DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to claims filed on 18 March 2024 and Information Disclosure Statements filed on 18 March 2024 and 13 May 2025.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 18 March 2024 and 13 May 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-20 were originally filed on 18 March 2024.
Claims 1-20 were canceled and claims 21-35 and the Specification have been amended.
Claims 21-35 remain pending for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 31-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because claims 31-35 are directed to a computer readable medium which encompasses transitory forms of signal transmission (signals per se), which is listed as a non-limiting example of non-statutory subject matter. See MPEP § 2106.03 subsection I.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 21-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. (US 2024/0032061, hereinafter Zhou).
Regarding Claim 21, Zhou discloses a method, comprising:
detecting, by a user equipment, one or more downlink control information (DCIs) (Fig. 3 and ¶ 130 disclose user equipment (a UE) receiving DCI from a base station (BS); Figs. 4-5 and ¶¶ 141 and 147 also disclosing BS transmitting DCI comprising a unified TCI state indication to the UE; Fig. 6 and ¶ 154 disclose the BS sending two DCIs to the UE; and Fig. 7 and ¶¶ 161-163 disclose the BS sending three DCIs to the UE);
determining, by the user equipment, at least one of the one or more downlink control information (¶ 130 discloses the UE receiving first indication information of one or more transmission control information (TCI) states and indication of a scheduled downlink (DL) channel transmission (e.g., PDSCH) and one or more uplink (UL) channels for the UE to use for transmission, and the UE receiving the PDSCH according to the DCI from the BS; ¶¶ 141, 147, 154, and 161-163 disclose receiving the DCI(s) and determining indicated unified TCI state(s) therefrom), wherein acknowledgement information for the determined at least one of the one or more downlink control information is transmitted in a same symbol, in a same slot or in a same uplink channel (¶ 131 discloses the UE transmitting an acknowledgment to explicitly acknowledge receipt of the DCI including the one or more TCI states; ¶ 132 discloses the acknowledgment as transmitted in a Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH), wherein the acknowledgment is disclosed as a single bit — thus, transmission of the entirety of the single bit of information indicating the acknowledgment is at least implied to be transmitted in a same symbol and slot; ¶¶ 143, 148, 155, and 164 disclose the UE transmitting acknowledgment information to the BS for at least one of the DCIs transmitted by the BS; ¶ 105 discloses support for same-slot HARQ feedback);
determining, by the user equipment, a first transmission configuration indicator state indicated in a first downlink control information (¶ 130 discloses the UE using the one or more TCI states, such as an indication of a unified TCI state, for communication with the BS; and ¶ 138 discloses the UE applying the one or more TCI states after transmitting the acknowledgment indicating successful receipt of the DCI and the one or more TCI states; ¶¶ 144, 151, 158, and 165 disclose the UE applying at least one of the indicated TCI states that is different from an initial TCI state that the UE was operating in when receiving the DCI(s)), wherein the first downlink control information is latest in time among the determined at least one of the one or more downlink control information (Fig. 3 and ¶ 130 discloses the UE receiving the DCI including the TCI state indication as a single DCI — thus, the DCI including the TCI state information is the first and latest DCI); and
applying, by the user equipment, the first transmission configuration indicator state (¶ 138 discloses the UE applying the one or more TCI states after transmitting the acknowledgment indicating successful receipt of the DCI and the one or more TCI states; ¶¶ 144, 151, 158, and 165 disclose the UE applying at least one of the indicated TCI states that is different from an initial TCI state that the UE was operating in when receiving the DCI(s), such as the Unified TCI indicated in the DCI including the unified TCI as illustrated in Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 22, Zhou discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the acknowledgement information comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement or a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgement (Figs. 3-7, ¶¶ 132, 143, 149, 156, and 164 disclose the acknowledgment as a HARQ acknowledgment).
Regarding Claim 23, Zhou discloses the method of claim 21, wherein acknowledgement information for the first downlink control information comprises either a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement or a hybrid automatic repeat request negative acknowledgement (Figs. 3-7, ¶¶ 132, 143, 149, 156, and 164 disclose the acknowledgment as a HARQ acknowledgment).
