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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/03/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 21, 27, 33, and 37, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim(s) 21-22, 24, 26-28, 30, 32-34, 36-38, and 40-44, rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. With regard to the amendments to independent claims 21, 27, 33, and 37, the applicant generally alleges that support for the amendments can be found in paragraphs [0261]-[0357]. A brief review of paragraphs [0261 – 0265] describe CSI feedback for SD adaption, but do not describe the newly amended features. The office notes that applicant when amending the claims should point out the paragraphs which correspond to the amended subject matter, and not a wide swath of paragraphs from the specification in order to support timely examination. The claims 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40-44, which each depend from the independent claims are similarity rejected.
Additionally, the, “determining, based on the CSI-RS resource set, a plurality of CSI measurement for the plurality of configurations” is not discussed in the above listed paragraphs.
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.
Claim(s) 21-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37-38, and 41-44 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2026/0051938 A1), which claims priority to provisional 63/484,970 dated February 14, 2023.
Regarding claims 21 and 27, Lee discloses:
a user equipment (UE) (fig.5 element 502) in a communication system (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system), the UE comprising:
a transceiver (fig.5 modem platform element 510); and
a processor (fig.5 element 512) coupled with the transceiver and configured to perform:
a method performed by the user equipment (UE) (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system with a UE as discussed above) in the communication system (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system), the method comprising:
receiving, via higher layer signal (par.[0024] which describes an Radio Resource Control (RRC), which represents higher-layer signaling), a channel state information (CSI) report configuration (par.[0024] which describes the CSI report configuration which is sent via RRC signaling (e.g. a configuration set 111)) and a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) resource set configuration associated with the CSI report configuration (par.[0026] describes the ResourceConfig resource settings, par.[0092] the Report Setting, is associated or corresponds to a Resource Setting (i.e. a one or more Resource Set), par.[0075]),
identifying a CSI-RS resource set based on the CSI-RS resource set configuration (par.[0065] wherein the UE is configured with at least one of LTS-CSI-ReportConfig, CSI-ResourceConfig, and/or LTM-CSI-ResourceConfig, which all comprise a one or more resource sets, used for performing CSI reporting, also par.[0075]) wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of configurations and each of the plurality of configurations indicates a subset of CSI-RS antenna ports for a CSI-RS resource in the CSI-RS resource set (par.[0026] which recites, in part, “a CSI-ReportConfig can contain a list of one or more sub-configurations, where each sub-configuration is identified by CSI report sub-configuration ID and corresponds to a list of one or more CSI-RS resources, corresponds to a CSI-RS antenna port subset, and/or corresponds to a power offset for PDSCH relative to CSI-RS. In some examples, a set of CSI-RS can be associated with an individual sub-configuration.”, par.[0075]);
determining, based on the CSI-RS resource set a plurality of CSI measurements for the plurality of configurations (par.[0075] sub-configurations are associated with antenna port subset, and the ports are associated with the resource set, in the ResourceConfig corresponding to the CSI-ReportConfig);
transmitting, on single physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (par.[0092] describes CSI reporting on the PUCCH) a single CSI report (par.[0092] which recites, in part, “CSI reporting is provided for all the sub-configurations in each corresponding reporting instance”. That is, for each reporting instance the plurality of sub-configurations can be reported in the report corresponding to the CSI-ReportConfig. Also, par.[0094] which recites, in part, “Additionally or alternatively, for a report of N CSI(s) in one SP-CSI report, where each CSI corresponds to one sub-configuration”) corresponding to the CSI report configuration (par.[0092] which describes the CSI-ReportConfig) , wherein the single CSI report includes the plurality of CSI measurements for the plurality of configurations (par.[0092] which recites, in part, “For a Reporting Setting for which the CSI-ReportConfig contains a list of sub-configurations provided by the higher layer parameter [csi-ReportSubConfigList], CSI reporting is provided for all the sub-configurations in each corresponding reporting instance”.).
Regarding claim 22, 28, 34, and 38, Lee discloses:
wherein the CSI-RS resources in the CSI-RS resource set correspond to each of the plurality of configurations (par.[0075] which recites, in part, “the number of ports nrofPorts configured for the CSI-RS resources(s) within the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet contained in the CSI-ResourceConfig for channel measurement that corresponds to the CSI-ReportConfig”).
