DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
Claims 1- 18 are pending in instant application.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of Applicant's claim for application filed on 10/04/2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 02/11/2026 was filed before the mailing of a first Office action on the merits. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over
Poddar et al. [Poddar] US 20250309948 A1 in view of Xiaoli et al. [Xiaoli] WO 2021259225 A1, Zhang et al. [Zhang] US 20260081658 A1.
Regarding claim 1. Poddar discloses a method, implemented by a wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU) in a network, comprising: receiving configuration information comprising a set of precoder types and one or more associated conditions for determining a precoder type from the set of precoder types, and receiving one or more downlink reference signal (DL RS); (Claim 1. A user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (gNB), the UE comprising:…¶ [0038], For example, a UE 102 transmits electromagnetic signals to the gNB 160 and receives electromagnetic signals from the gNB 160 using the one or more antennas 122a-n. The gNB 160 communicates with the UE 102 using one or more antennas 180a-n. ¶ [0019],A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes transmitting circuitry configured to configure a far-field codebook comprising a plurality of far-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is further configured to configure a near-field codebook comprising a plurality of near-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is yet further configured to select a codebook and transmit using the selected codebook.¶ [0021] ,The UE may also include receiving circuitry configured to receive a distance threshold from a base station (gNB) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In some implementations, the distance threshold is a Rayleigh distance. If no distance threshold is received from the gNB, the UE may use the distance threshold as Rayleigh distance. Claim 2. The UE of claim 1, wherein, selecting the precoder is based on a distance between the gNB and the UE. Claim 3. The UE of claim 2, wherein, selecting the precoder is based on comparing the distance ( r ) between the gNB and the UE with a distance threshold.Claim 6. The UE of claim 3, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a precoder from the plurality of far-field candidate precoders is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a precoder from the plurality of near-field candidate precoders is selected.¶ [0043] ,The one or more gNBs 160 may also transmit information or data to the one or more UEs 102 using one or more downlink channels 119, for instance. Examples of downlink channels 119 include a PDCCH, a PDSCH, etc. Other kinds of channels may be used. The PDCCH may be used for transmitting Downlink Control Information (DCI).[Examiner Note: UE communicates with a Gnb and transmits/receives electromagnetic signals through antennas. ¶ [0019] discloses set of precoder types (Far-field precoder and near-field precoder) , associate conditions (selection of far-field and near-field precoder based on based on distance r).])
Poddar does not disclose performing one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS;
However, Xioli discloses performing one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ 5. Cell or beam measurement information. The beam measurement information includes RSRP and RSRQ measured by synchronization signal block (SSB) or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), [Examiner Note: Measurement is done on CSI-RS which is a type of DL-RS, as DL-RS is general term for any reference signal transmitted in downlink.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed accuracy and modify the teachings as taught by Poddar with the teachings of Xioli, since doing so would have helped with balance feedback overhead with accuracy, and optimize signal strength without overloading computational or signaling resources.
Poddar disclose determining a precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions; (Claim 7. 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. [Examiner Note: Precoder is determined based on distance r compared to threshold and based on that conditions either far-field or near-field precoder is selected.] )
Modified Poddar does not disclose and transmitting a report to the network, the report comprising an indication of the determined precoder type.
However, Zhang discloses and transmitting a report to the network, the report comprising an indication of the determined precoder type. (Abstract, Methods and apparatus of codebook enhancement for coherent joint transmission are disclosed. The apparatus includes: a receiver that receives a configuration signalling for a first codebook and a second codebook, wherein the first codebook is for Channel State Information (CSI) reporting to a first transmitting-receiving entity, and the second codebook is for CSI reporting to a second transmitting-receiving entity; a processor that determines a Precoder Matrix Indicator (PMI) based on the second codebook comprising one or more phase adjustment coefficients; and a transmitter that transmits the PMI in reporting of CSI.[Examiner Note: Channel State Information (CSI) codebook report implicitly determines and includes the specific precoder choice through the Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI).] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed accuracy and modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Zhang, since doing so would have helped with antenna mapping, and beamforming configuration for subsequent downlink data transfers.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Landstrom et al. [Landstrom] US 20130005382 A1, Kwak et al. [Kwak] US 20190215086 A1, Poddar et al. [Hitesh] US 20260095217 A1.
