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 .
Drawings
Figures 1-8 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 15-19, 22, and 26-28 are objected to because of the following informalities:
1. (Currently Amended) A method performed by a network node for performing channel estimation, the method comprising:
associating a first [[UE]] User Equipment (UE) with a first Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) and a second UE with a second TRP;
receiving a combined signal of a first Uplink-Reference Signal (UL-RS) resource and a second UL-RS resource at the first TRP;
estimating a received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource at the first TRP from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
subtracting the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
estimating a channel for the second UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources subtracted with the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource;
ordering UEs according to a received power at the first TRP;
performing the estimation and the subtraction of the estimated received signal contribution to decrease the received power; and
estimating the received power at the first TRP by correlating a frequency-domain received signal with a corresponding UE's Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) sequence and summing the power over all subcarriers carrying an SRS to determine the received power from the different UEs.
2. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, further comprising:
repeating one or more steps for a number of iterations [[but]] by replacing the received combined signal with the received combined signal subtracted with an estimated received signal contribution of the second UL-RS resource.
3. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the UL- RS comprises a SRS.
5. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, further comprising:
configuring the first UE with [[a]] the first UL-RS resource including a first UL-RS sequence and configuring the second UE with [[a]] the second UL-RS resource including a second UL-RS sequence.
8. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP belong to [[a]] the same cell.
10. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the association between a UE and a TRP is determined by the lowest estimated path loss between the TRPs and the UEs, such that a UE is associated with a TRP that it has lowest path loss.
11. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 5, wherein the first SRS sequence and the second SRS sequence are different from each other.
12. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP belong to different cells.
16. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the ordering of received power is based on a Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) in delay domain.
18. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 1, wherein when estimating the channel for a UE served by a tth TRP, UEs served by the other TRPs are ordered according to a received power of the UE at the tth TRP in descending order before applying a Successive Interference Cancellation[[, SIC,]] (SIC) receiver.
19. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 18, wherein the received signal contribution for stronger UEs [[are]] is then estimated and subtracted before weaker UEs.
26. (Currently Amended) A network node comprising processing circuitry and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processing circuitry to cause the network node to:
associate a first [[UE]] User Equipment (UE) with a first Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) and a second UE with a second TRP;
receive a combined signal of a first Uplink-Reference Signal (UL-RS) resource[[s]] and a second UL-RS resource at the first TRP;
estimate a received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource at the first TRP from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
subtract the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
estimate a channel for the second UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources subtracted with the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource;
order UEs according to a received power at the first TRP;
perform the estimation and the subtraction of the estimated received signal contribution to decrease the received power; and
estimate, by the network node, the received power at the first TRP by correlating a frequency-domain received signal with a corresponding UE's Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) sequence and summing the power over all subcarriers carrying an SRS to determine the received power from the different UEs.
27. (Currently Amended) The network node of claim 26, wherein the instructions executable by the processing circuitry further to cause the network node to:
repeat one or more steps for a number of iterations [[but]] by replacing the received combined signal with the received combined signal subtracted with an estimated received signal contribution of the second UL-RS resource.
28. (Currently Amended) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed [[on]] by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for channel estimation, the method comprising:
associating a first [[UE]] User Equipment (UE) with a first Transmission and Reception Point (TRP) and a second UE with a second TRP;
receiving a combined signal of a first Uplink-Reference Signal (UL-RS) resource and a second UL-RS resource at the first TRP;
estimating a received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource at the first TRP from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
subtracting the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources;
estimating a channel for the second UL-RS resource from the received combined signal of the first and second UL-RS resources subtracted with the estimated received signal contribution of the first UL-RS resource;
ordering UEs according to a received power at the first TRP;
performing the estimation and the subtraction of the estimated received signal contribution to decrease the received power; and
estimating the received power at the first TRP by correlating a frequency-domain received signal with a corresponding UE's Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) sequence and summing the power over all subcarriers carrying an SRS to determine the received power from the different UEs.
Claims 6, 7, 9, 15, 17, and 22 depend on claim 1, therefore they are also objected.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 15-19, 22, and 26-28 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 1, 10, 17-19, 26, and 28 are unclear regarding the terms “UEs”, “UE’s SRS”, “the different UEs”, “stronger UEs”, and “weaker UEs.” Since independent claims 1, 26, and 28 each introduce “a first UE” and “a second UE,” the relationship and distinctions among these entities must be clearly defined.
