DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
Claim(s) 1- 2, 5- 6, 8- 9, 12- 13, 15- 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0212981 A1) in view of Si et al. (US Pat. No. 10547366 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Guo teaches A user equipment (UE) (see claim 1; UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to:
receive first information to enable UE-initiated beam operation (see claim 1; …the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….. (i.e. CSI reporting configuration as a first information here)); and
receive second information related to a measurement reference signal (RS) for the UE-initiated beam operation (as discussed above in claim 1 .. the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….(i.e. resource configuration information as a second information that defines CSI-RS/SSB (see claim 5) resources used as measurement RS in the beam management framework); and a processor operably coupled with the transceiver, the processor configured to:
measure the measurement RS; and determine a report based on the measurement (in context with claim 1 and abstract pls refer to claim 3…wherein the processor (i.e. of UE) is further configured to: transmit, to the base station (i.e. BS), the CSI including beam state information, in case that the type of CSI reporting is identified as beam state information reporting based on the CSI reporting configuration information; now see claim 4…. wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s); now see claim 5…. wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).), but Guo is silent about wherein the transceiver is further configured to:
transmit a first uplink (UL) channel notifying transmission of the report; and
transmit a second UL channel including the report.
However Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Si with the teachings of Guo to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel notifying transmission of the report; and transmitting a second UL channel including the report; greater way uplink resources can be utilized/managed in the communication system.
Regarding claim 2, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 1, wherein the first information corresponds to at least one of:
a higher layer signaling ueInitiatedBeamReporting set to ‘enabled’;
a channel state information (CSI) report setting for the UE-initiated beam operation;
a CSI resource setting for the UE-initiated beam operation; and
a higher layer parameter reportQuantity in a higher layer parameter CSI-ReportConfig set to ‘ueInitiated-ssbri-cri’ or ‘none’; see Guo abstract … identifying reporting settings and resource settings configured for the UE based on the received configuration information. The reporting settings configure a beam measurement and reporting configuration. The resource settings configure one or more reference signal (RS) resources for beam measurement. Each of the RS resources represents a transmit (Tx) beam. The method further includes performing beam measurement based on the identified reporting and resource settings, generating a CSI report based on the identified reporting and resource settings, and transmitting the generated CSI report to the BS. and also claim 1.
Regarding claim 5, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 1, wherein: the report comprises at least one of:
a resource indicator for the measurement RS;
a beam metric for the measurement RS; and
an indicator indicating whether the resource indicator is for beam reporting or beam switching,
the resource indicator is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI) or a channel state information reference signal resource indicator (CRI), and
the beam metric is a layer-1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or a layer-1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (L1-SINR); Guo see claims 4- 5; see claim 4 The UE of claim 3, wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s)’ further see claim 5 The UE of claim 3, wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).
Regarding claim 6, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 1, wherein: the first UL channel is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the second UL channel is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH),
the transceiver is further configured to receive a PUCCH configuration for the first UL channel, and the PUCCH configuration is related to the UE-initiated beam operation; Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report).; further see lines 10- 29 of col. 2.
Regarding claim 8, Guo teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising (see claim 1; UE):
receive first information to enable UE-initiated beam operation (see claim 1; …the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….. (i.e. CSI reporting configuration as a first information here)); and
receive second information related to a measurement reference signal (RS) for the UE-initiated beam operation (as discussed above in claim 1 .. the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….(i.e. resource configuration information as a second information that defines CSI-RS/SSB (see claim 5) resources used as measurement RS in the beam management framework); and a processor operably coupled with the transceiver, the processor configured to:
measure the measurement RS; and determine a report based on the measurement (in context with claim 1 and abstract pls refer to claim 3…wherein the processor (i.e. of UE) is further configured to: transmit, to the base station (i.e. BS), the CSI including beam state information, in case that the type of CSI reporting is identified as beam state information reporting based on the CSI reporting configuration information; now see claim 4…. wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s); now see claim 5…. wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).), but Guo is silent about wherein the transceiver is further configured to:
transmit a first uplink (UL) channel notifying transmission of the report; and
transmit a second UL channel including the report.
However Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Si with the teachings of Guo to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein transmitting a first uplink (UL) channel notifying transmission of the report; and transmitting a second UL channel including the report; greater way uplink resources can be utilized/managed in the communication system.
Regarding claim 9, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 8, wherein the first information corresponds to at least one of:
a higher layer signaling ueInitiatedBeamReporting set to ‘enabled’;
a channel state information (CSI) report setting for the UE-initiated beam operation;
a CSI resource setting for the UE-initiated beam operation; and
a higher layer parameter reportQuantity in a higher layer parameter CSI-ReportConfig set to ‘ueInitiated-ssbri-cri’ or ‘none’; see Guo abstract … identifying reporting settings and resource settings configured for the UE based on the received configuration information. The reporting settings configure a beam measurement and reporting configuration. The resource settings configure one or more reference signal (RS) resources for beam measurement. Each of the RS resources represents a transmit (Tx) beam. The method further includes performing beam measurement based on the identified reporting and resource settings, generating a CSI report based on the identified reporting and resource settings, and transmitting the generated CSI report to the BS. and also claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 8, wherein: the report comprises at least one of:
a resource indicator for the measurement RS;
a beam metric for the measurement RS; and
an indicator indicating whether the resource indicator is for beam reporting or beam switching,
the resource indicator is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI) or a channel state information reference signal resource indicator (CRI), and
the beam metric is a layer-1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or a layer-1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (L1-SINR); Guo see claims 4- 5; see claim 4 The UE of claim 3, wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s)’ further see claim 5 The UE of claim 3, wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).
Regarding claim 13, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 8, wherein: the first UL channel is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the second UL channel is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH),
the transceiver is further configured to receive a PUCCH configuration for the first UL channel, and the PUCCH configuration is related to the UE-initiated beam operation; Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report).; further see lines 10- 29 of col. 2.
Regarding claim 15, Guo teaches a base station (BS), comprising:
a processor; and
a transceiver operably coupled with the processor, the transceiver configured to
(see claim 1; BS), comprising: a transceiver configured to:
transmit first information to enable UE-initiated beam operation (see claim 1; …the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….. (i.e. CSI reporting configuration as a first information here)); and
transmit second information related to a measurement reference signal (RS) for the UE-initiated beam operation (as discussed above in claim 1 .. the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, channel state information (CSI) reporting configuration information and resource configuration information via higher layer signaling, the resource configuration information including configuration on a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resources and beam sweeping pattern information….(i.e. resource configuration information as a second information that defines CSI-RS/SSB (see claim 5) resources used as measurement RS in the beam management framework); and a processor operably coupled with the transceiver, the processor configured to:
transmit second information related to a measurement reference signal (RS) for the UE-initiated beam operation; transmit the measurement RS (in context with claim 1 and abstract pls refer to claim 3…wherein the processor (i.e. of UE) is further configured to: transmit, to the base station (i.e. BS), the CSI including beam state information, in case that the type of CSI reporting is identified as beam state information reporting based on the CSI reporting configuration information; now see claim 4…. wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s); now see claim 5…. wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).), but Guo is silent about wherein the transceiver is further configured to:
receive a first uplink (UL) channel notifying reception of a report associated with the measurement RS; and
receive a second UL channel including the report.
However Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report). It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Si with the teachings of Guo to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein receive a first uplink (UL) channel notifying reception of a report associated with the measurement RS; and receive a second UL channel including the report; greater way uplink resources can be utilized/managed in the communication system.
Regarding claim 16, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 15, wherein the first information corresponds to at least one of:
a higher layer signaling ueInitiatedBeamReporting set to ‘enabled’;
a channel state information (CSI) report setting for the UE-initiated beam operation;
a CSI resource setting for the UE-initiated beam operation; and
a higher layer parameter reportQuantity in a higher layer parameter CSI-ReportConfig set to ‘ueInitiated-ssbri-cri’ or ‘none’; see Guo abstract … identifying reporting settings and resource settings configured for the UE based on the received configuration information. The reporting settings configure a beam measurement and reporting configuration. The resource settings configure one or more reference signal (RS) resources for beam measurement. Each of the RS resources represents a transmit (Tx) beam. The method further includes performing beam measurement based on the identified reporting and resource settings, generating a CSI report based on the identified reporting and resource settings, and transmitting the generated CSI report to the BS. and also claim 1.
