DETAILED ACTION
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 U.S.C. 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Inventions patentable.
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The limitations of “using information of timing of the Layer 1 measurements to adapt the Layer 1 measurements with Layer 2 filtering” are recited at a high level and can be practically performed in the human mind/or by using a pen and paper. Specifically, other than reciting “communication device” in claim 1, “an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code” in claim 16, and “computer readable media comprising program code” in claim 30, nothing in the claim precludes the above steps from practically being performed in the mind. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. In particular, these claims only recite the additional elements of using a device, processor, or CRM to perform the method. The device, processor, and CRM are recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as a generic processor performing a generic computer function of scoring based on a determined thresholds) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Accordingly, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claims merely adapt information without doing anything practical with that adapted information. The claims are directed to an abstract idea.
Independent claims 1, 16, and 30 do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. The additional elements of a “communication device” (as in claim 1), using “an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor” (as in claim 16), and a “computer readable media comprising program code for causing a processor” (as in claim 30) to perform the method amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept. These claims are not patent eligible.
Dependent claims 2-5 and 17-29 do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception and are also not patent eligible.
PRIOR ART
The following references are prior art:
1. (7/26/2024 IDS) Ugur Baran Elmali, et. al. “Analysis and Performance of Beam Management in 5G Networks,” 2019 IEEE 30th Annual International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC): Track 3: Mobile and Wireless Networks, 8 September 2019 (2019-09-08) (herein after “Elmali”) is prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) because it published on Sep. 8, 2019 before Feb. 4, 2022 the effective filing date of the claimed invention. This document was cited as D2 in the International Search Report. Please refer to the original document for proper formatting of mathematical expressions.
CLAIM REJECTIONS — 35 U.S.C. 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:
35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty.
(a) NOVELTY; PRIOR ART.—A person shall be entitled to a patent unless—
(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;
CLAIMS 1-30
Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Elmali for the reasons given below.
Claim 1
With respect to claim 1, Elmali disclosed:
A method for processing information of Layer 1 measurements taken by a communication device ([p.1] One of the key beam management procedures is the beam switching mechanism. Each UE performs Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power (L1 RSRP) measurements for each beam of its serving cell and periodically reports the N highest L1 RSRP measurements.),
the method comprising using information of timing of the Layer 1 measurements to adapt the Layer 1 measurements with Layer 2 filtering ([p.1] several beam switching schemes are investigated by applying an additional layer of filtering at the network side to the reported L1 RSRP measurements. This additional layer of filtering reduces fluctuations caused by fast fading and measurement errors that may impair beam switching decisions. [p.2] In intra-cell UE mobility, UEs change the serving beam of the same cell based on reported L1 RSRP beam measurements. The switching is performed at L1 and Layer 2 (L2) without involving upper layers… However, beam management procedures are strictly defined as a set of L1 and L2 procedures [5]. Therefore, reporting L3 filtered beam measurements is not possible for intra-cell mobility… B. Averaging Filter at Network Side. As L3 filtered measurements cannot be reported by the UEs to the BSs for beam switching decisions, an averaging filter is introduced on the BS side to filter the L1 RSRP measurements reported periodically by the UE. For each reported beam by the UE, the BS applies the filter as follows: Qc,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (2)… C. Enhancing Beam Switching Schemes. Several enhancing methods are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of missing measurements and the conflicts between the beam switching algorithm and BFR. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations [[see the original document]]… In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements [[see the original document]] With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k. The Examiner finds that this filtering is Layer 2 filtering since beam switching/management is at layer 2 (see Elmali p.2).
Claim 2
With respect to claim 2, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
comprising: including information of the timing of Layer 1 measurements in a measurement report by the communication device ([p.2] III. BEAM SWITCHING MECHANISMS In this section, we analyze different beam switching mechanisms that rely on the UE reported L1 RSRP measurements. For simplicity, it is assumed that the UE is served by a single beam. A. Baseline Scheme As a baseline solution for beam switching algorithm, the serving cell c0 compares the L1 RSRP measurement of UE u for the serving beam b0, denoted by Qc0,b0 u (t), with the other reported beam measurements… C. Enhancing Beam Switching Schemes. Several enhancing methods are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of missing measurements and the conflicts between the beam switching algorithm and BFR. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations… In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements:… With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k.).
