DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: on second to last line of claim 14, the term “a 1atest” is considered as a typographical error. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter).
Here is how the refence teaches the claims.
Regarding claim 1, Abedini discloses a method performed by an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (Abedini, paragraph [0001], Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and specifically, to techniques and apparatuses for negotiating random access channel (RACH) configurations in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network) the method comprising:
reporting to a parent node at least one child link parameter associated with a child link of the IAB node (Abedini, Fig. 10, steps 1005, 1025 and 1020, shows a wireless node 1005 (i.e., a backhaul node) reporting a communication configuration associated with the child link in step 1025 to central unit 1025 (i.e., a parent node with respect to the DU wireless node in hierarchy). Also see paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the wireless node 1005). The communication configuration of the one or more child links may indicate similar information as the communication configuration of the parent link described above in connection with FIG. 9),
wherein the at least one child link parameter is associated with a time domain duration (Abedini, paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the
wireless node 1005) … For example, the communication configuration may indicate a power configuration for a child link, a timing associated with the child link (for example, one or more timing references) (i.e., child link parameter associated with a timing duration)), and includes at least one of a downlink (DL) transmission (TX) power, a DL Tx timing, a DL Tx spatial domain filter, a DL guard band, a DL guard symbol, an uplink (UL) reception (RX) power, an UL Tx timing, an UL Rx spatial domain filter, a UL guard band, or a UL guard symbol of the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0030], Some aspects more specifically relate to negotiating RACH configurations for a wireless node (for example, an IAB node) operating in an enhanced duplex mode (for example, where the wireless node is capable of concurrently communicating multiple signals). In some aspects, the wireless node may receive a communication configuration (for example, a power configuration, a timing, or other communication parameters) of one or more links (for example, a parent link or a child link) associated with the wireless node), and the IAB node is in one case of:
time division multiplexing (TDM) multiplexing mode being adopted between a parent link of the IAB node and the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0086], As shown in FIG. 7, an IAB node with a first communication capability 700 is associated with a time division multiplexing (TDM) capability. An IAB node with a second communication capability 705 or a third communication capability 710 is associated with an enhanced duplex capability. A TDM capability, such as the first communication capability 700, may mean that the IAB node time division multiplexes communications on a parent link 715 (such as a backhaul (BH) link) with communications on child links 720 (such as an access link));
UL transmission at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
UL transmission at a child link of a child node of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmissions or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
DL reception at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node; or
DL reception at the child link of the child node of the IAB node being performed.
Regarding claim 4, Abedini discloses wherein the at least one child link parameter is reported via at least one of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (Abedini paragraph [0056], In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration to a mobile termination (MT) unit of the child node (i.e., modify ate least one child link parameter). In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration to a DU of the parent node. In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration via a MAC-CE message (i.e., child link parameters are reported via MAC-CE). Also see paragraph [0005], A RACH procedure may be associated with a RACH configuration that indicates a large quantity of parameters or resource allocations for the RACH procedure).
Regarding claim 9, Abedini discloses wherein the DL guard band or the UL guard band indicates whether non-used DL physical resource blocks (PRBs) or non- used UL PRBs of the child link are at an upper boundary or at a lower boundary of a child link bandwidth (Abedini, paragraph [0092], The IAB node may configure a guard band (for example, one or more frequency resources, such as one or more resource blocks (RBs), that are not allocated for a signal (i.e., non-used resource blocks)) between the frequency resources for the concurrent communications. The guard band may be used to mitigate interference caused by the concurrent communications. For example, the one or more conditions may indicate a minimum guard band (i.e., an upper boundary) (for example, a minimum quantity of RBs) between concurrent signals to operate in the enhanced duplex mode. Also see paragraph [0088], For example, the IAB node may be capable of simultaneous transmission and reception on the parent link 745 and the child link 750. In some examples, a full-duplex capable IAB node may be capable of performing simultaneous transmission to a first node and reception from a second node. In some examples, a full-duplex capable IAB node may be capable of simultaneous transmission to a node and reception from the node).
Regarding claim 11, Abedini discloses wherein the reporting is per child link or per pair of DU cell and mobile terminal (MT) cloud computing (CC) (Abedini, paragraph [0114], In a second operation 1030, the CU may transmit, to the parent node 1010, an indication of the communication configuration of the one or more child links (i.e., reporting is per child) associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the wireless node 1005)).
