DETAILED ACTION
This communication is in response to the claims filed on 06/12/2026.
Application No: 18/569, 065.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/12/2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the amended claim(s). Applicant has amended all independent claim(s) (and/or submitted new independent claim(s)) with new limitations to overcome prior rejection(s), and that has changed the scope of the invention. Hence new ground of rejection(s) applied.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim state “a firs RS resource set “. Based on the second part of the claim, It may be SRS instead of RS. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 31 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 31 depends on claim 1. Please verify dependency. Based on sequency of the claims, it may be dependent on the claim 30. 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 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-10, 13 , 15, 17-24, 27, 29-33 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KANG et al. (US 20220217654 A1) in view of HoSaiYiu et al. (US 20110292874 A1).
Regarding claim 1, KANG teaches a user equipment (UE) ([0014], e.g. The UE comprises a plurality of panels, and the power information includes power headroom information for the plurality of panels and maximum transmission power information for the plurality of panels. [0004] The present disclosure provides a method of reporting a power headroom value and a maximum transmission power value or a representative maximum transmission power value for each panel and a device thereof), comprising:
memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors ([0014], e.g. The UE comprises one or more transceivers, one or more processors operatively connected to the one or more transceivers, and one or more memories operatively connected to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions performing operations. The operations comprise receiving power report configuration information from a base station, and reporting the power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information) are configured to:
receive a plurality of power headroom report (PHR) configurations ([0008], e.g. The present disclosure provides a method of reporting, by a user equipment (UE), power information in a wireless communication system. The method comprises receiving power report configuration information from a base station, and reporting the power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information, the UE includes a plurality of panels, and the power information includes power headroom information for the plurality of panels and maximum transmission power information for the plurality of panels. [0391] if either the Type 1 power headroom report or the Type 3 power headroom report is determined based on the reference transmission, the UE may perform the power headroom report (e.g., Type 1 or Type 3) determined based on the actual transmission. [0392] In the present disclosure, virtual PH may mean the Type 1 power headroom, the Type 2 power headroom and/or the Type 3 power headroom determined based on reference transmission (i.e. UE performs type 1 or type 3 reporting based on plurality of PHR configuration information)),
wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set ([0355], e.g. With regard to transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) in an activated UL BWP of a carrier f of a serving cell c, the UE may calculate a linear power value of a transmission power determined by Equation 5 below. Then, the UE may equally divide the calculated linear power value for antenna port(s) configured for SRS to control the transmission power. [0357] In Equation 5, q_s denotes an index for an open loop power control parameter (e.g., Po, alpha (a), DL RS resource for path loss (PL) measurements (e.g., PL.sub.b, f, c(q.sub.d), etc.), and may be configured for each SRS resource set (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS)) set).
KANG teaches a method for reporting power information in a wireless communication system and a device therefor. However KANG differs from the claimed invention in not specifically and clearly describing wherein
transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations.
However, in the analogous field of endeavor, HoSaiYiu teaches wherein
transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations ([0073], e.g. Once the PHR is triggered (1206), the UE will send the PHR in the next PUSCH transmission (i.e. transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations). The reported power headroom is calculated over the subframe where the PUSCH is transmitted. As discussed supra, the power headroom is defined as the difference between the configured maximum UE output power (P.sub.CMAX) and the estimated power for PUSCH transmission. [0074] Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff (i.e. Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the system of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG. The motivation to combine references is that the combined method provides power headroom reporting for multicarrier Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. Further, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies (See HoSaiYiu [0006]).
