DETAILED ACTION
In a communication received on 11 June 2026, the applicants amended claims 1, 3-5 and 9-13 and canceled claim 2.
Claims 1 and 3-16 are pending.
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 with respect to claim(s) 1 and 9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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) 1 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1), You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and further in view of Almalfouh et al. (US 2017/0359200 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Han discloses: a method for optimizing midhaul flow control between a control unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) of an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) (i.e., an NG-RAN central unit and distributed unit exchange user-plane traffic across F1-U and use feedback to control that flow in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112), comprising:
computing, by the DU, desired data rate (DDR) for each data radio bearer (DRB) (i.e., the receiving RAN node supplies in DDDS a desired per-DRB data rate expressed as bytes for a specific time period in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125);
sending, by the DU, the DDR every time when desired buffer size (DBS) is sent from DU to CU-user plane (CU-UP), along with Downlink Data Delivery Status (DDDS) (i.e., DDDS feedback for one DRB includes desired buffer size and a separately indicated desired data rate for the transmitting node’s flow control in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125).
Han discloses the receiving node detects missing consecutive NR-U sequence numbers and DDDS carries a desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0124; ¶ 0125). Han do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Rovner, in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path (¶ 0005; ¶ 0104), discloses:
reducing, by the DU, the computed DDR for a DRB by a reduction value δ which depends on an amount of loss of downlink (DL) new radio user-plane sequence numbers (NR-UP SNs) in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU (i.e., the receiving endpoint detects missing sequence numbers or a loss percentage over a defined period and lowers the permitted rate communicated to the sending endpoint in Rovner, ¶ 0103; ¶ 0113); and
wherein if the spare flag is set, the CU-UP uses the DDR as communicated by the DU, and doesn't update DDR on its own for a pre-specified time interval; (i.e., one endpoint selects and communicates the permitted rate, the other constrains its sending rate to that value, and the selected reduced state is held for a specified period in Rovner, ¶ 0109; ¶ 0115; ¶ 0124).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rovner to improve upon those of Han in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path.
Han discloses DDDS spare space carries additional presence indicators, including an indicator for the desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0122; ¶ 0125). Han and Rovner do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. You Li, in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs (¶ 0094; ¶ 0160), discloses:
wherein the DU utilizes a spare flag in the DDDS PDU to inform the CU-UP that its DDR estimate has already factored in the MH packet loss rate, (i.e., a one-bit flow-control indication reports a rate-control state and a notification indication reports that another control path has already acted. in You Li, ¶ 0098; ¶ 0160).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, and further in view of You Li, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of You Li to improve upon those of Han in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs.
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, and You Li do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Almalfouh, in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions (¶ 0048; ¶ 0076), discloses:
wherein current weighted average modulation and coding scheme (MCS) at a current time instant t, avgMCS_current, of a user equipment (UE) is computed (i.e., an observed MCS is filtered with a one-pole IIR filter to produce the current filtered MCS value in Almalfouh, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0076)
as follows:
avgMCS_current = avgMCS_previous*(1-alpha) + current MCS*alpha, (i.e., y[n+1]=b·x[n+1]+(1−b)·y[n], applied to observed MCS, gives the same current/previous weighted recurrence in Almalfouh, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0076)
wherein alpha is between 0 and 1, avgMCS_previous is a weighted average of MCS at previous time instant t-1, and current MCS is an instantaneous current value of MCS at a current time instant t (i.e., the IIR coefficient is between zero and one, the prior filter output is retained, and the new input is an observed MCS in Almalfouh, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0076).
Based on Han in view of Rovner and You Li, and further in view of Almalfouh, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Almalfouh to improve upon those of Han in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions.
With respect to claim 8, Han discloses: the method of claim 1 (i.e., the transmitting node controls per-DRB downlink flow from DDDS rate and NR-U loss feedback in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125)
Han discloses the receiving node detects missing consecutive NR-U sequence numbers and DDDS carries a desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0124; ¶ 0125). Han do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Rovner, in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path (¶ 0005; ¶ 0104), discloses: further comprising:
computing, by the CU-UP, an effective DDR for a DRB based on the received DDR and information derived from the DDDS regarding a proportion of lost DL NR-UP SNs relative to transmitted NR-UP SNs in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU (i.e., the sending endpoint combines a communicated allowed rate with a loss percentage derived from missing sequence numbers over a specified period in Rovner, ¶ 0113; ¶ 0173),
wherein the effective DDR is the minimum value between i) the received DDR and ii) the proportion of lost DL NR-UP SNs relative to transmitted NR-UP SNs in the specified time interval (i.e., the allowed sending rate is constrained by the minimum of the locally available rate and the remotely communicated, loss-adjusted permissible rate in Rovner, ¶ 0124).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rovner to improve upon those of Han in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path.