Regarding claim 2. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among precoder types from the set of precoder types, and one or more ranges of delay spread values;
However, Landstrom discloses wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among precoder types from the set of precoder types, and one or more ranges of delay spread values; (¶ [0007] Conversely, rather than reporting a wideband CQI with or without frequency-selective PMIs, an individual user may report frequency-selective CQIs, with each reported CQI representing the channel quality estimate for a given one of the defined frequency subbands. [Examiner Note: PMI includes precoder configuration with delay domain information.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Landstrom, since doing so would have helped with optimizes spectral efficiency, reduces feedback overhead, and prevents inter-symbol interference.
Landstrom does not disclose performing the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring delay spread of the one or more DL RS; and determining of the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values.
However, Kwak discloses performing the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring delay spread of the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0175], In CSI reporting of LTE, as described in Table 1, the eNB sets a reference signal and reporting-related settings through higher layer settings based on the CSI process, with respect to the UE. For periodic CSI reporting reports based on this, it is reported to a previously configured reporting timing and resources for reporting. For aperiodic CSI reporting, the eNB reports setting information, which is set in advance, through a trigger in a DCI transmitted through a DL control signal. [Examiner Note: As CSI is directly related to precoders and delay spread value, and measurement is done through DL channel.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Kwak, since doing so would have helped with adapting transmission settings to prevent data loss.
Kwak does not disclose and determining of the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values.
However, Hitesh discloses and determining of the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values. (¶ [0104] , Some embodiments provide a method for detecting a VR for each UE in the near field. These embodiments may specify CSI configurations for each VR for every UE in the near-field, in addition to the CSI configurations for UEs in the far-field. The best near field precoder may then be selected based on the VR that is selected for the UE. ¶ [0063] , The QCL types corresponding to each DL RS may be given, for example, by the higher layer (e.g., RRC layer), parameters for the at least one RS and may take one of the following values:
‘QCL-TypeA’: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread}
‘QCL-TypeB’: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread}
‘QCL-TypeC’: {Doppler shift, average delay}
‘QCL-TypeD’: {Spatial reception (Rx) parameter}
[Examiner Note: Precoder is selected based on near-field conditions, further ¶ [0063] talking about the delay spread value within the context of QCL-TypeA.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Hitesh, since doing so would have helped with low delay spread.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Park et al. [Park] US 20190174527 A1, Seo et al. [Seo] US 20140016497 A1.
Regarding claim 3. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types and precoder types from the set of precoder types; performing the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS;
However, Park discloses wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types and precoder types from the set of precoder types; (¶ [0343] , That is, a separate field indicating K-bit (U2) precoder information for each subband corresponding to a specific PRB(s) in the scheduled PRB area indicated in the RA field may be defined/configured. [Examiner Note: This paragraph shows direct link between resource allocation region and the precoder configuration for that region.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Park, since doing so would have given advantages of better signal quality, higher data speeds and lower power use.
Park does not disclose performing the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS;
However, Seo discloses performing the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0008], To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a method of performing a measurement, which is performed by a user equipment in a wireless communication system, according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of receiving a configuration information of CSI-RS (channel status information-reference signal) defined by a plurality of antenna ports from a base station, combining CSI-RSs, each of which is defined by specific antenna ports among the plurality of antenna ports, and performing the measurement based on the combined CSI-RS.¶ [0049] , In the drawing, R1 to R4 indicate reference signals (RS) for antennas 0 to 3, respectively. The RS may be fixed to a predetermined pattern in a subframe irrespective of the control region or the data region. The control region may be assigned to a resource, to which the RS is not assigned, in the control region. [Examiner Note: Paragraph discloses measurement is done on CSI-RS (which is strictly related to downlink), that is association with region types.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Seo, since doing so would have helped with adaptive processing, overhead reduction and improved accuracy.
Poddar discloses and determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type. (Claim 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. Fig 2A is an example of a planer wave in the far-field assumption. and Fig. 2B is an example of a spherical wave in near-field assumption.)
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar.
Regarding claim 4. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Poddar disclose wherein the set of precoder types comprises any of: one or more near-field (NF) precoder types, one or more far-field (FF) precoder types, or one or more hybrid NF-FF precoder type. (¶ [0019], A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes transmitting circuitry configured to configure a far-field codebook comprising a plurality of far-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is further configured to configure a near-field codebook comprising a plurality of near-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is yet further configured to select a codebook and transmit using the selected codebook.)