Regarding claim 3, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1. KANG further teaches wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises a plurality of parameters ([0423], e.g. if multiple PHR with value true is configured, for each activated serving cell with configured uplink associated with any MAC entity, the MAC entity obtains the value of the Type 1 or Type 3 power headroom for the corresponding uplink carrier (i.e. each PHR configuration comprises a plurality of type parameters)), and
each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises to0430], e.g. As described above, the UE may send, to the MAC layer, value(s) (e.g., power headroom(s ), i.e. PHR parameters) and/or PCMAX(s)) for the Type 1/2/3 power headroom report at the physical layer of the UE using information preconfigured from the base station (i.e. PHR configurations with different parameters from basestation transmitted), and the MAC layer, as in Table 10 and the above description, may send and/or report, to the base station, value(s) (e.g., power headroom(s) and/or PCMAX(s)) received (i.e., sent) from the physical layer via MAC-CE (e.g., Single Entry PHR MAC CE or Multiple Entry PHR MAC CE). For example, the MAC CE for the corresponding power headroom report may be transmitted and/or reported to the base station through the step S1440 of FIG. 14 described above (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises to
Regarding claim 4, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 3. HoSaiYiu further teaches wherein the plurality of parameters comprises a periodic timer, a prohibit timer, and a power factor change ([0066], e.g. The PHR can be triggered (1206) if any of the following events occur: [0067] (i). a prohibit PHR timer expires or has expired and a DL path loss has changed by more than a threshold for at least one activated component carrier that is used as a DL path loss reference since the last transmission of a PHR when the UE has UL resources for the new transmission; [0068] (ii). a periodic PHR timer expires after a predefined period of time; [0069] (iii). upon configuration or reconfiguration of the power headroom reporting functionality by the RRC layer, which is not used to disable the function (i.e. a power factor change)).
The motivation to combine reference of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG before the effective filing date of the invention is that the new method provides improvement such that the eNB may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNB to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity (See HoSaiYiu [0039]).
Regarding claim 5, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 3. KANG further teaches wherein transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs RS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) ) independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set); and
transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set and independent of the plurality of parameters of the firstSRS resource set ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)).
Regarding claim 6, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1. KANG further teaches wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises a plurality of parameters ([0423], e.g. if multiple PHR with value true is configured, for each activated serving cell with configured uplink associated with any MAC entity, the MAC entity obtains the value of the Type 1 or Type 3 power headroom for the corresponding uplink carrier (i.e. each PHR configuration comprises a plurality of parameters)), and
each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises at least one common value for at least one of the plurality of parameters for all of the plurality of PHR configurations ([0465], e.g. Alternatively, the ‘panel’ called in the present disclosure may be modified and interpreted and/or applied as ‘a plurality of panels (or at least one panel)’ or ‘a panel group’ having similarity/common value from a specific characteristic perspective (e.g., timing advance (TA), power control parameter, etc.) (i.e. one common value for at least one of the plurality of parameters for all of the plurality of PHR configurations)).
Regarding claim 7, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 6. HoSaiYiu further teaches wherein at least one of the plurality of parameters comprises a periodic timer and a prohibit timer ([0066], e.g. The PHR can be triggered (1206) if any of the following events occur: [0067] (i). a prohibit PHR timer expires or has expired and a DL path loss has changed by more than a threshold for at least one activated component carrier that is used as a DL path loss reference since the last transmission of a PHR when the UE has UL resources for the new transmission; [0068] (ii). a periodic PHR timer expires after a predefined period of time).
The motivation to combine reference of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG before the effective filing date of the invention is that the new method provides improvement such that the eNB may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNB to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity (See HoSaiYiu [0039]).
Regarding claim 8, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 6. KANG further teaches wherein transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a first SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) ) independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set; and
based on the plurality of parameters of a second SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)).
Regarding claim 9, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1. KANG further teaches wherein the plurality of PHR configurations are received in a radio resource control (RRC) message ([0288] The UE may be configured with one or more Sounding Reference Symbol (SRS) resource sets, configured by (higher layer parameter) SRS-ResourceSet (through higher layer signaling, RRC signaling, etc.). [0296] First, the UE receives, from the base station, RRC signaling (i.e., SRS-Config IE received at the UE) including a (higher layer parameter) usage parameter configured as a “beam management” (S1310)).
