DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 16-23 and 33-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bai et al. (US Publication 2021/0021316 A1).
In regards to claim 16 and 33, Bai et al. (US Publication 2021/0021316 A1) teaches, a first apparatus (see the UE in figure 2 and figure 7) comprising at least one processor (see processor 72 in figure 7); and at least one memory including computer program code (see memory 71 in figure 7), the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to perform: receiving one or more values for one or more transmission parameters from a second apparatus (see paragraph 91; figure 2, step 201; A base station transmits indication information for indicating transmission of the CQI to UE, and the indication information includes at least a target BLER for measurement feedback, a data repetition transmission frequency, and a measurement resource of CSI; UE is the first apparatus and the base station is the second apparatus), wherein the one or more transmission parameters are used for one or more transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see paragraph 91 step s201; indication information for indicating transmission of the CQI to UE, and the indication information includes at least a target BLER for measurement feedback, a data repetition transmission frequency, and a measurement resource of CSI); determining a target quality based at least on the one or more values for the one or more transmission parameters (see paragraph 21 for the target BLER; implies that the UE determines this); determining feedback information based at least on the determined target quality (see figure 2, step s203 and paragraph 94; The UE determines the CQI according to the target BLER for measurement feedback, the data repetition transmission frequency, and the measurement resource of CSI, and transmits the CQI to the base station); and transmitting the feedback information to the second apparatus (see steps s203 and s204 in figure 2 and paragraphs 94-95; the UE transmits the CQI and the base station receives the CQI).
In regards to claims 17 and 34, Bai teaches, wherein the first apparatus is further caused at least to perform: receiving the one or more transmissions; and estimating a quality of the one or more received transmissions, wherein the feedback information is determined further based at least on the estimated quality (see paragraph 94 and step s203 in figure 2; the UE determines the CQI).
In regards to claims 18 and 35, Bai teaches, wherein the feedback information is useable by the second apparatus to adjust one or more values for one or more further transmission parameters, and wherein the one or more further transmission parameters are used for one or more further transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see figure 4, steps S404-S405 and paragraphs 145-147; determining an SINR according to the CQI transmitted by the UE and the target BLER for measurement feedback, the updated CQI and MCS corresponding to the updated CQI).
In regards to claim 19, Bai teaches, wherein the target quality is achievable by the one or more further transmissions with the so-adjusted one or more values for the one or more further transmission parameters (see figure 4, steps S404-S405 and paragraphs 145-147; determining an SINR according to the CQI transmitted by the UE and the target BLER for measurement feedback, the updated CQI and MCS corresponding to the updated CQI).
In regards to claim 20, Bai teaches, wherein the first apparatus is further caused at least to perform: receiving mapping information, wherein the mapping information provides a mapping between different values of the one or more transmission parameters and different respective target qualities, and wherein the target quality is determined further using the mapping information (see table 2 on page 8 that shows the correspondence between target BLER, the SINR and the CQI).
In regards to claim 21, Bai teaches, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are part of control information used for scheduling the one or more transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see paragraph 12; receiving the explicit signaling transmitted by the base station for correcting the first SINR through radio resource control (RRC) signaling and/or downlink control information (DCI) signaling).
In regards to claim 22, Bai teaches, wherein the determined target quality is one or more of: a target block error rate (see paragraph 24; the target BLER required by the service) a target bit error rate; a target signal to noise ratio; a target signal to interference and noise ratio; a target log-likelihood ratio; a target number of flipped bits; a target number of low-density parity-check code iterations; a target block error probability; a target number of failed parity checks; target mutual information; or a combination of a target block error rate and a number of retransmissions.
In regards to claim 23, Bai teaches, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are one or more of, or relate to one or more of: a hybrid-automatic repeat request processes identifier; a physical layer priority; a number of multiple-input multiple-output layers; a used modulation and coding scheme table; a cell-radio network temporary identifier and/or a modulation and coding scheme-radio network temporary identifier; a downlink control information format; a parameter associated to a physical downlink control channel scheduling a physical downlink shared channel, or a physical downlink control channel aggregation level, or a core set where a physical downlink control channel is detected; one or more transport block sizes; one or more modulation and coding scheme indexes; a number of repetitions; physical downlink shared channel to hybrid automatic repeat request timing; physical downlink shared channel without a corresponding physical downlink control channel or semi-persistent scheduled physical downlink shared channels; a semi-persistent scheduling configuration; one or more physical uplink control channel resources or physical uplink control channel resource sets; one or more quality of service parameters; or any other parameter associated with physical downlink shared channel (see paragraph 97; The data repetition transmission frequency in the embodiments of the present application refers to a repetition frequency when the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is transmitted).
