DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 10/21/2024 has been entered. Claims 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 25, 27 are amended; Claims 2, 5, 6, 12, 15, 17 – 24, 26 are cancelled; No claims are added. Claims 1, 3, 4, 7 – 11, 13, 14, 16, 25, 27 are currently pending and subject to examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 – 4, 7 – 14, 16, 25 - 27 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claims 8, 9, 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 8, claim 8 recites the limitation “wherein the wherein the“ in lines 1 – 2. It would appear that the Applicant meant to recite ---
Claims 9, 10 are objected to because they depend from a claim which has been objected. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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, 4, 7 – 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 25, 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. (US 20230007651 A1) in view of Moon et al. (US 20250062866 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Shi et al. discloses one or more processors (Shi et al., FIG. 2, processors 221) configured to perform operations comprising:
indicating a resource allocation for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission (Shi et al., [0028] a network base station may send a radio resource control (RRC) to a user equipment, so that the RRC may include information to configure a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) type corresponding to a TDRA table),
wherein the PDSCH transmission includes mapping modulated symbols of a transport block (Shi et al., [0044] with the TDRA index as 1, the TDRA may include the repeating of a TB on 0-1, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 symbols in the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B) across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation, wherein N is at least two (Shi et al., [0048] the TDRA may include TB1 on 7-13 symbols of the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, TB2 on 0-6 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A, TB3 on 7-13 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, and TB4 on 0-6 symbols of the third slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A); and
generating, for transmission to a user equipment (Shi et al., FIG. 3, UE 300), a downlink control information (DCI) transmission including a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) value (Shi et al., [0035] receiving, by the user equipment, a radio resource control (RRC), the RRC configuring a TDRA type corresponding to a TDRA table, where the RRC may be sent by a gNB to the user equipment and there may be a set of TDRA types, where each TDRA type may be configured based on a corresponding TDRA table in relation to [0040] receiving, by the user equipment, a downlink control information (DCI) from the network base station, where the DCI may include an index corresponding to an entry index in the TDRA table) corresponding to the N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Shi et al., [0036] the set of TDRA types may be a set X, and the set X may include {type I RRC, type II RRC, type III RRC} and the TDRA table may correspond to each type in the set X, where the type I RRC may refer to a URLLC mode and the corresponding TDRA table include a column of repetition numbers),
wherein the TDRA value provides a row index corresponding to a slot offset and multiple start and length indicator values (SLIVs) for the PDSCH (Shi et al., [0038] the TDRA table may include a plurality of entries in relation to [0039] the TDRA table may include a plurality of columns, including a TDRA index, a K2 (offset), a pair of start and length values (S, L), a mapping type, and a repetition number and [0040] the TDRA index may indicate an index of each entry in the TDRA table to include a range beginning at 0 and ending at (N−1), where N is the number of entries in the TDRA table).
Shi et al. does not expressly disclose a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation.
Moon et al., for example from an analogous field of endeavor (Moon et al., [0087] data that a base station or the terminal desires to transmit may be managed in units of a transport block (TB) or a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) by each HARQ process, where in DL the TB or MAC PDU may include a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) and/or a MAC control element (CE) and in UL the TB or MAC PDU may include an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), a MAC CE, and/or physical layer control information (UCI), the data channel may include a DL data channel, PDSCH, PUSCH, and a PSSCH) discloses a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Moon et al., [0090] instances constituting repetitive transmission of the data channel may correspond to the same HARQ process and may include coded data for the same TB(s), where repetitive transmission of a data channel may mean repetitive transmission for the same HARQ process and the same TB(s)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to combine a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation as taught by Moon et al. with the system of Shi et al. in order to perform repetitive transmission in a plurality of slots (Moon et al., [0091]).
Regarding claims 3, 13, 27, Shi et al. – Moon et al. disclose mapping the modulated symbols of the transport block across the resource elements of the N consecutive slots (Moon et al., [0091] each data channel instance may be mapped to contiguous symbol(s) in the time domain). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claims 4, 14, Shi et al. – Moon et al. disclose the modulated symbols are mapped sequentially to the resource elements in increasing order of i) first in frequency and then in time or ii) first in time and then in frequency (Moon et al., [0091] each data channel instance may be mapped to contiguous symbol(s) in the time domain). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claims 7, 16, Shi et al. – Moon et al. disclose indicating a value of N to the UE to be used for the PDSCH transmission, wherein N is either one of signaled to the UE in a system information block (Moon et al., [0091] the position of the first symbol of the DM-RS for demodulating the PUSCH may be semi-statically configured by RRC signaling, master information block (MIB) or cell-specific RRC signaling) or ii) signaled to the UE using dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling (Shi et al., [0040] receiving, by the user equipment, a downlink control information (DCI) from the network base station, where the DCI may include an index corresponding to an entry index in the TDRA table). The motivation is the same as in claim 1.
