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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Regarding claim 11, claim limitation “the repeater does not expect to be indicated a beam which is not the same as the first beam over the first time” is not disclosed in applicant’s specification disclosure.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4,6 and 11-14 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Liu (WO 2022082774 A1).
The claimed invention reads on Liu as follows:
Regarding claim 1, Liu discloses repeater (repeater and/or relay and/or wireless backhaul device) (fig. 1, fig. 2, page 16 lines 18-36, page 24 lines 16-30, fig. 8 and page 32, 3rd paragraph), comprising: a receiver (transceiver) (fig. number 820, fig. 2 S202, page 24 lines 23-24 and page 32, third paragraph) configured to receive first information from a network device (fig. 2 S202 and page 24 lines 23-24), the first information being used to indicate a first time and/or a first beam (i.e. The first indication information may directly or indirectly indicate the access beam to be used by the relay node to forward the signal in one or more time units, for example, an uplink access beam and/or a downlink access beam. The access beams corresponding to each time unit may be the same or different. In this embodiment of the present application, the time unit may be a time slot, a symbol, a frame, a subframe, or the like. For example, the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot)(Page 25, 1st paragraph), the first beam being denoted by a first beam index (i.e. the access beam index may be used to identify different access beams, that is, the content included in the first indication information is the index of the access beam)(page 27, 4th paragraph), the first time comprising at least one time unit, the time unit being a slot and/or a symbol )(Page 25, 1st paragraph); and processor circuitry (fig. 8 number 810 and page 32, 3rd paragraph) configured to determine to apply the first beam for reception or transmission on an access link over the first time at least according to the first information (i.e. the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot, and the relay node selects the downlink access beam for downlink reception in the first time slot according to the first indication information. For another example, the first indication information indicates the relay node's uplink access beam in the second time slot, (Page 25, 1st paragraph) and the relay node can determine whether each time unit or each time subunit should be used for uplink forwarding or downlink forwarding through the remaining information (page 25 lines 26-31).
Regarding claim 2, Liu discloses the first information is carried by media access control (MAC) control element (CE), and/or radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and/or, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) (i.e. the first indication information may be carried in RRC signaling or MAC CE or DCI. The above one or more fields may be fields already defined by RRC signaling or MAC CE, or may be newly defined RRC signaling or MAC CE)(page 27, 3rd paragraph).
Regarding claims 3-4, Liu discloses the receiver is further configured to receive (via an indicate) second information (time unit for downlink transmission) (page 25, lines 18-32) from the network device (i.e. via the first indication information in S202, i.e. The network device sends first indication information to the relay node, and the relay node receives the first indication information, page 24, 5th paragraph, In implementation, the relay node can determine whether each time unit or each time subunit should be used for uplink forwarding or downlink forwarding through the remaining information. Exemplarily, the relay node may determine the uplink and downlink configuration of each time unit or each time subunit by using the TDD configuration information)( page 24, 5th paragraph and page 25, lines 18-32), the second information including TDD uplink/downlink configuration information and is carried by a radio resource control (RRC) signaling (i.e. the first indication information may be carried in RRC signaling,(i.e. first indication information sent from the network device) (page 27, 3rd paragraph).
Regarding claim 6, Liu discloses a same beam is used by the repeater for transmissions and receptions on the access link (i.e. the first indication information may instruct the first node (relay/repeater) to use the same access beam for uplink reception of the access link and for downlink transmission of the access link) (abstract and page 3, 4th paragraph).
Regarding claim 11, Liu discloses the repeater does not expect to be indicated a beam which is not the same as the first beam over the first time (i.e. the first indication information may instruct the first node (relay/repeater) to use the same access beam for uplink reception of the access link and for downlink transmission of the access link over a first time unit) (abstract and page 3, 4th paragraph).
Regarding claim 12, Liu discloses an indication of the first beam is based on a beam index, the beam index is a serial number of beams of an AC link (a beam index, a beam group index, and a beam index within a beam group , sub-beam group index in beam group, beam index in sub-beam group in beam group, number of beams (page 5, last paragraph).