Claim(s) 3 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1), You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and Almalfouh et al. (US 2017/0359200 A1), and further in view of Grinshpun et al. (US 2016/0135076 A1).
With respect to claim 3, Han discloses: the method of claim 1 (i.e., the per-DRB DDDS flow-control method is further limited by radio-resource-based rate computation. in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112)
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Grinshpun, in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity (¶0058, ¶0148), discloses:
wherein: prb'' = max(PRB_max/#UEs, PRB_avg, 1), (i.e., cell PRBs are divided by active users or bearers to obtain a fair share and compared with measured average PRB allocation for the rate calculation. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116)
PRB_avg is the average number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated to UE counting all downlink (DL) slots, #UEs is the number of active UEs in the cell, and PRB_max is the maximum number of possible PRBs in the cell; (i.e., scheduler records provide averaged allocated PRBs, active-bearer or UE counts, and the cell’s total available PRBs. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116)
the DU computes the DDR for a DRB as follows: DDR = TBS (MCS'', prb'', rank) * (number of slots in 1 sec) * (beta)*(beta_drb), with TBS being the transport block size computation, and wherein one of: (i.e., bits per scheduling interval are obtained from MCS and PRB count, converted to throughput per second, and conservatively scaled for the bearer in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0148)
a) MCS'' = min {(current modulation and coding scheme (current MCS) + MCS_step), MCSmax}, or (i.e., current MCS is selected from reported CQI and bounded by the supported MCS range before use in the TBS lookup. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142)
b) MCS'' = min {(avgMCS_current + MCS_step), MCSmax}, (i.e., average MCS supplies the rate-selection input, with a bounded correction before conversion through the TBS relationship. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142)
wherein current MCS is an instantaneous current value of MCS at a current time instant t, avgMCS_current is current weighted average MCS at a current time instant t, MCSmax is the maximum possible MCS, and MCS_Step is a correction factor for the current MCS and the avgMCS_current, and MCS_Step is one of positive or negative depending on channel quality indicator (CQI) consistency. (i.e., instantaneous and average MCS values are derived from CQI, bounded by the supported MCS range, and adjusted according to channel-condition evidence. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh, and further in view of Grinshpun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Grinshpun to improve upon those of Han in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity.
With respect to claim 4, Han discloses: the method of claim 1, wherein: (i.e., the inherited per-DRB DDDS flow-control method is further limited by a radio-resource input. in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112).
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Grinshpun, in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity (¶0058, ¶0148), discloses:
prb'' = max(PRB_max/#UEs, PRB_avg, 1), (i.e., total cell PRBs are divided among active users or bearers and evaluated with averaged PRB allocation to set the usable radio-resource input. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116)
PRB_avg is the average number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated to UE counting all downlink (DL) slots, #UEs is the number of active UEs in the cell, and PRB_max is the maximum number of possible PRBs in the cell. (i.e., scheduler records provide averaged allocated PRBs, the number of active bearers or UEs, and total system PRBs. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh, and further in view of Grinshpun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Grinshpun to improve upon those of Han in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity.
Claim(s) 5-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1), You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and Almalfouh et al. (US 2017/0359200 A1), and further in view of Liu et al. (US 2008/0151881 A1).
With respect to claim 5, Han discloses: the method of claim 1, (i.e., the receiving RAN node detects and reports lost NR-U sequence-number ranges in the inherited per-DRB DDDS method. in Han, ¶ 0121; ¶ 0124).
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Liu, in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses (¶0041), discloses: wherein the reduction value δ is proportional to the loss-rate estimation. (i.e., the delivery rate is reduced by T/S, where T is retransmission data accumulated in time window S, making the reduction proportional to estimated loss per unit time in Liu, ¶ 0040).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh, and further in view of Liu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Liu to improve upon those of Han in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses.
With respect to claim 6, Han discloses: the method of claim 5, further comprising: at least one of: (i.e., DDDS provides per-DRB loss and rate feedback and may be sent under protocol-defined signaling conditions. in Han, ¶ 0121; ¶ 0124).
