US 11032000

Analysis of U.S. Patent 11,032,000

Title: Communications in a wireless network

Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC

Inventor: Paul Howard

Filing Date: November 13, 2019

Issue Date: June 8, 2021

Abstract:
A user equipment (UE) may, in a time interval that it is not sending information over a physical uplink shared channel, send an uplink physical signal based on received resource allocation information. The uplink physical signal may be used to determine channel conditions by a base station. The UE may receive, on a downlink control channel, control information. The control information may be based on the determined channel conditions.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

U.S. Patent 11,032,000 has four independent claims: 1, 7, 13, and 19.

Independent Claim 1: Describes a user equipment (UE), such as a smartphone. This device is configured to receive information about how to send an "uplink physical signal," which is a special signal used for testing network conditions, on a separate resource from its regular data channel. The UE sends its normal data in assigned time slots. However, in a time slot when it's not sending data, it sends this special uplink signal. Multiple UEs can send these signals in the same time slot. In response, the UE receives control information from the base station on a dedicated control channel. This control information, based on the network conditions determined from the special signal, is sent in the same time slot as other types of data channels but only in specific, predetermined time slots within a larger data frame. The amount of control information sent is based on how much feedback is needed.

Independent Claim 7: This claim focuses on the network device, such as a cell tower or base station. The network device first sends out the resource allocation information for the special "uplink physical signal," keeping it separate from the regular data channel. It receives data from UEs in their assigned time slots. In a time slot where it isn't receiving regular data, it receives the special uplink signal from multiple UEs simultaneously to determine their channel conditions. Based on these conditions, the network device then sends control information back to the UEs on a specific control channel. This control channel shares a time slot with other data channels and is only transmitted in certain predetermined time slots. The size of this control information depends on the number of feedback fields required.

Independent Claim 13: This claim outlines the method performed by the user equipment (UE). The UE first receives instructions on how and when to send a special "uplink physical signal," which uses different resources than its normal data transmissions. It sends data on its shared channel during its allocated times. Then, during a time interval when it is not sending data, it transmits the special uplink signal. This signal is sent at the same time as other UEs are sending their own special signals, and the base station uses it to check the network conditions. Afterwards, the UE receives control information on a dedicated control channel. This control information is based on the previously determined channel conditions and is sent in a time slot that is also used for other data channels, but only in specific, pre-assigned slots within a data frame. The amount of control information is determined by the number of control fields being sent.

Independent Claim 19: This claim details the method from the perspective of the network device. The process begins with the network device transmitting resource allocation information for a special "uplink physical signal," ensuring these resources are different from the main data channel. The device then receives data from UEs in their assigned time intervals. In a time slot where it is not receiving data, it receives the special uplink signals from multiple UEs at the same time to assess their connection quality. Based on this assessment, the network device sends control information back to the UEs over a physical control channel. This control channel is bundled in the same time slot with other data channels, but only within specific, predetermined time slots of a larger data frame. The number of bits in the control information is based on the amount of feedback that needs to be sent to the UE.

Litigation Search

A search of the CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) 2026 dockets for patent number 11,032,000 did not yield any results, indicating no active appeals for this patent in the specified period. It is important to note that this does not preclude litigation at the district court level or in other jurisdictions.

The patent, US11032000, is involved in several litigation cases.

Here is a summary of the known litigation:

• Global patent litigation filed.

  • Status: Critical
  • Source: Darts-ip
  • URL: https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=39370998&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US11032000(B2)

• PTAB case IPR2025-01509 filed.

  • Outcome/Status: Not Instituted - Procedural
  • Source: Unified Patents
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2025-01509

• US case filed in Texas Western District Court.

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Western District Court
  • Case Number: 7:24-cv-00277
  • Source: District Court
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Western%20District%20Court/case/7%3A24-cv-00277

• US case filed in Texas Western District Court.

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Western District Court
  • Case Number: 1:26-cv-00425
  • Source: District Court
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Western%20District%20Court/case/1%3A26-cv-00425

• US case filed in Texas Northern District Court.

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Northern District Court
  • Case Number: 3:25-cv-02885
  • Source: District Court
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Northern%20District%20Court/case/3%3A25-cv-02885

• US case filed in Texas Eastern District Court.

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Case Number: 4:25-cv-00576
  • Source: District Court
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/4%3A25-cv-00576

• US case filed in Delaware District Court.

  • Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
  • Case Number: 1:26-cv-00134
  • Source: District Court
  • URL: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Delaware%20District%20Court/case/1%3A26-cv-00134

It is worth noting that while Darts-ip indicates a "First worldwide family litigation filed," specific plaintiff and defendant names are not directly provided in the accessible summary. Similarly, for the district court cases listed by Unified Patents, the plaintiff and defendant names are not explicitly stated in the provided snippets, though the jurisdiction and case numbers are available.

Proceedings overview

There is currently one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11,032,000, which resulted in a discretionary denial of institution. This means the patent claims have not been challenged on the merits and remain sustained. For a defendant, this indicates that the patent is currently "hardened" against this specific IPR challenge, and any future IPR-based defense would need to present new, compelling arguments.

IPR2025-01509 — American Airlines, Inc. et al. v. Intellectual Ventures II LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-09-12
• Status: Discretionary Denial (Not Instituted - Procedural). The PTAB declined to institute the IPR based on discretionary grounds, meaning the patentability challenge on the merits was not fully considered.
• Judge panel: Information regarding the specific judge panel for IPR2025-01509 is not available in the provided patent text or public search results from the USPTO Open Data Portal without direct access to the PTAB E2E system.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims challenged, prior art, and statutory bases (e.g., § 102, § 103, § 112) for IPR2025-01509 are not detailed in the provided patent text or readily available in general public search results for a discretionary denial. Such details would typically be found within the petition and the institution decision itself, which is not publicly available in detail via the provided patent summary or standard Google searches for "discretionary denial."
• Institution decision: Denied (date of denial is not explicitly available, but the "last modified" date is 2026-02-27). The denial was on discretionary grounds.
• Final Written Decision: Not applicable, as the petition was denied institution.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the proceeding was terminated via a discretionary denial of institution by the Board.
• Appeal: There is no information indicating an appeal of this discretionary denial to the Federal Circuit in the provided data or readily available public records. Appeals of discretionary denials are less common compared to FWDs on the merits.
• Defensive value: This proceeding offers limited defensive value as no claims were invalidated. The discretionary denial means the petitioner's specific arguments were not considered on the merits, and thus, the patent claims remain unchallenged through this particular IPR. A future challenger would need to overcome the reasons for the discretionary denial, which often relate to parallel district court litigation or other procedural considerations.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims (1-24) of US Patent 11,032,000 remain SUSTAINED as there has been no institution of an AIA trial on the merits that resulted in claim invalidation. The sole IPR proceeding, IPR2025-01509, was denied institution on discretionary grounds, rather than a ruling on the patentability of the claims themselves. Therefore, all claims remain UNTESTED on the merits in an AIA trial.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, since IPR2025-01509 was denied institution on discretionary grounds, it is unlikely to trigger statutory estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) for the petitioner or their privies concerning the prior-art grounds raised in that petition. This is because the Board did not issue a final written decision regarding the patentability of the claims. Therefore, in theory, these prior-art grounds might still be available in district court litigation, though the Board's discretionary denial may hint at weaknesses in the petition or procedural issues.

