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
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
With regard to claim 33, the Office notes that claim 33 was discussed as claim 33 is parallel in scope with claim 91, however, the claim was not listed in the rejection. The claim is now listed in the rejection along with claim 91, and thus claim 33 is rejected.
Applicant's arguments filed 07/11/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant alleges that the disclosure of Ang et al. (US 2019/0124558 A1), in view of Zhou (US 2019/0357238 A1) does not disclose:
“……wherein the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH when operating on the BWP configured with PDCCH candidates….; and
Receiving radio resource control signaling indicating the BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates”, in claims 1, 21, 41, and 61. Emphasis added.
The Office respectfully disagrees with the Applicants assertion.
With regard to the above claim limitations, the Office relies on Ang, wherein Ang discloses:
Ang (US 2019/0124558 A1)
Contested Claim Limitations
par.[0063] describes the UE transitioning to a dormant SCell with active zero BWP based on a command from the base station. The BWP which is a zero BWP is a bandwidth part in the dormant state and a bandwidth of zero or close to zero, such that the UE is effectively in a dormant state on the SCell. Thus, there are not PDCCH candidates and there is monitoring for PDCCH on the zero BWP, par.[0125]. Additionally, par.[0128] recites, in part, “switching to a dormant state may be based on BWP switching DCI on the secondary cell indicating that a zero BWP should be activated……..In addition, this DCI may carry zero resource assignment because it is useless to allocate resources on a zero BWP.”. Additionally, the UE on the zero BWP is configured to transition out of the zero-BWP to a non-zero BWP, thus requiring some operation (not necessarily signaling) on the zero BWP, such reception of signaling, a timer configured to indicate a transition etc. For example, the disclosure of Ang at par.[0129] describes the UE being dormant operating a timer in order to determine when to switch from the zero-BWP to a non-zero BWP. Additionally, as the UE is dormant on the zero BWP, it may still receive signalling, on PCell, while operating on the second BWP. The UE may receive signaling and such on the first BWP, which causes a change in operation on the second BWP.
Also par.[0010, 0098, 0129 – 0130]
the BWP for which the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH being a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates
par.[0058] describes the one or more uplink or downlink BWP being signaled to the UE via RRC signaling
radio resource control (RRC) signaling indicating the BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates
With regard to the above assertion that the UE of Ang does not operate on the BWP without PDCCH candidates. The office is unpersuaded by the applicants assertion. Regarding the term “operate”, the claim do not provide any specificity as to how the UE operate on the BWP without PDCCH or PDCCH candidate. Surely, as has been discussed the UE does not receive any downlink signaling, however, the UE does perform operations like maintaining timer, and/or receiving signaling from a PCell which would indicate a transition from the zero BWP to a non-zero BWP. For the sake of forwarding prosecution however, the office has introduced Zhou to cure the alleged deficiencies of Ang, and thus, even when considering the applicants allegations the disclosure of Ang in view of Zhou substantially disclose the claimed subject matter as Zhou explicitly disclose reception on a BWP that does not have PDCCH candidates, thus, the Zhou further teaches another form of operation on the second BWP.
