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 .
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
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Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 27th September 2024 and 16th April 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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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.
Claims 1 – 4, 8 – 12, 13 – 16, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Gao et al (US 2025/0202635 A1).
Claim 13 (similarly Claim 1). Gao shows a user equipment (UE) (figs. 4, 5, 8, 9, 18, 19, 20 and 21: WD), comprising: a memory device (fig. 9: wireless device, WD, memory); and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory device (fig. 9: WD processing circuitry), wherein the instructions cause the processor to: transmit calibration assistance information to at least one transmission and reception point (TRP) included in a plurality of TRPs ([0113]: network node 16 is configured to receive from the WD a precoder matrix indicator, PMI, per subband indicating a joint antenna precoder for the plurality of transmission reception points, TRPs… includes applying one of a delay and a frequency pre-compensation to a downlink signal), and receive a transmission from the at least one TRP that has been pre-compensated for at least one synchronization impairment between the plurality of TRPs based on the calibration assistance information ([0113]: applying an antenna precoding at each subband to the pre-compensated downlink signal based on the indicated joint antenna precoder; [0114]: the one of the delay and frequency pre-compensation is based at least in part on a time delay between TRPs… applying one of a delay and a frequency pre-compensation includes applying the one of the delay and the frequency pre-compensation to the plurality of TRPs… transmitting quasi-co-location, QCL, information to the WD).
Claim 14 (similarly claim 2). Gao shows the UE of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit the calibration assistance information as an uplink reference signal (UL RS) transmission ([0118]: at least one of the time delay difference and the frequency difference are obtained by the network node 16 based on uplink measurements on uplink reference signals).
Claim 15 (similarly claim 3). Gao shows the UE of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit the calibration assistance information implicitly based on a UE capability ([0162]: the delay and/or frequency differences are either measured and reported by a WD 22 based on a DL reference signal or measured by network node 16 based at the TRPs based on a UL signal).
Claim 16 (similarly claim 4). Gao shows the UE of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: receive a downlink reference signal (DL RS) indicating a number of TRPs included in the plurality of TRPs having a unified transmission control information (TCI) state with respect to a quasi co-location (QCL) type ([0167]: the TRPs or the associated DL reference signals over which a PDSCH or CSI-RS resources are pre-compensated are indicated to the WD 22 either explicitly by introducing one or more new QCL types or implicitly so that WD 22 does not derive certain channel properties based on the QCL source RS for the PDSCH or CSI-RS reception).
Claim 8. Gao shows the method of claim 1, wherein the pre-compensated transmission received by the UE includes at least one of a delay offset compensation ([0122]: τ is the propagation delay (including possible timing offsets) difference between the two TRPs), a frequency offset compensation ([0143]: one of the multiple TRPs may be used as a reference TRP and delay and frequency offsets of other TRPs with respect to the reference TRP are measurement and pre-compensated), or a phase offset compensation for the at least one TRP that is less than or equal to a pre-defined dynamic range or threshold (n/a).
Claim 9. Gao shows the method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring the UE with a predefined number of non-zero part (NZP) channel state information (CSI)-resource sets (RSs) via higher layer signaling ([0032]: the associated NZP CSI-RS resource(s) may be either periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic wherein the linkage between a code point of the CSI request field and a CSI report configuration is via an aperiodic CSI trigger state… a WD is configured by higher layer a list of aperiodic CSI trigger states, where each of the trigger states contains an associated CSI report configuration).
Claim 10. Gao shows the method of claim 9, wherein a periodic TRS RS is used for each of the predefined number of NZP CSI-RSs ([0028] – [0029]: reporting type, i.e. aperiodic CSI (on PUSCH), periodic CSI (on PUCCH) or semi-persistent CSI (on PUCCH, and DCI activated on PUSCH), and report quantity specifying what to be reported, such as RI, PMI, CQI, RSRP, etc.; [0031]: periodic CSI starts after it has been configured by radio resource control (RRC) and is reported on PUCCH, the associated NZP CSI-RS resource(s) are also periodic).
Claim 19 (similarly claim 11). Gao shows the UE of claim 13, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: in a case in which the UE is indicated by a first TCI state and a second TCI state ([0036]: this is signaled in the corresponding DCI by indicating a TCI codepoint associated with two TCI states, a first and second TCI states…), receive, by the UE, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) having one or more demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports ([0036]: …DMRS ports x and y in two CDM groups, where DMRS port x in the first CDM group is associated with the first TCI state and DMRS port y in the second CDM group is associated with the second TCI state; [0046]: the DL channel is a Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH… the QCL information is included in a DL control information, DCI, format scheduling the DL channel): quasi co-located (QCLed) with a downlink reference signal (DL RS) in the first TCI state ([0036]: the first TCI state may include tracking reference signal 1 (TRS1) as the QCL source RS), and QCLed with the DL RS in the second TCI state based on an exclusion of a Doppler shift ([0046]: the QCL information in the second TCI state does not include either of the average delay and the Doppler shift properties), an average delay (see above), or both the Doppler shift and the average delay (see above).
