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
Applicant’s arguments, filed December 2, 2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-30 under 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of 35 USC § 103.
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.
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.
Claims 1-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chae et al. (US
20230354376 A1) in view of Li et al. (US 20220086803 A1) and in further view of Yoshioka et al. (US 20240205884 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Chae et al. teaches a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message, a sidelink resource pool configuration that indicates a set of resources for sidelink communications and a periodicity of a subset of resources that are designated for sidelink inter-UE coordination information, the set of resources comprising the subset of resources (Paragraph 234, 236, 238, These passages disclose that an RRC configuration message can include sidelink resource pool information, including sets of resources and periodic resource units, teaching the claim element of receiving a sidelink resource pool configuration with periodicity); and transmitting a communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in a resource of the subset of resources, wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is to assist other UEs with resource selection for sidelink transmissions (Paragraph 233, 246, 277, These passages disclose that a UE transmits sidelink control information (SCI) in reserved resources, and that the SCI assists other UEs in resource selection for sidelink transmissions).
Chae et al. does not explicitly teach identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information.
However, Li et al. teaches identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 591, 592, These passages describe exclusion of certain sidelink resources from general use during reselection, matching the claim’s requirement that a subset of resources is excluded except for inter-UE coordination information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information as taught by Li in the system of Chae et al., so that it would ensure dedicated resources are reserved exclusively for sidelink inter-UE coordination information and thereby improve reliability and efficiency of resource selection among UEs.
Neither Chae et al. nor Li et al. explicitly teach wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources.
However, Yoshioka et al. teaches wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources (Paragraph 141–142, 178–179, These passages teach (i) transmitting explicit collision indication information, (ii) transmitting preferred/non-preferred resource sets, and (iii) encoding such feedback over PSFCH using defined feedback signaling that distinguishes conditions (e.g., ACK/NACK) via specific sequence/shift values, which supports a single-bit style collision indication and, alternatively, signaling of multiple resource-related states corresponding to non-preferred resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources as taught by Yoshioka in the combined system of Chae et al. and Li, so that it would enable efficient and flexible encoding of resource collision and non-preferred resource feedback within the already-reserved coordination resource subset, thereby improving the precision and overhead efficiency of sidelink resource selection among UEs.
Regarding claim 2, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration is received by the UE from a network entity (Paragraph 230, 244, 245, 275, The passages explain that a network entity such as a base station (gNB, ng-eNB, or RSU) can transmit configuration messages—including RRC, SIB, DCI, or sidelink-specific control messages—to a UE. These configuration messages provide sidelink resource pool parameters or subsets of the pool).
Regarding claim 3, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration is stored in memory of the UE (Paragraph 217, 230, 238, 244, 248, The UE includes memory that stores program instructions and received configuration parameters, and since the sidelink resource pool is configured to the UE via control messages, the sidelink resource pool configuration is stored in the UE’s memory to enable sidelink operation).
Regarding claim 4, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates at least one of a number of sub-channels included in the subset of resources, a time domain location of the subset of resources, a frequency domain location of the subset of resources, or a combination thereof (Paragraph 234, 235, 245, 274, The cited passages explicitly describe that the sidelink resource pool configuration can indicate sub-channels (frequency-domain resource blocks), time-domain locations (slots, subframes, OFDM symbols, slot bitmaps), frequency-domain locations (resource block numbering, subchannels), or combinations thereof).
Regarding claim 5, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates multiple sets of resources, and wherein different sets of resources, of the multiple sets of resources, are associated with different priority levels (Paragraph 237, This passage explicitly describes that the sidelink resource pool configuration may define multiple sets of resources (e.g., PSCCH pool, PSSCH pool) and that different pools can be tied to different priority levels (e.g., based on QoS, service type, or configured network priority)).
