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 .
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Instant Claim
Patented Claim 12,114,335 B2
1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
- receiving, from a network node, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a
higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for
the UE; and
- transmitting at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least
two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission
parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least
two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission
parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH.
Claim 1:
A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving from a network node, a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources; at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands; and one or more DMRS ports; and
performing the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS ports of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands.
Claim 12:
The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following parameters associated with a PUSCH transmission scheduled by said PDCCH or higher layer grant is different from the parameters associated with other PUSCH transmissions scheduled by the PDCCH or the higher layer grant: transmit power control (TPC) command, pathloss reference RS, and spatial relation
Claim 1:
A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving from a network node, a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources; at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands; and one or more DMRS ports; and
performing the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS ports of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands.
Claim 2:
The method according to claim 1, wherein when the number of DMRS ports and SRS ports is identical, a precoder matrix or vector to be used by the UE for the PUSCH transmission is given by an identity or a diagonal matrix, and wherein the precoding matrix or vector for the i-th PUSCH associated with x DMRS ports which are mapped to x antenna ports is given by
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wherein x is an integer value representing the number of DMRS ports or the number of antenna ports.
Claim 3:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission parameter is at least one of the following: a transmit power control (TPC) command, a pathloss reference Signal (RS), or a spatial relation
Claim 12:
The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following parameters associated with a PUSCH transmission scheduled by said PDCCH or higher layer grant is different from the parameters associated with other PUSCH transmissions scheduled by the PDCCH or the higher layer grant: transmit power control (TPC) command, pathloss reference RS, and spatial relation.
Claim 5: The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an indication of n (n>1) Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources, wherein the indication of the n SRS resources is performed using an SRS resource indicator field in the PDCCH or the higher layer grant.
Claim 5: The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission parameter is at least one of the following: a transmit power control (TPC) command, a pathloss reference Signal (RS), or a spatial relation
Claim 6: The method of claim 5, wherein a transmission of an i-th segment of the PUSCH is performed using SRS ports associated with an i-th SRS resource indicated via the PDCCH or the higher layer grant.
Claim 6:
The method according to claim 5, wherein if a number of repetitions of PUSCH transmission occasions is larger than the indicated number of groups of SRS resources, the UE applies a pattern for cyclic or sequential association between the indicated groups of SRS resources and the PUSCH transmission occasions.
Claim 7:
The method according to claim 6, wherein when 2n transmissions of a PUSCH are performed and the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant indicates 2 groups of SRS resources, with each group comprising one or more SRS resources, the first group of SRS resources is associated with the first PUSCH transmission occasion, the second group of SRS resources is associated with the second transmission occasion and the same pattern of association is repeated with the remaining PUSCH transmission occasions.
Claim 7:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the PUSCH transmission is scheduled
via the PDCCH that indicates two Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources, where the first
and second SRS resources are associated with antenna port(s) P₁₀, P1,R₁ and P2,0, P2,R₂
respectively, wherein a first segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using the antenna ports
P₁,₀, P₁,R₁ and a second segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using the antenna ports P₂,₀, P₂,R₂, and wherein R₁ + 1 and R₂ + 1 denote the number of antenna port(s) associated
with the first and second SRS resource, respectively.
Claim 7:
The method according to claim 6, wherein when 2n transmissions of a PUSCH are performed and the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant indicates 2 groups of SRS resources, with each group comprising one or more SRS resources, the first group of SRS resources is associated with the first PUSCH transmission occasion, the second group of SRS resources is associated with the second transmission occasion and the same pattern of association is repeated with the remaining PUSCH transmission occasions.
Claim 8:
The method according to claim 6, wherein when 2n transmissions of a PUSCH are performed and the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant indicates 2 groups of SRS resources, with each group comprising one or more SRS resources, the first group of SRS resources is associated with odd, 1st, 3rd, ... (2n-1)-th, PUSCH transmission occasions and the second group of SRS resources is associated with even, 2nd, 4th, ... (2n)-th, PUSCH transmission occasions, or the first group of SRS resources is associated with the first and second PUSCH transmission occasions, the second group of SRS resources is associated with the third and fourth PUSCH transmission occasions, and the pattern is repeated for the rest of the transmission occasions.
Claim 8:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH or the higher layer grant indicates a single Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource, and the PUSCH is transmitted on same antenna port(s) corresponding to SRS port(s) associated with the indicated single SRS resource.
Claim 1:
A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving from a network node, a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources; at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands; and one or more DMRS ports; and
performing the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS ports of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands.
Claim 10:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH or the higher layer grant indicates d Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) and a1+a2 antenna ports, wherein a first set of a1 antenna ports are associated with a first Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource, and a second set of a2 antenna ports distinct from the first set of antenna ports are associated with a second SRS resource.
Claim 1:
A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving from a network node, a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources; at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands; and one or more DMRS ports; and
performing the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS ports of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands.
Claim 2:
The method according to claim 1, wherein when the number of DMRS ports and SRS ports is identical, a precoder matrix or vector to be used by the UE for the PUSCH transmission is given by an identity or a diagonal matrix, and wherein the precoding matrix or vector for the i-th PUSCH associated with x DMRS ports which are mapped to x antenna ports is given by:
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where sum from i=1 to x of |alpha_i|^2 = 1, wherein x is an integer value representing the number of DMRS ports or the number of antenna ports.
