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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of group II identified as claims 49-57 without traverse in the reply filed on 8/14/2026 is acknowledged.
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 49, 52 and 55 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No US 2015/0230211 to You et al. (hereinafter You) in view of U.S. Publication No US 2024/0172151 to Xiao et al. (hereinafter Xiao)
As to claim 49, You discloses an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that cause the apparatus to: store a mapping table comprising mapping information on demodulation reference signal sequences to puncturing patterns, the mapping information mapping a first demodulation reference signal sequence to a first puncturing pattern indicating a first set of punctured physical resource blocks, and at least a second demodulation reference signal sequence to a second puncturing pattern indicating a second set of punctured physical resource blocks; receive a signal comprising a demodulation reference signal sequence and system information and detecting the demodulation reference signal sequence (You; [0211] discloses a UE perform demodulation using only a pre-known default DMRS location. In this case, the eNB may transmit additional DMRS REs by puncturing a DMRS sequence in order to transmit the default DMRS to the UE. In other words, sequence part(s) mapped to additional DMRS RE(s)) among DMRS sequence mapped to REs of the additional DMRS pattern may be punctured. The eNB may use REs of the punctured DMRS to transmit data. The eNB may configure whether to use the REs of the punctured DMRS to transmit data);
You discloses mapping information on DNRS. You fails to disclose detect the system information on a set of physical resource blocks defining a first frequency band. However, Xiao discloses
if the demodulation reference signal sequence is detected as the first demodulation reference signal sequence, detect the system information on a set of physical resource blocks defining a first frequency band that excludes the first set of punctured physical resource blocks (Xiao; [0030] discloses determining DMRS sequence mapping. In some examples in which some or all PBCH RB are punctured, the DMRS sequence is mapped to available DMRS REs in the SS/PBCH block, thus improving the integrity of the DMRS sequence mapping on the PBCH. [0041]-[0042] discloses the UE can receive the at least one first parameter from the network (e.g., the BS). The data of the DMRS sequence is mapped to the DMRS REs in PBCH RBs that are different from those indicated by the at least one first parameter based on a prerequisite of the original code rate. In some examples in which there are not enough DMRS REs for DMRS sequence mapping under the prerequisite of the original code rate, the code rate is increased until the entire DMRS sequence can be fully mapped to the DMRS RE. Accordingly, all DMRS sequence data can be transmitted even if the PBCH RB is punctured. In other words, if a part of the DMRS sequence has failed to be mapped to the DMRS REs based on a code rate, the code rate is increased until an entirety of the DMRS sequence is mapped to the DMRS REs. The DMRS sequence is first mapped to the DMRS REs of PBCH RBs that have bandwidths that are within the bandwidth of or corresponding to the PSS 350 and/or SSS 360. The mapping can be performed according to a suitable mechanism predefined by the specification. In some arrangements, a time domain symbol is mapped to a low frequency symbol first and then to a high frequency symbol. Next, the remaining DMRS sequence is mapped to DMRS REs that are outside of the bandwidth of or corresponding to the PSS 350 and/or SSS 360 according to the same mechanism); and
if the demodulation reference signal sequence is detected as the second demodulation reference signal sequence, detect the system information on a set of physical resource blocks defining a second frequency band that excludes the second set of punctured physical resource blocks (Xiao; [0030] discloses determining DMRS sequence mapping. In some examples in which some or all PBCH RB are punctured, the DMRS sequence is mapped to available DMRS REs in the SS/PBCH block, thus improving the integrity of the DMRS sequence mapping on the PBCH. [0041]-[0042] discloses the UE can receive the at least one first parameter from the network (e.g., the BS). The data of the DMRS sequence is mapped to the DMRS REs in PBCH RBs that are different from those indicated by the at least one first parameter based on a prerequisite of the original code rate. In some examples in which there are not enough DMRS REs for DMRS sequence mapping under the prerequisite of the original code rate, the code rate is increased until the entire DMRS sequence can be fully mapped to the DMRS RE. Accordingly, all DMRS sequence data can be transmitted even if the PBCH RB is punctured. In other words, if a part of the DMRS sequence has failed to be mapped to the DMRS REs based on a code rate, the code rate is increased until an entirety of the DMRS sequence is mapped to the DMRS REs. The DMRS sequence is first mapped to the DMRS REs of PBCH RBs that have bandwidths that are within the bandwidth of or corresponding to the PSS 350 and/or SSS 360. The mapping can be performed according to a suitable mechanism predefined by the specification. In some arrangements, a time domain symbol is mapped to a low frequency symbol first and then to a high frequency symbol. Next, the remaining DMRS sequence is mapped to DMRS REs that are outside of the bandwidth of or corresponding to the PSS 350 and/or SSS 360 according to the same mechanism)
It is obvious for a person of ordinary skilled in the art to combine the teachings before the effective filing date of the invention. One would be motivated to combine the teachings so that important data of DMRS sequences can be preferentially mapped first to the DMRS REs of PBCH RBs that have bandwidths that are within the bandwidth of or corresponding to the PSS 350 and/or SSS 360 to ensure that the important data is not punctured
As to claim 52, the rejection of claim 49 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, You-Xiao discloses wherein the system information comprises a master information block indicating a control resource set for a physical downlink control channel, and wherein the means are configured to detect control information for further system information on physical resource blocks of the physical downlink control channel by using the same puncturing pattern as used for detecting the master information block (Xiao; [0040]-[0045]).
As to claim 55, the rejection of claim 49 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, You-Xiao discloses wherein the mapping table maps each demodulation reference signal sequence of the mapping table to a unique combination of a puncturing pattern and at least one of a synchronization signal block index, a puncturing pattern, a half- frame index, and a channel bandwidth (Xiao; [0040]-[0045])
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 50-51, 53-54 and 56-57 are objected, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims
Conclusion
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/FAISAL CHOUDHURY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