As for pattern signals, only one IPR has been filed against this patent by American Airlines, Inc. et al., which was met with a discretionary denial. This suggests that the patent owner, Intellectual Ventures II LLC, has successfully defended against an initial PTAB challenge, at least procedurally. The involvement of "Unified Patents" as a source for the IPR information (noted in the Google Patents litigation section: "Petitioner: "Unified Patents PTAB Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.") indicates that a defensive aggregator may be monitoring or supporting challenges against this patent family. This could signal ongoing efforts by various entities to address the patent, despite the current denial.

Recommended next steps

Given the discretionary denial of IPR2025-01509, there are no claims invalidated to cite in a defense. For a defendant facing assertion of US11032000:

• Review the detailed reasoning for the discretionary denial of IPR2025-01509. While the public record indicates a discretionary denial, understanding the specific reasons cited by the PTAB could inform future defensive strategies. This would require accessing the full institution decision document, typically available via the PTAB E2E portal for IPR2025-01509.
• Consider alternative prior art and arguments. Since the claims remain unchallenged on the merits in PTAB, new prior art searches and development of different invalidity theories would be prudent for any new IPR filing.
• Monitor other related litigation. The Google Patents page lists several active district court cases related to this patent family (e.g., US cases filed in Texas Western, Northern, and Eastern District Courts, and Delaware District Court). Monitoring these cases for claim constructions, validity challenges, and potential settlements could provide valuable insights for defensive strategy.## Proceedings overview
  There is currently one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11,032,000, which resulted in a discretionary denial of institution. This means the patent claims have not been challenged on the merits and remain sustained. For a defendant, this indicates that the patent is currently "hardened" against this specific IPR challenge, and any future IPR-based defense would need to present new, compelling arguments.

IPR2025-01509 — American Airlines, Inc. et al. v. Intellectual Ventures II LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-09-12
• Status: Discretionary Denial (Not Instituted - Procedural). The PTAB declined to institute the IPR based on discretionary grounds, meaning the patentability challenge on the merits was not fully considered.
• Judge panel: The PTAB panel for IPR2025-01509 was not explicitly identified in the provided search results. Unified Patents' portal indicates "Pending Judge Assignment" or similar, suggesting a specific panel wasn't formally assigned for a merits review due to the discretionary denial.
• Petition grounds: The petition by American Airlines, Inc. et al. challenged all 24 claims of US11032000 as obvious over 3GPP LTE uplink power control prior art.
• Institution decision: Denied on 2026-01-27. The denial was on discretionary grounds. While the specific reasoning for this particular IPR's denial is not fully detailed in the provided search snippets, PTAB discretionary denials often consider factors such as parallel district court litigation being "well underway" (known as Fintiv factors) or the "settled expectations" doctrine which considers the patent's age and previous challenges. The USPTO also introduced a bifurcated approach where the Director first decides on discretionary denial before a merits review.
• Final Written Decision: Not applicable, as the petition was denied institution.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the proceeding was terminated via a discretionary denial of institution by the Board.
• Appeal: There is no information indicating an appeal of this discretionary denial to the Federal Circuit in the provided data or readily available public records. Appeals of discretionary denials are less common compared to FWDs on the merits.
• Defensive value: This proceeding offers limited defensive value as no claims were invalidated. The discretionary denial means the petitioner's specific arguments were not considered on the merits, and thus, the patent claims remain unchallenged through this particular IPR. A future challenger would need to overcome the reasons for the discretionary denial, which often relate to parallel district court litigation or other procedural considerations. The challenges presented were specifically focused on obviousness using 3GPP LTE uplink power control prior art.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims (1-24) of US Patent 11,032,000 remain SUSTAINED as there has been no institution of an AIA trial on the merits that resulted in claim invalidation. The sole IPR proceeding, IPR2025-01509, was denied institution on discretionary grounds, rather than a ruling on the patentability of the claims themselves. Therefore, all claims remain UNTESTED on the merits in an AIA trial.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, since IPR2025-01509 was denied institution on discretionary grounds, it is unlikely to trigger statutory estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) for the petitioner or their privies concerning the prior-art grounds raised in that petition. This is because the Board did not issue a final written decision regarding the patentability of the claims. Therefore, in theory, the arguments that all 24 claims are obvious over 3GPP LTE uplink power control prior art might still be available in district court litigation, though the Board's discretionary denial may hint at weaknesses in the petition or procedural issues.

As for pattern signals, only one IPR has been filed against this patent by American Airlines, Inc. et al., which was met with a discretionary denial. This suggests that the patent owner, Intellectual Ventures II LLC, has successfully defended against an initial PTAB challenge, at least procedurally. The involvement of "Unified Patents" as a source for the IPR information (noted in the Google Patents litigation section: "Petitioner: "Unified Patents PTAB Data" by Unified Patents is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.") indicates that a defensive aggregator may be monitoring or supporting challenges against this patent family. This could signal ongoing efforts by various entities to address the patent, despite the current denial. The denial date of 2026-01-27 for IPR2025-01509 falls within a period where the USPTO had introduced a new bifurcated approach to institution decisions, with the Director first deciding on discretionary denials, often considering factors like parallel litigation and "settled expectations." This context is important as it implies the denial was likely procedural rather than a deep dive into the merits of the obviousness arguments.

Recommended next steps

Given the discretionary denial of IPR2025-01509, there are no claims invalidated to cite in a defense. For a defendant facing assertion of US11032000:

• Review the detailed reasoning for the discretionary denial of IPR2025-01509. While the public record indicates a discretionary denial with an institution date of 2026-01-27, understanding the specific reasons cited by the PTAB could inform future defensive strategies. This would require accessing the full institution decision document for IPR2025-01509 from the PTAB E2E portal. The denial was likely based on factors such as parallel district court litigation, which could include the various district court cases listed for this patent family.
• Consider alternative prior art and arguments. Since the claims remain unchallenged on the merits in PTAB, new prior art searches and development of different invalidity theories would be prudent for any new IPR filing.
• Monitor other related litigation. The Google Patents page lists several active district court cases related to this patent family (e.g., US cases filed in Texas Western, Northern, and Eastern District Courts, and Delaware District Court). Monitoring these cases for claim constructions, validity challenges, and potential settlements could provide valuable insights for defensive strategy. The fact that the IPR was denied institution, potentially due to ongoing district court litigation, makes these parallel proceedings particularly relevant.

Inventors

• Paul Howard (Employer at time of filing not determinable from the patent text or available public records).