Claim 12: The method according to claim 1, wherein the PUSCH includes n (n>1) segments, and the PDCCH indicates n transmit power control (TPC) commands corresponding to the n segments of the PUSCH.
Claim 12:
The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following parameters associated with a PUSCH transmission scheduled by said PDCCH or higher layer grant is different from the parameters associated with other PUSCH transmissions scheduled by the PDCCH or the higher layer grant: transmit power control (TPC) command, pathloss reference RS, and spatial relation.
Claim 14:
The method according claim 1, wherein if a number of repetitions or transmissions of PUSCH transmission occasions is larger than the indicated number of TPC commands or precoder indications or RVs provided for the PUSCH transmission occasions, the UE is configured to enable a cyclic or sequential pattern of application of the TPC commands, precoder indications or redundancy versions for the PUSCH transmission occasions.
Claim 15:
The method according to claim 14, wherein when 2n transmissions of a PUSCH are scheduled by a PDCCH or higher layer grant and 2 TPC commands/precoder indications/RVs are provided for the PUSCH transmission occasions, the first TPC command/precoder indication/redundancy version is associated with the odd, 1st, 3rd, ... (2n-1)-th, PUSCH transmission occasions and the second TPC command/precoder indication/redundancy version is associated with the even, 2nd, 4th, ... (2n)-th, PUSCH transmission occasions, or the first TPC command/precoder indication/redundancy version is associated with the first and second PUSCH transmission occasions, the second TPC command/precoder indication/redundancy version is associated with the third and fourth PUSCH transmission occasions, and the pattern is repeated for the rest of the PUSCH transmission occasions.
Claim 14:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH indicates n Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources from n different SRS resource sets.
Claim 5:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant indicates via one or more SRI fields in the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant, up to n'<=n groups of SRS resources, wherein each group comprises one or more SRS resources and every group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set.
Claim 16:
The method according claim 1, wherein when a PDCCH or a higher layer grant scheduling more than one PUSCH transmission occasions indicates one or more groups of SRS resources via one or more SRI fields, wherein each group comprises one or more SRS resources, the SRS resource set to which the SRS resources belongs to or associated with is determined based on at least one of the following: a first group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields is associated with an SRS resource set with ID s_1 and a second group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields, which, in terms of the order of indication by the SRI fields, is after said first group of SRS resources, is associated with an SRS resource set with ID s_2, wherein s_2>s_1 or s_2<s_1, and wherein the SRI is associated with the most recent transmission of said SRS resource sets using said ordering of the SRS resource set indication; and a first group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields is associated with an SRS resource set whose resources were the most recently transmitted before or after a reference time t' and a second group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields, which, in terms of the order of indication by the SRI fields, is after said first group of one or more SRS resources is associated with an SRS resource set that is the second most recently transmitted before or after said specific time or reference time t', and wherein if the SRI fields indicate SRS resources only from one SRS resource set or if the indication of only one group of one or more SRS resources from one of the SRS resource sets is valid or selected or considered, then the most recently transmitted one with respect to the specific time or reference time t' is the referenced or associated SRS resource set.
Claim 15:
The method according to claim 1, where the PDCCH indicates n Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources from n'<=n different SRS resource sets; and the method comprising selecting up to 1<=li<=Ri SRS resources from an i-th SRS resource set, wherein Ri denotes a maximum number of SRS resources in the i-th SRS resource set.
Claim 4:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE supports up to R layers of PUSCH and all the resource sets have R_i>=R resources in them and wherein the UE is scheduled, by the network node, with 1<=l<=R layers of PUSCH by indicating l resources from each of the one or more SRS resource sets enabling the same number of data layers or streams for each PUSCH transmission occasion.
Claim 5:
The method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant indicates via one or more SRI fields in the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant, up to n'<=n groups of SRS resources, wherein each group comprises one or more SRS resources and every group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set.
Claim 16:
The method according claim 1, wherein when a PDCCH or a higher layer grant scheduling more than one PUSCH transmission occasions indicates one or more groups of SRS resources via one or more SRI fields, wherein each group comprises one or more SRS resources, the SRS resource set to which the SRS resources belongs to or associated with is determined based on at least one of the following: a first group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields is associated with an SRS resource set with ID s_1 and a second group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields, which, in terms of the order of indication by the SRI fields, is after said first group of SRS resources, is associated with an SRS resource set with ID s_2, wherein s_2>s_1 or s_2<s_1, and wherein the SRI is associated with the most recent transmission of said SRS resource sets using said ordering of the SRS resource set indication; and a first group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields is associated with an SRS resource set whose resources were the most recently transmitted before or after a reference time t' and a second group of one or more SRS resources indicated by the SRI fields, which, in terms of the order of indication by the SRI fields, is after said first group of one or more SRS resources is associated with an SRS resource set that is the second most recently transmitted before or after said specific time or reference time t', and wherein if the SRI fields indicate SRS resources only from one SRS resource set or if the indication of only one group of one or more SRS resources from one of the SRS resource sets is valid or selected or considered, then the most recently transmitted one with respect to the specific time or reference time t' is the referenced or associated SRS resource set.
Claim 16:
The method according to claim 15, wherein an SRS resource in any of the associated SRS resource sets comprises one antenna port or one SRS port.
Claim 3:
The method according to claim 1, wherein an SRS resource in any of the associated SRS resource sets comprises one antenna port/SRS port.
