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
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.
(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, 3-7, 9-13, 15-18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (US 20030081935) hereinafter Zhang.
Regarding claim 1,
Zhang teaches a method, comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a report indicating at least one beam to a network node (at 602 with transmitting the beam report for autonomous TCI update [0099]; Fig. 6);
receiving, by the processor, a downlink control information (DCI) indicating an indicator from the network node within an effective duration corresponding to the report (The timer can initiate when the UE 101 starts to monitor the DCI in the SS/CORESET. For example, at X symbols/slots after sending the beam report. In response to decoding the DCI correctly in the SS/CORESET at 608, the timer can be reset. This means the UE detects the ACK, and the UE 101 activates the TCI state of the beam report accordingly at 610. However, if the timer expires as at 606, the UE 101 can determine that the beam report was not received or decoded property by the gNB 111 [0102][0103]);
determining, by the processor, whether the report is received or confirmed by the network node according to the indicator (This means the UE detects the ACK, and the UE 101 activates the TCI state of the beam report accordingly at 610. However, if the timer expires as at 606, the UE 101 can determine that the beam report was not received or decoded property by the gNB 111 [0102][0103]);
and performing, by the processor, a beam switching or a beam synchronization based on the at least one beam indicated in the report in an event that the report is received or confirmed by the network node (The UE 101 can configure the beam report with associated TCI indices as well as associated beam qualities when initiating the autonomous TCI state update by providing the beam report. In response to two or more different reference signals (RS)s in the TCI state or associated with a TCI state, the beam report can be based on the RS providing QCL-TypeD (spatial Rx parameter) indication. The gNB 111 can then configure the TCI state that is QCLed with an RS from among the RSs to switch to the appropriate beam or TCI state as the UE 101 [0115]…. This means the UE detects the ACK, and the UE 101 activates the TCI state of the beam report accordingly at 610. However, if the timer expires as at 606, the UE 101 can determine that the beam report was not received or decoded property by the gNB 111 [0102][0103]).
Regarding claim 3,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1.
Zhang further teaches wherein the effective duration “timer” corresponding to the report is started after a gap duration “X symbols/slots”, and wherein the gap duration is started after the report is transmitted to the network node (The timer can initiate when the UE 101 starts to monitor the DCI in the SS/CORESET. For example, at X symbols/slots after sending the beam report [0103]).
Regarding claim 4,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 3.
Zhang further teaches wherein the gap duration is determined based on a user equipment (UE) capability, or configured by the network node (The timer starts after X symbols/slots after the last symbol of the beam report transmission at 804. X can be predefined or configured by RRC signaling or reported by UE capability [0108]).
Regarding claim 5,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1.
Zhang further teaches wherein the effective duration corresponding to the report is ended in an event that the effective duration of a next report is started (The timer can be reset if the UE 101 receives a PDCCH to trigger beam report. For example, if the UE 101 receives an indication signaled to trigger an aperiodic beam report or a retransmission before the timer expires at 806 [0108]).
Regarding claim 6,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1.
Zhang further teaches wherein the at least one beam in the report is indicated by a reference signal index or a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state index (Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 101 can report multiple (M) TCI State index in the beam report, and the M TCI states can be considered as active TCI states. Each TCI state from among these M TCI states can include one TCI state of index m that is applied as the new beam [0117]).
Regarding claims [7 and 9-12] “UE apparatus” and claims [13 and 15-18] “base method”, are rejected under the same reasoning as claims [1 and 3-6], where Zhang teaches method/apparatus for UE/base (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 20,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 13.
Zhang further teaches determining, by the processor, not to transmit the DCI to the UE in an event that network node does not receive the report from the UE (In response to the BS 404 receiving and decoding the beam report, the BS or gNB 404 communicates an ACK in DCI 418 to the UE 101 via a downlink physical channel (e.g., PDCCH) 408 or other communication [0089]).
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 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 of this title, 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 2, 8, 14 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang
Regarding claim 2,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 1.
Zhang further teaches wherein the report is determined as received or confirmed in an event that a value of the indicator is different from a prior value ( If the UE 101 receives a DCI that schedules a new transmission (e.g., a toggled new data indicator (NDI)), for a same HARQ process as the beam report, the UE 101 can assume that the beam report is decoded successfully [0112]). It is obvious to one with ordinary skills in the art to use various ACK indicators, where Zhang teaches various explicit and implicit ACKs ([0110]-[0114]).
Regarding claim 8 “UE apparatus” and claim 14 “base method”, are rejected under the same reasoning as claim 2, where Zhang teaches method/apparatus for UE/base (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 19,
Zhang teaches the limitations of claim 13.
Zhang further teaches determining, by the processor, not to change a value of the indicator in a new DCI in an event that no new report is received from the UE ( If the UE 101 receives a DCI that schedules a new transmission (e.g., a toggled new data indicator (NDI)), for a same HARQ process as the beam report, the UE 101 can assume that the beam report is decoded successfully [0112]). It is obvious to one with ordinary skills in the art to use various ACK indicators, where Zhang teaches various explicit and implicit ACKs ([0110]-[0114]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AYMAN A ABAZA whose telephone number is (571)270-0422. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8-5. 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, Deborah Reynolds, can be reached at 571-272-0734. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AYMAN A ABAZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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