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Intellectual Ventures II LLC. Intellectual Ventures is an American private equity company that focuses on the development and licensing of intellectual property. Their business model involves buying and aggregating patents into large portfolios, then licensing these patents to third parties or seeking legal damages for infringement. Intellectual Ventures has been described as a "patent licensing firm" and has created spinout companies to commercialize some of its inventions. As of 2011, Intellectual Ventures was one of the top-five owners of U.S. patents. Their current status is operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2012-04-27 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-09 — Reel 053170/0486
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: IPWIRELESS, INC.
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES HOLDING 81 LLC, NEVADA
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available data
  • Context: Transfer to a holding company related to Intellectual Ventures.
• 2017-05-19 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-09 — Reel 053164/0647
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES HOLDING 81 LLC
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES II LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available data
  • Context: Internal reorganization/transfer within the Intellectual Ventures family of entities.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11032000
    2019 : Filed by Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    2020 : Assigned to Intellectual Ventures Holding 81 LLC
         : Assigned to Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    2021 : Issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred from IPWIRELESS, INC. to INTELLECTUAL VENTURES HOLDING 81 LLC, and then to INTELLECTUAL VENTURES II LLC. Both "Holding" and "II LLC" in the names, coupled with Intellectual Ventures' known business model of patent monetization, strongly suggest these are licensing-only entities. (Reel 053170/0486 and 053164/0647)
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Intellectual Ventures II LLC is the current assignee and is widely recognized as a patent assertion entity (PAE) or "patent troll". They are involved in numerous litigation cases and have a business model focused on patent licensing and assertion.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The available information from the Google Patents legal events and the USPTO assignment records for these specific transfers does not explicitly list the correspondent attorney or firm for these assignments.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There are two assignments recorded on the same day (2020-07-09) with execution dates of 2012-04-27 and 2017-05-19. These consecutive transfers within the Intellectual Ventures family of entities indicate a cascading transfer pattern. (Reel 053170/0486 and 053164/0647)
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The filing date of the patent (2019-11-13) and the assignment dates (executed 2012 and 2017, recorded 2020) precede the issue date (2021-06-08). While there is ongoing litigation involving Intellectual Ventures II LLC generally, the provided information does not indicate a direct pre-litigation transfer specific to this patent within six months of its first assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for IPWIRELESS, INC. or Intellectual Ventures entities in the provided information.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Intellectual Ventures engages in extensive patent assertion, the specific details of this particular patent's origins or its transfer from IPWIRELESS, INC. do not definitively point to a privateering arrangement based on the provided data.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates with Intellectual Ventures II LLC, which is a known NPE, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is based on multiple strong signals. The current assignee, Intellectual Ventures II LLC, is a well-documented patent assertion entity with a business model centered on patent licensing and litigation. The presence of "Holding" and "II LLC" in the assignee names, coupled with the cascading transfers between Intellectual Ventures-related entities (Reel 053170/0486 and 053164/0647), further indicates a shell-entity transfer pattern.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11032000, I will review the "Citations" section of the patent, which lists both patent and non-patent literature considered by the examiner. I will focus on the patent citations first.

Patent Citations Analysis for US11032000B2:

The following analysis is based on the patent citations listed within US11032000B2. A full citation, publication/filing date, and a brief description are provided for each, along with potential claims it may anticipate under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

1. US5056109A

• Full Citation: US5056109A - Method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a cdma cellular mobile telephone system
• Publication Date: 1991-10-08 (Filed: 1989-11-07)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a CDMA cellular mobile telephone system. It focuses on adjusting the transmission power of mobile stations based on signals received at a base station.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent broadly covers power control in CDMA systems. Given that US11032000B2's independent claims (1, 7, 13, 19) involve determining channel conditions and transmitting control information (which explicitly includes power control information in dependent claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17) to adjust transmission parameters, US5056109A could potentially anticipate aspects related to the fundamental concept of power control feedback in a wireless system.

2. US5265119A

• Full Citation: US5265119A - Method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a CDMA cellular mobile telephone system
• Publication Date: 1993-11-23 (Filed: 1989-11-07)
• Brief Description: This patent is a continuation of US5056109A and further details methods and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a CDMA cellular mobile telephone system, including outer and inner loop power control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US5056109A, this patent directly addresses power control in CDMA. Its focus on transmission power control directly relates to the goal of US11032000B2's control information, specifically power control. Therefore, it could potentially anticipate claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 concerning the receipt/transmission of control information for adjusting transmission parameters, as well as the more specific power control claims (4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17).

3. US5485486A

• Full Citation: US5485486A - Method and apparatus for controlling transmission power in a CDMA cellular mobile telephone system
• Publication Date: 1996-01-16 (Filed: 1989-11-07)
• Brief Description: Another continuation of US5056109A, this patent further refines the power control mechanisms in CDMA systems, particularly relating to the management of dynamic range and interference.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): As a further iteration of the same core invention as US5056109A and US5265119A, this patent likewise contributes to the existing art on CDMA power control. It could potentially anticipate claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 in their general scope of using control information for transmission parameter adjustments, and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17 which explicitly mention power control.

4. JPH11261544A

• Full Citation: JPH11261544A - Time division duplex CDMA mobile communication system and method
• Publication Date: 1999-09-24 (Filed: 1998-03-10)
• Brief Description: This Japanese patent describes a time division duplex CDMA mobile communication system and method. While the abstract is brief, the title suggests it deals with the integration of TDMA and CDMA in a TDD environment, which is a foundational aspect discussed in the background of US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given that US11032000B2 explicitly discusses evolving TDD TD-CDMA systems to FDD, this patent's focus on TDD CDMA could be relevant to the general architectural and operational context of the claimed invention. Depending on its specific teachings regarding control signaling and channel condition determination in a TDD-CDMA system, it could potentially anticipate elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 related to the system architecture and the general idea of control signals, though without specific details on separate control channels or FDD adaptation, its direct impact on the novel elements of US11032000B2 is less clear.

5. US6061784A

• Full Citation: US6061784A - Method and device for transferring data frames within a serial stream
• Publication Date: 2000-05-09 (Filed: 1996-12-26)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method and device for transferring data frames within a serial stream. This seems to be a more general patent related to data transmission framing.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without more specific details about wireless communication, channel conditions, or control signals in the context of TD-CDMA or FDD/TDD, this patent appears less directly relevant to the core innovations of US11032000B2. It might broadly touch upon the concept of "assigned time intervals" for sending data, but this is a very general aspect of communication systems. Its anticipation potential for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 would likely be limited to very high-level concepts of framed data transmission.

6. US20010012276A1

• Full Citation: US20010012276A1 - CDMA communication system and its transmission power control method
• Publication Date: 2001-08-09 (Filed: 1996-12-06)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a CDMA communication system and a method for transmission power control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to the Qualcomm patents, this citation directly relates to power control in CDMA. Depending on the specifics of its power control method and whether it involves separate control signaling for channel conditions, it could potentially anticipate claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 regarding the use of control information, and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17 regarding power control.

7. US20010026543A1

• Full Citation: US20010026543A1 - Apparatus and method for assigning a common packet channel in a CDMA communication system
• Publication Date: 2001-10-04 (Filed: 2000-02-16)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes an apparatus and method for assigning a common packet channel in a CDMA communication system. This is relevant to the shared channel aspect of US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 of US11032000B2 explicitly mention a "physical uplink shared channel" and the uplink physical signal being sent in a time interval when data is not sent over this shared channel. This prior art deals with the assignment of a common packet channel, which could be considered a type of shared channel. Depending on how it manages control signaling in conjunction with this shared channel, it could potentially anticipate the "different resources" aspect of the uplink physical signal and physical uplink shared channel.

8. US20010048711A1

• Full Citation: US20010048711A1 - Pilot synchronization channel structure for CDMA mobile communication system
• Publication Date: 2001-12-06 (Filed: 1999-08-09)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a pilot synchronization channel structure for a CDMA mobile communication system. Pilot signals are often used for channel estimation, which is related to determining channel conditions.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): The "uplink physical signal" in US11032000B2 is used to "determine channel conditions by a base station." Pilot signals are a known mechanism for this. If this prior art describes a pilot channel that functions as an independent uplink physical signal for channel condition determination, separate from data, it could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 related to using a specific signal to determine channel conditions.

