CTNF 18/702,551 CTNF 93888 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 04/18/2024 and 12/30/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim s 9 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 9, in line 7, “the respective signals ” should be “the respective signal ”. Regarding claim 20, in lines 6-7, “the respective signals ” should be “the respective signal ” . Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1, 6-7, 10-12, 17-18 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2017/0187509) in view of Kumar et al. (US 2019/0166608) . Regarding Claim 1, Li teaches a method comprising: selecting, by a computing device, a plurality of frequency bands for communicating with at least one node of a wireless network, each of the plurality of frequency bands corresponding to a respective communication channel ([0063] The described multi-band receivers according to the above described exemplifying embodiments may advantageously be implemented in any suitable communication network node or equipment which is designed to communicate data by applying multiple frequency bands, for instance in User Equipments or radio base stations); receiving, by the computing device, a frequency block that encompasses the plurality of frequency bands ([0023] receiving the RXRF signal spectrum, comprising a lower frequency band and a higher frequency band; [0027] The input unit is adapted to receive the RXRF signal spectrum, comprising a lower frequency band and a higher frequency band; [0042] The input unit 404 is adapted to filter out, i.e. extract, two RF (Radio Frequency) frequency bands from a received RXRF signal spectrum); demodulating, by the computing device and to a baseband domain, the frequency block ([0023] frequency shifting the RXRF signal spectrum into a Receiver Intermediate Frequency, RXIF, signal spectrum, by mixing the RXRF signal spectrum with the LO output frequency f LO ; [0027] The controller is adapted to select an LO output frequency f LO based on a frequency f A of the lower frequency band, and a frequency f B of the higher frequency band, and the mixer is adapted to frequency shift the RXRF signal spectrum into an RXIF signal spectrum). However, Li does not teach decoding, by the computing device and based on the demodulated frequency block, a respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands. In an analogous art, Kumar teaches decoding, by the computing device and based on the demodulated frequency block, a respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands ([0084] As shown in FIG. 10, when signal is received from a CC at a receiver antenna, it is filtered by band-pass filer 1002 and then travels a signal path through the RF chain for demodulation and decoding. Accordingly, the number of RF chains included in the RF circuitry within a wireless device corresponds to the number of receive signal paths). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kumar’s method with Li’s method so that it can achieve intelligent resource assignment to increase throughput in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation (CA) capable devices (Kumar [0030]). Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Li and Kumar, specifically Li teaches the plurality of frequency bands comprises at least two frequency bands that are non-contiguous ([0007] The FIG. 1 which is a schematic graph illustrates a situation where two frequency bands A and B are separated with 1 GHz, e.g. a frequency fA of the frequency band A is 1 GHz lower than a frequency fB of the frequency band B; [0030] multi-band receivers may be designed, which may handle widely separated frequency bands, e.g. separated about 1 GHz). Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Li and Kumar, specifically Li teaches demodulating the frequency block to the baseband domain comprises downconverting, by the computing device, the frequency block as a single block ([0023] frequency shifting the RXRF signal spectrum into a Receiver Intermediate Frequency, RXIF, signal spectrum, by mixing the RXRF signal spectrum with the LO output frequency f LO ; [0027] The controller is adapted to select an LO output frequency f LO based on a frequency f A of the lower frequency band, and a frequency f B of the higher frequency band, and the mixer is adapted to frequency shift the RXRF signal spectrum (i.e., single block) into an RXIF signal spectrum). Regarding Claim 10, Li does not teach the computing device receives the frequency block via a single 4x4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) device. In an analogous art, Kumar teaches the computing device receives the frequency block via a single 4x4 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) device ([0095] the UE may assign 4 RF chains to PC in a 4×4 MIMO mode and further assign 2 RF chains to SCC1 and 2 chains to SCC2. ... the UE may assign 2 RF chains to the PCC, 4 RF chains to SCC1 in a 4×4 MIMO mode). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kumar’s method with Li’s method so that it can achieve intelligent resource assignment to increase throughput in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation (CA) capable devices (Kumar [0030]). Regarding Claim 11, the combination of Li and Kumar, specifically Li teaches selecting the plurality of frequency bands for communicating with the at least one node of the wireless network comprises: selecting the plurality of frequency bands for communicating with a single node of the wireless network ([0029] a communication network node, such as a NodeB or an eNodeB, or a wireless communication device, such as a UE, are provided; [0063] The described multi-band receivers according to the above described exemplifying embodiments may advantageously be implemented in any suitable communication network node or equipment which is designed to communicate data by applying multiple frequency bands, for instance in User Equipments or radio base stations). Regarding Claim 12, Li teaches a computing device comprising: a receiver chain comprising: one or more antennas ([0016] An RXRF (Receiver Radio Frequency) signal spectrum which comprises a lower frequency band and a higher frequency band is received at an antenna); and a downconverter ([0017] The RF frequency bands are frequency shifted into corresponding IF (Intermediate Frequency) frequency bands by RF Mixer 312); and one or more processors configured to ([0040] With reference to FIG. 4, which is a schematic block diagram, a multi-band receiver 400 will now be described in accordance with one