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
Applicant’s amendment filled on 07/06/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1,12,20 are amended.
Claims 1-20 are pending..
Response to Arguments
Applicant arguments filed on 07/06/2026 have been fully considered and are moot in view of the new ground of rejection(s).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-8,11-16,19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over anticipated by Laghate to ( US20220286882 A1) in view of LARSSON to (WO 2021188027 A1)
Regarding claims 1,12,20 Laghate teaches a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories,( [0008] An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory) configured to cause the UE to: identify a group of candidate UE beams associated with transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission; ([0096] The wireless communications system 100 may implement techniques to use CSI- RS for beam dithering. .. a UE 115 may identify a set of candidate UE beams based on SSB measurements or past CSI-RS measurements) identify a symbol of a slot in which to transmit the SRS transmission;( [0096]The UE 115 may predict a slot and symbol which may be used for a CSI-RS for acquisition based on previously scheduled aperiodic resources or previous CSI-RS configurations) transmit the SRS transmission in the symbol and using a candidate UE beam from the group of candidate UE beams;([0118] The UE 115 may use switch to use the candidate UE beam 315 for a window of slots around the predicted slot. .. the UE 115 may use switch to the candidate UE beam 315 for the slot 310-b, the slot 310-a, and the slot 310-c. .. the UE 115 may use the candidate UE beam 315 for PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions) selectively configure the candidate UE beam as an uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on a performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam ([0099] The UE 215 may measure SSBs using multiple UE beams 220 and select a beam as a serving UE beam based on the measurements…. serving UE beam may, for example, be used to receive or transmit on PDCCH, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a random access channel (RACH) message (e.g., RACH message 3), or any combination thereof)
Laghate does not explicitly teach configuring beam based on performance characteristic associated with the SRS transmission transmitted using the candidate UE beam
However, LARSSON teaches Configuring beam based on performance characteristic associated with the SRS transmission transmitted using the candidate UE beam (abstract , select a serving radio beam (60) for the UE (12). For example, among a set (52) of radio beams (50) that are candidates for serving the UE (12), the serving-beam selection procedure selects one or more of the candidate beams (50) according to rankings determined from radio-signal measurements reported by the UE (12) or from measurements on Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by the UE. Thus, the teaching of selecting/configuring serving beam based on characteristics of SRS transmission transmitted using the candidate UE beam is disclosed here)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the system of Laghate include Configuring beam based on performance characteristic associated with the SRS transmission transmitted using the candidate UE beam, as suggested by LARSSON. This modification would benefit the system to reduce signal interference.
Regarding claims 2,13 Laghate teaches wherein the group of candidate UE beams is identified based at least in part on a group of synchronization signal block (SSB) metrics associated with the group of candidate UE beams([0099] The UE 215 may measure SSBs using multiple UE beams 220 and select a beam as a serving UE beam based on the measurements….).
Regarding claim 3, Laghate teaches wherein the symbol is identified based at least in part on a prediction associated with aperiodic SRS transmissions( [0096]The UE 115 may predict a slot and symbol which may be used for a CSI-RS for acquisition based on previously scheduled aperiodic resources or previous CSI-RS configurations).
Regarding claim 4, Laghate teaches wherein the symbol is identified based at least in part on a configuration associated with periodic SRS transmissions([0122] Discloses the UE 415 may predict the set of time resources based on the one or more previous CSI-RS configuration. For example, the UE 415 may predict when the CSI-RS will be transmitted (e.g., in which slot or in which symbol of the slot) in order to provide sufficient time to switch from a serving UE beam to a candidate UE beam).
Regarding claim 5, Laghate teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to transmit a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) communication or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) communication in one or more symbols of the slot and using the candidate UE beam([0099] select a beam as a serving UE beam based on the measurements…. serving UE beam may, for example, be used to receive or transmit on PDCCH, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a random access channel (RACH) message (e.g., RACH message 3), or any combination thereof).
Regarding claim 6, Laghate teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to transmit another SRS transmission, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) communication, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) communication in other slots and using the candidate UE beam([0099] select a beam as a serving UE beam based on the measurements…. serving UE beam may, for example, be used to receive or transmit on PDCCH, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a random access channel (RACH) message (e.g., RACH message 3), or any combination thereof).
