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 submission filed on 10/07/2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-8, 10, and 12-17 are pending.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitations use a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitations are: “a Medium Access Control (MAC) module responsible for allocating” in claim 10.
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
In response to applicant’s arguments regarding the claim interpretation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (see Applicant’s remarks, pages 5-6), the arguments have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Firstly, Wikipedia is not the authoritative source for defining terms understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Secondly, the Wikipedia page generally describes the MAC protocol, but there are many different ways to implement a protocol into structure. The MAC protocol is a set of rules and procedures for operation which is different than the MAC module which implements the protocol as claimed. Thirdly, the limitation meets the three prong test for interpretation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. “A MAC module”, as claimed, is a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder. "The standard is whether the words of the claim are understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art to have a sufficiently definite meaning as the name for structure." Williamson, 792 F.3d at 1349, 115 USPQ2d at 1111; see also Greenberg v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., 91 F.3d 1580, 1583, 39 USPQ2d 1783, 1786 (Fed. Cir. 1996). The term is modified by functional language and the term is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function. Because the limitation meets the three prongs, it is assumed that the limitation invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
If applicant does not intend to have these limitations interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitations to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitations recite sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 10-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 10, limitation “a Medium Access Control (MAC) module responsible for allocating” invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. The specification is devoid of adequate structure to perform the claimed function. There is no disclosure of any particular structure, either explicitly or inherently, to perform the allocating. As would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, allocating can be performed in any number of ways in hardware, software, or a combination of the two. The specification does not provide sufficient details such that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand which structure or structures perform(s) the claimed function. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Dependent claims 11-18 are rejected based on their dependency on claim 10.
In response to applicant’s arguments regarding the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, the arguments have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant provides examples of the MAC protocol being clearly defined and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. However, there are many different ways to implement a protocol into structure (i.e. into the claimed MAC module). One of ordinary skill in the art would not understand the limitation as sufficient to define the structure and make the boundaries of the claim understandable regarding in what way the MAC protocol is being implemented. Moreover, for limitations that are interpreted to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant must set forth in the specification an adequate disclosure showing what is meant by that language. See MPEP § 2181, subsection II which states “35 U.S.C. 112(f) states that a claim limitation expressed in means- (or step-) plus-function language "shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure…described in the specification and equivalents thereof." "If one employs means plus function language in a claim, one must set forth in the specification an adequate disclosure showing what is meant by that language. If an applicant fails to set forth an adequate disclosure, the applicant has in effect failed to particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention as required by the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) [or the second paragraph of pre-AIA section 112 ]." In re Donaldson Co., 16 F.3d 1189, 1195, 29 USPQ2d 1845, 1850 (Fed. Cir. 1994) (en banc)”.
Applicant may:
(a) Amend the claim so that the claim limitation will no longer be interpreted as a limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph;
(b) Amend the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites what structure, material, or acts perform the entire claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(c) Amend the written description of the specification such that it clearly links the structure, material, or acts disclosed therein to the function recited in the claim, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)).
If applicant is of the opinion that the written description of the specification already implicitly or inherently discloses the corresponding structure, material, or acts and clearly links them to the function so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize what structure, material, or acts perform the claimed function, applicant should clarify the record by either:
Amending the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function and clearly links or associates the structure, material, or acts to the claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
Stating on the record what the corresponding structure, material, or acts, which are implicitly or inherently set forth in the written description of the specification, perform the claimed function. For more information, see 37 CFR 1.75(d) and MPEP §§ 608.01(o) and 2181.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 3, 8, 10, 12, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu (US 2019/0222358), hereinafter "Xu", in view of Wang et al. (US 2023/0370875), hereinafter "Wang", and further in view of Gao et al. (US 2023/0137428), hereinafter “Gao”.