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Abdelmonem et al. [Abdel] US 20240214032 A1.
Regarding claim 5. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 3,
Modified Poddar does not discloses wherein the configured set of region types comprises any of: a near-field (NF) region type, an NF inner focus region type, an NF outer focus region type, and a far-field (FF) region type.
However, Abdel discloses wherein the configured set of region types comprises any of: a near-field (NF) region type, an NF inner focus region type, an NF outer focus region type, and a far-field (FF) region type. (¶[0038] , The near field is composed of two regions: the reactive near field and the radiating near field (also called the Fresnel zone or region). In the far-field region (also called the Fraunhofer zone or region), the field components are transverse to the radial direction of the antenna. The far-field E (electric) and H (magnetic) strength decrease by inverse law l/r, where r is the distance from the antenna. Embodiments described herein define and account for a new region between/overlapping the Fresnel region and the Fraunhofer region, namely an “intermediate” (or intermediate-field) region.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Abdel , since doing so would have helped with spherical and planar wavefront propagation which would improve multi-user interference management, optimize power delivery and spatial resolution.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Awad et al. [Awad] US 20130130682 A1, Liu Honglai et al. [Liu] WO2013056394A1.
Regarding claim 6. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, and one or more ranges of RSRP values;
However, Awad discloses wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, and one or more ranges of RSRP values; (¶[0051], These RSRP bias threshold values can then be transmitted to a UE which is within range of a pico cell for use in performing the serving cell selection procedure. [Examiner Note: Region type (a pico cell region) is linked with an RSRP value (an RSRP offset threshold)] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Awad, since doing so would have helped with targeted optimization and efficient handovers.
Xioli discloses performing the one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring RS received power (RSRP) of the one or more DL RS; (Page 22 , 5. Cell or beam measurement information, the beam measurement information includes RSRP and RSRQ measured by a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and the measurement information of the cell includes RSRP and RSRQ of the cell. Reference may be made in particular to the TS 38.331 protocol for measuring content.)
Xioli does not disclose determining a region type from the set of region types, based on the measured RSRP matching with a range of RSRP values of the one or more ranges of RSRP values; and determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type.
However, Liu discloses determining a region type from the set of region types, based on the measured RSRP matching with a range of RSRP values of the one or more ranges of RSRP values; (¶ [00023], Figure 1 a illustrates the method 100 in a radio base station for determining where in the cell the UE, being served by the radio base station, is located, the method comprising receiving 1 10a at least a first and subsequently a second Reference Signal Received Power, RSRP, value from the UE; and comparing 1 15a the received first and second RSRP values. The method further comprises selecting 125a a first threshold value if the comparison indicates increasing RSRP values corresponding to the UE moving towards a cell-centre area, or selecting a second threshold value if the comparison indicates decreasing RSRP values corresponding to the UE moving towards a cell-edge area. Further, the method comprises determining 145a whether the UE is located in the cell-centre area or the cell-edge area using the selected threshold value.[Examiner Note: Region Types are selected (cell-center or cell-edge area) based on RSRP threshold values.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Liu, since doing so would have helped with determining coverage regions.
Poddar discloses and determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type. (Claim 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. Fig 2A is an example of a planer wave in the far-field assumption. and Fig. 2B is an example of a spherical wave in near-field assumption.)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Venkatesh et al. [Venkatesh] US 20220255609 A1.
Regarding claim 7. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Seo discloses wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, one or more ranges of delay spread values, and precoder types; (¶ [0084], Moreover, for data demodulation, DM-RS is transmitted as a dedicated reference signal to a UE scheduled in a corresponding time-frequency region. In particular, DM-RS transmitted to a specific UE is transmitted only in a region, in which the corresponding UE is scheduled, i.e., a time-frequency region for receiving data. [Examiner Note: DM-RS is directly related to precoder type, its configuration density also adapts to channel properties influenced by delay spread], here DM-RS is transmitted in time-frequency region type.)
