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 Objections
Claims 12 and 23 are objected to because of the following informalities:
- Claim 12 discloses “SRS resource set” (line 3) but it should be “the SRS resource set” because it refers to “a SRS resource set” in parent claim 10.
- Claim 23 discloses “channel on the first service cell” (line 8) but it should be “the channel on the first serving cell” because it refers to “a channel on the first serving cell” (line 2).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being
indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 8 discloses “the reference signal” but claim 1 discloses “sounding reference signal (SRS) and “a downlink reference signal.” It is not clear which reference signal is referred by “the reference signal”.
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.
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.
Claims 1, 8-10 and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. (US 2019/0349161 A1), hereinafter “JIN” in view of Gao et al. (US 2021/0337453 A1), hereinafter “GAO”
Regarding claim 1, JIN teaches, ‘An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising:’ (Paragraph [0058]: A terminal or a new radio user equipment (hereinafter referred to as a NR UE, a UE, or a terminal) 1a-15 may access an external network 1a-35 via the NR NB 1a-10 and the NR CN node 1a-05; Paragraph [0126]: The controller 1i-40 controls the overall operation of the UE. For example, the controller 1i-40 transmits and receives a signal through the baseband processing unit 1i-20 and the RF processing unit 1i-10):
‘an interface configured to: obtain a control message indicating a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource on a first serving cell and spatial relation information for the SRS resource,’ (Paragraph [0107]: In the RRC-connected state, the gNB 1e-03 transmits configuration information (SRS-Config) related to a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the UE 1e-01 through an RRC message at operation 1e-20. The RRC message contains configuration information of a plurality of SRS resource sets… Parameters for SRS transmission may be provided to each SRS resource through RRC configuration (SRS-Resource), and particularly, a reference signal indicating spatial relation for actually transmitting the corresponding SRS may be indicated),
‘wherein the spatial relation information associates the SRS resource with a downlink reference signal on a second serving cell;’ (Paragraph [0108]: To this end, the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell, and the gNB 1e-03 may more flexibly transmit and receive the SRS; Paragraph [0111]: a newly defined "C" field may be used, which indicates whether cross-carrier indication is configured for the SRS resources. When the corresponding field is set to "1", fields indicating a serving cell ID and a BWP ID of the spatial relation reference signal are added, like in
1f-25 and 1f-30… The type of the spatial relation reference signal may be one of SSB, CSI-RS, and SRS);
‘and a processing system configured to: select a first… for transmitting an SRS according to a second… associated with the downlink reference signal on the second serving cell;’ (Paragraph [0006]: When activation/deactivation of a semi-persistent sounding reference signal (SP SRS) in a next-generation mobile communication system is indicated, a beam through which the corresponding SP SRS is transmitted, that is, a quasi-co-located (QCLed) beam, may be indicated. A method by which a user equipment (UE) and an evolved node B (eNB) transmit and receive SP SRS signals through appropriate directional beams is needed; Paragraph [0107]: and may indicate the reference signal beam at which the SRS is actually QCLed by adding an index of the corresponding type. This may be a method of specifying the type and direction of the beam through which the corresponding SRS is actually transmitted);
‘wherein the interface is further configured to: output the SRS for transmission via the SRS resource on the first serving cell using the first spatial domain precoder.’ (Paragraph [0108]: the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell; Paragraph [0124]: The baseband processing unit 1i-20 and the RF processing unit 1i-10 transmit and receive signals as described above).
JIN does not explicitly teach but GAO teaches, ‘…spatial domain precoder…’ (GAO – Paragraph [0033]: Note that in this patent document a "beam" may be equivalent to a reference signal (RS), a spatial filter, or pre-coding. Specifically, a "Tx beam" may be equivalent to a DL or UL reference signal… a Tx spatial filter, or Tx precoding… the spatial filter is called as spatial-domain filter);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of GAO with JIN because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of GAO into JIN is that GAO provides that a “beam” is technically equivalent to and implemented by a “precoder” or a “spatial-domain filter” by defining in standard high-frequency/massive-MIMO systems, a “beam” is implemented via digital/analog phase configurations or pre-coding, and demonstrating that selecting a “spatial relation beam direction” is technically identical to selecting/applying a “spatial domain precoder” (See paragraph [0024], [0033], GAO).