Claim 1 (line 15), claim 22 (line 16), and claim 28 (line 17) are vague and indefinite because the term “the estimation and subtraction” recited in the claims lacks corresponding functions, and two estimating steps are recited in each claim.
Claim 1 (lines 15, 17-18, and 18), claim 9 (lines 1-2 and 3), claim 10 (lines 2-3), claim 11 (lines 1-2), claim 15 (lines 1-2), claim 16 (line 1), claim 17 (line 2), claim 22 (lines 1-2), claim 26 (lines 16, 18-19, and 19-20), and claim 28 (lines 17, 19-20, and 20) contain terms, such as “the estimation and subtraction”, “the power overall subcarriers”, “the different UEs”, “the first SRS resource”, “the second SRS resource”, “the TRPs and the UEs”, “the first SRS sequence and second SRS sequence”, “the received powers”, “the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio”, and “the steps” that lack antecedent basis because they were not previously introduced in the claims.
The phrase “ordering UEs according to a received power at the first TRP” recited in line 14 of claim 1 and line 16 of claim 28, and similar phrase recited in line 15 of claim 26 is vague and indefinite. It is unclear from the claim language whether “a received power” refers to an aggregate power level received at the TRP from all UEs, or a separate, individual received power measured for each respective UE. Because the relationship between the "power" being measured and the individual UEs being ordered is undefined, the boundaries of the claim cannot be reasonably determined.
In claims 2, 22, and 27, the terms “repeating one or more steps” and “the steps” are vague and indefinite because it is unclear which specific steps are being referenced.
The claimed subject matter recited in claim 6 is unclear, for example, the phrase "one or both triggering and scheduling" creates confusion over whether the claim requires both actions simultaneously, either action independently, or a combined single operational step, rendering the boundaries of the claim unclear. Further, reciting transmission for a “respective UE in a same time/frequency resource” fails to clarify whether the UEs share the identical resource concurrently or if it means separate identical allocations sequentially.
Claim 10 is vague and indefinite because the final phrase “that it has lowest path loss” is grammatically incorrect and legally ambiguous. It is missing the preposition “with which” or “to which” (e.g., with which it has the lowest path loss). Further, the phrase “such that a UE is associated with a TRP that it has lowest path loss” attempts to define the exact same condition already stated in the first half of the sentence “based on lowest estimated path loss between the TRPs and the UEs”. Repeating it introduces confusion as to whether a secondary condition is being applied.
Claim 15 is vague and indefinite because the phrase “previously estimated signals” does not specify if the signals come from a past iteration loop, a different time slot, or a different channel. The claim does not state the source of these signals or how they relate to the current power estimation. Further, the phrase “first subtracting” makes the sequence of the iterative steps confusing to follow.
Claim 16 is vague and indefinite because the phrase “in delay domain” lacks antecedent basis, renders the metric relative/unmeasurable, or if how the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) dictates an “ordering of received power” is technically incomprehensible or ambiguous to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The “delay domain” also fails to define what domain transformations or measurements are meant and the unclear functional relationship of how PAPR maps to power “ordering.” Further, the claimed subject matter recited in the claim does not tie to any of the claim limitations of the precedent claim 1.
Claim 17 is vague and indefinite because the phrase “estimated power from previous measurements” fails to clarify what is being measured or who performed the measurements. It is unclear if the “previous measurements” are measurements of the “different UEs,” measurements taken by the “first TRP,” or historical network data generally. Because the boundaries of what constitutes these “previous measurements” cannot be determined, the scope of the claim is uncertain.
Claim 18 is vague and indefinite because the phrase “a received power of the UE” lacks proper antecedent basis. It is unclear whether “the UE” refers to the “UE served by a tth TRP” or if it is intended to refer individually to each of the “UEs served by the other TRPs.” One skilled in the art would not know whose received power is being measured and ordered. The phrase “before applying a Successive Interference Cancellation, SIC, receiver” is also indefinite. It is unclear whether the “applying” refers to activating a physical receiver structure, invoking an algorithm, or if the ordering of the UEs is a prerequisite step performed prior to signal reception. Further, a receiver is a structural apparatus; “applying” a structural apparatus to an ordered list of users lacks clarity as to what functional steps are being performed on the signals. Furthermore, the conditional clause “wherein when estimating... UEs are ordered...” renders the scope of the claim unclear. It is ambiguous whether the claim requires the step of “estimating” and “ordering” to be actively performed to infringe the claim, or if it merely describes a hypothetical operational state of the components.