The office notes that dependent claims 2, 4, 6, 15, 18-19, 33, 35, 39, and 81-93, are rejected for their dependency on claim claims 1, 21, 41, and 61, are rejected on their own merits and for their dependency on the independent claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-2 18-19, 21, 39, 41, 61, 81-83, 86, 88-90, and 93, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ang et al. (US 2019/0124558 A1) in view of Zhou et al. (US 2019/0357238 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 41, Ang discloses:
a method implemented in a wireless device (WD) (fig.1 depicts a wireless communications system. The wireless communications system comprising a plurality of base stations element 105, and plurality of wireless devices, e.g. User Equipments (UE) element 115, par.[0056]), configured to operate on a primary cell (par.[0004] describes a UE being configured to operate/establish a connection with a network node on a Primary Cell using Dual Connectivity (DC) wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a first cell e.g. a PCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells) (par.[0004] discloses that a UE is configured to operate with a second network node on Secondary Cell Dual Connectivity (SCell-DC). Par.[0012] discloses configuring one or more secondary cells), the method comprising:
operating on a first bandwidth part (BWP) (par.[0053] describes a plurality of BWP and an active BWP), of a plurality of BWPs (par.[0053] discloses a plurality of BWPs), the plurality of BWPs being configured for the WD on a secondary cell, of the one or more SCells (par.[0098] which recites, in part, “In some cases, multiple component carriers may be configured according to carrier aggregation techniques, which may include a primary carrier (also referred to as a primary cell carrier or primary cell) and one or more secondary component carriers (also referred to as secondary cell carriers or secondary cells). Each component carrier may have one or more BWPs.” That is, the disclosure teaches that a UE is configured with a first set of component carriers known as the primary cell, and a second set of component carriers which is known as a SCell, wherein the SCell comprises one or more BWPs as discussed above. Furthermore, par.[0004] teaches that a UE may be configured with multiple SCells, e.g. multiple component carriers);
receiving a command (par.[0099] describes the activation/deactivation) via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), signaling on the primary cell (par.[0099] which recites, in part, “Base station 205 may signal a BWP activation, a BWP deactivation, or a BWP switching, or any combination thereof via DCI signaling.” Par.[0102] “Base station 205 may indicate an activation of a BWP to UE 215 based on DCI signaling. The DCI signaling may be exclusive from a downlink grant and the BWP. By using DCI signaling to indicate activation of a BWP, power consumption of UE 215 may be reduced due to the low latency associated with the DCI signaling.” It is noted that the base station 205 is the primary cell); and
responsive to receiving the command via the PDCCH signaling (par.[0099] the aforecited DCI command for activation/deactivation/switching as discussed above), performing at least one procedure for the SCell of the one or more SCells (the one or more SCells as discussed above), the at least one procedure including operating on one of the first BWP and a second BWP of the plurality of BWPs (par.[0064] which recites, in part, “In some cases, an activated BWP may remain active until a BWP timer expires, or until a subsequent DCI indicates that an activated BWP is to be inactivated. In some cases, a table of combinations of activated BWPs and deactivated BWPs may be configured, and the DCI may include an index into the table to indicate which BWPs are active and which BWPs are inactive.”) based on whether a first value and a second value is indicated for the at least one SCell by the command (par.[0016] which describes the transmission of the one bit field in the DCI for activation/deactivation, par.[0108 – 0109] describes a bitmap in DCI from primary cell, which is configured to indicate a plural of the BWP(s) on the Scell which are active and not active based on the value of a bit in the bitmap), wherein one of the first BWP and the second BWP is a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates (par.[0011] explicitly discloses a BWP being a non-zero BWP and a zero BWP, and as discussed above, the zero BWP being configured with no resources thus no PDCCH candidates), and
receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling indicating the BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates (par.[0058] describes the one or more uplink or downlink BWP being signaled to the UE via RRC signaling).
While the disclosure of Ang teaches receiving a command to operate on the BWP, but does not explicitly disclose:
the other one of the first BWP and the second BWP is a BWP configured with one or more PDCCH candidates, the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH for one of the first BWP and the second BWP when operating on the BWP with PDCCH candidates, the BWP for which the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH being a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Zhou teaches:
the other one of the first BWP and the second BWP is a BWP configured with one or more PDCCH candidates (fig.24a and in particular the 1st and 3rd BWP are configured with PDCCH candidates, while the second BWP is not configured with any PDCCH thus there are no PDCCH candidates., par.[0255]), the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH for one of the first BWP and the second BWP when operating on the BWP with PDCCH candidates (fig.24a wherein the UE is configured to receive PDSCH on BWP2 based on PDCCH signaling received on BWP1. Additionally, BWP3 has PDCCH candidates but can receive a downlink assignment based its own PDCCH or by scheduling on BWP1. Thus, it is shown that some BWP are configured with PDCCH and others are not but may still “operate” on the BWP without PDCCH candidates, par.[0255]), the BWP for which the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH being a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates (par.[0255] and fig.24a wherein the UE may monitor PDCCH on BWP1 and BWP3 but receive downlink data on BWP2 as the UE does not monitor for PDCCH on a BWP without PDCCH candidates).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Ang which describe switching between active BWP to another BWP, with the disclosure of Zhou which describe configuration of BWPs with PDCCH candidates and the cross carrier scheduling. The motivation/suggestion would have been to allow the UE receive downlink control information on a bandwidth compatible with the UE, in addition, it would prevent the UE from unnecessarily expending too much energy monitoring for DCI on multiple bandwidth parts improving network performing, resource utilization, providing enhanced data rates, reduction of interference, and providing enhanced user experience.
