Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/918,513

INFORMATION DETERMINATION, ACQUISITION AND TRANSMISSION METHODS, APPARATUSES AND DEVICES, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Oct 17, 2024
Priority
Mar 30, 2022 — continuation of 12/167,383
Examiner
COBY, FRANTZ
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
ZTE Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
91%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
5m
Est. Remaining
96%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 91% — above average
91%
Career Allowance Rate
681 granted / 752 resolved
+30.6% vs TC avg
Moderate +5% lift
Without
With
+5.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
15 currently pending
Career history
759
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
8.9%
-31.1% vs TC avg
§103
40.7%
+0.7% vs TC avg
§102
24.3%
-15.7% vs TC avg
§112
11.8%
-28.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 752 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 . This Office Action is in response to Application filed on October 17, 2024 in which claims 1-20 are presented for examination. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 06, 2026 and October 17, 2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claims 7 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities: these claims contain more than one period. Each claim must begin with a capital letter and end with a period. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8-14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05). Regarding claim 1, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose an information transmission method, comprising: determining, according to information (See "DCI with CSI-RS Scheduling" in figure 2), a time unit in which an aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located, wherein the time unit is a slot (see paragraph [0027], "where separate DCIs 210 are used to indicate the aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220 and CSI report"; and paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe Additionally, the subframe can also be a slot") ; and transmitting or receiving the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource in the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located (see paragraph [0027], "aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220"; and slot "220" in figure 2), wherein the information comprises: a minimum time interval between a PDCCH scheduling the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource and the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe "; and paragraph [0029], "The information in the DCI 310 can also indicate the starting OFDM symbol in the subframe for the CSI- RS transmission "; it is noted that the interval between the DCI "310" and the "starting OFDM symbol" represents the minimum interval between the DCI and the (first) aperiodic CSI-RS "320") ;, slot structure information (see paragraph [0028], the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: transmission time interval (TTI)"; it is noted that the TTI identifies the duration of a slot; therefore, it represents "slot structure information"; furthermore, it is noted that the description of the present application does not provide any detailed definition of the "slot structure information"); a sub-carrier spacing (see paragraph [0031], "the DCI can also indicate the subcarrier spacing for CSI-RS transmission") a set of time-domain symbols occupied by measurement reference signal resources in a first measurement reference signal resource set including the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraphs [0033]-[0034], "the DCI can also indicate the Quasi Co-Location (QCL) with other reference signals to assist synchronization and UE side beamforming selection to be used for CSI feedback. the QCL signaling in the DCI can indicate the specific beam reference signal that can be assumed as QCL-ed. In this example, the UE can adjust the receiving beam according to the QCL indication”). As per claims 3-6 WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose “wherein determining, according to the information, the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located comprises: acquiring an available time unit according to the information, and acquiring the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located according to the acquired available time unit; wherein acquiring the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located according to the acquired available time unit comprises at least one of the following: after the minimum time interval after the PDCCH, a first available time unit is the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located; after a first predetermined time interval after the PDCCH, the first available time unit is the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located, wherein the first available time unit is acquired according to the information; wherein the available time unit meets the following condition: on each time-domain symbol in a first time-domain symbol set in the available time unit, a transmission direction on the time-domain symbol does not conflict with a transmission direction of the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource, wherein the transmission direction on the time-domain symbol is determined according to the slot structure information, and the first time-domain symbol set comprises a set of time-domain symbols comprising all time-domain symbols occupied by all measurement reference signal resources in the first measurement reference 10 signal resource set within one time unit; wherein between the PDCCH and the available time unit, the slot structure information does not change” (as aperiodic MRS is located in a first time unit of a set after the minimum interval See Paragraph 0029 and Figure 3). As per claim 8, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose “wherein the slot structure information is acquired according to at least one of the following information: a time-domain symbol position in which a synchronization signal is located; Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 2_0; slot structure information before the PDCCH” (as simple details regarding the slot structure being defined in DCI or being pre-configures, this is considered to fall within the commonly known implementation details of a well known radio network). Regarding claim 9, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose an information transmission apparatus, comprising a memory storing instructions and a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to: determine, according to information (See "DCI with CSI-RS Scheduling" in figure 2), a time unit in which an aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located, wherein the time unit is a slot (see paragraph [0027], "where separate DCIs 210 are used to indicate the aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220 and CSI report"; and paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe Additionally, the subframe can also be a slot") ; and transmit or receive the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource in the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located (see paragraph [0027], "aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220"; and slot "220" in figure 2), wherein the information comprises: a minimum time interval between a PDCCH scheduling the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource and the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe "; and paragraph [0029], "The information in the DCI 310 can also indicate the starting OFDM symbol in the subframe for the CSI- RS transmission "; it is noted that the interval between the DCI "310" and the "starting OFDM symbol" represents the minimum interval between the DCI and the (first) aperiodic CSI-RS "320") ;, slot structure information (see paragraph [0028], the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: transmission time interval (TTI)"; it is noted that the TTI identifies the duration of a slot; therefore, it represents "slot structure information"; furthermore, it is noted that the description of the