Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 18/720,760

Interference Measurement Technique

Non-Final OA §103§112
Filed
Jun 17, 2024
Priority
Dec 22, 2021 — GR 20210100908 +1 more
Examiner
NELSON, RYA TEON
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
33%
Grant Probability
At Risk
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants only 33% of cases
33%
Career Allowance Rate
2 granted / 6 resolved
-26.7% vs TC avg
Strong +67% interview lift
Without
With
+66.7%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
51
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.2%
-37.8% vs TC avg
§103
71.8%
+31.8% vs TC avg
§102
13.3%
-26.7% vs TC avg
§112
12.7%
-27.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 6 resolved cases

Office Action

§103 §112
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 . This non-final is in response to the application filed 6/17/2024. Claims 1-28 are canceled. Claims 29-48 are pending. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on July 1, 2024 and January 6, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 29,47, and 48 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AlA), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AlA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claims 29,47, and 48 recites " wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol " and " outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol ". The applicant establishes that one IM is in the set in the phrase in each of the at least one IM symbol. Therefore, IM symbol can’t be outside if the set and in each set. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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 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. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 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 29, 33,35,40, and 44-48 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Liu et al, US 20190281487 A1, in view of Ren et al, US 20210203464 A1. Regarding claim 29, Liu does disclose a method of controlling a distortion for an interference measurement (IM) by controlling a power in a radio transmission of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols from a network node to a radio device([0005] The OFDM symbol may have a cyclic prefix to avoid the inter-symbol interference caused by multi-path delays. One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol.), the method comprising performing or initiating the steps of: transmitting, from the network node to the radio device, at least one IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols([0005] [0250]One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port), wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises zero power resource elements (ZP Res) and zero or more non-zero power resource elements, (NZP Res)([0250] [0253] The ZP-based IM reflects current or future interference conditions depending on whether the RS is used for current data transmission or future data transmission. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port).), wherein a set of the ZP REs is allocated to the IM at the radio device([0288] [0289] In this case, the NZP IMR REs contains interference, and the UE may estimate the energy/power on the NZP REs to obtain IM. Similar to Case 1-2, the addition/subtraction approach may be considered, but it may be desirable to use the simpler averaging approach. Therefore, in all cases the UE behavior may be unified to be averaging on some, and potentially all, IMR REs. This averaging approach also may unify the UE behavior on NZP CSI-RS and/or ZP CSI-RS for IM.), and receiving at least one channel state information (CSI) report from the radio device, wherein the CSI report is indicative of a result of the IM based on the transmitted at least one IM symbol([0382] At step 2912, the network node receives from the UE a CSI report. The received CSI report is based on the channel measurement and interference measurement performed by the UE in response to the indication by the network node to the UE of NZP CSI-RS resources at step 2904.). Liu does not explicitly disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol; However, Ren does disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol([0167] [0168] [0171] In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, the CSI-IM region does not include all subcarriers in an OFDM symbol. Thus, TRS and the CSI-IM REs can be in the same OFDM symbol together. In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, less ZP CSI-RS resources are used, as compared to the example resource partition. For example, in some embodiments, inter-cell interference error can be reduced by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping a cell's CSI-IM with a neighbor cell's NZP CSI-RS, including TRS and/or by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping the cell's CSI-IM with the neighbor cell's CSI-IM.