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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed 07/21/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-9 and 11-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Examiner inadvertently omitted a detailed rejection claims 10-11 in the Non-final office action of 04/24/2026. The subject matter of claim 10, which has been incorporated into independent claims 1, 2, 12, and 17, and amended claim 11 are addressed in detail below, and a Non-final Action is issued herewith.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 11-14, and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elshafie et al. (US 2024/0305335 A1; “Elshafie”) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2024/0356217 A1; “Zhang”) in view of Zegrar et al. (US 2023/0421412 A1; “Zegrar”).
Regarding claim 1, Elshafie teaches a method performed by a controller [Elshafie ¶ 0062, Fig. 3: base station 310 (i.e. controller)], the method comprising:
determining a control signal for a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) to control a configuration of elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0104, Fig. 11: scheduling entity 1102 (see ¶ 0100: scheduling entity may be a base station) may determine one or more filtering parameters based on the default RIS frequency response and/or the channel estimation to modify the frequency response of the RIS panel 1106 by applying the one or more filtering parameters to the default RIS frequency response],
wherein the control signal comprises a pair of parameters corresponding to two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)]; and
sending the control signal to the RIS to control the configuration of elements of the reconfigurable intelligent surface RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0105, Fig. 11: the scheduling entity 1102 may transmit the RIS control information to the RIS controller 1104].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang teaches a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration in a x-axis and y-axis for performing phase and amplitude shifts to a reflected signal as taught by Zhang. The motivation to combine these references would be to extend network coverage area [Zhang 0003].
However, Elshafie in view of Zhang does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zegrar teaches wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver [Zegrar ¶ 0057: trained reflection coefficients (i.e. parameters) may be obtained by a beamforming search, in which different AoAs at the RIS (i.e. AoA of Tx->RIS) and different AoD at the RIS (i.e. AoD of RIS->Rx) are used; see also ¶¶ 0080-0091, Eq. 10: reflection coefficient estimation based on AoA at RIS from Tx and AoD from RIS To Rx].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of determining reflection coefficients according to an AoA and AoD at a reflective intelligent surface as taught by Zegrar. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve network coverage and mitigate path-loss in a wireless communication network [Zegrar ¶ 0003].
Regarding claim 2, Elshafie teaches a controller [Elshafie ¶ 0062, Fig. 3: base station 310 (i.e. controller)], comprising:
at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the controller to [Elshafie ¶ 0081, Fig. 9: processor 904, as utilized in a scheduling entity 900, may be configured in coordination with the memory 905 to implement the disclosed processes]:
determine a control signal for a RIS to control a configuration of elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0104, Fig. 11: scheduling entity 1102 (see ¶ 0100: scheduling entity may be a base station) may determine one or more filtering parameters based on the default RIS frequency response and/or the channel estimation to modify the frequency response of the RIS panel 1106 by applying the one or more filtering parameters to the default RIS frequency response],
wherein the control signal comprises a pair of parameters corresponding to two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)]; and
send the control signal to the RIS to control the configuration of elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0105, Fig. 11: the scheduling entity 1102 may transmit the RIS control information to the RIS controller 1104].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang teaches a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration in a x-axis and y-axis for performing phase and amplitude shifts to a reflected signal as taught by Zhang. The motivation to combine these references would be to extend network coverage area [Zhang 0003].
However, Elshafie in view of Zhang does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zegrar teaches wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver [Zegrar ¶ 0057: trained reflection coefficients (i.e. parameters) may be obtained by a beamforming search, in which different AoAs at the RIS (i.e. AoA of Tx->RIS) and different AoD at the RIS (i.e. AoD of RIS->Rx) are used; see also ¶¶ 0080-0091, Eq. 10: reflection coefficient estimation based on AoA at RIS from Tx and AoD from RIS To Rx].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of determining reflection coefficients according to an AoA and AoD at a reflective intelligent surface as taught by Zegrar. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve network coverage and mitigate path-loss in a wireless communication network [Zegrar ¶ 0003].
Regarding claim 3, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, wherein a base station (BS} comprises the controller [Elshafie ¶ 0100: scheduling entity may be a base station].
Regarding claim 4, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, wherein the control signal is sent as a physical layer signal, as a medium access control (MAC) message, or as a radio resource control (RRC) message [Elshafie ¶ 0110: transmission from the scheduling entity 1202 to the RIS controller 1204 may be via a radio resource control (RRC) message, a downlink control information (DCI) message, or any other suitable message (while this language describes transmission of control information that is a filtering enabling indication for enabling an adaptive filtering function of the RIS panel, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art that the parameters would similarly be transmitted “via a radio resource control (RRC) message, a downlink control information (DCI) message, or any other suitable message” as the parameters are additional control information for controlling operation of the RIS)].
Regarding claim 5, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, wherein the pair of parameters indicates gradients of a phase of coefficients of reflection in the two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0076: the filtering coefficient may be a function of time (t), filtering parameter (α), and the default frequency response of the RIS panel 802 (A), ¢(t, α, A), wherein the filtering parameter a can be a complex number, which could potentially affect the amplitude and phase of the output signal (here, the filtering parameter is analogous to the pair of parameters and is used to determine a coefficient for adjusting phase of a reflected signal)].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang teaches a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 6, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, however, does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters indicates a phase difference between two adjacent elements in two orthogonal directions.
