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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/02/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s argument -- Prior art Yapici, Elshafie, and Bai should be disqualified under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C).
Examiner’s response – According to MPEP 717.02(a) I, in order to invoke common ownership to except a disclosure as prior art, the applicant (or the patent owner) must provide a statement that the disclosure of the subject matter on which the rejection is based and the claimed invention were owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention. The statement should either be on or begin on a separate sheet and must not be directed to other matters (37 CFR 1.4(c)). The statement must be signed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.33(b). In this application, the applicant failed to follow MPEP with a statement on a separate sheet. Therefore, the rejection is maintained.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 17, 18, 22, 23, 25, 26, 39, and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592).
a) Regarding claims 1 and 39, Yapici et al disclose a network node for wireless communication (UE 115g in Fig. 5), comprising:
a memory (930 in Fig. 9); and one or more processors coupled to the memory (940), wherein the one or more processors are configured to (Pub [0153]):
receive an unprecoded reference signal (505 in Fig. 5; 1405 in Fig. 14; Pub [0075], [0121]; BS transmits a reference signal),
report, based on the unprecoded reference signal, beam information associated with artificial noise (AN) (510 in Fig. 5; 1410 in Fig. 14; Pub [0075], [0078], [0121-0122]; UE provide feedback for beam selection, such as PMI. Artificial noise applied to signals associated with CSI and PMI); and
receive one or more data signals protected by one or more precoded AN signals, wherein the one or more precoded AN signals are based on the beam information (515 in Fig.5; Pub [0122-0123]; The communication system 100 support techniques for security protection. Precoded AN signals are based on CSI, PMI, RI, etc.). b) Regarding claims 22 and 40, Yapici et al disclose a network node for wireless communication (105c in Fig. 5), comprising:
a memory (930 in Fig. 9); and one or more processors coupled to the memory (940), wherein the one or more processors are configured to (Pub [0153]):
transmit an unprecoded reference signal (505 in Fig. 5; 1605 in Fig. 16; Pub [0075], [0207]; BS transmits a reference signal);
receive, based on the unprecoded reference signal, a report of beam information associated with artificial noise (AN) (510 in Fig. 5; 1610 in Fig. 16; Pub [0075], [0078], [0208]; UE provide feedback for beam selection, such as PMI. Artificial noise applied to signals associated with CSI and PMI); and
transmit one or more data signals protected by one or more precoded AN signals, wherein the one or more precoded AN signals are based on the beam information (515 in Fig.5; 1615 in Fig. 16; Pub [0122-0123]; The communication system 100 support techniques for security protection. Precoded AN signals are based on CSI, PMI, RI, etc.). c) Regarding claim 2, Yapici et al disclose wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decode the one or more data signals (530 in Fig. 5; Pub [0126]). d) Regarding claims 3 and 23, Yapici et al disclose wherein, to decode the one or more data signals, the one or more processors are configured to decode the one or more data signals without removing AN associated with the one or more precoded AN signals (520, 525 and 530 in Fig. 5; 1410, 1415 and 1420 in Fig. 14; Pub [0197-0199]). e) Regarding claim 5 and 25, Yapici et al disclose wherein the one or more precoded AN signals are associated with codebook or non-codebook based precoding (Pub [0075]); and wherein the one or more processors, to report the beam information, are configured to: report at least one of: information identifying a set of beams with less than a threshold reference signal received power or a channel quality indicator for the set of beams (Pub [0121]). f) Regarding claims 6 and 26, Yapici et al disclose wherein a rank of AN precoding of the one or more precoded AN signals is based on a rank indicator associated with the beam information (Pub [0121], RI and PMI, etc.). g) Regarding claim 9, Yapici et al disclose wherein a quantity of beams reported in the beam information is based on at least one of: a radio resource control configuration, a medium access control (MAC) control element configuration, or a report configuration (Pub [0083]). h) Regarding claim 10, Yapici et al disclose wherein the beam information is reported in a channel state information reference signal resource, allocated for AN precoding, that is precoded with AN (Pub [0121]). i) Regarding claim 17, Yapici et al disclose wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decode the one or more data signals based on whether there is one AN source or multiple AN sources (225-a and 225-b in Fig. 2). j) Regarding claim 18, Yapici et al disclose wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decode the one or more data signals based on at least one of a secret key or a reported beam (Pub [0121], reported beam such as PMI).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 4, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592) in view of Elshafie et al (US 2023/0037324). a) Regarding claims 4 and 24, Yapici et al disclose channel state information based artificial noise injection including decoding process in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach remove, using a secret key associated with an AN sequence of the one or more precoded AN signals, AN associated with the one or more precoded AN signals; and decode the one or more data signals after removal of the AN using the secret key.
However, Elshafie et al disclose power control for artificial noise transmission for physical layer security (Fig. 4). AN signals are removed by secrecy key in order to decode the data signal transmitted by the transmitting side (Pub [0060]). It is well known in the wireless communication system the combination of artificial noise injection and secret key generation offers security enhancement, where the artificial noise masks the legitimate signal and the secret key can be used for encryption or other security protocols. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply the secrecy key of Elshafie et al before the decoding process of Yapici et al in the artificial noise injection. By doing so, enhance security in a wireless communication system. b) Regarding claims 14 and 16, Yapici et al disclose channel state information based artificial noise injection. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach the precoded AN signals are associated with AN generated based on a secret key available to the network node/a source of the one or more data signals.
