Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 25, 2026
Application No. 19/087,277

PRECODING VECTOR INDICATION METHOD, PRECODING VECTOR DETERMINING METHOD, AND COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §DOUBLEPATENT§Other
Filed
Mar 21, 2025
Priority
Oct 27, 2018 — CN 201811263110.1 +2 more
Examiner
ZUNIGA ABAD, JACKIE
Art Unit
2469
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
76%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 8m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 76% — above average
76%
Career Allowance Rate
575 granted / 752 resolved
+18.5% vs TC avg
Strong +23% interview lift
Without
With
+22.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 3m
Avg Prosecution
34 currently pending
Career history
797
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.4%
-34.6% vs TC avg
§103
54.8%
+14.8% vs TC avg
§102
23.0%
-17.0% vs TC avg
§112
8.8%
-31.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 752 resolved cases

Office Action

§DOUBLEPATENT §Other
DETAILED ACTION Claims 1-18 are presented for examination. Claims 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12-15, and 18 are amended. 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 . Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Drawings The drawings were received on 03/21/2025. These drawings are acceptable. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/20/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Double Patenting The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969). A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b). The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13. The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer. Claims 1-5, 11-15, and 13-17 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-5 and 7-11 of U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018. Note that the applicant filing of the continuing application is voluntary and not the direct, unmodified result of restriction requirement under 35 U.S.C. 121 (i.e. without a restriction requirement by the examiner) and the claims of the second application are drawn to the “same invention” as the first application or patent. Moreover, although the conflicting claims are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the instant application merely broadens the scope of the claims of the Patent by eliminating the elements and their functions of the claims, and the claims of this instant application are therefore and obvious variant thereof. Instant Application 19/087277 U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018 Claim 1, A method, comprising: Claim 1, A precoding vector indication method, comprising: generating a channel state information (CSI) report, wherein the CSI report indicates M space-frequency units and a weighting coefficient of a part or all of the M space-frequency units, wherein each of the M space-frequency units corresponds to one space domain vector and one frequency domain vector, and wherein the CSI report comprises an indication of a quantity of non- zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space- frequency units; and generating a channel state information (CSI) report, wherein the CSI report is used to indicate M space-frequency units and a weighting coefficient of a part or all of the M space-frequency units, wherein each of the M space-frequency units corresponds to one beam vector and one frequency domain vector, and wherein the CSI report comprises an indication of a quantity of non-zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space-frequency units, or an indication of a quantity of zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in the M weighting coefficients; and sending the CSI report, wherein the weighting coefficient indicated by the CSI report is usable for determining a weighted sum of the part or all of the M space-frequency units, and the weighted sum is usable for determining a precoding matrix of a plurality of frequency domain units. sending the CSI report to a network device, wherein the weighting coefficient indicated by the CSI report is used to determine a weighted sum of the part or all of the M space-frequency units, and the weighted sum is used to determine a precoding vector of a plurality of frequency domain units. Instant Application 19/087277 U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018 Claim 2, The method according to claim 1, wherein the CSI report comprises a first part and a second part and wherein the second part comprises an indication of a normalized space-frequency unit, and quantization information of each weighting coefficient that is in M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space-frequency units and that is different from a normalized coefficient. Claim 2, The method according to claim 1, wherein the CSI report comprises a first part and a second part, wherein the second part comprises an indication of a normalized space-frequency unit, and quantization information of each weighting coefficient that is in M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space-frequency units and that is different from a normalized coefficient, and wherein the normalized space-frequency unit corresponds to the normalized coefficient. Instant Application 19/087277 U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018 Claim 3, The method according to claim 1, wherein the CSI report comprises a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises the indication of the quantity of non- zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in the M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space-frequency units, and wherein the second part comprises quantization information of an amplitude of each of the M weighting coefficients, and quantization information of a phase of each non-zero-amplitude weighting coefficient in the M weighting coefficients. Claim 3, The method according to claim 1, wherein the CSI report comprises a first part and a second part, wherein: the first part comprises the indication of the quantity of non-zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in the M weighting coefficients corresponding to the M space-frequency units, or the indication of the quantity of zero-amplitude weighting coefficients in the M weighting coefficients; and the second part comprises quantization information of an amplitude of each of the M weighting coefficients, and quantization information of a phase of each non-zero-amplitude weighting coefficient in the M weighting coefficients. Instant Application 19/087277 U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018 Claim 4, The method according to claim 2, wherein the second part further comprises an indication of the M space-frequency units. Claim 4, The method according to claim 2, wherein the second part further comprises an indication of the M space-frequency units. Instant Application 19/087277 U.S. Patent No. 12,284,018 Claim 5, The method according to claim 4, wherein the indication comprises a bitmap. Claim 5, The method according to claim 4, wherein the indication comprises a bitmap. Claims 11-15 and 13-17 disclose similar limitations to claims 7-11 of the Patent and are therefore rejected for the same reason as indicated above. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-18 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. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wu et al., U.S. Publication No. 2019/0363760 discloses wherein angular rotation is performed by acting an angular rotation matrix on the information indicated by the precoding indication information. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD whose telephone number is (571)270-7194. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm. 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, IAN MOORE can be reached at 571-272-3085. 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. /JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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Prosecution Timeline

Mar 21, 2025
Application Filed
Apr 07, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Oct 01, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §DOUBLEPATENT, §Other (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
76%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+22.9%)
3y 3m (~1y 8m 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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