Kwak disclose performing one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring delay spread of the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0175], In CSI reporting of LTE, as described in Table 1, the eNB sets a reference signal and reporting-related settings through higher layer settings based on the CSI process, with respect to the UE. For periodic CSI reporting reports based on this, it is reported to a previously configured reporting timing and resources for reporting. For aperiodic CSI reporting, the eNB reports setting information, which is set in advance, through a trigger in a DCI transmitted through a DL control signal. [Examiner Note: As CSI is directly related to precoders and delay spread value and measurement is done through DL channel.])
Seo discloses determining a region type from the set of region types, based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0084] , Moreover, for data demodulation, DM-RS is transmitted as a dedicated reference signal to a UE scheduled in a corresponding time-frequency region. In particular, DM-RS transmitted to a specific UE is transmitted only in a region, in which the corresponding UE is scheduled, i.e., a time-frequency region for receiving data.)
Modified Poddar does not disclose and determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type and from the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values, according to the one or more associations.
However, Venkatesh discloses and determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises determining the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type and from the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values, according to the one or more associations. (¶[0073], FIGS. 1-4 depict several examples of delay configurations for the precoder matrix of a layer with different computational complexities and feedback overheads for selecting and reporting the delay vectors per beam are provided; ¶[0128], For example, when the average delay spread of the MIMO channel is small (which is typically observed in Line-of-sight (LOS) channel(s)), the energy of the channel impulse response is concentrated in a single main peak and only a few dominant delays are associated with the main peak. In such a case, the UE selects only few delay vectors from a second codebook, where the corresponding delays of the selected delay vectors are associated with the dominant channel delays of the MIMO CIR. In contrast, when the average delay spread of the channel impulse response is large (as observed in Non-Line-of-sight (NLOS) channel(s)), the energy of the channel impulse response is concentrated in a one or more peaks and a larger number of dominant channel delays is associated with the peak(s) of the CIR. Then, the UE selects a larger number of delay vectors from the second codebook. Therefore, for typical MIMO channel settings, the selected delay vectors by the UE are mainly associated with a subset of the delay vectors from the second codebook. Therefore, the size of the second codebook may be reduced, and thus the computational complexity for selecting the delay vectors by the UE. [Examiner Note: Selecting a corresponding delay-vector subset/configuration of the precoder matrix from the codebook with LOS vs NLOS region type and small vs large delay spread range.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Venkatesh since doing so would have helped with spatial geometry and delay spread.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Warken US 20130324144 A1.
Regarding claim 8. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 1,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein the report is transmitted if time elapsed since a previous transmission of the report is above a configured threshold.
However, Warken discloses wherein the report is transmitted if time elapsed since a previous transmission of the report is above a configured threshold.(Abstract, the amount of data to be transmitted to the user equipment and monitoring the time elapsed since the previous downlink transmission of the user equipment and allowing data transmission only when either result of monitoring exceeds a predetermined threshold; [Examiner Note: The amount of data(Report) is transmitted when time elapsed since previous transmission.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Warken, since doing so would have helped with network reliability and reduction in noise.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Gao et al. [Gao] US 20230075088 A1.
Regarding claim 9. Modified Poddar discloses the method according to claim 2,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein the delay spread represents a difference between arrival times at the WTRU of an earliest and a latest multipath component of the one or more DL RS.
However, Gao disclose wherein the delay spread represents a difference between arrival times at the WTRU of an earliest and a latest multipath component of the one or more DL RS. (¶ [0009] , In some embodiments, more than one DL RS corresponding to the more than one RS indexes can be received simultaneously or associated with same group information. In some embodiments, more than one DL RS corresponding to the more than one RS indexes can be associated with different group information. In some embodiments, the report may include group information that is associated with at least one of: a timestamp, a time-difference information, an average delay, a delay spread, a Doppler shift, or a Doppler spread.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Gao, since doing so would have helped with receiver adaptation and fading identification.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Poddar et al. [Poddar] US 20250309948 A1 in view of Xiaoli et al. [Xiaoli] WO 2021259225 A1, Zhang et al. [Zhang] US 20260081658 A1.
