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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 9-10, 11-12, 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mustafa et al. (hereinafter Mustafa)(US 2024/0008033) in view of Gao et al. (hereinafter Gao)( WO 2024/031719 A1 which is same as EP 4572458 A1) and Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang)(US 2025/0112675).
Regarding claim 1, Mustafa teaches a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for Uplink (UL) transmission enhancement, the method comprising(Fig. 10):
receiving, from a Base Station (BS), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message (RRC configuration; item 1007 in Fig. 10) comprising a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) configuration; configuration, wherein the PUSCH configuration indicates a transmission rank for a codebook-based PUSCH transmission(P[0081-0082], number of layers(Rank) for the scheduled PUSCH);
receiving, from the BS, a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format (DCI; PUSCH; item 1007-1008 in Fig. 10; P[0099]) comprising at least one of:
a first field that indicates an port Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource(P[0081], number of ports configured for the indicated SRS resource),
a second field that includes an index associated with a precoding matrix transmission(P[0081], TPMI (precoder) for the scheduled PUSCH may be determined from separate DCI filed), a third field that indicates a first set of parameters for transmitting a first codeword, and a fourth field that indicates a second set of parameters for transmitting a second codeword(P[0101], DCI may include a first set and a second set of MCS/RV/NDI fields);
determining a precoding matrix based on the DCI format and the PUSCH configuration(P[0081], precoding matrix indicator for the scheduled PUSCH may be determined from DCI field); and
performing a codebook-based PUSCH transmission using the precoding matrix(item 104 in Fig. 10; also P[0082]).
Mustafa did not teach specifically 8-port Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource. However, Gao teaches in an analogous art 8-port Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource(summary, 8-port SRS functions).Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have 8-port Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource in order to have improved beam management.
Mustafa in view of Gao did not teach specifically determining whether the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four; in response to determining that the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four, determining that the DCI format does not include a fourth field indicating a second set of parameters for transmitting a second codeword. However, Wang teaches in an analogous determining whether the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four; in response to determining that the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four, determining that the DCI format does not include a fourth field indicating a second set of parameters for transmitting a second codeword(P[0125], maximum number of ports; resources configured with usage of the codebook is 4 or less than 4, then the second TPMI field is not present in DCI). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to determine whether the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four; in response to determining that the maximum transmission rank is equal to or less than four, determining that the DCI format does not include a fourth field indicating a second set of parameters for transmitting a second codeword in order to have improved precision.
Regarding claim 2, Mustafa teaches the method of claim 1, wherein: the first set of parameters comprises a first Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) associated with the first codeword, a first New Data Indicator (NDI) associated with the first codeword, and a first Redundancy Version (RV) associated with the first codeword, and the second set of parameters comprises a second MCS associated with the second codeword, a second NDI associated with the second codeword, and a second RV associated with the second codeword(P[0101], DCI may include a first set and a second set of MCS/RV/NDI fields);
Regarding claim 9, Mustafa in view of Gao teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the first field comprises an SRS resource indicator field(Gao: P[0088], SRI indication field determined from SRS resource sets).
Regarding claim 10, Mustafa in view of Gao teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the second field is associated with precoding information and a number of layers(Mustafa: P[0081], TPMI (precoder) for the scheduled PUSCH may be determined from separate DCI filed; Gao: P[0056], table 4; TPMI and precoding matrix with layers).
Claims 11-12, 19-20 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-2, 9-10 respectively.
Claim(s) 3, 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mustafa et al. (hereinafter Mustafa)(US 2024/0008033) in view of Gao et al. (hereinafter Gao)( WO 2024/031719 A1 which is same as EP 4572458 A1), Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang)(US 2025/0112675) and Wang (hereinafter Wang-1)(US 2025/0016782).
Regarding claim 3, Mustafa in view of Gao teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether a value of the field is larger than four; determining that a two-codeword transmission function is enabled in response to determining that the the maximum transmission rank is larger than four(Gao: P[0114], PUSCH transmission for a maximum of 4 layers, where N is a positive integer greater than 4; a configure the N SRS resources into two SRS resource sets).
Mustafa in view of Gao and Wang did not teach specifically in response to determining that the two-codeword transmission function is enabled: prohibiting the UE from transmitting both the first codeword and the second codeword in the codebook-based PUSCH transmission in a case that an index of the first MCS is set to 26 and a value of the first RV is set to 1, or an index of the second MCS is set to 26 and a value of the second RV is set to 1. However, Wang-1 teaches in an analogous art (P[0210, 0262-0264], table 2; two codeword transmission; MCS=26, RV=1, TB corresponding to the PDSCH is in a disabled state; N=8, 4). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the method of determining that the two-codeword transmission function is enabled: prohibiting the UE from transmitting both the first codeword and the second codeword in the codebook-based PUSCH transmission in a case that an index of the first MCS is set to 26 and a value of the first RV is set to 1, or an index of the second MCS is set to 26 and a value of the second RV is set to 1 in order to have improved efficiency.
Claims 13 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 3.
Claim(s) 5, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mustafa et al. (hereinafter Mustafa)(US 2024/0008033) in view of Gao et al. (hereinafter Gao)( WO 2024/031719 A1 which is same as EP 4572458 A1), Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang)(US 2025/0112675) and Svedman et al. (hereinafter Svedman)(US 2023/0179281).
Regarding claim 5, Mustafa in view of Gao teaches all the particulars of the claim except wherein the PUSCH configuration comprises a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes a txConfig field set to a value of ‘codebook.’ However, Svedman teaches in an analogous art wherein the PUSCH configuration comprises a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes a txConfig field set to a value of ‘codebook.’(P[0215], txConfig in IE PUSCH config set to Codebook). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have the PUSCH configuration comprises a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes a txConfig field set to a value of ‘codebook.’ In order to have efficient beam control.
Claim 15 is rejected for the same reason as set forth in claim 5.
Claim(s) 6-8, 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mustafa et al. (hereinafter Mustafa)(US 2024/0008033) in view of Gao et al. (hereinafter Gao)( WO 2024/031719 A1 which is same as EP 4572458 A1), Wang et al. (hereinafter Wang)(US 2025/0112675) and Matsumara et al. (hereinafter Matsumara)(US 2024/0251405).
Regarding claim 6, Mustafa in view of Gao and Wang teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the PUSCH configuration comprises a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes information associated with a number of maximum transmission ranks and a codebook subset configuration(Gao: P[0114], maximum of layers; P[0059], maximum rank; also table 4, codebook subset ). Mustafa in view of Gao and Wang did not teach explicitly transform coding. However, Matsumura teaches in an analogous art a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes information associated with a number of maximum transmission ranks, a transform precoding configuration and a codebook subset configuration (P[0118], maxrank, codebooksubset, transformprecoder; P[0050], PUSCH-configuration information element). Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have a PUSCH-Config Information Element (IE) that includes information associated with a transform precoding configuration in order to have improved efficiency. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have
Regarding claim 7, Matsumara teaches the method, wherein determining the precoding matrix based on the DCI format comprises: determining a dedicated table, which comprises the precoding matrix, based on the number of maximum transmission ranks, the transform precoding configuration, and the codebook subset configuration in the PUSCH-Config IE ( P[0050], PUSCH-configuration information element; Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Mustafa in view of Gao and Wang teaches the method of claim 6, wherein: the number of maximum transmission ranks is one of 1, 2, 4, and 8, and the codebook subset configuration comprises one or more allowed codebook subsets and antenna group information(Gao: P0059], maximum rank is 2; maximum number of uplink layers supported; table 4: codebook subsets and group information).
Claims 16-18 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 6-8 respectively.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 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.
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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