Claim 3
With respect to claim 3, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 2 (see rejection above),
comprising including an indication of measurement age of a measurement sample in the measurement report (([p.2] III. BEAM SWITCHING MECHANISMS In this section, we analyze different beam switching mechanisms that rely on the UE reported L1 RSRP measurements. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations… In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements:… With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k.).
Claim 4
With respect to claim 4, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
comprising configuring at least one of the communication device, a handover source entity and/or a handover target entity to handle reporting of the information of the timing of Layer 1 measurements ([p.1-2] II. UE MOBILITY AND BEAM MANAGEMENT IN 5G NETWORKS. There are two levels of UE mobility in 5G networks: 1) Inter-cell UE mobility, and 2) Intra-cell UE mobility. In the first case, the UEs are handed over from one cell to another based on the cell quality measurements which are derived based on beam measurements, i.e., average of N strongest beam measurements above a threshold [1]. The handover involves signaling over the Xn interface connecting the two cells. In intra-cell UE mobility, UEs change the serving beam of the same cell based on reported L1 RSRP beam measurements [1]. The switching is performed at L1 and Layer 2 (L2) without involving upper layers. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations… In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements:… With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k.).
Claim 5
With respect to claim 5, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
wherein the information of the timing of Layer 1 measurements comprises information of a time difference between the timing of reporting of a measurement sample and the timing of obtaining the measurement sample ([p.2] B. Averaging Filter at Network Side As L3 filtered measurements cannot be reported by the UEs to the BSs for beam switching decisions, an averaging filter is introduced on the BS side to filter the L1 RSRP measurements reported periodically by the UE. For each reported beam by the UE, the BS applies the filter as follows: Q c,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (2) where Q c,b u (n) is the output of the filter for beam b of cell c at current time instance n, Qc,b u (n) is the reported instantaneous downlink L1 RSRP measurement, Q c,b u (n−1) is the previous output of the filter, and β is a specific forgetting factor in the range of [0, 1]. A typical configuration for β is provided in [7] as follows β = 1 − 0.5 Trep Tf , (3) where Trep is the reporting period and Tf = 0.05 s is the configurable filtering time constant. The filtering applied in Eq. (2) is in dB. Initially, all Q c,b u (n) values are initialized to −∞. When the first measurement Qc,b u (n) is received, Q c,b u (n) is set to Qc,b u (n) using β = 1. There are two occasions where the network may not receive a measurement for a specific UE and beam. The first occasion occurs when the BS fails to receive the measurement report from the UE at a certain time instance due to weak radio link. In this case the BS cannot update the output of the filter for that time instance for any beam. Moreover, the UE does not need to include L1 RSRP measurements for all beams in the measurement report. In that case, the output of the filter cannot be updated for the non-reported beams. As a result, the corresponding output of the filter Q c,b u (n) remains unchanged. In case, a new measurement Qc,b u (n) is received, the output of the filter is updated according to Eq. (2). The BS selects the beam with the highest filter output as the serving beam. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations Q c,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (4) ... k missing measurements Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n + k). (5) If no measurements were missing, Eq. (5) would be equal to: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + β · K X i=1 (1 − β)i · Qc,b u (n + k + 1 − i) + (1 − β)k+1 · Q c,b u (n). (6) In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β′ · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β′) · Q c,b u (n), (7) where (1 − β)k+1 = 1 − β′ and β ≤ 1. With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k. Mathematically, adjusting the filtering constant according to Eq. (7) is same as setting all missing measurements to Qc,b u (n + k + 1).).
Claim 6
With respect to claim 6, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
wherein the information of the timing of Layer 1 measurements comprises a flag indicative whether a measurement of a corresponding reference signal is taken after a previous measurement report ([p.2] C. Enhancing Beam Switching Schemes. Several enhancing methods are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of missing measurements. [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations [[see the original document]]… In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements [[see the original document]] With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k.).