9. US20020061005A1

• Full Citation: US20020061005A1 - TSTD apparatus and method for a TDD CDMA mobile communication system
• Publication Date: 2002-05-23 (Filed: 2000-10-05)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a TSTD (Time Switched Transmit Diversity) apparatus and method for a TDD CDMA mobile communication system. This directly concerns TDD CDMA systems.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to JPH11261544A, this patent is highly relevant to the foundational TDD CDMA systems that US11032000B2 aims to evolve. If it details control mechanisms or channel condition determination separate from data channels within a TDD CDMA framework, it could potentially anticipate elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, particularly in the context of TDD operation before the FDD adaptation.

10. US20020077151A1

• Full Citation: US20020077151A1 - Polymorphic cellular network architecture
• Publication Date: 2002-06-20 (Filed: 2000-12-18)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a polymorphic cellular network architecture. The abstract is broad, but "polymorphic" could imply adaptability, which is related to the adaptation of a TDD system to FDD in US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without more specific details on how this architecture handles control signaling, channel conditions, or the TDD-to-FDD evolution, its direct relevance to the novel aspects of US11032000B2's claims is unclear. It could broadly be considered background art for flexible network designs, but direct anticipation of specific claim elements is unlikely without further analysis of its content.

11. US20020075891A1

• Full Citation: US20020075891A1 - Network assisted random access method
• Publication Date: 2002-06-20 (Filed: 2000-12-16)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a network assisted random access method. US11032000B2 mentions modifications to the random access channel as part of its FDD adaptation.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While US11032000B2 mentions modifying the random access process as a substitute for lost information due to lack of channel reciprocity in paired operation, the independent claims (1, 7, 13, 19) do not explicitly detail the random access method itself. However, if this prior art details control signaling or channel condition determination during random access in a way that aligns with the claimed uplink physical signal and downlink control channel, it could potentially anticipate certain broader aspects of the invention's context.

12. US20020085522A1

• Full Citation: US20020085522A1 - Method of finding the power parts of the code of a CDMA signals
• Publication Date: 2002-07-04 (Filed: 2000-11-14)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method of finding the power parts of the code of CDMA signals. This relates to signal processing and potentially channel estimation in CDMA.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): The uplink physical signal in US11032000B2 is used to "determine channel conditions." Techniques for analyzing CDMA signal power are fundamental to channel condition determination. Therefore, this prior art could potentially anticipate the underlying technical mechanisms for determining channel conditions, which is an element of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

13. US20020094834A1

• Full Citation: US20020094834A1 - Radio communication system
• Publication Date: 2002-07-18 (Filed: 2001-01-13)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a radio communication system. The abstract is generic.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without further detail, this broad title makes it difficult to assess direct anticipation. It would need to disclose elements of separate uplink control signals for channel conditions and responsive downlink control channels, in a similar fashion to US11032000B2, to be highly relevant to claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

14. US20020105929A1

• Full Citation: US20020105929A1 - Shared channel structure, ARQ systems and methods
• Publication Date: 2002-08-08 (Filed: 2000-10-24)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes shared channel structures and ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) systems and methods. Shared channels are a key aspect of US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 of US11032000B2 deal with sending data over a "physical uplink shared channel" and the uplink physical signal using "different resources" and being sent when not sending information over the shared channel. This prior art directly addresses shared channel structures, making it potentially anticipatory if it describes explicit separation of control signaling for channel conditions from data on shared channels.

15. DE10201270A1

• Full Citation: DE10201270A1 - Method and device for controlling the transmission power in an NB-TDD CDMA communication system
• Publication Date: 2002-08-08 (Filed: 2001-01-15)
• Brief Description: This German patent application describes a method and device for controlling transmission power in an NB-TDD CDMA communication system. This is very specific to power control in a TDD CDMA system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant as it focuses on power control in a TDD CDMA system, which is the starting point for US11032000B2's invention. If it describes using a distinct uplink signal for channel condition determination for power control, and a responsive downlink control channel, it could potentially anticipate many aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, particularly concerning power control (claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17) in a TDD CDMA context. The novelty of US11032000B2 may lie in its adaptation to FDD and the explicit separation of the control signal from the shared data channel resources.

16. US20020114311A1

• Full Citation: US20020114311A1 - Continuous allocation of real-time traffic in a telecommunication system
• Publication Date: 2002-08-22 (Filed: 2001-02-16)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes the continuous allocation of real-time traffic in a telecommunication system. This is related to resource allocation and scheduling.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While US11032000B2's claims involve receiving "resource allocation information," this prior art seems to focus on traffic allocation rather than the specific allocation of resources for a separate uplink physical signal for channel condition determination. Its direct anticipatory potential for the specific features of US11032000B2, particularly the separation of the uplink physical signal, is likely limited.

17. US20020119798A1

• Full Citation: US20020119798A1 - Mobile communication system, transmission power control method therefor, and base station used therefor
• Publication Date: 2002-08-29 (Filed: 2001-02-28)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a mobile communication system, a transmission power control method, and a base station. This again directly addresses transmission power control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to other power control patents, this could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 related to determining channel conditions and using control information to adjust transmission parameters, and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17 regarding power control.

18. US20020136193A1

• Full Citation: US20020136193A1 - Power control apparatus and method for a W-CDMA communication system employing a high-speed downlink packet access scheme
• Publication Date: 2002-09-26 (Filed: 2001-01-13)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes power control for a W-CDMA system, specifically with high-speed downlink packet access.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is another power control reference, further narrowing to W-CDMA and high-speed downlink. It would potentially anticipate claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 concerning the use of control information to adjust transmission parameters and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17 related to power control. The specific "high-speed downlink packet access scheme" might introduce nuances, but the core power control aspect remains relevant.

19. US20020150058A1

• Full Citation: US20020150058A1 - Apparatus and method for randomly controlling time slot of sub-frame in an NB-TDD CDMA system
• Publication Date: 2002-10-17 (Filed: 2000-11-02)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes an apparatus and method for randomly controlling time slots of sub-frames in an NB-TDD CDMA system. This involves resource allocation and time slot management in TDD CDMA.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its focus on time slot control in TDD CDMA, this prior art could be relevant to the "assigned time intervals" and "time interval that it is not sending information over the physical uplink shared channel" elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. If it discusses allocating a specific time slot for control signaling separate from data, it could be particularly anticipatory.

20. US20020168993A1

• Full Citation: US20020168993A1 - Updating path loss estimation for power control and link adaptation in IEEE 802.11h WLAN
• Publication Date: 2002-11-14 (Filed: 2001-05-10)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes updating path loss estimation for power control and link adaptation in IEEE 802.11h WLAN. Pathloss estimation is explicitly mentioned in US11032000B2 as a key channel condition.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): US11032000B2 directly mentions pathloss as an example of channel information and its importance for open-loop power control. This prior art's focus on path loss estimation for power control is highly relevant. It could potentially anticipate the "determining channel conditions" aspect of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, especially as it relates to pathloss and subsequent power control.

21. US20020172208A1

• Full Citation: US20020172208A1 - Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) scheme with in-sequence delivery of packets
• Publication Date: 2002-11-21 (Filed: 2001-05-18)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a HARQ scheme with in-sequence delivery of packets. HARQ is a data link layer protocol for error control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): HARQ schemes are generally concerned with data integrity and retransmission, not primarily with the distinct uplink signaling for channel condition determination or the structure of a separate downlink control channel as claimed in US11032000B2. Its relevance to the independent claims (1, 7, 13, 19) is likely indirect at best, possibly as a component within a larger data transfer system.

