DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 08 January 2021.
Claims 1-8 are presented for examination.
Drawings
Figures 13-15 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated in the Background art section. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by CAO US 2020/0136711 A1.
As to claim 1, CAO discloses substantially the invention as claimed, including a communication control method comprising:
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 210/310 including the antenna 213) a transmission step of simultaneously transmitting beam specifying signals (beam scanning S030) including identical beam identifiers from a plurality of antennas to a wireless station (Figures 2, 3, the UE 220/320 including the antenna 223) for each of the beam identifiers by transmission beams associated with the beam identifiers (Figures 9, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]);
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 220/320 including the antenna 213) a reception step of receiving, by each of the plurality of antennas, a report signal (Figure 10, beam state indication in S034, [49], [78]-[79] or in S106, [102]) including a selected beam identifier indicating a beam identifier selected on a basis of reception qualities of the beam specifying signals for the respective beam identifiers in the wireless station (Figures 2, 3, 9-12, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]); and
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 220/320 including the antenna 213) a selection step of selecting an antenna to be used for communication with the wireless station on a basis of reception qualities of the report signal respectively received by the plurality of antennas, and
selecting a transmission beam associated with the selected beam identifier as a transmission beam to be used for communication with the wireless station (Figures 2, 3, 9-12, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]);
As to claim 2, CAO discloses a communication control method comprising:
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 220/320 including the antenna 213) a transmission step of transmitting beam specifying signals (beams scanning in seps S030 or port information in steps S100 and reference signals in step S102, [101]) from a plurality of antennas to a wireless station (Figures 2, 3, the UE 220/320 including the antenna 223) at a transmission timing determined in advance for each of a plurality of transmission beams by sequentially using the plurality of transmission beams (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, and associated paragraphs, [60]-[61]);
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 220/320 including the antenna 213) a reception step of receiving, by each of the plurality of antennas, a report signal (Figure 10, beam state indication in S034, [49] or in S106, [102]) including information based on a beam specifying signal selected on a basis of reception timings and reception qualities of the beam specifying signals for the respective transmission beams in the wireless station (Figures 2, 3, 5, 9-11, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]); and
(Figures 2, 3, 10, 12, the base station 220/320 including the antenna 213) a selection step of selecting an antenna to be used for communication with the wireless station on a basis of reception qualities of the report signal respectively received by the plurality of antennas (Figures 2, 3, 5, 9-11, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]), and
selecting a transmission beam to be used for communication with the wireless station on a basis of the information included in the report signal (Figures 2, 3, 5, 9-11, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]);
As to claim 3, CAO discloses, wherein the information included in the report signal is information indicating an order in which the beam specifying signal selected is received (Figure 10, channel state indication in S106, [102]).
As to claim 4, CAO discloses, wherein the beam specifying signals are transmitted from the plurality of antennas by using unmodulated waves (Figures 2-10 and associated paragraphs).
As to claim 5, CAO discloses, wherein the beam specifying signals are sounding reference signals (Figures 2, 3, 5, 9-11, 14 and associated paragraphs, [95], [119]-[122]);
As to claim 6, CAO discloses a communication control method for a wireless communication system including a first wireless station and a second wireless station (Figures 14, the first UE 0320-1 and the second UE 0320-2),
the communication control method comprising:
a first transmission step in which the first wireless station simultaneously transmits beam specifying signals (beams scanning in step S030) including identical beam identifiers from a plurality of antennas to the second wireless station for each of the beam identifiers by transmission beams associated with the beam identifiers (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]);
a first reception step in which the second wireless station receives the beam specifying signals transmitted from the first wireless station for each of the beam identifiers (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]) ;
a first selection step in which the second wireless station selects a selected beam identifier that is a specific beam identifier from a plurality of the beam identifiers on a basis of reception qualities of the beam specifying signals for the respective beam identifiers (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]);
a second transmission step in which the second wireless station transmits a report signal including the selected beam identifier to the first wireless station (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]);
a second reception step in which the first wireless station receives the report signal by each of the plurality of antennas (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]); and
a second selection step in which the first wireless station selects an antenna to be used for communication with the second wireless station on a basis of reception qualities of the report signal respectively received by the plurality of antennas, and selects a transmission beam associated with the selected beam identifier as a transmission beam to be used for communication with the second wireless station (Figures 2, 3, 5, 10-14 and associated paragraphs, [120]-[122]).
Claim 7 corresponds to the control device claim of the control method claim 1; therefore, it is rejected under the same rationale as in the control method claim 1 shown above.
Claim 8 corresponds to the control device claim of the control method claim 2; therefore, it is rejected under the same rationale as in the control method claim 2 shown above.
The prior art cited in this Office Action is: CAO US 2020/0136711 A1.
Conclusion
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/HAI V NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649