DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 4, 9, 16, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang, Zhengzheng et al. (US 20200322032 A1, hereinafter referred to as Xiang) in view of Deenoo, Yugeswar et al. (US 20160337916 A1, hereinafter referred to as Deenoo-916).
Regarding claim 1, Xiang teaches:
sending first control information by using a first transmission beam (Xiang discloses sending sidelink control information (SCI) for beam training. See paragraph [0007]).
wherein the first control information comprises resource location information of a first resource (Xiang discloses that the SCI includes time-frequency resource information and a resource identifier for a reference signal. See paragraph [0009]).
and sending a first reference signal on the first resource by using M transmission beams, wherein M is a positive integer (Xiang discloses sending a reference signal using a plurality of narrow beams. See paragraph [0046]).
and the first transmission beam covers each of the M transmission beams (Xiang discloses that each wide beam includes at least one narrow beam. The wide beam is interpreted as the first transmission beam and the narrow beams as the M transmission beams. See paragraph [0046]).
In the same field of endeavor, Deenoo-916 teaches the first transmission beam is different from each of the M transmission beams (Deenoo-916 discloses a hierarchal beam structure where the control channels are carried on the wide beams, while the data channels are mapped to the narrow beams, thus, making the beam types different from each other. See paragraph [0164]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang reference to incorporate distinctly identifying that the beams have different functions during the transmission process. The motivation to combine is for efficient resource allocation and simplified beam management.
Regarding claim 4, Xiang further teaches wherein the first control information further comprises at least one of period duration or a period repetition quantity of the first resource. (Xiang discloses the control information includes an indication of a time-frequency resource subframe. It is known in the art that a subframe is a time unit which denotes a period duration. See paragraphs [0049] and [0051]).
Regarding claim 9, Xiang further teaches wherein the resource location information comprises at least one of the following: a frame index, a slot index, a symbol index, a quantity of symbols, a sub channel index, a physical resource block (PRB) index, a resource element RE index, a symbol offset, or a slot offset. And wherein: the quantity of symbols is a quantity of symbols for sending the first reference signal in a slot; the slot offset is a quantity of offset slots between a slot in which the first reference signal is sent and a slot in which the first control information is sent; and the symbol offset is a quantity of offset symbols between a symbol for sending the first reference signal and a symbol for sending the first control information. (Xiang discloses the resource location information including a resource element index. See paragraph [0064]).
Regarding claim 16, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 1.
Regarding claim 20, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 1.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and further in view of Landström, Anders et al. (WO 2021047760 A1, hereinafter referred to as Landström).
Regarding claim 2, Xiang and Deenoo-916 teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein the first control information further comprises beam gain information, and the beam gain information is determined based on a beam gain of the first transmission beam and a beam gain of at least one of the M transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Landström discloses a device obtaining a beam gain value based on the values of the wide and narrow beams. See page 6, lines 20-31.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang and Deenoo-916 reference to incorporate the inclusion of beam gain information that is based on the main beam and the many transmission beams. The motivation to combine is for better interference management and optimizing power efficiency.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and Landström and further in view of Tomeba, Hiromichi et al. (US 20200245269 A1, hereinafter referred to as Tomeba).
Regarding claim 3, Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Landström teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein the beam gain information comprises at least one of the following:
a largest value of differences between the beam gain of the first transmission beam and beam gains of the M transmission beams;
a smallest value of the differences between the beam gain of the first transmission beam and the beam gains of the M transmission beams;
an average value of all the differences between the beam gain of the first transmission beam and the beam gains of the M transmission beams;
a difference between the beam gain of the first transmission beam and a beam gain of one of the M transmission beams;
a largest value of ratios of the beam gain of the first transmission beam to the beam gains of the M transmission beams;
a smallest value of the ratios of the beam gain of the first transmission beam to the beam gains of the M transmission beams;
an average value of all the ratios of the beam gain of the first transmission beam to the beam gains of the M transmission beams;
or a ratio of the beam gain of the first transmission beam to a beam gain of one of the M transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Tomeba teaches a difference between the beam gain of the first transmission beam and a beam gain of one of the M transmission beams (Tomeba discloses having a configuration of the difference between the beam gain of the main beam and one of the side lobes, which are interpreted as the M transmission beams. See paragraph [0185]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Landström reference to incorporate determining the difference of the different beam gain information between the beams. The motivation to combine is to identify directivity and concentration for optimization.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and further in view of Kang, Jiwon et al. (US 20210084640 A1, hereinafter referred to as Kang).
Regarding claim 5, Xiang and Deenoo-916 teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein the first control information further comprises first indication information, the first indication information indicates that the M transmission beams in a second period are the same as a beam set in a first period, and the second period is later than the first period.
In the same field of endeavor, Kang discloses determining and indicating if the same beam set is used across transmission instances or slots. See paragraph [0273].
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang and Deenoo-916 references to incorporate indication of the same beam set being used across different periods in a resource. The motivation to combine is to reduce overhead and improve efficiency of scheduling and resource allocation.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and further in view of Deenoo, Yugeswar et al. (US 20190261287 A1, hereinafter referred to as Deenoo-287).
