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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment to the claims filed on 03/27/2026 complies with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.121(c) and has been entered. Claims 1, 6 , 11, 16 and 20 are amended. Claims 2-3, 7-8, 12-23, and 17-18 are cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's Arguments/Remarks filed 03/27/2026 (hereinafter Resp.) have been fully considered as follows.
Applicant’s main argument is that Abdelghaffar et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0039024 (hereinafter Abdelghaffar) “discloses a set of comb offsets, not a set of comb offset hopping offsets,” citing to [¶0119] and Fig. 5 of Abdelghaffar, when “[t]he plain meaning of ‘comb offset hopping offset’ is an offset for comb offset hopping offset” – See Resp., 8:¶3.
However, the present disclosure does not support the proposed “offset for comb offset hopping offset” definition, i.e., the offset of an offset of “a comb offset hopping” (a second order difference). The Specification discloses “a set of comb offset hopping offsets KTCoffset” i.e., a set of offsets of comb offset hops, whereby, if “
K
T
C
is a parameter in transmissionComb corresponding to the transmission comb,” each offset in the set is an integer smaller than
K
T
C
– See [¶0053]; the offsets could also be equal, i.e., each offset in the set has “a comb offset hopping granularity X” – See id.; see also [¶0054] (“For example,
K
T
C
o
f
f
s
e
t
=
0
,
2
,
3
for
K
T
C
=
4
can be indicated by a bitmap of {1, 0, 1, 1}”). To be sure, there is no disclosure of “an offset for comb offset hopping offset.” The innovative aspect described in the Specification and Drawings, as understood by a person of ordinary skills in the art, is that the offset from the first subcarrier index (“0”) of an OFDM symbol wherein SRS transmission occurs is variable within a well-defined set of offsets rather than being the same in each symbol where the SRS is sent, as in legacy UEs.
Because Abdelghaffar teaches in [¶0112] “the frequency offsets from symbol to symbol for the SRS comb patterns,” i.e., the offset (between adjacent symbols) of the offset (inside the same symbol), Abdelghaffar effectively teaches that “the comb hopping offsets” inside an OFDM symbol are “offset” from the position of their hopping offset in the previous symbol (when the SRS is sent on multiple adjacent symbols), contrary to Applicant’s argument supra that Abdelghaffar only teaches “comb offsets” and not a “set of comb offset hopping offsets”; see also Resp., 9:¶3 (stating that “Abdelghaffar is silent with respect to ‘a number of comb offset hopping offsets.’ The cited paragraph [0112] and FIG. 5 describe comb offsets, not comb offset hopping offsets” when in fact the cited Abdelghaffar paragraph is in accord with Spec.:[¶0053] that “each of the comb offset hopping offsets [e.g., between two adjacent SRS symbols] is an integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to the transmission comb minus 1”). To be sure, when frequency hopping is enabled, the set of “offset
k
offset
l
'
for SRS as a function of
K
TC
” and the number of the OFDM symbol used for the SRS are shown in Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, § 6.4.1, 3GPP TS 38.211 V17.5.0 (2023-06), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.211), referenced by Abdelghaffar:[¶0143], at page 91, which corresponds precisely with the sets disclosed in Abdelghaffar:[¶0112].
Furthermore, Abdelghaffar teaches that resource allocation for the SRS is “based on a transmission time instant of a transmission occasion of an SRS, an initial comb offset, and the first parameter” because Abdelghaffar teaches:
the OFDM symbol as the unit of time for SRS transmissions
an initial comb offset as known in the art (“for a comb size 'N,' SRSs are transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol” giving the example of a comb-4 whereby “for each symbol of the SRS resource configuration, REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit SRS of the SRS resource” – See [¶0111] and Fig. 4, showing the initial offset could be 3, 1, 2, or 0 subcarriers in each OFDM symbol used for SRS comb-4 transmission, in accord with Spec.:[¶0053] supra, Abdelghaffar effectively teaches the possible values for the initial comb offset, contrary to Applicant’s argument that “Abdelghaffar also is silent with respect to the initial comb offset” – Resp.,9:¶2. In addition, Abdelghaffar does not need to explicitly teach the initial comb offset for each standard defined transmission comb (i.e., comb-2, comb-4, or comb-8) because this is knowledge readily available to one of ordinary skills in the art based on the comb size and the common resource grid of 12 subcarriers per OFDM symbol, and 14 OFDM symbols per slot as shown in Fig. 4 of Abdelghaffar; accord Spec.[¶0051](“the initial comb offset
k
T
C
(
p
i
)
of SRS port
p
i
(which is determined by the higher layer parameter transmission Comb)”); see also §6.4.1, 3GPP TS 38.211 defining the initial comb offset at page 87: “The transmission comb offset
k
-
TC
∈
0,1
,
…
,
K
TC
-
1
is contained in the higher-layer parameter transmissionComb in the SRS-Resource IE” and 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.4.0 (2023-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.331) specifying, at page 887 et seq. the SRS-Config Information Element (IE) that “defines a list of SRS-Resources” IEs.
