DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/22/2026 has been entered.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3-8, 10-11, 13-17, 27 and 34 are objected to because of the following informalities: some claims include lists of steps, elements, and/or wherein clauses that include multiple conjunctions such as multiple “or” which makes the scope of the claims confusing. For example, claim 1 recites “…indicates the terminal to perform the PDCCH monitoring at a next monitoring opportunity or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot, or indicates the terminal to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within a current Discontinuous Reception (DRX) on duration...” which is grammatically incorrect. Similar issue is also in some of the other claims such as claim 4. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4-6 and 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the indication information" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Similar antecedent basis issues are also in some of the other claims such as claim 14. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1, 3-8, 10-11, 13-17, 27 and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated US 2018/0368112 (hereinafter Sebeni).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 27, Sabeni teaches a terminal/device/downlink control information (DCI) transmission method, comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a first DCI sent by a network side device (abstract: details DCI received by mobile device transmitted by a base station), wherein the first DCI includes first indication information (abstract: details blanking DCI, bDCI), and the first indication information indicates the terminal to skip physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring for subsequent N slots currently configured by the network side device for the terminal (This limitation is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection), indicates the terminal to perform the PDCCH monitoring at a next monitoring opportunity ([0014]: details downlink control message may indicate the start of the duration of time) or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot (This limitation is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection), or indicates the terminal to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within a current Discontinuous Reception (DRX) on duration ([0014][0019]: details current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period), wherein PDCCH carrying control information is configured for scheduling data transmission ([0009]: details This control information is sent in PDCCH and it contains DL resource assignment and UL grant information), N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 ([0014]: details a number of subframes for which the duration of time will last), and a value of N is configured semi-statically or dynamically by the network side device ([0014]: details the field may explicitly indicate a number of subframes for which the duration of time will last); and in response to the first DCI being decoded successfully, responding, by the terminal, to the first indication information ([0013][0098]: details the discontinuing monitoring is in response to receiving the downlink control message, as first indication information); wherein the first indication information includes a monitoring status field (abstract; [0014]: details blanking DCI, bDCI, downlink control message may comprise a field explicitly indicating the duration of time); wherein the monitoring status field is used to indicate three states, the three states include: a first state where the PDCCH monitoring is skipped for the subsequent N slots currently configured by the network side device for the terminal, a second state where the PDCCH monitoring is performed at the next monitoring opportunity or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot and a third state where the PDCCH monitoring is stopped at least within the current DRX on duration, respectively (This wherein clause is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection); or wherein the monitoring status field is used to indicate two states, and the two states include: a first state where the PDCCH monitoring is skipped for the subsequent N slots currently configured by the network side device for the terminal and a second state where the PDCCH monitoring is performed at the next monitoring opportunity or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot, respectively (This wherein clause is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Sabeni discloses wherein the first indication information includes an indication field (abstract; [0014]: details blanking DCI, bDCI; downlink control message may comprise a field explicitly indicating the duration of time), and the indication field is indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration ([0014][0019]: details current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period; current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Sabeni discloses wherein when the first indication information indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration, the first DCI and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are not transmitted in a same transmission time interval (TTI) ([0014][0019]: details conditional limitation so does not need to be performed), wherein the indication information indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration, and the first DCI and a non-physical layer signaling indicating to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration are transmitted in the same TTI , or wherein the indication information indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration, and the first DCI and the non-physical layer signaling are not transmitted in the same TTI.
