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
Acknowledgment is made of the information disclosure statement filed on March 25, 2026, and April 27, 2026. U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, and non-patent literature documents have been considered.
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 1-2, 9, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2021/0105780) in view of Takeda et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2023/0136589), herein referred to as “Takeda”.
Regarding Claim 1,
Jin discloses: A method comprising: receiving, by a wireless device, one or more
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
[0330] For example, the TCI state such as 2b-25 is configured for each BWP configuration included in the serving cell 1, and this configuration exists in the PDSCH-Config. Similarly, for serving cell 2 and serving cell 3, TCI states such as 2b-30 and 2b-35 may be configured for each BWP configuration, respectively. In addition, for the serving cell and the BWP to which the same beam configuration is applied, information indicating this may be added.
receiving
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
[0330] For example, the TCI state such as 2b-25 is configured for each BWP configuration included in the serving cell 1, and this configuration exists in the PDSCH-Config. Similarly, for serving cell 2 and serving cell 3, TCI states such as 2b-30 and 2b-35 may be configured for each BWP configuration, respectively. In addition, for the serving cell and the BWP to which the same beam configuration is applied, information indicating this may be added.
Note: The TCI state index is visualized in the RRC configuration operation (Figure 2b, elements 2b-25, 2b-30, and 2b-35). Additionally, they are also located in PDSCH-Config.
a resource set index indicating one or more reference signals; and
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15.
Note: The CSI-RS resource contains one or more reference signals, as Figure 2A (part of this reference) displays the CSI-RS resource set.
receiving, via a first active downlink BWP of the SCell and based on the first TCI state, the one or more reference signals (CSI-RS)
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
Note: As there are a plurality of serving cells herein, one can be the reference cell and another the SCell.
Jin does not disclose first messages and one or more second messages.
However, Takeda discloses first messages and one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Note: The reference signal here is reference signal 435, and the messages pertaining to that can be L1, L2, or L3 messages, to which the first message can be interpreted as the RRC message and the second message can be the MAC-CE message.
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of first and second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 2,
Jin does not disclose all the limitations of Claim 2.
However, Takeda discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the one or more reference signals comprises determining one or more radio link qualities of the one or more reference signals.
[0090] A receiving device (e.g., a UE 115) may try multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals from the network entity 105, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may try multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of determining radio link qualities second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 9,
Claim 9 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 1.
Jin discloses: A method comprising: sending, by a base station, one or more one or more reference signal configuration parameters for activation of a secondary cell (SCell); and a unified transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state reference parameter indicating a reference bandwidth part (BWP) of a reference cell
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
[0330] For example, the TCI state such as 2b-25 is configured for each BWP configuration included in the serving cell 1, and this configuration exists in the PDSCH-Config. Similarly, for serving cell 2 and serving cell 3, TCI states such as 2b-30 and 2b-35 may be configured for each BWP configuration, respectively. In addition, for the serving cell and the BWP to which the same beam configuration is applied, information indicating this may be added.
sending
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
[0330] For example, the TCI state such as 2b-25 is configured for each BWP configuration included in the serving cell 1, and this configuration exists in the PDSCH-Config. Similarly, for serving cell 2 and serving cell 3, TCI states such as 2b-30 and 2b-35 may be configured for each BWP configuration, respectively. In addition, for the serving cell and the BWP to which the same beam configuration is applied, information indicating this may be added.
Note: The TCI state index is visualized in the RRC configuration operation (Figure 2b, elements 2b-25, 2b-30, and 2b-35). Additionally, they are also located in PDSCH-Config.
a resource set index indicating one or more reference signals; and
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15.
Note: The CSI-RS resource contains one or more reference signals, as Figure 2A (part of this reference) displays the CSI-RS resource set.
sending, via a first active downlink BWP of the SCell and based on the first TCI state, the one or more reference signals
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
Note: As there are a plurality of serving cells herein, one can be the reference cell and another the SCell.
Jin does not disclose first messages and one or more second messages.
However, Takeda discloses first messages and one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Note: The reference signal here is reference signal 435, and the messages pertaining to that can be L1, L2, or L3 messages, to which the first message can be interpreted as the RRC message and the second message can be the MAC-CE message.
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of first and second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 16,
Shehata discloses: A method comprising: receiving, by a wireless device, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state index indicating a TCI state in a reference bandwidth part (BWP) of a reference cell for activation of a secondary cell (SCell); and
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
[0330] For example, the TCI state such as 2b-25 is configured for each BWP configuration included in the serving cell 1, and this configuration exists in the PDSCH-Config. Similarly, for serving cell 2 and serving cell 3, TCI states such as 2b-30 and 2b-35 may be configured for each BWP configuration, respectively. In addition, for the serving cell and the BWP to which the same beam configuration is applied, information indicating this may be added.
