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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 received on 12/02/2024 have been examined, of which claims 1, 6, 11 and 16 are independent.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3, 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites “the CSI” and “the valid downlink slot”, which are preceded by multiple recitations of CSI and “a valid downlink slot”. It is unclear which recitation is further limited.
Claim 12 recites “the valid downlink slot”, which are preceded by multiple recitations of “a valid downlink slot”. It is unclear which recitation is further limited.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims, the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ibrahim et al. (US 20230422283) in view of Chatterjee et al. (US 20230421222)
Regarding claim 1, Ibrahim teaches a method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (fig 9 illustrates communication between a network node 110 and a UE 120 for a CSI reference resource definition in full-duplex communication modes, para 102-108), the method comprising:
receiving, from a base station (BS) (network node 110, fig 9), first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) (para 103: by reference number 910, the network node 110 may transmit, to the UE 120, a CSI report configuration associated with a set of CSI-RS resources, the CSI-RS resources may include a wideband CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in downlink slots, a sub-band CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in SBFD slots, a non-contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in SBFD slots and downlink slots (e.g., using interpolation), and/or a wideband contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in both downlink and SBFD slots; para 104: the CSI report configuration and/or the triggering DCI may include a binary indication of a half-duplex mode or a full-duplex mode for the CSI report);
determining a valid downlink slot for CSI measurement based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information (para 105: by reference number 930, the UE 120 may update the definition of a CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, one or more CSI parameters that are included in a CSI report (e.g., a CQI) may be calculated based on a hypothetical PDSCH transmission scheduled in a CSI reference resource, which is defined by a group of downlink physical resource blocks that correspond to a band to which derived CSI relates in a frequency domain);
determining CSI based on the determined valid downlink slot (para 107: by reference number 940, the UE 120 may then obtain measurements of the CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, including any updates to the definition of the CSI reference resource that are based on the duplex mode of the CSI report); and
transmitting, to the BS, the determined CSI (para 107: by reference number 950, the UE 120 may transmit a CSI report to the network node 110 based on the measurements of the CSI reference resource).
Ibrahim teaches the CSI reporting configuration including indication of SBFD full duplex mode or half duplex mode and CSI reference resources. The reference teaches the CSI reference resource configuration at frequency bands, duplex mode (SBFD) at slot level, but does not specify at symbol level. Chatterjee is similarly directed to subband reporting for full duplex operation.
Chatterjee further teaches first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) symbol among downlink symbols or flexible symbols (para 171: the CSI reporting configuration can be configured for SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols; para 181-182: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined , in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n−nCSI_ref−Koffset, where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot, and Koffset is pre-defined or configured with additional offset, for a valid DL slot, a CSI reference resource can be determined according to the associated SBFD operation type for the CSI reporting (SBFD or non-SBFD operation)). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 6, Ibrahim teaches a method performed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system (fig 9 illustrates communication between a network node 110 and a UE 120 for a CSI reference resource definition in full-duplex communication modes, para 102-108), the method comprising:
transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) (UE 120, fig 9), first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) (para 103: by reference number 910, the network node 110 may transmit, to the UE 120, a CSI report configuration associated with a set of CSI-RS resources, the CSI-RS resources may include a wideband CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in downlink slots, a sub-band CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in SBFD slots, a non-contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in SBFD slots and downlink slots (e.g., using interpolation), and/or a wideband contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in both downlink and SBFD slots; para 104: the CSI report configuration and/or the triggering DCI may include a binary indication of a half-duplex mode or a full-duplex mode for the CSI report); and
receiving, from the UE, CSI (para 107: by reference number 950, the UE 120 may transmit a CSI report to the network node 110 based on the measurements of the CSI reference resource),
wherein the CSI is determined based on a valid downlink slot for CSI measurement (para 107: by reference number 940, the UE 120 may then obtain measurements of the CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, including any updates to the definition of the CSI reference resource that are based on the duplex mode of the CSI report), and
wherein the valid downlink slot for CSI measurement is determined based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information (para 105: by reference number 930, the UE 120 may update the definition of a CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, one or more CSI parameters that are included in a CSI report (e.g., a CQI) may be calculated based on a hypothetical PDSCH transmission scheduled in a CSI reference resource, which is defined by a group of downlink physical resource blocks that correspond to a band to which derived CSI relates in a frequency domain).
Ibrahim teaches the CSI reporting configuration including indication of SBFD full duplex mode or half duplex mode and CSI reference resources. The reference teaches the CSI reference resource configuration at frequency bands, duplex mode (SBFD) at slot level, but does not specify at symbol level. Chatterjee is similarly directed to subband reporting for full duplex operation.