Regarding claim 10, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1. KANG further teaches wherein to transmit the one or more PHRs, the one or more processors are configured to transmit a plurality of PHRs in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE) ([0443], e.g. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH or until the first uplink symbol of PUSCH transmission minus PUSCH preparation time (i.e. transmit a plurality of PHRs in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE))),
the single MAC CE is transmitted in a first uplink transmission occasion for transmitting a transport block ([0443], e.g. The MAC entity determines whether PH value for an activated serving cell is based on real transmission or a reference format by considering the configured grant(s) and downlink control information which has been received until and including the PDCCH occasion for the first UL grant. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH (i.e. the single MAC CE is transmitted in a first uplink transmission occasion)), and
the plurality of PHRs comprise a first actual PHR associated with the first uplink transmission occasion and a second actual PHR associated with a second uplink transmission occasion for repeating transmission of the transport block ([0406], e.g. multiple PHR indicates whether power headroom shall be reported using the Single Entry PHR MAC control element or using Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element defined in the predefined standard (e.g., TS 38.321). True means to use Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element, and False means to use the Single Entry PHR MAC control element. The base station (or network) may configure this field to true for MR-DC and UL CA for NR, and to false in all other cases. [0523-0524] Alternatively, in the above proposed methods, the UL resource group may be interpreted and applied as a set of SRS resources, a set of PUCCH resources, a set of PRACH resources/sequences/occasions that are transmitted on the same panel or mapped to the same panel ID, and so on. If a specific UL signal (e.g., PUSCH) is alternately (repeatedly) transmitted to a plurality of panels, a transmission occasion or order of the signal may be implicitly mapped and applied to each panel. [0655] The information block may include transport blocks (e.g., a UL-SCH transport block, a DL-SCH transport block, etc.). The radio signal may be transmitted on various physical channels (e.g., PUSCH, PDSCH, etc.) (i.e. the plurality of PHRs comprise a first actual PHR associated with the first uplink transmission occasion and a second actual PHR associated with a second uplink transmission occasion for repeating transmission of the transport block)).
Regarding claim 13, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1. KANG further teaches wherein transmit a first actual PHR in a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) in an uplink transmission occasion for transmitting a transport block, the uplink transmission occasion is associated with a first cell ([0443] The MAC entity determines whether PH value for an activated serving cell (i.e. first cell) is based on real transmission or a reference format by considering the configured grant(s) and downlink control information which has been received until and including the PDCCH occasion for the first UL grant. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH ((i.e. transmit a first actual PHR in a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) in an uplink transmission occasion)), and
the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks overlapping in time with the uplink transmission occasion the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks overlapping in time ([0352] e.g. The above-described parameters and/or information for PUCCH power control may be individually (i.e., independently) configured for each BWP. In this case, the parameters and/or information may be configured or indicated via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC-CE, etc.) and/or DCI (i.e. the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks). [0382], e.g. For example, the UE may determine PUSCH transmission power, PUCCH transmission power, SRS transmission power, and/or PRACH transmission power based on the method (e.g., Equation 3, Equation 4, Equation 5, Equation 6, etc.) described in the above 1) to 4). And/or, if two or more uplink channels and/or signals are required to be overlapped and transmitted as in a situation such as carrier aggregation, the UE may determine the transmission power for uplink transmission considering the priority, etc. in the above 5) (I.e. the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks overlapping in time)).
Regarding claim 15, KANG teaches a network entity comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors ([0056], e.g. a base station (BS) means a terminal node of a network directly performing communication with a terminal. In the present disclosure, specific operations described to be performed by the base station may be performed by an upper node of the base station, if necessary or desired. That is, it is obvious that in the network consisting of multiple network nodes including the base station, various operations performed for communication with the terminal can be performed by the base station or network nodes other than the base station. [0333] Specifically, the open-loop power control scheme means a scheme of controlling the transmission power without a feedback from a transmitting device (e.g., the eNB, (I.e. transmitting device with a memory and a processor)) to a receiving device (e.g., UE, etc.) and/or a feedback from the receiving device to the transmitting device.), are configured to:
transmit a plurality of power headroom report (PHR) configurations ([0404], e.g. In order to perform power headroom reporting, PHR-Config that a base station configures to a UE may be configured as in the following Table 10. [0392] In the present disclosure, virtual PH may mean the Type 1 power headroom, the Type 2 power headroom and/or the Type 3 power headroom determined based on reference transmission (i.e. UE performs type 1 or type 3 reporting based on plurality of PHR configuration information received from the base station)),
wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set ([0355] , e.g. With regard to transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) in an activated UL BWP of a carrier f of a serving cell c, the UE may calculate a linear power value of a transmission power determined by Equation 5 below. Then, the UE may equally divide the calculated linear power value for antenna port(s) configured for SRS to control the transmission power. [0357] In Equation 5, q_s denotes an index for an open loop power control parameter (e.g., Po, alpha (a), DL RS resource for path loss (PL) measurements (e.g., PL.sub.b, f, c(q.sub.d), etc.), and may be configured for each SRS resource set (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS)) set).