Claim 7
With respect to claim 7, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
comprising pre-processing of the Layer 1 measurements by the communication device in accordance with Layer 2 filter configuration and reporting the pre-processed measurement information for use in the Layer 2 filtering ([p.2] L1 RSRP measurements are processed with an additional layer of filtering on the UE side to reduce the impact of fluctuations, caused by fast fading and measurement errors on the inter-cell mobility decisions… III. BEAM SWITCHING MECHANISMS. In this section, we analyze different beam switching mechanisms that rely on the UE reported L1 RSRP measurements. For simplicity, it is assumed that the UE is served by a single beam. A. Baseline Scheme. As a baseline solution for beam switching algorithm, the serving cell c0 compares the L1 RSRP measurement of UE u for the serving beam b0, denoted by Qc0,b0 u (t), with the other reported beam measurements… There are two occasions where the network may not receive a measurement for a specific UE and beam… Moreover, the UE does not need to include L1 RSRP measurements for all beams in the measurement report… 1) Excluding Non-reported Measurements: The number of reported beams per measurement report can be configured to {1, 2, 3, 4} [8]. Thus, the BS does not receive measurements for all beams from the UE at each reporting period and cannot update filter output for each beam.).
Claim 8
With respect to claim 8, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 7 (see rejection above),
comprising the communication device receiving Layer 2 filter configuration information for the pre-processing ([p.2] III. BEAM SWITCHING MECHANISMS. In this section, we analyze different beam switching mechanisms that rely on the UE reported L1 RSRP measurements. For simplicity, it is assumed that the UE is served by a single beam. A. Baseline Scheme. As a baseline solution for beam switching algorithm, the serving cell c0 compares the L1 RSRP measurement of UE u for the serving beam b0, denoted by Qc0,b0 u (t), with the other reported beam measurements… There are two occasions where the network may not receive a measurement for a specific UE and beam… Moreover, the UE does not need to include L1 RSRP measurements for all beams in the measurement report… 1) Excluding Non-reported Measurements: The number of reported beams per measurement report can be configured to {1, 2, 3, 4} [8]. Thus, the BS does not receive measurements for all beams from the UE at each reporting period and cannot update filter output for each beam.). [p.7] [8] 3GPP, “TS 38.214, NR; medium access control (MAC) protocol specification,” 2018, version 15.2.0. ).
Claim 9
With respect to claim 9, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 7 (see rejection above),
wherein a handover source entity provides at least a part of Layer 2 filter configuration information for use in the pre-processing ([p.1-2] II. UE MOBILITY AND BEAM MANAGEMENT IN 5G NETWORKS. There are two levels of UE mobility in 5G networks: 1) Inter-cell UE mobility, and 2) Intra-cell UE mobility. In the first case, the UEs are handed over from one cell to another based on the cell quality measurements which are derived based on beam measurements, i.e., average of N strongest beam measurements above a threshold [1]. The handover involves signaling over the Xn interface connecting the two cells. In intra-cell UE mobility, UEs change the serving beam of the same cell based on reported L1 RSRP beam measurements [1]. The switching is performed at L1 and Layer 2 (L2) without involving upper layers. [p.2] C. Enhancing Beam Switching Schemes. Several enhancing methods are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of missing measurements and the conflicts between the beam switching algorithm and BFR. All these methods, explained below, are based on the averaging filter applied at network side as shown in Eq. (2). 1) Excluding Non-reported Measurements: The number of reported beams per measurement report can be configured to {1, 2, 3, 4} [8]. Thus, the BS does not receive measurements for all beams from the UE at each reporting period and cannot update filter output for each beam.).