Han discloses the receiving node detects missing consecutive NR-U sequence numbers and DDDS carries a desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0124; ¶ 0125). Han do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Rovner, in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path (¶ 0005; ¶ 0104), discloses:
ii) sending, by the DU to the CU-UP, the DDDS after the DU discovers that the amount of loss of DL NR-UP SNs in the specified time interval over the midhaul connection between the CU and DU is above a specified threshold; and (i.e., a receiving endpoint compares current loss over a defined period with a configured loss threshold and promptly reports the condition to the sending endpoint. in Rovner, ¶ 0104; ¶ 0113)
iii) adjusting, by the DU, a frequency of sending the DDDS, depending on whether packet loss ratio estimate at DU based on the amount of loss of DL NR-UP SNs in the specified time interval over the midhaul connection between the CU and DU is above a specified threshold. (i.e., timer-driven rate arbitration and prompt missing-sequence feedback provide loss-responsive reporting cadence around a configured loss threshold in Rovner, ¶ 0103; ¶ 0113).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rovner to improve upon those of Han in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path.
Han discloses DDDS spare space carries additional presence indicators, including an indicator for the desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0122; ¶ 0125). Han and Rovner do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. You Li, in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs (¶ 0094; ¶ 0160), discloses:
i) sending, by the DU to the CU-UP, a flag along with the DDDS to indicate the computed DDR has been reduced to reflect the loss of DL NR-UP SNs; (i.e., a one-bit rate-control identifier and prior-control notification signal that a lower node’s communicated rate already reflects a control action in You Li, ¶ 0098; ¶ 0160).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, and further in view of You Li, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of You Li to improve upon those of Han in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs.
With respect to claim 7, Han discloses: the method of claim 1 (i.e., the transmitting node uses DDDS rate and loss feedback to control per-DRB downlink flow. in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125).
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Liu, in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses (¶0041), discloses: , further comprising: reducing, by the CU-UP, the received DDR for a DRB by a reduction value ε which depends on an amount of loss of downlink (DL) new radio user-plane sequence numbers (NR-UP SNs) in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU. (i.e., the sending endpoint receives sequence-number loss-rate feedback and periodically lowers its delivery rate by a time-windowed retransmission-derived amount. in Liu, ¶ 0040; ¶ 0046).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Almalfouh, and further in view of Liu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Liu to improve upon those of Han in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses.
Claim(s) 9, 11, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1) and You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and further in view of Grinshpun et al. (US 2016/0135076 A1).
With respect to claim 9, Han discloses: a system for optimizing midhaul flow control in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), comprising: (i.e., an NG-RAN node includes centralized and distributed processing units joined by F1-U for controlled user-plane flow in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112)
a centralized unit (CU) comprising a CU user plane (CU-UP); and (i.e., the central unit implements user-plane protocol layers and exchanges user-plane signaling over F1-U in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112)
a distributed unit (DU) configured to i) compute a desired data rate (DDR) for each data radio bearer (DRB), and ii) send the DDR every time when desired buffer size (DBS) is sent from the DU to the CU-UP, along with Downlink Data Delivery Status (DDDS); (i.e., the receiving RAN node supplies desired buffer size and a desired bytes-per-time data rate in per-DRB DDDS feedback to the transmitting node. in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125)
wherein the DU is configured to compute the DDR for a DRB as follows: (i.e., the receiving RAN node generates a desired per-bearer data rate for DDDS feedback in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125)
Han discloses the receiving node detects missing consecutive NR-U sequence numbers and DDDS carries a desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0124; ¶ 0125). Han do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Rovner, in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path (¶ 0005; ¶ 0104), discloses:
wherein the DU is configured to reduce the computed DDR for a DRB by a reduction value δ which depends on an amount of loss of downlink (DL) new radio user-plane sequence numbers (NR-UP SNs) in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU; (i.e., the receiving endpoint detects sequence-number loss over a timed window and lowers the permitted rate communicated to the sending endpoint in Rovner ¶ 0103; ¶ 0113).
wherein if the spare flag is set, the CU-UP uses the DDR as communicated by DU, and doesn't update DDR on its own for a pre-specified time interval; and (i.e., one endpoint determines and communicates the allowed rate, the other follows that constraint, and the reduced state remains for a specified hold period. in Rovner, ¶ 0109; ¶ 0115; ¶ 0124).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rovner to improve upon those of Han in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path.
