DETAILED ACTION
This communication is response to the amendment filed 02/18/2026. Claims 24-6 are pending and presented for examination.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 24-26 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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 24-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0145998 to Sun et al. (hereafter Sun) in view of US 2022/0053486 to Abedini et al. (hereafter Abedini).
Regarding claim 24, Sun discloses a radio relay device comprising:
a receiver that receives a control element (CE) of Medium Access Control (MAC) or downlink control information (DCI) from a network (see Sun, ¶ 0048: a receiving beam sweeping pattern is defined by RRC signaling (and activated by the MAC CE), a modified TCI field in downlink DCI signals the transmission beam); and
a processor that selects a beam pattern for transmission and reception with a terminal based on the control element or the downlink control information (see Sun, ¶ 0038: This received configuration may be included in a downlink control information (DCI) signal and/or other signals, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The received configuration may include an indication a number of slots to be aggregated, an indication of whether transmission beams and/or receiver beams are to be swept during the aggregated slots, and/or indications of additional details discussed below. During the aggregated slots, the UE 50 sweeps through beams (block 64). For example, if the UE 50 may repeat PUSCH across multiple slots using different beams to determine a best beam to be used for the uplink 54 with the gNB 52. The UE 50 receives an indication of a best beam of the beam sweep from the gNB 52 and selects that best beam (block 66); ¶ 0062: During the sweep, the UE 50 and/or the network selects a best beam combination for communication between the UE 50 and the gNB 52 (block 162). The UE 50 and the gNB 52 then uses corresponding beams for communications),
wherein when the processor selects the beam pattern based on the control element received by the receiver, the receiver receives second control information from the network using the control element after receiving first control information from the network using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (see Sun, ¶ 0038: This received configuration may be included in a downlink control information (DCI) signal and/or other signals, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The received configuration may include an indication a number of slots to be aggregated, an indication of whether transmission beams and/or receiver beams are to be swept during the aggregated slots, and/or indications of additional details discussed below. During the aggregated slots, the UE 50 sweeps through beams (block 64). For example, if the UE 50 may repeat PUSCH across multiple slots using different beams to determine a best beam to be used for the uplink 54 with the gNB 52. The UE 50 receives an indication of a best beam of the beam sweep from the gNB 52 and selects that best beam (block 66); ¶ 0046: a new RRC IE may be added to indicate a bitmap of the transmission beam repetition. A new RRC IE may also be used to configure one or more transmission beam patterns and define a Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to activate and deactivate the transmission beam patterns; ¶ 0048: After a transmission beam sweeping pattern and/or a receiving beam sweeping pattern is defined by RRC signaling (and activated by the MAC CE), a modified TCI field in downlink DCI signals the transmission beam0046: ), and
the processor configures a plurality of beam patterns for transmission and reception with the terminal based on the first control information, and activates or deactivates one or more beam patterns among the plurality of beam patterns based on the second control information (see Sun, ¶ 0046: a new RRC IE may be added to indicate a bitmap of the transmission beam repetition. A new RRC IE may also be used to configure one or more transmission beam patterns and define a Media Access Control Element (MAC CE) to activate and deactivate the transmission beam patterns. The transmission beam pattern for multi-slot PDSCH is a new RRC IE that defines the transmission/receiving beam sweep pattern on each slot. Multiple transmission beam patterns for multi-slot PDSCH can be configured, and one or more pattern may be added, modified or released; ¶ 0047: A single new TCI-State may be contained in the transmission beam pattern and/or multiple new TCI states may also be configured in other RRC signaling and activated/deactivated by MAC CE; ¶ 0048: After a transmission beam sweeping pattern and/or a receiving beam sweeping pattern is defined by RRC signaling (and activated by the MAC CE), a modified TCI field in downlink DCI signals the transmission beam. For example, up to M TCI fields may be defined in the DCI, where M is the number of transmission beams used over the N aggregated slots as configured by higher layer signaling), and
Sun does not explicitly disclose when the processor selects the beam pattern based on the downlink control information received by the receiver, the processor determines whether the downlink control information is addressed to the radio relay device based on a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) scrambling the downlink control information.