Regarding claim 13, Liu discloses a method (fig. 2) by performing a repeater (repeater and/or relay) (fig. 2, page 24 lines 16-30), comprising: a receiver (transceiver) (fig. number 820, fig. 2 S202, page 24 lines 23-24 and page 32, third paragraph) configured to receive first information from a network device (fig. 2 S202 and page 24 lines 23-24), the first information being used to indicate a first time and/or a first beam (i.e. The first indication information may directly or indirectly indicate the access beam to be used by the relay node to forward the signal in one or more time units, for example, an uplink access beam and/or a downlink access beam. The access beams corresponding to each time unit may be the same or different. In this embodiment of the present application, the time unit may be a time slot, a symbol, a frame, a subframe, or the like. For example, the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot)(Page 25, 1st paragraph), the first beam being denoted by a first beam index (i.e. the access beam index may be used to identify different access beams, that is, the content included in the first indication information is the index of the access beam)(page 27, 4th paragraph), the first time comprising at least one time unit, the time unit being a slot and/or a symbol )(Page 25, 1st paragraph); and processor circuitry (fig. 8 number 810 and page 32, 3rd paragraph) configured to determine to apply the first beam for reception or transmission on an access link over the first time at least according to the first information (i.e. the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot, and the relay node selects the downlink access beam for downlink reception in the first time slot according to the first indication information. For another example, the first indication information indicates the relay node's uplink access beam in the second time slot, (Page 25, 1st paragraph) and the relay node can determine whether each time unit or each time subunit should be used for uplink forwarding or downlink forwarding through the remaining information (page 25 lines 26-31).
Regarding claim 14, Liu discloses network device (base station)(fig. 10 number 1000 and page 38 and 4th paragraph) comprising: a transmitter (transceiver) (fig. 10 number 1010 and page 38, 5th paragraph) configured to transmit first information to a repeater (fig. 2 S202 and page 24 lines 23-24), the first information being used to indicate a first time and/or a first beam (i.e. The first indication information may directly or indirectly indicate the access beam to be used by the relay node to forward the signal in one or more time units, for example, an uplink access beam and/or a downlink access beam. The access beams corresponding to each time unit may be the same or different. In this embodiment of the present application, the time unit may be a time slot, a symbol, a frame, a subframe, or the like. For example, the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot)(Page 25, 1st paragraph), the first beam being denoted by a first beam index (i.e. the access beam index may be used to identify different access beams, that is, the content included in the first indication information is the index of the access beam)(page 27, 4th paragraph), the first time comprising at least one time unit, the time unit being a slot and/or a symbol )(Page 25, 1st paragraph); and processor circuitry (fig. 8 number 810 and page 32, 3rd paragraph) configured to determine to apply the first beam for reception or transmission on an access link over the first time at least according to the first information (i.e. the first indication information indicates the downlink access beam of the relay node in the first time slot, and the relay node selects the downlink access beam for downlink reception in the first time slot according to the first indication information. For another example, the first indication information indicates the relay node's uplink access beam in the second time slot, (Page 25, 1st paragraph) and the relay node can determine whether each time unit or each time subunit should be used for uplink forwarding or downlink forwarding through the remaining information (page 25 lines 26-31).
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 5 and 7-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
6. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the second information is used to indicate that the first time comprises flexible time unit; the flexible time unit in the first time not being used to receive and/or transmit on the access link.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the receiver is further configured to receive third information from the network device, the third information being used to indicate a second time and a second beam used for transmission or reception on the access link, the second beam is denoted by a second beam index, the second time and the first time at least partially overlapping, and the processor circuitry is further configured to determine to apply the first beam for transmission or reception on the access link in the first time, at least based on the first information and the third information.
Conclusion
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
He et al. (US 2025/0331026) discloses beamforming information for network-controlled repeaters.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7865. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am -3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley L Kim can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEITH FERGUSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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