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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, and 15 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 9-13, 17 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Faxer et al. (EP 3692675B1).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Faxer discloses a method of a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a base station, a plurality of periodic channel state information (P- CSI) report configurations for providing channel state information (CSI) feedback for a component carrier (CC) used by the UE (see para. 0001, CSI feedback reporting, NR; para. 0011, NR supports carrier aggregation of up to 32 component carriers; para. 0027, a UE can be configured with N>= CSI reporting settings with N>1); receiving, from the base station, an indication of a first P-CSI report configuration from the plurality of P-CSI report configurations for the CC (see para. 0028, At least the following are dynamically selected by L1 or L2 signaling, if applicable: one or multiple CSI-RS resource sets selected from at least one resource setting, one or multiple CSI-RS resources selected from at least one CSI-RS resource set); generating the CSI feedback for the CC according to the first P-CSI report configuration (see para. 0019-0026, CSI feedback types and reporting modes); and transmitting, to the base station, the CSI feedback for the CC (see para. 0025, periodic and aperiodic reporting).
Regarding claims 2 and 11, Faxer discloses wherein the plurality of P-CSI report configurations comprises a plurality of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource set configurations, wherein each of the plurality of CSI-RS resource set configurations is for a different number of CSI-RS ports for CSI-RS resources in a CSI-RS resource set (see para. 0027, number of ports).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Faxer discloses wherein the plurality of P-CSI report configurations comprises one or more of: a plurality of antenna panel number configurations; a plurality of antenna array configurations; a plurality of codebook subset restriction (CSBR) bitmap configurations; a plurality of reporting periodicity configurations; and a plurality of frequency granularity configurations (see para. 0012-0020).
Regarding claim 12, Faxer discloses wherein the plurality of sub-configurations comprises a plurality of codebook configurations (see para. 0189, codebook).
Regarding claims 4, Faxer discloses wherein the indication of the first P-CSI report configuration is received in a medium access control control element (MAC CE) that includes a serving cell identifier (ID) information element (IE) identifying a serving cell corresponding to the CC and a P-CSI ID IE identifying the first P-CSI report configuration (see para. 0031, MAC CE).
Regarding claim 6, Faxer discloses wherein the indication of the first P-CSI report configuration is received in a scheduling downlink control information (DCI) format comprising a P-CSI ID field identifying the first P-CSI report configuration (see para. 0169, CSI report triggered by DCI in the request field).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Faxer discloses wherein the scheduling DCI format further comprises a serving cell identifier (ID) field identifying a serving cell corresponding to the CC (see para. 0067. Identify the cell).
Regarding claims 9 and 19, Faxer discloses wherein the indication of the first P-CSI report configuration is received in UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) format corresponding to the UE that includes (see para. 0169, DCI): a serving cell identifier (ID) field identifying a serving cell corresponding to the CC (see para. 0067, cell identifier); a P-CSI field identifying the first P-CSI report configuration (see para. 0169, request field); and a codebook subset restriction (CSBR) field (see para. 0189, proposal 10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 14, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Faxer in view of 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #112bis-e R1-2303496, Agenda Item: 9.7.2, Source: Apple; Discussion on Spatial and power domain enhancements to support network energy saving, hereinafter “D1”).
Regarding claims 14 and 20, Faxer discloses wherein the indication of the first sub-configuration is received in a medium access control control element (MAC CE) that includes a serving cell identifier (ID) information element (IE) identifying a serving cell corresponding to the CC (see para. 0067. Identify the cell). Faxer discloses all the subject matter but fails to mention a sub-configuration indicator IE identifying the first sub-configuration. However, D1 from a similar field of endeavor discloses a sub-configuration indicator IE identifying the first sub-configuration (see section 4, case 2, MAC-CE/DCI indicates one or multiple sub-configurations). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include D1 sub-configuration identification scheme into Faxer configuration scheme. The method can be implemented in DCI/MAC-CE message. The motivation of doing this is to reduce power.
Regarding claim 16, Faxer discloses all the subject matter but fails to mention wherein the indication of the first sub-configuration is received in a scheduling downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a sub- configuration indicator field identifying the first sub-configuration. However, D1 from a similar field of endeavor discloses wherein the indication of the first sub-configuration is received in a scheduling downlink control information (DCI) format that includes a sub- configuration indicator field identifying the first sub-configuration (see section 4, case 2, MAC-CE/DCI indicates one or multiple sub-configurations). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include D1 sub-configuration identification scheme into Faxer configuration scheme. The method can be implemented in DCI/MAC-CE message. The motivation of doing this is to reduce power.
Claim(s) 8 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Faxer in view of Zhang et al. (US 2020/0178240, hereinafter “Zhang”).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, Faxer discloses all the subject matter but fails to mention wherein: the indication of the first P-CSI report configuration is received in a group-common downlink control information (DCI) format with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a dedicated radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for a plurality of UEs that includes the UE; and a CSI block field of the UE in the group-common DCI format that corresponds to the CC identifies that the first sub-configuration is for the CC. However, Zhang from a similar field of endeavor discloses wherein: the indication of the first P-CSI report configuration is received in a group-common downlink control information (DCI) format with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a dedicated radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) for a plurality of UEs that includes the UE (see para. 0076, CRC bits scrambled with RNTI); and a CSI block field of the UE in the group-common DCI format that corresponds to the CC identifies that the first sub-configuration is for the CC (see para. 0085, CC specific). Thus, it would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to include Zhang configuration scheme into Faxer configuration scheme. The method can be implemented in a report configuration. The motivation of doing this is to provide channel condition to the base station.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD S ANWAR whose telephone number is (571)270-5641. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6-5 EST.
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MOHAMMAD S. ANWAR
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2463
/MOHAMMAD S ANWAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463
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