DETAILED ACTION
This office action in response to an application filing received September 12, 2024. The Application Data Sheet received on September 12, 2024 has been considered.
Claims 1-30 are 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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed January 15, 2025 and March 13, 2025 has been considered.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it contains legal phraseology (i.e. disclosure). A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claim 24-26 are 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.
Claim 24 recites the limitation “one TS comprises an enhanced TS (ETS)”. The claim scope is not specific to the enhancement elements included in the TS and hence renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 25 and 26 dependents from claim 24 are indefinite for the same rationale.
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 non-obviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2, 22, 24 and 26-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., US 20260197039 A1, (hereinafter Abu Al Haija), in view of SHENG et al., CN 113708819 A (see the English translated copy) (hereinafter SHENG).
Regarding claim 1, and 29, Abu Al Haija teaches a network node for wireless communication, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the network node to (see Fig. 3 e.g., element 100, Base Station 170a-170b):
receive, while the network node is at a first location with respect to a blocking object, one or more uplink signals from a user equipment (UE) that is at a second location with respect to the blocking object (see ¶ [0011], e.g., an uplink transmission of the at least one reference signal from the terminal side device to the network side device.),
transmissive surface (TS) configured to refract incident signals (see ¶ [0117], e.g., RISs redirect an incident signal in different directions. An incident signal may be directed by reflecting off of the impinging surface or refracting through the impinging surface), and
transmit a signal to the UE in association with a detection, based at least in part on the one or more uplink signals, of the at least one TS (see Fig. 18, e.g., step 1820 -1840, ¶ [0196] - [0199], At step 1820, the UE 1520 transmits the S-RSs considering the timing configured in step 1815 and the S-RS are redirected by the RIS box 1530… At step 1825, the base station 1510 receives the S-RSs and measures the signal strengths (e.g. RSRP, RSSI, SNR, etc.) and based on these measurements, the network or the base station 1510 may determine an appropriate transmission scheme and informs the UE 1520. … During data transmission, for example that is shown at step 1835, beams between the nodes (i.e. the base station 1510, the UE 1520, and the RIS box 1530) may be refined and the channel may be tracked using different RSs like S-RS and demodulation reference signal (DMRS)),
however, it does not explicitly teach wherein the blocking object is disposed between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV).
SHENG teaches wherein the blocking object is disposed between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV) (see Fig. 2, element New RIS, User A, User B and Base station, ¶ [n0055] User A can receive signals reflected by the novel reconfigurable smart surface; user B has one antenna, and the user is located behind the novel reconfigurable smart surface, i.e., in the transmission zone.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified positioning of blocking object of Abu Al Haija to incorporate the teachings of SHENG to include disposing blocking object between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV). Doing so would facilitate in achieving reducing the error rate, calculation complexity and improving the system capacity as suggested by SHENG (see Pg. 27, [0278], e.g., constructing the wireless channel environment suitable for NOMA transmission, effectively reducing the error rate of the receiving end, improving the system capacity, and the calculation complexity is low;).
Regarding claim 2, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to transmit at least one additional downlink signal (see ¶ [0182], e.g., At step 1720, the base station 1510 transmits the CSI-RSs considering the timing configuration information in step 1715.),
wherein the one or more uplink signals are indicative of at least one measurement associated with the at least one additional downlink signal (see ¶ [0183], e.g., At step 1725, the UE 1520 receives the CSI-RSs and measures the signal strengths (e.g. reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) and feeds back such measurements to the base station at step 1730.).
Regarding claim 22, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein a position of the at least one TS is associated with at least one of a predicted traffic profile or
one or more locations of one or more respective transmission reception points (TRPs), the one or more TRPs comprising the network node (see ¶ [0050], receiving, by the terminal side device, second configuration information from the network side device notifying the terminal side device of a transmission scheme for transmission between the network side device and terminal side device, wherein the transmission scheme is at least one of one or more of: direct communication between the network side device and the terminal side device; or communication between the network side device and the terminal side device via a path that includes redirection by the set of RISs.).