KANG teaches a method for reporting power information in a wireless communication system and a device therefor. However KANG differs from the claimed invention in not specifically and clearly describing wherein
receive one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations.
However, in the analogous field of endeavor, HoSaiYiu teaches wherein
receive one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations ([0073], e.g. Once the PHR is triggered (1206), the UE will send the PHR in the next PUSCH transmission (i.e. transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations, and receive at base station ). The reported power headroom is calculated over the subframe where the PUSCH is transmitted. As discussed supra, the power headroom is defined as the difference between the configured maximum UE output power (P.sub.CMAX) and the estimated power for PUSCH transmission. [0074] Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff (i.e. Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the system of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG. The motivation to combine references is that the combined method provides power headroom reporting for multicarrier Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. Further, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies (See HoSaiYiu [0006]).
Regarding claim 17, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 15. KANG further teaches wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises a plurality of parameters ([0423], e.g. if multiple PHR with value true is configured, for each activated serving cell with configured uplink associated with any MAC entity, the MAC entity obtains the value of the Type 1 or Type 3 power headroom for the corresponding uplink carrier (i.e. each PHR configuration comprises a plurality of type parameters)), and
each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises to0430], e.g. As described above, the UE may send, to the MAC layer, value(s) (e.g., power headroom(s ), i.e. PHR parameters) and/or PCMAX(s)) for the Type 1/2/3 power headroom report at the physical layer of the UE using information preconfigured from the base station (i.e. PHR configurations with different parameters from basestation transmitted), and the MAC layer, as in Table 10 and the above description, may send and/or report, to the base station, value(s) (e.g., power headroom(s) and/or PCMAX(s)) received (i.e., sent) from the physical layer via MAC-CE (e.g., Single Entry PHR MAC CE or Multiple Entry PHR MAC CE). For example, the MAC CE for the corresponding power headroom report may be transmitted and/or reported to the base station through the step S1440 of FIG. 14 described above (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises to
Regarding claim 18, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 17. HoSaiYiu further teaches wherein the plurality of parameters comprises a periodic timer, a prohibit timer, and a power factor change ([0066], e.g. The PHR can be triggered (1206) if any of the following events occur: [0067] (i). a prohibit PHR timer expires or has expired and a DL path loss has changed by more than a threshold for at least one activated component carrier that is used as a DL path loss reference since the last transmission of a PHR when the UE has UL resources for the new transmission; [0068] (ii). a periodic PHR timer expires after a predefined period of time; [0069] (iii). upon configuration or reconfiguration of the power headroom reporting functionality by the RRC layer, which is not used to disable the function (i.e. a power factor change)).
The motivation to combine reference of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG before the effective filing date of the invention is that the new method provides improvement such that the eNB may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNB to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity (See HoSaiYiu [0039]).
Regarding claim 19, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 17. KANG further teaches wherein a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a first SRS resource set and independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) ) independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set); and
a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set and independent of the plurality of parameters of the first SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)).
