DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to the Applicant's arguments and amendments filed on 15 October 2024 in which claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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 7, 8, 17, 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 7, it is unclear whether the claimed limitation “a time-based pattern” in line 1 is to be the same as or different from the first occurrence of “a time-based pattern” in claim 1, to which claim 7 depends from.
Regarding claim 8, it is unclear whether the claimed limitations “a time-based pattern” in lines 2 and 3 are to be the same as or different from the first occurrence of “a time-based pattern” in claim 1, to which claim 8 depends from.
Regarding claim 17, it is unclear whether the claimed limitation “a time-based pattern” in line 2 is to be the same as or different from the first occurrence of “a time-based pattern” in claim 11, to which claim 17 depends from.
Regarding claim 18, it is unclear whether the claimed limitations “a time-based pattern” in lines 2 and 3 are to be the same as or different from the first occurrence of “a time-based pattern” in claim 11, to which claim 18 depends from.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grossmann et al. (PG Pub US 2023/0209567 A1) in view of Ouchi (PG Pub US 2015/0085787 A1).
Regarding claims 1, 11, Grossmann discloses a method and a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) (fig. 8).
a receiver (transceiver circuit/module 830, fig. 8) configured to receive configuration information indicating a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set that includes one or more SRS resources, and one or more time-based patterns (“the UE is configured to receive a higher layer configuration of an SRS resource set, wherein the SRS resource set comprises one or more SRS resources” [0254], “the UE is configured to enable a specific pattern (e.g., configured via a higher layer) of the PUSCH transmission occasions” [0214]);
the receiver is further configured to receive an indication to activate a time-based pattern of the one or more time-based patterns (“A MAC-CE or RRC signaling may be provided to indicate to the UE which SRS resource set to choose for a given PDCCH/DCI or higher layer grant” [0252], “the MAC-CE command activating the SRS resource set(s)” [0243]);
a transmitter (transceiver circuit-module 830, fig. 8) configured to transmit a first SRS in a first time instance using a first SRS resource of the one or more SRS resources and a first SRS parameter of the one or more SRS parameters, wherein the first SRS resource and the first SRS parameter are determined based on the activated time-based pattern (“the UE transmits the SRS resources in the SRS resource set on a first transmission occasion with the first spatial relation and pathloss reference RS assumptions provided in the SRS configuration” [0255], “the UE is configured to enable a specific pattern (e.g., configured via a higher layer) of the PUSCH transmission occasions” [0214], “the first group of SRS resource(s) is associated with the first PUSCH transmission occasion” [0215]); and
the transmitter is further configured to transmit a second SRS in a second time instance that is different than the first time instance using the first SRS resource and a second SRS parameter, wherein the second SRS parameter is determined based on the activated time-based pattern (“the UE transmits the SRS resources in the SRS resource set .. on a second transmission occasion with the second spatial relation and pathloss reference RS assumptions provided in the SRS configuration” [0255], “the UE is configured to enable a specific pattern (e.g., configured via a higher layer) of the PUSCH transmission occasions” [0214], “the second group of SRS resource(s) is associated with the second transmission occasion” [0215]).
However, Grossmann does not explicitly disclose one or more SRS parameters.
Nevertheless, Ouchi discloses “the SRS parameters may include cyclic shift for an SRS (cyclicShift)” [0110], “the SRS (A-SRS) parameter set includes cyclic shift for an SRS” [0277].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have one or more SRS parameters because “The base station 101 changes configuration of parameters related to uplink power controls of the terminal 102, and can thus implicitly control a change of reception points of an uplink with respect to the terminal” [0278].
Regarding claims 2, 12, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the configuration information further indicates a plurality of pathloss reference signals (PL RS) (“The SRS resource set may be configured with 2 pathloss reference RSs” [0255]).
Regarding claims 3, 13, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the configuration information further indicates an association between each SRS resource and a respective subset of the plurality of PL RS (“The SRS resource set may be configured with 2 pathloss reference RSs” [0255]).
Regarding claims 4, 14, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the first SRS is transmitted with a transmit power determined based on a PL RS of the plurality of PL RS, wherein the PL RS is determined based on the activated time-based pattern (“The pathloss reference RS, which is configured/indicated via a higher layer, is used in the power control settings of the PUSCH to determine the pathloss estimate for the transmission of the PUSCH .. the pathloss reference RS is configured in ‘SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl’ IEs (shown in the higher layer configuration of power control parameters for PUSCH below). These IEs contain the power control settings for the PUSCH such as the ID of a PUSCH-pathlossReferenceRS, ‘alpha’ values (pathloss compensation factor) and the closed loop power control index” [00044]).
Regarding claims 5, 15, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the second SRS is transmitted with a transmit power determined based on a PL RS of the plurality of PL RS, wherein the PL RS is determined based on the activated time-based pattern (“The pathloss reference RS, which is configured/indicated via a higher layer, is used in the power control settings of the PUSCH to determine the pathloss estimate for the transmission of the PUSCH .. the pathloss reference RS is configured in ‘SRI-PUSCH-PowerControl’ IEs (shown in the higher layer configuration of power control parameters for PUSCH below). These IEs contain the power control settings for the PUSCH such as the ID of a PUSCH-pathlossReferenceRS, ‘alpha’ values (pathloss compensation factor) and the closed loop power control index” [00044]).
Regarding claims 6, 16, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. Further, Ouchi discloses the first SRS parameter and the second SRS parameter are a respective first and second cyclic shift (CS) and the first and second CS are different (“cyclic shift for the UL DMRS are different from each other” [0265]).
Regarding claims 7, 17, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the indication to activate a time-based pattern is received in downlink control information (DCI) or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (“the MAC-CE command activating the SRS resource set(s)” [0243]).
Regarding claims 8, 18, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses a processor (processor 810, fig. 8) configured to determine a time-based pattern to activate based on the indication to activate a time-based pattern (“the MAC-CE command activating the SRS resource set(s)” [0243], “SRS resources indicated may follow the order of the PUSCH transmission occasions” [0211]).
Regarding claims 9, 19, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. Further, Ouchi discloses the one or more SRS parameters comprises a cyclic shift, a comb, a time offset, a sequence index, or a group index (“the SRS parameters may include cyclic shift for an SRS (cyclicShift)” [0110], “the SRS (A-SRS) parameter set includes cyclic shift for an SRS” [0277]).
Regarding claims 10, 20, Grossmann, Ouchi discloses everything claimed as applied above. In addition, Grossmann discloses the first SRS parameter is based on the activated time-based pattern and the first time instance and the second SRS parameter is based on the activated time-based pattern and the second time instance (“the first group of SRS resource(s) is associated with the first PUSCH transmission occasion, the second group of SRS resource(s) is associated with the second transmission occasion” [0215]).
Conclusion
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CHRISTINE DUONG FUQUA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2462
/CHRISTINE T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462 07/22/2026
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