present application does not provide any detailed definition of the "slot structure information"); a sub-carrier spacing (see paragraph [0031], "the DCI can also indicate the subcarrier spacing for CSI-RS transmission") a set of time-domain symbols occupied by measurement reference signal resources in a first measurement reference signal resource set including the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraphs [0033]-[0034], "the DCI can also indicate the Quasi Co-Location (QCL) with other reference signals to assist synchronization and UE side beamforming selection to be used for CSI feedback. the QCL signaling in the DCI can indicate the specific beam reference signal that can be assumed as QCL-ed. In this example, the UE can adjust the receiving beam according to the QCL indication”). As per claims 10-13 WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose ““wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine the minimum time interval between the PDCCH scheduling the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource and the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource according to: a relationship between the sub-carrier spacing of the PDCCH and sub-carrier spacing information of the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource”; wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine, according to the information, the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located in a following manner: acquiring an available time unit according to the information, and acquiring the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located according to the acquired available time unit”; “wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to acquire the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located according to the acquired available time unit in at least one of the following manners: after the minimum time interval after the PDCCH, a first available time unit is the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located; after a first predetermined time interval after the PDCCH, the first available time unit is the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located, wherein the first available time unit is acquired according to the information”; wherein the available time unit meets the following condition: on each time-domain symbol in a first time-domain symbol set in the available time unit, a transmission direction on the time-domain symbol docs not conflict with a transmission direction of the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource, wherein the transmission direction on the time-domain symbol is determined according to the slot structure information, and the first time-domain symbol set comprises a set of time-domain symbols comprising all time-domain symbols occupied by all measurement reference signal resources in the first measurement reference signal resource set within one time unit” (as aperiodic MRS is located in a first time unit of a set after the minimum interval See Paragraph 0029 and Figure 3). As per claim 14, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose “wherein between the PDCCH and the available time unit, the slot structure information does not change” (as simple details regarding the slot structure being defined in DCI or being pre-configures, this is considered to fall within the commonly known implementation details of a well known radio network). As per claim 16, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose “wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to acquire the slot structure information according to at least one of the following information: a time-domain symbol position in which a synchronization signal is located; Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 2_0; slot structure information before the PDCCH. ” (as simple details regarding the slot structure being defined in DCI or being pre-configures, this is considered to fall within the commonly known implementation details of a well known radio network). Regarding claim 17, WO 2018/064590 A1 (INTEL CORP [US]) 5 April 2018 (2018-04-05) disclose a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing a computer program, wherein the computer program, when being executed by a processor, causes the processor to: (See "DCI with CSI-RS Scheduling" in figure 2), according to information, a time unit in which an aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located (see paragraph [0027], "where separate DCIs 210 are used to indicate the aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220 and CSI report"; and paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe Additionally, the subframe can also be a slot") ; and transmit or receive the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource in the time unit in which the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is located (see paragraph [0027], "aperiodic CSI-RS transmission 220"; and slot "220" in figure 2), wherein the information comprises: a minimum time interval between a PDCCH scheduling the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource and the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraph [0028], "the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: a CSI-RS starting OFDM symbol in the subframe "; and paragraph [0029], "The information in the DCI 310 can also indicate the starting OFDM symbol in the subframe for the CSI- RS transmission "; it is noted that the interval between the DCI "310" and the "starting OFDM symbol" represents the minimum interval between the DCI and the (first) aperiodic CSI-RS "320") ;, slot structure information (see paragraph [0028], the dedicated DCI 210 can contain the following information about a CSI-RS transmission: transmission time interval (TTI)"; it is noted that the TTI identifies the duration of a slot; therefore, it represents "slot structure information"; furthermore, it is noted that the description of the present application does not provide any detailed definition of the "slot structure information"); a sub-carrier spacing (see paragraph [0031], "the DCI can also indicate the subcarrier spacing for CSI-RS transmission") a set of time-domain symbols occupied by measurement reference signal resources in a first measurement reference signal resource set including the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource (see paragraphs [0033]-[0034], "the DCI can also indicate the Quasi Co-Location (QCL) with other reference signals to assist synchronization and UE side beamforming selection to be used for CSI feedback. the QCL signaling in the DCI can indicate the specific beam reference signal that can be assumed as QCL-ed. In this example, the UE can adjust the receiving beam according to the QCL indication”). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 2, 7, 15 and 18-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record failed to show “wherein the minimum time interval between the PDCCH scheduling the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource and the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource is determined according to: a relationship between the sub-carrier spacing of the PDCCH and sub-carrier spacing information of the aperiodic measurement reference signal resource”. These claimed features if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims would be allowable over the prior art of record. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANTZ COBY whose telephone number is (571)272-4017. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7AM-5:30PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tonia Dollinger can be reached at (571) 272-4170. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /FRANTZ COBY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2459 September 4, 2026
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 17, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 09, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
91%
Grant Probability
96%
With Interview (+5.2%)
2y 4m (~5m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 752 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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