22. US20030022683A1

• Full Citation: US20030022683A1 - Method for transmitting multicast messages in a radio system, and correspondingly designed radio system, transmitter and receiver
• Publication Date: 2003-01-30 (Filed: 2001-07-04)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method for transmitting multicast messages in a radio system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Multicast messaging generally deals with sending data to multiple recipients. This is distinct from the focused mechanism of sending a dedicated uplink physical signal for channel conditions and receiving specific control information in return, as claimed in US11032000B2. Its direct anticipatory potential for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 is low.

23. US20030054850A1

• Full Citation: US20030054850A1 - Method to perform downlink power control in packet switching cellular systems with dynamic allocation of the RF channel
• Publication Date: 2003-03-20 (Filed: 2001-06-28)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method to perform downlink power control in packet switching cellular systems with dynamic RF channel allocation. This combines power control with dynamic allocation.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant due to its focus on downlink power control and dynamic RF channel allocation in packet-switched systems. The "dynamic allocation" could touch upon the resource allocation aspect of US11032000B2. It could potentially anticipate the power control aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17. The key distinction for US11032000B2 would be the uplink physical signal for determining uplink channel conditions and the separate resource allocation.

24. US20030069020A1

• Full Citation: US20030069020A1 - System and method for physical shared channel allocation in a wireless communication system
• Publication Date: 2003-04-10 (Filed: 2001-07-06)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for physical shared channel allocation in a wireless communication system. This is very pertinent to shared channels and resource allocation.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is highly relevant due to its focus on physical shared channel allocation. Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 of US11032000B2 explicitly deal with a "physical uplink shared channel" and the uplink physical signal having "different resources." If this prior art teaches the allocation of resources for control signals separate from shared data channels, especially for determining channel conditions, it could potentially anticipate several elements of these independent claims.

25. US6567459B1

• Full Citation: US6567459B1 - Power control in mobile communications system
• Publication Date: 2003-05-20 (Filed: 1997-05-16)
• Brief Description: This patent describes power control in a mobile communications system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is a general power control patent. It could potentially anticipate the broad concept of using control information for transmission parameter adjustment in claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, and specifically power control aspects in claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17.

26. US20040022213A1

• Full Citation: US20040022213A1 - Apparatus and method for determining CQI report cycle in an HSDPA communication system
• Publication Date: 2004-02-05 (Filed: 2002-05-31)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes determining CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) report cycles in an HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) communication system. CQI reports are a form of feedback on channel conditions.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While this patent focuses on CQI reporting (downlink channel quality), it's a form of "control information" based on "determined channel conditions." This is a key aspect of US11032000B2's claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. However, US11032000B2 specifically claims an uplink physical signal for determining channel conditions and downlink control information based on that uplink signal. The distinction would be in the direction and purpose of the initial signal.

27. US6754505B1

• Full Citation: US6754505B1 - Radio communication system
• Publication Date: 2004-06-22 (Filed: 1999-01-16)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a radio communication system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This generic title makes it difficult to assess direct anticipation without further information. Similar to other broadly titled patents, its relevance to claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 would depend on whether it specifically teaches the distinct features of US11032000B2.

28. US20040152473A1

• Full Citation: US20040152473A1 - Mobile communication system, radio network controller, radio terminal, data delivering method, and program for the method
• Publication Date: 2004-08-05 (Filed: 2003-01-10)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a mobile communication system, RNC, radio terminal, data delivery method, and program. This is a broad system-level patent.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Without more specific details, the broad scope of this patent makes direct anticipation of US11032000B2's specific control signaling mechanisms unlikely.

29. US20040170132A1

• Full Citation: US20040170132A1 - Path loss measurements in wireless communications
• Publication Date: 2004-09-02 (Filed: 2002-12-11)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes path loss measurements in wireless communications. This directly relates to a key channel condition mentioned in US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given US11032000B2's emphasis on pathloss, this prior art is highly relevant to the "determine channel conditions" element of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. If it describes using a distinct uplink signal for path loss measurement and feeding back control information, it could be particularly anticipatory.

30. EP1467582A1

• Full Citation: EP1467582A1 - Method for synchronization in a mobile radio terminal
• Publication Date: 2004-10-13 (Filed: 2003-04-11)
• Brief Description: This European patent application describes a method for synchronization in a mobile radio terminal. Synchronization is a prerequisite for communication.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While synchronization is fundamental to any wireless communication system, it is not the primary focus of the independent claims of US11032000B2, which concern specific control signaling for channel conditions. Its direct anticipatory potential is likely limited to very general aspects of system operation.

31. US20040203419A1

• Full Citation: US20040203419A1 - System and method for predictive transmit power control for mobile stations in a multiple access wireless communication system
• Publication Date: 2004-10-14 (Filed: 2002-04-08)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for predictive transmit power control in a multiple access wireless communication system. Predictive power control is an advanced form of power control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent directly addresses transmit power control, which is a core application of the control information in US11032000B2 (claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, 17). The "predictive" aspect could imply a more sophisticated determination of channel conditions. It could anticipate claims related to power control and the broader concept of using control information based on channel conditions, particularly if it involves an uplink measurement for this prediction.

32. US20050002360A1

• Full Citation: US20050002360A1 - Method of and apparatus for communication via multiplexed links
• Publication Date: 2005-01-06 (Filed: 2001-07-26)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for communication via multiplexed links.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Multiplexing is a general technique. The claims of US11032000B2 involve time-multiplexing aspects (different time intervals for data and control, control sharing time slots). Depending on the specific multiplexing scheme described, this could potentially anticipate elements of the time-domain resource allocation in claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, especially if it describes multiplexing control and data.

33. US20050013287A1

• Full Citation: US20050013287A1 - Method and arrangement for channel type switching
• Publication Date: 2005-01-20 (Filed: 2001-10-19)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and arrangement for channel type switching.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Channel type switching is a resource management aspect. If it involves switching between data and control channels based on network conditions, it could broadly relate to resource allocation in claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. However, the specific "uplink physical signal" and "physical control channel" with their defined roles in US11032000B2 would likely remain distinct.

34. US20050022098A1

• Full Citation: US20050022098A1 - Data delivery in conjunction with a hybrid automatic retransmission mechanism in CDMA communication systems
• Publication Date: 2005-01-27 (Filed: 2002-05-13)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes data delivery with HARQ in CDMA systems.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US20020172208A1, this relates to data integrity and retransmission, which is separate from the primary claims of US11032000B2 concerning dedicated control signaling for channel conditions. Direct anticipation of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 is low.

35. US20050058103A1

• Full Citation: US20050058103A1 - Method and apparatus for detecting active downlink channelization codes in a TD-CDMA mobile communication system
• Publication Date: 2005-03-17 (Filed: 2003-07-07)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for detecting active downlink channelization codes in a TD-CDMA mobile communication system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This concerns downlink signaling in TD-CDMA. While relevant to the system context, it doesn't appear to directly address the uplink physical signal for channel conditions or the downlink control channel as defined in US11032000B2's independent claims.

