Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 17/593,255

CROSS-MODE COORDINATION AND MODE 1 SUPPORT FOR INTER-UE COORDINATION

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Sep 14, 2021
Examiner
SEN, ANINDITA
Art Unit
2478
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Apple Inc.
OA Round
6 (Final)
83%
Grant Probability
Favorable
7-8
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
87%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 83% — above average
83%
Career Allow Rate
62 granted / 75 resolved
+24.7% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+3.9%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
51 currently pending
Career history
126
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.3%
-39.7% vs TC avg
§103
78.5%
+38.5% vs TC avg
§102
14.7%
-25.3% vs TC avg
§112
1.9%
-38.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 75 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Response to Arguments Arguments dated 12/22/2025 have been considered and new grounds of rejection presented. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1,16,17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) Regarding Claim 1, Pan teaches, A method, performed by a first user equipment (UE) for a 5G network, of sidelink (SL) capability exchange via a PC5 link with a second UE for configuring inter -UE coordination (IUC), the method comprising:, Fig 13(5G network), [433] More specifically, gNB1 could provide UE1(=first UE) with the sidelink DRX configuration for UE2(=second UE) via a RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfiguration). UE1 could provide the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2 via a PC5(=PC5 link) RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfigurationSidelink)(= PC5 link with a second UE for configuring inter-UE coordination (IUC), the method comprising: generating a radio resource control (RRC) message) signaling with a first SL unicast transmission to the second UE the RRC message; Fig 13, [431]- gNB1 could determine a sidelink DRX configuration for UE2 to comply with gNB1 could transmit the sidelink DRX configuration of UE2 to UE1(=RRC message). And then, UE1 provides the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2(=signaling with a first SL unicast transmission to the second UE). This alternative could be illustrated in FIG. 13, which shows an example where UE2's DRX is determined by gNB1 for unicast sidelink communication (=unicast transmission). and receiving through a second SL unicast transmission from the second UE the SL capability of the second UE to configure IUC in response to receiving from a network node a first grant allocation to a first SL resource, transmitting via the first SL resource to the second UE; Fig 14 [438]- In response to reception of the PC5 RRC message including the traffic pattern information, UE2 could respond a complete PC5 RRC message to UE1.[440]- UE2 could report the traffic pattern or the preferred sidelink DRX configuration to gNB2 via one RRC message (e.g. SidelinkUEInformationNR or UEAssistanceInformation)(= SL capability of the second UE to configure IUC). [436]- This alternative could be illustrated in FIG. 14, which shows an example where UE2's DRX is determined by gNB2 for unicast sidelink communication(=UE2 capability) and receiving IUC information from the second UE in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource [447]- he first UE could receive a feedback (e.g., HARQ feedback) associated with the sidelink transmission(=IUC) from the second UE(=receiving IUC information from the second UE). The feedback may be a HARQ positive acknowledgement or a HARQ negative acknowledgement (=in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource). Pan does not teach, generating a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, and an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE(UE B),or both; wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match and determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC Gabi teaches, generating a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, and [67]- For example, in some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in a physical channel that is configured for, or dedicated to, inter-UE configuration information. In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE(UE B),or both; Fig 5 [68]- 502 )=UEA), 504(=UEB). [68] The UEs may also reserve non-overlapping resources, which are not shown. The UE may determine a resource collision 710 in the slot reserved by both UEs and may respond by transmitting inter-UE coordination information(=explicit info) indicating the resource collision (=indication for support cross-mode IUC). UE 502 is in mode 1 as described in [29]- The sidelink resource allocation from a base station may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 1” or a “centralized” resource allocation mode. UE 504 which is in mode 2 based on its transmission from UE 502 as in Fig 5. Mode 2 described in [29]- The autonomous resource selection may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 2,” a “decentralized” resource allocation mode wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match [64] In some instances, multiple UEs may transmit at the same time and may not receive the overlapping communication (e.g., SCI indicating resource reservations) from each other and/or from a base station.[65]- FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating inter-UE coordination, where a first UE (“UE-A”) 502 may send inter-UE coordination information 506 to a second UE (“UE-B”) 504. [67]- In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which the cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type;.[67]- A UE 502 (e.g., UE-A) may share its inter-UE coordination information 506 with multiple UEs, and/or a UE (e.g., UE 504) may receive the inter-UE coordination information 506 from multiple UEs. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan generating a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, and an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE(UE B),or both; wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match and determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC as taught by Park to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 16, Pan teaches, A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium including instructions for sidelink (SL) capability exchange via a PC5 link between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE for configuring inter-UE coordination (IUC), the instructions, when executed by the first UE, cause the first UE to:, Fig 13(5G network), [433] More specifically, gNB1 could provide UE1(=first UE) with the sidelink DRX configuration for UE2(=second UE) via a RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfiguration). UE1 could provide the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2 via a PC5(=PC5 link) RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfigurationSidelink)(= PC5 link with a second UE for configuring inter-UE coordination (IUC), the method comprising: generating a radio resource control (RRC) message) signal with a first SL unicast transmission to the second UE the RRC message; Fig 13, [431]- gNB1 could determine a sidelink DRX configuration for UE2 to comply with gNB1 could transmit the sidelink DRX configuration of UE2 to UE1(=RRC message). And then, UE1 provides the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2(=signaling with a first SL unicast transmission to the second UE). This alternative could be illustrated in FIG. 13, which shows an example where UE2's DRX is determined by gNB1 for unicast sidelink communication (=unicast transmission). receive through a second SL unicast transmission from the second UE the SL capability of the second UE to configure IUC in response to receiving from a network node a first grant allocation to a first SL resource, transmitting via the first SL resource to the second UE; Fig 14 [438]- In response to reception of the PC5 RRC message including the traffic pattern information, UE2 could respond a complete PC5 RRC message to UE1.[440]- UE2 could report the traffic pattern or the preferred sidelink DRX configuration to gNB2 via one RRC message (e.g. SidelinkUEInformationNR or UEAssistanceInformation)(= SL capability of the second UE to configure IUC). [436]- This alternative could be illustrated in FIG. 14, which shows an example where UE2's DRX is determined by gNB2 for unicast sidelink communication(=UE2 capability) receiving IUC information from the second UE in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource. [447]- he first UE could receive a feedback (e.g., HARQ feedback) associated with the sidelink transmission(=IUC) from the second UE(=receiving IUC information from the second UE). The feedback may be a HARQ positive acknowledgement or a HARQ negative acknowledgement (=in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource). Pan does not teach, generate a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, And an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE (UE B), or both, wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match; determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC; Gabi teaches, generate a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, [67]- For example, in some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in a physical channel that is configured for, or dedicated to, inter-UE configuration information. In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. And an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE (UE B), or both,; Fig 5 [68]- 502 )=UEA), 504(=UEB). [68] The UEs may also reserve non-overlapping resources, which are not shown. The UE may determine a resource collision 710 in the slot reserved by both UEs and may respond by transmitting inter-UE coordination information(=explicit info) indicating the resource collision (=indication for support cross-mode IUC). UE 502 is in mode 1 as described in [29]- The sidelink resource allocation from a base station may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 1” or a “centralized” resource allocation mode. UE 504 which is in mode 2 based on its transmission from UE 502 as in Fig 5. Mode 2 described in [29]- The autonomous resource selection may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 2,” a “decentralized” resource allocation mode wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match [64] In some instances, multiple UEs may transmit at the same time and may not receive the overlapping communication (e.g., SCI indicating resource reservations) from each other and/or from a base station.[65]- FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating inter-UE coordination, where a first UE (“UE-A”) 502 may send inter-UE coordination information 506 to a second UE (“UE-B”) 504. [67]- In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC;.[67]- A UE 502 (e.g., UE-A) may share its inter-UE coordination information 506 with multiple UEs, and/or a UE (e.g., UE 504) may receive the inter-UE coordination information 506 from multiple UEs. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan generate a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, And an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE (UE B), or both, wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match; determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC as taught by Gabi to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 17, Pan teaches, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the information of the RRC message indicates whether IUC with a UE having the same resource allocation mode as that of the first UE is supported[431]- gNB1 will be able to allocate UE1 with sidelink grant and/or sidelink resources for sidelink transmission(s) at the right time since gNB1 can know when UE2 will wake up based on the sidelink DRX configuration Claims 7-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Park et al. (US20220078753A1) Regarding Claim 7, Pan does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the indication indicates required resource allocation mode(s) of the second UE Park teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the indication indicates required resource allocation mode(s) of the second UE.