the first parameter within the broadest meaning given to it the Specification, e.g., “the first parameter includes a parameter transmissionComb indicating a transmission comb and a maximum number of cyclic shifts of the SRS resource, an initial comb offset, and an initial cyclic shift of each SRS port associated with the SRS resource. In some examples, the first parameter includes one of a set of comb offset hopping offsets
K
T
C
o
f
f
s
e
t
or a comb offset hopping granularity X” – See [¶0052], whereby Abdelghaffar teaches e.g., a parameter transmissionComb indicating a transmission comb and a maximum number of cyclic shifts of the SRS resource in Table 1, an initial comb offset, as explained supra, an initial cyclic shift of each SRS port associated with the SRS resource (“a network entity may transmit the SRS cyclic shift hopping parameter to a UE . . . enabling SRS cyclic shift hopping, which may reduce inter-UE SRS interference” – See [¶0121] and Table 2 wherein if n_SRS^(CS,hopping) is the initial cyclic shift, the next value in each option in Table 2 is the cyclic shift at time n+1; see also Fig. 8-850, combining frequency hopping with cyclic shifting in a 4 symbols SRS).
Therefore, Applicant’s arguments against Abdelghaffar fail to persuade.
Applicant further argues that the bitmap disclosed in Gao et al, U.S. Patent Application No 2026/0032035 (hereinafter Gao) is not “the bitmap to identify comb offset hopping offsets” – See Resp.,9:¶4 stating that Gao describes “the first comb offset set φp corresponds to an initial
comb offset value of the pth group of ports and a first comb offset bias value set” but “is silent with respect to using a bitmap to indicate first comb offset bias value sets” – See Resp.10:¶1. However, Gao clearly defines “the comb offset steps by using a bitmap” whereby the “quantity
of bits included in the bitmap is KTC and each bit corresponds to one value in an available comb offset step set {0, 1, ... , KTC-1}. A value of a bit in the bitmap being 1 indicates that a step value corresponding to the bit in the available comb offset step set is a comb offset value of the
nP comb offset steps” – See [¶0362] whereby ‘the length nP of the first comb offset set φp is predefined as 2, 4, or 8” – See [¶0361]. There is no substantive difference between this Gao disclosure and Spec:[¶0054] because, as explained supra, the difference in positions, i.e., offsets (steps), in which a comb offset is cycled inside a symbol may differ from the positions/subcarriers in the previous adjacent symbol is comprised in a specific/well-defined set of values depending on the size of the transmission comb and the number of adjacent symbols used to transmit the SRS, e.g., as disclosed in Abdelghaffar:[¶0112]. Therefore, Applicant’s argument against Gao fails to persuade.
In sum, the arguments do not clearly and unequivocally point out the features in the amended claims that could distinguish over the combination of Abdelghaffar and Gao.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 4-6, 9-11, 14-16, and 19-20, as amended, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abdelghaffar et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0039024 (hereinafter Abdelghaffar) in view of Gao et al, U.S. Patent Application No 2026/0032035 (hereinafter Gao) claiming priority from Chinese Patent Application Publication No CN 202310411270 filed April 07, 2023 (WO2024208287).