Regarding claim 10. Poddar discloses a wireless transmit-receive unit (WTRU) in a network, comprising at least one processor and configured to: receive configuration information comprising a set of precoder types and one or more associated conditions for determining a precoder type from the set of precoder types, and receive one or more downlink reference signal (DL RS); (Claim 1. A user equipment (UE) communicating with a base station (gNB), the UE comprising:…¶ [0038], For example, a UE 102 transmits electromagnetic signals to the gNB 160 and receives electromagnetic signals from the gNB 160 using the one or more antennas 122a-n. The gNB 160 communicates with the UE 102 using one or more antennas 180a-n. ¶ [0019],A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes transmitting circuitry configured to configure a far-field codebook comprising a plurality of far-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is further configured to configure a near-field codebook comprising a plurality of near-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is yet further configured to select a codebook and transmit using the selected codebook.¶ [0021] ,The UE may also include receiving circuitry configured to receive a distance threshold from a base station (gNB) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In some implementations, the distance threshold is a Rayleigh distance. If no distance threshold is received from the gNB, the UE may use the distance threshold as Rayleigh distance. Claim 2. The UE of claim 1, wherein, selecting the precoder is based on a distance between the gNB and the UE. Claim 3. The UE of claim 2, wherein, selecting the precoder is based on comparing the distance ( r ) between the gNB and the UE with a distance threshold.Claim 6. The UE of claim 3, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a precoder from the plurality of far-field candidate precoders is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a precoder from the plurality of near-field candidate precoders is selected.¶ [0043] ,The one or more gNBs 160 may also transmit information or data to the one or more UEs 102 using one or more downlink channels 119, for instance. Examples of downlink channels 119 include a PDCCH, a PDSCH, etc. Other kinds of channels may be used. The PDCCH may be used for transmitting Downlink Control Information (DCI).[Examiner Note: UE communicates with a Gnb and transmits/receives electromagnetic signals through antennas. ¶ [0019] discloses set of precoder types (Far-field precoder and near-field precoder) , associate conditions (selection of far-field and near-field precoder based on based on distance r). ] )
Poddar does not disclose perform one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS;
However, Xioli discloses perform one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ 5. Cell or beam measurement information. The beam measurement information includes RSRP and RSRQ measured by synchronization signal block (SSB) or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), [Examiner Note: Measurement is done on CSI-RS which is a type of DL-RS, as DL-RS is general term for any reference signal transmitted in downlink.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed accuracy and modify the teachings as taught by Poddar with the teachings of Xioli, since doing so would have helped with balance feedback overhead with accuracy, and optimize signal strength without overloading computational or signaling resources.
Poddar disclose determine a precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions; (Claim 7. 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. [Examiner Note: Precoder is determined based on distance r compared to threshold and based on that conditions either far-field or near-field precoder is selected.])
Modified Poddar does not disclose and transmit a report to the network, the report comprising an indication of the determined precoder type.
However, Zhang discloses and transmit a report to the network, the report comprising an indication of the determined precoder type (Abstract, Methods and apparatus of codebook enhancement for coherent joint transmission are disclosed. The apparatus includes: a receiver that receives a configuration signalling for a first codebook and a second codebook, wherein the first codebook is for Channel State Information (CSI) reporting to a first transmitting-receiving entity, and the second codebook is for CSI reporting to a second transmitting-receiving entity; a processor that determines a Precoder Matrix Indicator (PMI) based on the second codebook comprising one or more phase adjustment coefficients; and a transmitter that transmits the PMI in reporting of CSI.[Examiner Note: Channel State Information (CSI) codebook report implicitly determines and includes the specific precoder choice through the Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI).] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed accuracy and modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Zhang, since doing so would have helped with antenna mapping, and beamforming configuration for subsequent downlink data transfers.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Landstrom et al. [Landstrom] US 20130005382 A1, Kwak et al. [Kwak] US 20190215086 A1, Poddar et al. [Hitesh] US 20260095217 A1.
Regarding claim11. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among precoder types from the set of precoder types, and one or more ranges of delay spread values;
However, Landstrom discloses wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among precoder types from the set of precoder types, and one or more ranges of delay spread values; (¶ [0007] Conversely, rather than reporting a wideband CQI with or without frequency-selective PMIs, an individual user may report frequency-selective CQIs, with each reported CQI representing the channel quality estimate for a given one of the defined frequency subbands. [Examiner Note: PMI includes precoder configuration with delay domain information.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Landstrom, since doing so would have helped with optimizes spectral efficiency, reduces feedback overhead, and prevents inter-symbol interference.