Han discloses DDDS spare space carries additional presence indicators, including an indicator for the desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0122; ¶ 0125). Han and Rovner do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. You Li, in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs (¶ 0094; ¶ 0160), discloses: wherein the DU is configured to utilize a spare flag in the DDDS PDU to inform the CU-UP that its DDR estimate has already factored in the MH packet loss rate (i.e., a one-bit control identifier conveys rate-control state and a notification indication conveys that another control path has already acted. in You Li, ¶ 0098; ¶ 0160).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, and further in view of You Li, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of You Li to improve upon those of Han in order to improve coordinated flow control by enabling a lower node to signal quickly on a specific bearer and identify which of concurrent control indications governs.
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, and You Li do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Grinshpun, in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity (¶0058, ¶0148), discloses:
DDR = TBS (MCS'', prb'', rank) * (number of slots in 1 sec) * (beta)*(beta_drb), with TBS being the transport block size computation, and wherein one of: (i.e., bits per scheduling interval are obtained from MCS and PRB count, converted to throughput per second, and conservatively scaled for the bearer. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0148)
a) MCS'' = min {(current modulation and coding scheme (current MCS) + MCS_step), MCSmax}, or (i.e., current MCS is selected from reported CQI and kept within the supported MCS range for the TBS lookup. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142)
b) MCS'' = min {(avgMCS_current + MCS_step), MCSmax}, (i.e., average MCS supplies the rate-selection input, with a bounded correction before TBS conversion. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142)
wherein current MCS is an instantaneous current value of MCS at a current time instant t, avgMCS_current is current weighted average MCS at a current time instant t, MCSmax is the maximum possible MCS, and MCS_Step is a correction factor for the current MCS and the avgMCS_current, and MCS_Step is one of positive or negative depending on channel quality indicator (CQI) consistency. (i.e., instantaneous and average MCS values are derived from CQI, bounded by the supported MCS range, and adjusted according to channel-condition evidence. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and further in view of Grinshpun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Grinshpun to improve upon those of Han in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity.
With respect to claim 11, Han discloses: the system of claim 9 (i.e., the inherited CU/DU per-DRB DDDS system is further limited by a radio-resource input in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112).
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, and You Li do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Grinshpun, in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity (¶0058, ¶0148), discloses:
wherein: prb'' = max(PRB_max/#UEs, PRB_avg, 1), (i.e., total cell PRBs are divided among active users or bearers and evaluated with averaged PRB allocation. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116)
PRB_avg is the average number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated to UE counting all downlink (DL) slots, #UEs is the number of active UEs in the cell, and PRB_max is the maximum number of possible PRBs in the cell. (i.e., scheduler records provide averaged allocated PRBs, active-bearer or UE count, and total system PRBs. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and further in view of Grinshpun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Grinshpun to improve upon those of Han in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity.
With respect to claim 16, Han discloses: the system of claim 9 (i.e., the transmitting node controls per-DRB downlink flow from DDDS rate and NR-U loss feedback. in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125).
Han discloses the receiving node detects missing consecutive NR-U sequence numbers and DDDS carries a desired per-DRB data-rate field (¶ 0124; ¶ 0125). Han do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Rovner, in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path (¶ 0005; ¶ 0104), discloses:
wherein: the CU-UP is configured to compute an effective DDR for a DRB based on the received DDR and information derived from the DDDS regarding a proportion of lost DL NR-UP SNs relative to transmitted NR-UP SNs in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU, (i.e., the sending endpoint combines a communicated allowed rate with a loss percentage derived from missing sequence numbers over a specified period. in Rovner, ¶ 0113; ¶ 0173)
wherein the effective DDR is the minimum value between i) the received DDR and ii) the proportion of lost DL NR-UP SNs relative to transmitted NR-UP SNs in the specified time interval. (i.e., the allowed sending rate is constrained by the minimum of the local rate and the remote, loss-adjusted permissible rate. in Rovner, ¶ 0124).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Rovner to improve upon those of Han in order to reduce transport loss by lowering the permitted bandwidth when measured loss approaches an unacceptable threshold while preserving a usable path.
Claim(s) 10 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1), You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and Grinshpun et al. (US 2016/0135076 A1), and further in view of Almalfouh et al. (US 2017/0359200 A1).
With respect to claim 10, Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, and You Li do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Grinshpun, in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity (¶0058, ¶0148), discloses: the system of claim 9, wherein
for b) MCS'' = min {(avgMCS_current + MCS_step), MCSmax}, current weighted average MCS at a current time instant t, avgMCS_current, of a user equipment (UE) is computed as follows: (i.e., average UE MCS supplies the TBS-rate input and remains bounded by the supported MCS range. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0018; ¶ 0142).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and further in view of Grinshpun, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Grinshpun to improve upon those of Han in order to mitigate packet drops/delays by adjusting throughput capacity.