Regarding claim 13, Abedini discloses wherein the reporting of the at least one child link parameter is initiated by the IAB node via transmitting a physical random access channel (PRACH) to the parent node (Abedini, paragraph, [0094], the IAB node may receive, from a child node (for example, a UE or another IAB node), an uplink signal at the same time as ( or at a time that at least partially overlaps with) the transmission of the RACH message. The uplink signal ( or the access link between the IAB node and the child node) may be associated with a communication configuration (i.e., a parameter of the child link)).
Regarding claim 16, Abedini discloses an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node (Abedini, paragraph [0052], In some aspects, a first wireless node (for example, an IAB node, an IAB donor, or a base station 110) includes means for receiving an indication of a configuration of one or more communication links associated with an enhanced duplex mode of at least one of the first wireless node or a second wireless node), comprising:
at least one memory (Abedini, paragraph [0006], In some aspects, a first wireless node for wireless communication includes at least one processor and at least one memory communicatively coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code); and
at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the IAB node to (Abedini, paragraph [0006], In some aspects, a first wireless node for wireless communication includes at least one processor and at least one memory communicatively coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first wireless node to receive an indication of a configuration of one or more communication links associated with an enhanced duplex mode of at least one of the first wireless node or a second wireless node):
report to a parent node at least one child link parameter associated with a child link of the IAB node (Abedini, Fig. 10, steps 1005, 1025 and 1020, shows a wireless node 1005 (i.e., a backhaul node) reporting a communication configuration associated with the child link in step 1025 to central unit 1025 (i.e., a parent node with respect to the DU wireless node in hierarchy). Also see paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the wireless node 1005). The communication configuration of the one or more child links may indicate similar information as the communication configuration of the parent link described above in connection with FIG. 9), wherein the at least one child link parameter is associated with a time domain duration (Abedini, paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the
wireless node 1005) … For example, the communication configuration may indicate a power configuration for a child link, a timing associated with the child link (for example, one or more timing references) (i.e., child link parameter associated with a timing duration)), and includes at least one of a downlink (DL) transmission (TX) power, a DL Tx timing, a DL Tx spatial domain filter, a DL guard band, a DL guard symbol, an uplink (UL) reception (RX) power, an UL Tx timing, an UL Rx spatial domain filter, a UL guard band, or a UL guard symbol of the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0030], Some aspects more specifically relate to negotiating RACH configurations for a wireless node (for example, an IAB node) operating in an enhanced duplex mode (for example, where the wireless node is capable of concurrently communicating multiple signals). In some aspects, the wireless node may receive a communication configuration (for example, a power configuration, a timing, or other communication parameters) of one or more links (for example, a parent link or a child link) associated with the wireless node), and the IAB node is in one case of:
time division multiplexing (TDM) multiplexing mode being adopted between a parent link of the IAB node and the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0086], As shown in FIG. 7, an IAB node with a first communication capability 700 is associated with a time division multiplexing (TDM) capability. An IAB node with a second communication capability 705 or a third communication capability 710 is associated with an enhanced duplex capability. A TDM capability, such as the first communication capability 700, may mean that the IAB node time division multiplexes communications on a parent link 715 (such as a backhaul (BH) link) with communications on child links 720 (such as an access link));
UL transmission at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
UL transmission at a child link of a child node of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmissions or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
DL reception at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node; or
DL reception at the child link of the child node of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node.
Regarding claim 19, Abedini discloses wherein the at least one child link parameter is reported via at least one of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (Abedini paragraph [0056], In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration to a mobile termination (MT) unit of the child node (i.e., modify ate least one child link parameter). In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration to a DU of the parent node. In some aspects, the first wireless node includes means for transmitting the request to modify the RACH configuration via a MAC-CE message (i.e., child link parameters are reported via MAC-CE). Also see paragraph [0005], A RACH procedure may be associated with a RACH configuration that indicates a large quantity of parameters or resource allocations for the RACH procedure).