Regarding claim 6, Xiang and Deenoo-916 teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein that the first transmission beam covers each of the M transmission beams comprises:
a Y2 dB beamwidth of a second transmission beam is comprised in a Y1 dB beamwidth of the first transmission beam;
or a fifth difference is less than a first threshold, wherein the fifth difference is an absolute value of a difference between a beam gain of the first transmission beam and a beam gain of a second transmission beam in a beam peak direction of the second transmission beam;
or a sixth difference is less than a second threshold, wherein the sixth difference is an absolute value of a difference between a beam gain of the first transmission beam and a beam gain of a second transmission beam in a direction within a first range, and the first range is a Y3 dB range of a peak equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the second transmission beam;
or a seventh difference is less than a third threshold, wherein the seventh difference is an absolute value of a difference between a beam gain of the first transmission beam in a direction within a second range and a beam gain of the first transmission beam in a beam peak direction of the first transmission beam, and the second range is a Y4 dB range of a peak EIRP of a second transmission beam;
or an absolute value of a difference between a first angle and a second angle is less than a fourth threshold, and an absolute value of a difference between a third angle and a fourth angle is less than a fifth threshold, wherein the first angle is an angle in a first direction corresponding to a precoding codeword of the first transmission beam, the second angle is an angle in a first direction corresponding to a precoding codeword of the second transmission beam, the third angle is an angle in a second direction corresponding to the precoding codeword of the first transmission beam, and the fourth angle is an angle in a second direction corresponding to the precoding codeword of the second transmission beam, wherein the second transmission beam is each of the M transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Deenoo-287 teaches a Y2 dB beamwidth of a second transmission beam is comprised in a Y1 dB beamwidth of the first transmission beam (Deenoo-287 discloses a narrow beam having a beamwidth that resides in the wide beam. See paragraph [0107]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang and Deenoo-916 references to incorporate the M transmission beams having a beamwidth that is able to be comprised in the first transmission beam's width. The motivation to combine is to improve coverage continuity and minimize interference.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and further in view of Va, Vutha et al. (US 20220038163 A1, hereinafter referred to as Va).
Regarding claim 7, Xiang and Deenoo-916 teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, determining the first transmission beam based on the M transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Va discloses a measurement report that indicates a wide beam for beam selection based on the measurement of the narrow beams within that wide beam.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang and Deenoo-916 references to incorporate beam selection based on the plurality of transmission beam within a wider beam. The motivation to combine is to improve efficiency, balance coverage and manage interference.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and Va and further in view of Lo, Li-Chung et al. (US 20200154474 A1, hereinafter referred to as Lo).
Regarding claim 8, Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Va teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein the first transmission beam is a beam with a smallest Y5 dB beamwidth in a third transmission beam, the third transmission beam meets a first condition, and the first condition comprises that a Y5 dB beamwidth of the third transmission beam comprises a beam peak direction of each of the M transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Lo discloses different UL transmissions using different spatial-domain filters and determining a third filter. The third filter/beam is associated with multiple beams. Lo further discloses the beams comprising a beam peak direction. See paragraphs [0031], [0041], [0045], [0056-0057] and [0064-0065].
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Va references to incorporate having the beam peak direction of each transmission beam. The motivation to combine is to improve spatial resolution and optimize system performance and efficiency.
Claims 10, 13, 17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and further in view of Ryu, Jung Ho et al. (US 20230224829 A1, hereinafter referred to as Ryu).
Regarding claim 10, Xiang and Deenoo-916 teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, sending a second reference signal on a second resource of a first time unit by using N transmission beams, wherein N is a positive integer; and sending a third signal on a third resource of the first time unit by using a fourth transmission beam, wherein the third signal is used by a communication apparatus that receives the second reference signal to perform automatic gain control (AGC), and the fourth transmission beam covers each of the N transmission beams.
In the same field of endeavor, Ryu discloses mini slots that are transmitted using different beams 512 and 514, these beams are the N transmission beams and the mini slots contain reference signals. Ryu further discloses using a wide beam to transmit the AGC symbol. The beam that carries the AGC symbol also encompasses the narrow beams 512 and 514. See paragraphs [0052], [0058], [0060] and Fig. 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang and Deenoo-916 references to incorporate using a wide beam to perform the AGC. The motivation to combine is for simpler adaptive control and interference mitigation.
Regarding claim 13, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 10.
Regarding claim 17, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 10.
Regarding claim 19, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 10.
Claims 11, 12, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xiang in view of Deenoo-916 and Ryu and further in view of Dutta, Sourjya et al. (US 20220210778 A1, hereinafter referred to as Dutta).
Regarding claim 11, Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Ryu teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, sending, on a fourth resource of the first time unit by using a fifth transmission beam, information carried by a physical channel, wherein the fourth transmission beam further covers the fifth transmission beam, and the third signal is further used by a communication apparatus that receives the information carried by the physical channel to perform AGC.
In the same field of endeavor, Dutta discloses using a physical channel (PSSCH) to send information. See paragraphs [0075] and [0084].
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Ryu references to incorporate using a physical channel to send information. The motivation to combine is for reliable, secure and high-bandwidth communication paths.
Regarding claim 12, Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Ryu teach all aspects of the claimed invention except, wherein the physical channel comprises at least one of a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH).
In the same field of endeavor, Dutta discloses using a PSSCH as a physical channel to send information. See paragraph [0075].
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the Xiang, Deenoo-916 and Ryu references to incorporate using a physical channel to send information. The motivation to combine is for reliable, secure and high-bandwidth communication paths.
Regarding claim 14, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 11.
Regarding claim 15, it is rejected for the same reasons outlined in claim 12.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Berliner, Ran et al. (US 20210036800 A1, MINIMIZING BLOCK ERROR RATE (BLER) ASSOCIATED WITH A BEAM SWITCH)
Tomeba, Hiromichi et al. (US 20200245269 A1, BASE STATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD)
Pirskanen, Juho Mikko Oskari et al. (US 20180359044 A1, TRANSMISSION OF SYNCHRONIZATION INFORMATION)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CAMILLE J ETIENNE whose telephone number is (571)721-1789. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 9:00- 7:00 EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ricky Ngo can be reached at (571) 272-3139. 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.
/C.J.E./Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/RICKY Q NGO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2464
Prosecution Insights