Regarding claim 1, Xu teaches:
A method of controlling a cellular communication system comprising the steps of:
a first User Equipment (UE) and a second UE communicating with at least one cellular site associated with the cellular communication system (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0095]: The gNB could configure/signal different offsets for different scenarios. For example. If there are more UEs at cell center, which may more likely use 1 to 2 CCE ALs for PDCCH, it could configure small offsets and thus allow more search space overlapping but less overall resource usage (or with same amount of resources to support more UE), and see Xu, Fig. 1, par. [0074]: The processor 102 is configured to allocate a plurality of control channel elements (CCEs) for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) having PDCCH candidates defined for a plurality of different CCE aggregation levels (ALs). A number of CCEs is defined by the different CCE ALs. The CCEs are allocated to a user device 300, and see Xu, par. [0075]: The network node 100 or base station, e.g. a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as transmitter such as eNB, eNodeB, NodeB, or B node, depending on the communication technology and terminology used. The radio network nodes may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size, and see Xu, par. [0081]: The user device 300 such as user equipment (UE), mobile station, wireless terminal and/or mobile terminal is in communication with the wireless communication system 500, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system; in this case, resources may be allocated for channels for multiple UEs in communication with a node, corresponding to a first and second UE communicating with at least one cellular site);
allocating a first start CCE index for a first Control Resource Set (CORESET-0) for the first UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, pars. [0091-0092]: Referring to FIG. 9, starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s). Such offset could be determined implicitly by some UE parameters such as UE RNTI, namely, it is a function of some UE identity such as RNTI, or it could be explicitly signaled by gNB, or it could be a combination of both. In general, the overall resources that are available for a UE to search for its PDCCH could be grouped into a number of blocks, each contains the number of CCEs in largest CCE AL that is supported, say 8 or 16 CCEs. A Hashing function could be used in conjunction with maybe an offset (in the order of CCEs), to determine the start of a search space block for a UE, and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, a starting CCE index is determined for a plurality of UEs across time-frequency resources in a control resource set, corresponding to allocating a first start CCE index for a first CORESET for the first UE and allocating a second start CCE index for a second CORESET for the second UE);
allocating a second start CCE index for a second Control Resource Set (CORESET-1) for the second UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, pars. [0091-0092]: Referring to FIG. 9, starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s). Such offset could be determined implicitly by some UE parameters such as UE RNTI, namely, it is a function of some UE identity such as RNTI, or it could be explicitly signaled by gNB, or it could be a combination of both. In general, the overall resources that are available for a UE to search for its PDCCH could be grouped into a number of blocks, each contains the number of CCEs in largest CCE AL that is supported, say 8 or 16 CCEs. A Hashing function could be used in conjunction with maybe an offset (in the order of CCEs), to determine the start of a search space block for a UE, and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, a starting CCE index is determined for a plurality of UEs across time-frequency resources in a control resource set, corresponding to allocating a first start CCE index for a first CORESET for the first UE and allocating a second start CCE index for a second CORESET for the second UE);
wherein the start CCE index for CORESET-0 is offset from the start CCE index for CORESET-1 such that PDCCH CCE collision minimized and PDCCH decoding is improved for the first UE and the second UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0093]: As shown in FIG. 9 for an example, the starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s), and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set, and see Xu, par. [0092]: An alternative solution could be to select certain sets of resources in a search space block to transmit PDCCH candidates with lower CCE AL, and randomize such selections (CCE locations that are used to carry PDCCH candidates), thus lead less collisions among PDCCH candidates of different UEs, and see Xu, par. [0087]: PDCCH candidates with different AL (e.g., 1, 2, 4, and 8) all share (or partially shared) the same sets of resources. Benefits of such structure are that the channel estimation done on this set of resources could be reused by decoding all PDCCH candidates with different AL and thus save the overall channel estimation performance; in this case, an offset of starting CCE indexes for PDCCH search space blocks corresponds to an offset of start CCE indexes for CORESETs. This results in minimized collisions and improved decoding) where the first and second start CCE indexes are separated in a frequency or a time domain (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0093]: As shown in FIG. 9 for an example, the starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s), and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, the search blocks starting at different points in the frequency domain corresponds to the CCE indexes being separated in the frequency domain).