Regarding claim 8, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JIN further teaches, ‘wherein selecting the first spatial domain precoder is in response to obtaining the control message’ (Paragraphs [0107]-[0108]: Parameters for SRS transmission may be provided to each SRS resource through RRC configuration (SRS-Resource), and particularly, a reference signal indicating spatial relation for actually transmitting the corresponding SRS may be indicated… This may be a method of specifying the type and direction of the beam through which the corresponding SRS is actually transmitted. More particularly, at operation 1e-25, the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. Upon receiving the MAC CE from the gNB, the UE 1e-03 stops transmitting corresponding SP SRS resources at operation 1e-40)
‘indicating the SRS resource on the first serving cell’ (Paragraph [0108]: The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID, and an indicator for indicating whether there is a supplementary uplink (SUL), and also includes type and
index information of the QCLed reference signal)
‘when the reference signal is associated with the second serving cell.’ (Paragraph [0111]: In Solution 1 without "U" field (1f-a), with respect to SRS resources included in the indicated SP SRS resource set, the first method of the related art of expanding the SP SRS MAC CE provides cross-carrier indication to every QCLed reference resource. "Cross-carrier indication" means that the QCLed reference signal for the SRS resources indicated by the MAC CE is directed to a neighboring serving cell, rather than to the current serving cell).
Regarding claim 9, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JIN further teaches, ‘wherein the control message comprises a radio resource control (RRC) message.’ (Paragraph [0107]: In the RRC-connected state, the gNB 1e-03 transmits configuration information (SRS-Config) related to a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the UE 1e-01 through an RRC message at operation le-20. The RRC message contains configuration information of a plurality of SRS resource sets; Paragraph [0118]: The difference from the MAC CE format method 2 is that the MAC CE format method 3 provides the
corresponding configuration through RRC, and an index is indicated by the MAC CE without including information indicating the QCLed beam into the MAC CE).
Regarding claim 10. JIN teaches, ‘An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising:’ (Paragraph [0058]: A terminal or a new radio user equipment (hereinafter referred to as a NR UE, a UE, or a terminal) 1a-15 may access an external network 1a-35 via the NR NB 1a-10 and the NR CN node 1a-05; Paragraph [0126]: The controller 1i-40 controls the overall operation of the UE. For example, the controller 1i-40 transmits and receives a signal through the baseband processing unit 1i-20 and the RF processing unit 1i-10):
‘an interface configured to: obtain a control message indicating a configuration of a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set for transmitting an SRS on a first serving cell and indicating spatial relation information associating the SRS resource set with a downlink reference signal on a second serving cell; (Paragraphs [0107]-[0108]: In the RRC-connected state, the gNB 1e-03 transmits configuration information (SRS-Config) related to a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the UE 1e-01 through an RRC message at operation 1e-20. The RRC message contains configuration information of a plurality of SRS resource sets… Parameters for SRS transmission may be provided to each SRS resource through RRC configuration (SRS-Resource), and particularly, a reference signal indicating spatial relation for actually transmitting the corresponding SRS may be indicated. The indicator may select one of a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), and an SRS from spatialRelationinfo… The disclosure proposes an operation of specifying the serving cell indicating the QCLed reference signal and the BWP ID. To this end, the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell)
‘and select a spatial domain precoder for transmitting the SRS over the SRS resource set on the first serving cell according to the control message and the monitoring;’ (Paragraph [0107]: This may be a method of specifying the type and direction of the beam through which the corresponding SRS is actually transmitted.
‘and wherein the interface is further configured to: output the SRS for transmission over the SRS resource set on the first serving cell using the selected spatial domain precoder.’ (Paragraph [0108]: the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell; Paragraph [0124]: The baseband processing unit 1i-20 and the RF processing unit 1i-10 transmit and receive signals as described above).
JIN does not explicitly teach but GAO teaches, ‘and a processing system configured to: monitor the second serving cell for the downlink reference signal according to the spatial relation information,’ (GAO – Paragraph [0087]: Detecting the dedicated CORESET or search space for recovery in the Scell. Monitoring the dedicated CORESET or search space for recovery in Scell is S time units after transmitting beam recovery request, where S is Integer; Paragraph [0108]: Spatial relation or spatial filter may be determined according to the DL RS to be associated with the link recovery request. Furthermore, the spatial filter of UL channel may be the same as the spatial filter of the DL RS reception),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of GAO with JIN because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of GAO into JIN is that GAO provides that a “beam” is technically equivalent to and implemented by a “precoder” or a “spatial-domain filter” by defining in standard high-frequency/massive-MIMO systems, a “beam” is implemented via digital/analog phase configurations or pre-coding, and demonstrating that selecting a “spatial relation beam direction” is technically identical to selecting/applying a “spatial domain precoder” (See paragraph [0024], [0033], GAO).
Regarding claim 30, the claim includes features identical to the subject matter mentioned in the rejection to claim 1. The claim is mere reformulation of claim 1 in order to define the corresponding method and the rejection to claim 1 is applied hereto.