However, Zhang teaches wherein the pair of parameters indicates a phase difference between two adjacent elements in two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset; ¶ 0140: subsets of reflecting elements may be adjacent].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 11, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, wherein the angle of arrival comprises a direction of a strongest beam from the transmitter to the RIS [Zegrar ¶ 0057: a fixed optimal AoA is used when determining AoD of the RIS to UE], and the angle of departure comprises a direction of a strongest beam from the RIS to the receiver.
However, Zegrar teaches wherein the angle of arrival comprises a direction of a strongest beam from the transmitter to the RIS [Zegrar ¶ 0057: a fixed optimal AoA is used when determining AoD of the RIS to UE], and the angle of departure comprises a direction of a strongest beam from the RIS to the receiver [Zegrar ¶ 0069: AoD correspond to direction of the best receiver (UE) and transmitter (RIS) beams found in the beamforming training].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 12, Elshafie teaches a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), comprising:
at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory [Elshafie ¶ 0091, Fig. 10: RIS controller 1000 having memory 1005 and a processor 1004] and configured to cause the RIS to:
receive, from a controller, a control signal for the RIS to control a configuration of elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0105, Fig. 11: the scheduling entity 1102 may transmit the RIS control information to the RIS controller 1104], wherein the control signal comprises a pair of parameters corresponding to two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)]; and
control the configuration of the elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0107, Fig. 11: the RIS controller 1104 may configure the RIS panel 1106 based on the RIS control information, e.g., apply the one or more filtering parameters in the RIS control information to corresponding one or more frequency responses of one or more RIS elements in the RIS panel 1106].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang teaches a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration in a x-axis and y-axis for performing phase and amplitude shifts to a reflected signal as taught by Zhang. The motivation to combine these references would be to extend network coverage area [Zhang 0003].
However, Elshafie in view of Zhang does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zegrar teaches wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver [Zegrar ¶ 0057: trained reflection coefficients (i.e. parameters) may be obtained by a beamforming search, in which different AoAs at the RIS (i.e. AoA of Tx->RIS) and different AoD at the RIS (i.e. AoD of RIS->Rx) are used; see also ¶¶ 0080-0091, Eq. 10: reflection coefficient estimation based on AoA at RIS from Tx and AoD from RIS To Rx].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of determining reflection coefficients according to an AoA and AoD at a reflective intelligent surface as taught by Zegrar. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve network coverage and mitigate path-loss in a wireless communication network [Zegrar ¶ 0003].
Regarding claim 13, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the RIS of claim 12, wherein a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by of the element and a control parameter of the control signal in the two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose wherein a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by a position of the element in the two orthogonal directions.
However, Zhang teaches wherein a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by a position of the element in the two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis (i.e. a first position) according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis (i.e. a second position) according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 12 above.
Regarding claim 14, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the RIS of claim 13, however, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose wherein the phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by the sum of the two phase parameters each determined by the position of the element and the control parameter of the control signal in each of the two orthogonal directions.
However, Zhang teaches wherein the phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by the sum of the two phase parameters each determined by the position of the element and the control parameter of the control signal in each of the two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be combined (i.e. summed) to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset; ¶ 0140: subsets of reflecting elements may be adjacent].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 12 above.
Regarding claim 16, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising sending the control signal as a physical layer signal, as a medium access control (MAC) message, or as a radio resource control (RRC) message [Elshafie ¶ 0110: transmission from the scheduling entity 1202 to the RIS controller 1204 may be via a radio resource control (RRC) message, a downlink control information (DCI) message, or any other suitable message (while this language describes transmission of control information that is a filtering enabling indication for enabling an adaptive filtering function of the RIS panel, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art that the parameters would similarly be transmitted “via a radio resource control (RRC) message, a downlink control information (DCI) message, or any other suitable message” as the parameters are additional control information for controlling operation of the RIS)].
Regarding claim 17, Elshafie teaches the method performed by a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the method comprising:
receiving, from a controller [Elshafie ¶ 0105, Fig. 11: the scheduling entity 1102 may transmit the RIS control information to the RIS controller 1104], a control signal for the RIS to control a configuration of elements of the RIS, wherein the control signal comprises a pair of parameters corresponding to two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)]; and
controlling the configuration of the elements of the RIS [Elshafie ¶ 0107, Fig. 11: the RIS controller 1104 may configure the RIS panel 1106 based on the RIS control information, e.g., apply the one or more filtering parameters in the RIS control information to corresponding one or more frequency responses of one or more RIS elements in the RIS panel 1106].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zhang teaches a pair of parameters corresponding to two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration in a x-axis and y-axis for performing phase and amplitude shifts to a reflected signal as taught by Zhang. The motivation to combine these references would be to extend network coverage area [Zhang 0003].
