and 35-48 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 37, 38, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, and 48 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 37, 38, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, and 48 all depend on cancelled claims and it is unclear which remaining claims they should depend on; hereinafter the above claims will depend on claims 1, and 9 respectively.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 9-11, and 35-48 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rico Alvarino et al. (US20200037383A1).
As to claims 1, 9, 39, and 44, Alvarino teaches a communication method, comprising: ([0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for carrier switching and antenna switching for Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) dual connectivity. [0008] In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication may include memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. [0009] In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may include memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory.)
sending, by a terminal device, a first message to an access network device, wherein the first message comprises a first capability indication, ([0076] As shown by reference number 510, the UE 120 may signal the antenna switching capability and/or the carrier switching capability to a base station 110, as described above in connection with FIG. 4. [0063] As shown by reference number 425, the UE 120 may signal the carrier switching capability to the base station 110. In some aspects, a carrier switching capability of the UE 120 may refer to a capability of the UE 120 to switch from one or more bands to a different band. As shown, the carrier switching capability may indicate an interruption time to at least one of an uplink operation or a downlink operation due to a switch from a source band, of the plurality of bands, to a target band of the plurality of bands.)
the first capability indication indicates that the terminal device causes no uplink transmission interruption in a band that does not involve uplink radio frequency chain switching in an uplink radio frequency chain switching period, and the uplink radio frequency chain switching is supported between a band in which uplink switching is performed in the uplink radio frequency chain switching period and the band that does not involve the uplink radio frequency chain switching. ([0078] In some aspects, the antenna switching capability may indicate whether an antenna switch in one RAT, of the first RAT or the second RAT, affects an operation on the other RAT of the first RAT or the second RAT. For example, the antenna switching capability may indicate whether a switch in LTE affects an operation in NR, and/or whether a switch in NR affects an operation in LTE. [0079] Additionally, or alternatively, as shown, the antenna switching capability may indicate whether an antenna switch in at least one of the first RAT (e.g., an LTE RAT), a first frequency range (FR1) of the second RAT (e.g., a sub-6 GHz frequency range of an NR RAT), or a second frequency range (FR2) of the second RAT (e.g., a millimeter wave frequency range of an NR RAT) affects an operation on another one of the first RAT, the first frequency range, or the second frequency range. In this way, signaling may be simplified as compared to indicating antenna switching effects per band. [0081] In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation and a downlink operation may be signaled jointly (e.g., using 1 bit or 1 field that indicates an interruption to both uplink and downlink or no interruption to either uplink nor downlink). In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation may be signaled separately from an interruption to a downlink operation (e.g., using 2 bits or 2 fields that indicate an interruption or no interruption for the uplink and an interruption or no interruption for the downlink). [0083] In some aspects, the base station 110 may be configured with an indication that antenna switching in NR FR2 does not cause an interruption in LTE and/or NR FR1, and that antenna switching in LTE and/or NR FR1 does not cause an interruption in NR FR2. [0056]; [0066] In some cases, signaling an interruption caused in a source band by a switch from the source band to a target band may not account for interruptions caused in other (e.g., non-source) bands due to the switch (e.g., due to reconfiguring the RF path in the RF architecture). To account for such interruptions in other bands, the carrier switching capability may indicate one or more bands that experience an interruption [0068] In some aspects, the antenna switching capability and/or the carrier switching capability may indicate a switching time and/or an interruption time.)
As to claims 2, 10, 42, and 47, Alvarino teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first message further comprises indication information of at least three bands, and the at least three bands support the uplink radio frequency chain switching. ([ 0055] As shown by reference number 405, a UE 120 may determine a capability of the UE 120 to switch among a plurality of bands. [0056] As shown by reference number 410, the plurality of bands may include at least one band of a first RAT and at least one band of a second RAT. For example, a first band, shown as BX, may be associated with a first RAT, such as an LTE RAT. As another example, a second band, shown as BY, and a third band, shown as BZ may be associated with a second RAT, such as an NR RAT. the plurality of bands may be included in a band combination (e.g., a list of bands or a band list) signaled by the UE 120 to the base station 110, as described in more detail below.)
