8TAILED 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)(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) 1, 4-7, 10-13, 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Grant et al. (hereinafter Grant)(WO 2024/208978 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Grant teaches a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving a channel state information (CSI) report configuration information(abstract, UE receiving channel state information, CSI, reporting sub configuration); and transmitting a CSI report based on the received CSI report configuration information, wherein the received CSI report configuration information comprises at least one sub configuration information(abstract, measuring and reporting CSI based on CSI reporting sub configuration), and the at least one sub configuration information comprises antenna port subset information(page 15, lines 5-10, antenna port muting pattern indicates subsets of ports which to measure and report CSI).
and wherein the at least one sub configuration information comprises antenna port subset information which is represented as a bitmap indicating the antenna port subset information based on an antenna port number for a CSI-reference signal (CSI-RS, page 36; lines 4-7; bit sequence of a DCI field; page 4, lines 30-35, CSI-RS ports for obtaining CSI feedback; Page 34, lines 5-15)trigger state maps to a bit sequence representing trigger state containing sub configuration(CSI report configuration) indicators; Page 35, lines 7-10, that sub configurations contain antenna port muting patterns that could be subset of ports on which to measure and report CSI).
Regarding claim 4, Grant teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the received CSI report configuration information comprises i) common configuration information commonly applied to all sub configuration information and ii) information for each sub configuration applied to each sub configuration information(page 36, lines 10-15; common parameters that apply to all 3 sub-configurations; 1 resource configuration containing a single CSI-RS resource set with a single CSI-RS resource).
Regarding claim 5, Grant teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the information for each sub configuration comprises codebook configuration information(Page 40, codebook configuration).
Regarding claim 6, Grant teaches the method of claim 4, wherein the common configuration information comprises at least one of report quantity configuration information and frequency configuration information(Page 8, lines 1-3, parameter reportQuantity).
Claims 7, 10-12 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1, 4-6 respectively.
Claims 13, 16-18 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1, 4-6 respectively.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/10/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Grant does not disclose antenna port subset information represented as a bitmap.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Grant teaches (Page 34, lines 5-15)trigger state maps to a bit sequence representing trigger state containing sub configuration(CSI report configuration) indicators. Also teaches in Page 35, lines 7-10, that sub configurations contain antenna port muting patterns that could be subset of ports on which to measure and report CSI.
Applicant argues that Grant does not disclose the specific signaling format by which that subset is represented.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Grant teaches (page 7, lines 10-20), CSI triggering and reporting with number of triggered states via RRC signaling.
Applicant argues that Grant does not disclose “whether the alleged port subset is represented by a bitmap, by an index into a predefined table, by an explicit list of antenna port indices, or by another signaling mechanism. A generic disclosure of a "pattern" indicating a subset of ports is not the same as an express disclosure of a bitmap-based representation”.
Grant teaches in Page 9, trigger state includes an index that point to one CSI-RS resource set from a list of CSI-RS resource sets configured in a CSI-ResouceConfig and antenna port indices in Page 3(lines 20-30).
Applicant argues that the claimed bitmap is not merely any sequence of bits. Rather, the bitmap provides a per-port indication in which the bit positions correspond to CSI-RS antenna port numbers. Grant does not disclose such a bitmap structure or any mapping between individual bitmap positions and CSI-RS antenna port numbers.
In response examiner respectfully submits that claim only recites bitmap and no explicit structure defined. Also, reporting is done by sequence of bits via signaling and therefore there exists a structure for the sequence.
Applicant argues that (page 38), Grant's disclosure of a bit sequence for selecting a trigger state therefore does not disclose or inherently teach antenna port subset information represented as a bitmap based on CSI-RS antenna port numbers.
Grant teaches in Page 38, lines 30-35, CSI report config includes number of antenna ports and indicators of a subset of antenna ports with in a code book. Grant further teaches (Page 34, lines 5-15)trigger state maps to a bit sequence representing trigger state containing sub configuration(CSI report configuration) indicators. Also teaches in Page 35, lines 7-10, that sub configurations contain antenna port muting patterns that could be subset of ports on which to measure and report CSI.
Conclusion
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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/MUTHUSWAMY G MANOHARAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647
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