JIN teaches, ‘A method for wireless communication at a device, comprising:’ (Paragraph [0015]: In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a method of indicating a semi-persistent (SP) sounding reference signal (SRS) as a reference signal by a terminal is provided):
Claims 2 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of Lin et al. (US 2022/0045884 A1), hereinafter “LIN”
Regarding claims 2 and 17, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JIN and GO do not explicitly teach but LIN teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to output user equipment (UE) capability information for transmission, the UE capability information indicating a time interval between receiving the control message indicating the SRS resource and transmitting the SRS’ (LIN – Paragraphs [0113]-[0114], the BWP switching delay, T0… where X is the reported capability as the minimum time interval in unit of symbols, between the DCI triggering and aperiodic SRS transmission. T0 can be either provided by higher layers or reported by UE).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of LIN with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of LIN into JIN and GAO is that LIN provides that incorporating a minimum time interval capability (X) ensures that subsequent physical channel transmissions do not collide with previous SRS transmissions or suffer from BWP switching delay limitations. For nth (n ≥ 1) aperiodic SRS transmission on a BWP b, upon detection of a positive SRS request on a grant/DCI format, the UE shall commence this SRS transmission on the configured symbol and slot provided 1) it is no earlier than the summation of the maximum time duration between the two durations spanned by X OFDM symbols of the numerology of BWP b and the BWP carrying the grant respectively, and the BWP switching delay, T0; 2) it does not collide with any previous SRS transmissions, or interruption due to BWP switching delay (See paragraph [0114], [0139], LIN).
Claims 3-5 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of Park et al. (US 2025/0192963 A1), hereinafter “PARK”
Regarding claims 3 and 15, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but PARK teaches, ‘wherein the processing system is further configured to’ (PARK – Paragraph [0437]: A processor 102 may control a memory 104 and/or a transceiver 106 and may be
configured to implement description, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and/or operation flow charts disclosed in the present disclosure)
‘apply a machine learning (ML) function’ (PARK – Paragraph [0370]: In addition, a terminal may calculate WAI which corresponds to a precoding matrix more suitable for a channel estimated by a terminal based on precoding matrix W selected in a codebook and a trained AI/ML model)
‘to the second spatial domain precoder’ (PARK – Paragraph [0366]: A terminal may select/
calculate a suitable precoding matrix W within a configured codebook based on an estimated channel (S130); Paragraph [0370]: based on precoding matrix W selected in a codebook and a trained AI/ML model)
‘to obtain the first spatial domain precoder.’ (PARK – Paragraph [0370]: In addition, a terminal may calculate WAI which corresponds to a precoding matrix more suitable for a channel estimated by a terminal [Note: codebook-based input precoder is designated as W, and the output precoder derived via the AI/ML model is designated as WAI]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of PARK with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of PARK into JIN and GAO is that PARK provides the AI/ML-based precoding refinement to improve CSI accuracy and enhance overall communication performance without overhauling existing codebook-based feedback frameworks. This AI/ML function to an initial coarse spatial domain precoder (codebook-based precoder) is to derive a finer-granularity precoder, thereby obtaining higher resolution beamforming while maintaining low feedback signaling overhead. The AI/ML precoding derivation is to obtain a precoding matrix that closer matches actual estimated channel characteristics, thereby increasing signal power, reducing inter-cell/intra-cell interference, and optimizing system throughput (See paragraph [0350], [0396], [0402], PARK).
Regarding claims 4 and 16, JIN, GAO and PARK teach, The apparatus of claim 3, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but PARK teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to obtain an indication of the ML function,’ (PARK – Paragraph [0413]: In examples described above, in order to define AI/ML model-related information, a type for at least one AI/ML algorithm/model/module may be defined, and information about a specific type may be configured/indicated to a terminal and/or may be reported to a base station),
‘wherein applying the ML function to the second spatial domain precoder is in accordance with obtaining the indication of the ML function.’ (PARK – Paragraph [0401]: Through an AI/ML model, a second precoding matrix close to Wopt (desirably, relatively closer to WV compared to a first precoding
matrix) may be derived based on a first precoding matrix quantized to a certain level and AI/ML model-related information learned in advance based on a wireless channel characteristic, etc. (e.g., an AI/ML model configuration value and/or an AI/ML model parameter).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of PARK with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of PARK into JIN and GAO is that PARK provides the AI/ML-based precoding refinement to improve CSI accuracy and enhance overall communication performance without overhauling existing codebook-based feedback frameworks. This AI/ML function to an initial coarse spatial domain precoder (codebook-based precoder) is to derive a finer-granularity precoder, thereby obtaining higher resolution beamforming while maintaining low feedback signaling overhead. The AI/ML precoding derivation is to obtain a precoding matrix that closer matches actual estimated channel characteristics, thereby increasing signal power, reducing inter-cell/intra-cell interference, and optimizing system throughput (See paragraph [0350], [0396], [0402], PARK).