Note: The TCI state index is visualized in the RRC configuration operation (Figure 2b, elements 2b-25, 2b-30, and 2b-35). Additionally, they are also located in PDSCH-Config.
a resource set index indicating one or more reference signals;
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15.
Note: The CSI-RS resource contains one or more reference signals, as Figure 2A (part of this reference) displays the CSI-RS resource set.
receiving, via an active downlink BWP of an SCell and based on the TCI state, the one or more reference signals; and
[0328] A UE 2b-20 receives the configuration of the direction of beam (2b-06 to 2a-08, 2b-11 to 2a-13, 2b-16 to 2a-18) through which a CSI-RS resource and a downlink data resource are transmitted to the configured eNB (serving cell) and a plurality of TRPs 2b-05, 2b-10, and 2b-15. The above beam configuration is configured by the RRC for each BWP and for each serving cell, and for a method in which beam activation for the PDSCH is simultaneously applied to a plurality of cells as proposed in this disclosure, configuration specifying a serving cell and a BWP to which the corresponding operation is applied is required.
[0329] 1. RRC configuration operation (2b-25, 2b-30, 2b-35): Operation of configuring a TCI state in PDSCH-Config for each BWP of a plurality of serving cells through RRC configuration (TCI states may be provided as a list in the above configuration, up to 128 TCI states may be configured, and the TCI states may be configured to a higher value).
Note: As there are a plurality of serving cells herein, one can be the reference cell and another the SCell.
Jin does not disclose a message and determining one or more radio link qualities of the one or more reference signals.
However, Takeda discloses first messages and one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Note: The reference signal here is reference signal 435, and the messages pertaining to that can be L1, L2, or L3 messages, to which the first message can be interpreted as the RRC message and the second message can be the MAC-CE message.
Takeda further discloses determining one or more radio link qualities of the one or more reference signals.
[0090] A receiving device (e.g., a UE 115) may try multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals from the network entity 105, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may try multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned in a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of messages and determining radio link qualities as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Claims 3-5, 11-13, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in view of Takeda. Held further in view of Shehata et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2024/0022982), herein referred to as “Shehata”.
Regarding Claim 3,
Jin in view of Takeda does not fully disclose the limitations of Claim 3.
However, Shehata discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the SCell is deactivated before the receiving the
[0104] In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may support techniques for performing handover procedures for PCells using L2 signaling. In particular, the wireless communications system 100 may support different L2 message structures (e.g., MAC-CE message structures) that enable the respective L2/MAC-CE messages to activate and deactivate PCells, SCells, or both, to enable handover procedures to be performed via L2 signaling.
[0105] For example, a UE 115 of the wireless communications system 100 may receive an L2 message (e.g., MAC-CE) that includes a bitmap corresponding to multiple serving cells, where values of the bitmap (e.g., 0s or 1s) indicate which serving cells are activated and which are deactivated. In this example, the L2 message may also include some indication as to whether each activated serving cell is activated as a PCell or an SCell. For example, the L2 message may include a TRS ID octet for each activated serving cell, where each TRS ID includes a bit field that indicates whether the respective serving cell is to be activated as a PCell or an SCell. As such, the L2 message may signal for the UE 115 to deactivate the current PCell and to activate a new PCell in order to perform a handover procedure between the respective PCells.
Note: Here, as L2 messaging is being used, the bitmap indicates if the SCell is deactivated before it reaches the UE (refer to Figure 2).
Jin in view of Takeda and Shehata 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concept of SCell deactivation before receiving a reference signal parameter as taught by Shehata so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Takeda further discloses one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of first and second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 4,
Jin in view of Takeda does not fully disclose the limitations of Claim 4.
However, Shehata discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the
[0128] The L2 message format 300 may include a bitmap 305 including a set of bit fields (C.sub.n bit fields) corresponding to a set of serving cells that may be activated/deactivated at a UE 115. In this regard, the bitmap 305 includes bit fields corresponding to 31 different serving cells (e.g., C.sub.1-C.sub.31). The bitmap 305 may span a set of octets of the L2 message format 300 (e.g., Octets 1-5). Octets 1-4 of the L2 message format 300 may be referred to as “Step 1” when activating and deactivating respective serving cells with serving cell ID i between 1 and 31.