Regarding claim 24, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the at least one TS comprises an enhanced TS (ETS) (see ¶ [0006], e.g., By controlling transmission modes, such as reflection off of a RIS surface or refraction through a RIS surface of one or more RISs, a UE may remain connected with one base station. This may be advantageous to avoid a handover ping-pong (HOPP) problem that may occur when a UE is within a region served by multiple base stations.).
Regarding claim 26, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 24.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the ETS comprises a multiple conformal TS (see ¶ [0141], e.g., While the set of configurable elements 295 is described as a single row or a grid or more than one row, which collectively form the redirecting surface of the RIS panel, it is to be understood that such a RIS device 182 may be a single edge RIS or there may be multiple edges all controlled by a single control 293, such that the RIS device 182 is a RIS box; also see ¶ [0117], Several examples of RIS box shapes are shown in FIG. 4. RIS box 410 is shown having 6 edges, i.e. RIS Edge #1 to RIS Edge #6. RIS box 420 is shown having 5 edges. RIS box 430 is shown having 3 edges. RIS box 440 is shown having 2 edges.).
Regarding claim 27, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the at least one TS comprises a plurality of ETSs, wherein the plurality of ETSs are disposed according to a coordinated layout associated with one or more coverage areas (see ¶ [0157], e.g., Multiple RISs located in different locations, i.e. spatially separated, may be utilized for applications such as 1) routing the source signal among multiple RISs to the destination and 2) for cognitive radio channel. However, a multiple RIS structure having multiple RIS located in proximity to one another may have other applications such as 1) increasing range of a signal redirected by the RIS, which my enable improved coverage), and
wherein the one or more coverage areas are associated with one or more relative traffic profiles (see ¶ [0185], e.g., At step 1735, based on the UE measurements and feedback information received in step 1730, the network or base station 1510 may determine a proper transmission scheme to be used going forward and inform 1737 the UE 1520… However, other transmission schemes may also be possible).
Regarding claim 28, and 30, Abu Al Haija teaches a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the UE to (see Fig. 3 e.g., element 100, ED 110a-110c; ¶ [0101], the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (ED) 110a-110c,):
transmit, to a network node while the network node is at a first location with respect to a blocking object, one or more uplink signals while the UE is at a second location with respect to the blocking object (see ¶ [0011], e.g., an uplink transmission of the at least one reference signal from the terminal side device to the network side device.),
transmissive surface (TS) configured to refract incident signals (see ¶ [0117], e.g., RISs redirect an incident signal in different directions. An incident signal may be directed by reflecting off of the impinging surface or refracting through the impinging surface), and
receive a signal from the network node in association with a detection, based at least in part on the one or more uplink signals, of the at least one TS (see Fig. 18, e.g., step 1820 -1840, ¶ [0196] - [0199], At step 1820, the UE 1520 transmits the S-RSs considering the timing configured in step 1815 and the S-RS are redirected by the RIS box 1530… At step 1825, the base station 1510 receives the S-RSs and measures the signal strengths (e.g. RSRP, RSSI, SNR, etc.) and based on these measurements, the network or the base station 1510 may determine an appropriate transmission scheme and informs the UE 1520. … During data transmission, for example that is shown at step 1835, beams between the nodes (i.e. the base station 1510, the UE 1520, and the RIS box 1530) may be refined and the channel may be tracked using different RSs like S-RS and demodulation reference signal (DMRS)),
however, it does not explicitly teach wherein the blocking object is disposed between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV).
SHENG teaches wherein the blocking object is disposed between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV) (see Fig. 2, element New RIS, User A, User B and Base station, ¶ [n0055] User A can receive signals reflected by the novel reconfigurable smart surface; user B has one antenna, and the user is located behind the novel reconfigurable smart surface, i.e., in the transmission zone.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified positioning of blocking object of Abu Al Haija to incorporate the teachings of SHENG to include disposing blocking object between the first location and the second location, the blocking object comprising at least one transmissive surface (TS) with at least one field of view (FOV). Doing so would facilitate in achieving reducing the error rate, calculation complexity and improving the system capacity as suggested by SHENG (see Pg. 27, [0278], e.g., constructing the wireless channel environment suitable for NOMA transmission, effectively reducing the error rate of the receiving end, improving the system capacity, and the calculation complexity is low;).