Regarding claim 19, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 15, wherein: the report comprises at least one of:
a resource indicator for the measurement RS;
a beam metric for the measurement RS; and
an indicator indicating whether the resource indicator is for beam reporting or beam switching,
the resource indicator is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) resource indicator (SSBRI) or a channel state information reference signal resource indicator (CRI), and
the beam metric is a layer-1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) or a layer-1 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (L1-SINR); Guo see claims 4- 5; see claim 4 The UE of claim 3, wherein the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected CSI-RS resource(s) from the plurality of CSI-RS resources or received signal received power (RSRP) of the selected CSI-RS resource(s)’ further see claim 5 The UE of claim 3, wherein in case that the resource configuration information includes configuration on a plurality of synchronization signal block (SSB), the beam state information includes at least one of one or more indices for selected SSB(s) or RSRP of the selected SSB(s).
Claim(s) 3- 4, 10- 11 and 17- 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0212981 A1) in view of Si et al. (US Pat. No. 10547366 B2) and in further view of Zhang et al. (US Pub. No. 2025/0286601 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 1, but Guo is silent about the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); however Zhang teaches in [0089] about… a first step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 610) sending configuration information to the UE 620 associated with beam reporting for a current TCI. For instance, the base station 610 configures a CSI-reportConfig that necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for at least the SSB/CSI-RS QCLed with or the same as the reference signal indicated in a set of current TCI states. In one example, an RRC parameter introduced for a CSI-reportConfig can be used for the configuration. In another example, a dedicated identifier of a CSI-reportConfig (e.g., CSI-reportConfigId) may be configured or predefined to be used for beam reporting for the set of the current TCI States. In another example, a field for a medica access control (MAC) control element (CE) CE for a semi-persistent CSI report can be used. This new field may take one bit to indicate whether the CSI report necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for set of current TCI states or perform a normal beam report. In another example, a field or a candidate value of an existing field (e.g., CSI request) in DCI can be used to indicate whether the triggered beam report is for set of the current TCI states or a normal beam report. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Zhang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); greater way resources can be managed/utilized in the communication system.
Regarding claim 4, Guo in view of Si and Zhang teaches as per claim 3, wherein: a higher layer parameter TCI-State configures the TCI state, and the higher layer parameter TCI-State provides the resource configuration; Zhang see [0060, 0062- 0063] TCI states via MAC-CE; further see [0181] RRC.
Regarding claim 10, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 8, but Guo is silent about the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); however Zhang teaches in [0089] about… a first step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 610) sending configuration information to the UE 620 associated with beam reporting for a current TCI. For instance, the base station 610 configures a CSI-reportConfig that necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for at least the SSB/CSI-RS QCLed with or the same as the reference signal indicated in a set of current TCI states. In one example, an RRC parameter introduced for a CSI-reportConfig can be used for the configuration. In another example, a dedicated identifier of a CSI-reportConfig (e.g., CSI-reportConfigId) may be configured or predefined to be used for beam reporting for the set of the current TCI States. In another example, a field for a medica access control (MAC) control element (CE) CE for a semi-persistent CSI report can be used. This new field may take one bit to indicate whether the CSI report necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for set of current TCI states or perform a normal beam report. In another example, a field or a candidate value of an existing field (e.g., CSI request) in DCI can be used to indicate whether the triggered beam report is for set of the current TCI states or a normal beam report. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Zhang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); greater way resources can be managed/utilized in the communication system.
Regarding claim 11, Guo in view of Si and Zhang teaches as per claim 10, wherein: a higher layer parameter TCI-State configures the TCI state, and the higher layer parameter TCI-State provides the resource configuration; Zhang see [0060, 0062- 0063] TCI states via MAC-CE; further see [0181] RRC.
