CTNF 18/837,446 CTNF 99373 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Status The present application claims priority to PCT Pat. Application PCT/CN2022/075929 field February 10, 2022. Claims 40-59 are now pending. Claims 1-39 have been cancelled by preliminary amendment filed August 9, 2024. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on August 9 2024 and May 14, 2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-20-02-aia AIA This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 40-59 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat. Pub. US-20240405957 to Matha Deghel et al. claiming priority to US Prov. Pat. 63/244,582 (hereinafter Deghel) in view of US Pat. Pub. 20230379932 to Yuki Matsumura et al. (hereinafter Matsumura) . Examiner notes that the paragraph references and drawings in Deghel in the published application are identical to the paragraph references and drawings in the filed provisional application as to subject matter. Regarding claim 40, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A method of communication performed by a terminal device (Deghel Fig. 1, user equipment 120) , the method comprising: receiving, from a network device, a downlink control information (DCI), for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), (Deghel para. [0030] teaches that a UE may be scheduled with PDSCHs via DCI/PDCCH. Further, para. [0029] teaches that PDSCH enhancements in 3GPP include a parameter “tci-PresentInDCI” to enable mapping of TCI for PDSCH scheduling.) comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates at least one transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method.) and the second field indicates that a first one of two TCI states, a second one of the two TCI states or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field; (Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches that a second field indicates which TCI state is applied “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.” Examiner maps “a new field” to “a second field”.) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field,” and receiving, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of invention, Matsumura teaches both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and receiving, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH received by a UE from a network device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085]. Regarding claim 41, Deghel teaches The method of claim 40, wherein the at least one TCI state is applied from a first slot which is Y symbols after a last symbol of a positive hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) corresponding to the first DCI, Y is an integer. (Deghel teaches in para. [0036] that in DCI format 1_1/1_2, an application time of the beam indication of the TCI state is applied “ the first slot that is at least X ms or Y symbols ” after the last symbol of the HARQ-ACK.) Regarding claim 42, Deghel teaches The method of claim 40, further comprising: receiving, from the network device, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) message, wherein the MAC CE message is used to map at least one set of TCI states to at least one TCI codepoint; (Deghel teaches in para. [0029] that MAC CE enhancements may map one or two TCI states for a TCI codepoint.) and applying the at least one set of TCI states in a case where the MAC CE message is used to map one set of TCI states to one TCI codepoint. (Deghel teaches in para. [0050] that when a TCI codepoint is associated via MAC CE .... each TCI state may be applied/mapped to one CORESET group. Examiner interprets the application of the TCI state to a CORESET group and the associate of TCI codepoints to CORSET groups as “applying the at least one set of TCI states”.) Regarding claim 43, Deghel teaches The method of claim 40, further comprising: receiving, from the network device, a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET), wherein the configuration indicates which one of the two TCI states is applied for the CORESET. (Deghel teaches in para. [0049] that the UE receives an indication on how to apply the TCI states to the CORESET, including “whether to apply the two indicated DL TCI states... or only one of these two DL TCI states”) Regarding claim 44, Deghel teaches A method of communication performed by a terminal device, the method comprising: receiving, from a network device, a downlink control information (DCI), for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), (Deghel para. [0030] teaches that a UE may be scheduled with PDSCHs via DCI/PDCCH. Further, para. [0029] teaches that PDSCH enhancements in 3GPP include a parameter “tci-PresentInDCI” to enable mapping of TCI for PDSCH scheduling.) comprising a first field indicating that a first one of two transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.”) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device,” and receiving, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and receiving, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH received by a UE from a network device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085]. Regarding claim 45, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A method of communication performed by a network device, (Deghel Fig. 1 network entity 130) the method comprising: transmitting, to a terminal device, a downlink control information (DCI), (Deghel Fig. 1 DCI 101) for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), (Deghel para. [0026] teaches that 3GPP Release 16 includes PDSCH enhancements to single DCI TRP transmissions) comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates at least one transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, and the second field indicates that a first one of two TCI states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.” Examiner maps “a new field” to “a second field”.) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field,” and transmitting, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and transmitting, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085]. Regarding claim 46, Deghel teaches The method of claim 45, wherein the at least one TCI state is applied from a first slot which is Y symbols after a last symbol of a positive hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) corresponding to the first DCI, Y is an integer. . (Deghel teaches in para. [0036] that in DCI format 1_1/1_2, an application time of the beam indication of the TCI state is applied “ the first slot that is at least X ms or Y symbols ” after the last symbol of the HARQ-ACK.) Regarding claim 47, Deghel teaches The method of claim 45, further comprising: transmitting, to the terminal device, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) message, (Deghel Fig. 3 illustrates “Association indication sent via MAC CE”) wherein the MAC CE message is used to map at least one set of TCI states to at least one TCI codepoint, . (Deghel teaches in para. [0029] that MAC CE enhancements may map one or two TCI states for a TCI codepoint.) wherein the at least