In regards to claim 26, Bai teaches, a second apparatus (the base station in figure 2 and figure 8) comprising at least one processor (see processor 82 in figure 8); and at least one memory including computer program code (see memory 81 in figure 8), the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to perform: transmitting one or more values for one or more transmission parameters to a first apparatus (see paragraph 91; figure 2, step 201; A base station transmits indication information for indicating transmission of the CQI to UE, and the indication information includes at least a target BLER for measurement feedback, a data repetition transmission frequency, and a measurement resource of CSI; UE is the first apparatus and the base station is the second apparatus), wherein the one or more transmission parameters are used for one or more transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see paragraph 91 step s201; indication information for indicating transmission of the CQI to UE, and the indication information includes at least a target BLER for measurement feedback, a data repetition transmission frequency, and a measurement resource of CSI); receiving, from the first apparatus, feedback information determined by the first apparatus based at least on a target quality (see figure 2, step s203 and paragraph 94; The UE determines the CQI according to the target BLER for measurement feedback, the data repetition transmission frequency, and the measurement resource of CSI, and transmits the CQI to the base station), the target quality being determined by the first apparatus based at least on the one or more values for the one or more transmission parameters (see paragraph 21; receiving a CQI transmitted by UE, and the CQI is a CQI determined by the UE according to a target BLER for measurement feedback, a data repetition transmission frequency, and a measurement resource of CSI); and using the feedback information to adjust one or more values for one or more further transmission parameters used for one or more further transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see figure 4, steps S404-S405 and paragraphs 145-147; determining an SINR according to the CQI transmitted by the UE and the target BLER for measurement feedback, the updated CQI and MCS corresponding to the updated CQI).
In regards to claim 27, Bai teaches, wherein the second apparatus is further caused at least to perform: transmitting mapping information to the first apparatus, wherein the mapping information provides a mapping between different values of one or more transmission parameters and respective different target qualities (see table 2 on page 8 that shows the correspondence between target BLER, the SINR and the CQI).
In regards to claim 28, Bai teaches, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are part of control information used for scheduling the one or more transmissions from the second apparatus to the first apparatus (see paragraph 12; receiving the explicit signaling transmitted by the base station for correcting the first SINR through radio resource control (RRC) signaling and/or downlink control information (DCI) signaling).
In regards to claim 29, Bai teaches, wherein the determined target quality is one or more of:a target block error rate (see paragraph 24; the target BLER required by the service), a target bit error rate; a target signal to noise ratio; a target signal to interference and noise ratio; a target log-likelihood ratio; a target number of flipped bits; a target number of low-density parity-check code iterations; a target block error probability; a target number of failed parity checks; target mutual information; or a combination of a target block error rate and a number of retransmissions.
In regards to claim 30, Bai teaches, wherein the one or more transmission parameters are one or more of, or relate to one or more of: a hybrid-automatic repeat request processes identifier; a physical layer priority; a number of multiple-input multiple-output layers; a used modulation and coding scheme table; a cell-radio network temporary identifier and/or a modulation and coding scheme-radio network temporary identifier; a downlink control information format; a parameter associated to a physical downlink control channel scheduling a physical downlink shared channel, a physical downlink control channel aggregation level, or a core set where a physical downlink control channel is detected; one or more transport block sizes; one or more modulation and coding scheme indexes; a number of repetitions; physical downlink shared channel to hybrid automatic repeat request timing; physical downlink shared channel without a corresponding physical downlink control channel or semi-persistent scheduled physical downlink shared channels; a semi-persistent scheduling configuration; one or more physical uplink control channel resources or physical uplink control channel resource sets; one or more quality of service parameters; or any other parameter associated with physical downlink shared channel (see paragraph 97; The data repetition transmission frequency in the embodiments of the present application refers to a repetition frequency when the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is transmitted).
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.
Claim(s) 24-25 and 31-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bai further in view of Papasakellariou (US Publication 2022/0116157 A1).
In regards to claims 24-25 and 31-32, Bai teaches all the limitations of the parent claims as stated above.
However, Bai fails to teach, wherein the one or more values for the one or more further transmission parameters are adjusted based on an offset and wherein the feedback information comprises a delta modulation and coding scheme.
Papasakellariou (US Publication 2022/0116157 A1) teaches, wherein the one or more values for the one or more further transmission parameters are adjusted based on an offset (see paragraph 154; a UE can indicate (such as part of a UE capability signaling) that the UE can determine an MCS offset to an NICS value of a received TB so that a resulting MCS is such that the UE can decode the TB with BLER that is the largest BLER that is smaller than or equal to a predetermine BLER. The UE can also indicate a time the UE requires to make the determination for the MCS offset. For example, the determination of the MCS offset can be based on UE implementation aspects and include parameters such as a SINR associated with a PDSCH reception providing the TB, or on values of log-likelihood metrics for the TB decoding, or on a number of iterations for a LDPC decoder prior to a correct decoding of a TB, or on a number of failed parity checks, and so on) and wherein the feedback information comprises a delta modulation and coding scheme (see paragraph 154; For a TB reception with MCS value corresponding to MCS index I.sub.MCS, the UE can determine an MCS offset value Δ.sub.MCS, (also referred to as differential MCS or delta-MCS); parent provisional 63183270 provides support for differential, delta or offset MCS).
Bai and Papasakellariou both relate to feedback to the base station.
Therefore it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to incorporate the differential MCS as taught by Papasakellariou into the teaching of Bai. The motivation to do so would be to enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of link adaptation by offering up-to-date incremental information that prevents outdated CQI values from causing error prone MCS decisions.
Relevant Prior Art
Prior art Chen et al. (US Patent 10440771 B2) teaches conditional HARQ feedback (see figures 4, 5 and 6).
Prior art Lee et al. (US Publication 2015/0326288 A1) teaches, a throughput based rank selection using a first rank and based at least in part on a first block error rate (BLER) associated with the first rank can be estimated along with a second effective throughput achievable using a second rank and based at least in part on a second BLER associated with the second rank (see figure 2).
Conclusion
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/JAY P PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466