Claim(s) 3-6, 11-12, 15, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and in further view of YERRAMALLI et al., US 20230243915 A1, (hereinafter YERRAMALLI).
Regarding claim 3, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 2.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but YERRAMALLI teaches, wherein the at least one measurement comprises UE assistance information (UAI) and at least one of a measurement associated with a UE sensor, a location-indexed data rate measurement, or a location-indexed signal strength measurement (see ¶ [0143] - [0145], e.g., the first information characterizing the channel associated with the wireless device within the region of interest comprises a channel frequency response (CFR), a channel impulse response (CIR), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) histogram, or a combination thereof.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified measurement of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of YERRAMALLI to include at least one of a measurement associated with a UE sensor, a location-indexed data rate measurement, or a location-indexed signal strength measurement. Doing so would facilitate in achieving controlled channel environment and to train a neural net as suggested by YERRAMALLI (see ¶ [0161] e.g., a technical advantage of the methods presented herein is that the use of one or more RISes allow the channel environment to be controlled somewhat, and that as a result the RFFP database has many more pieces of data from which to train a neural net or ML model or to use in some other fashion to perform RFFP for positioning.).
Regarding claim 4, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 2.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but YERRAMALLI teaches,
wherein the at least one measurement comprises at least one of a set of location-indexed data rate measurements or a set of location-indexed signal strength measurements (see ¶ [0145], e.g., the first information characterizing the channel associated with the wireless device within the region of interest comprises a channel frequency response (CFR), a channel impulse response (CIR), a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) histogram, or a combination thereof; also see ¶ [0150] - [0156], e.g., As shown in FIG. 10, process 1000 may include, at block 1010, performing a measurement of a signal at a location within a region of interest and under a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) configuration that specifies a configuration of at least one RIS in the region of interest).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified measurement of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of YERRAMALLI to include at least one of a set of location-indexed data rate measurements or a set of location-indexed signal strength measurements. Doing so would facilitate in achieving controlled channel environment and to train a neural net as suggested by YERRAMALLI (see ¶ [0161] e.g., a technical advantage of the methods presented herein is that the use of one or more RISes allow the channel environment to be controlled somewhat, and that as a result the RFFP database has many more pieces of data from which to train a neural net or ML model or to use in some other fashion to perform RFFP for positioning.).
Regarding claim 5, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 2.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but YERRAMALLI teaches, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to provide, to a database management component,
an indication of the at least one measurement for inclusion in a database associated with a region adjacent to the blocking object, the region comprising the second location (see ¶ [0147], e.g., the network entity maintains the database of RFFPs based on information provided to the network entity by a plurality of user equipment (UEs) via one or more base stations, the information comprising measurements taken at a plurality of locations within the region of interest and according to one or more RIS configurations per location; see ¶ [0150] - [0156], e.g., In FIG. 11B, determining a plurality of RFFPs involves including the following information in the RFFP database 804: RFFPs for channels between a BS and a UE, RFFPs for channels between a BS and a RIS, and RFFPs for channels between a RIS and a UE; information about the ground truth locations of the UE; the state(s) of one or more RIS(s), such as the RIS ID, the RIS status (ON or OFF) at the time of channel capture, the RIS gain, delay, or steering angles, etc.; and the physical location and orientation of the RIS(s).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified measurement of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of YERRAMALLI to include at least one measurement for inclusion in a database associated with a region adjacent to the blocking object, the region comprising the second location. Doing so would facilitate in achieving controlled channel environment and to train a neural net as suggested by YERRAMALLI (see ¶ [0161] e.g., a technical advantage of the methods presented herein is that the use of one or more RISes allow the channel environment to be controlled somewhat, and that as a result the RFFP database has many more pieces of data from which to train a neural net or ML model or to use in some other fashion to perform RFFP for positioning.).
