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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/14/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The 01/14/2026 amendment to independent claim 9 has changed the scope of the claim. The prior art search has been updated and new relevant art has been discovered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 9, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. (U.S. 2025/0267592) in view of Wang et al. (U.S. 2024/0106611) and Guan et al. (U.S. 2021/0168714).
With respect to claim 1, Matsumura et al. disclose: one or more memories (e.g. Fig. 14, UE, [0221] at least“…that executes the processes of the radio communication method of the present disclosure”,[0224], refer to memory 1002); and one or more processors (1001, [0223]-[0224]), coupled to the one or more memories (as shown in Fig. 14 and described in [0221], [0223]-[0224]), configured to cause the UE to: receive an uplink grant for an uplink transmission ([0085] the disclosed configuration corresponds to the claimed uplink grant, also refer to lines 1-4 of [0057], [0085] disclosing “…higher layer signaling …(…RRC)/physical layer signaling …(…TPC command of DCI), [0096] [0097] “…a configuration related to…”, [0127], [0129] and [0152] “when the UE is configured with specific information related to the above-described embodiment by higher layer signaling/physical layer signaling”) relating to reported UE capability [0145]-[0151]), the uplink grant comprising a configured transmit power level ( [0096] “…a configuration of maximum output power…”, [0097] “…configured with maximum output power for carrier f of serving cell c, as PCMAX,f,c…”); and transmit in a same time allocation ([0085] “UL simultaneous transmission for multi-panel is supported…” a same time allocation is used to perform the UL simultaneous transmission (and related Fig. 7-9 for example, and [0008]. [0085] “…simultaneously transmit UL transmissions…(in transmission occasion i) by using multi-panel (for example, two panels)), the uplink transmission using a first panel (e.g. panel#1 of the UE) and a second (e.g. panel#2 of the UE) based at least in part the configured transmit power satisfying a power threshold (e.g. the PCMAX,f,c , the maximum output power for carrier f for serving cell c, is understood to satisfy (is equal to) a maximum (allowed) power threshold e.g. Fig. 7-9. Alternatively or additionally refer to [0080] and equation 4, disclosing PCMAX,f,c is less than or equal (satisfies) to EIRPmax, and associated lines 1-3 of [0081]).
Matsumura et al. do not expressly disclose: the uplink grant comprising a duration of time allocation and; a first antenna group; a second antenna group, based at least in part on the duration satisfying a length threshold and.
Implementing control of uplink transmission and uplink transmission, Wang et al. disclose: an uplink grant comprising a duration of time allocation ([0133]-[0134] refer to the UL grant (transmitted by a base station) comprising the length (duration of time allocation) of the PUSCH) based at least in part on the duration satisfying a length threshold ([0133]-[0134] e.g. the indicated length exceeds (“satisfies”) a length threshold, PUSCH transmission takes place but with a remaining part of the PUSCH dropped in the scheduled slot. Alternatively, the indicated length does not exceed (different “satisfies”) and the PUSCH is transmitted in the remaining symbols of the scheduled slot).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Matsumura et al. to further include in the uplink grant (configuration of the portions cited above) a duration of time allocation (the length of the PUSCH) as taught by Wang et al., to allow the UE of Matsumura et al. to transmit the PUSCH based at least in part on the duration satisfying a length threshold (exceed or not exceed a number of symbols remaining in a scheduled slot) to either transmit the PUSCH by dropping the part of the scheduled PUSCH that exceeds the number of symbols remaining in the scheduled slot or transmit the entire PUSCH in the scheduled slot (at least [0043] of Matsumura et al. which discloses “PUSCH transmission occasion i is a certain period in which the PUSCH is transmitted, and may be constituted by, for example, one or more symbols, one or more slots”, and [0133]-[0134] of Wang et al.)
Modified Matsumura et al., Wang et al. do not disclose: a first antenna group; a second antenna group.
Implementing wireless communication using antenna panels of a UE, Guan et al. disclose: first antenna group, a second antenna group (e.g. Fig. 1, two antenna panels of the UE each comprise a respective antenna group or the first antenna panel comprises a first antenna group and the second antenna panel comprises a second antenna group ([0100], also [0096] description of the antenna panel concept).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the first antenna panel and the second antenna panel of Matsumura et al. to respectively include a first antenna group (integrated antenna elements) and a second antenna group (integrated antenna elements), as taught by Guan et al. regarding a plurality of antenna elements (an antenna group) being integrated in an antenna panel and each antenna panel covering a different direction to allow the UE of Matsumura et al. to generate respective panel beams (in the directions of the TRP#1 and TRP#2 of Fig. 1B or 1C of Matsumura et al. [0026]) respectively by using the fist antenna group and the second antenna group respectively integrated in the first (antenna) panel and the second (antenna) panel of Matsumura et al.