Regarding Claim 24, Zhou discloses the method of claim 21, wherein acknowledgement information for the first downlink control information comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (Figs. 3-7, ¶¶ 132, 143, 149, 156, and 164 disclose the acknowledgment as a HARQ acknowledgment).
Regarding Claim 25, Zhou discloses the method of claim 21, wherein the applying of the first transmission configuration indicator state comprises applying the first transmission configuration indicator state after a number of symbols or a number of slots after a last symbol of acknowledgment information for the first downlink control information (¶ 105 discloses wheren HARQ feedback may be provided in a specific slot in which data was received in a previous symbol or in a subsequent slot according to a time interval; ¶ 113 discloses further details of DCI indicating when a UE is to begin using a beam as indicated in a TCI state after the DCI is received, as defined in symbols; Figs. 3-7, ¶¶ 138, 144, 151, 158, and 165 disclose the UE applying the TCI state of the last-received DCI after possibly receiving PDSCH following the latest DCI and after transmitting acknowledgment information corresponding to the latest received DCI following reception of the latest DCI and possible reception of the PDSCH).
Regarding Claims 26-30, though of varying scope, the limitations of claims 26-30 are substantially similar or identical to those of claims 21-25, and are rejected under the same reasoning. Further, Zhou, at Fig. 11 and ¶¶ 195, discloses a UE, as described therein, as comprising memory comprising code executed by a processor of the UE.
Regarding Claims 31-35, though of varying scope, the limitations of claims 31-35 are substantially similar or identical to those of claims 21-25, and are rejected under the same reasoning. Further, Zhou, at Fig. 11 and ¶¶ 195, discloses a UE, as described therein, as comprising memory comprising code executed by a processor of the UE.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhu et al. (US 2024/0057113), at Figs. 4-7 and associated description, discloses processes similar to those disclosed in Zhou as cited above;
Cirik et al. (US 2022/0338042), at Figs. 24-26 and associated description, discloses a UE responding to potentially receiving DCIs with HARQ-ACK information according to a time duration;
John Wilson et al. (US 2019/0115955), at Figs. 4, 13 and associated description, discloses a UE being configured with one or more TCI states and receiving DCI;
Khoshnevisan et al. (WO 2022/192082), at Figs. 5-6 and associated description, discloses a UE receiving one or more DCI and determining whether to respond with a feedback message;
Kim et al. (US 2022/0022237), at Figs. 26-32 and associated description, discloses a UE providing HARQ-ACK information according to a HARQ-ACK codebook;
Kim et al. (US 2022/0046691), at Figs. 20-26 and associated description, discloses a UE providing HARQ-ACK information according to a HARQ-ACK codebook;
Kim et al. (US 2022/0077969), at Figs. 25-31 and associated description, discloses a UE providing HARQ-ACK according to a HARQ-ACK codebook;
Kim et al. (US 2022/0216955), at Figs. 13-15 and associated description, discloses a UE receiving DCIs and responding with HARQ-ACK information;
Lunttila et al. (US 2018/0049046), at Figs.5a-b and associated description, discloses processes of a base station and user equipment wherein DCI and HARQ-ACK are exchanged;
Rastegardoost et al. (US 2021/0320760), at Figs. 17, 24 and associated description, discloses a UE transmitting HARQ feedback information associated with one or more DCI;
Rastegardoost et al. (US 2022/0007399), at Figs. 17-38 and associated description, discloses a UE potentially transmitting a PUCCH including HARQ acknowledgment information associated with one or more DCI according to a time period;
Yi et al. (US 2023/0050541), at Figs. 21-22, 26-28, 31-32 and associated description, discloses a UE transmitting HARQ feedback information associated with one or more DCI; and
Yi et al. (US 2024/0057108), at Figs. 22-32 and associated description, discloses a UE transmitting HARQ feedback information associated with one or more DCI.
A shortened statutory period for reply to this action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. An extension of time may be obtained under 37 CFR 1.136(a). However, in no event, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of the action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS R CAIRNS whose telephone number is (571)270-0487. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM ET M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MARCUS SMITH can be reached at (571) 270-1096. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Thomas R Cairns/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2468
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