Regarding Amended Claim 1, Abdelghaffar teaches a wireless communication method (“a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE)” – See [¶0006]) comprising:
receiving, by a wireless communication device from a network device, a first parameter comprising an indication of a set of comb offset hopping offsets (“for comb-4, for each symbol of the SRS resource configuration, REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit SRS of the SRS resource” – See [¶0111] and Fig. 4, wherein, “the frequency offsets from symbol to symbol for the SRS comb patterns that are currently supported” for “4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (as in the example of FIG. 4)” – See [¶0112] i.e., a first parameter comprises a set of possible comb offset hopping offsets between two consecutive symbols of a SRS transmission which is associated with the transmissionComb n4 ; furthermore, “[a]n SRS resource is configured by the RRC information element (IE) ‘SRS-Resource’” comprising the definition of each transmissionComb as a choice of several parameters including the initial value combOffset-n4 which is an indication of the following offsets in the set – See [¶0115] and Fig. 51);
determining, by the wireless communication device, a comb offset for each Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) port associated with an SRS resource based on a transmission time instant of a transmission occasion of an SRS, an initial comb offset, and the first parameter, (“an SRS resource is configured to span multiple OFDM symbols per SRS transmission occasion” where “parameter N_symb^SRS is the number of consecutive OFDM symbols given by the field ‘nrofSymbols’ contained in the higher layer parameter ‘resourceMapping’ and shown in FIG. 5” showing also the startPosition of an OFDM symbol in a slot, i.e., the transmission time instant of a transmission occasion of an SRS2 – See [¶0124]; whereby the choice of transmissionComb and nrofSymbols determines the first parameter and initial comb offset as explained supra, e.g., when transmissionComb n4 and a first combOffset-n4 are chosen “[f]or each SRS port (pi)” whereby “[t]he number of antenna ports is given by the RRC parameter ‘nrofSRS-Ports,’ if configured” and the determining is “based on three RRC parameters (also referred to as ‘higher layer parameters’) defined at the SRS resource level” including “n_SRS^CS (also denoted as "n_SRS'CS’),” i.e., the time point n is the time instant of a transmission occasion of an SRS, be it with cyclic shift or frequency hopping or both, and “the maximum number of cyclic shifts,” or comb offsets “depends on the comb value KTC. The value of KTC is given by the RRC parameter ‘transmissionComb’ and may take of value of . . . 4” – See [¶0115] describing the determination for the SRS cyclic shift (CS) which is identical with the determination of the SRS frequency hopping, as known in the art)
wherein the set of comb offset hopping offsets comprises a number of comb offset hopping offsets, the number is less than or equal to a transmission comb – See [¶0112] (“the frequency offsets from symbol to symbol for the SRS comb patterns that are currently supported” wherein each offset value is less than or equal to a transmission comb or on the comb value KTC) and Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, 3GPP TS 38.211, at page 91 (showing sets of “offset
k
offset
l
'
for SRS as a function of
K
TC
” and the number/index of the OFDM symbol used for the SRS transmission, which is the same information as disclosed in [¶0112]), and
transmitting, by the wireless communication device to the network device, the SRS according to the comb offset (“the UE transmits an SRS on the SRS resource, the SRS configured according to at least the cyclic shift hopping parameter” – See [¶0148] and Fig. 8-850 showing both cyclic shift hopping and frequency hopping for a set of a set of comb offset hopping offsets associated with a comb-4 transmissionComb configuration of a 4 OFDM symbols SRS starting with the initial comb offset value of 3 and continuing in reverse order 1, 2, 0 of the sequence shown in Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, 3GPP TS 38.211, at page 91, because “hopping pattern may be determined based on a table (e.g., defined in the relevant standard) or configured to the UE via RRC (e.g., as part of the SRS configuration)” with two options “cyclic or bit-reversal pattern” – See [¶0123]).
However, Abdelghaffar does not teach wherein the set of comb offset hopping offsets is indicated by a bitmap, a length of the bitmap is equal to a transmission comb.
