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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 15, 18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin WO 2021063393.
Regarding claim 1, 15, 18, and 20, Lin teaches a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state updating method (abstract), wherein the method comprises:
obtaining, by user equipment (UE), target indication information (The UE receives, from the base station, indications to update a TCI state list and to switch the TCI state in the CSI-RS configuration for CSI reporting, abstract)); and
updating, by the UE, a first TCI state list based on the target indication information (abstract), wherein an updated first TCI state list takes effect after a first slot, and the first slot is determined based on duration required by an updating process of the first TCI state list (fig. 4A-6, TCI state list update requires processing time Tb, [0043]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 2, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin WO as applied to claims 1, 18 above, and further in view of Lin US 20230224874 US.
Lin WO is silent on the first TCI state list comprises at least one of the following: a separate TCI or at least one joint TCI, wherein
the separate TCI comprises at least one uplink TCI and at least one downlink TCI, an uplink TCI is used to indicate uplink beam information of uplink transmission, and an downlink TCI is used to indicate downlink quasi-co-location (QCL) information of downlink transmission; and
an joint TCI is used to indicate downlink QCL information of downlink transmission and uplink beam information of uplink transmission.
Lin US teaches a separate TCI comprises at least one uplink TCI and at least one downlink TCI, an uplink TCI is used to indicate uplink beam information of uplink transmission, and an downlink TCI is used to indicate downlink quasi-co-location (QCL) information of downlink transmission (TCI state is used for DL QCL indication, whereas spatial relation information is used for providing UL spatial transmission filter information for UL signal(s) or UL channel(s). Here, a TCI state may refer to information provided that is similar to spatial relation information, which could be used for UL transmission. In other words, from the UL perspective, a TCI state provides UL beam information, [0163]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Lin WO by the first TCI state list comprises a separate TCI comprises at least one uplink TCI and at least one downlink TCI, an uplink TCI is used to indicate uplink beam information of uplink transmission, and an downlink TCI is used to indicate downlink quasi-co-location (QCL) information of downlink transmission, as suggested by Lin US. This modification would benefit the system by providing a proven, reliable method for transmitting uplink beam information and downlink quasi-co-location (QCL) information.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin WO as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Farag US 20220330220.
Lin WO is silent on the first slot is determined based on third duration, and the third duration is duration required by an updating process of the at least one joint TCI.
Farag teaches the first slot is determined based on a duration, and the duration is duration required by an updating process of the at least one joint TCI (processor is further configured to activate only joint TCI state, the only one joint TCI state indicates (i) the update to the QCL assumption of the DL channels and signals and (ii) the update the UL spatial filter of the UL channels and signals after the time T1, and T1 is a beam application time
measured from a time of an acknowledgment of the activated TCI states, claim 5).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Lin WO by the first slot is determined based on third duration, and the third duration is duration required by an updating process of the at least one joint TCI, as suggested by Farag. This modification would benefit the system by updating the TCI state list at an optimal time.
Claim(s) 14, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin WO as applied to claims 1, 15 above, and further in view of Tsai US 20190253904.
Lin WO is silent on wherein after the obtaining, by UE, target indication information, the method further comprises:
updating, by the UE, a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) list based on the target indication information, wherein an updated PL-RS list takes effect after a second slot; or,
the obtaining, by UE, target indication information comprises: receiving, by the UE, media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling sent by a network-side device, wherein the MAC CE signaling comprises the target indication information; or,
before the obtaining, by UE, target indication information, the method further comprises: receiving, by the UE, target configuration information sent by a network-side device, wherein the target configuration information is used to configure a second TCI state list and a reference signal set for the UE, and a TCI in the second TCI state list is used to indicate source reference signal information in at least one quasi-co-location (QCL); or,
after the updating, by the UE, a first TCI state list based on the target indication information, the method further comprises:
in a case that the updated first TCI state list has taken effect, transmitting, by the UE, target data by using the updated first TCI state list, wherein the target data comprises at least one of the following: uplink/downlink scheduling information, uplink data, downlink data, or
feedback information.
Tsai teaches the obtaining, by UE, target indication information comprises: receiving, by the UE, media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling sent by a network-side device, wherein the MAC CE signaling comprises the target indication information (the TCI state list for PDCCH reception includes more than one TCI states, additional MAC CE signaling is performed to activate a TCI state for a PDCCH reception, [0031]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Lin WO by the obtaining, by UE, target indication information comprises: receiving, by the UE, media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling sent by a network-side device, wherein the MAC CE signaling comprises the target indication information, as shown by Tsai. This modification would benefit the system by providing a proven, reliable method for activating a TCI state for a PDCCH reception.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin WO as applied to claims 15 above, and further in view of Liu US 20250105977.
Lin WO is silent on the target indication information
is further used by the UE to update a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) list, and an updated PL-RS list takes effect after a second slot.
Liu teaches the target indication information
is further used by the UE to update a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) list, and an updated PL-RS list takes effect after a second slot (When a UE receives a simultaneous TCI
state update or activation for a cell corresponding to a CC that belongs to a CC list, for each CC on which TCI state
pool(s) are configured in the CC list, the UE shall update
the PL-RS for PUSCH or PUCCH transmissions with the PL-RS associated with the joint DL/UL TCI state or UL TCI state
having the same TCI state ID as that indicated or activated as the new TCI state ID, [0086, 0087]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the system of Lin WO by the target indication information is further used by the UE to update a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) list, and an updated
PL-RS list takes effect after a second slot, as shown by Liu. This modification would benefit the system by updating the TCI state list at an optimal time.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 and 9-13 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 RONALD B ABELSON whose telephone number is (571)272-3165. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-4:30.
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, Ayaz Sheikh can be reached at 571-272-3795. 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.
/RONALD B ABELSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476
Prosecution Insights