36. WO2005083897A1

• Full Citation: WO2005083897A1 - Cdma receiving apparatus and method
• Publication Date: 2005-09-09 (Filed: 2004-02-27)
• Brief Description: This international patent application describes a CDMA receiving apparatus and method.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This broad title makes it difficult to assess direct anticipation without further information. It would need to disclose elements of separate uplink control signals for channel conditions and responsive downlink control channels, in a similar fashion to US11032000B2, to be highly relevant to claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

37. US20050222948A1

• Full Citation: US20050222948A1 - Relay terminal, base station, charging server, communication system, charging method, program computer data signal, and storage medium
• Publication Date: 2005-10-06 (Filed: 2001-10-03)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a relay terminal, base station, charging server, and communication system, among other things. This is a very broad system patent.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent appears to be very high-level and does not seem to directly address the specific technical problem and solution presented in US11032000B2 regarding distinct uplink control signaling for channel conditions. Its direct anticipatory potential for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 is low.

38. JP2005346319A

• Full Citation: JP2005346319A - Design development / procurement instruction management system and management method
• Publication Date: 2005-12-15 (Filed: 2004-06-02)
• Brief Description: This Japanese patent application describes a design development/procurement instruction management system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is clearly not related to wireless communication systems, channel conditions, or control signaling. It is not relevant prior art for US11032000B2.

39. EP1615384A1

• Full Citation: EP1615384A1 - Mimo wlan system
• Publication Date: 2006-01-11 (Filed: 2002-10-25)
• Brief Description: This European patent application describes a MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) system. US11032000B2 mentions MIMO and its potential for decorrelation.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While US11032000B2 acknowledges that MIMO can introduce decorrelation, its claims focus on compensating for the lack of channel reciprocity, which is a broader problem than just MIMO. This patent, if it discusses channel condition determination and control signaling in a MIMO WLAN, could be relevant to the general idea of channel feedback. However, it's in the context of WLAN rather than a cellular TD-CDMA/FDD system and may not teach the specific separation of uplink control signals from shared data channels as claimed.

40. WO2006015984A1

• Full Citation: WO2006015984A1 - Apparatus and method for communicating user equipment specific information in cellular communication system
• Publication Date: 2006-02-16 (Filed: 2004-08-13)
• Brief Description: This international patent application describes an apparatus and method for communicating user equipment specific information in a cellular communication system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could be relevant if "user equipment specific information" includes channel condition measurements or feedback. The "communicating user equipment specific information" could encompass the "control information" in US11032000B2's claims. If it details a dedicated uplink signal and downlink feedback mechanism similar to US11032000B2, it could be anticipatory for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

41. WO2006019263A2

• Full Citation: WO2006019263A2 - A method for establishing fast feedback channel and transmitting information in a wireless communication system
• Publication Date: 2006-02-23 (Filed: 2004-08-17)
• Brief Description: This international patent application describes a method for establishing a fast feedback channel and transmitting information in a wireless communication system. "Fast feedback channel" is directly relevant to US11032000B2's focus on efficient control.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant due to its focus on a "fast feedback channel." US11032000B2's claims involve an uplink physical signal for channel conditions and a downlink physical control channel for control information. If this prior art teaches a similar dedicated, fast feedback mechanism, it could potentially anticipate several elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. The specifics of how the channel conditions are determined (e.g., via a separate uplink signal) and how the control information is sent (e.g., sharing a time slot with other physical channels) would be key for direct anticipation.

42. US20060093026A1

• Full Citation: US20060093026A1 - Method and system for power control in a communication system
• Publication Date: 2006-05-04 (Filed: 2004-09-24)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and system for power control in a communication system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is another power control patent, directly relevant to the power control aspects of US11032000B2's claims. It could potentially anticipate the power control aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19, and specifically claims 4, 5, 10, 11, 16, and 17.

43. WO2006063138A2

• Full Citation: WO2006063138A2 - Cooperative mimo in multicell wireless networks
• Publication Date: 2006-06-15 (Filed: 2004-12-07)
• Brief Description: This international patent application describes cooperative MIMO in multicell wireless networks.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's focus on MIMO and multicell networks is a broader system context. While US11032000B2 mentions MIMO, its core innovation is in establishing dedicated control channels for channel conditions when reciprocity is lost. Unless this prior art specifically teaches a similar dedicated control channel mechanism, its direct anticipatory potential for the independent claims of US11032000B2 is likely low.

44. EP1681780A1

• Full Citation: EP1681780A1 - Mobile wireless communication system and wireless communication apparatus
• Publication Date: 2006-07-19 (Filed: 2005-01-14)
• Brief Description: This European patent application describes a mobile wireless communication system and apparatus.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This broad title makes it difficult to assess direct anticipation without further information. It would need to disclose elements of separate uplink control signals for channel conditions and responsive downlink control channels, in a similar fashion to US11032000B2, to be highly relevant to claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

45. US20060211417A1

• Full Citation: US20060211417A1 - Apparatus and method of uplink data during cell update in universal mobile telecommunications system user equipment
• Publication Date: 2006-09-21 (Filed: 2003-05-08)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes an apparatus and method of uplink data during cell update in UMTS user equipment.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): While this patent deals with uplink data in UMTS (a system mentioned in US11032000B2), its focus on "cell update" rather than explicit, dedicated uplink physical signals for channel condition determination separate from data, might limit its direct anticipatory effect on the core elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19. However, it could be relevant to the general context of UMTS uplink operations.

46. US20060221809A1

• Full Citation: US20060221809A1 - Method and apparatus for data and pilot structures supporting equalization
• Publication Date: 2006-10-05 (Filed: 2005-03-29)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for data and pilot structures supporting equalization. Pilot structures are used for channel estimation.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This is highly relevant because it discusses pilot structures, which are directly used for channel estimation (determining channel conditions). If it describes an uplink pilot structure that functions as a distinct uplink physical signal for channel condition determination, separate from data, it could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 related to using a specific signal to determine channel conditions.

47. US7120134B2

• Full Citation: US7120134B2 - Reverse link channel architecture for a wireless communication system
• Publication Date: 2006-10-10 (Filed: 2001-02-15)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a reverse link channel architecture for a wireless communication system. The "reverse link" is the uplink.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is relevant to the general uplink channel architecture. Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 concern the uplink physical signal and physical uplink shared channel having "different resources." If this prior art describes a channel architecture with separate control channels for channel condition measurement on the uplink, it could potentially anticipate these aspects.

48. US7180902B1

• Full Citation: US7180902B1 - Method for representing format indicator bits in a frame to be sent in compressed mode
• Publication Date: 2007-02-20 (Filed: 1999-11-24)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a method for representing format indicator bits in a frame in compressed mode. This relates to frame structure and signaling.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 mention "assigned time intervals" and "time interval that it is not sending information over the physical uplink shared channel," as well as "predetermined time slots in a downlink frame." This patent's focus on frame structure and signaling within a frame could be relevant to the specific timing and placement of the uplink physical signal and downlink control channel. If it teaches a similar separation within a frame for control signals, it could potentially be anticipatory.

49. US20070058595A1

• Full Citation: US20070058595A1 - Method and apparatus for reducing round trip latency and overhead within a communication system
• Publication Date: 2007-03-15 (Filed: 2005-03-30)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for reducing round trip latency and overhead in a communication system. Reducing latency is a goal of US11032000B2's efficient feedback.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): US11032000B2 highlights the importance of terminals transmitting at the correct power with their first transmission to minimize latency. If this prior art teaches a mechanism involving dedicated uplink signaling for channel conditions and responsive downlink control to reduce latency, it could potentially anticipate the functional outcome or even some structural elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19.