As to claims 3, 11, 43, and 48, Alvarino teaches the method according to claim 2, wherein the first message further comprises indication information of a first band combination, the first capability indication corresponds to the first band combination, the first band combination is a subset of a set comprising the at least three bands, and the first capability indication indicates that the terminal device causes no uplink transmission interruption in a band in the first band combination in the uplink radio frequency chain switching period when the band in the first band combination does not involve the uplink radio frequency chain switching. ([ 0055] As shown by reference number 405, a UE 120 may determine a capability of the UE 120 to switch among a plurality of bands. [0056] As shown by reference number 410, the plurality of bands may include at least one band of a first RAT and at least one band of a second RAT. For example, a first band, shown as BX, may be associated with a first RAT, such as an LTE RAT. As another example, a second band, shown as BY, and a third band, shown as BZ may be associated with a second RAT, such as an NR RAT. the plurality of bands may be included in a band combination (e.g., a list of bands or a band list) signaled by the UE 120 to the base station 110, as described in more detail below. [0057] For example, a first subset of bands B1-B4 shown in FIG. 3 may be associated with the first RAT, and a second subset of bands B1-B4 shown in FIG. 3 may be associated with the second RAT (and/or one or more frequency ranges of the second RAT). [00058] As shown by reference number 420, the UE 120 may signal the antenna switching capability to the base station 110. In some aspects, an antenna switching capability of the UE 120 may refer to a capability of the UE 120 to switch an antenna for one or more bands. As shown, the antenna switching capability may indicate one or more bands that support antenna switching, one or more bands that are associated with a same switch of the UE 120, one or more bands for which downlink communications are interrupted by a switch in another band, and/or the like. In example 400, for a first band combination (e.g., a first band list), the UE 120 indicates that a first band B1 supports antenna switching (e.g., is capable of switching between antennas, as shown by band B1 in FIG. 3), that a second band B2 switches together with the first band B1 (e.g., when the first band switches to a different antenna, the second band also switches to another antenna, as shown by bands B1 and B2 in FIG. 3), that a third band B3 experiences a downlink interruption by a switch in band B2, that a fourth band B4 does not support antenna switching (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3), and/or the like. These antenna switching capabilities are provided as an example, and other examples are contemplated.)
As to claims 35, 37, 40, and 45, Alvarino teaches the method according to claim 1, wherein the first capability indication is reported by using a bitmap, and each bit in the bitmap corresponds to one band. ([0081] In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation and a downlink operation may be signaled jointly (e.g., using 1 bit or 1 field that indicates an interruption to both uplink and downlink or no interruption to either uplink nor downlink). In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation may be signaled separately from an interruption to a downlink operation (e.g., using 2 bits or 2 fields that indicate an interruption or no interruption for the uplink and an interruption or no interruption for the downlink).)
As to claims 36, 38, 41, and 46, Alvarino teaches the method according to claim 2, a value of a bit corresponding to a first band in the bitmap is 1, it indicates that in the uplink radio frequency chain switching period, if the first band does not involve the uplink radio frequency chain switching, no uplink transmission interruption is caused in the first band. ([0081] In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation and a downlink operation may be signaled jointly (e.g., using 1 bit or 1 field that indicates an interruption to both uplink and downlink or no interruption to either uplink nor downlink). In some aspects, an interruption to an uplink operation may be signaled separately from an interruption to a downlink operation (e.g., using 2 bits or 2 fields that indicate an interruption or no interruption for the uplink and an interruption or no interruption for the downlink).)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELTON S WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9933. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4 Mon-Fri.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gary Mui can be reached at (571) 270-1420. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Elton Williams/Examiner, Art Unit 2465