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Sabeni discloses wherein, in response to the first DCI being decoded successfully, the responding, by the terminal, to the first indication information comprises: in response to the first DCI being decoded successfully, and an effective time of the first DCI is earlier than an effective time of the non-physical layer signaling, stopping the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration according to the first DCI; or in response to the first DCI being decoded successfully, feeding back, by the terminal, an ACK corresponding to the non-physical layer signaling to the network side device, and stopping the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration according to the first DCI ([0113][0116]: details discontinuing monitoring may be in response to receiving the downlink control message; the UE 106 may transmit one or more UL messages during the duration of time, despite the UE 106 having discontinued monitoring of the downlink channel for the duration of time. For example, the UE 106 may transmit at least one of a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), an UL ACK/NACK report, and/or a CQI report).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, Sabeni discloses further comprising: when the first DCI and the non-physical layer signaling are not transmitted in the same TTI, the first DCI is not successfully decoded, and the non-physical layer signaling is not successfully decoded, in response to the terminal returning an NACK corresponding to the non-physical layer signaling to the network side device ([0014][0019]: details conditional limitation so does not need to be performed), receiving, by the terminal, a second DCI sent by the network side device, wherein the second DCI includes second indication information (This limitation is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection), the second indication information indicates the terminal to skip the PDCCH monitoring for subsequent M monitoring opportunities (This limitation is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection), indicates to perform the PDCCH monitoring at the next monitoring opportunity or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot ([0014]: details downlink control message may indicate the start of the duration of time, wherein the length of the duration of time is known prior to receiving the downlink control message), or indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration ([0014][0019]: details current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period), wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 ([0014]: details a number of subframes for which the duration of time will last).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Sabeni discloses further comprising: in response to the first DCI being not successfully decoded, receiving, by the terminal, a third DCI sent by the network side device, wherein the third DCI includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates the terminal to skip the PDCCH monitoring for subsequent W monitoring opportunities (This limitation is claimed in the alternative so has no patentable weight in this rejection), indicates to perform the PDCCH monitoring at the next monitoring opportunity or continue to perform the PDCCH monitoring in the next slot ([0014]: details downlink control message may indicate the start of the duration of time, wherein the length of the duration of time is known prior to receiving the downlink control message), or indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration ([0014][0019]: details current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period), wherein W is an integer greater than or equal to 1 ([0014]: details a number of subframes for which the duration of time will last).
Regarding claim 8, Sabeni discloses wherein a receiving time of the third DCI is before an end position of the N slots indicated by the first DCI; or wherein the receiving time of the third DCI is within the current DRX on duration ([0014][0019]: details current BWP period may be paused during the duration of time, such that slots occurring during the duration of time are not counted in a current BWP period).
Regarding claim 10, Sabeni discloses wherein when the N is semi-statically configured by the network side device, the terminal obtains a specific value corresponding to the N in advance ([0014]: details the downlink control message may comprise an index identifying a value in a predetermined set of possible durations of time), and the first indication information also indicates the value of N is the specific value ([0014]: details the field may explicitly indicate a number of subframes for which the duration of time will last); wherein when the N is dynamically configured by the network side device, the terminal obtains a plurality of candidate values corresponding to the N in advance, and the first indication information also indicates the value of N is one of the plurality of candidate values; or wherein when N is dynamically configured by the network side device, the terminal obtain the plurality of candidate values corresponding to N in advance, the terminal receives fourth indication information sent by the network side device, the fourth indication information indicates a target candidate value among the plurality of candidate values, and the first indication information also indicates that the value of N is the target candidate value.
Regarding claim 34, Sabeni discloses when the first DCI indicates the terminal to skip the PDCCH monitoring for the subsequent N slots currently configured by the network side device for the terminal, and the first DCI and the PDSCH are transmitted within the same TTI, or when the first DCI indicates to stop the PDCCH monitoring at least within the current DRX on duration, and the first DCI and the PDSCH are transmitted within the same TTI, in response to the network side device detecting an NACK corresponding to the PDSCH, the network side device stops downlink transmission of the terminal ([0116]: details alternative limitations and conditional limitation so do not need to be performed).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/22/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant alleges the claimed “skip” limitations are not taught by the prior art. Those limitations have no patentable weight because they are claimed in the alternative and are not required in the rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jasper Kwoh whose telephone number is (408)918-7644. The examiner can normally be reached Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 4pm Pacific.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeffrey Rutkowski can be reached at (571) 270-1215. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASPER KWOH/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2415
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