exemplifying embodiment. The multi-band receiver 400 is a heterodyne FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) receiver and comprises a controller 402, an input unit 404, a mixer 406, and a local oscillator): select a plurality of frequency bands for communicating with at least one node of a wireless network, each of the plurality of frequency bands corresponding to a respective communication channel ([0063] The described multi-band receivers according to the above described exemplifying embodiments may advantageously be implemented in any suitable communication network node or equipment which is designed to communicate data by applying multiple frequency bands, for instance in User Equipments or radio base stations); cause the receiver chain to receive, via the one or more antennas, a frequency block that encompasses the plurality of frequency bands ([0023] receiving the RXRF signal spectrum, comprising a lower frequency band and a higher frequency band; [0027] The input unit is adapted to receive the RXRF signal spectrum, comprising a lower frequency band and a higher frequency band; [0042] The input unit 404 is adapted to filter out, i.e. extract, two RF (Radio Frequency) frequency bands from a received RXRF signal spectrum); cause a downconverter to demodulate, to a baseband domain, the frequency block ([0023] frequency shifting the RXRF signal spectrum into a Receiver Intermediate Frequency, RXIF, signal spectrum, by mixing the RXRF signal spectrum with the LO output frequency f LO ; [0027] The controller is adapted to select an LO output frequency f LO based on a frequency f A of the lower frequency band, and a frequency f B of the higher frequency band, and the mixer is adapted to frequency shift the RXRF signal spectrum into an RXIF signal spectrum). However, Li does not teach decode, based on the demodulated frequency block, a respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands. In an analogous art, Kumar teaches decode, based on the demodulated frequency block, a respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands ([0084] As shown in FIG. 10, when signal is received from a CC at a receiver antenna, it is filtered by band-pass filer 1002 and then travels a signal path through the RF chain for demodulation and decoding. Accordingly, the number of RF chains included in the RF circuitry within a wireless device corresponds to the number of receive signal paths). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kumar’s method with Li’s method so that it can achieve intelligent resource assignment to increase throughput in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation (CA) capable devices (Kumar [0030]). Regarding Claim 17, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 6. Regarding Claim 18, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 7. Regarding Claim 21, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 10. Regarding Claim 22, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 11 . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 2-4, 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. in view of Kumar et al. and Kazmi et al. (US 2016/0270047, filed in IDS) . Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Li and Kumar does not teach the plurality of frequency bands comprises a frequency division duplex band and a time division duplex band. In an analogous art, Kazmi teaches the plurality of frequency bands comprises a frequency division duplex band and a time division duplex band ([0051] a carrier aggregation (CA) capable wireless device may be configured to operate in CA band combination involving frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) frequency bands which are adjacent or very close to each to each other in frequency domain. Examples of such bands are LTE FDD band 7 and LTE TDD band 38, which are adjacent to each other). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kazmi’s method with Li’s method so that it can ensure that a network node can successfully operate a CA-capable wireless device in any CA which involves FDD and TDD frequency bands close to each other in frequency. An advantage may be that the methods and systems enhance user performance since CA can be effectively used even where CA uses FDD and TDD frequency bands or TDD bands that are close to each other in frequency. As a result, overall system performance and wireless device performance is enhanced. (Kazmi [0032]). Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Li and Kumar does not teach the plurality of frequency bands comprises at least two frequency bands that are contiguous. In an analogous art, Kazmi teaches the plurality of frequency bands comprises at least two frequency bands that are contiguous ([0051] a carrier aggregation (CA) capable wireless device may be configured to operate in CA band combination involving frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) frequency bands which are adjacent or very close to each to each other in frequency domain. Examples of such bands are LTE FDD band 7 and LTE TDD band 38, which are adjacent to each other). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kazmi’s method with Li’s method so that it can ensure that a network node can successfully operate a CA-capable wireless device in any CA which involves FDD and TDD frequency bands close to each other in frequency. An advantage may be that the methods and systems enhance user performance since CA can be effectively used even where CA uses FDD and TDD frequency bands or TDD bands that are close to each other in frequency. As a result, overall system performance and wireless device performance is enhanced. (Kazmi [0032]). Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Li and Kumar does not teach the plurality of frequency bands comprises band 7 and band 38. In an analogous art, Kazmi teaches the plurality of frequency bands comprises band 7 and band 38 ([0051] a carrier aggregation (CA) capable wireless device may be configured to operate in CA band combination involving frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) frequency bands which are adjacent or very close to each to each other in frequency domain. Examples of such bands are LTE FDD band 7 and LTE TDD band 38, which are adjacent to each other). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kazmi’s method with Li’s method so that it can ensure that a network node can successfully operate a CA-capable wireless device in any CA which involves FDD and TDD frequency bands close to each other in frequency. An advantage may be that the methods and systems enhance user performance since CA can be effectively used even where CA uses FDD and TDD frequency bands or TDD bands that are close to each other in frequency. As a result, overall system performance and wireless device performance is enhanced. (Kazmi [0032]). Regarding Claim 13, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 2. Regarding Claim 14, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 3. Regarding Claim 15, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 4 . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 5 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. in view of Kumar et al. and Loh et al. (US 2021/0211145) . Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Li and Kumar does not teach the plurality of frequency bands comprises band 48 and new radio (NR) band 77. In an analogous art, Loh teaches the plurality of frequency bands comprises band 48 and new radio (NR) band 77 ([0099] the UHB architectures herein support EN-DC, uplink carrier aggregation, downlink carrier aggregation, uplink MIMO (for instance, 2×2 TX MIMO), and/or downlink MIMO (for instance, 4×4 RX MIMO) using one or more UHB frequency bands, such as Band 42 (about 3.4 GHz to about 3.6 GHz), Band 43 (about 3.6 GHz to about 3.8 GHz), Band 48 (about 3.55 GHz to about 3.7 GHz), Band n77 (about 3.3 GHz to about 4.2 GHz), Band n78 (about 3.3 GHz to about 3.8 GHz), and/or Band n79). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Loh’s method with Li’s method so that it can support UHB EN-DC, uplink carrier aggregation, downlink carrier aggregation, uplink MIMO, and/or downlink MIMO (Loh [0099]). Regarding Claim 16, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 5 . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 8-9 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. in view of Kumar et al. and Fernando (US 2013/0265892) . Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Li and Kumar does not teach downconverting the frequency block to the baseband domain comprises using, by the computing device, a local oscillator in the center of the frequency block. In an analogous art, Fernando teaches downconverting the frequency block to the baseband domain comprises using, by the computing device, a local oscillator in the center of the frequency block ([0043] An illustration 514 shows the baseband signals from receiver 430. The received RF signal is downconverted with an LO signal at a frequency of f c , which results in the two transmissions on carriers C1 and C2 being centered at direct current (DC) or 0 Hertz.). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Fernando’s method with Li’s method so that it can provide good performance even when the carriers are imbalanced (Fernando [0023]). Regarding Claim 9, Li teaches converting, via an analog-to-digital converter, the downconverted frequency block into a plurality of digital signals, each digital signal of the plurality of digital signals corresponding to a respective frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands ([0018] the IF frequency bands of the branches are further filtered by IF band-pass filters 314, 318, and power adjusted by level adjustment means 316 before being feed into an A/D converter 320 to be converted into a first frequency band and a second frequency band of the baseband; [0045] the multi-band receiver 400 comprises an A/D-converter 408 arranged to convert each of IF frequency bands which are outputted by the mixer 406 into respective digital frequency bands in an RX baseband). However, Li does not teach wherein decoding the respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises: decoding, from the plurality of digital signals, the respective signals for each of the plurality of frequency bands. In an analogous art, Kumar teaches wherein decoding the respective signal for each of the plurality of frequency bands comprises: decoding, from the plurality of digital signals, the respective signals for each of the plurality of frequency bands ([0084] As shown in FIG. 10, when signal is received from a CC at a receiver antenna, it is filtered by band-pass filer 1002 and then travels a signal path through the RF chain for demodulation and decoding. Accordingly, the number of RF chains included in the RF circuitry within a wireless device corresponds to the number of receive signal paths). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Kumar’s method with Li’s method so that it can achieve intelligent resource assignment to increase throughput in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation (CA) capable devices (Kumar [0030]). Regarding Claim 19, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 8. Regarding Claim 20, the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reason as set forth in Claim 9 . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lin et al. (US 2022/0052816) teaches method of TDD intra-band contiguous downlink carrier aggregation and frequency of the local oscillator signal equal to a center frequency of the downlink carrier aggregation of the first carrier and the second carrier. Wilhelmsson et al. (US 2014/0051441) teaches complex intermediate frequency based receiver architecture. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YU-WEN CHANG whose telephone number is (408)918-7645. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00am-5:00pm PT. 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, Un Cho can be reached at 571-272-7919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent- center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /YU-WEN CHANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 2 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 3 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 4 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 5 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 6 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 7 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 8 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 9 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 10 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 11 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 12 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 13 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 14 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 15 Art Unit: 2413 Application/Control Number: 18/702,551 Page 16 Art Unit: 2413
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