Regarding claim 17, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 15, but Guo is silent about the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); however Zhang teaches in [0089] about… a first step of the sequence diagram 600 includes the network (e.g., via the base station 610) sending configuration information to the UE 620 associated with beam reporting for a current TCI. For instance, the base station 610 configures a CSI-reportConfig that necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for at least the SSB/CSI-RS QCLed with or the same as the reference signal indicated in a set of current TCI states. In one example, an RRC parameter introduced for a CSI-reportConfig can be used for the configuration. In another example, a dedicated identifier of a CSI-reportConfig (e.g., CSI-reportConfigId) may be configured or predefined to be used for beam reporting for the set of the current TCI States. In another example, a field for a medica access control (MAC) control element (CE) CE for a semi-persistent CSI report can be used. This new field may take one bit to indicate whether the CSI report necessitates the UE 620 to report the beam quality for set of current TCI states or perform a normal beam report. In another example, a field or a candidate value of an existing field (e.g., CSI request) in DCI can be used to indicate whether the triggered beam report is for set of the current TCI states or a normal beam report. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Zhang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more effective. Having a mechanism wherein the second information indicates an association between a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state and a resource configuration of the measurement RS, and the measurement RS is a synchronization signal/physical broadcasting channel (SS/PBCH) block (SSB) or a non-zero-power channel state information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS); greater way resources can be managed/utilized in the communication system.
Regarding claim 18, Guo in view of Si and Zhang teaches as per claim 17, wherein: a higher layer parameter TCI-State configures the TCI state, and the higher layer parameter TCI-State provides the resource configuration; Zhang see [0060, 0062- 0063] TCI states via MAC-CE; further see [0181] RRC.
Claim(s) 7, 14 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo et al. (US Pub. No. 2020/0212981 A1) in view of Si et al. (US Pat. No. 10547366 B2) and in further view of Jang et al. (EP 2744163 B1).
Regarding claim 7, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 1, but Guo is silent about, wherein:
the transceiver is further configured to receive, in a downlink control information (DCI) format, a response to the transmission of the first UL channel,
the response is an acknowledgement (ACK), a negative ACK (NACK), an UL grant, or an UL assignment, and
when the response is the UL grant or the UL assignment, the PUSCH is scheduled or activated by the UL grant or the UL assignment; however Jang teaches in claim 5 regarding UE, for transmitting only Uplink Control Information, UCI, without uplink data on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in a wireless access system supporting Carrier Aggregation, CA, of a plurality of component carriers, the plurality of component carriers comprising one primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers…. wherein the UE is adapted for receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH, signal including Downlink Control Information, DCI, format 4 from a Base Station, BS, through the reception module (S2060), wherein the DCI format 4 is used for scheduling a PUSCH in multi-antenna port mode, wherein the UE is further adapted for determining Channel State Information, CSI, of the one primary component carrier and a part of the one or more secondary component carriers as UCI to be transmitted, wherein the part of the one or more secondary component carriers is determined according to a number of information bits for the UCI to be transmitted, wherein the UE is further adapted for allocating (S1910) resources for transmitting the determined UCI based on the DCI format 4, calculating (S1920) a number of code symbols for transmitting the determined UCI according to: see equation .. where O denotes a number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest Acknowledgment, HARQ-ACK, bits or Rank Indicator, RI, bits, MscPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a scheduled bandwidth for PUSCH transmission in a current subframe, NsymbPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a number of Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing Access, SC-FDMA, symbols in the current subframe carrying the PUSCH, βoffsetPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes an offset value for PUSCH transmission, O.sub.CQI-MIN denotes a number of Channel Quality Indication, CQI, bits including Cyclic Redundancy Check, CRC, bits on an assumption of rank 1. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Jang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more standardized.