Regarding claim 21, Abedini discloses a processor of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node for wireless communication (Abedini, paragraph [0052], In some aspects, a first wireless node (for example, an IAB node, an IAB donor, or a base station 110) includes means for receiving an indication of a configuration of one or more communication links associated with an enhanced duplex mode of at least one of the first wireless node or a second wireless node. Also see paragraph [0006], In some aspects, a first wireless node for wireless communication includes at least one processor and at least one memory communicatively coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code that, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first wireless node to receive an indication of a configuration of one or more communication links associated with an enhanced duplex mode of at least one of the first wireless node or a second wireless node), comprising:
at least one controller coupled with at least one memory and configured to cause the processor to (Abedini, paragraph [0051], For example, controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 1300 of FIG. 13, process 1400 of FIG. 14, or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively):
report to a parent node at least one child link parameter associated with a child link of the IAB node (Abedini, Fig. 10, steps 1005, 1025 and 1020, shows a wireless node 1005 (i.e., a backhaul node) reporting a communication configuration associated with the child link in step 1025 to central unit 1025 (i.e., a parent node with respect to the DU wireless node in hierarchy). Also see paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the wireless node 1005). The communication configuration of the one or more child links may indicate similar information as the communication configuration of the parent link described above in connection with FIG. 9), wherein the at least one child link parameter is associated with a time domain duration (Abedini, paragraph [0111], In a first operation 1025, the wireless node 1005 may transmit, to the CU 1020, a communication configuration of one or more child links associated with the wireless node 1005 (for example, associated with the DU of the wireless node 1005) … For example, the communication configuration may indicate a power configuration for a child link, a timing associated with the child link (for example, one or more timing references) (i.e., child link parameter associated with a timing duration)), and includes at least one of a downlink (DL) transmission (TX) power, a DL Tx timing, a DL Tx spatial domain filter, a DL guard band, a DL guard symbol, an uplink (UL) reception (RX) power, an UL Tx timing, an UL Rx spatial domain filter, a UL guard band, or a UL guard symbol of the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0030], Some aspects more specifically relate to negotiating RACH configurations for a wireless node (for example, an IAB node) operating in an enhanced duplex mode (for example, where the wireless node is capable of concurrently communicating multiple signals). In some aspects, the wireless node may receive a communication configuration (for example, a power configuration, a timing, or other communication parameters) of one or more links (for example, a parent link or a child link) associated with the wireless node), and the IAB node is in one case of:
time division multiplexing (TDM) multiplexing mode being adopted between a parent link of the IAB node and the child link of the IAB node (Abedini, paragraph [0086], As shown in FIG. 7, an IAB node with a first communication capability 700 is associated with a time division multiplexing (TDM) capability. An IAB node with a second communication capability 705 or a third communication capability 710 is associated with an enhanced duplex capability. A TDM capability, such as the first communication capability 700, may mean that the IAB node time division multiplexes communications on a parent link 715 (such as a backhaul (BH) link) with communications on child links 720 (such as an access link));
UL transmission at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
UL transmission at a child link of a child node of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmissions or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node;
DL reception at the parent link of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node; or
DL reception at the child link of the child node of the IAB node being performed simultaneously with UL transmission or DL transmission at the child link of the IAB node.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 2- 3 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of Miao, US 2022/0191893 A1 (Miao hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claims 2-3 and 17-18, Abedini discloses the method of claim 1 and the IAB node of claim 16.
Abedini further discloses the following features.
Regarding claim 3, wherein in response to that the at least one child link parameter has multiple values, the time domain duration is divided into multiple parts, and each of the multiple parts is associated with one of the multiple values (Abedini, paragraph [0111], The communication configuration of the one or more child links may indicate similar information as the communication configuration of the parent link described above in connection with FIG. 9. For example, the communication configuration may indicate a power configuration for a child link, a timing associated with the child link (for example, one or more timing references), a beam configuration for the child link (for example, one or more beams that are to be used for the child link), a frame structure (for example, an FDD frame structure or a TDD frame structure), a resource allocation (for example, a resource allocation for one or more communications associated with the child link), among other examples).
Regarding claim 18, wherein in response to that the at least one child link parameter has multiple values, the time domain duration is divided into multiple parts, and each of the multiple parts is associated with one of the multiple values (Abedini, paragraph [0111], The communication configuration of the one or more child links may indicate similar information as the communication configuration of the parent link described above in connection with FIG. 9. For example, the communication configuration may indicate a power configuration for a child link, a timing associated with the child link (for example, one or more timing references), a beam configuration for the child link (for example, one or more beams that are to be used for the child link), a frame structure (for example, an FDD frame structure or a TDD frame structure), a resource allocation (for example, a resource allocation for one or more communications associated with the child link), among other examples).