Regarding claim 5, JIN, GAO and PARK teach, The apparatus of claim 3, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but PARK teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to output for transmission an indication of the ML function’ (PARK – Paragraph [0413]: In examples described above, in order to define AI/ML model-related information, a type for at least one AI/ML algorithm/model/module may be defined, and information about a specific type may be configured/indicated to a terminal and/or may be reported to a base station; Paragraph [0411]: In examples described above, when a terminal reports to a base station the AI/ML model-related information of a terminal (or AI/ML model-related information assumed by a terminal), it may be reported in at least one of (or together with) terminal capability information or CSI report)
‘applied to the second spatial domain precoder to obtain the first spatial domain precoder.’ (PARK – Paragraph [0370]: In addition, a terminal may calculate WAI which corresponds to a precoding matrix more suitable for a channel estimated by a terminal based on precoding matrix W selected in a codebook and a trained AI/ML model; Paragraph [0401]: Through an AI/ML model, a second precoding matrix close to Wopt (desirably, relatively closer to WV compared to a first precoding
matrix) may be derived based on a first precoding matrix quantized to a certain level and AI/ML model-related information learned in advance based on a wireless channel characteristic, etc. (e.g., an AI/ML model configuration value and/or an AI/ML model parameter).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of PARK with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of PARK into JIN and GAO is that PARK provides the AI/ML-based precoding refinement to improve CSI accuracy and enhance overall communication performance without overhauling existing codebook-based feedback frameworks. This AI/ML function to an initial coarse spatial domain precoder (codebook-based precoder) is to derive a finer-granularity precoder, thereby obtaining higher resolution beamforming while maintaining low feedback signaling overhead. The AI/ML precoding derivation is to obtain a precoding matrix that closer matches actual estimated channel characteristics, thereby increasing signal power, reducing inter-cell/intra-cell interference, and optimizing system throughput (See paragraph [0350], [0396], [0402], PARK).
Claims 6 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of Go et al. (US 2023/0239096 A1), hereinafter “GO”
Regarding claims 6 and 18, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 1, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but GO teaches, ‘wherein the SRS resource is associated with an SRS resource set’ (GO – Paragraph [0185]: The UE may be configured with one or more sounding reference symbol (SRS) resource sets configured by (higher layer parameter) SRS-ResourceSet... For each SRS resource set, the UE may be configured with K2 ≥ 1 SRS resources; Paragraph [0191]: Each SRS resource set means a set of SRS resources)
‘comprising a non-codebook SRS usage.’ (GO – Paragraph [0017]: Based on the configuration information related to the SRS, a usage of the SRS resource set may be configured as one of CodeBook (CB), Non-CodeBook (NCB), beam management (BM), antenna switching (AS), or positioning).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of GO with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of GO into JIN and GAO is that GO provides the non-codebook usage to ensure that equal comparison between SRS resources can be performed by the base station to maintain link reliability. When a UE utilizes multiple panels for uplink transmission, individual SRS resources within a non-codebook SRS resource set may be transmitted from different panels possessing different power amplifiers and antenna counts. This is to enable power control parameter updates to be determined at the SRS resource set level based on an activated TCI state, thereby streamlining control signaling and improving spectrum efficiency (See paragraph [0006], [0050], [0447]-[0448], GO).
Claims 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of MolavianJazi et al. (US 2020/0053724 A1), hereinafter “MOLAVIANJAZI”
Regarding claim 11, JIN and GAO teaches, The apparatus of claim 10, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, JIN further teaches, ‘and the interface is further configured to obtain an indication that the downlink reference signal on the second serving cell is selected from the plurality of downlink reference signals for the SRS resource set.’ (Paragraph [0015]: The method includes receiving, from a base station, information for an SRS configuration, receiving, from the base station, a MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, and transmitting, to the base station, an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the semi-persistent SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present; [Claim 3]: wherein the serving cell information indicates an identity of a second cell on which a resource used for spatial relationship derivation for an SRS resource of the SRS
is located).