Gao, like Abdelghaffar, “teaches a communication method and a communication apparatus, to reduce interference and improve performance of sending an SRS” – See [¶0005] and a “comb offset set φp may be configured by a network device or specified in a protocol” – See [¶0011] whereby the “comb offset set φp includes nP comb offsets, the nP comb offsets are in a one-to-one correspondence with the nP comb offset steps, and nP is a positive integer less than KTC,” the comb size – See [¶359], i.e., the nP comb offsets/steps are the same as the offsets Abdelghaffar:[¶0112] and Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, 3GPP TS 38.211 supra. Gao teaches that a “(comb offset, CO) indicates a subcarrier offset value of a comb relative to a reference comb” whereby a “reference comb may be a starting subcarrier of a frequency domain unit, where the frequency domain unit may be one or more RBs, or a frequency domain subband,” e.g., “a reference comb offset corresponding to a subcarrier 0 that corresponds to a common resource block 0 may be defined as 0” – See [¶0318] and also teaches an initial comb offset kTC,start per “group of ports may be indicated by the network device, or may be specified in the protocol” which “may be considered as a starting comb offset or a starting position of an available comb offset area when the pth group of ports performs CO hopping” – See [¶0356].
Gao further teaches the set of comb offset hopping offsets is indicated the by a bitmap, a length of the bitmap is equal to a transmission comb (“the network device may indicate the nP comb offset steps, or the nP comb offset steps may be specified in the protocol,” e.g., “[t]he network device may . . . indicate the comb offset steps by using a bitmap. A quantity of bits included in the bitmap is KTC and each bit corresponds to one value in an available comb offset step set {0, 1, ... , KTC-1}. A value of a bit in the bitmap being 1 indicates that a step value corresponding to the bit in the available comb offset step set is a comb offset value of the nP comb offset steps” – See [¶0362]; in accord with Specification:[¶0054](“
K
T
C
o
f
f
s
e
t
can be indicated by a bitmap of length
K
T
C
. In some examples in which the ith element in the bitmap is 1, the value i – 1 is included in
K
T
C
o
f
f
s
e
t
. In some examples in which the ith element in the bitmap is 0, the value i – 1 is not included in
K
T
C
o
f
f
s
e
t
”).
Thus, Gao and Abdelghaffar, each teaches a method and apparatus for SRS transmissions on resources configured by the network, whereby the configuration contains indication of a comb size and a set of comb offset hopping offsets. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have understood that the bitmap sent by the network to configure the offsets in a comb offset set in steps, as taught by Gao, could have been combined with the receiving of a first parameter comprising an indication of a set of comb offset hopping offsets by RRC, as taught in Gao, because both provide for using standard communication protocols between the network device and the UE/terminal. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the combination through techniques known in the art. Finally, the combination achieves the predictable result of simplifying the determination of the next frequency index/comb offset value at the terminal, as taught in Gao.
Therefore, Amended Claim 1 is obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Claim 4, dependent from Amended Claim 1, Abdelghaffar further teaches the wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein the comb offset kTC hopping,(pi) for a SRS port pi is determined by: kTC hopping,(pi) = (kTC (pi) + kTC offset) mod KTC
wherein kTC (pi) is the initial comb offset of the SRS port pi, KTC is a transmission comb, kTC offset is a comb offset hopping offset belonging to the set of comb offset hopping offsets (when the frequency hopping is enabled and the frequency hopping parameter “b_hop={0, 1, 2, 3} and is determined by the higher layer parameter "freqHopping"” the next frequency position index “is determined based on the selected row of Table 6.4.1.4.3-1 in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.211” – See [¶0143], and § 6.4.1.4.3, 3GPP TS 38.211:86-87 teaches that “for each of the antenna ports of the SRS resource . . . the frequency-domain starting position
k
0
(
p
i
)
is defined by
k
0
(
p
i
)
=
k
-
0
(
p
i
)
+
n
offset
FH
+
n
offset
RPFS
where
k
-
0
p
i
=
n
s
h
i
f
t
N
s
c
R
B
+
k
T
C
p
i
+
k
o
f
f
s
e
t
l
'
m
o
d
K
T
C
"
i
.
e
.