Regarding claim 20, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 15. KANG further teaches wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations comprises a plurality of parameters ([0423], e.g. if multiple PHR with value true is configured, for each activated serving cell with configured uplink associated with any MAC entity, the MAC entity obtains the value of the Type 1 or Type 3 power headroom for the corresponding uplink carrier (i.e. each PHR configuration comprises a plurality of parameters)), and
to transmit the plurality of PHR configurations, the one or more processors are configured to0465], e.g. Alternatively, the ‘panel’ called in the present disclosure may be modified and interpreted and/or applied as ‘a plurality of panels (or at least one panel)’ or ‘a panel group’ having similarity/common value from a specific characteristic perspective (e.g., timing advance (TA), power control parameter, etc.) (i.e. one common value for at least one of the plurality of parameters for all of the plurality of PHR configurations)).
Regarding claim 21, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 20. HoSaiYiu further teaches wherein the at least one of the plurality of parameters comprises a periodic timer and a prohibit timer ([0066], e.g. The PHR can be triggered (1206) if any of the following events occur: [0067] (i). a prohibit PHR timer expires or has expired and a DL path loss has changed by more than a threshold for at least one activated component carrier that is used as a DL path loss reference since the last transmission of a PHR when the UE has UL resources for the new transmission; [0068] (ii). a periodic PHR timer expires after a predefined period of time).
The motivation to combine reference of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG before the effective filing date of the invention is that the new method provides improvement such that the eNB may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNB to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity (See HoSaiYiu [0039]).
Regarding claim 22, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 20. KANG further teaches wherein the one or more PHRs comprises a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a first SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) ) independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set; and
based on the plurality of parameters of a second SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)).
Regarding claim 23, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 15. KANG further teaches wherein the plurality of PHR configurations are transmitted in a radio resource control (RRC) message ([0288] The UE may be configured with one or more Sounding Reference Symbol (SRS) resource sets, configured by (higher layer parameter) SRS-ResourceSet (through higher layer signaling, RRC signaling, etc.). [0296] First, the UE receives, from the base station, RRC signaling (i.e., SRS-Config IE transmitted from the Base station) including a (higher layer parameter) usage parameter configured as a “beam management” (S1310)).
Regarding claim 24, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 15. KANG further teaches wherein to receive the one or more PHRs, the one or more processors are configured to receive a plurality of PHRs in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE) ([0443], e.g. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH or until the first uplink symbol of PUSCH transmission minus PUSCH preparation time (i.e. transmit a plurality of PHRs in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE))),
the single MAC CE is received in a first uplink transmission occasion for transmitting a transport block ([0443], e.g. The MAC entity determines whether PH value for an activated serving cell is based on real transmission or a reference format by considering the configured grant(s) and downlink control information which has been received until and including the PDCCH occasion for the first UL grant. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH (i.e. the single MAC CE is transmitted in a first uplink transmission occasion)), and
the plurality of PHRs comprise a first actual PHR associated with the first uplink transmission occasion and a second actual PHR associated with a second uplink transmission occasion for repeating transmission of the transport block ([0406], e.g. multiple PHR indicates whether power headroom shall be reported using the Single Entry PHR MAC control element or using Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element defined in the predefined standard (e.g., TS 38.321). True means to use Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element, and False means to use the Single Entry PHR MAC control element. The base station (or network) may configure this field to true for MR-DC and UL CA for NR, and to false in all other cases. [0523-0524] Alternatively, in the above proposed methods, the UL resource group may be interpreted and applied as a set of SRS resources, a set of PUCCH resources, a set of PRACH resources/sequences/occasions that are transmitted on the same panel or mapped to the same panel ID, and so on. If a specific UL signal (e.g., PUSCH) is alternately (repeatedly) transmitted to a plurality of panels, a transmission occasion or order of the signal may be implicitly mapped and applied to each panel. [0655] The information block may include transport blocks (e.g., a UL-SCH transport block, a DL-SCH transport block, etc.). The radio signal may be transmitted on various physical channels (e.g., PUSCH, PDSCH, etc.) (i.e. the plurality of PHRs comprise a first actual PHR associated with the first uplink transmission occasion and a second actual PHR associated with a second uplink transmission occasion for repeating transmission of the transport block)).
Regarding claim 27, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 15.