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li and Grinshpun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Almalfouh, in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions (¶ 0048; ¶ 0076), discloses:
avgMCS_current = avgMCS_previous*(1-alpha) + current MCS*alpha, (i.e., a one-pole IIR recurrence combines the current observed MCS and prior filtered MCS using complementary weights. in Almalfouh, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0076)
wherein alpha is between 0 and 1, and avgMCS_previous is a weighted average of MCS at previous time instant t-1. (i.e., the IIR weight b is between zero and one and its previous output supplies the prior average. in Almalfouh, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0076).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun, and further in view of Almalfouh, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Almalfouh to improve upon those of Han in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions.
With respect to claim 12, Han discloses: the system of claim 10, wherein: (i.e., the inherited CU/DU system includes weighted-average MCS and adds a radio-resource input. in Han, ¶ 0110; ¶ 0112).
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li and Grinshpun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Almalfouh, in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions (¶ 0048; ¶ 0076), discloses:
prb'' = max(PRB_max/#UEs, PRB_avg, 1), (i.e., total cell PRBs are divided among active users or bearers and evaluated with averaged PRB allocation. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116)
PRB_avg is the average number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated to UE counting all downlink (DL) slots, #UEs is the number of active UEs in the cell, and PRB_max is the maximum number of possible PRBs in the cell. (i.e., scheduler records provide averaged allocated PRBs, active-bearer or UE count, and total system PRBs. in Grinshpun, ¶ 0060; ¶ 0116).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun, and further in view of Almalfouh, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Almalfouh to improve upon those of Han in order to improve link adaptation by filtering observed channel/MCS information for stable decisions while responding to changing channel conditions.
Claim(s) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Han et al. (US 2019/0150224 A1) in view of Rovner et al. (US 2019/0349259 A1), You Li et al. (US 2021/0168656 A1), and Grinshpun et al. (US 2016/0135076 A1), and further in view of Liu et al. (US 2008/0151881 A1).
With respect to claim 13, Han discloses: the system of claim 9, wherein: (i.e., the receiving RAN node detects and reports lost NR-U sequence-number ranges in the inherited per-DRB DDDS system. in Han, ¶ 0121; ¶ 0124)
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Liu, in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses (¶0041), discloses: the reduction value δ is proportional to the loss-rate estimation. (i.e., the delivery rate is reduced by T/S, where retransmission data T accumulated in window S estimates loss per unit time. in Liu, ¶ 0040).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun, and further in view of Liu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Liu to improve upon those of Han in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses.
With respect to claim 14, Han discloses: the system of claim 13 (i.e., the inherited per-DRB DDDS system contains lost NR-U reporting and extensible indicator fields. in Han, ¶ 0121; ¶ 0124)
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Liu, in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses (¶0041), discloses:
wherein: the DU is configured to send to the CU-UP a flag along with the DDDS to indicate the computed DDR has been reduced to reflect the loss of DL NR-UP SNs. (i.e., a one-bit rate-control identifier and prior-control notification signal that a lower-node rate already reflects a control action. in You Li, ¶ 0098; ¶ 0160).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun, and further in view of Liu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Liu to improve upon those of Han in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses.
With respect to claim 15, Han discloses: the system of claim 9, wherein: (i.e., the transmitting node uses per-DRB DDDS rate and lost-sequence feedback to control downlink flow. in Han, ¶ 0120; ¶ 0125)
Han discloses the receiving RAN node provides a separately indicated desired bytes-per-time value for a specific DRB in DDDS feedback. (¶ 0120; ¶ 0125). Han, Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun do(es) not explicitly disclose the following. Liu, in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses (¶0041), discloses:
the CU-UP is configured to reduce the received DDR for a DRB by a reduction value ε which depends on an amount of loss of downlink (DL) new radio user-plane sequence numbers (NR-UP SNs) in a specified time interval over a midhaul connection between the CU and the DU. (i.e., the sending endpoint receives sequence-number loss feedback and periodically lowers delivery rate by a time-windowed retransmission-derived amount. in Liu, ¶ 0040; ¶ 0046).
Based on Han in view of Rovner, You Li, and Grinshpun, and further in view of Liu, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings of Liu to improve upon those of Han in order to improve bandwidth efficiency by preventing the delivery channel from flooding and causing excessive losses.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERMAN L LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7446. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern).
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Sherman Lin
9/23/2026
/S. L./Examiner, Art Unit 2447
/JOON H HWANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2447