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu with and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol as taught by Ren. The motivation for doing so would be to reducing inter-cell interference error which can improve user throughput as compared to existing CSI reference signal resource mapping techniques. (Ren, [0171]) Regarding claim 33, Liu does disclose the method further comprising performing or initiating at least one of the steps of: and setting a power of at least one or each future IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols, wherein the set power depends on the received at least one CSI report([0307] [0311] each trigger state of CSI request field would indicate CSI reporting setting and this CSI reporting setting associated CSI-RS resource sets. An additional bit-field in the DCI may further select the resource set for channel and resource set for interference. Uplink power control determines the average power over an SC-FDMA symbol in which the physical channel is transmitted.). setting a power of at least one or each future OFDM symbol out of the OFDM symbols, wherein the set power depends on the received at least one CSI report(no citation is required); setting a power of at least one or each future other symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than IM symbols, wherein the set power depends on the received at least one CSI report(no citation is required). Regarding claim 35, Liu does disclose the method further comprising performing or initiating the step of obtaining at least one of: a reduced power for the at least one IM symbol and/or a reduced power for at least one or each future IM symbol, wherein the reduced power is indicative of the power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the respective IM symbol([0005][0077] One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. For example, it may be appropriate for a network node, carrier, or antenna set to transition from an activity level (e.g., with reduced transmission power) or a state (e.g., a dormant state) to a different activity level (e.g., with full transmission power) or a different state (e.g., an active state) when traffic, interference, or other conditions change.); a nominal power for the OFDM symbols, wherein the nominal power is indicative of the power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the other symbol(no citation is required); and a power back-off for the at least one IM symbol and/or a power back-off for at least one or each future IM symbol, wherein the power back-off is indicative of the power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the respective IM symbol relative to the power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the other symbol(no citation is required). Regarding claim 40, Liu does disclose the method wherein the zero or more NZP REs comprise NZP CSI reference signals (NZP CSI RS) and/or data signals and/or demodulation reference signal (DM- RS) of the radio transmission([0113] [0250] [0253] The measurements in the numerator and denominator are made over the same set of RBs. E-UTRA Carrier RSSI comprises the linear average of the total received power (in [W]) observed only in OFDM symbols containing reference symbols for antenna port 0, in the measurement bandwidth, over N number of RBs by the UE from all sources, including co-channel serving and non-serving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise etc. If higher-layer signaling indicates certain subframes for performing RSRQ measurements, then RSSI is measured over all OFDM symbols in the indicated subframes. In future releases, RSSI may be measured on certain REs specified by the Enb. The ZP-based IM reflects current or future interference conditions depending on whether the RS is used for current data transmission or future data transmission. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port). This UE operation may be a consequence of UE assumption that interference is transmitted on the ZP REs 2102 without further knowledge of the interference.).), and/or wherein the configuration message is indicative of the NZP CSI RSs allocated to a CSI measurement at the radio device(no citation is required), and/or wherein the configuration message is indicative of the scheduling of the data signals, and/or wherein the CSI report is indicative of a channel quality indicator (CQI) or a signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the radio transmission based on: a signal strength, and a power of noise and/or interference measured in the set of ZP REs in the IM at the radio device(no citation is required). Regarding claim 44, Liu does disclose the method wherein the at least one IM symbol is periodically transmitted and/or the at least one CSI report is periodically received([0080] [0128] The CSI-IM resource-based measurements take about 190 ms to about 285 ms (or about 380 ms to about 570 ms, or about 760 ms to about 1140 ms, respectively) to settle if the CSI-IM resource has a period of 10 ms (or 20 ms, or 40 ms, respectively). Which may contain configurations of channel and/or interference measurement resources (e.g., CSI-RS resources and CSI-IM resources). The reporting configuration may indicate periodic reporting (in which case the periodicity and subframe offsets of the reporting subframes may be signaled)). Regarding claim 45, Liu does disclose the method wherein the network node determines at least one of:subcarriers allocated to the ZP REs in the at least one IM symbol([0005] [0023] One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. The apparatus further includes means for performing an interference measurement associated with the CSI report on at least a second subset of the set of NZP CSI-RS resources. The second subset of the set of NZP CSI-RS resources includes one or more NZP CSI-RS ports.); and a number of the ZP REs in the at least one IM symbol(no citation is required). Regarding claim 46, Liu does disclose the method wherein the network node determines at least one of:subcarriers allocated to the NZP REs in the at least one IM symbol([0005] [0023] One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. The apparatus further includes means for performing an interference measurement associated with the CSI report on at least a second subset of