Prosecution Insights
Last updated: July 17, 2026
Application No. 18/811,728

DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNAL INFORMATION DETERMINING METHOD AND INDICATION METHOD, AND RELATED DEVICE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Aug 21, 2024
Priority
Feb 24, 2022 — CN 202210173931.6 +1 more
Examiner
AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
84%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
94%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 84% — above average
84%
Career Allowance Rate
999 granted / 1182 resolved
+24.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +9% lift
Without
With
+9.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
1210
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.1%
-36.9% vs TC avg
§103
69.8%
+29.8% vs TC avg
§102
15.8%
-24.2% vs TC avg
§112
5.7%
-34.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1182 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 102 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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10-12, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mei et al US 20240243875 (hereinafter Mei). Regarding claim 1, Mei discloses a demodulation reference signal information determining method, comprising: receiving, by a terminal (UE/wireless communication device, see fig. 1, [0033]), first Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) indication information sent by a network side device (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]); and determining, by the terminal, DMRS information of a target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information (BS indicating DMRS ports to the UE, enabling the UE to use the UE to utilize more DMRS ports, see [0045], [0049]), wherein: ports, belonging to a same Code Division Multiplexing (CDM group), in the target DMRS are mapped based on a length-4 Frequency Division-Orthogonal Cover Code (FD-OCC) sequence (see [0007], [0012], [0049]-[0050]); and the DMRS information comprises at least one of the following: the quantity of target CDM groups, wherein the target CDM group is a CDM group, not occupied by data, in a CDM group corresponding to the target DMRS; port information of the target DMRS; or the quantity of front-load symbols (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]). Regarding claim 2 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein: a port supported by the target DMRS comprises: a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port, and an eighth port; the first port, the second port, the third port, and the fourth port belong to a first CDM group; and the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, and the eighth port belong to a second CDM group (see [0056], [0059]). Regarding claim 4 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein: a port supported by the target DMRS comprises: a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port, an eighth port, a ninth port, a tenth port, an eleventh port, a twelfth port, a thirteenth port, a fourteenth port, a fifteenth port, and a sixteenth port (see fig. 8, [0057]); the first port, the second port, the third port, the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, and the eighth port belong to a first CDM group (CDM group#0, see fig. 8, [0057]); and the ninth port, the tenth port, the eleventh port, the twelfth port, the thirteenth port, the fourteenth port, the fifteenth port, and the sixteenth port belong to a second CDM group (CDM group#1, see fig. 8, [0057]). Regarding claim 6 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein: a port supported by the target DMRS comprises: a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port, an eighth port, a ninth port, a tenth port, an eleventh port, and a twelfth port (see fig. 7, [0054]); the first port, the second port, the third port, and the fourth port belong to a first CDM group (CDM group#0, see fig. 8, [0057]); the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, and the eighth port belong to a second CDM group (CDM group#1, see fig. 8, [0057]); and the ninth port, the tenth port, the eleventh port, and the twelfth port belong to a third CDM group (CDM group#2, see fig. 8, [0057]). Regarding claim 8 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein: a port supported by the target DMRS comprises a first port, a second port, a third port, a fourth port, a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port, an eighth port, a ninth port, a tenth port, an eleventh port, a twelfth port, a thirteenth port, a fourteenth port, a fifteenth port, a sixteenth port, a seventeenth port, an eighteenth port, a nineteenth port, a twentieth port, a twenty-first port, a twenty-second port, a twenty-third port, and a twenty-fourth port (see [0065]); the first port, the second port, the third port, the fourth port, the fifth port, the sixth port, the seventh port, and the eighth port belong to a first CDM group (24 total DMRS ports supported by 3 CDM groups, see [0065]); the ninth port, the tenth port, the eleventh port, the twelfth port, the thirteenth port, the fourteenth port, the fifteenth port, and the sixteenth port belong to a second CDM group (24 total DMRS ports supported by 3 CDM groups, see [0065]); and the seventeenth port, the eighteenth port, the nineteenth port, the twentieth port, the twenty-first port, the twenty-second port, the twenty-third port, and the twenty-fourth port belong to a third CDM group (24 total DMRS ports supported by 3 CDM groups, see [0065]). Regarding claim 10 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein the port information comprises any one of the following: N ports in one CDM group, wherein N is a positive integer less than or equal to 8; M ports in one CDM group and M ports in another CDM group, wherein M is a positive integer less than or equal to 4 (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0045], [0049], [0053], [0057]); one port in one CDM group and two ports in another CDM group; one port in one CDM group and three ports in another CDM group; two ports in one CDM group and three ports in another CDM group; or three ports in one CDM group and four ports in another CDM group. Regarding claim 11 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein before receiving, by the terminal, the first DMRS indication information sent by the network side device, the method further comprises: reporting, by the terminal, first capability information to the network side device, wherein the first capability information indicates whether the terminal supports the network side device in indicating the DMRS information of the target DMRS by using the first DMRS indication information (indicating support, see [0009], [0010], [0054], [0057], [0063]-[0064]). Regarding claim 12 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein after reporting, by the terminal, the first capability information to the network side device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal, first DMRS configuration information sent by the network side device, wherein the first DMRS configuration information indicates the terminal to determine the DMRS information of the target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information (BS indicating DMRS ports to the UE, enabling the UE to use the UE to utilize more DMRS ports, see [0045], [0049]). Regarding claim 16 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein determining, by