,
1
k
0
(
p
i
)
=
k
T
C
(
p
i
)
+
k
o
f
f
s
e
t
l
'
m
o
d
K
T
C
+
(
n
s
h
i
f
t
N
s
c
R
B
+
n
offset
FH
+
n
offset
RPFS
)
whereby the offset
k
offset
l
'
for SRS is a function of
K
TC
and
l
'
is specified in Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, at page 91, with “[t]he quantity
l
'
∈
0,1
,
…
,
N
symb
SRS
-
1
is the OFDM symbol number within the SRS resource” – See § 6.4.1.4.2, at page 85. Notwithstanding the
n
s
h
i
f
t
N
s
c
R
B
quantity and the two noffset quantities, all of which are all frequerncy subbands offsets, the formula (1) above teaches that the comb offset kTC hopping,(pi) for a SRS port pi is determined by:
kTC hopping,(pi) = (kTC (pi) + kTC offset) mod KTC wherein kTC (pi) is the initial comb offset of the SRS port pi, KTC is a transmission comb, kTC offset is a comb offset hopping offset belonging to the set of comb offset hopping offsets).
Gao teaches that “a CO of a port p may be denoted as kTC p and a frequency domain starting position . . . may be obtained according to a formula (2)” – See [¶¶0319-20], wherein
k
o
f
f
s
e
t
l
'
“is a comb offset adjustment value,” i.e., it belongs to the set of comb offset hopping offsets dependent of the OFDM symbol index in Table 6.4.1.4.3-2 supra, the quantity
n
offset
RPFS
is “a frequency domain offset of a subband used for sending an SRS during sending of a partial SRS” (not necessary here) and the quantity
n
offset
FH
is ”a frequency domain offset of a frequencyhopping subband used for frequency-hopping sending of an SRS,” – See [¶0320], thus each of them could be zero, and
n
shift
N
sc
RB
also represents an offset in number of resource blocks (RBs), each RB containing
N
sc
RB
subcarriers, ”relative to a reference frequency domain position during sending of an SRS” – See [¶0321], hence nshift could also be zero. Therefore, Guo also teaches that a CO of a port pi may be denoted as kTC (pi) and a frequency domain starting position of the port pi may be obtained according to the formula in 3GPP TS 38.211 supra – See [¶0319].
Guo further teaches using comb offset hopping offsets in a network where “there are both a terminal device supporting CO hopping and a terminal device not supporting CO” – See [¶0329], wherein “[a] comb offset (comb offset, CO) indicates a subcarrier offset value of a comb relative to a reference comb” – See [¶0318]. In this case, when np, “the quantity of comb offsets included in the first comb offset set φp” is “1” it “indicates that the pth group of ports does not support CO hopping, or at each SRS sending moment, an SRS corresponding to the pth group of ports can be sent only on a unique CO” while “np=KTC indicates that the pth group of ports supports CO hopping on all COs” in the first comb offset set φp – See [¶0335].
Gao teaches that kpTC,start, i.e., kTC (pi) “may be considered as a starting comb offset or a starting position of an available comb offset area when the pth group of ports performs CO hopping” whereby “the reference comb offset kpTC,start of the pth group of ports may be indicated by the network device, or may be specified in the protocol” – See [¶0356]; furthermore, “the comb offset step,” i.e., kTC hopping,(pi) “represents an additional comb offset value or a comb offset difference relative to the reference comb offset” kpTC,start, i.e., kTC (pi) – See [¶0355] whereby, kTC hopping,(pi), “the comb offset step may be understood as a hopping value of a comb offset in a case in which CO hopping is enabled” – See [¶0354]. Therefore, Gao teaches that kTC (pi) is the initial comb offset of the SRS port pi and further teaches how to calculate kTC hopping,(pi) based on that comb offset reference and an additional offset value (taken modulo KTC to fit in the first comb offset set φp).
Thus, Abdelghaffar and Gao each teaches the formula to calculate the frequency-domain starting position
k
0
(
p
i
)
of a SRS transmission on port pi of the SRS resource configured to the terminal. A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have understood that the calculation of the comb offset step (kTC hopping,(pi) ) based on the reference comb offset kpTC,start, (kTC (pi) ) and the additional comb offset value (e.g., kTC offset) as taught by Gao, could have been substituted in for the legacy formula of calculating the frequency position index taught by 3GPP TS 38.211 refenced in Abdelghaffar because the same mapping of the SRS transmission to the physical resources based on network configuration to the UE applies. Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been able to carry out the substitution through techniques known in the art. Finally, the substitution achieves the predictable result of using comb offset hopping offsets when there are both a terminal device supporting CO hopping and a terminal device not supporting CO, as taught in Gao.
