DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the amendment filed 30 April 2026. Claims 1-16, 30-31, and 34-35 are pending in this application.
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 Objections
Claims 9-15 are objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
For Claim 9, “the interference information comprises” should be corrected to ---the interference information further comprises---.
For Claim 10, “uplink transmission the frequency information and the downlink reception frequency information” should be corrected to --- the uplink transmission frequency information and the downlink reception frequency information---.
Remaining claims are objected as depending from an objected claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-8, 16, 30, 31, 34, and 35, as understood in light of any rejections under 35 USC 112, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zeng et al. (US 2019/0081657).
For Claims 1 and 34, Zeng teaches a method for controlling interference, performed by a terminal device comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor (see paragraph 56), the method comprising:
transmitting first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates interference information of the terminal device (see abstract, paragraphs 104-107);
wherein the interference information comprises at least one of:
uplink transmission frequency information;
an uplink transmission frequency information combination (see paragraphs 90, 126-127, 130: band combination);
downlink reception frequency information (see paragraph 105); or
an interfering party's radio technical indication and an interfered party's radio technical indication.
For Claim 2, Zang teaches the method, wherein transmitting the first indication information comprises: transmitting the first indication information in response to satisfying a specified transmitting condition (see abstract, paragraphs 99, 108, 110).
For Claim 3, Zeng teaches the method, further comprising: receiving second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates the specified transmitting condition; or determining the specified sending condition according to a protocol (see paragraphs 93, 96, 99: reporting configuration, RRC procedure).
For Claim 4, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the specified transmitting condition comprises at least one of: second indication information indicating that transmitting the first indication information is allowed (see paragraphs 120, 155); a receiver sensitivity being less than or equal to a first threshold value; a receiver sensitivity degradation value being greater than or equal to a second threshold value; a first measurement result being less than or equal to a third threshold value; and a second measurement result being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value (see paragraphs 99, 108, 110: measurement result, threshold).
For Claim 5, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the specified transmitting condition comprises the second indication information indicating that transmitting the first indication information is allowed (see paragraphs 120, 155), and the second indication information comprises at least one of:
whether the terminal device is allowed to report frequency information of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report uplink transmission frequency information of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report an uplink transmission frequency information combination of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report a frequency information combination of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report downlink reception frequency information of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information and the downlink reception frequency information of an interference; whether the terminal device is allowed to report a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information combination and the downlink reception frequency information of the interference; or
whether the terminal device is allowed to report receiver sensitivity information of an interference (see paragraphs 120, 155: allowed to report intermodulation issues; paragraph 116: report receiver sensitivity degradation, receiver sensitivity degradation is an intermodulation issue).
For Claim 6, Zeng teaches the method, further comprising: transmitting third indication information, wherein the third indication information indicates a capability of reporting interference information supported by the terminal device (see paragraphs 10, 12, 97-98).
For Claim 7, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the third indication information comprises at least one of: capability of supporting a reporting of uplink transmission frequency information of the interference; capability of supporting a reporting of an uplink transmission frequency information combination of the interference; capability of supporting a reporting of downlink reception frequency information of the interference; capability of supporting a reporting of a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information and the downlink reception frequency information of the interference; capability of supporting a reporting of a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information combination and the downlink reception frequency information of the interference; capability of supporting a reporting of receiver sensitivity information of the interference; and receiver sensitivity capability information of the terminal device (see paragraph 155).
For Claim 8, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the receiver sensitivity capability information of the terminal device comprises at least one of: a receiver reference sensitivity power level; and a maximum sensitivity degradation value (see paragraphs 149, 151, 153: maximum sensitivity degradation, UE reports MSD value).
For Claims 16 and 35, Zeng teaches a method for controlling interference, performed by a network device comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor (see paragraph 70), the method comprising:
receiving first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates interference information of a terminal device (see abstract, paragraphs 108-110, 112);
wherein the interference information comprises at least one of:
uplink transmission frequency information;
an uplink transmission frequency information combination (see paragraphs 90, 126-127, 130: band combination);
downlink reception frequency information (see paragraph 105); or
an interfering party's radio technical indication and an interfered party's radio technical indication.
For Claim 30, Zeng teaches the method, further comprising: updating frequency information (see paragraphs 113-114) and/or uplink carrier aggregation information corresponding to the terminal device according to the first indication information.