However, Xu does not teach:
providing a Medium Access Control (MAC) module, the MAC module responsible for allocating Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Control Channel Elements (CCEs) for Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and control information transmission;
allocating a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical cell identity with the MAC module
allocating a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical cell identity with the MAC module
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations
Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
providing a Medium Access Control (MAC) module, the MAC module responsible for allocating Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Control Channel Elements (CCEs) (see Wang, Fig. 3, par. [0062]: FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in communication with a UE 350 in an access network…The controller/processor 375 provides…MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization, and see Wang, Fig. 7, par. [0115]: At 708, the base station 704 may transmit, to the first UE 702, and the first UE 702 may receive, from the base station 704, an indication of a DCICI configuration via at least one of RRC signaling, a second DCI message, or a MAC-CE. The DCICI configuration may include an AL associated with a DCICI PDCCH and at least one of a PDCCH candidate ID associated with the DCICI PDCCH or a CCE index associated with the DCICI PDCCH; in this case, the base station may have a MAC module and may provide configuration associated with a CCE index for PDCCH through a MAC-CE (corresponding to a MAC module responsible for allocating PDCCH CCEs)) for Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and control information transmission (see Wang, Fig. 2B, par. [0059]: FIG. 2B illustrates an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame…The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages, and see Wang, Fig. 2D, par. [0061]: FIG. 2D illustrates an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH may be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACK and/or negative ACK (NACK)). The PUSCH carries data, and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and/or UCI; in this case, different frame structures may include communication for PDSCH, PUSCH, and control information);
allocating a start CCE index with the MAC module (see Wang, Fig. 7, par. [0115]: At 708, the base station 704 may transmit, to the first UE 702, and the first UE 702 may receive, from the base station 704, an indication of a DCICI configuration via at least one of RRC signaling, a second DCI message, or a MAC-CE. The DCICI configuration may include an AL associated with a DCICI PDCCH and at least one of a PDCCH candidate ID associated with the DCICI PDCCH or a CCE index associated with the DCICI PDCCH; in this case, the configuration may indicate a CCE index through a MAC-CE (i.e. with the MAC module))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method of Xu with the MAC module of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of reducing the number of blind decodes (see Wang, par. [0085]).
However, the combination of Xu in view of Wang does not teach:
allocating a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical cell identity
allocating a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical cell identity
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations
Gao, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
allocating a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical cell identity (see Gao, Fig. 2, par. [0042]: in FIG. 2, a slot-based CORESET 210 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A search space 220 for the terminal device 120-1 and a search space 230 for the terminal device 120-2 are shown in FIG. 2, and see Fig. 4, par. [0058]: in FIG. 4, CORESETs 410 and 420 with a periodicity of 7 symbols within one slot may be configured for symbol-based scheduling. Taking the CORESET 410 for symbol-based scheduling as an example, the CORESET 410 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1 and a reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may correspond to the symbol-based CORESET 410. In one embodiment, the size of the reduced search space 430 associated with the highest AL 8 may be the same as that of the unreduced search space (for example, the search space 220 as shown in FIG. 2) for slot-based scheduling, that is 16 CCEs totally, and see par. [0061]: the reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may share a same size with the reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1, but from a different CCE index. For example, the different CCE index may be determined by applying the UE-ID of the terminal device 120-2, which is different from that of the terminal device 120-1, to the function ƒ; in this case, a CCE index is allocated to the terminal device 120-1 (i.e. the first UE) from a first search space (i.e. a first group) based on an ID)
allocating a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical cell identity (see Gao, Fig. 2, par. [0042]: in FIG. 2, a slot-based CORESET 210 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A search space 220 for the terminal device 120-1 and a search space 230 for the terminal device 120-2 are shown in FIG. 2, and see Fig. 4, par. [0058]: in FIG. 4, CORESETs 410 and 420 with a periodicity of 7 symbols within one slot may be configured for symbol-based scheduling. Taking the CORESET 410 for symbol-based scheduling as an example, the CORESET 410 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1 and a reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may correspond to the symbol-based CORESET 410. In one embodiment, the size of the reduced search space 430 associated with the highest AL 8 may be the same as that of the unreduced search space (for example, the search space 220 as shown in FIG. 2) for slot-based scheduling, that is 16 CCEs totally, and see par. [0061]: the reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may share a same size with the reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1, but from a different CCE index. For example, the different CCE index may be determined by applying the UE-ID of the terminal device 120-2, which is different from that of the terminal device 120-1, to the function ƒ; in this case, a CCE index is allocated to the terminal device 120-2 (i.e. the second UE) from a second search space (i.e. a second group) based on an ID)
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations (see Gao, par. [0059]: the first CCE index for a PDCCH candidate for one UE may be defined based on the maximum AL configured for this UE. And the CCE index for a PDCCH candidate with other AL configured for this UE may have a UE-specific offset based on the first CCE index; in this case, a CCE index and offset may be based on AL (i.e. aggregation levels))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method of the combination of Xu in view of Wang with the CCE indexes from groups and CCE indexes based on aggregation levels of Gao with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of reducing the number of blind detections (see Gao, par. [0045]).
