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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 14-15, 17 and 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Duan et al (US 2021/0112498). Hereinafter referred to as Duan.
Regarding claims 1, 14, and 30-31. Duan discloses a Sound Reference Signal SRS triggering method for antenna switching, wherein the method is performed by a network device, and the method comprises: receiving capability report information sent by a terminal device (see at least figures 7-8), wherein the capability report information is used for indicating a combination of antenna switching configurations supported by the terminal device (see at least figures 7-8 and paragraphs [0096]-[0110]); dynamically configuring uplink SRS resources for the terminal device according to the capability report information (see at least figures 7-8 and paragraphs [0096]-[0110]); and sending Downlink Control Information DCI to the terminal device, wherein the DCI is used for triggering an SRS resource set, and the SRS resource set corresponds to the antenna switching configuration (see at least figures 7-8 and paragraphs [0096]-[0110]).
Regarding claims 2, 15 and 17. Duan discloses a method wherein the SRS resource set comprises at least one of: the SRS resource set corresponding to the antenna switching configuration; or at least one SRS resource set for other usages, wherein the other usages are usages other than the antenna switching configuration (see at least figures 7-8 and paragraphs [0096]-[0101]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claims 3-4 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Duan in view of Yum et al (US 2018/0175983) and further in view of Zhang et al (US 2020/0052837). Hereinafter referred to as Yum and Zhang.
Regarding claims 3 and 16, Duan discloses all the limitations of the claimed invention for the exception that the DCI comprises an extended aperiodic SRS request indication field, and the extended aperiodic SRS request indication field instructs the terminal device to trigger at least one SRS resource set. However, Yum, from a similar filed of endeavor teaches sending extended aperiodic field (see at least paragraph [0274]). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the invention to employ the teaching of Yum, as indicated, into the communication method of Duan for the purpose of using unused resources to transport more detailed configurations. Zhang, from the same field of endeavor, teaches aperiodic SRS request indication field instructs the terminal device to trigger at least one SRS resource set (see at least paragraph [0111]). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the time of the invention to employ teaching of Zhang, as indicated, into the communication method of Duan in view of Yum for the purpose of triggering events outside the scheduled resources and improving communication.
Regarding claim 4. Duan in view of Yum and further in view of Zhang discloses a method wherein the at least one SRS resource set comprises all or at least some of SRS resource sets corresponding to a specified antenna switching configuration (see at least figures 7-8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8, 10, 13, 18, 20-21 and 23 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO_892.
In the case of amending the claimed invention, Applicant is respectfully requested to indicate the portion(s) of the specification which dictate(s) the structure relied on for proper interpretation and also to verify and ascertain the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
When responding to this office action, applicants are advised to clearly point out the patentable novelty which they think the claims present in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited or the objections made. Applicants must also show how the amendments avoid such references or objections. See 37C.F.R 1.111(c). In addition, applicants are advised to provide the examiner with the line numbers and pages numbers in the application and/or references cited to assist examiner in locating the appropriate paragraphs.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOUNIR MOUTAOUAKIL whose telephone number is (571)270-1416. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10AM-4PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayaz Sheikh can be reached at 571-272-3795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOUNIR MOUTAOUAKIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476