[253]- For example, when the receiving UE operates in resource allocation mode 1 or 2, the receiving UE may receive a PSSCH from the transmitting UE, and transmit an HARQ feedback for the PSSCH in a sidelink feedback control information (SFCI) format on a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH). It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan, The method of claim 1, in which the indication indicates required resource allocation mode(s) of the second UE as taught by Park to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 8, Pan teaches, A method, performed by a first user equipment (UE) for a 5G network, of configuring inter-UE coordination (IUC) with a second UE, the first UE being configured for network-controlled sidelink (SL) resource allocation, the method comprising: Fig 13(5G network), [433] More specifically, gNB1 could provide UE1(=first UE) with the sidelink DRX configuration for UE2(=second UE) via a RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfiguration). UE1 could provide the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2 via a PC5(=PC5 link) RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfigurationSidelink)(= PC5 link with a second UE for configuring inter-UE coordination (IUC), the method comprising: generating a radio resource control (RRC) message) in response to receiving from a gNB a first grant allocation to a first SL resource, transmitting via the first SL resource to the second UE; fig 13 [436]- gNB1 will be able to allocate UE1 with sidelink grant and/or sidelink resources for sidelink transmission(s) at the right time. receiving IUC information from the second UE, in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource;and [447]- the first UE could receive a feedback (e.g., HARQ feedback) associated with the sidelink transmission(=IUC) from the second UE(=receiving IUC information from the second UE). The feedback may be a HARQ positive acknowledgement or a HARQ negative acknowledgement (=in response to the second UE detecting a resource failure for the first SL resource). Pan does not teach, and wherein the IUC information specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications, and wherein the IUC information includes an indication that includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE (UE B), or both, wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match; determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which the cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type; Gabi teaches, generating a radio resource control (RRC) message for the second UE, the RRC message including: information to identify which of IUC types A, B, and C are supported IUC types of the first UE, and [67]- For example, in some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in a physical channel that is configured for, or dedicated to, inter-UE configuration information. In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. an indication of which resource allocation mode is supported for IUC, wherein the indication includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications wherein the indication specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE(UE B),or both; Fig 5 [68]- 502 )=UEA), 504(=UEB). [68] The UEs may also reserve non-overlapping resources, which are not shown. The UE may determine a resource collision 710 in the slot reserved by both UEs and may respond by transmitting inter-UE coordination information(=explicit info) indicating the resource collision (=indication for support cross-mode IUC). UE 502 is in mode 1 as described in [29]- The sidelink resource allocation from a base station may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 1” or a “centralized” resource allocation mode. UE 504 which is in mode 2 based on its transmission from UE 502 as in Fig 5. Mode 2 described in [29]- The autonomous resource selection may be referred to as “resource allocation mode 2,” a “decentralized” resource allocation mode wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match [64] In some instances, multiple UEs may transmit at the same time and may not receive the overlapping communication (e.g., SCI indicating resource reservations) from each other and/or from a base station.[65]- FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating inter-UE coordination, where a first UE (“UE-A”) 502 may send inter-UE coordination information 506 to a second UE (“UE-B”) 504. [67]- In some aspects, the UE 502 may transmit the inter-UE coordination information 506 in RRC signaling. and determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type of the configured IUC.[67]- A UE 502 (e.g., UE-A) may share its inter-UE coordination information 506 with multiple UEs, and/or a UE (e.g., UE 504) may receive the inter-UE coordination information 506 from multiple UEs. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan and wherein the IUC information specifies whether the first UE supports cross-mode IUC for mode 1 for a selection of sub-channels in SL communications, and wherein the IUC information includes an indication that includes explicit information that specifies whether the first UE has capability to support the cross-mode IUC for mode 1 as an assisting UE (UE A), as an assisted UE (UE B), or both, wherein the cross-mode IUC comprises scenarios where the first UE and the second UE are operating on transmit modes that do not match; determining a direction of SL communication of a unicast link for which the cross-mode IUC can be executed based on a mode and an IUC type; as taught by Gabi to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, signaling to the gNB that the first SL resource previously received from the gNB failed and is to be avoided for future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE based on the received IUC information from the second UE; receiving from the gNB a second grant allocation having a second SL resource for the future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE, wherein the second SL resource is different from the first SL resource Park teaches, signaling to the gNB that the first SL resource previously received from the gNB failed and is to be avoided for future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE based on the received IUC information from the second UE; fig 37 [380]- In step S3704, the Rx UE may fail in signal reception, so that the Tx UE can transmit the HARQ NACK signal to the BS. receiving from the gNB a second grant allocation having a second SL resource for the future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE, wherein the second SL resource is different from the first SL resource. Fig 35-37. Step 3703 similar to as described in step S3503-After transmission of the BSR signal, the Tx UE may receive sidelink resources from the BS. In step S3503, the BS may allocate sidelink resources to the Tx UE at intervals of a predetermined period (e.g., N subframes). This is after HARQ NACK from SL RX UE to SL TX UE. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi signaling to the gNB that the first SL resource previously received from the gNB failed and is to be avoided for future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE based on the received IUC information from the second UE; receiving from the gNB a second grant allocation having a second SL resource for the future SL communications between the first UE and the second UE, wherein the second SL resource is different from the first SL resource as taught by Park to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 9, Pan teaches, The method of claim 8, in which the signaling comprises a radio resource control (RRC) message or L2 signaling[433]- More specifically, gNB1 could provide UE1 with the sidelink DRX configuration for UE2 via a RRC message (e.g. RRCReconfiguration). UE1 could provide the sidelink DRX configuration to UE2 via a PC5 RRC message Regarding Claim 10 Pan teaches, The method of claim 9, in which the RRC message comprises SidelinkUEInformation or UEAssistanceInformation.[432]- the sidelink QoS flow or profile could be reported via SidelinkUEInformationNR, and the traffic pattern could be reported via UEAssistanceInformation Regarding Claim 11, Pan teaches, The method of claim 8, in which the IUC information from the second UE includes a set of preferred resources, and the signaling to the gNB provides the set of preferred resources. [435]- UE2 could report information about the traffic pattern or the preferred sidelink DRX configuration to gNB2. Regarding Claim 12, Pan does not teach, The method of claim 8, in which the first and second UEs are both controlled by the gNB configured to act as an intra-gNB. Park teaches, The method of claim 8, in which the first and second UEs are both controlled by the gNB configured to act as an intra-gNB See Fig 34 and Fig 35 It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan The method of claim 8, in which the first and second UEs are both controlled by the gNB configured to act as an intra-gNB as taught by Park to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 13, Pan teaches, The method of claim 8, in which the gNB is a first gNB and the second UE is controlled by a second gNB that is different from the first gNB. Fig 13 – UE2 controlled by gnB2 in steps “SL DRX configuration” and “updated UU DRX configuration”. Claims 3,18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Jeong et al. ( US20220167345A1) Regarding Claim 3, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include all of types A, B, and C. Jeong teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include all of types A, B, and C. See [93-95] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi and Girolamo The method of claim 1, in which the information of the RRC message indicates whether IUC with a UE having the same resource allocation mode as that of the first UE is supported as taught by Jeong to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 18, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach,, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include all of types A, B, and C. Jeong teaches, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include all of types A, B, and C. See [93-95] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include all of types A, B, and C. as taught by Jeong to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Claims 2,5,6,20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Girolamo et al. (US20230171738A1)( Support in provisional “ 63/008,244”) Regarding Claim 2, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the information of the RRC message indicates whether IUC with a UE having the same resource allocation mode as that of the first UE is supported. Girolamo teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the information of the RRC message indicates whether IUC with a UE having the same resource allocation mode as that of the first UE is supported.[61]-[63]- UE_A provides resource allocation assistance to UE_B. This assistance may come in many forms: sensing assistance, list of allocated resources, list of blacklisted resources, etc. A number of problems need to be addressed for Issue 1.In the following, it is assumed that UE_B is configured for Mode 2 resource allocation and has SL data available in one or more logical channels. It may use assistance information to assist with Mode 2 resource allocation. The resource allocation mode is [61] – mode 2. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the information of the RRC message indicates whether IUC with a UE having the same resource allocation mode as that of the first UE is supported as taught by Girolamo to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 5, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message. Girolamo teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message [113]- a new RRC message exchange, or a NAS layer message exchange. For example, this may be in a new assistance-Parameters IE that is included in the UECapabilityInformation message. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message as taught by Girolamo to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 6, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl- TransmissionModel capability parameter in the information of the RRC message. Girolamo teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl- TransmissionModel capability parameter in the information of the RRC message See [130] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi The method of claim 1, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionModel capability parameter in the information of the RRC message as taught by Girolamo to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 20,Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message. Girolamo teaches, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message.