Claim 10
With respect to claim 10, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 7 (see rejection above),
wherein at least a part of Layer 2 filter configuration information is provided via a handover target entity ([p.1-2] II. UE MOBILITY AND BEAM MANAGEMENT IN 5G NETWORKS. There are two levels of UE mobility in 5G networks: 1) Inter-cell UE mobility, and 2) Intra-cell UE mobility. In the first case, the UEs are handed over from one cell to another based on the cell quality measurements which are derived based on beam measurements, i.e., average of N strongest beam measurements above a threshold [1]. The handover involves signaling over the Xn interface connecting the two cells. In intra-cell UE mobility, UEs change the serving beam of the same cell based on reported L1 RSRP beam measurements [1]. The switching is performed at L1 and Layer 2 (L2) without involving upper layers. [p.4] 4) Beam Failure Recovery: The beam failure recovery procedure is illustrated in Fig. 1d. When a beam failure is detected, the UE starts the search for a new candidate beam using the BFR procedure. UE compares the L1 RSRP beam measurements of the serving cell and chooses the one with the highest L1 RSRP measurement as the target beam. The UE performs random access on the selected beam and waits for the BS to send a random access response (RAR) indicating successful access. The recovery process is considered as successful if SINR of the target beam is higher than Qin. Otherwise, the UE does not connect to the target beam and declares RLF. In principle, the RLM timer TRLF should be configured long enough to allow the UE to attempt BFR before RLF is declared.).
Claim 11
With respect to claim 11, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 7 (see rejection above),
wherein a central node controlling at least one of a handover source entity and a handover target entity determines the pre-processing method to be used and provides information of the determined pre-processing method on a higher layer signaling to the communication device, or wherein a handover source entity determines the pre-processing method to be used and provides information of the determined pre-processing method ([p.1-2] II. UE MOBILITY AND BEAM MANAGEMENT IN 5G NETWORKS. There are two levels of UE mobility in 5G networks: 1) Inter-cell UE mobility, and 2) Intra-cell UE mobility. In the first case, the UEs are handed over from one cell to another based on the cell quality measurements which are derived based on beam measurements, i.e., average of N strongest beam measurements above a threshold [1]. The handover involves signaling over the Xn interface connecting the two cells. In intra-cell UE mobility, UEs change the serving beam of the same cell based on reported L1 RSRP beam measurements [1]. The switching is performed at L1 and Layer 2 (L2) without involving upper layers. [p.2] In legacy networks, L1 RSRP measurements are processed with an additional layer of filtering on the UE side to reduce the impact of fluctuations, caused by fast fading and measurement errors on the inter-cell mobility decisions. The filtering is performed at UE upper layer and is called L3 filtering [5 “TS 38.331, NR; radio resource control (RRC); protocol specification,” 2018, version 15.2.0.] [6]. Consequently, the BSs use reported L3 filtered measurements for inter-cell mobility decisions. [p.2] C. Enhancing Beam Switching Schemes. Several enhancing methods are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of missing measurements and the conflicts between the beam switching algorithm and BFR. All these methods, explained below, are based on the averaging filter applied at network side as shown in Eq. (2). 1) Excluding Non-reported Measurements: The number of reported beams per measurement report can be configured to {1, 2, 3, 4} [8]. Thus, the BS does not receive measurements for all beams from the UE at each reporting period and cannot update filter output for each beam.).).
Claim 12
With respect to claim 12, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 7 (see rejection above),
comprising the communication device computing a filtering coefficient to be used in the Layer 2 filtering and/or determining a new measurement reporting interval ([p.2] B. Averaging Filter at Network Side. As L3 filtered measurements cannot be reported by the UEs to the BSs for beam switching decisions, an averaging filter is introduced on the BS side to filter the L1 RSRP measurements reported periodically by the UE. For each reported beam by the UE, the BS applies the filter as follows: Qc,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (2) where Qc,b u (n) is the output of the filter for beam b of cell c at current time instance n, Qc,b u (n) is the reported instantaneous downlink L1 RSRP measurement, Q c,b u (n−1) is the previous output of the filter, and β is a specific forgetting factor in the range of [0, 1]. A typical configuration for β is provided in [7] as follows β = 1 − 0.5 Trep Tf , (3) where Trep is the reporting period and Tf = 0.05 s is the configurable filtering time constant. The filtering applied in Eq. (2) is in dB. Initially, all Q c,b u (n) values are initialized to −∞. When the first measurement Qc,b u (n) is received, Q c,b u (n) is set to Qc,b u (n) using β = 1.).
