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 .
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 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.
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, 7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pocovi et al. (US 2024/0250994 as supported by the corresponding drawings and passages of U.S. Provisional application No. 63/186,948) in view of Yokomakura et al. (US 2020/0358540), El Hamss et al. (US 2021/0377912), Lee et al. (US 2015/0289211) and Marinier et al. (US 2015/0358111). For dependent claims herein, the motivation to combine is the same as the parent claim unless otherwise noted.
Regarding claim 1, Pocovi discloses a method of transmitting a channel state information (CSI) report by a user equipment (UE) (fig. 3, step 325) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving a configuration related to CSI reporting (step 300; figs. 4A-4B; note: CQI is part of CSI; paras. 31 and 40); receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) (figs. 1-3); determining an uplink resource for the CSI report based on the configuration (step 325; paras. 34-35); and transmitting the CSI report in the uplink resource (step 325), wherein transmitting the CSI report in the uplink resource includes transmitting the CSI report including one of a plurality of entry values based on i) the PDSCH and ii) a modulation coding scheme (MCS) offset (step 325; note: delta-CQI/MCS; paras. 17 (third sentence), 19 and 33).
However, Pocovi fails to disclose receiving a higher layer parameter configuration related to CSI reporting; receiving scheduling information including resource allocation information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); receiving the PDSCH based on the scheduling information; and determining an uplink resource for the CSI report based on the higher layer parameter configuration and the scheduling information. Yokomakura discloses RRC-configured CSI reporting (para. 170) and PDSCH resource assignment for receiving a PDSCH (fig. 4(d) and paras. 52-53 and 122; note: PDSCH in a time resource). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have receiving a higher layer parameter configuration related to CSI reporting, receiving scheduling information including resource allocation information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), receiving the PDSCH based on the scheduling information, and determining an uplink resource for the CSI report based on the higher layer parameter configuration and the scheduling information in the invention of Pocovi. The motivation to have the modification and/or well-known benefits of the modification include, but are not limited to, provide control signaling and provide resources for a PDSCH, respectively, as is known in the art (Yokomakura, fig. 4(d) and pars. 52-53, 122 and 170; MPEP 2143(I)(A)(B)(C)(D) - note: e.g., applying known techniques having predictable results).
Further, Pocovi in view of Yokomakura fails to teach and make obvious the CSI report including one of a plurality of entry values based on i) the PDSCH and ii) a modulation coding scheme (MCS) offset table including the plurality of entry values, and wherein the plurality of entry values includes first values representing a plurality of MCS offset values, and a second value that is reserved without being mapped to any MCS offset.
However, El Hamss discloses a table used to change an MCS level (paras. 214 and 219; note: offset for increasing or decreasing to a MCS level from a MCS previous level), and Lee (para. 133) and Marinier (para. 62) each disclose an MCS table having reserved values not mapped to an MCS. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the CSI report including one of a plurality of entry values based on i) the PDSCH and ii) a modulation coding scheme (MCS) offset table including the plurality of entry values, and wherein the plurality of entry values includes first values representing a plurality of MCS offset values, and a second value that is reserved without being mapped to any MCS offset in the invention of Pocovi in view of Yokomakura. The motivation to have the modification and/or well-known benefits of the modification include, but are not limited to, using an index to indicate a set of values and having index values reserved for future use, respectively, as is known in the art (El Hamss, paras. 214 and 219; Lee, para. 133; Marinier, para. 62; MPEP 2143(I)(A)(B)(C)(D) - note: e.g., applying known techniques having predictable results).
Regarding claim 7, these limitations are rejected on the same ground as claim 1. In addition, Pocovi discloses a user equipment (UE) (fig. 3) for transmitting a channel state information (CSI) report in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising (fig. 5B and para. 65): at least one transceiver; at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operatively connected to the at least one processor and configured to store instructions that when executed causes the at least one processor to perform operations (paras. 67-69, 73-74 and 78-82) of the method of claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, these limitations are rejected on the same ground as claim 1 from the perspective of the base station. In addition, Pocovi discloses a base station (BS) (fig. 3, network node) for receiving a channel state information (CSI) report in a wireless communication system, the BS comprising (fig. 5A and para. 53): at least one transceiver; at least one processor; and at least one computer memory operatively connected to the at least one processor and configured to store instructions that when executed causes the at least one processor to perform reciprocal operations (paras. 55-59; paras. 29 and 35; note: timing provided by a base station) of the method of claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/Kevin C. Harper/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462
Prosecution Insights