Regarding claim 6, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 5.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but YERRAMALLI teaches, wherein the database indicates a set of measurements associated with a set of grid points, wherein the region comprises the set of grid points (see ¶ [0123], e.g., Radio frequency fingerprinting is a technique in which channel measurements are taken at known locations within a geographic region of interest (ROI) and stored in a database; see ¶ [0124], e.g., FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B illustrate portions of a conventional implementation of RFFP 700, in which measurements are taken from many ground truth locations, which are represented as stars in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, within a region of interest (ROI) 702. Data from each of those measurements is received by an RFFP server 704 and stored in an RFFP database 706.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified measurement of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of YERRAMALLI to include wherein the database indicates a set of measurements associated with a set of grid points, wherein the region comprises the set of grid points. Doing so would facilitate in achieving controlled channel environment and to train a neural net as suggested by YERRAMALLI (see ¶ [0161] e.g., a technical advantage of the methods presented herein is that the use of one or more RISes allow the channel environment to be controlled somewhat, and that as a result the RFFP database has many more pieces of data from which to train a neural net or ML model or to use in some other fashion to perform RFFP for positioning.).
Regarding claim 11, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 6.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but YERRAMALLI teaches,
wherein the database comprises a mapping between the UE and a grid point of the set of grid points (see Fig. 8A, element 800, ¶ [0133], e.g., Thus, for each location within the ROI 702, the geographic location (x,y,z) may be associated with not one CFR but multiple CFRs, representing the channel conditions with the RIS off and with the RIS on in various configurations. In FIG. 8, the RFFP database 804 contains multiple CFR values for each location. For example, for the location of the UE 708, which is (x.sub.2,y.sub.2,z.sub.2), the RFFP database 804 contains values CFR.sub.2A, CFR.sub.2B, etc.); also see ¶ [0150] - [0156], e.g., In FIG. 11B, determining a plurality of RFFPs involves including the following information in the RFFP database 804: RFFPs for channels between a BS and a UE, RFFPs for channels between a BS and a RIS, and RFFPs for channels between a RIS and a UE; information about the ground truth locations of the UE; the state(s) of one or more RIS(s), such as the RIS ID, the RIS status (ON or OFF) at the time of channel capture, the RIS gain, delay, or steering angles, etc.; and the physical location and orientation of the RIS(s).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified measurement of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of YERRAMALLI to include wherein the database comprises a mapping between the UE and a grid point of the set of grid points. Doing so would facilitate in achieving controlled channel environment and to train a neural net as suggested by YERRAMALLI (see ¶ [0161] e.g., a technical advantage of the methods presented herein is that the use of one or more RISes allow the channel environment to be controlled somewhat, and that as a result the RFFP database has many more pieces of data from which to train a neural net or ML model or to use in some other fashion to perform RFFP for positioning.).
Regarding claim 12, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 11.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the set of grid points comprises at least one boundary grid point associated with a coverage footprint of a TS-refracted beam, and
wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to communicate with the UE in association with an adaptation associated with the at least one boundary grid point (see ¶ [0173] - [0175], e.g., wherein the UE 1440 may receive signaling directly from the first base station 1410, via the RIS box 1430, or a combination of thereof. Over the first duration, the UE 1440 is shown moving along path 1445… At a second point in time of the first duration, the UE 1440 is then connected with the second base station 1420 in Region 5 1455… HO occurs. As the UE 1440 may remain connected to either or both of the first and second base stations 1410 and 1420 as the UE moves through each of the regions, the HOPP problem is mitigated or avoided all together as the UE can stay connected to a single base station for a longer duration, if the signal strength and/or quality is sufficient … the UE may further have dual connectivity (DC) with two base stations in each region and can receive the signals from both base stations via the same beam.).