Abedini does not explicitly disclose the following features.
Regarding claim 2, wherein in the time domain duration, the at least one child link parameter has a single value, multiple values, or at least one range of value.
Regarding claim 17, wherein in the time domain duration, the at least one child link parameter has a single value, multiple values, or at least one range of value.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Miao discloses a method related to wirelessly communicating data, by the UE connected to a node of a radio access network (RAN) that comprises the following features.
Regarding claim 2, wherein in the time domain duration, the at least one child link parameter has a single value, multiple values, or at least one range of value (Miao, paragraph [0029], Generally, a time-domain resource (e.g., a symbol within a time slot) (i.e., in the time domain duration) may be configured as a downlink ("DL" or "D") resource, an uplink ("UL" or "U") resource, or a flexible (F) resource. For instance, the time-domain resources may include a time division duplex (TDD) structure of slots or groups of slots in a radio frame. The configuration of a particular time-domain resource may specify a potential transmission direction of that resource (e.g., DL, UL, or F). From an MT perspective, a parent link may use D/U/F time-domain resources, and from a DU perspective, a child link may use D/U/F time-domain resources. Furthermore, the D/U/F time-domain resources of a DU (e.g., for a child link) may be configured as hard (H), soft (S), or not available (NA) (i.e., single or multiple values of child-link parameter in the time domain duration)).
Regarding claim 17, wherein in the time domain duration, the at least one child link parameter has a single value, multiple values, or at least one range of value (Miao, paragraph [0029], Generally, a time-domain resource (e.g., a symbol within a time slot) (i.e., in the time domain duration) may be configured as a downlink ("DL" or "D") resource, an uplink ("UL" or "U") resource, or a flexible (F) resource. For instance, the time-domain resources may include a time division duplex (TDD) structure of slots or groups of slots in a radio frame. The configuration of a particular time-domain resource may specify a potential transmission direction of that resource (e.g., DL, UL, or F). From an MT perspective, a parent link may use D/U/F time-domain resources, and from a DU perspective, a child link may use D/U/F time-domain resources. Furthermore, the D/U/F time-domain resources of a DU ( e.g., for a child link) may be configured as hard (H), soft (S), or not available (NA) (i.e., single or multiple values of child-link parameter in the time domain duration)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by Miao, in order to efficiently and dynamically signal available soft resources to a DU so that the DU can correctly determine the available soft resources for data transmission in a child link (see Miao, paragraph [0032]).
Claim(s) 5 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of Huang et al., US 2023/0300652 A1 (Huang hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claims 5 and 20, Abedini discloses the method of claim 4 and the IAB node of claim 19. Abedini does not explicitly disclose the following features.
Regarding claim 5, in response to that the at least one child link parameter is reported via the PUCCH or the PUSCH, a priority for the reporting is determined based on at least one of a reporting metric, a distributed unit (DU) cell index, and a child link index.
Regarding claim 20, in response to that the at least one child link parameter is reported via the PUCCH or the PUSCH, a priority for the reporting is determined based on at least one of a reporting metric, a distributed unit (DU) cell index, and a child link index.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Huang discloses a method related to a wireless user equipment (UE) configured to receive a downlink in a network configured for full duplex communication that comprises the following features.
Regarding claim 5, in response to that the at least one child link parameter is reported via the PUCCH or the PUSCH (Huang, paragraph [0122], with respect to an UL dimension of such a two-dimensional hypothesis, a set of candidate hypotheses may correspond to a suitable beam parameter for an interfering (with respect to the DL UE) UL transmission from a paired UE in a full duplex network. Here, the candidate hypotheses may correspond to an UL beam direction of the paired UE's PUSCH transmission), a priority for the reporting is determined based on at least one of a reporting metric, a distributed unit (DU) cell index, and a child link index (Huang, paragraph [0108], The CSI report configuration message includes an indication of a set of one or more candidate hypotheses, each corresponding to a child link downlink (DL) parameter for a child link between the relay node and the victim node, and an indication of a backhaul downlink codebook configuration for a backhaul downlink between the parent node and the relay node. The scheduling entity or base station 700 further include means for receiving a first CSI report, from the victim UE, including an indication of one or more preferred beamforming parameters for the backhaul downlink and one or more preferred DL child link parameters for the child link. Also paragraph [0099], In various examples, one dimension of the two dimensional hypothesis described herein may correspond to a DL the base station transmits to the DL (victim) UE in a full duplex network. Any suitable parameter or parameters corresponding to the DL may correspond to a DL dimension of a two-dimensional hypothesis within the scope of the present disclosure).