Landstrom does not disclose perform the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring delay spread of the one or more DL RS; and being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values.
However, Kwak discloses perform the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises measuring delay spread of the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0175], In CSI reporting of LTE, as described in Table 1, the eNB sets a reference signal and reporting-related settings through higher layer settings based on the CSI process, with respect to the UE. For periodic CSI reporting reports based on this, it is reported to a previously configured reporting timing and resources for reporting. For aperiodic CSI reporting, the eNB reports setting information, which is set in advance, through a trigger in a DCI transmitted through a DL control signal. [Examiner Note: As CSI is directly related to precoders and delay spread value and measurement is done through DL channel.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Kwak, since doing so would have helped with adapting transmission settings to prevent data loss.
Kwak does not discloses and being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values.
However, Hitesh discloses and being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values. (¶ [0104] , Some embodiments provide a method for detecting a VR for each UE in the near field. These embodiments may specify CSI configurations for each VR for every UE in the near-field, in addition to the CSI configurations for UEs in the far-field. The best near field precoder may then be selected based on the VR that is selected for the UE. ¶ [0063] , The QCL types corresponding to each DL RS may be given, for example, by the higher layer (e.g., RRC layer), parameters for the at least one RS and may take one of the following values:
‘QCL-TypeA’: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread}
‘QCL-TypeB’: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread}
‘QCL-TypeC’: {Doppler shift, average delay}
‘QCL-TypeD’: {Spatial reception (Rx) parameter}
[Examiner Note: Precoder is selected based on near-field conditions, further ¶ [0063] talking about the delay spread value within the context of QCL-TypeA.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Hitesh, since doing so would have helped with low delay spread.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Park et al. [Park] US 20190174527 A1, Seo et al. [Seo] US 20140016497 A1
Regarding claim 12. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types and precoder types from the set of precoder types; perform the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS;
However, Park discloses disclose wherein: the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types and precoder types from the set of precoder types; (¶ [0343] , That is, a separate field indicating K-bit (U2) precoder information for each subband corresponding to a specific PRB(s) in the scheduled PRB area indicated in the RA field may be defined/configured. [Examiner Note: This paragraph shows direct link between resource allocation region and the precoder configuration for that region.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Park, since doing so would have given advantages of better signal quality, higher data speeds and lower power use.
Park does not disclose perform the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS; and being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type.
However, Seo discloses perform the one or more measurements on the one or more DL RS comprises determining a region type based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0008], To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a method of performing a measurement, which is performed by a user equipment in a wireless communication system, according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of receiving a configuration information of CSI-RS (channel status information-reference signal) defined by a plurality of antenna ports from a base station, combining CSI-RSs, each of which is defined by specific antenna ports among the plurality of antenna ports, and performing the measurement based on the combined CSI-RS.¶ [0049] , In the drawing, R1 to R4 indicate reference signals (RS) for antennas 0 to 3, respectively. The RS may be fixed to a predetermined pattern in a subframe irrespective of the control region or the data region. The control region may be assigned to a resource, to which the RS is not assigned, in the control region. [Examiner Note: Paragraph discloses measurement is done on CSI-RS (which is strictly related to downlink), that is association with region types.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Seo, since doing so would have helped with adaptive processing, overhead reduction and improved accuracy.
Poddar discloses and being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type. (Claim 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. Fig 2A is an example of a planer wave in the far-field assumption. and Fig. 2B is an example of a spherical wave in near-field assumption.)
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar.
Regarding claim 13. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Poddar disclose wherein the set of precoder types comprises any of: one or more near-field (NF) precoder types, one or more far-field (FF) precoder types, or one or more hybrid NF-FF precoder type. (¶ [0019], A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes transmitting circuitry configured to configure a far-field codebook comprising a plurality of far-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is further configured to configure a near-field codebook comprising a plurality of near-field candidate precoders. The transmitting circuitry is yet further configured to select a codebook and transmit using the selected codebook.)
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Abdelmonem et al. [Abdel] US 20240214032 A1.
Regarding claim 14. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 12,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein the configured set of region types comprises any of: a near-field (NF) region type, an NF inner focus region type, an NF outer focus region type, and a far-field (FF) region type.