Regarding claim 8, Shi et al. – Moon et al. disclose the TDRA value further indicates a starting symbol S0 and a number of symbols L (Shi et al., [0042] the pair of start and length values (S, L) may indicate a starting symbol (S) in the slot indicated by the K2 (offset) of the transport block (TB) and a length (L) of symbols or the column may include a pair of start and length indicators, including an S indicator and an L indicator respectively),
wherein either one or both of the starting symbol S or the number of symbols L is scaled by a scaling factor (Shi et al., [0058] when the type I RRC includes PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList-ForDCIformat0_2, a PUSCH transmission mode may be in URLLC mode with the repetition number in the configured TDRA).
Regarding claim 9, Shi et al. – Moon et al. disclose configuring a value of the scaling factor for the UE to use via higher layer signaling and based on a traffic type for the PDSCH transmission (Shi et al., [0058] when the type II RRC includes pusch-TimeDomainAllocationList-r16, a PUSCH transmission mode may be in the NR-U mode with multiple TTI and when the type III RRC includes pusch-TimeDomainAllocationList, a PUSCH transmission mode may be in a traditional NR mode, which may not support dynamic repetition or multiple TTIs).
Regarding claim 11, Shi et al. discloses a base station (Shi et al., FIG. 2, gNB 200), comprising: a transceiver (Shi et al., FIG. 2, Tx/Rx circuitry 208) configured to connect to a user equipment (UE) (Shi et al., FIG. 3, UE 300); and one or more processors (Shi et al., FIG. 2, processors 221) configured to perform operations comprising:
generating, for transmission, a resource allocation for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission between the UE and the base station (Shi et al., [0028] a network base station may send a radio resource control (RRC) to a user equipment, so that the RRC may include information to configure a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) type corresponding to a TDRA table),
wherein the PDSCH transmission includes mapping modulated symbols of a transport block (Shi et al., [0044] with the TDRA index as 1, the TDRA may include the repeating of a TB on 0-1, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 symbols in the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B) across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation, wherein N is at least two (Shi et al., [0048] the TDRA may include TB1 on 7-13 symbols of the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, TB2 on 0-6 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A, TB3 on 7-13 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, and TB4 on 0-6 symbols of the third slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A); and
generating, for transmission to the UE, a downlink control information (DCI) transmission including a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) value (Shi et al., [0035] receiving, by the user equipment, a radio resource control (RRC), the RRC configuring a TDRA type corresponding to a TDRA table, where the RRC may be sent by a gNB to the user equipment and there may be a set of TDRA types, where each TDRA type may be configured based on a corresponding TDRA table in relation to [0040] receiving, by the user equipment, a downlink control information (DCI) from the network base station, where the DCI may include an index corresponding to an entry index in the TDRA table) corresponding to the N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Shi et al., [0036] the set of TDRA types may be a set X, and the set X may include {type I RRC, type II RRC, type III RRC} and the TDRA table may correspond to each type in the set X, where the type I RRC may refer to a URLLC mode and the corresponding TDRA table include a column of repetition numbers),
wherein the TDRA value provides a row index corresponding to a slot offset and multiple start and length indicator values (SLIVs) for the PDSCH (Shi et al., [0038] the TDRA table may include a plurality of entries in relation to [0039] the TDRA table may include a plurality of columns, including a TDRA index, a K2 (offset), a pair of start and length values (S, L), a mapping type, and a repetition number and [0040] the TDRA index may indicate an index of each entry in the TDRA table to include a range beginning at 0 and ending at (N−1), where N is the number of entries in the TDRA table).
Shi et al. does not expressly disclose a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation.
Moon et al., for example from an analogous field of endeavor (Moon et al., [0087] Data that a base station or the terminal desires to transmit may be managed in units of a transport block (TB) or a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) by each HARQ process, where in DL the TB or MAC PDU may include a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) and/or a MAC control element (CE) and in UL the TB or MAC PDU may include an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), a MAC CE, and/or physical layer control information (UCI), the data channel may include a DL data channel, PDSCH, PUSCH, and a PSSCH) discloses a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Moon et al., [0090] instances constituting repetitive transmission of the data channel may correspond to the same HARQ process and may include coded data for the same TB(s), where repetitive transmission of a data channel may mean repetitive transmission for the same HARQ process and the same TB(s)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to combine a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation as taught by Moon et al. with the system of Shi et al. in order to perform repetitive transmission in a plurality of slots (Moon et al., [0091]).