‘wherein the spatial relation information associates the SRS resource set with a plurality of downlink reference signals on a set of one or more serving cells including the second serving cell,’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0131]: In some embodiments, such as for sp-SRS with
MAC-CE update, an activation command may contain spatial relation assumptions provided by a list of references to reference signal IDs, one per element of the activated SRS resource set. Each ID in the list may refer to a reference SS/PBCH block, NZP CSI-RS resource, or SRS resource configured on the same or different component carrier and/or bandwidth part as the SRS resources in the SRS resource set),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
Regarding claim 12, JIN, GAO and MOLAVIZNJAZI teach, The apparatus of claim 11, JIN further teaches, ‘or obtain a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) activating the SRS resource set for transmitting the SRS and indicating the downlink reference signal on the second serving cell, wherein the SRS is semipersistent.’ (Paragraph [0015]: The method includes receiving, from a base station, information for an SRS configuration, receiving, from the base station, a MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, and transmitting, to the base station, an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the semi-persistent SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present; [Claim 3]: wherein the serving cell information indicates an identity of a second cell on which a resource used for spatial relationship derivation for an SRS resource of the SRS is located).
JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to: obtain an SRS request field of a downlink control information (DCI) indicating the downlink reference signal on the second serving cell for SRS resource set, wherein the SRS is aperiodic;’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0123]: the UE receives a downlink DCI, a group common DCI, or an uplink DCI based command in which a codepoint of the DCI may trigger one or more SRS resource sets… If the higher layer parameter spatialRelationinfo contains the ID of a reference 'csi-RSIndex' or if SRS-Resource is configured in an SRS resource set with 'usage' set to 'nonCodebook' and if the higher layer parameter associatedCSI-RS is configured, the UE may transmit the target SRS resource with the same spatial domain transmission filter used for the reception of the reference periodic CSI-RS or of the reference semi-persistent CSI-RS, or of the latest reference aperiodic CSI-RS; Paragraph [0149]: if the referenceSignal in the SRS-SpatialRelationinfo for the indicated SRS resource is an SSB or a CSI-RS, the UE receives the RS with index q, on the smallest serving cell provided by servingCellid in SRSSpatialRelationinfo);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
Regarding claim 13, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 10, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, ‘wherein the SRS is periodic’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0120]: In various embodiments, for a UE configured with one or more SRS resource configurations, and if the higher layer parameter resourceType in SRS-Resource is set to 'periodic': 1) if the UE is configured with the higher layer parameter spatialRelationinfo containing the ID of a reference 'ssb-Index', the UE may transmit a target SRS resource with a same spatial domain transmission filter used for the
reception of the reference SS/PBCH block)
‘and the control message comprises an identifier of the second serving cell.’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0130]: In certain embodiments, such as for p-SRS and ap-SRS, a configuration of a spatial relation between a reference RS and a target SRS of the higher layer parameter spatialRelationinfo, if configured, contains the ID of the reference RS. In such embodiments, the reference RS may be an SS/PBCH block, CSI-RS, or an SRS configured on the same or different component carrier and/or bandwidth part as the target SRS).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
Regarding claim 14, JIN and GAO teach, The apparatus of claim 10, JIN further teaches, ‘wherein the SRS is semipersistent’ (Paragraph [0015]: The method includes receiving, from a base station, information for an SRS configuration, receiving, from the base station, a MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, and transmitting, to the base station, an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the semi-persistent SP SRS)
‘and the interface is further configured to obtain a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) activating the SRS resource set and activating the second serving cell,’ (Paragraph [0015]: receiving, from the base station, a MAC CE for activating the SP SRS… wherein the MAC CE for activating the semi-persistent SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP
information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present; [Claim 3]: wherein the serving cell information indicates an identity of a second cell on which a resource used for spatial relationship derivation for an SRS resource of the SRS is located; Paragraph [0108]: More particularly, at operation 1e-25, the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS
resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID… To this end, the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell),
‘wherein monitoring the second serving cell for the downlink reference signal is based at least in part on obtaining the MAC-CE.’ (Paragraph [0108]: at operation 1e-25, the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE… To this end, the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell, and the gNB 1e-03 may more flexibly transmit and receive the SRS).
JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, ‘and the control message comprises a plurality of identifiers corresponding to a plurality of serving cells,’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0134]: In certain embodiments, a configuration may be as follow: SRS ResourceSet: :=SEQUENCE { srs-ResourceSetld SRS-ResourceSetid, srs-ResourceidList SEQUENCE (SIZE(l .. maxNrofSRS-ResourcesPerSet)) OF SRS-Resourceid OPTIONAL, -- Cond Setup resourceType CHOICE { aperiodic SEQUENCE { aperiodicSRS-ResourceTrigger INTEGER (1..maxNrofSRS-TriggerStates-1), csi-RS NZPCSI-RS-Resourceid OPTIONAL, -- Cond NonCodebook servingCellid ServCellindex OPTIONAL, -- Need S…)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
Claims 20 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of MOLAVIANJAZI in view of Xu et al. (US 2020/0313747 A1), hereinafter “XU”.