Claim 17: A user equipment (UE) comprising a processor and a memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby the UE is operative to:
receive, from a network node, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for the UE; and
transmit at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH.
Claim 18:
A user equipment (UE) comprising a processor and a memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby said UE is configured to:
receive from a network node, a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources; at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands; and one or more demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports; and
perform the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS ports of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated DMRS ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands
Claim 18:
A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:
transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for the UE;
scheduling the UE to transmit at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH.
Claim 19:
A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:
configuring a user equipment (UE) to receive a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules at least two physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions for the UE, wherein all the scheduled PUSCH transmission occasions are associated with the same PUSCH transport block, and wherein the scheduling PDCCH or higher layer grant provides: at least two groups of sounding reference signal, SRS, resources wherein each group comprises at least one SRS resource and each group of SRS resources is associated with a different SRS resource set, and wherein an SRS resource set is a higher layer configuration that comprises one or more SRS resources, at least two transmit power control (TPC) commands, and one or more demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, for enabling the UE to perform the scheduled PUSCH transmissions, wherein each PUSCH transmission is performed using the SRS port of one of the indicated groups of SRS resources and the indicated DMRS ports, on a set of symbols that is distinct from any other PUSCH transmission scheduled by the PDCCH or higher layer grant, and is associated with one of the indicated TPC commands.
Claims 1,2,3,5,6,,7,8,10,14-19 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-8,12,14-16, and 18-20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 B2. In view of Andersson et al. (WO 2020/165835 A1) and further in view of Intel Corporation (US 2019/0174466 A1) and/or Zhang (US 2022/0330258 A1) as specified below . Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the differences would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art . A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 35 CFR 1.321 may be used to overcome this rejection .
Claim 1 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 1 and 12 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 1 recites receiving a single PDCCH or higher-layer grant scheduling at least two PUSCH transmission occasions associated with the same PUSCH transport block and performing the scheduled PUSCH transmissions using respective SRS, DMRS, and TPC settings. Patent claim 12 further provides that at least one of a TPC command, pathloss reference RS, or spatial relation associated with a PUSCH transmission is different from the corresponding parameter associated with another PUSCH transmission. The patent claims do not expressly describe these transmissions as “at least two segments of a PUSCH.” Andersson, however, teaches a PUSCH divided into multiple segments and the use of respective transmission settings for the segments. It would have been obvious to characterize and implement the scheduled PUSCH portions of patent claims 1 and 12 as the known PUSCH segments taught by Andersson because doing so merely applies a known multi-segment PUSCH format to the scheduled transmissions and predictably permits different transmission parameters to be used for the respective portions. Accordingly, claim 1 is not patentably distinct from claims 1 and 12 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 2 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson and Intel. Patent claim 1 requires the respective PUSCH transmissions to use indicated SRS ports and DMRS ports, and patent claim 2 recites mapping DMRS ports to antenna ports through a precoder matrix or vector. The patent claims do not expressly require that “each segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using one or more distinct antenna and/or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) ports.” Andersson teaches representing the respective PUSCH transmission portions as PUSCH segments, and Intel teaches using different SRS resources, antenna-port subsets, and DMRS-port mappings for respective uplink transmissions. It would have been obvious to apply Intel’s known distinct port mappings to the respective PUSCH segments taught by Andersson because doing so predictably permits the segments to be transmitted through respective antenna panels, beams, or spatial paths. Accordingly, claim 2 is not patentably distinct from claims 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 3 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 12 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 12 expressly recites that at least one parameter associated with one scheduled PUSCH transmission is different from the corresponding parameter associated with another scheduled PUSCH transmission, wherein the parameter is a TPC command, pathloss reference RS, or spatial relation. Andersson teaches describing respective portions of a PUSCH as PUSCH segments. It would have been obvious to apply the different TPC command, pathloss reference RS, or spatial relation of patent claim 12 to the respective known PUSCH segments because this merely uses the patent’s expressly claimed transmission parameters with the known segment configuration. Accordingly, claim 3 is not patentably distinct from claim 12 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 5 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 5 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson and Intel. Patent claim 5 recites that the scheduling PDCCH or higher-layer grant indicates, through one or more SRI fields, multiple groups of SRS resources, with each group associated with a different SRS resource set. Intel teaches using an SRS resource indicator field in scheduling DCI or an uplink grant to indicate selected SRS resources for a PUSCH. Andersson teaches applying respective transmission resources and settings to respective PUSCH segments. It would have been obvious to use the SRI-field indication of patent claim 5 and Intel to identify the SRS resources used for the respective PUSCH segments taught by Andersson because the SRI field performs its known function of identifying the applicable SRS resources. Accordingly, claim 5 is not patentably distinct from claim 5 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 6 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 6 and 7 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson, Intel, and Zhang. Patent claims 6 and 7 recite a cyclic or sequential association between indicated groups of SRS resources and respective PUSCH transmission occasions, including associating the first and second groups with the first and second PUSCH transmission occasions. Andersson teaches respective PUSCH segments, Intel teaches that an indicated SRS resource determines the SRS or antenna ports used for PUSCH, and Zhang teaches using respective panel-associated SRS resources for respective PUSCH transmissions. It would have been obvious to associate the i-th indicated SRS resource and its SRS ports with the i-th PUSCH segment because this constitutes a predictable ordered association of known resources with corresponding transmission portions. Accordingly, claim 6 is not patentably distinct from claims 6 and 7 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 7 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 7 and 8 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson, Intel, and Zhang. Patent claims 7 and 8 recite first and second groups of SRS resources associated with respective first and second PUSCH transmission occasions according to ordered or alternating patterns. Andersson teaches characterizing the respective PUSCH portions as first and second segments. Intel teaches SRS resources having respective SRS or antenna ports and the selection of those ports through scheduling information, while Zhang teaches different panel-associated SRS resources