Regarding claim 15, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 6.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to communicate with the UE in association with an adaptation, based on the database,
associated with at least one of a change in an SSB attribute or a change in a serving TRP (see ¶ [0163], e.g., FIG. 11 illustrates an example situation where a first base station 1110 and a second base station 1120 communicate with one or more UEs 1140a, 1140b, 1140c without facing interference from different base stations or having the UEs frequently performing HO between the first and second base stations as the UEs move the regions that may be covered by both of the base station 1110 and 1120).
Regarding claim 18, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 5.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the region comprises an indoor region (see ¶ [0117], e.g., RIS boxes may be installed in indoor or outdoor environments (e.g. on light poles)).
Regarding claim 19, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 5.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the network node comprises an outdoor transmission reception point (TRP) (see ¶ [0107], e.g., one or more of the base stations 170a-170b may be a terrestrial base station that is attached to the ground. For example, a terrestrial base station could be mounted on a building or tower. Alternatively, one or more of the base stations 172 may be a non-terrestrial base station, or non-terrestrial TRP (NT-TRP), that is not attached to the ground. A flying base station is an example of the non-terrestrial base station.).
Claim(s) 7-10, 14, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG, YERRAMALLI and in further view of KIM et al., WO 2024155039 A1, (see the English translated copy) (hereinafter KIM).
Regarding claim 7, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 6.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI does not teach but KIM teaches, wherein each grid point of the set of grid points is associated with at least one synchronization signal block (SSB) beam associated with at least one SSB (see ¶ [0076], e.g., In one example, the positions of beam set 1 (400) and beam set 2 (410) are predefined in the standard and SSB may be transmitted at the predefined positions. The terminal can select an SSB for synchronization and determine the SSB index of the selected SSB and which beam set it corresponds to; see ¶ [0080], e.g., In one example, the terminal may measure the SSBs of beam set 1 (500) and derive the maximum reference signal received power (RSRP) value (501). Additionally, the terminal can derive the maximum RSRP value (511) by measuring the SSBs of beam set 2 (510). The terminal may report two maximum RSRP values (501, 511) corresponding to beam set 1 (500) and beam set 2 (510), respectively, to the base station… The base station can determine whether the terminal is in RIS association based on the two maximum RSRP values 501 and 511 received from the terminal.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified each grid point of the set of grid points of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of KIM to include wherein each grid point of the set of grid points is associated with at least one synchronization signal block (SSB) beam associated with at least one SSB. Doing so would facilitate in achieving determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship, reduce reference signal overhead and increase performance gains as suggested by KIM (see ¶ [0013] - [0015] e.g., a terminal and/or a base station can operate a wireless communication system more efficiently by determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship … a network can reduce reference signal overhead by setting a terminal-specific (UE-specific) reference signal for a terminal in a RIS association relationship … a network can increase performance gains by reducing the spacing between beams used in beam management when a terminal is in a RIS association relationship.).
Regarding claim 8, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG, YERRAMALLI and KIM teaches the limitations of Claim 7.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI does not teach but KIM teaches, wherein each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam is associated with at least one of an index, a transmission reception point (TRP) identifier (ID), or a small cell ID (see ¶ [0076], e.g., The terminal can select an SSB for synchronization and determine the SSB index of the selected SSB and whether it corresponds to a specific beam set).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified each grid point of the set of grid points of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of KIM to include wherein each grid point of the set of grid points is associated with at least one synchronization signal block (SSB) and wherein each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam is associated with at least one of an index, a transmission reception point (TRP) identifier (ID), or a small cell ID. Doing so would facilitate in achieving determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship, reduce reference signal overhead and increase performance gains as suggested by KIM (see ¶ [0013] - [0015] e.g., a terminal and/or a base station can operate a wireless communication system more efficiently by determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship … a network can reduce reference signal overhead by setting a terminal-specific (UE-specific) reference signal for a terminal in a RIS association relationship … a network can increase performance gains by reducing the spacing between beams used in beam management when a terminal is in a RIS association relationship.).