Regarding claim 20, JIN teaches, ‘An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising:’ (Paragraph [0058]: A terminal or a new radio user equipment (hereinafter referred to as a NR UE, a UE, or a terminal) 1a-15 may access an external network 1a-35 via the NR NB 1a-10 and the NR CN node 1a-05; Paragraph [0126]: The controller 1i-40 controls the overall operation of the UE. For example, the controller 1i-40 transmits and receives a signal through the baseband processing unit 1i-20 and the RF processing unit 1i-10):
JIN does not explicitly teach but GAO teaches, ‘…a spatial domain precoder…’ (GAO – Paragraph [0033]: Note that in this patent document a "beam" may be equivalent to a reference signal (RS), a spatial filter, or pre-coding. Specifically, a "Tx beam" may be equivalent to a DL or UL reference signal… a Tx spatial filter, or Tx precoding… the spatial filter is called as spatial-domain filter);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of GAO with JIN because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of GAO into JIN is that GAO provides that a “beam” is technically equivalent to and implemented by a “precoder” or a “spatial-domain filter” by defining in standard high-frequency/massive-MIMO systems, a “beam” is implemented via digital/analog phase configurations or pre-coding, and demonstrating that selecting a “spatial relation beam direction” is technically identical to selecting/applying a “spatial domain precoder” (See paragraph [0024], [0033], GAO).
JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, ‘an interface configured to: obtain an indication of a grant for transmitting uplink data on a first serving cell and uplink precoding information associated with a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set of a second serving cell;’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraphs [0145]-[0146]: In various embodiments, such as for codebook-based PUSCH transmission, a PUSCH beam may be based on an SRS-SpatialRelationinfo for an indicated SRS resource by SRI in DCI. If SRS-SpatialRelationinfo indicates another serving cell and BWP, SRS transmission and PUSCH transmission (including how to apply SRI, TMPI, and TRI) may still be performed in an original serving cell… In some embodiments, such as for codebook-based PUSCH (e.g., if a higher layer parameter txConfig in PUSCH-Config is set to 'codebook'), if SRS-SpatialRelationinfo of an SRS resource indicated by SRI in DCI is configured and/or provided with a servingCellid and/or a
uplinkBWP, then: if the referenceSignal in the SRS-SpatialRelationinfo for the indicated SRS resource is an SSB or a CSI-RS, the UE receives the RS with index q, on the serving cell provided by servingCellid in SRS-SpatialRelationinfo. If the referenceSignal in the SRS-SpatialRelationinfo for the indicated SRS resource is an SRS resource, then the UE examines the SRS-SpatialRelationinfo of the reference SRS
resource from the serving cell provided by the servingCellid and the UL BWP provided by uplinkBWP in SRS-SpatialRelationinfo);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
JIN, GAO and MOLAVIANJAZI do not explicitly teach but XU teaches, ‘and a processing system configured to: select … associated with the second serving cell based at least in part on the uplink precoding information obtained in the indication of the grant and associated with the SRS resource set of the second serving cell;’ (XU – Paragraph [0381]: The wireless device may determine, based on the SRS resource and the association, an uplink spatial domain transmission filter for the SRS resource set; Paragraph [0393]: The wireless device may determine, based on the first SRS resource and the association, a spatial domain transmission filter for the SRS resource set);
‘wherein the interface is further configured to: output the uplink data for transmission on the first serving cell according to the grant and using the selected spatial domain precoder.’ (XU – Paragraph [0381]: The wireless device may transmit, in response to the determining the spatial domain transmission filter, an uplink transport block on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) with the uplink spatial domain transmission filter for the SRS resource set).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of XU with JIN, GAO and MOLAVIANJAZI because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of XU into JIN, GAO and MOLAVIANJAZI is that XU provides the step where a wireless device uses an SRS resource indicated in a DCI to determine/select an uplink spatial domain transmission filter (precoder) for an SRS resource set, and outputs data on a PUSCH using that determined filter by determining an uplink spatial domain transmission filter (precoder) based on an indicated SRS resource and its association with a reference signal, and then transmitting the uplink transport block on PUSCH using that exact filter (See paragraph [0372], [0381], XU).