for respective PUSCH transmissions. It would have been obvious to transmit a first PUSCH segment using antenna ports associated with a first indicated SRS resource and a second PUSCH segment using antenna ports associated with a second indicated SRS resource because this predictably applies the respective known resource-associated port sets to the corresponding segments. The recitation that R1+1 and R2+1 denote the respective numbers of ports merely expresses the number of ports contained in each indexed port set. Accordingly, claim 7 is not patentably distinct from claims 7 and 8 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 8 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson and Intel. Patent claim 1 recites performing scheduled PUSCH transmissions using SRS ports of indicated SRS resources. Andersson teaches a segmented PUSCH, and Intel teaches the conventional alternative in which a scheduling grant indicates a single SRS resource and the PUSCH is transmitted using the antenna ports corresponding to the SRS ports of that resource. It would have been obvious to use the same ports associated with a single indicated SRS resource for the PUSCH segments because this is a predictable species of the SRS-resource and port selection encompassed by patent claim 1. Accordingly, claim 8 is not patentably distinct from claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 10 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson, Intel, and Zhang. Patent claims 1 and 2 recite indicated DMRS and SRS ports and the mapping of DMRS ports to antenna ports for respective PUSCH transmissions. Andersson teaches respective PUSCH segments, Intel teaches indicating DMRS ports and mapping the DMRS ports to antenna ports, and Zhang teaches first and second SRS resources associated with different panels or antenna-port subsets. It would have been obvious to associate a first set of a1 antenna ports with a first SRS resource and a distinct second set of a2 antenna ports with a second SRS resource because this predictably applies the known distinct panel-associated port subsets to the respective PUSCH portions. Accordingly, claim 10 is not patentably distinct from claims 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 12 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 12, 14, and 15 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 12 recites different TPC commands associated with respective scheduled PUSCH transmissions. Patent claims 14 and 15 further recite multiple TPC commands and cyclic, sequential, odd/even, or paired associations of those commands with respective PUSCH transmission occasions. Andersson teaches representing the respective PUSCH transmission portions as n PUSCH segments. It would have been obvious for the PDCCH to indicate n TPC commands corresponding to n respective PUSCH segments because doing so applies the multiple TPC commands expressly claimed in the patent to the corresponding known PUSCH segments and predictably permits segment-specific transmit-power control. Accordingly, claim 12 is not patentably distinct from claims 12, 14, and 15 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 14 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 5 and 16 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson, Intel, and Zhang. Patent claim 5 recites indicating groups of SRS resources, with each group associated with a different SRS resource set, and patent claim 16 recites determining the respective SRS resource sets associated with the indicated SRS resources or groups. Andersson teaches applying respective transmission settings to respective PUSCH segments, Intel teaches indicating SRS resources from configured SRS resource sets, and Zhang teaches different panel-associated SRS resources. It would have been obvious for the PDCCH to indicate n SRS resources from n different SRS resource sets for the respective segments because doing so predictably provides a separate resource-set, panel, or beam configuration for each segment. Accordingly, claim 14 is not patentably distinct from claims 5 and 16 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 15 is rejected as being unpatentable over claims 4, 5, and 16 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson and Intel. Patent claim 4 recites indicating a selected number of resources from SRS resource sets having configured resource quantities, patent claim 5 recites indicating groups of resources associated with different SRS resource sets, and patent claim 16 recites determining the SRS resource set associated with the indicated resources. Intel likewise teaches SRS resource sets containing configured numbers of SRS resources and selection or indication of one or more resources from the sets. Andersson teaches using respective transmission resources for respective PUSCH segments. It would have been obvious to select up to 1≤li≤Ri SRS resources from an i-th SRS resource set, where Ri is the maximum number of resources in that set, because selecting no more than the configured maximum represents the predictable use of the resource sets claimed in the patent. Accordingly, claim 15 is not patentably distinct from claims 4, 5, and 16 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 16 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 3 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335. Patent claim 3 expressly recites that an SRS resource in an associated SRS resource set comprises one antenna port or one SRS port. Claim 16 recites the same port limitation for an SRS resource in the associated SRS resource sets and therefore does not add a patentable distinction over patent claim 3 when considered with the limitations of rejected claim 15. Accordingly, claim 16 is not patentably distinct from claim 3 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 17 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 18 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 18 recites a UE having a processor and memory configured to receive a single PDCCH or higher-layer grant scheduling at least two PUSCH transmission occasions and to perform those transmissions using respective SRS, DMRS, and TPC settings. Andersson teaches characterizing the respective PUSCH portions as segments having respective transmission settings. It would have been obvious to configure the UE of patent claim 18 to transmit the respective portions as “at least two segments of a PUSCH” because doing so merely implements the known multi-segment PUSCH format using the UE hardware and scheduled transmission settings already claimed in the patent. Accordingly, claim 17 is not patentably distinct from claim 18 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 18 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 19 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 19 recites a network-node method configuring a UE to receive a PDCCH or higher-layer grant scheduling at least two PUSCH transmission occasions and enabling the UE to perform the transmissions using respective SRS, DMRS, and TPC settings. Andersson teaches a network node scheduling respective portions of a PUSCH as PUSCH segments having respective transmission settings. It would have been obvious for the network node of patent claim 19 to schedule the respective PUSCH portions as at least two PUSCH segments because doing so predictably applies the known segmented-PUSCH format to the scheduled transmissions. Accordingly, claim 18 is not patentably distinct from claim 19 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
Claim 19 is rejected as being unpatentable over claim 20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335 in view of Andersson. Patent claim 20 recites a network node having a processor and memory configured to schedule at least two PUSCH transmission occasions and provide respective SRS, DMRS, and TPC settings for those transmissions. Andersson teaches configuring a network node to schedule respective PUSCH portions as PUSCH segments having respective transmission settings. It would have been obvious to configure the network node of patent claim 20 to schedule the respective portions as “at least two segments of a PUSCH” because doing so merely implements the known segmented-PUSCH format using the network-node hardware and scheduling functionality already claimed in the patent. Accordingly, claim 19 is not patentably distinct from claim 20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,114,335.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-8, 10, and 14-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andersson et al. (WO2020/165835 A1; hereinafter 'Andersson') in view of Intel Corporation (US 2019/0174466 A1; hereinafter 'Intel').