Claim 13
With respect to claim 13, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
comprising adapting a Layer 2 filter based on the information of timing of Layer 1 measurements, and/or adapting the input into the Layer 2 filter based on the characteristics of the Layer 2 filter ([p.2] B. Averaging Filter at Network Side. As L3 filtered measurements cannot be reported by the UEs to the BSs for beam switching decisions, an averaging filter is introduced on the BS side to filter the L1 RSRP measurements reported periodically by the UE. For each reported beam by the UE, the BS applies the filter as follows: Qc,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (2) where Qc,b u (n) is the output of the filter for beam b of cell c at current time instance n, Qc,b u (n) is the reported instantaneous downlink L1 RSRP measurement, Q c,b u (n−1) is the previous output of the filter, and β is a specific forgetting factor in the range of [0, 1]. A typical configuration for β is provided in [7] as follows β = 1 − 0.5 Trep Tf , (3) where Trep is the reporting period and Tf = 0.05 s is the configurable filtering time constant. The filtering applied in Eq. (2) is in dB. Initially, all Q c,b u (n) values are initialized to −∞. When the first measurement Qc,b u (n) is received, Q c,b u (n) is set to Qc,b u (n) using β = 1.). [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations Q c,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (4) ... k missing measurements Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n + k). (5) If no measurements were missing, Eq. (5) would be equal to: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + β · K X i=1 (1 − β)i · Qc,b u (n + k + 1 − i) + (1 − β)k+1 · Q c,b u (n). (6) In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β′ · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β′) · Q c,b u (n), (7) where (1 − β)k+1 = 1 − β′ and β ≤ 1. With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k. Mathematically, adjusting the filtering constant according to Eq. (7) is same as setting all missing measurements to Qc,b u (n + k + 1).).
Claim 14
With respect to claim 14, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 13 (see rejection above),
wherein the adapting comprises at least one of adjusting a filtering coefficient, adjusting a forgetting factor, weighting the Layer 1 measurements, adjusting timing of processing the measurement results, comparing the timing information to a timing threshold, adaptation of Layer 2 filter time characteristics and/or applying the sampling rate to Layer 2 Infinite Impulse Response filtering such that the time characteristics of the Layer 2 filter are preserved ([p.2] B. Averaging Filter at Network Side. As L3 filtered measurements cannot be reported by the UEs to the BSs for beam switching decisions, an averaging filter is introduced on the BS side to filter the L1 RSRP measurements reported periodically by the UE. For each reported beam by the UE, the BS applies the filter as follows: Qc,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (2) where Qc,b u (n) is the output of the filter for beam b of cell c at current time instance n, Qc,b u (n) is the reported instantaneous downlink L1 RSRP measurement, Q c,b u (n−1) is the previous output of the filter, and β is a specific forgetting factor in the range of [0, 1]. A typical configuration for β is provided in [7] as follows β = 1 − 0.5 Trep Tf , (3) where Trep is the reporting period and Tf = 0.05 s is the configurable filtering time constant. The filtering applied in Eq. (2) is in dB. Initially, all Q c,b u (n) values are initialized to −∞. When the first measurement Qc,b u (n) is received, Q c,b u (n) is set to Qc,b u (n) using β = 1.). [p.3] 2) Adjustable Averaging Filter: Assume that the BS does not receive any measurements for k consecutive reporting periods for a particular beam. Moreover, assume after that, another measurement is successfully received. The situation can be illustrated using following equations Q c,b u (n) = β · Qc,b u (n) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n − 1), (4) ... k missing measurements Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β) · Q c,b u (n + k). (5) If no measurements were missing, Eq. (5) would be equal to: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + β · K X i=1 (1 − β)i · Qc,b u (n + k + 1 − i) + (1 − β)k+1 · Q c,b u (n). (6) In Eq. (6), the values Qc,b u (n+k +1−i) are unavailable if the k measurements are missing. In this method, the BS can define a new forgetting factor β′ for that time instance and use Eq. (7) to update the filter to compensate for the missing measurements: Q c,b u (n + k + 1) = β′ · Qc,b u (n + k + 1) + (1 − β′) · Q c,b u (n), (7) where (1 − β)k+1 = 1 − β′ and β ≤ 1. With this update rule, the weight of the most recent measurement received from the UE, Qc,b u (n+k+1) increases, and the weight of the old output of the filter, Q c,b u (n) decreases with increasing k. Mathematically, adjusting the filtering constant according to Eq. (7) is same as setting all missing measurements to Qc,b u (n + k + 1).).).
