Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Non-Art Rejection
2. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor.
3. Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The following language lacks proper antecedent basis:
In claim 1, line 4, “the number and/or patter…downlink”.
In claim 1, line 5, “the number and/or pattern...uplink”.
The same lacking of antecedent basis in claim 1 is also applied to claims 5 and 13.
The following language is vague and indefinite:
In claim 1, lines 5 and 8, the use of “and/or” in the claim renders the claim indefinite because it is not clear whether information of uplink received beams is required in the claim.
The same indefiniteness of claim 1 is also applied to claims 5 and 13.
Art Rejection
4. 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 of this title, 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.
5. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
6. Claims 1-3, 5-7, 9-10 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, U.S. pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2021/0367657.
Per claim 1, Chen discloses a beam information transmission apparatus, applicable to a network device (e.g., base station) comprising:
a) a first receiver receives first request information (from UE), the first request information being used to indicate the network device to transmit at least a number and/or pattern parameter information of downlink transmitted beams, e.g., number and type of beam to configure beam information measurement transmitted on downlink transmission (see par 0115-0117), wherein the first request information also indicates beam information of the UE received on uplink transmission (see par 0116); and
b) a first transmitter transmits at least the number and/or pattern parameter information of the downlink transmitted beams (see par 0119-0123).
Chen does not explicitly teach transmitting a number and pattern parameter information of uplink received beams. Chen however teaches that the network device and UE are configured to communicate to each other for both downlink and uplink transmissions (see par 0055, 0059).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to recognize that the beam information transmitted by the network device would have been utilized at UE for both uplink and downlink transmissions.
Per claims 2-3, Chen teaches that the pattern parameter information comprises number of beams of the downlink/uplink transmitted beams in a first dimension/angle and/or second dimension/angle (see par 0056, 0061, 0065-0067), wherein the first and second beam angles are typically intersected/converse at one point if they don’t have the same value.
Per claim 5, Chen also discloses a beam information transmission apparatus, applicable to a terminal/user equipment (e.g., UE) comprising:
c) a second receiver receives second request information (from LMF), the second request information being used to indicate the UE to transmit at least a number and/or pattern parameter information of downlink/uplink transmitted beams, e.g., number and type of beam transmitted on downlink/uplink transmission (see par 0106-0108); and
d) a second transmitter transmits at least the number and/or pattern parameter information of the downlink/uplink transmitted beams (see par 0124);
e) a third transmitter transmits the first request information at least the number and/or pattern parameter information of the downlink/uplink transmitted beams (see par 0115-0116);
f) a third receiver receives at least a number and/or pattern parameter information of downlink/uplink transmitted beams, e.g., number and type of beam transmitted on downlink/uplink transmission (see par 0119-0123).
Per claims 6-7 and 9-10, Chen teaches that the pattern parameter information comprises number of beams of the downlink/uplink transmitted beams in a first dimension/angle and/or second dimension/angle (see par 0056, 0061, 0065-0067), wherein the first and second beam angles are typically intersected/converse at one point if they don’t have the same value.
Claims 13-15 are similar in scope as that of claims 1-3.
7. Claims 4, 8, 11-12 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, in view of Tian, U.S. pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2024/0349077.
Per claims 4, 8, 11 and 16, Chen does not explicitly teach that the pattern parameter information are transmitted/received via RRC signaling , MAC CE or UCI. However, it is known in the art that beam information exchanged between base station and UE via RRC signaling, MC CE or UCI as disclosed by Tian (see Tian, par 0068).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize one of RRC signaling , MAC CE or UCI in Chen because it would have enabled obtaining beam information (see Tian, par 0068).
Per claims 12 and 17, Chang does not teach using a model to predict an optimal beam. However, Tian teaches using a model to predict an optimal beam based on the obtained beam information (see Tian, par 0063, 0112-0114).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chen with Tian teaching because it would have enabled determining an optimal beam for UE more efficiently (see Tian, par 0025).
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Viet Vu whose telephone number is 571-272-3977. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 6:00pm. The Group general information number is 571-272-2400. The Group fax number is 571-273-8300.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Emmanuel Moise, can be reached at 571-272-3865.
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/Viet D Vu/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2455
8/6/26
Prosecution Insights