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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on 10/28/2024 has been considered and placed of record in the file.
Oath/Declaration
The Oath or Declaration is being considered by examiner and complies with PTO requirements.
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.
(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) 1-3, 5-6, 10, 12, 16-18, 20-21, 25, and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Matsumura et al. US 2023/0269043.
Consider claim 1, Matsumura discloses A first network node for wireless communication (see FIG. 16-17), comprising:
a memory (see FIG. 17, memory 1002); and
one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory (see FIG. 17, processor 1001 coupled to the memory 1002), wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive, from a second network node, a sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration associated with an SRS resource set including one or more SRS resources (see FIG. 14-16, ¶ [0028-0031], wherein the ES may be configured with one or more SRS resource sets including a certain number of SRS resources), the SRS configuration indicating information for a set of one or more frequency domain parameters associated with the SRS resource set (see ¶ [0057-0059], wherein specific parameter configured for each SRS resource set in which the specific parameters may be parameter for frequency-domain resource of the SRS);
receive, from the second network node, a message indicating modified information for a dynamic reconfiguration of one or more frequency domain parameters, from the set of one or more frequency domain parameters, associated with at least one SRS resources of the one or more SRS resources (see ¶ [0008], [0057-0059] and [0074], wherein the new MAC CE may update/indicate/notify the specific parameter in the SRS resource set, wherein the specific parameter may be a parameter for frequency-domain resource of the SRS); and
transmit, to the second network node, an SRS, using the at least one SRS resource included in the SRS resource set, in accordance with the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters (see FIG. 16, ¶ [0047-0048], [0158] and [0213], where the UE uses an SRS parameter updated by the MAC CE for SRS transmission in uplink slot).
Claims 12, 16, 27 are rejected on the same ground as for claim 1 because of similar scope.
Consider claims 2 and 17, Matsumura discloses wherein the message is included in a medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) message (see ¶ [0065]).
Consider claims 3 and 18, Matsumura discloses wherein the MAC-CE message indicates the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters (see ¶ [0057-0059] and [0065]).
Consider claims 5 and 20, Matsumura discloses wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive one or more sets of information for the one or more frequency domain parameters associated with the SRS resource set (see ¶ [0102]), and wherein the MAC-CE message activates a set of information, from the one or more sets of information, wherein the set of information includes the modified information with respect to a currently activated or semi-statically configured set of information for the at least one SRS resource (see ¶ [0096-0098]).
Consider claims 6 and 21, Matsumura discloses wherein at least one of the one or more sets of information is defined by a wireless communication standard as a default configuration option applicable before any activating MAC-CE message (see ¶ [0146]).
Consider claims 10 and 25, Matsumura discloses wherein the SRS resource set is an aperiodic SRS resource set. and wherein the message is included in a downlink control information (DCI) message that schedules a transmission of the aperiodic SRS resource set (see ¶ [0127-0131]).
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.
Claim(s) 4, 9, 19 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. US 2023/0269043 as applied to claims 1 and 16 above, and further in view of Lim et al. US 2025/0167946.
Consider claim 4, Matsumura discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
However Matsumura does not explicitly disclose the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that a communication associated with the MAC-CE message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot. Lim teaches the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that a communication associated with the MAC-CE message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot (see ¶ [0617). Lim further discloses efficiently providing services in a wireless communication system (see ¶ [0013]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Matsumura, and to include the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that a communication associated with the MAC-CE message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot, as taught by Lim for the purpose of efficiently providing services in a wireless communication system.
Claim 19 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 4 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 7-8, 11, 14, 22-23, 26, and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. US 2023/0269043 as applied to claims 1, 12, 16, and 27 above, and further in view of Matsumura et al. US 2025/0016793 (Hereinafter as Matsumura_II).
Consider claim 7, Matsumura discloses every claimed limitation in claim 1.
Matsumura further discloses wherein the message is included in a downlink control information (DCI) message (see ¶ [0080-0082]).
However Matsumura does not explicitly disclose the downlink control information (DCI) message that is not associated with data transmission scheduling. Matsumura_II teaches the downlink control information (DCI) message that is not associated with data transmission scheduling (see ¶ [0063], wherein the DCI format 2_3 that is not accompanied by the data scheduling). Note: in ¶ [0042] of Matsumura, different format for DCI is recited in which includes the DCI format 2_3. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Matsumura, and to include the downlink control information (DCI) message that is not associated with data transmission scheduling, as taught by Matsumura_II for the purpose of further disclosing the functionality of the DCI format was disclosed in Matsumura using the same effective technique of the DCI format as disclosed in Matsumura_II.
Consider claims 8 and 23, Matsumura discloses wherein the DCI message indicates the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters (see ¶ [0080-0082] and [0135]).
Claim 22 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 7 because of similar scope.
Consider claim 11, Matsumura_II discloses wherein the DCI message does not schedule any data communications (see ¶ [0063]), Matsumura discloses wherein the DCI message schedules the aperiodic SRS resource set via an SRS trigger state indicated by an SRS request field ( see ¶ [0127-0131]) and wherein the DCI message indicates the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters via one or more other fields of the DCI message (see ¶ [0080-0082] and [0135]).
Claims 14, 26, and 29 are rejected on the same ground as for claim 11 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 9 and 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. US 2023/0269043 in view of Matsumura et al. US 2025/0016793 (Hereinafter as Matsumura_II) as applied to claims 7 and 22 above, and further in view of Lim et al. US 2025/0167946.
Consider claim 9, Matsumura in view of Matsumura_II discloses every claimed limitation in claim 7.
However Matsumura in view of Matsumura_II does not explicitly disclose the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that the DCI message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot. Lim teaches the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that a communication associated with the DCI message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot (see ¶ [0617). Lim further discloses efficiently providing services in a wireless communication system (see ¶ [0013]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Matsumura in view of Matsumura_II, and to include the one or more processors are further configured to: transmit, to the second network node and during a slot, an acknowledgment (ACK) message indicating that a communication associated with the DCI message message was successfully decoded by the first network node and apply the modified information for the one or more frequency domain parameters for the at least one SRS resource a quantity of slots after the slot, as taught by Lim for the purpose of efficiently providing services in a wireless communication system.
Claim 24 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 9 because of similar scope.
Claim(s) 13 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura et al. US 2023/0269043 as applied to claims 12 and 27 above, and further in view of Gao US 2025/0175301.
Consider claim 13, Matsumura discloses every claimed limitation in claim 12.
However Matsumura does not explicitly disclose wherein the set of one or more frequency domain parameters includes at least one of: a transmission combination offset parameter. Gao teaches wherein the set of one or more frequency domain parameters includes at least one of: a transmission combination offset parameter (see ¶ [0048-0055]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Matsumura, and to include wherein the set of one or more frequency domain parameters includes at least one of: a transmission combination offset parameter, as taught by Gao for the purpose of further disclosing the components within the frequency domain parameters as disclosed by Matsumura using the same effective technique as the frequency domain parameters as disclosed by Gao.
Claim 28 is rejected on the same ground as for claim 13 because of similar scope.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15 and 30 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
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/JANICE N TIEU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2633