Regarding claim 9, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG, YERRAMALLI and KIM teaches the limitations of Claim 7.
Abu Al Haija further teaches, wherein beam is associated with at least one beam attribute indication, and the at least one beam attribute indication indicates at least one of a beam width, a transmission direction, a beam directivity, a peak gain, or a tilt (see ¶ [0124], e.g., In some embodiments, the processor 210 implements the transmit beamforming and/or receive beamforming based on the indication of beam direction, e.g. beam angle information (BAI), received from T-TRP 170.),
however, it does not explicitly teach each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam.
Kim teaches each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam (see ¶ [0056], e.g., wherein use of reference signals (RS) may be required for beam management. Here, the above RS may be a CSI-RS (channel state information reference signal), an SSB (synchronization signal block), an SRS (sounding reference signal), or a newly defined reference signal.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified reference signals (RS) of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of KIM to include wherein reference signals (RS) may be an SSB(synchronization signal block). Doing so would facilitate in achieving determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship, reduce reference signal overhead and increase performance gains as suggested by KIM (see ¶ [0013] - [0015] e.g., a terminal and/or a base station can operate a wireless communication system more efficiently by determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship … a network can reduce reference signal overhead by setting a terminal-specific (UE-specific) reference signal for a terminal in a RIS association relationship … a network can increase performance gains by reducing the spacing between beams used in beam management when a terminal is in a RIS association relationship.).
Regarding claim 10, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG, YERRAMALLI and KIM teaches the limitations of Claim 7.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein each of the reference signal (RS) of at least one reference signal (RS) is associated with at least one attribute indication, and wherein the at least one attribute indication indicates at least one of a transmission power, a repetition, or a periodicity (see ¶ [0010], e.g., wherein the second configuration information includes at least one of: an identification of a sequence of reference signals; an indication of timing for transmission of a reference signal; an indication of periodicity of transmission of a reference signal; or an identification of an association between a RIS of the set of RISs and a timing for a group of reference signals to be redirected by the RIS to cover at least one region of the plurality of regions covered by the set of collated RISs.).
however, it does not explicitly teach each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam.
Kim teaches each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam (see ¶ [0056], e.g., wherein use of reference signals (RS) may be required for beam management. Here, the above RS may be a CSI-RS (channel state information reference signal), an SSB (synchronization signal block), an SRS (sounding reference signal), or a newly defined reference signal).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified reference signals (RS) of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of KIM to include wherein reference signals (RS) may be a SSB (synchronization signal block). Doing so would facilitate in achieving determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship, reduce reference signal overhead and increase performance gains as suggested by KIM (see ¶ [0013] - [0015] e.g., a terminal and/or a base station can operate a wireless communication system more efficiently by determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship … a network can reduce reference signal overhead by setting a terminal-specific (UE-specific) reference signal for a terminal in a RIS association relationship … a network can increase performance gains by reducing the spacing between beams used in beam management when a terminal is in a RIS association relationship.).
Regarding claim 14, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 6.
Abu Al Haija as improved by SHENG further teaches, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to transmit configuration information, based on the database,
indicative of a UE monitoring procedure associated with an indicated subset of beams of a set of beams (see ¶ [0124], e.g., a downlink transmission may be received by the receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and the processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g. by detecting and/or decoding the signaling). An example of signaling may be a reference signal transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and/or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 implements the transmit beamforming and/or receive beamforming based on the indication of beam direction, e.g. beam angle information (BAI), received from T-TRP 170.),
however, it does not explicitly teach subset of SSB beams of a set of SSB beams.