Regarding claim 14, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 13, but Guo is silent about, wherein:
the transceiver is further configured to receive, in a downlink control information (DCI) format, a response to the transmission of the first UL channel,
the response is an acknowledgement (ACK), a negative ACK (NACK), an UL grant, or an UL assignment, and
when the response is the UL grant or the UL assignment, the PUSCH is scheduled or activated by the UL grant or the UL assignment; however Jang teaches in claim 5 regarding UE, for transmitting only Uplink Control Information, UCI, without uplink data on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in a wireless access system supporting Carrier Aggregation, CA, of a plurality of component carriers, the plurality of component carriers comprising one primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers…. wherein the UE is adapted for receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH, signal including Downlink Control Information, DCI, format 4 from a Base Station, BS, through the reception module (S2060), wherein the DCI format 4 is used for scheduling a PUSCH in multi-antenna port mode, wherein the UE is further adapted for determining Channel State Information, CSI, of the one primary component carrier and a part of the one or more secondary component carriers as UCI to be transmitted, wherein the part of the one or more secondary component carriers is determined according to a number of information bits for the UCI to be transmitted, wherein the UE is further adapted for allocating (S1910) resources for transmitting the determined UCI based on the DCI format 4, calculating (S1920) a number of code symbols for transmitting the determined UCI according to: see equation .. where O denotes a number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest Acknowledgment, HARQ-ACK, bits or Rank Indicator, RI, bits, MscPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a scheduled bandwidth for PUSCH transmission in a current subframe, NsymbPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a number of Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing Access, SC-FDMA, symbols in the current subframe carrying the PUSCH, βoffsetPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes an offset value for PUSCH transmission, O.sub.CQI-MIN denotes a number of Channel Quality Indication, CQI, bits including Cyclic Redundancy Check, CRC, bits on an assumption of rank 1. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Jang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more standardized.
Regarding claim 20, Guo in view of Si teaches as per claim 15, wherein: the first UL channel is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the second UL channel is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH),
the transceiver is further configured to receive a PUCCH configuration for the first UL channel, and the PUCCH configuration is related to the UE-initiated beam operation; Si in context with claim 1 teaches in claim 4 regarding .. transmit (i.e. UE transmits) the first UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI (i.e. CSI-RS resource indicator), if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is smaller than or equal to the allowable number of bits, wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1; and transmit the second UL channel comprising the first subset or the second subset included in the CSI report set that includes the CRI, if the number of bits of the payload included in the CSI report is greater than the allowable number of bits, wherein the second UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 2; further see claim 9 ……wherein the first UL channel comprises the PUCCH format 1 (i.e. here first UL channel as a PUCCH format means PUCCH transmission for CSI report subset which is UL control feedback which notifies to BS about channel state and beam state and is associated with CSI reporting behavior) and the second UL channel comprises a PUSCH format 2 (i.e. which includes the CSI report).; further see lines 10- 29 of col. 2. But Guo is silent about the transceiver is further configured to receive, in a downlink control information (DCI) format, a response to the transmission of the first UL channel,
the response is an acknowledgement (ACK), a negative ACK (NACK), an UL grant, or an UL assignment, and
when the response is the UL grant or the UL assignment, the PUSCH is scheduled or activated by the UL grant or the UL assignment; however Jang teaches in claim 5 regarding UE, for transmitting only Uplink Control Information, UCI, without uplink data on a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in a wireless access system supporting Carrier Aggregation, CA, of a plurality of component carriers, the plurality of component carriers comprising one primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers…. wherein the UE is adapted for receiving a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH, signal including Downlink Control Information, DCI, format 4 from a Base Station, BS, through the reception module (S2060), wherein the DCI format 4 is used for scheduling a PUSCH in multi-antenna port mode, wherein the UE is further adapted for determining Channel State Information, CSI, of the one primary component carrier and a part of the one or more secondary component carriers as UCI to be transmitted, wherein the part of the one or more secondary component carriers is determined according to a number of information bits for the UCI to be transmitted, wherein the UE is further adapted for allocating (S1910) resources for transmitting the determined UCI based on the DCI format 4, calculating (S1920) a number of code symbols for transmitting the determined UCI according to: see equation .. where O denotes a number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest Acknowledgment, HARQ-ACK, bits or Rank Indicator, RI, bits, MscPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a scheduled bandwidth for PUSCH transmission in a current subframe, NsymbPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes a number of Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing Access, SC-FDMA, symbols in the current subframe carrying the PUSCH, βoffsetPUSCH[AltContent: rect] denotes an offset value for PUSCH transmission, O.sub.CQI-MIN denotes a number of Channel Quality Indication, CQI, bits including Cyclic Redundancy Check, CRC, bits on an assumption of rank 1. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to consider the teachings of Jang with the teachings of Guo in view of Si to make system more standardized.
Conclusion
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PARTH PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2479
/PARTH PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2479
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