Regarding claim 1, Claim 1 recites a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a network node, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for the UE; and transmitting at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters,
wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH. Andersson teaches a UE receiving an uplink grant or configured-grant information for a PUSCH; one uplink grant scheduling two or more PUSCH repetitions characterized as a multi-segment transmission; and a wireless device initiating a multiple-segment PUSCH. See Andersson paragraphs [0053]-[0054], [0095], [0105], and [0175], and Figures 8 and 20-21.
Andersson further teaches transmit-format data including TBS determination data, RV determination data, starting-point and length data, TDRA data, and DMRS data, but does not expressly associate a set of such parameters with each segment. Intel teaches that parameters applied to a PUSCH transmission are provided by configuredGrantConfig and pusch-Config, and teaches resource-specific configurations including frequency offset, comb, number of symbols, cyclic shifts, sequence ID, antenna ports, and time-domain behavior. See Intel paragraphs [0036]-[0037], [0041]-[0044].
It would have been obvious to associate Intel's known resource-specific parameter set with each Andersson segment so that the UE can determine the resources, reference-signal pattern, antenna ports, precoder, rank, and time-domain behavior applicable to that segment. This is the predictable application of known PUSCH configuration information to known PUSCH portions and improves channel estimation and reliable transmission. Andersson teaches a different corresponding value by providing an initial RV for the initial segment, subsequent RVs from the sequence {0,2,3,1}, individually signaled segment RVs, and allocation of different RVs to different segments. See Andersson paragraphs [0039], [0060], [0133]-[0134], and [0140]-[0143]. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 1.
Regarding Claim 2, Claim 2 recites the method of claim 1, wherein each segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using one or more distinct antenna and/or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) ports.
Andersson does not expressly require distinct antenna or DMRS ports for the respective segments. Intel teaches multi-panel operation with two antenna ports per panel, DMRS-group indication, and precoding based on two or four antenna ports. See Intel paragraph [0050]. Thus, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to assign the known panel-specific port groups to respective Andersson segments to permit transmission through different panels or beams, predictably improving spatial diversity and reliability. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 2.
Regarding Claim 3, Claim 3 recites wherein the at least one transmission parameter is at least one of the following: a transmit power control (TPC) command, a pathloss reference Signal (RS), or a spatial relation.
Andersson does not expressly identify the differing parameter as a TPC command, pathloss reference RS, or spatial relation. Intel teaches SRS-SpatialRelationInfo identifying a transmission beam and teaches using the same spatial-domain filter for PUSCH as the configured SRS resource. See Intel paragraphs [0054]-[0055] and [0317]-[0322]. Thus, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use Intel's resource-associated spatial relations for respective Andersson segments to direct the segments through selected beams and predictably improve spatial diversity and uplink reliability.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 3.
Regarding claim 4, Andersson in view of Intel teaches the method of claim 1. Andersson further teaches transmitting a multiple-segment PUSCH within a scheduled slot, with the segments constituting parts of the scheduled PUSCH transmission. Andersson teaches that a segment contains a set of symbols used for uplink transmission and that the PUSCH segmentation and transmission format are determined from the PUSCH allocation and scheduling information. See Andersson, the discussion of the two-segment PUSCH transmission, Figures 20–21, and the multiple-segment transmission embodiments.
Andersson does not expressly disclose that “the at least two segments of the PUSCH are associated with same time and frequency domain resources in a scheduled slot.”
Intel teaches uplink MIMO operation using multiple antenna ports, DMRS groups, layers, panels, SRS resources, and corresponding precoders. Intel explains that the uplink precoder is selected based on the DMRS; the TPMI indicates the precoder applied over the antenna ports or layers; multiple DMRS groups and multiple panels may be scheduled; and the number of antenna ports is determined using scheduled DMRS-group indices. See Intel ¶¶ corresponding to the “Precoding and number of layers” disclosure, including the teachings that:
the TPMI indicates a precoder applied over antenna ports or layers;
the number of antenna ports may be determined from scheduled DMRS-group indices;
a UE may have two panels with two antenna ports per panel; and
scheduling both panels results in a four-antenna-port codebook.