Regarding claims 2, Ang discloses:
wherein the WD is configured to monitor PDCCH when operating of the first BWP (par.[0052] describes the UE monitoring the PDCCH on the activated SCell, wherein the Activated SCell corresponds to at least one non-zero BWP on the SCell, par.[0097 – 0098]), performing the at least one procedure for the SCell includes to operate on the second BWP when the first value is indicated for the SCell by the command (par.[0067] which recites, in part, “when base stations 105 (e.g., gNB) transmit a BWP switching DCI (with zero assignment) on the secondary cell, it may activate a zero BWP to transition the secondary cell to a dormant state (a partially activated state). In some cases, when base stations 105 transmit BWP switching DCI (with zero assignment) on a primary cell, it may include secondary cell control indicator and a bitmap, which selects the secondary cell whose active BWP will be switched to the first active BWP. If a zero BWP is an original active BWP, this may effectively switch the secondary cell out of the dormant state”).
Regarding claims 18, Ang discloses:
wherein the command is included in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, downlink control information, DCI, along with a set of bits for power savings when the WD is configured to receive a PDCCH DCI format configured for power savings (par.[0023] describes the DCI and/or MAC-CE with a bitmap which indicates BWP on SCells, and par.[0066] describes that deactivation of the BWP on a one or more SCells may prevent the UE from wasting power by attempting to monitor for PDCCH on deactivated SCells. Further, the par.[0130] describes a bit for indicating an activation or deactivation of the BWP on the SCell, such that when the bit indicates to deactivate, the UE is able to save power).
Regarding claims 19, 39, 89, and 93, Ang discloses:
wherein the WD is configured with N SCell and the command includes N bits, each bit of the N bits corresponding to a respective one of the N Scells (par.[0023] describes the DCI utilizing a bitmap wherein the bitmap indicating a plurality of secondary cells, and each bit is representative of a Scell).
Regarding claims 21 and 61, Ang discloses: a method implemented in a network node (fig.1 element 105 which is a base station device) configured to configure a wireless device, WD (fig.1 element 115 which is a wireless communications), to operate on a primary cell (par.[0004] describes a UE being configured to operate/establish a connection with a network node on a Primary Cell using Dual Connectivity (DC) wherein the UE is configured to communicate with a first cell (PCell) and an additional cell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells) (par.[0004] discloses that a UE is configured to operate with a second network node on Secondary Cell (DC). Par.[0012] discloses configuring one or more secondary cells), the method comprising:
configuring the WD to operate on a first bandwidth part (BWP) (par.[0053] describes a plurality of BWP and an active BWP), of a plurality of BWPs (par.[0053] discloses a plurality of BWPs), the plurality of BWPs being configured on at least one SCell, of the one or more SCells (par.[0098] which recites, in part, “In some cases, multiple component carriers may be configured according to carrier aggregation techniques, which may include a primary carrier (also referred to as a primary cell carrier or primary cell) and one or more secondary component carriers (also referred to as secondary cell carriers or secondary cells). Each component carrier may have one or more BWPs.” That is, the disclosure teaches that a UE is configured with a first set of component carriers known as the primary cell, and a second set of component carriers which is known as a SCell, wherein the SCell comprises one or more BWPs as discussed above. Furthermore, par.[0004] teaches that a UE may be configured with multiple SCells, e.g. multiple component carriers);
sending a command via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) (par.[0099] discloses BWP activation/deactivation/switching via PDCCH e.g. DCI), signaling on the primary cell (par.[0099] which recites, in part, “Base station 205 may signal a BWP activation, a BWP deactivation, or a BWP switching, or any combination thereof via DCI signaling.” Par.[0102] “Base station 205 may indicate an activation of a BWP to UE 215 based on DCI signaling. The DCI signaling may be exclusive from a downlink grant and the BWP. By using DCI signaling to indicate activation of a BWP, power consumption of UE 215 may be reduced due to the low latency associated with the DCI signaling.” It is noted that the base station 205 is the primary cell) responsive to sending the command via the PDCCH signal (par.[0099] which describes the PDCCH signaling)