Regarding claims 33 and 37, Lee discloses:
a base station (fig.5 element 504) in a communication system (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system), the base station comprising:
a transceiver (fig.5 modem platform element 530); and
a processor (fig.5 element 528) coupled with the transceiver and configured to perform:
a method performed by the base station (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system with a base station as discussed above) in the communication system (fig.5 depicts a wireless communications system), the method comprising:
transmitting, via higher layer signal (par.[0024] which describes an Radio Resource Control (RRC), which represents higher-layer signaling), a channel state information (CSI) report configuration (par.[0024] which describes the CSI report configuration which is sent via RRC signaling (e.g. a configuration set 111)) and a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) resource set configuration associated with the CSI report configuration (par.[0026] describes the ResourceConfig resource settings, par.[0092] the Report Setting, is associated or corresponds to a Resource Setting (i.e. a one or more Resource Set), par.[0075]),
wherein the CSI report configuration includes a plurality of configurations and each of the plurality of configurations indicates a subset of CSI-RS antenna ports for a CSI-RS resource in the CSI-RS resource set (par.[0026] which recites, in part, “a CSI-ReportConfig can contain a list of one or more sub-configurations, where each sub-configuration is identified by CSI report sub-configuration ID and corresponds to a list of one or more CSI-RS resources, corresponds to a CSI-RS antenna port subset, and/or corresponds to a power offset for PDSCH relative to CSI-RS. In some examples, a set of CSI-RS can be associated with an individual sub-configuration.”, par.[0075]) based on the CSI-RS resource set configuration (par.[0065] wherein the UE is configured with at least one of LTS-CSI-ReportConfig, CSI-ResourceConfig, and/or LTM-CSI-ResourceConfig, which all comprise a one or more resource sets, used for performing CSI reporting, also par.[0075]);
receiving, on single physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (par.[0092] describes CSI reporting on the PUCCH) a single CSI report (par.[0092] which recites, in part, “CSI reporting is provided for all the sub-configurations in each corresponding reporting instance”. That is, for each reporting instance the plurality of sub-configurations can be reported in the report corresponding to the CSI-ReportConfig. Also, par.[0094] which recites, in part, “Additionally or alternatively, for a report of N CSI(s) in one SP-CSI report, where each CSI corresponds to one sub-configuration”) corresponding to the CSI report configuration (par.[0092] which describes the CSI-ReportConfig with the sub-configurations),
identifying a plurality of CSI measurements for the plurality of configurations (par.[0092] which recites, in part, “For a Reporting Setting for which the CSI-ReportConfig contains a list of sub-configurations provided by the higher layer parameter [csi-ReportSubConfigList], CSI reporting is provided for all the sub-configurations in each corresponding reporting instance”.) in the single CSI report (par.[0092] which recites, in part, “CSI reporting is provided for all the sub-configurations in each corresponding reporting instance”. That is, for each reporting instance the plurality of sub-configurations can be reported in the report corresponding to the CSI-ReportConfig. Also, par.[0094] which recites, in part, “Additionally or alternatively, for a report of N CSI(s) in one SP-CSI report, where each CSI corresponds to one sub-configuration”).
Regarding claims 41, 42, 43, and 44, Lee discloses:
wherein each of the plurality of CSI measurements corresponds to at least one CSI report quantity configured based on a report quantity configuration included in the CSI report configuration (par.[0078] which recites, in part, “The UE 402 reports CSI(s) for one or more sub-configurations according to [TS38214] §§ 5.2.1.5.1, 5.2.1.5.2, 5.2.3 and 5.2.4, and according to the higher layer parameter reportQuantity configured for that CSI-ReportConfig.”).
Claim(s) 24, 30, 36, and 40, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim(s) 21, 27, 33, and 37, in view of Nimbalker et al. (WO 2024/172749 A1).
Regarding claims 24, 30, 36, and 40, the disclosure of Lee teaches the transmission of a reporting configuration comprising a plurality of resource sets to the mobile device as discussed above, but may not disclose:
wherein the first configuration includes power offset configurations for the CSI report associated with the configurations.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Nimbalker teaches:
wherein the first configuration includes power offset configurations for the CSI report associated with the configurations (par.[0028] which recites, in part, “The CSI configuration associates a CSI trigger state with one or more power offset values and a set of one or more NZP-CSI-RS resources.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings Lee with the disclosure of Nimbalker. The motivation/suggestion would have been to facilitate configuring a UE to report CSI assuming the power offset for any of the aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic report.
Claim(s) 26 and 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee as applied to claim(s) 21, 27, 33, and 37, in view of Ibrahim et al. (US 2025/0293741 A1), which claims priority to provisional application dated 04/26/2022.
Regarding claims 26 and 32, the disclosure of Lee discloses the independent claims, but may not disclose:
wherein a number of subsets is associated with a capability of the UE for a CSI processing unit (CPU) associated with the CSI report.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Ibrahim teaches:
wherein a number of subsets is associated with capability of the UE for a CSI processing unit (CPU) associated with the CSI report (par.[0097] which recites, in part, “A CSI processing unit (CPU) may be referred to as a minimum CSI processing unit and a WTRU (e.g., UE) may support one or more CPUs (e.g., N CPUs). A WTRU (e.g., UE) with N CPUs may estimate N CSI feedback calculations in parallel, wherein N may be a WTRU (e.g., UE) capability.”. That is, the UE is configured with CSI CPUs which provide for parallel CSI processing, which is considered a capability of the UE, but also a constraint on the amount of CSI can be processed., par.[0119,0129-0130]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Lee with the disclosure of Ibrahim. The motivation/suggestion would have been to determine the amount of parallel CSI can be processed at the UE.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Hsieh (US 2024/0283508 A1) “Method and Apparatus for Estimating CSI Processing Unit in Mobile Communications”
Par.[0036] which recites, in part, “In some embodiments, the CSI report (re)configuration CSI-ReportConfig may contain a list of sub-configurations associating with one or more antenna port subsets or a list of sub-configurations associating with one or more power offset values.”.
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JAMAAL HENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2411
/JAMAAL HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411
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