the set of NZP CSI-RS resources. The second subset of the set of NZP CSI-RS resources includes one or more NZP CSI-RS ports.); a number of the NZP REs in the at least one IM symbol (410) (no citation is required); and a power density of the NZP REs in the at least one IM symbol(no citation is required). Regarding claim 47, Liu does disclose a network node for controlling a distortion for an interference measurement (IM) by controlling a power in a radio transmission of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols from the network node to a radio device(([0005] [0009] The OFDM symbol may have a cyclic prefix to avoid the inter-symbol interference caused by multi-path delays. One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol.) The method further includes generating the CSI report based on the channel measurement and interference measurement and transmitting the CSI report to a network.), the network node comprising: memory storing instructions([0401] Processing unit 3102 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 3104, memory 3106, a mass storage device 3108, a video adapter 3110, and an I/O interface 3112 connected to a bus.); and a processor to execute the instructions, whereby the processor is configured to([0401] Processing unit 3102 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 3104, memory 3106, a mass storage device 3108, a video adapter 3110, and an I/O interface 3112 connected to a bus.): transmit, from the network node to the radio device, at least one IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols([0005] [0250]One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port), wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises zero power resource elements (ZP REs) and zero or more non-zero power resource elements (NZP Res) ([0250] [0253] The ZP-based IM reflects current or future interference conditions depending on whether the RS is used for current data transmission or future data transmission. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port).), wherein a set of the ZP REs is allocated to the IM at the radio device([0288] [0289] In this case, the NZP IMR REs contains interference, and the UE may estimate the energy/power on the NZP REs to obtain IM. Similar to Case 1-2, the addition/subtraction approach may be considered, but it may be desirable to use the simpler averaging approach. Therefore, in all cases the UE behavior may be unified to be averaging on some, and potentially all, IMR REs. This averaging approach also may unify the UE behavior on NZP CSI-RS and/or ZP CSI-RS for IM.), and receive at least one channel state information (CSI) report from the radio device, wherein the CSI report is indicative of a result of the IM based on the transmitted at least one IM symbol([0382] At step 2912, the network node receives from the UE a CSI report. The received CSI report is based on the channel measurement and interference measurement performed by the UE in response to the indication by the network node to the UE of NZP CSI-RS resources at step 2904.). Liu does not explicitly disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol; However, Ren does disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol([0167] [0168] [0171] In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, the CSI-IM region does not include all subcarriers in an OFDM symbol. Thus, TRS and the CSI-IM REs can be in the same OFDM symbol together. In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, less ZP CSI-RS resources are used, as compared to the example resource partition. For example, in some embodiments, inter-cell interference error can be reduced by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping a cell's CSI-IM with a neighbor cell's NZP CSI-RS, including TRS and/or by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping the cell's CSI-IM with the neighbor cell's CSI-IM.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu with and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol as taught by Ren. The motivation for doing so would be to reducing inter-cell interference error which can improve user throughput as compared to existing CSI reference signal resource mapping techniques. (Ren, [0171]) Regarding claim 48, Liu does disclose a base station for controlling a distortion for an interference measurement (IM) by controlling a power in a radio transmission of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols from the base station to a user equipment (UE) ([0005] [0289] The OFDM symbol may have a cyclic prefix to avoid the inter-symbol interference caused by multi-path delays. One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. his averaging approach also may unify the UE behavior on NZP CSI-RS and/or ZP CSI-RS for IM. The base station implementation may attempt to ensure the IM obtained in this way corresponds to the desired interference condition.), and wherein the base station is configured to communicate with the UE and comprises: a radio interface([0170] At event 1402, UE1 and eNB1 establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection); and processing circuitry configured to([0401] Processing unit 3102 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 3104, memory 3106, a mass storage device 3108, a video adapter 3110, and an I/O interface 3112 connected to a bus.): transmit, via the radio interface, at least one IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols([0005] [0253]One resource element (RE) is defined by the time/frequency resource within one subcarrier and one OFDM symbol. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port), wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises zero power resource elements (ZP REs) and zero or more non-zero power resource elements (NZP Res) ([0250] [0253] The ZP-based IM reflects current or future interference conditions depending on whether the RS is used for current data transmission or future data transmission. In FIG. 20, NZP is transmitted by the neighbor cell, and each RE 2002 is associated with one layer (e.g., no CDM for NZP, and each RE 2002 is for a layer or a port).), wherein a set of the ZP REs is allocated to the IM at the radio device([0288] [0289] In this case, the NZP IMR REs contains interference, and the UE may estimate the energy/power on the NZP REs to obtain IM. Similar to Case 1-2, the addition/subtraction approach may be considered, but it may be desirable to use the simpler averaging approach. Therefore, in all cases the UE behavior may be unified to be averaging on some, and potentially all, IMR REs. This averaging approach also may unify the UE behavior on NZP CSI-RS and/or ZP CSI-RS for IM.), and receive, via the radio interface, at least one channel state information (CSI) report from the UE, wherein the CSI report is indicative of a result of the IM based on the transmitted at least one IM symbol([0382] At step 2912, the network node receives from the UE a CSI report. The received CSI report is based on the channel measurement and interference measurement performed by the UE in response to the indication by the network node to the UE of NZP CSI-RS resources at step 2904.). Liu does not explicitly disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol; However, Ren does disclose and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol([0167] [0168] [0171] In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, the CSI-IM region does not include all subcarriers in an OFDM symbol. Thus, TRS and the CSI-IM REs can be in the same OFDM symbol together. In this example, resources are configured with a TRS power boost; however, less ZP CSI-RS resources are used, as compared to the example resource partition. For example, in some embodiments, inter-cell interference error can be reduced by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping a cell's CSI-IM with a neighbor cell's NZP CSI-RS, including TRS and/or by allocating resources for CSI-IM to avoid (or at least minimize) overlapping the cell's CSI-IM with the neighbor cell's CSI-IM.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu with and wherein the power in subcarriers outside of the set and in each of the at least one IM symbol is less than or equal to a power in the subcarriers outside of the set and in another symbol out of the OFDM symbols other than the at least one IM symbol as taught by Ren. The motivation for doing so would be to reducing inter-cell interference error which can improve user throughput as compared to existing CSI reference signal resource mapping techniques. (Ren, [0171]) Claim 30,34, 36, and 37 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Liu et al, US 20190281487 A1, in view of Ren et al, US 20210203464 A1 as applied to claim 29 above, and in further view of Yum et al, US 20210120444 A1. Regarding claim 30, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises at least one ZP RE not allocated for the IM at the radio device. However, Yum does disclose the method wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises at least one ZP RE not allocated for the IM at the radio device([0116] [0119] On the other hand, if the density of a resource is set to be more than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, density >=DCIMR=4) in a specific NZP CSI-RS configuration, a UE may consider the resource as the CIMR. In particular, port X may correspond to a separate port index (or indices) which are not allocated for other existing RSs, for example, a DMRS, a CSI-RS, etc. A UE may measure a channel, and more particularly, RSRP and interference on the corresponding resources.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Lee with the method wherein the at least one IM symbol comprises at least one ZP RE not allocated for the IM at the radio device as taught by Yum. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the performance of channel measurement (Yum, [0115]) Regarding claim 34, Liu and Lee do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the setting comprises setting the power of at least one or each resource element (RE) in the respective symbol, and/or the set power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI report. and/or the set power is an increasing function of a distance or a pathloss between the network node and the radio device(no citation is required), and/or the set power is decreased until a channel quality indicated by the at least one CSI report assumes a maximum or plateau(no citation is required). However, Yum does disclose the method wherein the setting comprises setting the power of at least one or each resource element (RE) in the respective symbol, and/or the set power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI report([0083][0094] Since time-frequency resources used for CSI-RS transmission are not used for data transmission, data throughput decreases as CSI-RS overhead increases. In the 3GPP LTE (-A) system, a UE is defined to report CSI to a BS. Herein, the CSI means information indicating the quality of a radio channel (also called a link) created between a UE and an antenna port.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Lee with the method wherein the setting comprises setting the power of at least one or each resource element (RE) in the respective symbol, and/or the set power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI report as taught by Yum. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the performance of channel measurement (Yum, [0115]) Regarding claim 36, Liu does disclose the method wherein the set power is at least one of: and obtained based on the received at least one CSI report([0373] At step 2814, the UE may transmit the CSI report to the network. For example, the UE may transmit the CSI report to a network node.); equal to or greater than the reduced power(no citation is required); equal to or less than the nominal power(no citation is required). Regarding claim 37, Liu and Lee do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the reduced power of the at least one or each future IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols is obtained based on the received at least one CSI report, wherein at least one of the following applies:the reduced power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI report; and/or the reduced power is decreased until a channel quality indicated by the at least one CSI report assumes a maximum or plateau, starting from the nominal power, the reduced power is increased until a channel quality indicated by the at least one CSI report assumes a maximum or plateau(no citation is required); and/or wherein the reduced power of the at least one IM symbol or the at least one or each future IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols is an increasing function of a distance or a pathloss between the network node and the radio device(no citation is required). However, Yum does disclose the method wherein the reduced power of the at least one or each future IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols is obtained based on the received at least one CSI report, wherein at least one of the following applies:the reduced power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI report([0083][0094] Since time-frequency resources used for CSI-RS transmission are not used for data transmission, data throughput decreases as CSI-RS overhead increases. In the 3GPP LTE (-A) system, a UE is defined to report CSI to a BS. Herein, the CSI means information indicating the quality of a radio channel (also called a link) created between a UE and an antenna port.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Leewith the method wherein the reduced power of the at least one or each future IM symbol out of the OFDM symbols is obtained based on the received at least one CSI report, wherein at least one of the following applies:the reduced power is a decreasing function of a channel quality indicated by the received at least one CSI reportas taught by Yum. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the performance of channel measurement (Yum, [0115]) Claim 31,32, and 41-43 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Liu et al, US 20190281487 A1, in view of Ren et al, US 20210203464 A1 as applied to claim 29 above, and in further view of Lee et al, US 20250254713 A1, hereinafter referred to as Lee713. Regarding claim 31, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein a power spectral density of at least one NZP RE in subcarriers outside of the set and in the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the other symbol other than the at least one IM symbol. However, Seungmin does disclose the method wherein a power spectral density of at least one NZP RE in subcarriers outside of the set and in the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the other symbol other than the at least one IM symbol([0199] [0234]For example, if Power Spectral Density (PSD) boosting of the NZP CSI-RS is applied/configured for the UE (in a resource pool-specific manner), the UE may not map a 2nd SCI to an RE located in the form of FDM with respect to a symbol (e.g., RE) to which the NZP CSI-RS and/or the CSI-IM is mapped (exceptionally). For example, if the size of the subchannel is less than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each subchannel size unit. For example, if the size of the subchannel is greater than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each pre-configured number of RBs.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein a power spectral density of at least one NZP RE in subcarriers outside of the set and in the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density in the subcarriers outside of the set and in the other symbol other than the at least one IM symbol as taught by Seungmin. The motivation for doing so would be to improve channel estimation accuracy can be implemented relatively easily. (Seungmin, [0201]) Regarding claim 32, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the other symbol is in another slot other than a slot comprising the at least one IM symbol, wherein a power spectral density of each of the symbols in the slot comprising the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density of the other symbol or each of the other symbols in the other slot other than the slot comprising the IM symbol. However, Seungmin does disclose the method wherein the other symbol is in another slot other than a slot comprising the at least one IM symbol, wherein a power spectral density of each of the symbols in the slot comprising the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density of the other symbol or each of the other symbols in the other slot other than the slot comprising the IM symbol([0188] [0199] [0234]For example, the RX UE may preferentially include feedback information related to a PSSCH slot and/or a PSCCH slot with a relatively low index (prior to a PSFCH slot) in SL HARQ feedback information (on a specific PSFCH) sequentially. For example, if Power Spectral Density (PSD) boosting of the NZP CSI-RS is applied/configured for the UE (in a resource pool-specific manner), the UE may not map a 2nd SCI to an RE located in the form of FDM with respect to a symbol (e.g., RE) to which the NZP CSI-RS and/or the CSI-IM is mapped (exceptionally). For example, if the size of the subchannel is less than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each subchannel size unit. For example, if the size of the subchannel is greater than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each pre-configured number of RBs.