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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
1a. Claims 3-4, 6-7, 9-10, 12-13 and 15 are objected to as dependent upon rejected claims, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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.
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 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.
2a. Claims 1-2, 5, 8, 11 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 20230156692 A1) in view of Ouchi (US 2025/0063564 A1).
2b. Summary of the Cited Prior Art
Zhang discloses a method for multiple precoder indication for physical share channel communication.
Ouchi discloses a method for physical share channel transmission types and precoding.
2c. Claim Analysis
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang discloses:
A method (Fig 7) performed by a terminal (Fig 1, UE 105) in a wireless communication system (Fig 1), the method comprising:
receiving (Fig 7, Steps 705-710) configuration information for repetitive transmission of an uplink data channel (see: [0066] At 705, a UE can receive from a base station, one or more indicators to enable a plurality of precoders corresponding to a plurality of PUSCH repetitions) from a base station (Fig 1, BS 101);
identifying a plurality of precoders (Fig 5A, Precoder 505a-505b; see: [0006] … the UE determines or selects precoders based on signaling from the base station) for the repetitive transmission of the uplink data channel (Fig 7, Step 715; see: [0070] At 715, the UE is configured, based on the indicator, to enable the plurality of precoders to correspond to one or more of the plurality of PUSCH repetitions);
and repeatedly transmitting the uplink data channel (Fig 7, Step 720, PUSCH repetitions) to the base station based on the configuration information and the plurality of precoders (Fig 7, Step 720; see: [0073] At 720, the UE can use the configuration set forth above with respect to operation 715, including the PUSCH transmission scheme, to configure one or more PUSCH transmission repetitions);
wherein among the plurality of precoders, a first precoder (Fig 5A, first Precoder 505a) is applied to a first uplink data channel (Fig 5A, PUSCH Repetition 506a; see: [0055] … UE 105 is configured based on the one or two TRIs and two TPMls to perform a sequential mapping of a first precoder 505a and second precoder 505b in sequence with corresponding repetitions (e.g., first PUSCH repetition 506a. second PUSCH repetition 506b, third PUSCH repetition 506c, and fourth PUSCH repetition 500d) of the PUSCH transmission);
Zhang does not disclose repetition transmissions determination based on timing.
However, Ouchi discloses various type of PUSCH repetition transmissions with various timing and priority:
a second precoder (Fig 11, Precoder 11005) is applied to an uplink data channel (see: [0237] … For PUSCH repetition Type A, in case K>1, …; Examiner’s Note: K is repetition number) determined based on at least one of a transmitting timing of the repeated uplink data channel (see: [0290] … for the UE configured with higher layer parameter …. PUSCH preparation time for PUSCH timing capability 1, PUSCH preparation time N2 is 10, 12, 23 and 36 symbols for μ=0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. For PUSCH preparation time for PUSCH timing capability 2, PUSCH preparation time N2 is 5, 5.5 and 11 symbols (for frequency range (FR) 1) for μ=0, 1 and 2, respectively) or a period associated with applying the second precoder.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to integrate Zhang’s method for multiple precoder indication for physical share channel communication with Ouchi’s method for physical share channel transmission types and precoding with the motivation being to improve communication flexibility and/or efficiency (Ouchi, [0004]).
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang discloses:
wherein identifying the plurality of precoders (Fig 5A, Precoder 505a-505b; see: [0006] … the UE determines or selects precoders based on signaling from the base station) includes:
receiving information indicating the first precoder (Fig 5A, first Precoder 505a) through downlink control information (DCI) (Fig 5A, DCI 501-502; see: [0055] … a mapping 500 of precoders and PUSCH repetitions can be configured according to a first stage DCI 501 and a second stage DCI 502);
and selecting one or more precoders (see: [0006] … the UE determines or selects precoders based on signaling from the base station) including the second precoder (Fig 5A, second Precoder 505b) based on the first precoder (see: [0055] … UE 105 is configured based on the one or two TRIs and two TPMls to perform a sequential mapping of a first precoder 505a and second precoder 505b in sequence with corresponding repetitions; Examiner’s Note: the precoders are selected and mapped sequentially, and selection of the second precoder is based on the first precoder).
Regarding Claim 5, Zhang discloses:
wherein identifying the plurality of precoders (Fig 5A, Precoder 505a-505b) includes:
receiving information (Fig 7, Step 705-710) including a plurality of fields indicating the plurality of precoders from the base station (Fig 5A, DCI 501 and 502; see: [0068] … at 710 each precoder of a plurality of precoders can be indicated by a separate field of a DCI);
and wherein each field corresponds to each precoder (see: [0068] … at 710 each precoder of a plurality of precoders can be indicated by a separate field of a DCI);
and the plurality of precoders (Fig 5A, Precoder 505a-505b) are applied to the repeated uplink data channel (Fig 5A, PUSCH Repetition 506a-506b) in ascending order of indices of the plurality of precoders (see: UE 105 is configured based on the one or two TRIs and two TPMls to perform a sequential mapping of a first precoder 505a and second precoder 505b in sequence with corresponding repetitions (e.g., first PUSCH repetition 506a. second PUSCH repetition 506b, third PUSCH repetition 506c, and fourth PUSCH repetition 500d) of the PUSCH transmission; Examiner’s Note: the precoders are selected and mapped sequentially in ascending order, as implied).
Regarding Claim 8, the base station claim discloses similar features as of Claim 1, and is rejected accordingly. Further, Claim 8 discloses the same operations of Claim 1, but is performed by a base station transmitter.
Regarding Claim 11, the terminal claim discloses similar features as of Claim 1, and is rejected accordingly. Further, Zhang discloses an apparatus in Fig 10.
Regarding Claim 14, the base station claim discloses similar features as of Claim 1, and is rejected accordingly. Further, Claim 8 discloses the same operations of Claim 1, but is performed by a base station transmitter.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jung-Jen Liu whose telephone number is 571-270-7643. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang B. Yao can be reached on 571-272-3182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUNG LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2473