However, Abedini discloses a receiver that receives a control element (CE) of Medium Access Control (MAC) or downlink control information (DCI) from a network (see Abedini, ¶ 0047: the scheduled entity (e.g., one or more UE 106) may be a node or device that receives downlink control 114 (e.g., downlink control information), including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., a grant), synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity 108; ¶ 0163: a n RU-specific DCI format, which may be scrambled by an RU-RNTI, may be defined to provide the required configurations. In addition to supporting a dynamic configuration (e.g., a default mode), semi-persistent and periodic configurations may also be supported. Configuration via MAC-CE or RRC (e.g., for semi-persistent/periodic modes) also may be supported); and
when the processor selects the beam pattern based on the downlink control information received by the receiver, the processor determines whether the downlink control information is addressed to the radio relay device based on a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) scrambling the downlink control information (see Abedini, ¶ 0199: if a fronthaul-link TCI state is not present in a DCI, the repeater device may use whatever beam that the MT would use for the DL/UL within the resources available to the repeater device (e.g., within the resources identified in the DCI). In one example, the same beam that is used by the MT to receive a DCI (RU-RNTI) (i.e., a DCI scrambled by an RU-RNTI) may be used for the configured operation of the RU for DL forwarding; ¶ 0229: Correctly validating the CRC according to such a procedure may allow the repeater device to conclude that a DCI having a CRC masked with the RNTI of the repeater device was intended for the repeater device, and not for another repeater device (having a different RNTI). The RNTI may be designated to uniquely identify the repeater device and associate the repeater device with a relay of the control (e.g., control information, control signaling, control messaging) and the traffic (e.g., user data, user signaling) between the base station and between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device. According to some aspects, the RNTI may be designated as a relay unit-RNTI (RU-RNTI)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Abedini and incorporate it into the system of Sun to extend the coverage of a wireless network efficiently (see Abedini, ¶ 0004).
Regarding claim 25, Sun in view of Abedini disclose the radio relay device according to claim 24, but does not explicitly disclose wherein when the processor selects the beam pattern based on the control element, the processor activates or deactivates one or more beam patterns among the plurality of beam patterns based on the second control information after a certain time from reception of the control element.
However, Abedini discloses wherein when the processor selects the beam pattern based on the control element, the processor activates or deactivates one or more beam patterns among the plurality of beam patterns based on the second control information after a certain time from reception of the control element (see Abedini, ¶ 0109: the UE 602 can further identify the downlink transmit beams selected by the base station from the beam measurements. Transmission of the beam measurement report may occur periodically (e.g., as configured via RRC signaling by the gNB), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured via RRC signaling and activated/deactivated via MAC-CE signaling by the gNB), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNB via DCI)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the above teaching as taught by Abedini and incorporate it into the system of Sun to extend the coverage of a wireless network efficiently (see Abedini, ¶ 0004).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2024/0022315 to Kusashima et al. discloses notification means of the beam setting information constituting the beam pattern information includes the RRC signaling (SIB or dedicated RRC signaling), MAC CE, and/or terminal device group common DCI. These notification means may be applied in combination. For example, a set of a plurality of beam patterns may be set in advance by the RRC signaling so that one of the set of the plurality of beam patterns is specified by DCI.
US 12,199,734 to Abedini et al. discloses one or more processors are configured to receive the first control information or the second control information at least in part by receiving a downlink control information (DCI) format, media access control (MAC)-control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) message that indicates the repeater configuration. Similarly, in this example, repeater 204 may receive one beam pattern to use on the access link to UE 104 and/or the fronthaul link towards one or multiple upstream nodes, or may receive multiple beam patterns including a beam pattern for each collocated cell (e.g., per cell identifier, general index, which may be associated with one of the cells, etc.).
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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/RASHEED GIDADO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464
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