Regarding claims 3, 12, the combination of Xu in view of Wang, and further in view of Gao, teaches the method or system. Xu further teaches:
wherein the second start CCE index is offset for more than one CORESET configured in the system (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0093]: As shown in FIG. 9 for an example, the starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s), and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, offsets by more than one CCE index and for more than one search block for more than one UE as shown in Fig. 9 corresponds to a CCE index offset for more than one CORESET).
Regarding claims 8, 17, the combination of Xu in view of Wang, and further in view of Gao, teaches the method or system.
The combination of Xu in view of Wang does not teach, but Gao teaches:
wherein the at least on cellular site includes a first and a second cellular site, the first UE associated and communicating with the first cellular site and the second UE associated and communicating with the second cellular site (see Gao, Fig. 1, par. [0037]: The coverage of the network device 110 is also called as a cell 102. It is to be understood that the number of base stations and terminal devices is only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The network 100 may include any suitable number of base stations and the terminal devices adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it would be appreciated that there may be one or more neighboring cells adjacent to the cell 102 where one or more corresponding network devices provides service for a number of terminal device located therein, and see Gao, par. [0038]: The network devices 110 may communicate with the terminal device 120; in this case, there is support for multiple cells in the network providing service for their own respective terminal devices).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the method or system of the combination of Xu in view of Wang with the first and second cellular sites of Gao with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of reducing the number of blind detections (see Gao, par. [0045]).
Regarding claim 10, Xu teaches:
A system for controlling a cellular communication system where a first User Equipment (UE) and a second UE communicate with at least one cellular site associated with the cellular communication system (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0095]: The gNB could configure/signal different offsets for different scenarios. For example. If there are more UEs at cell center, which may more likely use 1 to 2 CCE ALs for PDCCH, it could configure small offsets and thus allow more search space overlapping but less overall resource usage (or with same amount of resources to support more UE), and see Xu, Fig. 1, par. [0074]: The processor 102 is configured to allocate a plurality of control channel elements (CCEs) for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) having PDCCH candidates defined for a plurality of different CCE aggregation levels (ALs). A number of CCEs is defined by the different CCE ALs. The CCEs are allocated to a user device 300, and see Xu, par. [0075]: The network node 100 or base station, e.g. a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as transmitter such as eNB, eNodeB, NodeB, or B node, depending on the communication technology and terminology used. The radio network nodes may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size, and see Xu, par. [0081]: The user device 300 such as user equipment (UE), mobile station, wireless terminal and/or mobile terminal is in communication with the wireless communication system 500, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system; in this case, resources may be allocated for channels for multiple UEs in communication with a node, corresponding to a first and second UE communicating with at least one cellular site), the system comprising:
wherein a first start CCE index is allocated for a first Control Resource Set (CORESET-0) for the first UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, pars. [0091-0092]: Referring to FIG. 9, starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s). Such offset could be determined implicitly by some UE parameters such as UE RNTI, namely, it is a function of some UE identity such as RNTI, or it could be explicitly signaled by gNB, or it could be a combination of both. In general, the overall resources that are available for a UE to search for its PDCCH could be grouped into a number of blocks, each contains the number of CCEs in largest CCE AL that is supported, say 8 or 16 CCEs. A Hashing function could be used in conjunction with maybe an offset (in the order of CCEs), to determine the start of a search space block for a UE, and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, a starting CCE index is determined for a plurality of UEs across time-frequency resources in a control resource set, corresponding to allocating a first start CCE index for a first CORESET for the first UE and allocating a second start CCE index for a second CORESET for the second UE);
wherein a second start CCE index is allocated for a second Control Resource Set (CORESET-1) for the second UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, pars. [0091-0092]: Referring to FIG. 9, starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s). Such offset could be determined implicitly by some UE parameters such as UE RNTI, namely, it is a function of some UE identity such as RNTI, or it could be explicitly signaled by gNB, or it could be a combination of both. In general, the overall resources that are available for a UE to search for its PDCCH could be grouped into a number of blocks, each contains the number of CCEs in largest CCE AL that is supported, say 8 or 16 CCEs. A Hashing function could be used in conjunction with maybe an offset (in the order of CCEs), to determine the start of a search space block for a UE, and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, a starting CCE index is determined for a plurality of UEs across time-frequency resources in a control resource set, corresponding to allocating a first start CCE index for a first CORESET for the first UE and allocating a second start CCE index for a second CORESET for the second UE);
