PTAB

IPR2025-00898

Apple Inc v. Apex Beam Technologies LLC

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Petition
petition

1. Case Identification

2. Patent Overview

  • Title: Method and Device for Multi-Antenna Transmission in UE and Base Station
  • Brief Description: The ’271 patent relates to a method for improving multi-antenna transmission quality in a wireless communication system. The technology involves a base station transmitting signals from multiple antenna port groups, a user equipment (UE) measuring the channel quality of these signals, and the UE transmitting information back to the base station based on a proportional relationship among the measured channel qualities to facilitate more accurate beamforming.

3. Grounds for Unpatentability

Ground 1: Claims 1-20 are obvious over Kim in view of Chen

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Kim (Application # 2015/0036612) and Chen (WO 2015/131494).
  • Core Argument for this Ground:

    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner argued that Kim taught the foundational elements of the challenged claims. Kim disclosed a MIMO communication system where a base station transmits Channel State Information-Reference Signals (CSI-RSs) from a plurality of antenna ports (K). A UE receives this "first wireless signal" along with a "first signaling" (RRC signaling) that configures the measurement process. The UE then measures channel quality values, specifically Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), for the K antenna port groups. Based on these measurements, the UE identifies a subset of antenna ports (K1) that satisfy a predetermined condition—specifically, those with an RSRP ratio (RSRP_n/max(RSRP_i)) higher than a threshold. The UE then transmits "first information" back to the base station in a measurement report, which includes indexes of the selected K1 ports and their corresponding RSRP estimation results. Petitioner contended this reported information constitutes the claimed "first proportional sequence." This framework was argued to render obvious the core steps of independent claims 1 and 6 and the corresponding components of apparatus claims 11 and 16.

    • Motivation to Combine: Petitioner asserted that while Kim disclosed using a "predetermined threshold value," it did not explicitly state that the base station signals this specific threshold to the UE. Chen was argued to cure this gap by expressly teaching a method where a UE selects pilot ports based on a "power threshold configured by the base station," which can be a "relative threshold" (i.e., a power ratio). A person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) would combine Chen's teaching of a base station-configured relative power threshold with Kim's MIMO reporting system for several reasons. The combination would provide the base station with enhanced operational control over UE reporting, facilitate dynamic system balancing and scheduling, and improve overall system performance. This was presented as a simple application of a known technique (Chen's configurable threshold) to a known system (Kim's reporting framework) to achieve predictable benefits.

    • Expectation of Success: A POSITA would have a reasonable expectation of success in this combination. The integration involved using prior art elements according to their established functions—Kim’s reporting structure and Chen’s configurable threshold—to yield predictable results. The fundamental operations of Kim’s system would remain intact, with the addition of Chen’s feature representing a known and straightforward improvement for controlling UE feedback in a wireless network.

4. Arguments Regarding Discretionary Denial

  • Petitioner argued that discretionary denial is unwarranted. It further stated its intent to utilize the bifurcated briefing process contemplated by the March 26, 2025, Stewart Memorandum to rebut any contentions to the contrary if offered by the Patent Owner.

5. Relief Requested

  • Petitioner requests institution of an inter partes review and cancellation of claims 1-20 of Patent 10,951,271 as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §103.