However, Elshafie et al disclose power control for artificial noise transmission for physical layer security (Fig. 4). A secrecy key is shared between legitimate terminals to provide security for physical layer channels (Pub [0059]). It is well known in the wireless communication system that the secret key generation is used for encryption or other security protocols and offers security enhancement. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply the secrecy key of Elshafie et al in the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, enhance security in a wireless communication system. c) Regarding claim 15, Yapici et al disclose channel state information based artificial noise injection. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach wherein the one or more precoded AN signals are associated with AN generated based on at least one of: a Gaussian signal, a quadrature amplitude modulation signal, an on-off keying signal, an amplitude-shift keying signal, a phase shift keying signal, a pulse-position modulation signal, a Bernoulli signal, or an exponential signal.
However, Elshafie et al disclose power control for artificial noise transmission for physical layer security (Fig. 4). PLS maybe provided by the transmitting device rotating or remapping QAM constellation point of a data signal based on the secrecy key prior to transmitting the data signal to the receiving device (Pub [0060]). QAM is well known modulation technique to transmit a large amount of data quickly with bandwidth efficiency. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply the QAM with secrecy key of Elshafie et al in the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, enhance security in a wireless communication system with high data rate and bandwidth efficiency. d) Regarding claims 19, 20 and 21, Yapici et al disclose channel state information based artificial noise injection including decoding process and reference signal. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach remove AN associated with the one or more precoded AN signals based on a secret key associated with an AN sequence of the one or more precoded AN signals and a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with the one or more precoded AN signals; and decode the one or more data signals after removal of the AN.
However, Elshafie et al disclose power control for artificial noise transmission for physical layer security (Fig. 4). The transmitter generates a reference signal (DMRS)(Pub [0043]). AN signals are removed by secrecy key in order to decode the data signal transmitted by the transmitting side (Pub [0060]). DMRS is a well known reference signal for channel estimation. Further, it is well known in the wireless communication system the combination of artificial noise injection and secret key generation offers security enhancement, where the artificial noise masks the legitimate signal and the secret key can be used for encryption or other security protocols. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply the DMRS and secrecy key of Elshafie et al before the decoding process of Yapici et al in the artificial noise injection. By doing so, perform channel estimation and enhance security in a wireless communication system.
Claims 8 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592). a) Regarding claims 8 and 28, Yapici et al disclose artificial noise injection based on reference signal in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach a sounding reference signal.
However, sounding reference signal (SRS) is a well know type of reference signal. A SRS is a transmitted signal from a user equipment (UE) to a base station that allows the network to estimate the uplink channel quality. This information is used for various purposes, including channel-dependent scheduling, uplink transmit timing control, and enabling features like beamforming and massive MIMO. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply SRS with the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, the base station can optimize how it allocates radio resources and how the UE transmits data to and from the network.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592) in view of Yang et al (US 2023/0050799). a) Regarding claim 12, Yapici et al disclose artificial noise injection based on reference signal with beam information reporting in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach wherein a channel state information reference signal resource associated with reporting the beam information is quasi-co-located with a beam reported in the beam information.
However, Yang et al disclose a beam reporting based on a reference signal for a first and second TRP. A quasi-co-located (QCL) corresponding to a CORESET of the TRP (Pub [0046-0047]). QCL technology provides transmission reliability and throughput performance in the multi-transmission and reception communications. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine quasi-co-located (QCL) of Yang et al with the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, improve transmission reliability and throughput performance in the multi-transmission and reception communications.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592) in view of Bai et al (US 2024/0340990). a) Regarding claim 13, Yapici et al disclose artificial noise injection with beam information reporting in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach receive a triggering message that indicates how to report the beam information; and wherein the one or more processors, to report the beam information, are configured to: report, based on the triggering message, the beam information in at least one of a radio resource control message, a medium access control element, or downlink control information.
However, Bai et al disclose beam measurement and report using a triggering message to improve flexibility of concurrent triggering of beam switch and measurement reporting (Fig. 5 and 6; Pub [0081]). Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the triggering message technique of Bai et al with the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, improve flexibility of concurrent triggering of beam switch and measurement reporting with artificial noise injection in a wireless communication system.
Claims 7 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592) in view of Tujkovic et al (US 2015/0009836). a) Regarding claims 7 and 27, Yapici et al disclose artificial noise injection with PMI index reporting in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach report information identifying one or more resource indices of one or more beams with less than a threshold signal to interference and noise ratio.
However, Tujkovic et al disclose channel state information reporting in a wireless communication system. A precoding matrix is selected, analyzed and output a PMI based on SNR/SINR threshold (714, 720, 730, 734 in Fig. 7). When selecting the PMI is less than SNR/SINR threshold, there is maximum capacity imbalance between the layers. Most of the capacity can be streamed into one of the layers to boost the SNR/SINR (Pub [0071]). Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply the PMI with SNR/SINR comparison of Tujkovic et al with the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, optimize channel estimation and information feedback in a wireless communication system.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yapici et al (US 2023/0198592) in view of Nilsson et al (US 2018/0269952).
a) Regarding claim 11, Yapici et al disclose artificial noise injection associate with synchronization signals and CQI in a wireless communication system. Yapici et al did not explicitly teach wherein the beam information includes information identifying one or more analog beams, associated with less than a threshold channel metric.
However, Nilsson et al disclose beam reports from a wireless device (Fig. 6). The cell-covering reception beam is created by an analog beamforming network (Pub [0045-0046]). The beam reports indicate a channel quality indicator (CQI) (Pub [0055]). One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a CQI threshold facilitate beam selections. Therefore, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to apply analog beamforming of Nilsson et al with the artificial noise injection of Yapici et al. By doing so, facilitate beamforming and reports in a wireless communication system.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Eva Y Puente whose telephone number is 571-272-3049. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chieh Fan can be reached on 571-272-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). April 9, 2026
/EVA Y PUENTE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632
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