wherein the first start CCE index for CORESET-0 is offset from the second start CCE index for CORESET-1 such that PDCCH CCE collision minimized and PDCCH decoding is improved for the first UE and the second UE (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0093]: As shown in FIG. 9 for an example, the starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s), and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set, and see Xu, par. [0092]: An alternative solution could be to select certain sets of resources in a search space block to transmit PDCCH candidates with lower CCE AL, and randomize such selections (CCE locations that are used to carry PDCCH candidates), thus lead less collisions among PDCCH candidates of different UEs, and see Xu, par. [0087]: PDCCH candidates with different AL (e.g., 1, 2, 4, and 8) all share (or partially shared) the same sets of resources. Benefits of such structure are that the channel estimation done on this set of resources could be reused by decoding all PDCCH candidates with different AL and thus save the overall channel estimation performance; in this case, an offset of starting CCE indexes for PDCCH search space blocks corresponds to an offset of start CCE indexes for CORESETs. This results in minimized collisions and improved decoding) where the first and second start CCE indexes are separated in a frequency or a time domain (see Xu, Fig. 9, par. [0093]: As shown in FIG. 9 for an example, the starting CCE index of nested search space block of a UE could be shifted by an offset of one or multiple CCE lengths, thus reduce the block issue but still maintain the nested structure of search space for each UE. The offset could be in the order of CCE(s), and see Xu, par. [0083]: the UE may have a number of PDCCH candidates with different control channel element (CCE) aggregation level (AL), and such candidates could be spread across the time-frequency resources in a control resource set; in this case, the search blocks starting at different points in the frequency domain corresponds to the CCE indexes being separated in the frequency domain).
However, Xu does not teach:
a Medium Access Control (MAC) module responsible for allocating Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Control Channel Elements (CCEs) for Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and control information transmission;
wherein a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module
wherein a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations
Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
a Medium Access Control (MAC) module responsible for allocating Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Control Channel Elements (CCEs) (see Wang, Fig. 3, par. [0062]: FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in communication with a UE 350 in an access network…The controller/processor 375 provides…MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization, and see Wang, Fig. 7, par. [0115]: At 708, the base station 704 may transmit, to the first UE 702, and the first UE 702 may receive, from the base station 704, an indication of a DCICI configuration via at least one of RRC signaling, a second DCI message, or a MAC-CE. The DCICI configuration may include an AL associated with a DCICI PDCCH and at least one of a PDCCH candidate ID associated with the DCICI PDCCH or a CCE index associated with the DCICI PDCCH; in this case, the base station may have a MAC module and may provide configuration associated with a CCE index for PDCCH through a MAC-CE (corresponding to a MAC module responsible for allocating PDCCH CCEs)) for Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and control information transmission (see Wang, Fig. 2B, par. [0059]: FIG. 2B illustrates an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame…The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages, and see Wang, Fig. 2D, par. [0061]: FIG. 2D illustrates an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH may be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACK and/or negative ACK (NACK)). The PUSCH carries data, and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and/or UCI; in this case, different frame structures may include communication for PDSCH, PUSCH, and control information);
wherein a start CCE index is allocated by the MAC module (see Wang, Fig. 7, par. [0115]: At 708, the base station 704 may transmit, to the first UE 702, and the first UE 702 may receive, from the base station 704, an indication of a DCICI configuration via at least one of RRC signaling, a second DCI message, or a MAC-CE. The DCICI configuration may include an AL associated with a DCICI PDCCH and at least one of a PDCCH candidate ID associated with the DCICI PDCCH or a CCE index associated with the DCICI PDCCH; in this case, the configuration may indicate a CCE index through a MAC-CE (i.e. with the MAC module))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the system of Xu with the MAC module of Wang with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of reducing the number of blind decodes (see Wang, par. [0085]).