KANG further teaches wherein to receive the one or more PHRs, the one or more processors are configured to receive a first actual PHR in a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) in an uplink transmission occasion for transmitting a transport bloc0443] The MAC entity determines whether PH value for an activated serving cell (i.e. first cell) is based on real transmission or a reference format by considering the configured grant(s) and downlink control information which has been received until and including the PDCCH occasion for the first UL grant. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH ((i.e. transmit a first actual PHR in a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) in an uplink transmission occasion)), and
the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks overlapping in time with the uplink transmission occasion ([0352] e.g. The above-described parameters and/or information for PUCCH power control may be individually (i.e., independently) configured for each BWP. In this case, the parameters and/or information may be configured or indicated via higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC-CE, etc.) and/or DCI (i.e. the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks). [0382], e.g. For example, the UE may determine PUSCH transmission power, PUCCH transmission power, SRS transmission power, and/or PRACH transmission power based on the method (e.g., Equation 3, Equation 4, Equation 5, Equation 6, etc.) described in the above 1) to 4). And/or, if two or more uplink channels and/or signals are required to be overlapped and transmitted as in a situation such as carrier aggregation, the UE may determine the transmission power for uplink transmission considering the priority, etc. in the above 5) (I.e. the MAC CE contains PHRs only for transport blocks overlapping in time)).
Regarding claim 29, KANG teaches a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method ([0014], e.g. The UE comprises a plurality of panels, and the power information includes power headroom information for the plurality of panels and maximum transmission power information for the plurality of panels. [0004] The present disclosure provides a method of reporting a power headroom value and a maximum transmission power value or a representative maximum transmission power value for each panel and a device thereof) comprising:
receiving a plurality of power headroom report (PHR) configurations ([0008], e.g. The present disclosure provides a method of reporting, by a user equipment (UE), power information in a wireless communication system. The method comprises:
receiving power report configuration information from a base station, and reporting the power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information, the UE includes a plurality of panels, and the power information includes power headroom information for the plurality of panels and maximum transmission power information for the plurality of panels. [0391] if either the Type 1 power headroom report or the Type 3 power headroom report is determined based on the reference transmission, the UE may perform the power headroom report (e.g., Type 1 or Type 3) determined based on the actual transmission. [0392] In the present disclosure, virtual PH may mean the Type 1 power headroom, the Type 2 power headroom and/or the Type 3 power headroom determined based on reference transmission (i.e. UE performs type 1 or type 3 reporting based on plurality of PHR configuration information)),
wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set ([0355] , e.g. With regard to transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) in an activated UL BWP of a carrier f of a serving cell c, the UE may calculate a linear power value of a transmission power determined by Equation 5 below. Then, the UE may equally divide the calculated linear power value for antenna port(s) configured for SRS to control the transmission power. [0357] In Equation 5, q_s denotes an index for an open loop power control parameter (e.g., Po, alpha (a), DL RS resource for path loss (PL) measurements (e.g., PL.sub.b, f, c(q.sub.d), etc.), and may be configured for each SRS resource set (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS)) set).
KANG teaches a method for reporting power information in a wireless communication system and a device therefor. However KANG differs from the claimed invention in not specifically and clearly describing wherein
transmitting one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations.
However, in the analogous field of endeavor, HoSaiYiu teaches wherein
transmitting one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations ([0073], e.g. Once the PHR is triggered (1206), the UE will send the PHR in the next PUSCH transmission (i.e. transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations). The reported power headroom is calculated over the subframe where the PUSCH is transmitted. As discussed supra, the power headroom is defined as the difference between the configured maximum UE output power (P.sub.CMAX) and the estimated power for PUSCH transmission. [0074] Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff (i.e. Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the system of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG. The motivation to combine references is that the combined method provides power headroom reporting for multicarrier Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. Further, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies (See HoSaiYiu [0006]).