Chatterjee further teaches first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) symbol among downlink symbols or flexible symbols (para 171: the CSI reporting configuration can be configured for SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols; para 181-182: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined , in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n−nCSI_ref−Koffset, where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot, and Koffset is pre-defined or configured with additional offset, for a valid DL slot, a CSI reference resource can be determined according to the associated SBFD operation type for the CSI reporting (SBFD or non-SBFD operation)). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 11, Ibrahim teaches a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (UE 120, fig 1, 2, 9; fig 9 illustrates communication between a network node 110 and a UE 120 for a CSI reference resource definition in full-duplex communication modes, para 102-108), the UE comprising:
a transceiver (para 56: the UE 120 includes a transceiver, the transceiver may include any combination of the antenna(s) 252, the modem(s) 254, the MIMO detector 256, the receive processor 258, the transmit processor 264, and/or the TX MIMO processor 266); and
one or more processors (processor 280, fig 2) coupled with the transceiver (fig 2, para 56) and configured to:
receive, from a base station (BS) (network node 110, fig 9), first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) (para 103: by reference number 910, the network node 110 may transmit, to the UE 120, a CSI report configuration associated with a set of CSI-RS resources, the CSI-RS resources may include a wideband CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in downlink slots, a sub-band CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in SBFD slots, a non-contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in SBFD slots and downlink slots (e.g., using interpolation), and/or a wideband contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in both downlink and SBFD slots; para 104: the CSI report configuration and/or the triggering DCI may include a binary indication of a half-duplex mode or a full-duplex mode for the CSI report),
determine a valid downlink slot for CSI measurement based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information (para 105: by reference number 930, the UE 120 may update the definition of a CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, one or more CSI parameters that are included in a CSI report (e.g., a CQI) may be calculated based on a hypothetical PDSCH transmission scheduled in a CSI reference resource, which is defined by a group of downlink physical resource blocks that correspond to a band to which derived CSI relates in a frequency domain),
determine CSI based on the determined valid downlink slot (para 107: by reference number 940, the UE 120 may then obtain measurements of the CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, including any updates to the definition of the CSI reference resource that are based on the duplex mode of the CSI report), and
transmit, to the BS, the determined CSI (para 107: by reference number 950, the UE 120 may transmit a CSI report to the network node 110 based on the measurements of the CSI reference resource).
Ibrahim teaches the CSI reporting configuration including indication of SBFD full duplex mode or half duplex mode and CSI reference resources. The reference teaches the CSI reference resource configuration at frequency bands, duplex mode (SBFD) at slot level, but does not specify at symbol level. Chatterjee is similarly directed to subband reporting for full duplex operation.
Chatterjee further teaches first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) symbol among downlink symbols or flexible symbols (para 171: the CSI reporting configuration can be configured for SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols; para 181-182: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined , in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n−nCSI_ref−Koffset, where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot, and Koffset is pre-defined or configured with additional offset, for a valid DL slot, a CSI reference resource can be determined according to the associated SBFD operation type for the CSI reporting (SBFD or non-SBFD operation)). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 16, Ibrahim teaches a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system (network node 110, fig 1, 2, 9; fig 9 illustrates communication between a network node 110 and a UE 120 for a CSI reference resource definition in full-duplex communication modes, para 102-108), the BS comprising:
a transceiver (para 57: the network node 110 includes a transceiver, the transceiver may include any combination of the antenna(s) 234, the modem(s) 232, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, the transmit processor 220, and/or the TX MIMO processor 230); and
one or more processors (processor 240, fig 2) coupled with the transceiver (para 57, fig 2) and configured to:
transmit, to a user equipment (UE) (UE 120, fig 9), first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) (para 103: by reference number 910, the network node 110 may transmit, to the UE 120, a CSI report configuration associated with a set of CSI-RS resources, the CSI-RS resources may include a wideband CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in downlink slots, a sub-band CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI for a PDSCH in SBFD slots, a non-contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in SBFD slots and downlink slots (e.g., using interpolation), and/or a wideband contiguous CSI-RS that the UE 120 is to use to derive CSI in both downlink and SBFD slots; para 104: the CSI report configuration and/or the triggering DCI may include a binary indication of a half-duplex mode or a full-duplex mode for the CSI report), and
receive, from the UE, CSI (para 107: by reference number 950, the UE 120 may transmit a CSI report to the network node 110 based on the measurements of the CSI reference resource),
wherein the CSI is determined based on a valid downlink slot for CSI measurement (para 107: by reference number 940, the UE 120 may then obtain measurements of the CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, including any updates to the definition of the CSI reference resource that are based on the duplex mode of the CSI report), and
wherein the valid downlink slot for CSI measurement is determined based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information (para 105: by reference number 930, the UE 120 may update the definition of a CSI reference resource based on the duplex mode of the CSI report, one or more CSI parameters that are included in a CSI report (e.g., a CQI) may be calculated based on a hypothetical PDSCH transmission scheduled in a CSI reference resource, which is defined by a group of downlink physical resource blocks that correspond to a band to which derived CSI relates in a frequency domain).