Therefore, Claim 4 is obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Claim 5, dependent from Amended Claim 1, Abdelghaffar further teaches the wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the wireless communication device from the network device, a second parameter indicating a set of cyclic shifts (“As a first option for enabling SRS cyclic shift hopping when SRS frequency hopping is enabled, SRS cyclic shift hopping can be enabled or disabled with a separate RRC parameter (i.e., separate/independent of the parameter enabling SRS frequency hopping)” – See [¶0130]); and
determining, by the wireless communication device based on the second parameter, a cyclic shift for each SRS port associated with an SRS resource (“For each SRS port (pi), the SRS cyclic shift (CS) is determined based on three RRC parameters (also referred to as "higher layer parameters") defined at the SRS resource level. These parameters are n_SRS'CS (also denoted as "n_SRS^CS"), N_ap^SRS (also denoted as "N_ap^SRS"), and n_SRS'(CS,max) (also denoted as "n_SRS^(CS,max)"). The value of n_SRS^CS is given by the RRC parameter "cyclicShift" and may have a value from 0 to nSRS^(CS, max)-1. The parameter N_ap^SRS indicates the number of antenna ports per SRS resource” – See [¶0115] and “each SRS transmission in a symbol has its own SRS sequence and its own cyclic shift” – See [¶0116]).
Therefore, Claim 5 is obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Amended Claim 6, Abdelghaffar in view of Gao also teaches wireless communication method, comprising:
sending, by a network device to a wireless communication device, a first parameter comprising an indication of a set of comb offset hopping offsets (“a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity includes transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration to a user equipment (UE), the SRS configuration including one or more parameters defining an SRS resource” – See Abdelghaffar:[¶0007] whereby the “SRS resource is configured by the RRC information element (IE) "SRS-Resource,"” – See Abdelghaffar:[¶0115] and Fig. 5, showing the “a comb size of comb-2, comb-4, or comb-8” and “the frequency offsets from symbol to symbol for the SRS comb patterns that are currently supported,” i.e., the set of comb offset hopping offsets corresponding to each comb size – See Abdelghaffar:[¶0112]);
wherein the wireless communication device executes the steps of determining and transmitting recited in Amended Claim 1 with the same language; and
receiving, by the network device from the wireless communication device, the SRS according to the comb offset (“receiving an SRS from the UE on the SRS resource, the SRS configured according” to the determination explained in Regarding Claim 1 supra – See [¶0007]).
Because Amended Claim 1 is obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao, Amended Claim 6 is obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Claims 9 and 10, dependent from Amended Claim 6, they merely recite the same limitations as in Claims 4 and 5, respectively. Because Claims 4-6, as amended, are obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao, Claims 9 and 10 are also obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Amended Claims 11 and 16, Abdelghaffar further teaches a wireless communication device (e.g., in Fig 3A) and a network device (e.g., in Fig. 3B), each comprising at least one processor configured to execute the steps recited with the same language in Amended Claims 1 and 6, respectively. Because Amended Claims 1 and 6 are obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao, Amended Claims 11 and 16 are also obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Regarding Claims 14-15, and 19-20, as amended, dependent from Amended Claims 11, and 16, respectively, each claim recites the same limitations as in Claims 4-5, only applied to the apparatus in Amended Claims 11 and 16, respectively, and no other limitations. Because Claims 4-5, 11 and 16, as amended, are obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao, Claims 14-15, and 19-20, as amended are obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
In sum, claims 1, 4-6, 9-11, 14-16, and 19-20, as amended, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as obvious over Abdelghaffar in view of Gao.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Wang et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0259158 discloses Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media are directed to enhancements to sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations for fifth-generation (5G) systems;
Chen et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0129173 receiving a configuration indicating at least one uplink reference signal resource, SRS, whereby the network may indicate a comb offset to determine which subcarrier (e.g., which subcarrier index) includes a first portion of the SRS whereby comb offsets (e.g., from 0 through KTC-1) may also be used;
Liu et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20260039524 discloses SRS indication information including one CS value and one comb offset value; or each of M combination includes a hopping value of one CS value and a hopping value of one comb offset value; the indication information is a bitmap whose length is Q, and a bit that is set to 1 in the bitmap corresponds to the M combinations;