Regarding claim 30, KANG teaches a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) ([0014], e.g. The UE comprises one or more transceivers, one or more processors operatively connected to the one or more transceivers, and one or more memories operatively connected to the one or more processors and configured to store instructions performing operations (i.e. store in a computer readable non-transitory memory storage medium). The operations comprise receiving power report configuration information from a base station, and reporting the power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information. [0021] The present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM) storing one or more commands. The one or more commands executable by one or more processors allow a user equipment (UE) to receive power report configuration information from a base station and report power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information), cause the UE to perform operations comprising:
receiving a plurality of power headroom report (PHR) configurations ([0008], e.g. The present disclosure provides a method of reporting, by a user equipment (UE), power information in a wireless communication system. The method comprises receiving power report configuration information from a base station, and reporting the power information to the base station based on the power report configuration information, the UE includes a plurality of panels, and the power information includes power headroom information for the plurality of panels and maximum transmission power information for the plurality of panels. [0391] if either the Type 1 power headroom report or the Type 3 power headroom report is determined based on the reference transmission, the UE may perform the power headroom report (e.g., Type 1 or Type 3) determined based on the actual transmission. [0392] In the present disclosure, virtual PH may mean the Type 1 power headroom, the Type 2 power headroom and/or the Type 3 power headroom determined based on reference transmission (i.e. UE performs type 1 or type 3 reporting based on plurality of PHR configuration information)),
wherein each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set ([0355], e.g. With regard to transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS) in an activated UL BWP of a carrier f of a serving cell c, the UE may calculate a linear power value of a transmission power determined by Equation 5 below. Then, the UE may equally divide the calculated linear power value for antenna port(s) configured for SRS to control the transmission power. [0357] In Equation 5, q_s denotes an index for an open loop power control parameter (e.g., Po, alpha (a), DL RS resource for path loss (PL) measurements (e.g., PL.sub.b, f, c(q.sub.d), etc.), and may be configured for each SRS resource set (i.e. each PHR configuration of the plurality of PHR configurations is associated with a corresponding sounding reference signal (SRS)) set).
KANG teaches a method for reporting power information in a wireless communication system and a device therefor. However KANG differs from the claimed invention in not specifically and clearly describing wherein
transmitting one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations.
However, in the analogous field of endeavor, HoSaiYiu teaches wherein
transmitting one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations ([0073], e.g. Once the PHR is triggered (1206), the UE will send the PHR in the next PUSCH transmission (i.e. transmit one or more PHRs based on one or more PHR configurations). The reported power headroom is calculated over the subframe where the PUSCH is transmitted. As discussed supra, the power headroom is defined as the difference between the configured maximum UE output power (P.sub.CMAX) and the estimated power for PUSCH transmission. [0074] Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff (i.e. Described infra are different configurations for sending the PHR, each with different complexity and efficiency tradeoff)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to implement the system of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG. The motivation to combine references is that the combined method provides power headroom reporting for multicarrier Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. Further, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies (See HoSaiYiu [0006]).
Regarding claim 31, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 1.
KANG further teaches wherein in the plurality of PHR configurations includes a first PHR configuration associated with a first SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) , and
a second PHR configuration associated with a second SRS resource set, wherein the one or more PHRs includes a first PHR and a second PHR ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)),
wherein, to transmit the one or more PHRs based on the one or more PHR configurations of the plurality of PHR configurations, the one or more processors are configured to:
transmit the first PHR based on the first PHR configuration associated with the first SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. However, unlike LTE, beamformed SRS resource transmission may be supported, and up to two SRS resources may be configured for CB based transmission. Since each SRS resource may be configured with a different spatial relation info, it may be transmitted while being beamformed in a different direction. The base station receiving this may designate one of the two beams to be used when applying the PUSCH as a 1-bit SRS resource ID (SRI) field of DCI (i.e. transmit a first PHR based on the plurality of parameters of a firs SRS resource set) ) independent of the plurality of parameters of a secondSRS resource set); and
transmit the second PHR based on the second PHR configuration associated with the second SRS resource set ([0328], e.g. For example, if a 4 Tx UE is configured with two 4-port SRS resources and each SRS resource is configured with a different spatial relation RS, each SRS resource is beamformed according to each spatial relation RS and is transmitted to 4 ports. The base station selects and indicates one of the two SRS resources as SRI, and at the same time, indicates, as UL DCI, TPMI and TRI together, as MIMO precoding information to be applied to SRS ports, which have been used for the corresponding SRS resource transmission (i.e. transmit a second PHR based on the plurality of parameters of the second SRS resource set)).