Regarding claim 22, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU teach, The apparatus of claim 20, JIN and GAO do not explicitly teach but MOLAVIANJAZI teaches, ‘wherein the uplink precoding information further indicates one or more SRS resource sets associated with the first serving cell.’ (MOLAVIANJAZI – Paragraph [0134]: In certain embodiments, a configuration may be as follow: SRS ResourceSet: :=SEQUENCE { srs-ResourceSetld SRS-ResourceSetid, srs-ResourceidList SEQUENCE (SIZE(l .. maxNrofSRS-ResourcesPerSet)) OF SRS-Resourceid OPTIONAL, -- Cond Setup resourceType CHOICE { aperiodic SEQUENCE { aperiodicSRS-ResourceTrigger INTEGER (1..maxNrofSRS-TriggerStates-1), csi-RS NZPCSI-RS-Resourceid OPTIONAL, -- Cond NonCodebook servingCellid ServCellindex OPTIONAL, -- Need S…); Paragraph [0139]: if servingCellid is not provided in an SRS-SpatialRelationInfo, then the indicated serving cell is the same serving cell in which the SRS is configured).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of MOLAVIANJAZI with JIN and GAO because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of MOLAVIANJAZI into JIN and GAO is that MOLAVIANJAZI provides extending cross-carrier spatial relation indications (e.g., servingCellID and uplinkBWP) to Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) data scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). This eliminates the need for every serving cell to transmit duplicate reference signals, thereby saving signaling overhead and expanding scheduling flexibility. When codebook-based PUSCH data transmission is scheduled via an SRS resource Indicator (SRI) in a DCI grant, the PUSCH spatial filter, beam, and precoding matrix can be derived with respect to an SRS resource configured on another serving cell. (See paragraph [0127], [0145]-[0146], MOLAVIANJAZI).
Claims 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of MOLAVIANJAZI in view of XU in view of PARK.
Regarding claim 24, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU teach, The apparatus of claim 20, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU do not explicitly teach but PARK teaches, ‘wherein the processing system is further configured to’ (PARK – Paragraph [0437]: A processor 102 may control a memory 104 and/or a transceiver 106 and may be configured to implement description, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and/or operation flow charts disclosed in the present disclosure)
‘apply a machine learning (ML) function’ (PARK – Paragraph [0370]: In addition, a terminal may calculate WAI which corresponds to a precoding matrix more suitable for a channel estimated by a terminal based on precoding matrix W selected in a codebook and a trained AI/ML model)
‘to the second spatial domain precoder’ (PARK – Paragraph [0366]: A terminal may select/
calculate a suitable precoding matrix W within a configured codebook based on an estimated channel (S130); Paragraph [0370]: based on precoding matrix W selected in a codebook and a trained AI/ML model)
‘to obtain the first spatial domain precoder.’ (PARK – Paragraph [0370]: In addition, a terminal may calculate WAI which corresponds to a precoding matrix more suitable for a channel estimated by a terminal [Note: codebook-based input precoder is designated as W, and the output precoder derived via the AI/ML model is designated as WAI]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of PARK with JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of PARK into JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU is that PARK provides the AI/ML-based precoding refinement to improve CSI accuracy and enhance overall communication performance without overhauling existing codebook-based feedback frameworks. This AI/ML function to an initial coarse spatial domain precoder (codebook-based precoder) is to derive a finer-granularity precoder, thereby obtaining higher resolution beamforming while maintaining low feedback signaling overhead. The AI/ML precoding derivation is to obtain a precoding matrix that closer matches actual estimated channel characteristics, thereby increasing signal power, reducing inter-cell/intra-cell interference, and optimizing system throughput (See paragraph [0350], [0396], [0402], PARK).
Regarding claim 25, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI, XU and PARK teach, The apparatus of claim 24, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU do not explicitly teach but PARK teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to obtain an indication of the ML function,’ (PARK – Paragraph [0413]: In examples described above, in order to define AI/ML model-related information, a type for at least one AI/ML algorithm/model/module may be defined, and information about a specific type may be configured/indicated to a terminal and/or may be reported to a base station),
‘wherein applying the ML function to the second spatial domain precoder is in accordance with obtaining the indication of the ML function.’ (PARK – Paragraph [0401]: Through an AI/ML model, a second precoding matrix close to Wopt (desirably, relatively closer to WV compared to a first precoding
matrix) may be derived based on a first precoding matrix quantized to a certain level and AI/ML model-related information learned in advance based on a wireless channel characteristic, etc. (e.g., an AI/ML model configuration value and/or an AI/ML model parameter).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of PARK with JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of PARK into JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU is that PARK provides the AI/ML-based precoding refinement to improve CSI accuracy and enhance overall communication performance without overhauling existing codebook-based feedback frameworks. This AI/ML function to an initial coarse spatial domain precoder (codebook-based precoder) is to derive a finer-granularity precoder, thereby obtaining higher resolution beamforming while maintaining low feedback signaling overhead. The AI/ML precoding derivation is to obtain a precoding matrix that closer matches actual estimated channel characteristics, thereby increasing signal power, reducing inter-cell/intra-cell interference, and optimizing system throughput (See paragraph [0350], [0396], [0402], PARK).