Claim 15
With respect to claim 15, Elmali disclosed:
The method of claim 1 (see rejection above),
wherein the communication device comprises a multi-panel device configured to perform measurements in at least two directions ([p.1] the usage of higher carrier frequencies allows the transmit and receive antennas to be smaller, as the antenna size is proportional to the wavelength. Therefore, multiple antenna elements can be deployed in one antenna array. Consequently, narrow beams with high beamforming gain can be produced by those multi-element antennas that can alleviate, to some extent, the high propagation loss and attenuation. [p.5] Fig. 2: Network map indicating highest ideal received power per location.).
Claim 16
Claim 16 recites limitations similar to claim 1 except that it additionally recites “An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to” perform the method of claim 1. Elmali disclosed methods for UEs in 5G networks (p.1), which are “An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor” 1 Claim 16 is rejected for this reason along with the reasons given for claim 1.
Claim 17
Claim 17 recites limitations similar to claim 3 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 18
Claim 18 recites limitations similar to claim 4 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 19
Claim 19 recites limitations similar to claim 5 and/or claim 6 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 20
Claim 20 recites limitations similar to claim 2 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 21
Claim 21 recites limitations similar to claim 7 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 22
Claim 22 recites limitations similar to claim 8 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 23
Claim 23 recites limitations similar to claim 9 and/or 10 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 24
Claim 24 recites limitations similar to claim 11 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 25
Claim 25 recites limitations similar to claim 12 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 26
Claim 26 recites limitations similar to claim 13 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 27
Claim 27 recites limitations similar to limitations of claim 14 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 28
Claim 28 recites limitations similar to limitations of claim 14 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 29
Claim 29 recites limitations similar to claim 29 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
Claim 30
Claim 30 recites limitations similar to claim 16 and is rejected by the same reasoning.
PERTINENT PRIOR ART
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
1. US 20070270143 A1 is prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) because it published on Nov. 22, 2007 before Feb. 4, 2022 the effective filing date of the claimed invention. This document disclosed [0088] As such, the second embodiment of the present invention is adapted to make both of the handover source BTS 121 and the handover destination BTS 122 send the same radio data to the MN 161 at the sending start time of the radio data by causing the handover source BTS 121 to control the sending start time based on the measured transfer time and the delay time inside the BTS 122 and give information of the sending start time to the transferred data. Thus, the arrival delay time of the radio data from the handover source BTS 121 and the radio data from the handover destination BTS 122 which are received by the MN 161 can be minimized.
2. US 20140038612 A1 is prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) because it published on Feb. 6, 2014 before Feb. 4, 2022 the effective filing date of the claimed invention. This document disclosed [0004] In the LTE system, the UE performs signal measurement, while the network side makes a handover decision. Specifically, a source base station (eNB) where a source cell is located configures a UE to perform signal quality measurement in a serving cell and a neighboring cell, and configures the UE to report measurement results to the source eNB when the signal quality in the neighboring cell meets a handover condition, and then the source eNB performs handover, where the handover condition is generally as follows: after a signal of the neighboring cell measured by the UE is filtered, the filtered signal always reaches a reporting threshold within a time period.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christopher Davis whose telephone number is 703-756-1832. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri from 11AM to 7PM ET. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ayaz Sheikh, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-3795. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER R DAVIS/
Examiner, Art Unit 2476
1 https://www.telecomhall.net/t/inside-the-ue-how-your-device-connects-to-4g-5g-networks/32802
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