Regarding claims 7,15 Laghate teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to receive an indication of the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam([0120] discloses UE 415 may measure multiple different beams. In some cases, the UE 415 may measure an RSRP a channel impulse response, or another characteristic of the SSBs.[0121] At 420, the UE 415 may select a serving UE beam and a set of candidate UE beams for measuring a CSI-RS based on the set of SSB measurements. For example, the UE 415 may select a UE beam associated with an SSB which has a highest RSRP measurement of the set of SSB measurements for the serving UE beam).
Regarding claims 8,16 Laghate teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the UE to: transmit another SRS transmission using a current uplink serving UE beam([0120] discloses UE 415 may measure multiple different beams. In some cases, the UE 415 may measure an RSRP a channel impulse response, or another characteristic of the SSBs) ; and receive an indication of a performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam([0121] At 420, the UE 415 may select a serving UE beam and a set of candidate UE beams for measuring a CSI-RS based on the set of SSB measurements… select a UE beam associated with an SSB which has a highest RSRP measurement of the set of SSB measurements for the serving UE beam).
Regarding claims 11,19 Laghate teaches wherein the performance characteristic includes a change associated with at least one of a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a rank, or a transmit power control (TPC) setting([0092] Discloses based on the rank-1 characteristic of the SSB, the SSB may not be used to optimize rank-2 performance for UE beam selection. Some networks may perform beam selection based on a CSI-RS P3).
Claim(s) 9,17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Laghate to (US20220286882 A1) in view of LARSSON to (WO 2021188027 A1) further in view of Levitsky to (US20220225311 A1)
Regarding claims 9,17 Laghate does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; and configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam
However, Levitsky teaches wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; ([0040] discloses the UE may determine that there is a superior beam (a second UE beam) to a currently-utilized serving beam (a first UE beam). In response, the UE may send to the base station (e.g., via a serving beam) a proactive indication that the UE will perform a beam switch from the first UE beam to the second UE beam) and configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam([0044] discloses The UE may transmit the aperiodic SRS to the base station according to the scheduling information… the base station may process the aperiodic SRS and may determine updated uplink data channel (e.g., PUSCH) transmission parameters for the UE aligned with the new UE beam (or the new associated composite/serving uplink (UL) beam))
Therefore; it would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the system of Laghate include wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; and configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam, as suggested by Levitsky. This modification would benefit the system to reduce signal interference.
Claim(s) 10,18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Laghate to (US20220286882 A1) in view of LARSSON to (WO 2021188027 A1) further in view of Raghavan to (US 20220167333 A1)
Regarding claims 10,18 Laghate does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; and refrain from configuring the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam
However, Raghavan teaches wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; ([0122] discloses at the antenna module 420-b, the UE 115-c may receive an SSB from the second port of the cell 460 via the beam 405-b using the beam 415-c. In such examples, the UE 115-c may compare the DOF 430 of the second port of the cell 460 with the DOF 450 of the antenna modules 420-b and, based on the comparison, may determine whether to select the beam 405-b as a candidate beam. In examples in which the second port of the cell 460 has a DOF 430 of 28 GHz and the antenna module 420-b has a DOF 450 of 57 GHz, the UE 115-c may determine that the second port of the cell 460 has a DOF 430 outside of the threshold range from the DOF 450 of the antenna module 420-b ) and refrain from configuring the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam([0122] discloses the UE 115-c may refrain from selecting the beam 405-b as a candidate beam (as illustrated by a dotted line) within the set of candidate beams that the cell 460 and the cell 465 may use for communication with the UE 115-c)
Therefore; it would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the system of Laghate include wherein the one or more processors, to cause the UE to selectively configure the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam, are configured to cause the UE to: determine that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than a performance characteristic associated with a current uplink serving UE beam; and refrain from configuring the candidate UE beam as the uplink serving UE beam based at least in part on the determination that the performance characteristic associated with the candidate UE beam is not better than the performance characteristic associated with the current uplink serving UE beam, as suggested by Raghavan. This modification would benefit the system to reduce signal interference.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZEWDU A BEYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7157. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-6:00.
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/ZEWDU A BEYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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