DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-3, 5-8, 10-11, 13-14, 16-17, 19-20, and 26-30 have been examined and are pending.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/03/2025 has been found to be in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
5. The drawings were received on 10/02/2024. These drawings are accepted.
Specification
6. The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
7. 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.
8. Claim 3 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.
a) Claim 3, dependent upon claim 2, does not necessarily further narrow the respective base claim. Claim 2 lists alternative language in which one or more of the alternating language may or may not be selected for prosecution. Claim 3 includes limitations further narrowing one of the alternatives, and thus when the other alternative is selected for prosecution, claim 3 is indefinite. Examiner respectfully suggests amending either claim 2 or claim 3 to positively recite the limitations that clearly sets forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
9. 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.
10. 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
11. Claims 1-2 and 28-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent Application Publication 2018/0316405 A1 to Li et al. (hereinafter “Li”).
Regarding Claim 1, Li discloses a precoding configuration method, comprising:
grouping a plurality of communication nodes for which precoding configuration is to be performed, to obtain a plurality of node groups (Li: [0010] – dividing a plurality of antenna groups into a plurality of groups comprising a plurality of intra-groups for precoding configurations. See also [0023-0025], [0048-0055].);
generating corresponding precoding configuration signaling for each of the node groups (Li: [0010] – corresponds to dividing into intra-groups and configuring for each antenna port group a precoding reference signal for a precoding operation. See also [0023-0025], [0048-0055].), wherein the precoding configuration signaling corresponding to each respective node group comprises precoding configuration information corresponding to each communication node in the respective node group (Li: [0010] – corresponds to a codebook set per group of intra-groups, and a number of the reference signals corresponding to each reference resource corresponding to a number of groups of inter-group antenna ports is assigned per antenna group. See also [0023-0025], [0048-0055].); and
sending the corresponding precoding configuration signaling to the respective node group, such that each communication node in the respective node group acquires the corresponding precoding configuration information in the corresponding precoding configuration signaling for configuration (Li: Figure 1, step 13 with [0048-0055] – corresponds to transmitting the precoding configuration to the plurality of intra-groups per the groups of antenna ports.).
Regarding Claim 2, Li discloses the precoding configuration method of claim 1, wherein grouping a plurality of communication nodes for which precoding configuration is to be performed comprises at least one of:
grouping the plurality of communication nodes for which the precoding configuration is to be performed according to a channel correlation (alternative or dispositive limitation not required to be disclosed by the art of record);
grouping the plurality of communication nodes for which the precoding configuration is to be performed according to location information (alternative or dispositive limitation not required to be disclosed by the art of record);
grouping the plurality of communication nodes for which the precoding configuration is to be performed according to users served by or coverage areas (Li: [0013] – corresponds to grouping as per an angular direction of a beam (a coverage area). See also [0007-0008], [0035], [0050].); or
grouping the plurality of communication nodes for which the precoding configuration is to be performed according to communication node types (alternative or dispositive limitation not required to be disclosed by the art of record).
Regarding Claim 28, Li discloses the precoding configuration method of claim 1, wherein sending the corresponding precoding configuration signaling to the respective node group comprises:
sending the corresponding precoding configuration signaling to the respective node group in a multicast manner (Li: [0035] – corresponds to inter-group transmission or intra-group transmission of reference signals, both of which are multicast in scheme.).
Claim 29, directed to an apparatus embodiment of claim 1 recites similar features as claim 1 and is therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claim 1. Please see above rejection of claim 1. Li discloses the apparatus comprising at least a processor, a memory, and a program in [0023].
Claim 30, directed to an article of manufacturing embodiment of claim 1 recites similar features as claim 1 and is therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claim 1. Please see above rejection of claim 1. Li discloses the medium in at least [0098].
Allowable Subject Matter
12. Claims 5-8, 10-11, 13-14, 16-17, 19-20, and 26-27 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
13. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN H ELLIOTT IV whose telephone number is (571)270-7163. The examiner can normally be reached M, T, R, F 5:00 AM-5:00 PM, W 5:00 AM-3:00 PM (EDT).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Thier can be reached at (571) 272-2832. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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BENJAMIN H. ELLIOTT IV
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2474
/BENJAMIN H ELLIOTT IV/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474 July 10, 2026
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