As per the patent office journal dated 12/11/2021, patent number 381370 has been granted toTELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET L M ERICSSON (PUBL) which is titled METHODS NETWORK NODES AND USER EQUIPMENTS IN A WIRELESS NETWORK FOR COMMUNICATING AN EPDCCH.
The primary independent claim of this patent states a method performed by a network node of a wireless communication network, for communicating an enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel, ePDCCH, to user equipment, UE. The method comprises transmitting a configuration message to the UE, that further includes an indication of a first mapping of the ePDCCH to resource elements belonging to a first ePDCCH set, where the resource elements of the first ePDCCH set are different from resource elements used for a first Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS); and an indication of a second mapping of the ePDCCH to resource elements belonging to a second ePDCCH set, where the resource elements of the second ePDCCH set are different from resource elements used for a second Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS); wherein the resource elements used for the second CRS are different from the resource elements used for the first CRS.
During the patent prosecution, the patent examiner objected to this patent under section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act. The patent applicant responded to this objection by stating that if the present invention provides a technical solution to a technical problem and has a technical effect then the same cannot be considered to fall under the category of algorithm or computer program per se. In the light of such observation, the features of the claimed invention provide a technical solution to a technical problem i.e., how to enable a reduction in interference caused by the CellSpecific Reference signal, (CRS). According to the claimed technical solution, a method performed by a network node of a wireless communication network for communicating an enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel, ePDCCH, to a user equipment UE is disclosed. Moreover, the claimed technical solution results in the technical advancement of enabling a reduction in interference since the network node may dynamically select an ePDCCH set for transmission of an ePDCCH in order to limit interference, based on which CRS signal is expected to cause the most interference. Further, the applicant also submits that the claimed technical solution clearly requires the presence of various hardware/structural features which include but are not limited to network nodes, user equipment, and the like. Therefore, the claims of the present invention do not fall within the scope of Section 3(k) of the Act.
This patent falls under the category of Communication. Overall, this patent covers a method performed by a network node of a wireless communication network, for communicating an enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel, ePDCCH, to user equipment, UE.
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