Regarding claim 25, Shi et al. discloses a method performed by a base station (Shi et al., FIG. 2, gNB 200), comprising: indicating a resource allocation for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission (Shi et al., [0028] a network base station may send a radio resource control (RRC) to a user equipment, so that the RRC may include information to configure a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) type corresponding to a TDRA table),
wherein the PDSCH transmission includes mapping modulated symbols of a transport block (Shi et al., [0044] with the TDRA index as 1, the TDRA may include the repeating of a TB on 0-1, 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 symbols in the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B) across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation, wherein N is at least two (Shi et al., [0048] the TDRA may include TB1 on 7-13 symbols of the first slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, TB2 on 0-6 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A, TB3 on 7-13 symbols of the second slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type B, and TB4 on 0-6 symbols of the third slot after the corresponding UL grant with the mapping type A); and
transmitting a downlink control information (DCI) transmission to a user equipment (UE) (Shi et al., FIG. 3, UE 300) including a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) value (Shi et al., [0035] receiving, by the user equipment, a radio resource control (RRC), the RRC configuring a TDRA type corresponding to a TDRA table, where the RRC may be sent by a gNB to the user equipment and there may be a set of TDRA types, where each TDRA type may be configured based on a corresponding TDRA table in relation to [0040] receiving, by the user equipment, a downlink control information (DCI) from the network base station, where the DCI may include an index corresponding to an entry index in the TDRA table) corresponding to the N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Shi et al., [0036] the set of TDRA types may be a set X, and the set X may include {type I RRC, type II RRC, type III RRC} and the TDRA table may correspond to each type in the set X, where the type I RRC may refer to a URLLC mode and the corresponding TDRA table include a column of repetition numbers),
wherein the TDRA value provides a row index corresponding to a slot offset and multiple start and length indicator values (SLIVs) for the PDSCH (Shi et al., [0038] the TDRA table may include a plurality of entries in relation to [0039] the TDRA table may include a plurality of columns, including a TDRA index, a K2 (offset), a pair of start and length values (S, L), a mapping type, and a repetition number and [0040] the TDRA index may indicate an index of each entry in the TDRA table to include a range beginning at 0 and ending at (N−1), where N is the number of entries in the TDRA table).
Shi et al. does not expressly disclose a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation.
Moon et al., for example from an analogous field of endeavor (Moon et al., [0087] Data that a base station or the terminal desires to transmit may be managed in units of a transport block (TB) or a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) by each HARQ process, where in DL the TB or MAC PDU may include a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) and/or a MAC control element (CE) and in UL the TB or MAC PDU may include an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH), a MAC CE, and/or physical layer control information (UCI), the data channel may include a DL data channel, PDSCH, PUSCH, and a PSSCH) discloses a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation (Moon et al., [0090] instances constituting repetitive transmission of the data channel may correspond to the same HARQ process and may include coded data for the same TB(s), where repetitive transmission of a data channel may mean repetitive transmission for the same HARQ process and the same TB(s)).
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to combine a single dedicated hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number across resource elements for N consecutive slots of the resource allocation as taught by Moon et al. with the system of Shi et al. in order to perform repetitive transmission in a plurality of slots (Moon et al., [0091]).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi et al. - Moon et al., as applied to claim8 above and further in view of Zhang et al. (US 20180249370 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Shi et al. – Moon et al. do not expressly disclose, for ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) traffic, the number of symbols L is scaled by the scaling factor and the starting symbol S0 is not scaled by the scaling factor.
Zhang et al., for example from an analogous field of endeavor (Zhang et al., [0012] transport block size (TBS) tables in one set can be a scaled version of those in another set, where TBS tables can be generated according to URLLC design principle, such as finer granularity refinement and lower minimum TBSs in relation to [0032] a network node will generate and/or select TBS/MCS mapping tables for different traffics in a table selection unit, and will inform table selections and/or a scaling factor to the UE via a transceiver during a radio bearer establishment procedure of the UE) discloses for ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) traffic, the number of symbols L is scaled by the scaling factor (Zhang et al., [0041] the TBS of one set is scaled from the TBS of another set with a unified scaling factor or several different scaling factors so that the TBS of one set has a smaller TBS range than the other) and the starting symbol S0 is not scaled by the scaling factor (Zhang et al., [0041] the scaling factor(s) may be selected according to TBS index ITBS and/or total number of allocated PRBs NPRB or the scaling factor(s) may be selected according to frequency domain spreading factor).
Thus, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective date of the claimed invention to combine for ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) traffic, the number of symbols L is scaled by the scaling factor and the starting symbol S0 is not scaled by the scaling factor as taught by Zhang et al. with the combined system of Shi et al. - Moon et al. in order to generate tables according to URLLC design principle (Zhang et al., [0042]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Gha et al. (US 20230120684 A1) is cited to show a terminal that receives configuration information from a base station, where the configuration information may include parameter candidate values for scaling of a TBS and control information from a DCI, where the control information may indicate at least one value among parameters for scaling, and the terminal identifies a TBS scaling parameter from the received control information, identifies resource allocation information and pieces of information required for data decoding, including an MCS, an RV, and an NDI, which is similar to aspects of the claimed invention.
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/L.P./Examiner, Art Unit 2416
/NOEL R BEHARRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2416
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