Regarding claim 20, in response to that the at least one child link parameter is reported via the PUCCH or the PUSCH (Huang, paragraph [0122], with respect to an UL dimension of such a two-dimensional hypothesis, a set of candidate hypotheses may correspond to a suitable beam parameter for an interfering (with respect to the DL UE) UL transmission from a paired UE in a full duplex network. Here, the candidate hypotheses may correspond to an UL beam direction of the paired UE's PUSCH transmission), a priority for the reporting is determined based on at least one of a reporting metric, a distributed unit (DU) cell index, and a child link index (Huang, paragraph [0108], The CSI report configuration message includes an indication of a set of one or more candidate hypotheses, each corresponding to a child link downlink (DL) parameter for a child link between the relay node and the victim node, and an indication of a backhaul downlink codebook configuration for a backhaul downlink between the parent node and the relay node. The scheduling entity or base station 700 further include means for receiving a first CSI report, from the victim UE, including an indication of one or more preferred beamforming parameters for the backhaul downlink and one or more preferred DL child link parameters for the child link. Also paragraph [0099], In various examples, one dimension of the two dimensional hypothesis described herein may correspond to a DL the base station transmits to the DL (victim) UE in a full duplex network. Any suitable parameter or parameters corresponding to the DL may correspond to a DL dimension of a two-dimensional hypothesis within the scope of the present disclosure).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by Huang, in order to support a UE to generate a CSI report based on a two-dimensional hypothesis in an efficient manner with reduced signaling overhead (see Huang, abstract and paragraph [0097]).
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of Astrom et al., US 2024/0243797 A1 (Astrom hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 7, Abedini discloses the method of claim 1. Abedini does not explicitly disclose wherein the DL Tx spatial domain filter or UL Rx spatial domain filter indicates at least one reference signal (RS) of synchronization signal block (SSB), channel quality indication reference signal (CSI-RS), positioning reference signal (PRS), and sounding reference signal (SRS). In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Astrom discloses a method related to spatial domain simultaneous operation in an Integrated Access and Back-haul (IAB) node that comprises wherein the DL Tx spatial domain filter or UL Rx spatial domain filter indicates at least one reference signal (RS) of synchronization signal block (SSB), channel quality indication reference signal (CSI-RS), positioning reference signal (PRS), and sounding reference signal (SRS) (Astrom, paragraph [0062], a method performed by an IAB-node for spatial domain simultaneous operation with a parent IAB-node and a child IAB-node or a WCD comprises receiving a reference signal in a serving transmit beam from a parent IAB-node by sweeping multiple reference receive beams and determining a set of restricted receive beams for spatial domain simultaneous operation. Also paragraph [0052], In one embodiment, the reference signals comprise synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), sounding reference signals (SRSs), or any combination thereof).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by Astrom, in order to save cost and provide more flexibility by employing a wireless link for connecting the small cells to the operator's network in an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) network, where the operator can utilize part of the radio resources for the backhaul link (see Astrom, abstract and paragraph [0003]).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), in view of Astrom et al., US 2024/0243797 A1 (Astrom hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of Kurras et al., US 2023/0318690 A1 (using foreign application priority date of October 16, 2020, corresponding to EP 20202354.5; referred to as Kurras hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 8, Abedini and Astrom disclose the method of claim 7. Abedini and Astrom do not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one RS associated with the DL or UL spatial domain filter is a recommended RS, a not preferred RS or combination thereof.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Kurras discloses a method related to a wireless communication system that comprises wherein the at least one RS associated with the DL or UL spatial domain filter is a recommended RS, a not preferred RS or combination thereof (Kurras, paragraph [0058], if the UE is configured with the higher layer parameter spatialRelationinfo containing the ID of a reference 'ssb-Index', the UE shall transmit the target SRS resource with the same spatial domain transmission filter used for the reception of the reference SS/PBCH block (i.e., preferred or recommended RS associated with a UL or DL spatial domain filter)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini and Astrom by using the features, as taught by Kurras, in order to support improvement of the overall spectral efficiency in a wireless communication network (see Kurras, paragraphs [0001] and [0311]).