[0129] In some aspects, the C.sub.n bit fields of the bitmap 305 may include binary bits, where a bit field value of “0” refers to a deactivated serving cell index, and a bit field value of “1” refers to an activated serving cell index. For example, the C.sub.1 bit field may correspond to a first serving cell, and the C.sub.2 bit field may correspond to a second serving cell. In this example, if C.sub.1=1 and C.sub.2=0, this may indicate that the first serving cell is (or is expected to be) activated, where the second serving cell is (or is expected to be) deactivated. As such, different values of the bit fields within the bitmap 305 may be used to activate and deactivate different serving cells at the UE 115.
and a second field comprising an SCell activation reference signal configuration index indicating the first reference signal configuration parameter.
[0124] The UE 115-a may communicate with the second serving cell 205-b as a PCell or an SCell, as indicated by the L2 control signaling 220. In particular, the UE 115-a may communicate with the second serving cell 205-b in accordance with a set of parameters (e.g., SCellActivationRS-Config, PCellActivationRS-Config) indicated by the L3 control signaling 215 and/or the L2 control signaling 220.
[0129] In some aspects, the C.sub.n bit fields of the bitmap 305 may include binary bits, where a bit field value of “0” refers to a deactivated serving cell index, and a bit field value of “1” refers to an activated serving cell index. For example, the C.sub.1 bit field may correspond to a first serving cell, and the C.sub.2 bit field may correspond to a second serving cell. In this example, if C.sub.1=1 and C.sub.2=0, this may indicate that the first serving cell is (or is expected to be) activated, where the second serving cell is (or is expected to be) deactivated. As such, different values of the bit fields within the bitmap 305 may be used to activate and deactivate different serving cells at the UE 115.
Note: Since there are two fields that demarcate when a cell is active or not, the L2 communications provides the parameters in question (paragraph [124]) which correspond to the bitmap values present in paragraph [0129].
Jin in view of Takeda and Shehata 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concept of SCell data fields as taught by Shehata so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Jin does not disclose one or more second messages.
However, Takeda discloses one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of first and second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 5,
Jin in view of Takeda does not fully disclose the limitations of Claim 5.
However, Shehata discloses: The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more reference signals comprise one or more aperiodic channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs).
[0167] The UE 115-b may be configured to transmit measurement reports periodically, aperiodically, dynamically, or any combination thereof. For example, in some cases, the UE 11-b may receive an indication of a set of resources usable by the UE 115-b for transmitting measurement reports in accordance with an indicated periodicity. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 115-b may transmit the measurement report in response to a request or other trigger received from the first serving cell 805-a. Moreover, in other cases, the UE 115-b may transmit the measurement report when certain conditions are met, such as when the UE 115-b identifies another serving cell 805 that exhibits a threshold quality or performance of wireless communications.
Jin in view of Takeda and Shehata 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concept of aperiodic CSI-RSs by Shehata so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 11,
Claim 11 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 3.
Regarding Claim 12,
Claim 12 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 4.
Regarding Claim 13,
Claim 13 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 5.
Regarding Claim 17,
Claim 17 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 5.
Claims 6, 10, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in view of Takeda, held further in view of Yuan et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2024/0275458), herein referred to as “Yuan”.
Regarding Claim 6,
Jin in view of Takeda does not explicitly disclose all the limitations of Claim 6.
However, Yuan discloses: The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a CSI report comprising one or more radio link qualities of the one or more reference signals.
[0085] FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating a beam switch procedure. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a UE 602 may transmit a CSI report 601 to the base station 604. For monitoring active link performances, the UE 602 may perform measurements of at least one signal, e.g., reference signals, of one or more beams. The measurements may include deriving a metric similar to a Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) for the signal, or RSRP strength or block error rate (BLER) of a reference control channel, e.g., based on an RRC configuration. The reference signal may comprise any of CSI-RS, Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), a synchronization signal, or other reference signals for time and/or frequency tracking, etc. In some cases, the UE may determine a configured metric such as block error rate (BLER) for a reference signal for the one or more beams. The measurement(s) may indicate the UE's ability to exchange communication with the base station 604 using the beam. In some aspects, the measurements may indicate that a current beam has a lower quality than a different beam. The UE 602 may indicate the new beam to the base station 604. For example, the CSI report 601 may include a field representing a UE preferred that is different than a current beam. For example, the field representing the UE preferred beam may be a beam index. Based on the CSI report 601, the UE 602 and the base station 604 may perform beam switching, for downlink channels 605 and uplink channels 607. In some aspects, the base station 604 may also generate and transmit a beam indication 603. In some other aspects, the base station 604 may not transmit a beam indication 603. The beam switch performed for the downlink channels 605 and the uplink channels 607 may be independent of the beam indication 603.
Jin in view of Takeda and Yuan 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concept of sending a CSI report that contains radio link qualities of the reference signals as taught by Yuan so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 10,
Claim 10 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 6.