50. US7215657B2

• Full Citation: US7215657B2 - Radio base station and frame configuration method using TDMA scheme and SDMA scheme
• Publication Date: 2007-05-08 (Filed: 2000-04-21)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a radio base station and frame configuration method using TDMA and SDMA schemes.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is relevant to frame configuration in a TDMA system, which is a foundational aspect of US11032000B2. Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 specify "assigned time intervals" and "time interval that it is not sending information over the physical uplink shared channel," and "predetermined time slots in a downlink frame." If this prior art discloses specific frame configurations that dedicate separate time slots for control signals to determine channel conditions, it could be anticipatory.

51. US20070173256A1

• Full Citation: US20070173256A1 - Methods and apparatus for performing handoffs in a multi-carrier wireless communications system
• Publication Date: 2007-07-26 (Filed: 2003-12-05)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes methods and apparatus for performing handoffs in a multi-carrier wireless communication system.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Handoffs are a system-level function. While efficient channel condition knowledge (as provided by US11032000B2's invention) can aid handoffs, this patent does not appear to directly address the specific control signaling mechanisms for determining channel conditions or feedback as claimed. Its direct anticipatory potential for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 is low.

52. US20070265017A1

• Full Citation: US20070265017A1 - Call admission control device and call admission control method
• Publication Date: 2007-11-15 (Filed: 2005-11-30)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a call admission control device and method.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): Call admission control is a network management function. While knowing channel conditions (as per US11032000B2) can inform admission control, this patent does not directly address the mechanism for determining those conditions or providing specific feedback in the manner claimed. Its direct anticipatory potential for claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 is low.

53. US20080090528A1

• Full Citation: US20080090528A1 - Method and apparatus for sending data and control information in a wireless communication system
• Publication Date: 2008-04-17 (Filed: 2006-07-07)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for sending data and control information in a wireless communication system. This is broadly relevant to US11032000B2.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant due to its focus on sending data and control information. Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 of US11032000B2 specifically deal with the uplink physical signal for channel conditions and the downlink physical control channel for control information, distinguishing them from normal data. If this prior art teaches a similar separation of control from data for channel condition determination, and uses distinct resources or time intervals as claimed, it could be highly anticipatory for the independent claims.

54. US20090262711A1

• Full Citation: US20090262711A1 - Method of scheduling an uplink packet transmission channel in a mobile communication system
• Publication Date: 2009-10-22 (Filed: 2004-04-02)
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a method of scheduling an uplink packet transmission channel in a mobile communication system. This relates to resource allocation for shared uplink channels.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is relevant to the "physical uplink shared channel" aspect of US11032000B2. Claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 mention "assigned time intervals" for sending data over the shared channel and the uplink physical signal being sent in an interval when not sending data on the shared channel. If this prior art discusses scheduling that explicitly separates control signals for channel condition determination from data transmissions on the uplink shared channel, it could be anticipatory.

55. US8009639B2

• Full Citation: US8009639B2 - Feedback control in an FDD TDD-CDMA system
• Publication Date: 2011-08-30 (Filed: 2006-12-27)
• Brief Description: This patent describes feedback control in an FDD TDD-CDMA system. This patent is the parent patent of US11032000B2, as US11032000B2 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/458,693, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/176,298, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,811,356, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/646,692, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,639.
• Potential Anticipated Claims (35 U.S.C. § 102): As the direct parent patent, US8009639B2 is highly relevant and likely discloses all the elements of claims 1, 7, 13, and 19 of US11032000B2, or at least a very substantial portion of them. It is the most relevant prior art. The continuation patent (US11032000B2) would likely aim to claim specific combinations or elaborations of features already present or implicitly taught in the parent, or to capture aspects that might not have been fully claimed previously. Therefore, US8009639B2 would anticipate all claims (1-24) of US11032000B2 unless there are very specific distinctions introduced in the continuation that were not present in the parent.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US Patent 11,032,000

This analysis identifies combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US Patent 11,032,000 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) as of the priority date of December 27, 2006. The patent addresses challenges in wireless communication, particularly when adapting Time Division Duplex-Code Division Multiple Access (TDD-CDMA) systems to Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) operation where channel reciprocity is not guaranteed, thus affecting uplink power control and efficient shared channel access.

The independent claims (1, 7, 13, and 19) of US11032000 generally describe a system and method where:

• A User Equipment (UE) sends an uplink physical signal (referred to as a "UL_Beacon" in the patent description) for a base station to determine channel conditions.
• This UL_Beacon is sent in a time interval when the UE is not sending data over a physical uplink shared channel, and uses different resources than the shared channel.
• Multiple UEs can transmit their UL_Beacons in the same time interval.
• The UE receives control information (referred to as "PLCCH") from the base station on a physical control channel, based on the determined channel conditions.
• This physical control channel (PLCCH) is transmitted in the same time slot with other physical channels within a plurality of predetermined time slots in a downlink frame, while other time slots in the downlink frame do not include a physical control channel.
• The number of bits sent over the physical control channel is based on the number of fields of control information to be sent to the UE.

Combination of Prior Art References

A PHOSITA, seeking to address the problems outlined in US11032000, would have been motivated to combine the teachings of the following prior art references:

1. US20040170132A1 to Interdigital Technology Corporation ("Interdigital"): This patent application, titled "Path loss measurements in wireless communications," teaches measuring uplink path loss using uplink signals (e.g., pilots, probes) from a mobile station to determine uplink channel conditions and using this information to control the transmit power of the mobile station on the uplink. It directly addresses the need for explicit uplink channel condition determination and subsequent power control feedback.
2. US20030069020A1 to Ipwireless, Inc. ("Ipwireless"): This patent application, titled "System and method for physical shared channel allocation in a wireless communication system," describes methods for allocating physical shared channels efficiently. It highlights the importance of rapid and efficient access to shared channels, which implies the need for UEs to transmit at correct power with their first transmission.
3. US6611509B1 to Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. ("Matsushita"): This patent, titled "CDMA/TDD mobile communication system and method," describes a TDMA/CDMA system operating in TDD mode, featuring a frame structure with dedicated time slots for uplink and downlink transmissions. It provides the foundational architectural context of a wireless system employing time division and code division multiplexing.
4. WO2006019263A2 to [LG Electronics Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/LG%20Electronics%20Inc.) ("LG"): This patent application, titled "A method for establishing fast feedback channel and transmitting information in a wireless communication system," teaches the establishment of fast feedback channels, for example, for high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA). This reinforces the concept of dedicated feedback mechanisms for channel conditions.
5. US20010048711A1 to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei"): This patent application, titled "Pilot synchronization channel structure for CDMA mobile communication system," describes the use of pilot channels in CDMA systems, where multiple users may transmit in the same interval, distinguished by codes.

Motivation for Combination and Obviousness Reasoning

A PHOSITA, striving to evolve a TDD TD-CDMA system (as understood from Matsushita) to operate in FDD mode while addressing the loss of channel reciprocity and maintaining efficient shared channel access, would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Interdigital, Ipwireless, Matsushita, LG, and Huawei for the following reasons:

1. Uplink Physical Signal for Channel Conditions (UL_Beacon) in Non-Data Intervals with Different Resources:

   • Interdigital clearly teaches the necessity of measuring uplink path loss via uplink signals from a mobile station to achieve accurate uplink power control, especially when channel reciprocity is not available or reliable. This directly informs the PHOSITA of the need for an "uplink physical signal" (UL_Beacon) for channel condition determination by the base station.
   • Ipwireless emphasizes efficient allocation and rapid access to shared uplink channels. A PHOSITA would recognize that to achieve rapid access, UEs need up-to-date channel condition knowledge to transmit at the correct power immediately. Relying solely on data transmissions for channel estimation would introduce latency. Therefore, it would be an obvious design choice to send a dedicated uplink physical signal (UL_Beacon) in a time interval when the UE is not sending information over the physical uplink shared channel, ensuring continuous or frequent channel condition updates without occupying valuable data resources.
   • The concept of different resources for control signals (like pilots or beacons) versus data channels is well-established in wireless communication, as seen in Matsushita's TDMA frame structure with dedicated time slots and general CDMA principles of using different codes for different channels.

