Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 18, 2026
Application No. 18/855,933

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SENDING REFERENCE SIGNAL, AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING REFERENCE SIGNAL

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 10, 2024
Priority
Apr 12, 2022 — nonprovisional of PCTCN2022086461
Examiner
DUONG, DUC T
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
89%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
92%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 89% — above average
89%
Career Allowance Rate
685 granted / 767 resolved
+29.3% vs TC avg
Minimal +2% lift
Without
With
+2.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
17 currently pending
Career history
791
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
7.8%
-32.2% vs TC avg
§103
35.5%
-4.5% vs TC avg
§102
34.2%
-5.8% vs TC avg
§112
12.6%
-27.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 767 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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, 2, 10, 11, 13, and 27-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Berliner et al (US Publication 2022/0248246 A1). Regarding to claims 1, 27, and 31, Berliner discloses a communication apparatus 1100 (fig. 11), comprising: one or more processors 1102 (page 16 paragraph 0123) and one or more memories 1104, wherein a computer program 1106 is stored in the one or more memories (page 16 paragraph 0124), and the computer program, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication apparatus to: determine 1020 reference signal configuration information (fig. 10 page 14 paragraph 0113); send 1020 the reference signal configuration information, wherein the reference signal configuration information is used for indicating direction information of a reference signal (page 14 paragraph 0113); and send 1030-1050 a corresponding reference signal based on the reference signal configuration information; wherein the corresponding reference signal is used for indicating a terminal device to perform beam measurement and/or beam management 1002 (page 16 paragraph 0115). Regarding to claims 2 and 11, Berliner discloses the reference signal configuration information at least-comprises at least one of the following: an index of each reference signal in a configured reference signal set (page 13 paragraph 0100); an index of a configured datum reference signal (page 13 paragraph 0100); a beam width of each reference signal in the configured reference signal set (page 8 paragraph 0067); or an interval angle between sending beams of reference signals of adjacent indexes in the configured reference signal set. Regarding to claims 10 and 32, Berliner discloses a method (fig. 10) for receiving a reference signal performed by a terminal device 115, the method comprising: receive 1020 reference signal configuration information (fig. 10 page 14 paragraph 0113), wherein the reference signal configuration information is used for indicating direction information of a reference signal (page 14 paragraph 0113); determine 1060 the direction of the reference signal according to the reference signal configuration information and a configuration mode (same/different antenna panels or which reception beams) of an index of the reference signal (page 15 paragraph 0118); and receive 1030-1050 the reference signal based on the direction information of the reference signal (page 16 paragraph 0115); wherein the reference signal is used for indicating a terminal device to perform beam measurement and/or beam management 1002 (page 16 paragraph 0115). Regarding to claim 13, Berliner discloses configuration mode of an index of the reference signal is the configuration mode agreed by a protocol; or, the configuration mode (same/different antenna panels or which reception beams) of an index of the reference signal is contained in the reference signal configuration information (page 15 paragraph 0118). Regarding to claim 28, Berliner discloses a communication apparatus 1200 (fig. 12), comprising one or more processors1202 (page 17 paragraph 0137) and one or more memories 1204, wherein a computer program 1206 is stored in the one or more memories (page 17 paragraph 0138), and the computer program, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the communication apparatus perform the method according to claim 10. Regarding to claim 29, Berliner discloses a communication apparatus 1100 (fig. 11), comprising: one or more processors 1102 (page 16 paragraph 0123); and one or more interface circuits 1110 (pages 16-17 paragraph 0132); wherein the one or more interface circuits are configured to receive a code instruction and transmit the code instruction to the one or more processors (page 16 paragraph 0124); and the one or more processors are configured to run the code instruction, wherein the code instructions cause communication apparatus to act as the network-side device and perform the method according to claim 1. Regarding to claim 30, Berliner discloses a communication apparatus 1200 (fig. 12), comprising: one or more processors 1202 (page 17 paragraph 0137); and one or more interface circuits 1210 (page 18 paragraph 0147); wherein the one or more interface circuits are configured to receive a code instruction and transmit the code instruction to the one or more processors (page 17 paragraph 0138); and the one or more processors are configured to run the code instruction, wherein the code instructions cause communication apparatus to act as the terminal device and perform the method according to claim 10. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 3-9, 12, and 33 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 Duc T Duong whose telephone number is (571)272-3122. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 9am-6pm. 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, Hassan Phillips can be reached at (571)272-3940. 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. /DUC T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 10, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 29, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12707411
ACQUIRING TIMING ADVANCE VALUE
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12706718
COLLISION HANDLING FOR POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNALS
2y 9m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12707292
ON DEMAND SYSTEM INFORMATION BLOCK 1 CONFIGURATIONS
2y 4m to grant Granted Aug 11, 2026
Patent 12683726
Bandwidth Parts Operation in Multiple Active Bandwidth Parts
2y 4m to grant Granted Jul 14, 2026
Patent 12677325
Random Access Process in New Radio
2y 11m to grant Granted Jul 07, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

Strategy Recommendation AI-generated — please review before filing

Get a prosecution strategy drawn from examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Typically takes 5-10 seconds — AI-generated, attorney review required before filing

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
89%
Grant Probability
92%
With Interview (+2.2%)
2y 10m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 767 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month