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein the other symbol is in another slot other than a slot comprising the at least one IM symbol, wherein a power spectral density of each of the symbols in the slot comprising the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density of the other symbol or each of the other symbols in the other slot other than the slot comprising the IM symbol as taught by Seungmin. The motivation for doing so would be to improve channel estimation accuracy can be implemented relatively easily. (Seungmin, [0201]) Regarding claim 41, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein a power spectral density of the NZP CSI RS is less than a power spectral density of the data signals of the radio transmission. However, Seungmin does disclose the method wherein a power spectral density of the NZP CSI RS is less than a power spectral density of the data signals of the radio transmission([0188] [0199] [0234]For example, the RX UE may preferentially include feedback information related to a PSSCH slot and/or a PSCCH slot with a relatively low index (prior to a PSFCH slot) in SL HARQ feedback information (on a specific PSFCH) sequentially. For example, if Power Spectral Density (PSD) boosting of the NZP CSI-RS is applied/configured for the UE (in a resource pool-specific manner), the UE may not map a 2nd SCI to an RE located in the form of FDM with respect to a symbol (e.g., RE) to which the NZP CSI-RS and/or the CSI-IM is mapped (exceptionally). For example, if the size of the subchannel is less than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each subchannel size unit. For example, if the size of the subchannel is greater than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each pre-configured number of RBs.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein the other symbol is in another slot other than a slot comprising the at least one IM symbol, wherein a power spectral density of each of the symbols in the slot comprising the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density of the other symbol or each of the other symbols in the other slot other than the slot comprising the IM symbol as taught by Seungmin. The motivation for doing so would be to improve channel estimation accuracy can be implemented relatively easily. (Seungmin, [0201]) Regarding claim 42, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein a or the reduced power of the at least one IM symbol corresponds to a linear combination of at least two of the ZP REs, the NZP REs, the NZP CSI RSs, and the data signals, wherein the linear combination is weighted by the number of REs in the respective IM symbol and/or a power spectral density in the respective IM symbol. However, Seungmin does disclose the method wherein a or the reduced power of the at least one IM symbol corresponds to a linear combination of at least two of the ZP REs, the NZP REs, the NZP CSI RSs, and the data signals, wherein the linear combination is weighted by the number of REs in the respective IM symbol and/or a power spectral density in the respective IM symbol([0163] [0188] [0199] [0234] For example, the DG may be replaced/substituted with a combination of the CG and the SPS grant, or vice versa. For example, the RX UE may preferentially include feedback information related to a PSSCH slot and/or a PSCCH slot with a relatively low index (prior to a PSFCH slot) in SL HARQ feedback information (on a specific PSFCH) sequentially. For example, if Power Spectral Density (PSD) boosting of the NZP CSI-RS is applied/configured for the UE (in a resource pool-specific manner), the UE may not map a 2nd SCI to an RE located in the form of FDM with respect to a symbol (e.g., RE) to which the NZP CSI-RS and/or the CSI-IM is mapped (exceptionally). For example, if the size of the subchannel is less than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each subchannel size unit. For example, if the size of the subchannel is greater than or equal to a pre-configured threshold, the TX UE may apply the PRG for each pre-configured number of RBs.