However, the combination of Xu in view of Wang does not teach:
wherein a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module
wherein a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations
Gao, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
wherein a first start CCE index from a first group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module (see Gao, Fig. 2, par. [0042]: in FIG. 2, a slot-based CORESET 210 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A search space 220 for the terminal device 120-1 and a search space 230 for the terminal device 120-2 are shown in FIG. 2, and see Fig. 4, par. [0058]: in FIG. 4, CORESETs 410 and 420 with a periodicity of 7 symbols within one slot may be configured for symbol-based scheduling. Taking the CORESET 410 for symbol-based scheduling as an example, the CORESET 410 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1 and a reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may correspond to the symbol-based CORESET 410. In one embodiment, the size of the reduced search space 430 associated with the highest AL 8 may be the same as that of the unreduced search space (for example, the search space 220 as shown in FIG. 2) for slot-based scheduling, that is 16 CCEs totally, and see par. [0061]: the reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may share a same size with the reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1, but from a different CCE index. For example, the different CCE index may be determined by applying the UE-ID of the terminal device 120-2, which is different from that of the terminal device 120-1, to the function ƒ; in this case, a CCE index is allocated to the terminal device 120-1 (i.e. the first UE) from a first search space (i.e. a first group) based on an ID)
wherein a second start CCE index from a second group based on physical identity is allocated by the MAC module (see Gao, Fig. 2, par. [0042]: in FIG. 2, a slot-based CORESET 210 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A search space 220 for the terminal device 120-1 and a search space 230 for the terminal device 120-2 are shown in FIG. 2, and see Fig. 4, par. [0058]: in FIG. 4, CORESETs 410 and 420 with a periodicity of 7 symbols within one slot may be configured for symbol-based scheduling. Taking the CORESET 410 for symbol-based scheduling as an example, the CORESET 410 may correspond to 24 consecutive CCEs logically. A reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1 and a reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may correspond to the symbol-based CORESET 410. In one embodiment, the size of the reduced search space 430 associated with the highest AL 8 may be the same as that of the unreduced search space (for example, the search space 220 as shown in FIG. 2) for slot-based scheduling, that is 16 CCEs totally, and see par. [0061]: the reduced search space 440 for the terminal device 120-2 may share a same size with the reduced search space 430 for the terminal device 120-1, but from a different CCE index. For example, the different CCE index may be determined by applying the UE-ID of the terminal device 120-2, which is different from that of the terminal device 120-1, to the function ƒ; in this case, a CCE index is allocated to the terminal device 120-2 (i.e. the second UE) from a second search space (i.e. a second group) based on an ID)
where the CCE indexes are based on aggregation levels in the CORESET configurations (see Gao, par. [0059]: the first CCE index for a PDCCH candidate for one UE may be defined based on the maximum AL configured for this UE. And the CCE index for a PDCCH candidate with other AL configured for this UE may have a UE-specific offset based on the first CCE index; in this case, a CCE index and offset may be based on AL (i.e. aggregation levels))
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the system of the combination of Xu in view of Wang with the CCE indexes from groups and CCE indexes based on aggregation levels of Gao with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of reducing the number of blind detections (see Gao, par. [0045]).
Claims 4 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu in view of Wang, and further in view of Gao, as applied to claims 1, 3, 8, 10, 12, and 17 above, and further in view of Seo et al. (US 2021/0314114), hereinafter “Seo”.
Regarding claims 4, 13, the combination of Xu in view of Wang, and further in view of Gao, teaches the method or system.
However, the combination of Xu in view of Wang, and further in view of Gao, does not teach:
wherein the allocation of the first start CCE index and the second start CCE index comprises an interleaved based CCE allocation.
Seo, in the same field of endeavor, teaches:
wherein the allocation of the first start CCE index and the second start CCE index comprises an interleaved based CCE allocation (see Seo, Fig. 5, Table 4, pars. [0082-0083]: FIG. 5 illustrates a result of applying interleaving according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to a CORESET overlapping situation as illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 5, (b) illustrates a scheme using interleaving and comb-combining after CCE groupi