Prior art — US Patent 9191180

Prior Art Analysis for US Patent 9191180

The following analysis focuses on identifying and describing the most relevant prior art cited in US Patent 9191180, titled "Method and device for executing HARQ in TDD-based wireless communication system." The selection prioritizes patent publications with dates preceding the priority date of US9191180 (March 21, 2011) and those whose titles suggest a focus on Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. Due to the volume of cited prior art, a representative selection is presented, with an emphasis on the distinguishing feature of US9191180, which is HARQ operation in a TDD system with multiple serving cells utilizing different Uplink-Downlink (UL-DL) configurations.

The main independent claims of US9191180 describe a method and user equipment (UE) for performing HARQ involving a first serving cell and a second serving cell that use different UL-DL configurations. This multi-cell, differing UL-DL configuration aspect is central to the invention.

Here are selected prior art patents cited in US9191180:

1. US20100067460A1

Full Citation: US20100067460A1, "Method and apparatus for transmitting control information in wireless communication system"
Publication/Filing Date: Published: March 18, 2010.
Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) in a wireless communication system, specifically addressing situations where a user equipment (UE) transmits both acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) information in a single uplink subframe. The invention focuses on efficiently multiplexing these different types of control information on a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) by determining the number of ACK/NACK bits and then selecting a PUCCH format or PUSCH resource. It also considers the transmission of an ACK/NACK signal for a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a scheduling request (SR).
Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: US20100067460A1 broadly addresses the transmission of uplink control information, including HARQ ACK/NACK, in a wireless communication system. While it details mechanisms for multiplexing and transmitting control signals, its abstract and general description do not explicitly disclose the scenario of multiple serving cells operating with different UL-DL configurations in a TDD system, which is a key distinguishing feature of US9191180 (e.g., in claims 1, 10, 13, and 15). Therefore, this prior art would likely not anticipate the specific multi-cell, different UL-DL configuration aspects of US9191180's claims. It might anticipate general elements related to HARQ ACK/NACK transmission in TDD, but not the inventive combination of features.

2. US20110051659A1

Full Citation: US20110051659A1, "Method and apparatus for transmitting uplink control information in a wireless communication system"
Publication/Filing Date: Published: March 3, 2011.
Brief Description: This patent application describes a method and apparatus for a user equipment (UE) to transmit uplink control information (UCI) in a wireless communication system. The method involves receiving downlink data on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) indicating semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) release, and subsequently transmitting an acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) signal in an uplink subframe. The invention specifically outlines how PUCCH resources for ACK/NACK transmission are allocated and determined, particularly when multiple downlink subframes are associated with a single uplink subframe in a TDD system, including handling of discontinuous transmission (DTX) and channel selection.
Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: US20110051659A1 is highly relevant to HARQ ACK/NACK transmission in TDD systems, particularly concerning the association of multiple downlink subframes with an uplink subframe for ACK/NACK feedback. It describes aspects like PUCCH resource allocation and channel selection in TDD. However, similar to US20100067460A1, its abstract does not clearly disclose the use of multiple serving cells, each employing a different UL-DL configuration, which is the central inventive concept of US9191180. While it anticipates elements of TDD HARQ timing and resource allocation for single-cell scenarios, it does not appear to anticipate the cross-carrier scheduling and different UL-DL configurations across cells as claimed in US9191180 (e.g., claims 1, 10, 13, 15).

3. US20110026466A1

Full Citation: US20110026466A1, "Method for transmitting control information in wireless communication system"
Publication/Filing Date: Published: February 3, 2011.
Brief Description: This patent application details a method for a user equipment (UE) to transmit control information, specifically an acknowledgement/negative-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) signal, in a wireless communication system. The method involves receiving physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) that schedule physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) in multiple downlink subframes, and then transmitting a single bundled or multiplexed ACK/NACK signal for these multiple PDSCHs in a single uplink subframe. The invention describes how to determine the uplink subframe for transmission and the resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) to be used for the ACK/NACK signal, especially in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) environment where a single uplink subframe may correspond to multiple downlink subframes.
Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: US20110026466A1 focuses on efficient ACK/NACK transmission for multiple downlink transmissions in a TDD system, including techniques like bundling or multiplexing. This is a common challenge in TDD due to the asymmetry of uplink and downlink subframes. While highly relevant to TDD HARQ, the abstract does not indicate that it contemplates the scenario of carrier aggregation where different serving cells operate with different UL-DL configurations. Therefore, while it may anticipate aspects of HARQ processing, bundling, and timing within a single TDD cell context, it would not anticipate the specific inventive features of US9191180 related to HARQ coordination across multiple cells with divergent UL-DL configurations (e.g., claims 1, 10, 13, 15).

Summary of Anticipation

The examined prior art documents generally address the challenges of HARQ and uplink control information transmission in TDD wireless communication systems, particularly concerning the mapping of multiple downlink subframes to single uplink subframes for ACK/NACK feedback and efficient resource allocation. These disclosures provide foundational knowledge for TDD HARQ operations.

However, the core inventive contribution of US9191180 lies in addressing the problem of performing synchronous HARQ in a TDD system where a UE is allocated multiple serving cells (e.g., primary and secondary cells in carrier aggregation) that use different UL-DL configurations. The disclosed methods in US9191180 aim to resolve issues that arise from such divergent configurations, such as ensuring proper HARQ timing and process management. The abstracts of the reviewed prior art do not explicitly disclose this specific combination of features—i.e., multi-cell operation with different UL-DL configurations, and the specific HARQ adjustments necessitated by this difference. Therefore, while these prior art documents collectively establish the state of the art for TDD HARQ in a single-cell context, they do not appear to anticipate the specific claims of US9191180 related to harmonizing HARQ processes across multiple serving cells with heterogeneous UL-DL configurations under 35 U.S.C. § 102.