However, Elshafie in view of Zhang does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Zegrar teaches wherein the pair of parameters is determined by an angle of arrival from a transmitter to the RIS and an angle of departure from the RIS to a receiver [Zegrar ¶ 0057: trained reflection coefficients (i.e. parameters) may be obtained by a beamforming search, in which different AoAs at the RIS (i.e. AoA of Tx->RIS) and different AoD at the RIS (i.e. AoD of RIS->Rx) are used; see also ¶¶ 0080-0091, Eq. 10: reflection coefficient estimation based on AoA at RIS from Tx and AoD from RIS To Rx].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of determining reflection coefficients according to an AoA and AoD at a reflective intelligent surface as taught by Zegrar. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve network coverage and mitigate path-loss in a wireless communication network [Zegrar ¶ 0003].
Regarding claim 18, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the method of claim 17, further comprising determining a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS by a control parameter of the control signal in the two directions [Elshafie ¶ 0065: filtering parameter may be a complex number (i.e. a pair of parameters) to scale the amplitude of the redirected signal from the RIS panel 602 and/or shift the phase of the redirected signal… constructive interference of the RIS elements' output signals are such that the incident signal is redirected to a given direction (i.e. the filtering parameter is related to a received signal direction and reflected signal direction)].
However, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose wherein a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by a position of the element in the two orthogonal directions.
However, Zhang teaches wherein a phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS is determined by a position of the element in the two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis (i.e. a first position) according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis (i.e. a second position) according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be multiplied or otherwise combined to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 17 above.
Regarding claim 19, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the method of claim 18, however, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose further comprising determining the phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS by the sum of the two phase parameters each determined by the position of the element and the control parameter of the control signal in each of the two orthogonal directions.
However, Zhang teaches determining the phase parameter of an element of the elements of the RIS by the sum of the two phase parameters each determined by the position of the element and the control parameter of the control signal in each of the two orthogonal directions [Zhang ¶ 0151: the reflecting elements 802 are each configured to phase shift along an x-axis according to a first setting for a first subset and configured to phase shift along a y-axis according to a second setting for a second subset (here, an x-axis and y-axis would be orthogonal), e.g., phase and amplitude for each reflecting element may be determined for assigned subset (or axis) (i.e. there may be a parameter for each of the orthogonal axis, x and y), wherein the weights or directional information may then be combined (i.e. summed) to provide a phase shift setting for the reflecting element 802 to achieve the reflection desired for each respective subset; ¶ 0140: subsets of reflecting elements may be adjacent].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 17 above.
Claim(s) 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar in view of Chi et al. (US 2024/0413856 A1; “Chi”).
Regarding claim 7, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, however, does not explicitly disclose wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the controller to quantize the pair of parameters with a limited number of bits.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Chi teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the controller to quantize the pair of parameters with a limited number of bits [Chi ¶¶ 0040-0041: a quantized phase shift of each RIS array element corresponding to each pair of phase shift weight vectors is acquired by quantizing the continuous phase shift of each RIS array element corresponding to each pair of phase shift weight vectors (a quantized value would inherently be of a limited number of bits)].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration as a quantized value of a pair of parameters relating to two orthogonal vectors as taught by Chi. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve signal strength of reflected signals thereby extending network coverage [Chi ¶ 0003].
Regarding claim 8, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar in view of Chi teaches the controller of claim 7, however, Elshafie does not explicitly disclose wherein the quantizing is a linear quantizing.
However, Chi teaches wherein the quantizing is a linear quantizing [Chi ¶¶ 0040-0041: a quantized phase shift of each RIS array element corresponding to each pair of phase shift weight vectors is acquired by quantizing the continuous phase shift of each RIS array element corresponding to each pair of phase shift weight vectors; ¶ 0032: horizontal and vertical quantization over linear intervals].
The motivation to combine these references is illustrated in the rejection of claim 7 above.
Regarding claim 9, Elshafie in view of Zhang in view of Zegrar teaches the controller of claim 2, however, does not explicitly disclose wherein the pair of parameters are given as indices to a predetermined table.
However, in a similar field of endeavor, Chi teaches wherein the pair of parameters are given as indices to a predetermined table [Chi ¶¶ 0079-0080: a phase shift list corresponding to an RIS array is determined, wherein the phase shift sequence includes a phase shift of each RIS array element in the RIS array, each row of phase shift sequence is configured to cause the RIS array to reflect an incident signal along a pair of reflection angles, wherein the pair of reflection angles includes a horizontal-dimension reflection angle and a vertical-dimension reflection angle (i.e. orthogonal angles) and each row of phase shift sequence corresponds to one index value].
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the method of providing configuration parameters, to a RIS, to control phase and amplitude changes of a reflected signal as taught by Elshafie, with the method of providing RIS configuration as indices referencing an array of phase shift values as taught by Chi. The motivation to combine these references would be to improve signal strength of reflected signals thereby extending network coverage [Chi ¶ 0003].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 and 20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN P COX whose telephone number is (571)272-2728. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00AM-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, Michael Thier can be reached at 5712722832. 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.
/BRIAN P COX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474