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of Miao, US 2022/0182977 A1 (Miao’977 hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 10, Abedini discloses the method of claim 1. Abedini does not explicitly disclose wherein the DL guard symbol indicates whether a number of DL guard symbols of the child link are at beginning or ending of a child link transmission duration, and the UL guard symbol indicates whether a number of UL guard symbols of the child link are at beginning or ending of a child link reception duration.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Miao’977 discloses a method related to a wirelessly communicating data in a communication system that comprises wherein the DL guard symbol indicates whether a number of DL guard symbols of the child link are at beginning or ending of a child link transmission duration (Miao’977, paragraph [0055], in order for the CU to correctly signal the proper start of soft available resources, the CU may determine a number of guard symbols between a last used symbol in the parent link of the DU and the first available soft resources for the child link. In an example, the DU may determine the number of guard symbols and may signal an indication of the number of guard symbols to the CU), and the UL guard symbol indicates whether a number of UL guard symbols of the child link are at beginning or ending of a child link reception duration (Miao’977, paragraph [0056], In this example, an informational element, such as TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon, that is transmitted in SIB1 Is enhanced to include parameters that signal the number of guard symbols. Within examples, the parameters may correspond to the six scenarios described above. For the first and fourth scenarios, the number of symbol index offsets between the first available DL soft symbol and the last used DL or UL symbol in the parent link are fixed to 2 and 1, respectively. As such, in an example, if a transmission direction of the parent link is downlink, then the DU does not signal the number of symbol index offsets since they are fixed).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by Miao’977, in order to support mechanisms for dynamically allocating resources between backhaul and access links, which include mechanisms to efficiently multiplex access and backhaul links (for both DL and UL directions) in time, frequency, or space domain (see Miao’977, paragraphs [0001] and [0090]).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of YING et al., US 2022/0015093 A1 (Ying hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 12, Abedini discloses the method of claim 1. Abedini does not explicitly disclose wherein the reporting of the at least one child link parameter is triggered by the parent node via a download control information (DCI).
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) Ying discloses a method related to an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node that comprises (Ying, paragraph [0061], Techniques discussed herein can be used for new signaling mechanisms for time-domain resource allocation in IAB networks ( or other types of multi-hop networks). The proposed techniques can be used for, e.g., mobile IAB nodes or so-called "UE-type" relays. In some aspects, the resource allocation for parent links and child links can be configured using a single radio resource control (RRC) message or a single layer 1 (L1) message such as downlink control information (DCI) signaling).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by Ying, in order to provide further enhanced operation of the LTE system that includes techniques for resource allocation in IAB networks (see Ying, abstract and paragraph [0005]).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ABEDINI et al., US 2022/0312488 A1 (Abedini hereinafter), as applied to the claims above and further in view of YOU et al., US 2023/0064157 A1 (You hereinafter).
Here is how the refences teach the claims.
Regarding claim 14, Abedini discloses the method of claim 1. Abedini does not explicitly disclose in case that there are a first child link parameter and a second child link parameter for a same time duration reported and the first and second child link parameters are contradicting with each other a latest one of the first and second child link parameters has a higher priority.
In the same field of endeavor (e.g., communication system) You discloses a method performed in a wireless communication system by an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node that comprises in case that there are a first child link parameter and a second child link parameter for a same time duration reported and the first and second child link parameters are contradicting with each other (You, paragraph [0365], the DU of the IAB node simultaneously receives the uplink signals of the child links whose uplink reception timings coincide with each other or the difference is less than or equal to a specific value), a latest one of the first and second child link parameters has a higher priority (You, paragraph [0365], it is preferable (i.e., higher priority) that the DU of the IAB node receives the uplink signals of the child links in which the difference in uplink reception timing is greater than a specific value through different time resources).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Abedini by using the features, as taught by You, in order to support more flexible and high-efficiency communication by proposing a communication system of an IAB node based on a plurality of timing (see You, abstract and paragraph [0005]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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
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/OBAIDUL HUQ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473 Dated: 03/21/2026