Regarding claim 32, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 31.
HoSaiYiu further teaches wherein a common value for a prohibit timer parameter corresponds to the first PHR configuration and the second PHR configuration ([0066], e.g. The PHR can be triggered (1206) if any of the following events occur: [0067] (i). a prohibit PHR timer expires or has expired and a DL path loss has changed by more than a threshold for at least one activated component carrier that is used as a DL path loss reference since the last transmission a PHR when the UE of has UL resources for the new transmission (i.e. a prohibit timer parameter corresponds to the first or second PHR configuration can be set by an ordinary skill in the art)).
The motivation to combine reference of HoSaiYiu within the system of KANG before the effective filing date of the invention is that the new method provides improvement such that the eNB may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the eNB to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity (See HoSaiYiu [0039]).
Regarding claim 33, KANG in view of HoSaiYiu teaches all the limitations of claim 31.
KANG further teaches wherein to transmit the one or more PHRs, the one or more processors are configured to transmit the first PHR and the second PHR in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE) ([0443], e.g. A new transmission is received since a PHR has been triggered if the PHR MAC CE is reported on an uplink grant received on the PDCCH or until the first uplink symbol of PUSCH transmission minus PUSCH preparation time (i.e. transmit a plurality of PHRs in a single media access control (MAC) control element (CE))). [0406], multiple PHR indicates whether power headroom shall be reported using the Single Entry PHR MAC control element or using Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element defined in the predefined standard (e.g., TS 38.321). True means to use Multiple Entry PHR MAC control element, and False means to use the Single Entry PHR MAC control element. The base station (or network) may configure this field to true for MR-DC and UL CA for NR, and to false in all other cases. [0523-0524] Alternatively, in the above proposed methods, the UL resource group may be interpreted and applied as a set of SRS resources, a set of PUCCH resources, a set of PRACH resources/sequences/occasions that are transmitted on the same panel or mapped to the same panel ID, and so on. If a specific UL signal (e.g., PUSCH) is alternately (repeatedly) transmitted to a plurality of panels, a transmission occasion or order of the signal may be implicitly mapped and applied to each panel. [0655] The information block may include transport blocks (e.g., a UL-SCH transport block, a DL-SCH transport block, etc.). The radio signal may be transmitted on various physical channels (e.g., PUSCH, PDSCH, etc.) (i.e. the plurality of PHRs comprise a first actual PHR associated with the first uplink transmission occasion and a second actual PHR associated with a second uplink transmission occasion for repeating transmission of the transport block)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 12, 14 , 25, 26, 28 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable, if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims; and amending claim(s) to overcome any objection(s) and /or rejection(s) set forth in this Office action.
Prior Art Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent
to applicant’s disclosure.
HE; Linhai (US-20200107272-A1) - POWER HEADROOM REPORT PROCEDURE FOR A WIRELESS NETWORK.
KIM; Soeng-Hun (US-20110092217-A1) - POWER HEADROOM REPORTING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
Khoshnevisan; Mostafa (US-11849409-B2) - Techniques for reporting power headroom for multiple uplink shared channel repetitions.
MolavianJazi; Ebrahim (US-20190313348-A1) - POWER HEADROOM REPORT FOR MULTIPLE UPLINK CARRIERS.
Khoshnevisan; Mostafa (US-20200186304-A1) - UPLINK REPORTING TECHNIQUES FOR MULTI TRANSMISSION-RECEPTION POINT TRANSMISSIONS.
YANG, YUBO (WO-2017118415-A1) - Method for indicating power headroom report, involves transmitting power headroom report, and obtaining power control and scheduling information by base station for performing scheduling configuration for current uplink data transmission.
YAO, Ke (WO-2019192538-A1) - POWER HEADROOM REPORT METHOD, TPC COMMAND SENDING METHOD AND APPARATUS, BASE STATION, AND TERMINAL.
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 mailing date of this final action.
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/MAHENDRA R PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2645
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