one set of TCI states is applied in a case where the MAC CE message is used to map one set of TCI states to one TCI codepoint. (Deghel teaches in para. [0050] that when a TCI codepoint is associated via MAC CE .... each TCI state may be applied/mapped to one CORESET group. Examiner interprets the application of the TCI state to a CORESET group and the associate of TCI codepoints to CORSET groups as “applying the at least one set of TCI states”.) Regarding claim 48, Deghel teaches The method of claim 45, further comprising: transmitting, to the terminal device, a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET), wherein the configuration indicates which one of the two TCI states is applied for the CORESET. (Deghel teaches in Fig. 3 transmitting a configuration of a CORESET wherein the configuration indicates which of two TCI states is applied for the CORESET: As shown in Fig. 3 mapping of TCI-state-0 and TCI-state-1 is shown for the CORESET: PNG media_image1.png 617 787 media_image1.png Greyscale Deghel para. [0061]-[0062] teaches that Fig. 3 illustrates how one TCI codepoint can be combined with two TCI states or two common TCI states and associated CORESETs according to a configuration association via MAC CE.) Regarding claim 49, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A method of communication performed by a network device, (Deghel Fig. 1 network entity 130) the method comprising: transmitting, to a terminal device, a downlink control information (DCI), (Deghel Fig. 1, DCI 101) for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), (Deghel para. [0026] teaches that 3GPP Release 16 includes PDSCH enhancements to single DCI TRP transmissions) comprising a first field indicating that a first one of two transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH from the network wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.”) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device,” and transmitting, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and transmitting, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085]. Regarding claim 50, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A terminal device (Deghel teaches in Fig. 8 UE 810) comprising: a processor (Deghel Fig. 8, processors 811) configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from a network device, a downlink control information (DCI) (Deghel Fig. 1, DCI 101) , for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) ), (Deghel para. [0026] teaches that 3GPP Release 16 includes PDSCH enhancements to single DCI TRP transmissions) comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates at least one transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, and the second field indicates that a first one of two TCI states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.” Examiner maps the “new field” to a second field.) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field,” and receive, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0068] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and receive, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085].. Regarding claim 51, Deghel teaches The terminal device of claim 50, wherein the at least one TCI state is applied from a first slot which is Y symbols after a last symbol of a positive hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) corresponding to the first DCI, Y is an integer. (Deghel teaches in para. [0036] that in DCI format 1_1/1_2, an application time of the beam indication of the TCI state is applied “ the first slot that is at least X ms or Y symbols ” after the last symbol of the HARQ-ACK.) Regarding claim 52, Deghel teaches The terminal device of claim 50, the processor is further configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from the network device, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) message, (Deghel Fig. 3 illustrates “Association indication sent via MAC CE”) wherein the MAC CE message is used to map at least one set of TCI states to at least one TCI codepoint; and apply the at least one set of TCI states in a case where the MAC CE message is used to map one set of TCI states to one TCI codepoint. (Deghel teaches in para. [0050] that when a TCI codepoint is associated via MAC CE .... each TCI state may be applied/mapped to one CORESET group. Examiner interprets the application of the TCI state to a CORESET group and the associate of TCI codepoints to CORSET groups as “applying the at least one set of TCI states”.) Regarding claim 53, Deghel teaches The terminal device of claim 50, the processor is further configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from the network device, a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET), wherein the configuration indicates which one of the two TCI states is applied for the CORESET. . (Deghel teaches in Fig. 3 that UE receives from a network device, a configuration of a CORESET wherein the configuration indicates which of two TCI states is applied for the CORESET: As shown in Fig. 3 mapping of TCI-state-0 and TCI-state-1 is shown for the CORESET: PNG media_image1.png 617 787 media_image1.png Greyscale Deghel para. [0061]-[0062] teaches that Fig. 3 illustrates how one TCI codepoint can be combined with two TCI states or two common TCI states and associated CORESETs according to a configuration association via MAC CE.) Regarding claim 54, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A terminal device (Deghel Fig. 8 User Equipment 810) comprising a processor (Deghel Fig. 8 processor 811) configured to cause the terminal device to: receive, from a network device, a downlink control information (DCI), (Deghel Fig. 1, DCI 101) for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), (Deghel para. [0026] teaches that 3GPP Release 16 includes PDSCH enhancements to single DCI TRP transmissions) comprising a first field indicating that a first one of two transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.”) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device,” and receive, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and receive, from the network device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085].. Regarding claim 55, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A network device comprising a processor (Deghel Fig. 8, network entity 820 with processor 821) configured to cause the network device to: transmit, to a terminal device, a downlink control information (DCI), (Deghel Fig. 1 DCI 101) for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), comprising a first field and a second field, wherein the first field indicates at least one transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, and the second field indicates that a first one of two TCI states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.” Examiner maps “a new field” to “a second field”.) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field,” and transmit, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated in the first field”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and transmit, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085]. Regarding claim 56, Deghel teaches The network device of claim 55, wherein the at least one TCI state is applied from a first slot which is Y symbols after a last symbol of a positive hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) corresponding to the first DCI, Y is an integer. (Deghel teaches in para. [0036] that in DCI format 1_1/1_2, an application time of the beam indication of the TCI state is applied “ the first slot that is at least X ms or Y symbols ” after the last symbol of the HARQ-ACK.) Regarding claim 57, Deghel teaches The network device of claim 55, the processor is further configured to cause the network device to: transmit, to the terminal device, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) message, wherein the MAC CE message , (Deghel Fig. 3 illustrates “Association indication sent via MAC CE”) is used to map at least one set of TCI states to at least one TCI codepoint, wherein the at least one set of TCI states is applied in a case where the MAC CE message is used to map one set of TCI states to one TCI codepoint. (Deghel teaches in para. [0050] that when a TCI codepoint is associated via MAC CE .... each TCI state may be applied/mapped to one CORESET group. Examiner interprets the application of the TCI state to a CORESET group and the associate of TCI codepoints to CORSET groups as “applying the at least one set of TCI states”.) Regarding claim 58, Deghel teaches The network device of claim 55, the processor is further configured to cause the network device to: transmit, to the terminal device, a configuration of a control resource set (CORESET), wherein the configuration indicates which one of the two TCI states is applied for the CORESET. . (Deghel teaches in Fig. 3 transmitting a configuration of a CORESET wherein the configuration indicates which of two TCI states is applied for the CORESET: As shown in Fig. 3 mapping of TCI-state-0 and TCI-state-1 is shown for the CORESET: PNG media_image1.png 617 787 media_image1.png Greyscale Deghel para. [0061]-[0062] teaches that Fig. 3 illustrates how one TCI codepoint can be combined with two TCI states or two common TCI states and associated CORESETs according to a configuration association via MAC CE.) Regarding claim 59, Deghel in view of Matsumura teaches A network device (Deghel Fig. 1, network entity 130) comprising a processor (Deghel para. [0011] teaches a processor transmitting a DCI indicating a CORESET) configured to cause the network device to: transmit, to a terminal device, a downlink control information (DCI), (Deghel Fig. 1, DCI 101) for scheduling at least one physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), comprising a first field indicating that a first one of two transmission configuration indication (TCI) states, a second one of the two TCI states [[or both of the two TCI states]] are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device; (Deghel Fig. 1, block 103 “Map TCI indicator state to CORESET group”, and paras. [0042]- [0043] teaches a DCI with a “first TCI state” and “second TCI state” and teaches that when a DCI has two DL TCI states, the UE may know the order for mapping the TCI states to two CORESET groups according to a mapping order carried in a bit or other method. Deghel paras. [0046] teaches receiving DCI scheduling PDSCH wherein a first field indicates two TCI states. Deghel para. [0046] teaches “a DCI indication (such as using a new field or reserved existing field) may be used to indicate to the UE which TCI state , among the two indicated DL TCI states , to apply to PDSCH in this case.”) Deghel does not explicitly teach that “or both of the two TCI states are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device,” and transmit, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. In the same field of endeavor, Matsumura teaches “are applied to the at least one PDSCH in a case where the two TCI states are indicated to the terminal device”. (Matsumura teaches in para. [0066]-[0067] that multiple TCI states may be applied to DL channels such as PDSCHs.) and transmit, to the terminal device, the at least one PDSCH based on the DCI. (Matsumura teaches in Fig. 13 and in para. [0196] a PDSCH is transmitted from a network device to a terminal device based on DL DCI.) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective date of the invention to have combined Matsumura with Deghel to teach that both TCI states are applied to at least one PDSCH and that the terminal device receives the PDSCH based on the DCI. Each of Matsumura and Deghel are in the field of wireless communications and address DCI transmission of TCI states. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Deghel with Matsumura in order to determine the timing of the common beam update because a difference in recognition of the common TCI state between a UE and a base station degrades communication quality and throughput as taught in Matsumura para. [0085] . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure includes H. Noh and M. -S. Lee, "Beam Management for IAB Network in 5G-Advanced Wireless Communication Systems," 2021 International Conference on Information and Communication Technology Convergence (ICTC) , Jeju Island, Korea, Republic of, 2021, pp. 624-627. In particular, Fig. 2 illustrates 3GPP 5G NR Downlink BM framework wherein TCI states are provided over DCI . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARGARET MARIE ANDERSON whose telephone number is (703)756-1068. The examiner can normally be reached M-F. 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, CHARLES JIANG can be reached at 571-270-7191. 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. /MARGARET MARIE ANDERSON/ Examiner, Art Unit 2412 /CHARLES C JIANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 2 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 3 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 4 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 5 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 6 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 7 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 8 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 9 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 10 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 11 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 12 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 13 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 14 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 15 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 16 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 17 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 18 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 19 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 20 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 21 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 22 Art Unit: 2412 Application/Control Number: 18/837,446 Page 23 Art Unit: 2412
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