Claim 19 depends on claim 18, it is also vague and indefinite because “stronger UEs” and “weaker UEs” are relative and lack an objective metric or standard in the claim or specification to demarcate their boundaries, leaving the scope of the step open to multiple reasonable interpretations. Further, the phrase “subtracted before” fails to clearly set forth the operational sequence or structural relationship of the signal estimation and cancellation steps.
Claims 3, 5, 7-8, and 12 depend on claim 1, therefore they are also rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefore, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because “a computer-readable storage medium” recited in the claim would appear to encompass both transitory and non-transitory media, such as a memory or storage device described in the specification. Therefore, the broadest reasonable interpretation means the “computer-readable storage medium” includes a transitory medium such as a signal or waveform and therefore is non-statutory.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 15-19, 22, and 26-28 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the objections set forth in this Office action.
Claims 1-3, 5-12, 15-19, 22, and 26-28 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yoo et al. (US 2018/0097667 A1) relates to a central unit transmits downlink (DL) calibration reference signal (RS) and a calibration request. The central unit receives, in response to the calibration request, a first uplink (UL) calibration RS and a first DL channel estimate associated with a first transmission point (TP) and a first wireless communication device. The central unit transmits a DL coordinated multipoint (CoMP) joint transmission signal according to an uplink-downlink (UL-DL) reciprocity calibration. The UL-DL reciprocity calibration is based on at least a first UL channel estimate based on the first UL calibration RS, the first DL channel estimate, a second UL channel estimate associated with a second TP and the first wireless communication device, and a second DL channel estimate associated with the second TP and the first wireless communication device.
Gupta et al. (US 2019/0261278 A1) relates to techniques for multiple transmission reception points (TRPs) in a cluster may coordinate scheduling and communications with a user equipment (UE). Different TRPs may allocate uplink resources for one or more UEs within a coordinated cluster to transmit feedback information. A first TRP may provide a first set of resources that one or more associated UEs may use to transmit acknowledgment (ACK) feedback to indicate successful receipt of a downlink transmission of the first TRP, and one or more other TRPs of the coordinated cluster may provide a second set of resources that the one or more UEs may use to transmit negative acknowledgment (NACK) feedback to indicate that a downlink transmission of the first TRP was lost. The second set of resources may include non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) resources.
CHENG (US 2019/0379506 A1) relates to a method includes: receiving Transmission/Reception Point (TRP) information from a Base Station (BS); and communicating with a plurality of TRPs based on the TRP information, where the TRP information identifies a correspondence between the plurality of TRPs and a plurality of Downlink (DL) Reference Signal (RS) resources, and where the TRP information includes at least one of a plurality of TRP Identifiers (IDs), a plurality of Control Resource Set (CORESET) IDs, or a TRP mapping table including a plurality of TRP indices and a plurality of DL RS resource indices.
Yang et al. (US 2020/0015229 A1) relates to a user equipment (UE) configured to: receive a configuration message configuring the UE to communicate coordinated transmissions with multiple transmission reception points (TRPs) using a first coordinated transmission mode of a set of different coordinated transmission modes; receive, based on the configuration message, downlink control information including at least one indicator and receive a first coordinated transmission communicated in accordance with the first coordinated transmission mode; and transmit, in accordance with a feedback configuration corresponding to the at least one indicator and the first coordinated transmission mode, a feedback message for the first coordinated transmission to at least one of the multiple TRPs.
JANG et al. (US 2023/0090986 A1) relates to a method of reporting channel state information by first user equipment (UE) includes: receiving, from a base station, channel measurement resource (CMR) configuration information; receiving, from at least one second UE, uplink interference measurement resource (UL IMR) configuration information for measurement of cross link interference (CLI) between the at least one second UE and the first UE; measuring one or more signal to interference pulse noise ratio (SINR) based on at least one downlink reference signal (DL RS) received on CMR identified from the CMR configuration information and at least one uplink reference signal (UL RS) received on UL IMR identified from the UL IMR configuration information; and transmitting, to the base station, information about the measured one or more SINR.
Kung et al. (US 2023/0284287 A1) relates to a method for a UE in a wireless communication system comprise: receiving a signaling, wherein the signaling indicates activation for a first TRP and/or is a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) signal; determining to perform a first random access procedure on the first TRP, based on the signaling, to obtain a first Time Alignment (TA) information associated with the first TRP; and performing multi-TRP operation on the first TRP associated with the first TA information and a second TRP associated with a second TA information.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Young T. Tse whose telephone number is (571)272-3051. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10:30am-7pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Chieh M Fan can be reached at 571-272-3042. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Young T. Tse/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632