the command indicating at least one procedure to be performed by the WD for the at least one SCell of the one or more SCells (the one or more SCells as discussed above, par.[0099] the activation deactivation switching), the at least one procedure including operating on one of the first BWP and a second BWP of the plurality of BWPs (par.[0064] which recites, in part, “In some cases, an activated BWP may remain active until a BWP timer expires, or until a subsequent DCI indicates that an activated BWP is to be inactivated. In some cases, a table of combinations of activated BWPs and deactivated BWPs may be configured, and the DCI may include an index into the table to indicate which BWPs are active and which BWPs are inactive.”) based on whether one of a first value and a second value is indicated for the at least one SCell by the command (par.[0016] which describes the transmission of the one bit field in the DCI for activation/deactivation, par.[0108 – 0109] describes a bitmap in DCI from primary cell, which is configured to indicate a plural of the BWP(s) on the Scell which are active and not active based on the value of a bit in the bitmap), and
the WD being configured to not monitor PDCCH for at least one of the first BWP and the second BWP (par.[0125] which recites, in part, “When a secondary cell is in a dormant state (i.e., active BWP is zero BWP), UE 215 may refrain from monitoring a PDCCH on the secondary cell, and may not receive signaling within the cell. In other words, when an active BWP for the secondary cell is the zero BWP, UE 215 may not monitor the PDCCH and base station 205 may be unable to trigger a BWP switching on the secondary cell (e.g., base station 210) based on signaling within the secondary cell.”).
wherein one of the first BWP and the second BWP is configured with no PDCCH candidates, (par.[0063] describes the UE transitioning to a dormant SCell with active zero BWP based on a command from the base station. The BWP which is a zero BWP is a bandwidth part in the dormant state and a bandwidth of zero or close to zero, such that the UE is effectively in a dormant state on the SCell. Thus, there are not PDCCH candidates and there is monitoring for PDCCH on the zero BWP, par.[0125]) and
sending, to the WD, radio resource control (RRC) signaling indicating the BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates (par.[0058] describes the one or more uplink or downlink BWP being signaled to the UE via RRC signaling).
While the disclosure of Ang teaches receiving a command to operate on the BWP, but does not explicitly disclose:
the other one of the first BWP and the second BWP is a BWP configured with one or more PDCCH candidates, the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH for one of the first BWP and the second BWP when operating on the BWP with PDCCH candidates, the BWP for which the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH being a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates.
In an analogous art, the disclosure of Zhou teaches:
the other one of the first BWP and the second BWP is a BWP configured with one or more PDCCH candidates (fig.24a and in particular the 1st and 3rd BWP are configured with PDCCH candidates, while the second BWP is not configured with any PDCCH thus there are no PDCCH candidates., par.[0255]), the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH for one of the first BWP and the second BWP when operating on the BWP with PDCCH candidates (fig.24a wherein the UE is configured to receive PDSCH on BWP2 based on PDCCH signaling received on BWP1. Additionally, BWP3 has PDCCH candidates but can receive a downlink assignment based its own PDCCH or by scheduling on BWP1. Thus, it is shown that some BWP are configured with PDCCH and others are not but may still “operate” on the BWP without PDCCH candidates, par.[0255]), the BWP for which the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH being a BWP configured with no PDCCH candidates (par.[0255] and fig.24a wherein the UE may monitor PDCCH on BWP1 and BWP3 but receive downlink data on BWP2 as the UE does not monitor for PDCCH on a BWP without PDCCH candidates).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Ang which describe switching between active BWP to another BWP, with the disclosure of Zhou which describe configuration of BWPs with PDCCH candidates and the cross carrier scheduling. The motivation/suggestion would have been to allow the UE receive downlink control information on a bandwidth compatible with the UE, in addition, it would prevent the UE from unnecessarily expending too much energy monitoring for DCI on multiple bandwidth parts improving network performing, resource utilization, providing enhanced data rates, reduction of interference, and providing enhanced user experience.