Spatially multiplexed MIMO layers occupy the scheduled PUSCH time-frequency allocation while being distinguished in the spatial/antenna-port domain. Thus, the combination teaches associating the PUSCH segments with the same time-and-frequency-domain resources in the scheduled slot while distinguishing the segments by antenna ports, DMRS ports, precoders, panels, or spatial relations.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to spatially multiplex Andersson’s PUSCH segments using Intel’s different antenna ports, DMRS groups, panels, or precoders on the same scheduled time-frequency resources. The motivation would have been to improve spectral efficiency, reduce time and frequency resource consumption, and permit simultaneous transmission toward different receiving panels or TRPs using known uplink-MIMO techniques. The modification represents the predictable use of Intel’s known spatial-multiplexing arrangement with Andersson’s known segmented PUSCH and would have yielded the predictable result of transmitting separately identifiable PUSCH segments on a common time-frequency allocation.
Therefore, Andersson in view of Intel teaches “wherein the at least two segments of the PUSCH are associated with same time and frequency domain resources in a scheduled slot,” as recited in claim 4.
Regarding Claim 5, Claim 5 recites the method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an indication of n (n>1) Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)
resources, wherein the indication of the n SRS resources is performed using an SRS resource indicator field in the PDCCH or the higher layer grant.
Intel teaches that PUSCH may be dynamically scheduled by DCI or configured grant; that SRI, TPMI, and rank are provided by the SRS-resource-indicator and precoding/number-of-layers fields of DCI or higher-layer parameters; and that DCI may indicate configured SRS resources. See Intel paragraphs [0036], [0041], [0045]-[0046], and [0309]-[0317].
Thus, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use Intel's known SRI signaling to identify the SRS resources applicable to Andersson's
respective segments because the field performs its established function of identifying the PUSCH resource, precoder, rank, ports, and spatial information. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 5.
Regarding Claim 6, Claim 6 recites The method of claim 5, wherein a transmission of an i-th segment of the PUSCH is performed using SRS ports
associated with an i-th SRS resource indicated via the PDCCH or the higher layer grant.
Intel teaches that the indicated SRS resource determines the PUSCH precoder, rank, antenna ports, and spatial-domain filter. See Intel paragraphs [0041], [0054], and [0057].
It would have been obvious to associate the i-th indicated SRS resource and its ports with the i-th segment as a predictable ordered mapping that unambiguously identifies the transmission configuration for each segment. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 6.
Regarding claim 7, Claim 7 recites the method according to claim 1, wherein the PUSCH transmission is scheduled via the PDCCH that indicates two Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources, where the first and second SRS resources are associated with antenna port(s) p1,0, ..., p1,R1 and p2,0, ..., p2,R2, respectively, wherein a first segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using the antenna ports p1,0, ..., p1,R1 and a second segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using the
antenna ports p2,0, ..., p2,R2, and wherein R1+1 and R2+1 denote the number of antenna port(s) associated with the first and second SRS resource, respectively. Intel teaches SRS resources having configured antenna ports, two panels with two antenna ports per panel, and SRI/DCI
selection of an SRS resource for PUSCH. See Intel paragraphs [0041]-[0044], [0050], and [0057].
It would have been obvious to associate the first resource's indexed port set with the first segment and the second resource's indexed port set with the second segment. The R1+1 and R2+1 expressions merely state the cardinalities of
the indexed port sets and yield a predictable ordered multi-panel implementation.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 7.
Regarding claim 8, Claim 8 recites the method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH or the higher layer grant indicates a single Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource, and the PUSCH is transmitted on same antenna port(s) corresponding to SRSport(s) associated with the indicated single SRS resource.
Intel expressly teaches that only one SRS resource can be indicated by SRI within a codebook SRS resource set and that the UE transmits PUSCH using the same antenna ports as the SRS ports in the resource indicated by DCI format 0_1 or configuredGrantConfig. See Intel paragraph [0057].
Applying that known single-resource/same-port configuration to Andersson's segmented PUSCH is an obvious species that uses the indicated resource according to its established function.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 8.
Regarding claim 9, Andersson in view of Intel teaches the method of claim 1. Andersson teaches receiving scheduling information for a multiple-segment PUSCH and transmitting the respective PUSCH segments according to segment-specific transmission information.
Andersson does not expressly disclose “receiving an indication of up to m \ge n Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) ports, p \ge m antenna ports and n precoding matrices or vectors that map m DMRS ports to p antenna ports for n (n>1) segments of the PUSCH transmission, wherein the p antenna ports are indicated via an Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource indicator (SRI) field in a scheduling Downlink Control Information (DCI) or the higher layer grant.”
Intel teaches that a PUSCH scheduled by DCI format 0_1 determines its PUSCH transmission precoder based on the SRI, TPMI, and transmission rank; the SRI, TPMI, and rank are provided through the SRS-resource-indicator field and the precoding-information-and-number-of-layers field of the DCI or corresponding higher-layer parameters. Intel further teaches that the TPMI identifies the precoder applied over the antenna ports or layers corresponding to an SRS resource selected by the SRI. Intel also teaches multiple DMRS groups, scheduled DMRS antenna ports, multiple panels, and codebooks having a number of antenna ports corresponding to the configured SRS ports. See Intel’s “Precoding and number of layers” disclosure and the multi-panel/DMRS-group embodiments.