However, Abdel discloses wherein the configured set of region types comprises any of: a near-field (NF) region type, an NF inner focus region type, an NF outer focus region type, and a far-field (FF) region type. (¶[0038] , The near field is composed of two regions: the reactive near field and the radiating near field (also called the Fresnel zone or region). In the far-field region (also called the Fraunhofer zone or region), the field components are transverse to the radial direction of the antenna. The far-field E (electric) and H (magnetic) strength decrease by inverse law l/r, where r is the distance from the antenna. Embodiments described herein define and account for a new region between/overlapping the Fresnel region and the Fraunhofer region, namely an “intermediate” (or intermediate-field) region.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Abdel , since doing so would have helped with spherical and planar wavefront propagation which would improve multi-user interference management, optimize power delivery and spatial resolution.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Awad et al. [Awad] US 20130130682 A1, Liu Honglai et al. [Liu] WO2013056394A1.
Regarding claim 15. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, and one or more ranges of RSRP values;
However, Awad discloses wherein the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, and one or more ranges of RSRP values; (¶[0051], These RSRP bias threshold values can then be transmitted to a UE which is within range of a pico cell for use in performing the serving cell selection procedure. [Examiner Note: Region type (a pico cell region) is linked with an RSRP value (an RSRP offset threshold)] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Awad, since doing so would have helped with targeted optimization and efficient handovers.
Xioli discloses wherein being configured to perform the one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS comprises being configured to measure RS received power (RSRP) of the one or more DL RS; (Page 22 , 5. Cell or beam measurement information, the beam measurement information includes RSRP and RSRQ measured by a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and the measurement information of the cell includes RSRP and RSRQ of the cell. Reference may be made in particular to the TS 38.331 protocol for measuring content.)
Xioli does not disclose further configured to determine a region type from the set of region types, based on the measured RSRP matching with a range of RSRP values of the one or more ranges of RSRP values;
However, Liu discloses further configured to determine a region type from the set of region types, based on the measured RSRP matching with a range of RSRP values of the one or more ranges of RSRP values; (¶ [00023], Figure 1 a illustrates the method 100 in a radio base station for determining where in the cell the UE, being served by the radio base station, is located, the method comprising receiving 1 10a at least a first and subsequently a second Reference Signal Received Power, RSRP, value from the UE; and comparing 1 15a the received first and second RSRP values. The method further comprises selecting 125a a first threshold value if the comparison indicates increasing RSRP values corresponding to the UE moving towards a cell-centre area, or selecting a second threshold value if the comparison indicates decreasing RSRP values corresponding to the UE moving towards a cell-edge area. Further, the method comprises determining 145a whether the UE is located in the cell-centre area or the cell-edge area using the selected threshold value.[Examiner Note: Region Types are selected (cell-center or cell-edge area) based on RSRP threshold values.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Liu, since doing so would have helped with determining coverage regions.
Poddar discloses and wherein being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type. (Claim 7. The UE of claim 2, wherein selecting the codebook and the precoder to use within that codebook comprises comparing a distance (r) between the UE and a base station (gNB) with a distance threshold, wherein when r is greater than the distance threshold, a far-field precoder is selected, and wherein when r is less than the distance threshold, a near-field precoder is selected. Fig 2A is an example of a planer wave in the far-field assumption. and Fig. 2B is an example of a spherical wave in near-field assumption.)
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Venkatesh et al. [Venkatesh] US 20220255609 A1.
Regarding claim 16. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Seo discloses wherein the configuration information further comprises one or more associations among region types from a configured set of region types, one or more ranges of delay spread values, and precoder types; (¶ [0084], Moreover, for data demodulation, DM-RS is transmitted as a dedicated reference signal to a UE scheduled in a corresponding time-frequency region. In particular, DM-RS transmitted to a specific UE is transmitted only in a region, in which the corresponding UE is scheduled, i.e., a time-frequency region for receiving data. [Examiner Note: DM-RS is directly related to precoder type, its configuration density also adapts to channel properties influenced by delay spread], here DM-RS is transmitted in time-frequency region type.)