Claims 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of MOLAVIANJAZI in view of XU in view of Huang et al. (US 2022/0322239 A1), hereinafter “HUANG”.
Regarding claim 26, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU teach, The apparatus of claim 20, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU do not explicitly teach but HUANG teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to output for transmission an indication of a maximum rank corresponding to the uplink precoding information, one or more coherence types associated with the uplink precoding information, or both,’ (HUANG – Paragraphs [0004]-[0007]: The base station can configure the following three codebook subset constraints for the UE through the radio resource control (RRC) signaling 'codebookSubset': fully AndPartialAndNonCoherent, partialAndNonCoherent, noncoherent; Paragraphs [0011]-[0014]: Correspondingly, the NR system defines the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) coherent transmission capability pusch-TransCoherence of the UE… pusch-TransCoherence includes the following three values: nonCoherent, partialNonCoherent, fullCoherent; Paragraph [0016]: according to the codebooksubset indicated by the base station, the number of antenna ports of the PUSCH, the maximum number of transmission streams maxRank of the PUSCH, and the uplink transmission waveform),
‘wherein the spatial domain precoder is selected in accordance with the maximum rank corresponding to the uplink precoding information, the one or more coherence types associated with the uplink precoding information, or both;’ (HUANG – Paragraph [0016]: In addition, the terminal determines the precoding and transmission stream number indication information in the downlink control information (DCI) according to the codebooksubset indicated by the base station, the number of antenna ports of the PUSCH, the maximum number of transmission streams maxRank of the PUSCH, and the uplink transmission waveform, and decodes the precoding and transmission stream number indication information in the DCI according to the overhead to determine the precoding and transmission stream number corresponding to PUSCH transmission);
‘wherein outputting the uplink data for transmission is in accordance with the indication of the maximum rank.’ (HUANG – Paragraph [0016]: and decodes the precoding and transmission stream number indication information in the DCI according to the overhead to determine the precoding and transmission stream number corresponding to PUSCH transmission).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of HUANG with JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of HUANG into JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU is that HUANG provides optimizing multi-antenna power allocation, codebook subset constraints, and signaling overhead when selecting uplink precoders and transmission streams regarding codebook Subset (antenna coherence types) and maxRank (maximum rank/layers). Matching precoding codebooks to the terminal’s actual antenna coherence capability avoids inefficient power scaling, and restricting the spatial domain precoding matrix search space using maxRank and codebookSubset allows the base station and UE to decode DCI precoding fields using fewer control bits (See paragraphs [0003]-[0007], [0015]-[0016], HUANG).
Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JIN in view of GAO in view of MOLAVIANJAZI in view of XU in view of LIN.
Regarding claim 28, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU teach, The apparatus of claim 20, JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU do not explicitly teach but LIN teaches, ‘wherein the interface is further configured to output user equipment (UE) capability information for transmission, the UE capability information indicating a time interval between receiving the control message indicating the SRS resource and transmitting the SRS’ (LIN – Paragraphs [0113]-[0114], the BWP switching delay, T0… where X is the reported capability as the minimum time interval in unit of symbols, between the DCI triggering and aperiodic SRS transmission. T0 can be either provided by higher layers or reported by UE).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have known to combine the teachings of LIN with JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU because both are in the same/similar field of endeavor. The advantage of incorporating the above limitation(s) of LIN into JIN, GAO, MOLAVIANJAZI and XU is that LIN provides that incorporating a minimum time interval capability (X) ensures that subsequent physical channel transmissions do not collide with previous SRS transmissions or suffer from BWP switching delay limitations. For nth (n ≥ 1) aperiodic SRS transmission on a BWP b, upon detection of a positive SRS request on a grant/DCI format, the UE shall commence this SRS transmission on the configured symbol and slot provided 1) it is no earlier than the summation of the maximum time duration between the two durations spanned by X OFDM symbols of the numerology of BWP b and the BWP carrying the grant respectively, and the BWP switching delay, T0; 2) it does not collide with any previous SRS transmissions, or interruption due to BWP switching delay (See paragraph [0114], [0139], LIN).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 19, 21, 23, 27 and 29 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAESHIL J CHOI whose telephone number is (703)756-5409. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday ET.
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, Jae Y Lee can be reached on 571-270-3936. 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.
/HAESHIL JESSICA CHOI/Examiner, Art Unit 2479
/JAE Y LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2479