It would have been obvious to apply Intel’s SRI/TPMI/DMRS-to-antenna-port precoding procedure separately to each of Andersson’s n PUSCH segments. Because Andersson schedules n separately processed segments and Intel uses a precoding matrix or vector to map the DMRS-defined transmission layers to the applicable antenna ports, repeating Intel’s known mapping for each segment would produce n matrices or vectors .The motivation would have been to permit each segment to use the antenna ports, panel, beam, or transmission rank appropriate for its intended channel or TRP while retaining dynamic DCI or higher-layer scheduling. This is the predictable repetition of a known precoding operation for each independently scheduled segment.
Therefore, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or renders obvious every limitation of claim 9.
Regarding claim 10, Claim 10 recites the method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH or the higher layer grant indicates d Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) and a1+a2 antenna ports, wherein a first set of a1 antenna ports are associated with a first Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource, and a second set of a2 antenna ports distinct from the first set of
antenna ports are associated with a second SRS resource.
Intel teaches DMRS-group indication, a UE having two panels with two antenna ports per panel, and precoding based on the applicable two-port or four-port codebook. See Intel paragraphs [0049]-[0051]. Intel also teaches SRS resources with configured antenna ports. See Intel paragraphs [0042]-[0044].
It would have been obvious to associate a first panel's a1-port set with a first SRS resource and a distinct second panel's a2-port set with a second SRS resource and to indicate the associated DMRS ports, predictably enabling multi-panel
spatial diversity. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 10.
Regarding claim 11, Andersson in view of Intel teaches the method of claim 10.
Andersson does not expressly disclose “wherein, an i-th segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using an i-th set of DMRS and antenna ports, wherein the d DMRS ports are divided into sets of DMRS ports.”
Intel teaches scheduled DMRS groups, DMRS antenna ports, corresponding antenna-port groups, and multi-panel transmission. Intel particularly teaches that the number of antenna ports may be determined by the scheduled DMRS-group indices and the maximum number of layers for the scheduled DMRS groups. Intel gives the example of a UE having two panels with two antenna ports per panel, where selection of one DMRS group results in a precoder based on two antenna ports and selection of both panels results in a precoder based on four antenna ports. Intel also teaches that the TPMI identifies the precoder applied to the corresponding antenna ports or layers and that the applicable antenna ports correspond to the selected SRS resource.
It would have been obvious to assign a respective one of Intel’s DMRS/antenna-port groups to each of Andersson’s separately transmitted PUSCH segments. A person of ordinary skill would have divided the available d DMRS ports into respective sets so that each spatially distinct segment could be coherently demodulated and associated with its corresponding antenna-port group, panel, beam, or TRP. The motivation would have been to allow the receiver to distinguish and demodulate the respective spatially multiplexed PUSCH segments and to maintain the known relationship among DMRS ports, transmission layers, antenna ports, SRS resources, and precoders.
Therefore, Andersson in view of Intel teaches “an i-th segment of the PUSCH is transmitted using an i-th set of DMRS and antenna ports, wherein the d DMRS ports are divided into sets of DMRS ports,” as recited in claim 11.
Regarding claim 14, Claim 14 discloses the method according to claim 1, wherein the PDCCH indicates n Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources from n different SRS resource sets.
Intel teaches one or more SRS resource sets, each containing one or more SRS resources, and DCI selection or triggering of configured SRS resource sets or resources. See Intel paragraphs [0046], [0057], and [0309]-[0317].Thus, it would have been obvious to indicate resources from different sets for respective segments to provide separate panel, beam, or spatial-relation configurations and thereby improve reliability.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 14.
Regarding claim 15, Claim 15 discloses the method according to claim 1, where the PDCCH indicates n Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources from n'<=n different SRS resource sets; and the method comprising selecting up to 1<=li<=Ri SRS resources from an i-th SRS resource set, wherein Ri denotes a maximum number of SRS resources in the i-th SRS resource set. Intel teaches configuring one or more SRS resource sets and a bounded number of SRS resources within a set, including
up to two resources for codebook transmission and up to four for non-codebook transmission. See Intel paragraphs [0003], [0041], and [0057].
Selecting li resources from the i-th set without exceeding the configured Ri maximum is the predictable use of the finite configured resources within the UE's established capability. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 15.
Regarding claim 16, Claim 16 recites the method according to claim 15, wherein an SRS resource in any of the associated SRS resource sets comprises one antenna port or one SRS port.
Intel teaches that only one SRS port is configured for each SRS resource in non-codebook transmission. See Intel paragraph [0041].
Selecting this expressly disclosed single-port species is an obvious choice from the finite known port configurations and predictably yields one antenna port or one SRS port.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 16.
Regarding claim 17, Claim 17 discloses a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor and a memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby the UE is operative to: receive, from a network node, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for the UE; and transmit
at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH.
Andersson teaches a wireless device with processing circuitry and memory configured to receive the configuration message and initiate the multiple-segment PUSCH. See Andersson paragraphs [0053]-[0054] and [0175] and Figures 5 and 8. The claim 1 combination and motivation apply to the corresponding processor-executed functions. Implementing the combined method through Andersson's disclosed processor and memory is the ordinary and predictable apparatus
implementation. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 17.
Regarding claim 18, Claim 18 discloses a method performed by a network node, the method comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a physical
downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel
(PUSCH) transmission for the UE; scheduling the UE to transmit at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH.