Regarding claims 81, 82, 86, and 90, Ang discloses:
wherein first value is 0 and second value is 1 (par.[0016] which recites, in part, “The instructions may be operable to cause the processor to configure at least one bit of a field in a BWP DCI to indicate selections for activated or deactivated states for a secondary cell and a BWP selection for the base station; and transmit the BWP DCI to a UE based at least in part on the configuring”. That is, the BWP DCI which indicates which BWP are activated and deactivated uses a single bit, that is a 0 or a 1, as 0 and 1 are the only two values that can be represented using a single bit. Further, the disclosure teaches that 1 means that a BWP is activated see e.g. par.[0130]) and the WD being configured to not monitor PDCCH for at least one of the first BWP and the second BWP (par.[0125] which recites, in part, “When a secondary cell is in a dormant state (i.e., active BWP is zero BWP), UE 215 may refrain from monitoring a PDCCH on the secondary cell, and may not receive signaling within the cell. In other words, when an active BWP for the secondary cell is the zero BWP, UE 215 may not monitor the PDCCH and base station 205 may be unable to trigger a BWP switching on the secondary cell (e.g., base station 210) based on signaling within the secondary cell.”).
Regarding claims 83, Ang discloses:
when the WD is configured to monitor PDCCH when operating on the first BWP, switch to operate on the second BWP when the first value is indicated for the SCell by the command (par.[0067] which recites, in part, “when base stations 105 (e.g., gNB) transmit a BWP switching DCI (with zero assignment) on the secondary cell, it may activate a zero BWP to transition the secondary cell to a dormant state (a partially activated state). In some cases, when base stations 105 transmit BWP switching DCI (with zero assignment) on a primary cell, it may include secondary cell control indicator and a bitmap, which selects the secondary cell whose active BWP will be switched to the first active BWP. If a zero BWP is an original active BWP, this may effectively switch the secondary cell out of the dormant state. As discussed above 1 may indicate activation and 0 would send the UE to a zero-BWP, wherein the UE would not monitor the PDCCH).
Regarding claim 88, Ang discloses:
wherein the command is included in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) along with a set of bits for power savings when the WD is configured to receive a PDCCH DCI format configured for power savings (par.[0054] which recites, in part, “In some cases, the base station may configure the secondary cell to be in a dormant state (previously referred to as “a gated state”) based on the transmitted first signal and the active BWP being a zero BWP. The dormant state may also hereby be referred to as a partially activated state.” Par.[0063] which recites, in part, “When the secondary cell is in the dormant state, UE 115 may have a reduced active radio frequency bandwidth support and power consumption.”. Thus, when the UE receives the DCI with an indication to switch to a zero BWP, the UE may enter into a lower power state based upon the bits in the DCI which indicates the switching to a dormant BWP).
Claim(s) 4 and 84, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ang and Zhou as applied to claims 1-3 above, in view of Jeon et al. (US 2019/0132862 A1).
Regarding claims 4 and 84, Ang and Zhou discloses:
forwarding signaling to a UE which causes the UE to either activate or deactivate particular SCell BWP(s) based on signaling in DCI, MAC-CE, etc. Further, the disclosure of Ang teaches that the signaling can configure the bandwidth of the BWP for the Scell, meaning the BWP may be configured as narrowband, wideband, or zero band. While the disclosure of Ang substantially discloses the claimed invention, it does not disclose:
wherein when the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH when operating on the first BWP, performing the at least one procedure for the at least one Scell includes continuing to operate on the first BWP when the first value is indicated for the at least one Scell by the command.
The office notes configuring different BWP for SCell for different operation were well-known in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application. For example, in an analogous art, the disclosure of Jeon teaches:
wherein when the WD is configured to not monitor PDCCH when operating on the first BWP, performing the at least one procedure for the at least one Scell includes continuing to operate on the first BWP when the first value is indicated for the at least one Scell by the command (par.[0195] describes a DCI to configure the switching of the BWP, the BWP may be a narrowband BWP which is used for PDCCH monitoring, e.g. not the first BWP, and a wideband BWP, which is used for scheduled data, e.g. the first BWP in this scenario. The UE can be configured to use both BWP by switching between the two BWP).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Ang and Zhou for faster BWP activation and deactivation, with the method fast activation and deactivation methods as discussed by Jeon. The motivation/suggestion would have been that different types of BWP may be beneficial and allow for greater resource utilization. For example, by allowing for PDCCH monitoring in the narrowband BWP low complexity UE(s) as well as traditional UE(s) can reserve power by not having to decode a larger bandwidth, and by utilizing the wideband for data the UE(s) may receive greater transmission capacity.