Kwak disclose wherein being configured to perform one or more measurements based on the one or more DL RS comprises being configured to measure delay spread of the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0175], In CSI reporting of LTE, as described in Table 1, the eNB sets a reference signal and reporting-related settings through higher layer settings based on the CSI process, with respect to the UE. For periodic CSI reporting reports based on this, it is reported to a previously configured reporting timing and resources for reporting. For aperiodic CSI reporting, the eNB reports setting information, which is set in advance, through a trigger in a DCI transmitted through a DL control signal. [Examiner Note: As CSI is directly related to precoders and delay spread value and measurement is done through DL channel.])
Seo discloses further configured to determine a region type from the set of region types, based on the one or more DL RS; (¶ [0084] , Moreover, for data demodulation, DM-RS is transmitted as a dedicated reference signal to a UE scheduled in a corresponding time-frequency region. In particular, DM-RS transmitted to a specific UE is transmitted only in a region, in which the corresponding UE is scheduled, i.e., a time-frequency region for receiving data.)
Modified Poddar does not discloses and wherein being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type and from the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values, according to the one or more associations.
However, Venkatesh discloses and wherein being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types based on the one or more measurements satisfying one or more of the one or more associated conditions comprises being configured to determine the precoder type from the set of precoder types for the determined region type and from the measured delay spread matching with a range of delay spread values of the one or more ranges of delay spread values, according to the one or more associations. (¶[0073], FIGS. 1-4 depict several examples of delay configurations for the precoder matrix of a layer with different computational complexities and feedback overheads for selecting and reporting the delay vectors per beam are provided; ¶[0128], For example, when the average delay spread of the MIMO channel is small (which is typically observed in Line-of-sight (LOS) channel(s)), the energy of the channel impulse response is concentrated in a single main peak and only a few dominant delays are associated with the main peak. In such a case, the UE selects only few delay vectors from a second codebook, where the corresponding delays of the selected delay vectors are associated with the dominant channel delays of the MIMO CIR. In contrast, when the average delay spread of the channel impulse response is large (as observed in Non-Line-of-sight (NLOS) channel(s)), the energy of the channel impulse response is concentrated in a one or more peaks and a larger number of dominant channel delays is associated with the peak(s) of the CIR. Then, the UE selects a larger number of delay vectors from the second codebook. Therefore, for typical MIMO channel settings, the selected delay vectors by the UE are mainly associated with a subset of the delay vectors from the second codebook. Therefore, the size of the second codebook may be reduced, and thus the computational complexity for selecting the delay vectors by the UE. [Examiner Note: Selecting a corresponding delay-vector subset/configuration of the precoder matrix from the codebook with LOS vs NLOS region type and small vs large delay spread range.])
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Venkatesh since doing so would have helped with spatial geometry and delay spread.
Claim17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Warken US 20130324144 A1.
Regarding claim 17. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 10,
Modified Poddar does not disclose configured to transmit the report if time elapsed since a previous transmission of the report is above a configured threshold.
However, Warken discloses configured to transmit the report if time elapsed since a previous transmission of the report is above a configured threshold. (Abstract, the amount of data to be transmitted to the user equipment and monitoring the time elapsed since the previous downlink transmission of the user equipment and allowing data transmission only when either result of monitoring exceeds a predetermined threshold; [Examiner Note: The amount of data(Report) is transmitted when time elapsed since previous transmission.] )
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Warken, since doing so would have helped with network reliability and reduction in noise.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over modified Poddar in view of Gao et al. [Gao] US 20230075088 A1.
Regarding claim 18. Modified Poddar discloses the WTRU according to claim 11,
Modified Poddar does not disclose wherein the delay spread represents a difference between arrival times at the WTRU of an earliest and a latest multipath component of the one or more DL RS.
However, Gao disclose wherein the delay spread represents a difference between arrival times at the WTRU of an earliest and a latest multipath component of the one or more DL RS. (¶ [0009] , In some embodiments, more than one DL RS corresponding to the more than one RS indexes can be received simultaneously or associated with same group information. In some embodiments, more than one DL RS corresponding to the more than one RS indexes can be associated with different group information. In some embodiments, the report may include group information that is associated with at least one of: a timestamp, a time-difference information, an average delay, a delay spread, a Doppler shift, or a Doppler spread.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings as taught by modified Poddar with the teachings of Gao, since doing so would have helped with receiver adaptation and fading identification.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure (See PTO-892).
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/VNP/Examiner, Art Unit 2414
Patel, Vaidehiben
/EDAN ORGAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2414
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