Andersson teaches a network-node method generating a configuration message containing transmit-format data for a multiple-segment transmission and transmitting it to the UE. See Andersson paragraphs [0032]-[0033] and [0172]-[0174], Figure 7.
It would have been obvious for the network node to schedule and provide Intel's known resource-specific configuration information for the respective segments for the same reasons stated for claim 1.
Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 18.
Regarding claim 19, Claim 19 discloses a network node comprising a processor and a memory containing instructions executable by the processor, whereby the network node is operative to: transmit to a user equipment (UE), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or a higher layer grant that schedules a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission for the UE;
and schedule the UE to transmit at least two segments of a PUSCH, wherein each segment of the at least two segments is associated with a transmission setting comprising a set of transmission parameters, wherein at least one transmission parameter associated with one of the at least two segments of the PUSCH has a value different from that of a corresponding transmission parameter associated with at least one other segment of the PUSCH. Andersson teaches a network node with processing circuitry and memory configured to generate and transmit the multi-segment configuration. See Andersson paragraphs [0172]-[0174] and the network-node apparatus discussion. Implementing the combined network-node method of claim 18 through the disclosed processor and memory is the ordinary and predictable apparatus implementation. Accordingly, Andersson in view of Intel teaches or suggests every limitation of claim 19.
Claim(s) 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andersson and Intel in view of Wernersson et al. (US 2020/0288404 A1, hereinafter Wernersson).
Regarding claim 12, Andersson in view of Intel teaches the method of claim 1 and a PUSCH having n, where n>1, segments. Andersson does not expressly disclose that “the PDCCH indicates n transmit power control (TPC) commands corresponding to the n segments of the PUSCH.”
Wernersson teaches a wireless device having multiple closed-loop power-control states for PUSCH transmissions and receiving, in a PDCCH/DCI downlink control message, a plurality of TPC commands. Wernersson teaches:
TPC commands may be sent using designated DCI bit-field locations;
a DCI may contain TPC command number 1, TPC command number 2, through TPC command number N;
a 2-bit TPC command may occupy a corresponding assigned bit-field location;
multiple closed loops may correspond to different PUSCH beams or TRPs; and
a particular TPC command is applied to its corresponding PUSCH power-control loop.
See Wernersson’s discussion of DCI formats containing multiple TPC commands, particularly the disclosure corresponding to 2-bit TPC-command locations, N closed loops, and respective PUSCH beams/TRPs.
It would have been obvious to provide one of Wernersson’s TPC commands for each of Andersson’s n PUSCH segments. Andersson’s segments can have different transmission settings, and Intel teaches different panels, antenna-port groups, SRS resources, precoders, and spatial paths. Separate power control for the respective segments would compensate for the different propagation losses and channel conditions associated with the respective beams, panels, or TRPs. Associating the i-th TPC command with the i-th segment would constitute the predictable application of Wernersson’s multiple PUSCH power-control loops to Andersson’s multiple PUSCH segments.
Therefore, Andersson in view of Intel and Wernersson teaches “wherein the PUSCH includes n (n>1) segments, and the PDCCH indicates n transmit power control (TPC) commands corresponding to the n segments of the PUSCH,” as recited in claim 12.
Regarding claim 13, Andersson in view of Intel and Wernersson teaches the method of claim 12.
Wernersson teaches that a conventional TPC command occupies a p-bit field—particularly a 2-bit field—and that a DCI carrying N TPC commands contains corresponding repeated TPC-command bit fields. Wernersson explains that locations 1 and 2 may carry a 2-bit TPC command for a first controlled entity, locations 3 and 4 may carry a 2-bit TPC command for a second controlled entity, and so forth. Wernersson expressly states that, for N controlled entities, the DCI has at least 2N bits. Wernersson additionally teaches that higher-layer signaling indicates the applicable bit-field location and that each 2-bit TPC-command pattern maps to a known power adjustment.
Wernersson does not describe the controlled entities using the term “PUSCH segments.” However, as explained for claim 12, applying the respective TPC commands to Andersson’s respective PUSCH segments would have been obvious because the segments use different transmission settings and may correspond to different antenna-port groups, beams, panels, power-control loops, or TRPs.
Once n independently power-controlled PUSCH segments are provided, extending the conventional p-bit TPC field by repeating or concatenating it n times to obtain an np-bit field would have been the straightforward application of Wernersson’s disclosed DCI structure. Each successive p-bit portion would predictably contain the TPC command for the corresponding successive PUSCH segment. The preexisting mapping between each p-bit pattern and its TPC power-adjustment value would remain specified and known to the UE.
The motivation would have been to convey all segment-specific TPC commands in the same scheduling PDCCH without requiring separate scheduling messages, thereby reducing control-signaling overhead and permitting independent power control for transmissions directed toward different panels, beams, or TRPs. Repeating the known fixed-width TPC field once per independently controlled segment is a predictable finite implementation choice.
Therefore, Andersson in view of Intel and Wernersson teaches or renders obvious “wherein a field in the PDCCH or higher layer grant indicating the n TPC commands is extended from a p-bit field to an np-bit field, and wherein the i-th p-bit pattern indicates a TPC command for the i-th PUSCH segment and the mapping of the p-bit pattern to the TPC command is specified and known to the UE.”
Conclusion
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/ANGEL T BROCKMAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2412
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