Claim(s) 6, 33, 85, and 91, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ang and Zhou as applied to claims 1-3 above, in view of Chou et al. (US 2018/0183551 A1).
Regarding claims 6 and 85, while the disclosure of Ang and Zhou, in particular Ang discloses:
switching to operate on the second BWP comprises switching to operate on a BWP with a specific BWP index (par.[0064] which recites, in part, “In some cases, a table of combinations of activated BWPs and deactivated BWPs may be configured, and the DCI may include an index into the table to indicate which BWPs are active and which BWPs are inactive. In some cases, the DCI may include a bitmap that indicates which BWPs are active and which BWPs are inactive.”), but does not disclose:
wherein the index is configured by higher layers.
However, the Office notes that providing an index which is configured by higher layers is a well-known design technique, specifically, wherein a parameter is configured and signaled via higher layers is a well-known design technique which is highly utilized in the art. For example, in an analogous art, the disclosure of Chou teaches:
wherein the index is configured by higher layers (fig.3 depicts a BWP index and par.[0088] describes the index being reconfigured or configured by higher layer signaling, e.g. RRC).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the teachings of Ang and Zhou for BWP switching with the configuration methods of Chou. The motivations/suggestion would have been to allow for quick and seamless configuration of BWP parameters and activation in a wireless communications network reducing signaling overhead.
Regarding claims 33 and 91, Chou discloses:
transmitting a radio resource control, RRC, signaling, the RRC signaling including a BWP index indicating one of the first BWP and the second BWP (fig.3 depicts a BWP index and par.[0088] describes the index being reconfigured or configured by higher layer signaling, e.g. RRC).
Claim(s) 15, 35, 87, and 92, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ang and Zhou as applied to claims 1-3 above, in view of Gao et al. (US 2021/0058197 A1).
Regarding claims 15, 35, 87, and 92, the disclosure of Ang and Zhou teaches reception of a DCI which indicates which BWP on a number of SCells are active, deactivate, and switching, as discussed with the rejections of the independent claims above. Further, the disclosure of Ang teaches that based on the UE’s reception of DCI, the UE may transmit ACK or NACK based on information received in the DCI message, see e.g. par.[0064]. While the disclosure of Ang and Zhou teaches transmitting ACK/NACK to the DCI for BWP switching, it does not explicitly disclose:
wherein receiving the command via the PDCCH signaling comprises receiving a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, resource indicator in a downlink control information, DCI, the PUCCH resource indicator indicating a resource for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest Acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, for the command, and wherein receiving the command via the PDCCH signaling further comprises receiving a HARQ feedback timing indicator in the DCI, the HARQ feedback timing indicator indicating a slot for HARQ-ACK for the command.
However, the reception of the PUCCH resource indicator and the timing command for the ACK feedback in the DCI is well-known in the art. For example, in an analogous art the disclosure of Gao teaches:
wherein receiving the command via the PDCCH signaling comprises receiving a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, resource indicator in a downlink control information, DCI, the PUCCH resource indicator indicating a resource for a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest Acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, for the command, and wherein receiving the command via the PDCCH signaling further comprises
receiving a HARQ feedback timing indicator in the DCI, the HARQ feedback timing indicator indicating a slot for HARQ-ACK for the command (par.[0003] describes the DCI indicating a time relation between the DCI, PDSCH, and the feedback for the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI. Further, par.[0006 and 0013-0014]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the instant application to combine the BWP switching methods as discussed in Ang and Zhou with the instruction for feedback to the DCI for BWP as discussed in Gao. The motivation/suggestion would have been that the HARQ feedback allows the network operate more robustly by providing error control and retransmission of missed data or control information allowing for better user experience.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Lee et al. (US 2019/0103954 A1) “Bandwidth Part Activation, Deactivation, and Switching in Wireless Communications”
Zhou et al. (US 2019/0132110 A1) “Bandwidth Part Configuration and Operation”
Zhou et al. (US 2019/0132109 A1) “Activation and Deactivation of Bandwidth Part”
Lin et al. (US 2019/0132793 A1) “Method and Apparatus for Improving Power Consumption for an Activated Cell in a Wireless Communication System”
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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.
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JAMAAL HENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2411
/JAMAAL HENSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411