Wang et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0030823 teaches sounding reference signal (SRS) parameters corresponding to a set of SRS resources for transmitting SRSs, including frequency allocation, a frequency overlap parameter, a number of allocated symbols, a comb value, a cyclic shift, a comb offset, a frequency hopping parameter, a repetition parameter, a symbol grouping parameter;
Nilsson et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2025/0125927 discloses a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource configuration for 6 or 8 SRS ports;
Xu et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0208583 discloses a sounding reference signal (SRS) mapping structure for a user equipment on the basis of at least the number of antenna ports of the user equipment and the number of transmitting beams and/or receiving beams to be scanned;
Karjalainen et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0340131 discloses initialization parameters specific to the TCI-state to be provided for at least one uplink sounding reference signal (UL SRS) transmission with comb-offset hopping and/or cyclic-shift hopping;
Zhang et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0124754 discloses the SRS resource configuration indicating at least a comb pattern and a puncturing unit for the comb pattern, wherein the comb pattern is divided into one or more puncturing units, wherein each puncturing unit comprises one or more time units of the comb pattern;
Zhang et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0155765 discloses Features for increasing sounding reference signal (SRS) resource capacity for wireless communications may include introducing a larger comb size with comb hopping, providing support to determine the slot offset and/or comb offset for aperiodic SRS;
Nam et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2023/0179365 discloses positioning SRS with subband-based comb offset;
Cha et al., WIPO Patent Application Publication No WO 2024026734 teaches long SRS sequences for positioning reference signal;
3GPP TS 38.211 V17.5.0 (2023-06), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)”;
3GPP TS 38.214 V17.6.0 (2023-06), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 17)”;
3GPP TS 38.331 V17.4.0 (2023-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17)”;
3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #113, R1-2306066, Title: "FL Summary #3 on SRS enhancements," Source: Futurewei (moderator), May 2023, and any 3GPP documents referenced therein;
3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #112bis-e, R1-2304012, Title: “FL Summary #3 on SRS enhancements,” Source: Moderator (FUTUREWEI), April 2023, and any 3GPP documents referenced therein.
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/L.G.G./ Examiner, Art Unit 2478
/JOSEPH E AVELLINO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2478
1 See also 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.4.0 (2023-03), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.331), specifying, at page 886-900, the SRS-Config Information Element used to configure sounding reference signal transmissions of which Fig. 5 is a snippet.
2 For the time domain behavior of SRS resource configuration see 3GPP 38.331 specification of the resourceType field of the SRS-Config IE stating, at page 895, that “The network configures SRS resources in the same resource set with the same time domain behavior on periodic, aperiodic and semi-persistent SRS” and referencing TS 38.214, clause 6.2.1; see also § 6.2.1.1, 3GPP TS 38.214 V17.6.0 (2023-06), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 17)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.214) describing the UE SRS frequency hopping procedure, providing, at page 185, that “When frequency hopping within an SRS resource in each slot is configured without repetition (R=1), according to the SRS hopping parameters
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20
31
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,
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20
31
media_image2.png
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and
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23
25
media_image3.png
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defined in clause 6.4.1.4 of [4, TS 38.211], each of the antenna ports of the SRS resource in each slot is mapped to different sets of subcarriers in each OFDM symbol, where the same transmission comb value is assumed for different sets of subcarriers”; § 6.4.1, 3GPP TS 38.211 V17.5.0 (2023-06), “Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)” (hereinafter 3GPP TS 38.211) referenced by Abdelghaffar:[¶0143], disclosing, at page 87-88,
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20
85
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, the index
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96
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,
b
hop
∈
0,1
,
2,3
and that “[i]f
b
hop
≥
B
SRS
, frequency hopping is disabled and the frequency position index
n
b
remains constant” but when “
b
hop
<
B
SRS
, frequency hopping is enabled” and the set of offset
k
offset
l
'
for SRS as a function of
K
TC
and the number of the OFDM symbol used for the SRS transmission are shown in Table 6.4.1.4.3-2, at page 91 which corresponds precisely with the sets disclosed in Abdelghaffar:[¶0112]
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