DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to the Applicant's arguments and amendments filed on 10 August 2026 in which claims 1-5, 14-18, 21-30 are currently pending and claims 6-13, 19-20 have been cancelled.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The references listed in the Information Disclosure Statement, filed on 28 August 2026, have been considered by the examiner (see attached PTO-1449 form or PTO/SB/08A and 08B forms).
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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 14-16, 18, 21-23, 25-28, 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (PG Pub US 2026/0238310 A1) in view of Li et al. (PG Pub US 2025/0031161 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 14, Chen discloses a method and a user equipment (UE).
at least one transceiver; memory, including one or more storage mediums, storing instructions; and at least one processor; wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively (UE 110: processor 205, memory arrangement 210, transceiver 225, fig. 2), cause the UE to:
transmit, to a base station, UE capability information including a beam sweeping factor (“the value of N′ may be a UE capability.. the UE may report various information to the network.. the UE may report the value of N′” [0055], “the new beam sweeping factor, N′<8” [0054]),
in response to receiving the information, determining a measurement period based on the beam sweeping factor (“one of the parameters used to calculate the measurement period is a beam sweeping factor N” [0041], “the UE 110 is receiving beams at an Angle of Arrival (AoA) specific to each TRP, e.g., AoA1 from TRP 410 and AoA2 from TRP 420” [0039]);
perform L1-reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements based on two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets over the measurement period (“The UE 110 may use each of the two beams for L1 measurements. A result of the UE 110 using both beams for L1 measurements may be that the measurement period can be reduced or the existing measurement period may be used and scheduling restrictions can be relaxed” [0039], “Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)-based L1-RSRP measurement” [0040]).
However, Chen does not explicitly disclose receive, from the base station, a radio resource control (RRC) message including information on a group based beam reporting, two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets, and transmit, to the base station, a measurement result based on the L1-RSRP measurements.
Nevertheless, Li discloses “the base station 902 may transmit the configuration information 910 to the UE 904 via RRC signaling as RRC configurations” [0128], “The configuration information 910 may also include grouping information 910b indicating one or more grouping options associated with the SSBs of the SSB burst set” [0130], “the UE 904 may perform selective measurement reporting. For example, the UE 904 may report the measurement information (e.g., L1-RSRP and/or L1-SINR) of a selective number of the SSBs within the selected SSB subset” [0147], “the configuration information 910 may include a selective reporting parameter 910c (e.g., k) that indicates a particular number of SSBs and/or particular SSBs of a selected SSB subset to report” [0148].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to receive a RRC message including information on a group based beam reporting, two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets and transmit a measurement result based on the L1-RSRP measurement because it “may facilitate improving communication performance, for example, by reducing reporting overhead” [0057].
Regarding claims 21, 26, Chen discloses a method and a base station.
at least one transceiver; memory, including one or more storage mediums, storing instructions; and at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the base station to (Base Station 300: processor 305, memory arrangement 310, transceiver 320, fig. 3):
receive, from a user equipment (UE), UE capability information including a beam sweeping factor (“the value of N′ may be a UE capability.. the UE may report various information to the network.. the UE may report the value of N′” [0055], “the new beam sweeping factor, N′<8” [0054]),
the L1-RSRP measurements are performed based on two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets over a measurement period (“The UE 110 may use each of the two beams for L1 measurements. A result of the UE 110 using both beams for L1 measurements may be that the measurement period can be reduced or the existing measurement period may be used and scheduling restrictions can be relaxed” [0039], “Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)-based L1-RSRP measurement” [0040]), and
the measurement period is determined based on the beam sweeping factor in response to the information (“one of the parameters used to calculate the measurement period is a beam sweeping factor N” [0041], “the UE 110 is receiving beams at an Angle of Arrival (AoA) specific to each TRP, e.g., AoA1 from TRP 410 and AoA2 from TRP 420” [0039]).
However, Chen does not explicitly disclose transmit, to the UE, a radio resource control (RRC) message including information on a group based beam reporting, two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets and receive, from the UE, a measurement result based on the L1-RSRP measurements.
Nevertheless, Li discloses “the base station 902 may transmit the configuration information 910 to the UE 904 via RRC signaling as RRC configurations” [0128], “The configuration information 910 may also include grouping information 910b indicating one or more grouping options associated with the SSBs of the SSB burst set” [0130], “the UE 904 may perform selective measurement reporting. For example, the UE 904 may report the measurement information (e.g., L1-RSRP and/or L1-SINR) of a selective number of the SSBs within the selected SSB subset” [0147], “the configuration information 910 may include a selective reporting parameter 910c (e.g., k) that indicates a particular number of SSBs and/or particular SSBs of a selected SSB subset to report” [0148].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to transmit, to the UE, a radio resource control (RRC) message including information on a group based beam reporting, two synchronization signal block (SSB) resource sets and receive, from the UE, a measurement result based on the L1-RSRP measurements because it “may facilitate improving communication performance, for example, by reducing reporting overhead” [0057].
Regarding claims 2, 15, 22, 27, Chen, Li discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Chen discloses the beam sweeping factor indicates an integer less than 8 (“the new beam sweeping factor, N′<8” [0054]).
Regarding claims 3, 16, 23, 28, Chen, Li discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Chen discloses the beam sweeping factor further indicates that the UE supports a beam sweeping factor reduction for a SSB-based L1 measurement (“this reduction of N to N′ may be used to change the measurement and/or scheduling restrictions” [0062]).
Regarding claims 5, 18, 25, 30, Chen, Li discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Chen discloses the L1-RSRP measurements are performed on a frequency range (FR) 2-1 (“these beams may comprise signals in FR2-1” [0039]).
Claims 4, 17, 24, 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, Li further in view of Rom et al. (PG Pub US 2024/0072859 A1).
Regarding claims 4, 17, 24, 29, Chen, Li discloses everything claimed as applied above. However, Chen, Li does not explicitly disclose the measurement result includes two SSB resource indicators (SSBRIs) for a report setting, and wherein SSBs corresponding to the two SSBRIs are received simultaneously.
Nevertheless, Rom discloses “The UE may also report, in a single reporting instance, two different CRIs or synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel resource block indicators (SSBRIs) for each report setting, where CSI-RS and/or SSB resources may be received simultaneously by the UE” [0046].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include two SSB resource indicators (SSBRIs) for a report setting, and wherein SSBs corresponding to the two SSBRIs are received simultaneously because it “may enable the UE to maximize the possible rank indicator value” [0048].
Response to Arguments
Previous minor informality objection to the title is withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendment.
Previous minor informality objection to withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendment.
Applicant’s arguments 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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CHRISTINE DUONG FUQUA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2462
/CHRISTINE T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462 09/21/2026
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