Ibrahim teaches the CSI reporting configuration including indication of SBFD full duplex mode or half duplex mode and CSI reference resources. The reference teaches the CSI reference resource configuration at frequency bands, duplex mode (SBFD) at slot level, but does not specify at symbol level. Chatterjee is similarly directed to subband reporting for full duplex operation.
Chatterjee further teaches first configuration information indicating a resource for channel state information (CSI) reporting and second configuration information indicating a subband full duplex (SBFD) symbol among downlink symbols or flexible symbols (para 171: the CSI reporting configuration can be configured for SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols; para 181-182: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined , in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n−nCSI_ref−Koffset, where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot, and Koffset is pre-defined or configured with additional offset, for a valid DL slot, a CSI reference resource can be determined according to the associated SBFD operation type for the CSI reporting (SBFD or non-SBFD operation)). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 2, 7, 12 and 17, Ibrahim fails to teach, but Chatterjee further teaches determining a valid downlink slot based on a slot n- nCSI_ref (para 181-182: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined , in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n−nCSI_ref−Koffset),
wherein n is an index of an uplink slot for transmitting the CSI determined based on the first configuration information (para 181: a CSI reporting in uplink slot n),
wherein nCSI_ref is determined based on the first configuration information and the second configuration information (para 181: where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot), and
wherein nCSI_ref is a smallest value greater than or equal to a parameter related to delay requirement, such that the slot n- nCSI_ref is a valid downlink slot (para 182-188: for a valid DL slot, a CSI reference resource can be determined according to the associated SBFD operation type for the CSI reporting (SBFD or non-SBFD operation), a slot in a serving cell can be considered to be a valid downlink slot for CSI reference resource of a CSI report for SBFD operation, if the slot: (a) comprises at least one higher layer configured SBFD symbol; and (b) does not fall within a configured measurement gap for that UE, a slot in a serving cell shall be considered to be a valid downlink slot for CSI reference resource of a CSI report for non-SBFD operation, if the slot: (a) comprises at least one higher layer configured non-SBFD symbol; and (b) does not fall within a configured measurement gap for that UE). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 3, 8, 13 and 18, Ibrahim fails to teach, but Chatterjee further teaches measuring a reference signal in slot n- nCSI_ref to obtain the CSI (para 181: to derive CSI, the CSI reference resource for a serving cell is defined, in the time domain, the CSI reference resource for a CSI reporting in uplink slot n is defined by a single downlink slot n− nCSI_ref − Koffset, where nCSI_ref is to ensure sufficient processing time for the CSI report to find a valid DL slot; para 241: perform channel measurements based on CSI-RSs transmitted during the CSI-RS transmission, the channel measurements associated with the subset of the plurality of PRBs in the CSI reporting band; and encode CSI report based on the channel measurements for transmission to the base station). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 4, 9, 14 and 19, Ibrahim fails to teach, but Chatterjee further teaches wherein a slot including at least one downlink symbol or flexible symbol and not included in a measurement gap for the UE is determined as the valid downlink slot (para 189-191: a slot is considered to be a valid downlink slot for the CSI reference resource of the CSI report, if the slot: (a) comprises at least one higher layer configured downlink or flexible symbol; and (b) does not fall within a configured measurement gap for that UE). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Regarding claim 5, 10, 15 and 20, Ibrahim fails to teach, but Chatterjee further teaches
wherein a slot including at least one SBFD symbol is determined as the valid downlink slot (para 183: a slot in a serving cell can be considered to be a valid downlink slot for CSI reference resource of a CSI report for SBFD operation), and
wherein an active downlink BWP is not completely included within an uplink band and/or guard band in the SBFD symbol (fig 13 shows that active downlink subband or bandwidth part is not included in the uplink band in SBFD operation; para 152-154: the gNB configures 2 CSI-RS resources in 2 DL subbands based on existing CSI-RS frequency resource allocation, the gNB configures the linkage between these two CSI-RS resources which can be treated as a single combined CSI-RS resource, then, the UE derives a single CSI result, if wideband CSI reporting is configured, if subband CSI reporting is configured, one of the above embodiments can be applied to determine the CSI reporting subbands). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine CSI reference and report resources in full duplex mode as taught by Ibrahim with time domain relation for CSI reference and report in full duplex mode as taught by Chatterjee for the benefit of improving the performance of uplink (UL) communications in TDD as taught by Chatterjee in para 107.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Noh et al.(US 20240322880): fig 27, a case of CSI reporting in an environment where a first operation mode and a second operation mode coexist, two operation modes, the SBFD scheme and the TDD scheme; para 620-656
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RINA C PANCHOLI whose telephone number is (571)272-2679. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30am-4pm.
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, Chirag Shah can be reached on 571-272-3144. 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.
/RINA C PANCHOLI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2477 9/2/2026
Prosecution Insights