[36]- The mode 2 definition covers potential sidelink radio-layer functionality or resource allocation sub-modes where a) UE autonomously selects sidelink resource for transmission;[45]- A set of resources is determined at UE-A. This set is sent to UE-B in mode 2, and UE-B takes this into account in the resource selection for its own transmission. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi , The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the indication is an sl-TransmissionMode2 capability parameter in the information of the RRC message as taught by Girolamo to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Claim 4,19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Rao et al. (US20190239112A1) Regarding Claim 4, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach, The method of claim 1, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C. Rao teaches, The method of claim 1, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C. [146]- Enhanced Mode 4 Carrier / Resource Selection ( In Coverage see More on this in para [147]-[158] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view Park, The method of claim 1, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C as taught by Rao to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Regarding Claim 19, Pan in view of Gabi does not teach,The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C. Rao teaches, The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C.[146]- Enhanced Mode 4 Carrier / Resource Selection ( In Coverage see More on this in para [147]-[158] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi , The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, in which the supported IUC types of the first UE include only types B and C as taught by Rao to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Park et al. (US20220078753A1) in further view of R1-2100688(hereinafter “NPL1”) Regarding Claim 14, Pan in view of Gabi and Park does not teach, The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a request to the second UE soliciting IUC information indicating a type A, a type B or type C set of resources NPL1 teaches, The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a request to the second UE soliciting IUC information indicating a type A, a type B or type C set of resources. Section 1 Conclusion- UE-A sends to UE-B the set of resources preferred for UE-B’s transmission, based on its sensing result. UE-A sends to UE-B the set of resources not preferred for UE-B’s transmission e.g., based on its sensing result and/or expected/potential resource conflict.UE-A sends to UE-B the set of resource where the resource conflict is detected. It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi and Park The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a request to the second UE soliciting IUC information indicating a type A, a type B or type C set of resources as taught by NPL1 to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Claim 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan et al. ( US20210227621A1) (Support in Provisional “17/970154”) in view of Gabi et al. (WO2022159346A2) in further view of Park et al. (US20220078753A1) in further view of Rao et al. (US20190239112A1) Regarding Claim 15, Pan in view of Gabi and Park does not teach, The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving voluntary IUC- assistance-information from the second UE indicating a type B or type C set of resources. Rao teaches, The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving voluntary IUC- assistance-information from the second UE indicating a type B or type C set of resources. [146]- Enhanced Mode 4 Carrier / Resource Selection (in Coverage see More on this in para [147]-[158] It would have been obvious to a person having an ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Pan in view of Gabi and Park The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving voluntary IUC- assistance-information from the second UE indicating a type B or type C set of resources as taught by Rao to add inter UE coordination rule to share IUC types for smooth communication. Conclusion THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Anindita Sen whose telephone number is (571)-272-2390. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30am-5:30pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joseph Avellino can be reached on (571)-272-3905. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ANINDITA SEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2478 /KODZOVI ACOLATSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 14, 2021
Application Filed
Dec 26, 2023
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Mar 04, 2024
Response Filed
May 08, 2024
Final Rejection — §103
Jul 12, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 02, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 12, 2024
Request for Continued Examination
Aug 15, 2024
Response after Non-Final Action
Sep 04, 2024
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Dec 09, 2024
Response Filed
Apr 13, 2025
Final Rejection — §103
Jun 17, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jul 08, 2025
Request for Continued Examination
Jul 16, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Aug 27, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Nov 20, 2025
Interview Requested
Dec 02, 2025
Response Filed
Dec 05, 2025
Interview Requested
Dec 17, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Dec 17, 2025
Examiner Interview Summary
Mar 14, 2026
Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

7-8
Expected OA Rounds
83%
Grant Probability
87%
With Interview (+3.9%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 75 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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