the terminal, the DMRS information of the target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information comprises: determining, by the terminal, the DMRS information of the target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information and rank information when a data channel corresponding to the target DMRS is a physical uplink shared channel ([0013], [0073]-[0075], [0080]-[0081], [0111]-[0112]). Regarding claim 17 as applied to claim 12, Mei further discloses wherein the first DMRS configuration information comprises RRC configuration signaling (see [0011]-[0012]). Regarding claim 18 as applied to claim 1, Mei further discloses wherein the first DMRS indication information meets at least one of the following: when the type of the target DMRS is a first configuration type, a transform precoder is disabled, and the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 1, the first DMRS indication information uses four bits for port indication; when the type of the target DMRS is the first configuration type, the transform precoder is disabled, the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 2, and a rank is 1, the first DMRS indication information uses five bits for port indication; when the type of the target DMRS is the first configuration type, the transform precoder is disabled, the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 2, and the rank is 2, the first DMRS indication information uses five bits for port indication; when the type of the target DMRS is a second configuration type, the transform precoder is disabled, the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 1, and the rank is 1, the first DMRS indication information uses five bits for port indication; when the type of the target DMRS is the second configuration type, the transform precoder is disabled, the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 2, and the rank is 1, the first DMRS indication information uses six bits for port indication; or when the type of the target DMRS is the second configuration type, the transform precoder is disabled, the maximum symbol length of the target DMRS is 1, and the rank is 2, the first DMRS indication information uses six bits for port indication (see [0073]-[0078]). Regarding claim 19, Mei discloses a terminal (UE 104, see [0045], [0049]), comprising: a processor (236, see fig. 2, [0036]); and a memory having a computer program or an instruction stored thereon (234, see fig. 2, [0036]), wherein the computer program or the instruction, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations, comprising: receiving first Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) indication information sent by a network side device (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]); and determining DMRS information of a target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information (BS indicating DMRS ports to the UE, enabling the UE to use the UE to utilize more DMRS ports, see [0045], [0049]), wherein: ports, belonging to a same Code Division Multiplexing (CDM group), in the target DMRS are mapped based on a length-4 Frequency Division-Orthogonal Cover Code (FD-OCC) sequence (see [0007], [0012], [0049]-[0050]); and the DMRS information comprises at least one of the following: the quantity of target CDM groups, wherein the target CDM group is a CDM group, not occupied by data, in a CDM group corresponding to the target DMRS; port information of the target DMRS (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]); or the quantity of front-load symbols. Regarding claim 20, Mei discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or an instruction (234, see fig. 2, [0036]) that, when executed by a processor (236, see fig. 2, [0036]), causes the processor to perform operations, comprising: receiving first Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) indication information sent by a network side device (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]); and determining DMRS information of a target DMRS based on the first DMRS indication information (BS indicating DMRS ports to the UE, enabling the UE to use the UE to utilize more DMRS ports, see [0045], [0049]), wherein: ports, belonging to a same Code Division Multiplexing (CDM group), in the target DMRS are mapped based on a length-4 Frequency Division-Orthogonal Cover Code (FD-OCC) sequence (see [0007], [0012], [0049]-[0050]); and the DMRS information comprises at least one of the following: the quantity of target CDM groups, wherein the target CDM group is a CDM group, not occupied by data, in a CDM group corresponding to the target DMRS; port information of the target DMRS (BS/wireless communication node indicates DMRS ports to the UE, see [0005], [0012], [0049]); or the quantity of front-load symbols. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3, 5, 7, 9, and 13-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zewail et al US 12,323,355 discloses a user equipment (UE) may include receiving a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) configuration that indicates a code-division multiplexing (CDM) group configured for the UE; receiving a first indication of an antenna port, included in the CDM group, assigned to the UE for reception of a first set of DMRS transmissions; receiving a second indication of whether a second set of DMRS transmissions for another antenna port, included in the CDM group, is present or absent for another UE; and performing channel estimation based at least in part on the first indication of the antenna port and the second indication of whether the second set of DMRS transmissions for the other antenna port is present or absent. Matsumura et al US 20250119256 discloses a receiving section that receives downlink control information including a resource assignment of a physical uplink shared channel and a value of an antenna port indication, and a control section that controls transmission of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), based on an association between the value, the number of code division multiplexing (CDM) groups, and a DMRS port. The number of the CDM groups for DMRS configuration type 1 is larger than 2, and the number of the CDM groups for DMRS configuration type 2 is larger than 3. Zhang et al US 20240275653 discloses a wireless communication device receives a value of a field in a signaling from the wireless communication node. In some embodiments, the wireless communication device determines a first DMRS parameter according to the first DMRS table and the value of the field. In some embodiments, the first DMRS table includes a mapping between values of the field of the signaling and values of the first DMRS parameter. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLUMIDE T AJIBADE AKONAI whose telephone number is (571)272-6496. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM. 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, RESHA DESAI can be reached at 571-270-7792. 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. /OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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Prosecution Timeline

Aug 21, 2024
Application Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
84%
Grant Probability
94%
With Interview (+9.3%)
3y 1m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1182 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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