Regarding Claim 18,
Claim 18 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 6.
Claims 7, 14, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in view of Takeda, held further in view of Li et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2025/0193916), herein referred to as “Li”.
Regarding Claim 7,
Jin in view of Takeda does not explicitly disclose all the limitations of Claim 7.
However, Li discloses: The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, based on the first TCI state, a spatial domain receiving filter corresponding to the one or more reference signals, wherein the receiving the one or more reference signals comprises using the spatial domain receiving filter.
[0092] In further aspects, this disclosure provides for a RAN node or gNB 802 to indicate to a UE 804 a set of one or more TCI-state IDs that are associated with the configured CSI-RS resource set. That is, recall that above it was described that the RAN node or gNB 802 may indicate to the UE which Rx spatial filters to utilize by sending static, semi-static, or dynamic signaling to indicate a set of TCI-state IDs that are associated with a set of Rx spatial filters. As an extension of this concept, those indicated TCI-state IDs may be associated with a portion of the CSI-RS resource set. Thus, the UE can also treat these indicated TCI-state IDs as an indication of which RSRPs or SINRs the CSI report 822 should carry.
[0093] In some examples, where the UE reports the RSRPs or SINRs for every CSI-RS resource within the configured CSI-RS resource set, the gNB 802 may not need to indicate any particular CSI-RS/TCI-state IDs as gNB order commands. That is, when the UE reports for every spatial Rx filter, the gNB 802 may omit any signaling indicating a subset of Rx spatial filters to report.
Jin in view of Takeda and Li 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concept of determining a spatial domain receiving filter based on the TCI state as taught by Li so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 14,
Claim 14 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 7.
Regarding Claim 19,
Claim 19 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 7.
Claims 8, 15, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in view of Takeda, held further in view of Zhou et. al. (U.S. Pat. Pub. 2022/0104302), herein referred to as “Zhou”.
Regarding Claim 8,
Jin in view of Takeda does not explicitly disclose all the limitations of Claim 8.
However, Zhou discloses: The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, based on the
[0086] Accordingly, a UE may be configured for a carrier (e.g., an individual CC, bandwidth part (BWP), and the like) associated with Pcell/Pscell/Scell that is configured with the first CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=0) and a second CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=1). The first CORESET pool index value may be associated with the first TRP 704a of Pcell/Pscell/Scell and the second CORESET pool index value may be associated with the second TRP 704b of Pcell/Pscell/Scell. Each TRP 704 may transmit one or more BFD reference signals that are associated with their respective value of CORESET pool index. This may include two sets of BFD reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) being configured, with each set corresponding to a different value of CORESET pool index. In another example this may include each reference signal (e.g., each resource within failureDetectionResources) being configured with a CORESET pool index value. If the resource is not configured with a CORESET pool index value, it may be considered associated with CORESET pool index value 0 (e.g., the first CORESET pool index value). Additionally, a resource may be configured with both values of CORESET pool indices. When the reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) are not configured, the reference signal sets indicated in the active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states of CORESETS configured with CORESET pool index value=0/1 (e.g., either CORESET pool index value) may determine the first/second set of resources, respectively. BFD for a value of CORESET pool index may be declared when the radio link quality is worse than Qout for all the reference signals and the BFD resources that are associated with that CORESET pool index value.
Note: “failureDetectionResources” is being broadly interpreted as the reference signal applied over the different CORESET pool indexes as stated above.
a second TCI state index indicating a second TCI state in the reference BWP of the reference cell; and
[0086] Accordingly, a UE may be configured for a carrier (e.g., an individual CC, bandwidth part (BWP), and the like) associated with Pcell/Pscell/Scell that is configured with the first CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=0) and a second CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=1). The first CORESET pool index value may be associated with the first TRP 704a of Pcell/Pscell/Scell and the second CORESET pool index value may be associated with the second TRP 704b of Pcell/Pscell/Scell. Each TRP 704 may transmit one or more BFD reference signals that are associated with their respective value of CORESET pool index. This may include two sets of BFD reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) being configured, with each set corresponding to a different value of CORESET pool index. In another example this may include each reference signal (e.g., each resource within failureDetectionResources) being configured with a CORESET pool index value. If the resource is not configured with a CORESET pool index value, it may be considered associated with CORESET pool index value 0 (e.g., the first CORESET pool index value). Additionally, a resource may be configured with both values of CORESET pool indices. When the reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) are not configured, the reference signal sets indicated in the active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states of CORESETS configured with CORESET pool index value=0/1 (e.g., either CORESET pool index value) may determine the first/second set of resources, respectively. BFD for a value of CORESET pool index may be declared when the radio link quality is worse than Qout for all the reference signals and the BFD resources that are associated with that CORESET pool index value.