For Claim 31, Zeng teaches the method, wherein updating the frequency information and/or the uplink carrier aggregation information corresponding to the terminal device comprises at least one of:
staggering a transmitting time of an uplink transmission frequency indicated by the first indication information and a receiving time of a downlink reception frequency; invalidating an uplink transmission frequency indicated by the first indication information, or one or more uplink transmission frequencies in an uplink transmission frequency information combination; staggering a transmitting time of all or part of the uplink frequencies in an uplink transmission frequency information combination indicated by the first indication information (see paragraphs 117: use TDM to stagger UL transmissions);
invalidating a downlink reception frequency indicated by the first indication information; or instructing the terminal device to reduce an uplink transmission power.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 9-11 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeng et al. (US 2019/0081657) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kaukovuori et al. (US 2015/0215947).
For Claim 9, Zeng as applied above is not explicit as to, but Kaukovuori teaches the method, wherein the interference information comprises at least one of:
the uplink transmission frequency information and a downlink reception frequency information combination;
a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information and the downlink reception frequency information (see paragraphs 20, 22);
a correspondence between the uplink transmission frequency information combination and the downlink reception frequency information; or
receiver sensitivity information.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to provide information regarding the correspondence between uplink and downlink frequency information as in Kaukofuori when implementing the method of Zeng. The motivation would be to provide for the network side to consider endpoint preferences.
For Claim 10, Zeng further teaches the method, wherein uplink transmission the frequency information and the downlink reception frequency transmission each comprises at least one of: frequency point information; bandwidth information (see paragraphs 126, 127); starting frequency point information; ending frequency point information; starting physical resource block; ending physical resource block; and bandwidth section information (see paragraphs 126, 127).
For Claim 11, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the uplink transmission frequency information comprises: an uplink transmission frequency (see paragraph 130) and/or harmonic signal information of the uplink transmission frequency.
For Claim 13, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the uplink transmission frequency information combination comprises: a plurality of uplink transmission frequencies and/or intermodulation signal information between the plurality of the uplink transmission frequencies (see paragraph 130).
For Claim 14, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the intermodulation signal information between the plurality of the uplink transmission frequencies comprises at least one of: an order of the intermodulation signal (see paragraphs 115-116, 129, 153);
multiple information between individual frequencies in the intermodulation signal; and operational relationship information between individual frequencies in the intermodulation signal.
For Claim 15, Zeng teaches the method, wherein the receiver sensitivity information comprises at least one of: a receiver reference sensitivity power level supported by the terminal device; current sensitivity of a receiver in the terminal device (see paragraph 148);
receiver maximum sensitivity degradation supported by the terminal device; current maximum sensitivity degradation of the receiver in the terminal device; and current sensitivity degradation of the receiver in the terminal device (see paragraph 148-149).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeng et al. (US 2019/0081657) and Kaukovuori et al. (US 2015/0215947) as applied to claims 1, 9, and 11 above, and further in view of Mukherjee et al. (US 2022/0329279).
For Claim 12, the references as applied above are not explicit as to, but Mukherjee teaches the method, wherein the harmonic signal information of the uplink transmission frequency comprises at least one of: multiple of a harmonic signal relative to a fundamental signal; and a frequency range of the harmonic signal (see paragraphs 58, 61).
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to includes the harmonic information as in Mukherjee when implementing the method of Zeng. One of ordinary skill would have been able to do so with the reasonably predictable result of providing the network side with information needed to avoid intra device interference.
Response to Arguments
The amendment filed 30 April 2026 has been entered.
Previous rejections under 35 USC 112 are withdrawn in light of the amendments.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to rejections over prior art have been fully considered, but are either not persuasive or moot in view of the new grounds of rejection introduced herein. The claims remain rejected under 35 USC 102 and 35 USC 103.
With regards to teachings of Zeng, the cited portions of Zeng do teach the UE reporting frequency band combinations that will not have interference (paragraphs 126-127) and also intermodulation interference issues with specific frequency band combination (see paragraph 130). Zeng also teaches reporting interference measurements made on downlink frequencies. This matter clearly corresponds to the claimed indication information indicating the specified interference information.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Takahashi et al. (US 2021/0092662) teaches a system in which a UE provides interference indication of a combination of UL carriers causing interference.
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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/CASSANDRA L DECKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2466 5/8/2026
/FARUK HAMZA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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