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein the other symbol is in another slot other than a slot comprising the at least one IM symbol, wherein a power spectral density of each of the symbols in the slot comprising the at least one IM symbol is less than a power spectral density of the other symbol or each of the other symbols in the other slot other than the slot comprising the IM symbol as taught by Seungmin. The motivation for doing so would be to improve channel estimation accuracy can be implemented relatively easily. (Lee, [0201]) Regarding claim 43, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the ZP REs comprise at least one of: ZP CSI resources for the IM; and muted or unallocated REs of a physical downlink channel of the network node(no citation is required). However, Seungmin does disclose the method wherein the ZP REs comprise at least one of: ZP CSI resources for the IM([0262] For example, the TX UE may not allocate/distribute the PSD on the zero-power PT-RS RE to the data RE located in the form of FDM with the zero-power PT-RS RE (within the same symbol).); It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein the ZP REs comprise at least one of: ZP CSI resources for the IM as taught by Seungmin. The motivation for doing so would be to improve channel estimation accuracy can be implemented relatively easily. (Seungmin, [0201]) Claim 38 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Liu et al, US 20190281487 A1, in view of Ren et al, US 20210203464 A1 as applied to claim 29 above, and in further view of Cleveland et al, US 20060140296 A1. Regarding claim 38, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method wherein the network node comprises at least one of a power amplifier (PA) for the radio transmission and a peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) reduction unit for the OFDM symbols of the radio transmission. However, Cleveland does disclose the method wherein the network node comprises at least one of a power amplifier (PA) for the radio transmission and a peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) reduction unit for the OFDM symbols of the radio transmission([0037-0038] Additionally, one or more of subscriber stations 111-116 may also reduce the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of OFDM/OFDMA signals according to the principles of the present disclosure. According to an exemplary embodiment, base station 102 comprises serial-to-parallel converters 205a and 205b, a plurality of mapping function blocks 210, including exemplary mapping function blocks 210a, 210b, 210c and 210d, in-phase and quadrature (I&Q) envelope detector 220, inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) block 225, peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction block 230, and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) controller 235. Base station 102 further comprises combiner block 240, up-converter 245, power amplifier 250, and antenna 255. In an advantageous embodiment, antenna 255 may comprise a multi-sector antenna array capable of beam-forming.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method wherein the network node comprises at least one of a power amplifier (PA) for the radio transmission and a peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) reduction unit for the OFDM symbols of the radio transmission as taught by Cleveland. The motivation for doing so would be to improve OFDM/OFDMA transmission system that minimizes amplifier peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) without suffering performance degradation. (Cleveland, [0006]) Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Liu et al, US 20190281487 A1, in view of Ren et al, US 20210203464 A1 as applied to claim 29 above, and in further view of Zhou et al, US 20210345410 A1. Regarding claim 39, Liu and Ren do not explicitly disclose the method further comprising performing or initiating the step of transmitting a configuration message to the radio device, wherein the configuration message is indicative of at least one of: the reduced power of the at least on IM symbol; the IM(no citation is required); the IM symbol(no citation is required); the set of ZP REs(no citation is required); the zero or more ZP REs(no citation is required); the nominal power for the OFDM symbols(no citation is required); and the power back-off of the at least one IM symbol(no citation is required). However, Zhou does disclose the method further comprising performing or initiating the step of transmitting a configuration message to the radio device, wherein the configuration message is indicative of at least one of: the reduced power of the at least on IM symbol([0181] The one or more RACH parameters provided in the configuration message 1310 may be used to determine an uplink transmit power of Msg 1 1311 and/or Msg 3 1313. For example, the one or more RACH parameters may indicate a reference power for a preamble transmission (e.g., a received target power and/or an initial power of the preamble transmission). There may be one or more power offsets indicated by the one or more RACH parameters. ). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Liu and Ren with the method further comprising performing or initiating the step of transmitting a configuration message to the radio device, wherein the configuration message is indicative of at least one of: the reduced power of the at least on IM symbol as taught by Zhou. The motivation for doing so would be to improve success rate of uplink transmission and/or RF compliance, and/or reduce data delivery latency. (Zhou , [0310]) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYA TEON NELSON whose telephone number is (703)756-1942. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:30. 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, Nishant Divecha can be reached at 571-270-3125. 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. /RYA TEON NELSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2419 /Nishant Divecha/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2419
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 17, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 16, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103, §112 (current)

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99%
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3y 4m (~1y 2m remaining)
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