Note: The “second TCI state index” is also configured with a CORESET pool index value, thereby having a second TCI state index if the CORESET index is 1.
a second resource set index indicating one or more second reference signals; and
[0086] Accordingly, a UE may be configured for a carrier (e.g., an individual CC, bandwidth part (BWP), and the like) associated with Pcell/Pscell/Scell that is configured with the first CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=0) and a second CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=1). The first CORESET pool index value may be associated with the first TRP 704a of Pcell/Pscell/Scell and the second CORESET pool index value may be associated with the second TRP 704b of Pcell/Pscell/Scell. Each TRP 704 may transmit one or more BFD reference signals that are associated with their respective value of CORESET pool index. This may include two sets of BFD reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) being configured, with each set corresponding to a different value of CORESET pool index. In another example this may include each reference signal (e.g., each resource within failureDetectionResources) being configured with a CORESET pool index value. If the resource is not configured with a CORESET pool index value, it may be considered associated with CORESET pool index value 0 (e.g., the first CORESET pool index value). Additionally, a resource may be configured with both values of CORESET pool indices. When the reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) are not configured, the reference signal sets indicated in the active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states of CORESETS configured with CORESET pool index value=0/1 (e.g., either CORESET pool index value) may determine the first/second set of resources, respectively. BFD for a value of CORESET pool index may be declared when the radio link quality is worse than Qout for all the reference signals and the BFD resources that are associated with that CORESET pool index value.
Note: Since the BFD resources are also tied into a CORESET pool index value, then this would also be indexed along with the CORESET pool index value.
receiving, via the first active downlink BWP of the SCell and based on the second TCI state, the one or more second reference signals.
[0086] Accordingly, a UE may be configured for a carrier (e.g., an individual CC, bandwidth part (BWP), and the like) associated with Pcell/Pscell/Scell that is configured with the first CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=0) and a second CORESET pool index value (e.g., CORESETPoolIndex=1). The first CORESET pool index value may be associated with the first TRP 704a of Pcell/Pscell/Scell and the second CORESET pool index value may be associated with the second TRP 704b of Pcell/Pscell/Scell. Each TRP 704 may transmit one or more BFD reference signals that are associated with their respective value of CORESET pool index. This may include two sets of BFD reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) being configured, with each set corresponding to a different value of CORESET pool index. In another example this may include each reference signal (e.g., each resource within failureDetectionResources) being configured with a CORESET pool index value. If the resource is not configured with a CORESET pool index value, it may be considered associated with CORESET pool index value 0 (e.g., the first CORESET pool index value). Additionally, a resource may be configured with both values of CORESET pool indices. When the reference signals (e.g., failureDetectionResources) are not configured, the reference signal sets indicated in the active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states of CORESETS configured with CORESET pool index value=0/1 (e.g., either CORESET pool index value) may determine the first/second set of resources, respectively. BFD for a value of CORESET pool index may be declared when the radio link quality is worse than Qout for all the reference signals and the BFD resources that are associated with that CORESET pool index value.
Note: The TRP transmits one or more reference signals associated with the CORESET pool index, which is also associated with a TCI state, which is received at the UE.
Jin in view of Takeda and Zhou 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 Jin in view of Takeda to include the concepts of determining that the BWP of the SCell is associated with different CORESET indexes as well as a TCI index indicating a TCI state in a reference BWP as taught by Zhou so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Jin does not disclose one or more second messages.
However, Takeda discloses one or more second messages.
[0139] In some aspects, a resource(s) and/or other parameters (e.g., structure, component carrier, BWP, TCI state, QCL configuration) for the reference signal 435 on the SCell 410-b may be indicated to the UE 115-c via higher-layer configuration and trigger signaling received via the PCell 410-a. For example, the resource for the reference signal 435 may be indicated via an RRC message 415 (e.g., L3 message), a MAC-CE 420 (e.g., L2 message), a DCI message 430 (e.g., L1 message), or any combination thereof. As noted previously herein, in some cases, the MAC-CE 420 and the RRC message 415 may be received via a same PDSCH message and/or via different PDSCH messages.
Jin and Takeda 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 Jin to include the concept of second messages as taught by Takeda so as to enhance communications in the wireless network.
Regarding Claim 15,
Claim 15 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 8.
Regarding Claim 20,
Claim 20 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 8.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s response filed on April 29, 2026 is acknowledged.
The following claims were amended as part of applicant’s response: 1, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12, and 15.
The are no new claims and no canceled claims.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claims 1 and 9 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.
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
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