Kim teaches each SSB beam of the at least one SSB beam (see ¶ [0056], e.g., wherein use of reference signals (RS) may be required for beam management. Here, the above RS may be a CSI-RS (channel state information reference signal), an SSB (synchronization signal block), an SRS (sounding reference signal), or a newly defined reference signal; ¶ [0076], e.g., The terminal can select an SSB for synchronization and determine the SSB index of the selected SSB and whether it corresponds to a specific beam set.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified reference signals (RS) of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of KIM to include wherein reference signals (RS) may be a SSB (synchronization signal block). Doing so would facilitate in achieving determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship, reduce reference signal overhead and increase performance gains as suggested by KIM (see ¶ [0013] - [0015] e.g., a terminal and/or a base station can operate a wireless communication system more efficiently by determining whether the terminal is in a RIS association relationship … a network can reduce reference signal overhead by setting a terminal-specific (UE-specific) reference signal for a terminal in a RIS association relationship … a network can increase performance gains by reducing the spacing between beams used in beam management when a terminal is in a RIS association relationship.).
Claim(s) 13, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and YERRAMALLI and in further view of REIAL et al., US 20220345993 A1, (hereinafter REIAL).
Regarding claim 13, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 11.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI does not teach but REIAL teaches, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to transmit configuration information, based on the database,
that indicates that the UE is to disable a neighbor cell search procedure in association with a grid point of the set of grid points associated with the UE (see ¶ [0015] - [0016], e.g., a network node is configured to obtain neighbor relation information associated with a wireless device (WD) and/or a location of the WD; and determine whether to configure the WD in a limited search mode based on the obtained neighbor relation information; see ¶ [0127], e.g., It should be understood that the techniques herein can be used to instruct the WD 22 to either stop searching for new cells and/or to reduce searching).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified configuration information transmit by network node of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of REIAL to include network node to transmit configuration information, based on the database, that indicates that the UE is to disable a neighbor cell search procedure in association with a grid point of the set of grid points associated with the UE. Doing so would facilitate in achieving reducing radio resource management (RRM) as suggested by REIAL (see ¶ [0127] e.g., which may advantageously reduce radio resource management (RRM) activity for the WD as compared to existing techniques.).
Claim(s) 16-17, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and YERRAMALLI and in further view of JIN et al., CN 115396993 B, (see the English translated copy) (hereinafter JIN).
Regarding claim 16, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 6.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI does not teach but JIN teaches, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the network node to transmit configuration information, based on the database, indicative of a modified uplink power control formula (see Pg. 3 Paragraph 2-3, e.g., determining the enhanced power value corresponding to each second internet of things device, and sending power enhanced indication information to the RIS;… the transmitting beam is the beam of the downlink information sent to the second internet of things device by the bearing base station; obtaining the uplink enhanced link power corresponding to each second internet of things device, and according to each uplink enhanced link power and the preset minimum power value, generating the adjustment indication information, so that the RIS adjusts the enhanced power value corresponding to each second internet of things device according to the adjustment indication information; wherein, the uplink enhanced link power is obtained by the base station detecting the uplink information enhanced by the RIS).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified configuration information transmit by network node of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of JIN to include network node to transmit configuration information, based on the database, indicative of a modified uplink power control formula. Doing so would facilitate in achieving optimizing enhanced power value, ensuring the communication performance and reduce the energy consumption. as suggested by JIN (see Pg. 14 Paragraph 2-3, e.g., the energy-saving communication method in the present disclosure, further aiming at each second internet of things device for adjusting, configuring and adjusting the enhanced power value, further optimizing each enhanced power value, ensuring the communication performance of each second internet of things device and the base station, at the same time, it can reduce the energy consumption.).
Regarding claim 17, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI teaches the limitations of Claim 16.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI does not teach but JIN teaches, wherein the modified uplink power control formula is associated with a beam (see Pg. 9, Paragraph 1, the base station detects the uplink power from the beam bearing the uplink information for configuring and adjusting the enhanced power value.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified configuration information transmit by network node of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG and YERRAMALLI to incorporate the teachings of JIN to include wherein the modified uplink power control formula is associated with a beam. Doing so would facilitate in achieving optimizing enhanced power value, ensuring the communication performance and reduce the energy consumption as suggested by JIN (see Pg. 14 Paragraph 2-3, e.g., the energy-saving communication method in the present disclosure, further aiming at each second internet of things device for adjusting, configuring and adjusting the enhanced power value, further optimizing each enhanced power value, ensuring the communication performance of each second internet of things device and the base station, at the same time, it can reduce the energy consumption.).