Claim 20 (similarly claim 12). Gao shows the UE of claim 13, wherein the UE is configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling to perform a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) calculation based on a UE-reported delay offset ([0048]: the CSI feedback including a precoding matrix indicator, PMI, indicating a first precoding matrix for the DL channel from the first TRP and indicating a second precoding matrix for the DL channel from the second TRP… the time delay difference and the frequency difference are reported with channel state information, CSI; [0129]: for CJT, it is envisioned that {V1, V2} and the co-phasing coefficients {w1, w2} are reported by the WD 22 as part of precoding matrix indicator (PMI) in CSI).
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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.
Claims 5, 6 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al in view of Ibrahim et al (US 2023/0354074 A1).
Claim 17 (similarly claim 5). Gao shows the UE of claim 13; Gao does not expressly describe wherein the instructions further cause the processor to prioritize the calibration assistance information based on a channel state information (CSI) priority rule.Ibrahim teaches feature of prioritizing calibration assistance information based on a CSI priority rule ([0128]: a CSI report with CLI may have a same priority as CSI reports not carrying L1-RSRP or L1-SINR (e.g. k=1 for CLI)).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement CSI priority rule in calibration assistance process as taught by Ibrahim in the prioritizing process of Gao to ensure that essential channel metrics are preserved during overlapping reporting events and improve system robustness.
Claim 6. Gao, modified by Ibrahim, shows the method of claim 5, wherein a priority value of the CSI priority rule is configured such that a priority of a first CSI report is the same as a priority of a second CSI report not carrying a layer 1 (L1)-reference signal received power (RSRP) or L1-signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) (see claims 5 and 17; [0128]: CSI reports carrying L1-RSRP or L1-SINR may be assigned a priority value (e.g. k) of 0, and CSI reports not carrying L1-RSRP or L1-SINR, CSI reports based on CLI, or CLI reports may be assigned a priority value (e.g. k) of one, where a lower value of k represents a higher priority).
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Claims 7 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao et al in view of Zhang et al (US 2024/0147277 A1).
Claim 18 (similarly claim 7). Gao shows the UE of claim 13; Gao does not expressly describe wherein the instructions further cause the processor to indicate the UE’s capability of supporting multiple simultaneous calibration-assisting reports through a processing unit (PU) occupation in a component carrier.Zhang teaches feature of indicating a UE’s capability of supporting multiple simultaneous calibration-assisting reports through a processing unit (PU) occupation in a component carrier ([0085]: the UE 115-b may compensate or otherwise account for such potential timing differences… the UE 115-b may transmit, to the network entity 105-a, an indication of a capability of the UE 115-b to report whether the UE 115-b is allowed or capable of simultaneously receiving the downlink signal 420 in one or more downlink subbands and receiving the CLI reference signal 415 (such as an inter-UE CLI reference signal) in one or more uplink subbands in the same SBFD symbol 410 (or the same SBFD slot)).It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the feature as taught by Zhang in the UE of Gao to facilitate supporting one or more prioritization rules associated with one or both of a capability of a UE and potential scheduling conflicts at the UE during an SBFD symbol.
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Guo, US 12,133,104 B2: a method for determining a priority level of a channel state information (CSI) report, comprising determining, by a user equipment (UE), priority levels of at least two CSI reports based on a reporting content carried in the CSI report, wherein the at least two CSI reports comprise a first CSI report, and the first CSI report carries Layer 1 Signal to Interference Noise Ratio (L1-SINR); and reporting, by the UE through the first CSI report, N reference signal resource indicators and an L1-SINR corresponding to each of the N reference signal resource indicators, wherein N is a positive integer, wherein the priority levels of the at least two CSI reports are used to multiplex the at least two CSI reports or drop at least a part of the at least two CSI reports in response to that there is an overlapping part in time domain resources of the at least two CSI reports; wherein the determining by the UE priority levels of at least two CSI reports based on the reporting content carried in the CSI report comprises determining, by the UE, that the priority level of the first CSI report is lower than the priority level of a second CSI report and the priority level of the first CSI report is higher than the priority level of a third CSI report, wherein the third CSI report carries a layer-1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP), and the second CSI report carries CSI reporting quantities other than the L1-SINR and the L1-RSRP.
Ying et al, US 12,471,104 B2: methods for priority rules of channel state information reports.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Xavier Szewai Wong whose telephone number is 571.270.1780. The examiner can normally be reached on 11:30 am - 8:30 pm Mon to Fri.
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/XAVIER S WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415 6th July 2026
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