2. Multiple UEs Transmitting UL_Beacons in the Same Time Interval:

   • Huawei teaches the use of pilot channels in CDMA where multiple entities may transmit simultaneously, distinguished by codes, for synchronization. Extending this concept to UL_Beacons for channel condition measurement, where multiple UEs transmit their respective signals in the same time interval (e.g., using different spreading codes in a CDMA system or distinct preamble sequences in a TDMA slot), would be an obvious way to scale the system and efficiently collect channel information from multiple users simultaneously.

3. Downlink Physical Control Channel (PLCCH) for Feedback Based on Channel Conditions:

   • Interdigital explicitly teaches sending control information back to the mobile station for transmit power control based on uplink channel measurements. This provides the basis for the PLCCH carrying control information.
   • LG further elaborates on establishing fast feedback channels, indicating the general importance of such channels in modern wireless systems.
   • The notion that the control information is "based on the determined channel conditions" is a fundamental aspect of closed-loop power control, widely known in the art (e.g., from early CDMA power control patents like US5056109A).

4. PLCCH Transmitted in Same Time Slot with Other Physical Channels in Predetermined Time Slots:

   • Matsushita and Ipwireless, combined with general knowledge of TDMA/CDMA resource management, would make this element obvious. Matsushita introduces the concept of a TDMA frame structure with time slots. Ipwireless focuses on efficient shared channel allocation. A PHOSITA would recognize that to efficiently utilize downlink resources and to provide the necessary control feedback without dedicated, constant channels for every UE, multiplexing a physical control channel (PLCCH) with other physical channels (e.g., data channels) within predetermined time slots in a downlink frame is an efficient design choice. This could be achieved via code-division multiplexing within a shared time slot, a common technique in CDMA systems. Limiting the presence of the PLCCH to "predetermined time slots" (i.e., not every time slot) is a logical resource optimization to match the required feedback rate, which is an obvious engineering consideration.

5. Number of Bits in PLCCH Based on Number of Fields of Control Information:

   • This is a fundamental principle of communication system design: the capacity of a control channel is dictated by the amount and type of information (fields) it needs to convey. A PHOSITA would trivially match the number of bits to the complexity and quantity of control commands (e.g., power up/down, rate adaptation commands).

Conclusion

Therefore, the combination of US20040170132A1 (Interdigital) for explicit uplink channel condition measurement and feedback, US20030069020A1 (Ipwireless) for efficient shared channel access necessitating continuous channel knowledge, US6611509B1 (Matsushita) for TDMA/CDMA frame structures and TDD-to-FDD evolution context, WO2006019263A2 (LG) for fast feedback channels, and US20010048711A1 (Huawei) for simultaneous pilot transmissions, would render the independent claims of US Patent 11,032,000 obvious to a PHOSITA. The motivation to combine these references would stem from the known challenges of maintaining robust uplink power control and low-latency shared channel access when operating a system, originally designed for TDD, in an FDD environment where channel reciprocity cannot be relied upon.

To determine the patent term adjustments (PTA), patent term extensions (PTE), continuation applications, divisional applications, related family members, and the projected expiration date for US patent 11,032,000, we need to consult USPTO records.

Based on the information available:

1. Patent Term Adjustments (PTA)
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is granted to compensate for certain administrative delays by the USPTO during the prosecution of a utility or plant patent application filed on or after May 29, 2000. These delays include failing to:

• Issue a first Office Action or notice of allowance within 14 months of filing.
• Issue an action within four months of an applicant's response.
• Issue the patent within four months of payment of the issue fee.
• Issue the patent within three years of the actual filing date.

The patent text itself does not provide the specific PTA awarded. This information is typically detailed in the Issue Notification Letter issued by the USPTO prior to the patent grant. To get the exact PTA for US11032000, one would need to access the official file wrapper through USPTO's Patent Center.

2. Patent Term Extensions (PTE)
Patent Term Extensions (PTE) are available for patents on certain human drugs, food or color additives, medical devices, animal drugs, and veterinary biological products. This extension compensates for time lost while awaiting premarket government approval from a regulatory agency, such as the FDA.

There is no indication in the patent text or the provided search results that US11032000 is related to a product requiring regulatory approval, which would be a prerequisite for PTE. Therefore, it is highly unlikely to have a Patent Term Extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156.

3. Continuation Applications
US Patent 11,032,000 is explicitly stated to be a continuation application. The patent text states: "This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/458,693, filed Aug. 13, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/176,298, filed Jul. 5, 2011, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,811,356 on Aug. 19, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/646,692, filed Dec. 27, 2006, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,639 on Aug. 30, 2011, which are all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth."

Therefore, the continuation chain for US11032000 is:

• US Pat. No. 8,009,639 (from application Ser. No. 11/646,692, filed Dec. 27, 2006)
• US Pat. No. 8,811,356 (from application Ser. No. 13/176,298, filed Jul. 5, 2011)
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/458,693, filed Aug. 13, 2014
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/682,854, filed Nov. 13, 2019 (which led to US11032000)

4. Divisional Applications
The provided patent text and the Google Patents "Family Applications" section do not explicitly list any divisional applications directly originating from US11032000. Divisional applications generally arise when an earlier application contains claims to more than one invention, and the examiner requires the applicant to elect one invention for prosecution.

5. Related Family Members
The "Family Applications" section on Google Patents for US11032000 lists several related applications, all stemming from the same priority date of 2006-12-27. These include:

• US11/646,692 (US8009639B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2006-12-27
• US13/176,298 (US8811356B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2011-07-05
• US14/458,693 (US11044010B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2014-08-13
• US16/682,854 (US11032000B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2019-11-13
• US17/339,550 (US11239908B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2021-06-04
• US17/583,369 (US11411642B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2022-01-25
• US17/870,425 (US11664889B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2022-07-21
• US18/202,100 (US11870545B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2023-05-25
• US18/400,711 (US12149334B2) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2023-12-29
• US18/951,141 (US20250080217A1) - Priority Date: 2006-12-27, Filing Date: 2024-11-18 (Pending)

These are primarily continuation applications, all claiming benefit from the earliest filing date of December 27, 2006.

6. Projected Expiration Date
For utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, the patent term generally expires 20 years from the earliest claimed filing date of the application. Any PTA awarded would be added to this 20-year term.

The priority date (earliest filing date) for US11032000 is December 27, 2006.
Therefore, the baseline expiration date (20 years from the priority date) would be December 27, 2026.

The Google Patents page explicitly states "Anticipated expiration: 2026-12-27". This date aligns with the 20-year term from the priority date, suggesting that no significant Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) were applied that would extend the term beyond this date, or any adjustments were offset by applicant delays. Without direct access to the USPTO's official file wrapper for US11032000, it is not possible to definitively confirm the exact PTA calculation.