With respect to claim 11, modified Matsumura et al. disclose: wherein the UE includes N antenna groups (N antenna panels, e.g. N=2 according to the portions of Matsumura et al. cited above), N being an integer, the first antenna group and the second antenna group being includes in the N antenna groups at the UE (refer above), and wherein a first transmit power level of the first antenna group and a second transmit power level of the second antenna group are based at least in part on a factor of N ([0098] refer to the equation for maximum output powers for the respective panels (2 panels) being the same).
7. Claims 9, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao (U.S. 2026/0046782) in view of Guan et al. (U.S. 2021/0168714).
With respect to claim 9, Gao et al. disclose: one or more memories (Fig. 10 discloses a terminal device (UE) [0301], refer to memory 104, [0304]-[0307] in particular [0305]); and one or more processors (Fig. 10, processor 101, [0304]-[0307]), coupled to the one or more memories (as shown in Fig. 10 and described in at least [0304]-[0307]), configured to cause the UE to: receive an uplink grant for an uplink transmission ([0062] and [0075]-[0076], the received configuration information (sent by an access network device) and the transmitted DCIs correspond to the claimed uplink grant, and refer to the “…uplink transmissions…” also [0056], [0063] “…simultaneous uplink transmissions via the first panel and the second panel”. [0065]-[0069] RRC message used and the DCIs of [0075]-[0076]. Fig. 6 is also relevant), the uplink grant comprising a duration of time allocation ([0084] refer to the indicated first and second transmission occasions, lines 1-6 of [0088], and related [0111]-[0113]) and a configured transmit power level (e.g. the PCMAX of the terminal device [0067] or PCMAX, P [0069]); and transmit in a same time allocation ([0083] e.g. fully overlapped in a time domain (symbols), and refer to the related example of Fig. 7, [0111]-[0113]), the uplink transmission using a first antenna panel and a second antenna panel (the first antenna panel and the second antenna panel of the UE, refer to the sections already cited above and Fig. 6, 305-306 and Fig. 7, [0113] “…schedules the first panel and the second panel for simultaneous uplink transmissions…”) based at least in part on the duration satisfying a length threshold (the duration of the first transmission occasion and the second transmission occasion satisfy a length threshold (e.g. one symbol duration) e.g. [0111]) and the configured transmit power satisfying a power threshold (e.g. [0067] and [0070] or [0068] and [0070] refer to the “maximum transmitting power …allowed by the terminal device” the allowed is interpreted as corresponding to the configured transmit power satisfying (meeting) a power threshold that makes the configured transmit power allowable).
Gao does not disclose: a first antenna group and a second antenna group. Instead, Gao et al. disclose a first antenna panel and a second antenna panel, as pointed out above.
Implementing wireless communication using antenna panels of a UE, Guan et al. disclose: first antenna group, a second antenna group (e.g. Fig. 1, two antenna panels of the UE each comprise a respective antenna group or the first antenna panel comprises a first antenna group and the second antenna panel comprises a second antenna group ([0100], also [0096] description of the antenna panel concept).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the first antenna panel and the second antenna panel of Gao et al. to respectively include a first antenna group (integrated antenna elements) and a second antenna group (integrated antenna elements), as taught by Guan et al. regarding a plurality of antenna elements (an antenna group) being integrated in an antenna panel and each antenna panel covering a different direction to allow the UE of Gao et al. to generate respective panel beams (in the directions of the TRP1 and TRP2 of Fig. 3, 6, [0050] of Gao et al.) respectively by using the fist antenna group and the second antenna group respectively integrated in the first (antenna) panel and the second (antenna) panel of Gao et al.
With respect to claim 11, modified Gao et al. disclose: wherein the UE includes N antenna groups (N antenna panels, e.g. N=2 according to the portions of Gao et al. cited above), N being an integer, the first antenna group and the second antenna group being includes in the N antenna groups at the UE (refer above), and wherein a first transmit power level of the first antenna group and a second transmit power level of the second antenna group are based at least in part on a factor of N ([0132] equal division of the maximum transmitting power (by 2) for the 2 UE antenna panels, [0133]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-8, 13-, 15-20 are allowed.
Claims 10, 12, 21-22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base
claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lim et al. (U.S. 2024/0187183) refer to at least Fig. 33-34.
Contact Information
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOPHIA VLAHOS whose telephone number is (571)272-5507. The examiner can normally be reached M 8:00-4:00, TWRF 8:00-2:00.
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SOPHIA VLAHOS
Examiner
Art Unit 2633
/SOPHIA VLAHOS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633 03/20/2026