Claim(s) 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and in further view of MANOLAKOS et al., WO 2022216351 A1, (hereinafter MANOLAKOS).
Regarding claim 20, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but MANOLAKOS teaches,
wherein the blocking object comprises a glass blocking surface (see ¶ [0164], wherein the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to a wireless access network to which the network entity belongs; see ¶ [0166], wherein the at least one RPO is an RIS not connected to a wireless access network to which the network entity belongs, a mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified blocking object of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of MANOLAKOS to include a glass blocking surface. Doing so would facilitate in achieving smart wireless environment providing technical benefits as suggested by MANOLAKOS (see ¶ [0110], The goal of RIS technology is to create a smart wireless environment where wireless propagation conditions are co-designed with physical layer signaling. Enhancements to system 500 can provide technical benefits in several scenarios.).
Claim(s) 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and in further view of ZHANG et al., CN 116546511 A, (see the English translated copy) (hereinafter ZHANG).
Regarding claim 21, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG does not teach but ZHANG teaches, wherein the blocking object comprises a surface of a vehicle (see Pg. 2, Paragraph 4, The RIS can be installed at different positions of different tools, such as the bottom of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the of the vehicle, the surface of the building and so on).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified blocking object of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of ZHANG to include blocking object comprises a surface of a vehicle. Doing so would facilitate in achieving reducing cost and energy consumption and increasing portability as suggested by ZHANG (see Pg. 2, Paragraph 4, it is portable, and it greatly saves the cost, reduces the energy consumption, so it can be seen that the RIS is suitable for being deployed in the wireless network).
Claim(s) 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Abu Al Haija et al., in view of SHENG and in further view of BALASUBRAMANIAN et al., WO 2023027841 A1,
(hereinafter BALASUBRAMANIAN).
Regarding claim 23, Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG teaches the limitations of Claim 1.
Abu Al Haija further teaches wherein the at least one TS comprises a refracting TS, wherein the refracting TS is configured to generate a refracted beam based on an incident beam (see ¶ [0117], e.g., An incident signal may be directed by reflecting off of the impinging surface or refracting through the impinging surface… it should be understood that the edges may consist of curved surfaces to increase the beamforming capabilities or covered areas. In this context, the RIS edges may have multiple functionalities such as reflection, refraction, and absorption empowered by one or multiple layers of metamaterials.),
however, it does not explicitly teach wherein the refracting TS is configured to cause an anomalous refraction of the incident beam along an FOV.
BALASUBRAMANIAN teaches, wherein the refracting TS is configured to cause an anomalous refraction of the incident beam along an FOV. (see ¶ [0075], e.g., As an RIS may be capable of reflecting or re-radiating signals to a different direction, the RIS may be used by wireless devices to turn an NLOS path/channel to a path/channel that is close or similar to an LOS path/channel by reflecting/relaying signals transmitted between wireless devices.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have modified blocking object of Abu Al Haija as combined with SHENG to incorporate the teachings of BALASUBRAMANIAN to include wherein the refracting TS is configured to cause an anomalous refraction of the incident beam along an FOV. Doing so would facilitate in achieving configuring RIS with an activation and deactivation pattern as suggested by BALASUBRAMANIAN (see ¶ [0007], e.g., The apparatus receives an initiation of a ranging procedure from a UE and configures at least one RIS with an activation and deactivation pattern.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 25 is 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20230246674 A1, issued to ÅSTRÖM et al. teaches determining a configuration of the reconfigurable reflective surface associated with the WD.
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/POONAM SHARMA/Examiner, Art Unit 2472
/KEVIN T BATES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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