Regarding claim 6, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates multiple sets of resources, and wherein different sets of resources, of the multiple sets of resources, are associated with different inter-UE coordination schemes, and wherein the different inter-UE coordination schemes include at least one of a first inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates one or more preferred resources, a second inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates the one or more non-preferred resources, or a third inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates the resource collision (Paragraph 234, 237, 243–244, 269, 271–272, 277, 279, Collectively, these passages disclose that a sidelink configuration provides multiple resource pools and/or subsets (first and second sidelink resources), associates those sets with different resource selection procedures (e.g., sensing-based vs. random), designates particular subsets for use based on priority (preferred vs. alternative/non-preferred resources), and signals selection scheme and resource usage so that other UEs adjust thresholds to avoid collisions, thereby teaching multiple resource sets linked to distinct inter-UE coordination schemes including preferred, non-preferred, and collision-indicating schemes).
Regarding claim 7, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information indicates one or more resources that are designated for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 233, 248, 278, The cited portions explain that sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted as part of sidelink communication includes explicit indications of resources—such as those reserved, selected, or otherwise designated—which directly matches the claim’s requirement that the communication containing sidelink inter-UE coordination information indicates one or more resources designated for that information).
Regarding claim 8, Chae et al. teaches refraining from transmitting, in the one or more resources, any communications other than the sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 226, 229, 230, 237, 244, 245, 248, The passage teaches that specific resource pools are configured and reserved for sidelink transmissions (via PSCCH, SCI, and subsets), with other communications excluded, thereby satisfying the claim of refraining from transmitting anything except sidelink inter-UE coordination information in those resources).
Regarding claim 9, Chae et al. teaches the one or more resources are indicated using at least one of a time resource assignment field of first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1 (Paragraph 229, 238, 246, 248, 261, 262, The passages disclose that sidelink control information (SCI), specifically sent on the PSCCH, carries fields for time/frequency resource allocation and resource reservation, and that first stage SCI may explicitly indicate resource-related fields, thereby teaching that resources can be indicated using a time resource assignment field or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1 as claimed).
Regarding claim 10, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates at least one of: whether to indicate the one or more resources using a time resource assignment field of first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1, a number of resources to be indicated as designated for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information, or an offset between the communication, that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information, and an earliest occurring resource to be indicated in the one or more resources (Paragraph 229, 238, 244, These passages teach that sidelink resource pool configuration can be conveyed in SCI fields to allocate, reserve, and indicate specific resources, numbers of resources, or offsets).
Regarding claim 11, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information includes first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1), and wherein values of all fields of the SCI-1 are predefined (Paragraph 200, 229, 238, 261, The passage teaches that sidelink inter-UE coordination is carried in PSCCH via sidelink control information, explicitly including first stage SCI (SCI-1), with examples showing that the values of control fields (e.g., RNTIs) are predefined).
Regarding claim 12, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is transmitted with a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and wherein an orthogonal cover code applied to the DMRS is predefined (Paragraph 208, 229, The passage teaches that sidelink control information is transmitted with DMRS, and DMRS in PUCCH format 4 uses a predefined orthogonal cover code).
Regarding claim 13, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is associated with second stage sidelink control information (SCI-2), and wherein values of one or more fields of the SCI-2 are predefined (Paragraph 229, 279-280, The passage shows that sidelink inter-UE coordination is carried in SCI on PSCCH [0229], and that SCI includes reserved/predefined fields [0279–0280], thus teaching association with SCI-2 and predefined field values).
Regarding claim 14, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is associated with second stage sidelink control information (SCI-2), and wherein the SCI-2 includes a field that indicates a modulation and coding scheme used for data transmission or transport block size determination for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 229, sidelink SCI sent on PSCCH includes fields such as MCS for controlling sidelink transmissions, which fully supports the claim requirement that sidelink inter-UE coordination information is associated with SCI-2 that includes a field indicating MCS or transport block size).
Regarding claim 15, Chae et al. teaches an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors, coupled to the memory, configured to: receive, in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message, a sidelink resource pool configuration that indicates a set of resources for sidelink communications and a periodicity of a subset of resources that are designated for sidelink inter-UE coordination information, the set of resources comprising the subset of resources (Paragraph 234, 236, 238, These passages disclose that an RRC configuration message can include sidelink resource pool information, including sets of resources and periodic resource units, teaching the claim element of receiving a sidelink resource pool configuration with periodicity); and transmit a communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in a resource of the subset of resources, wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is to assist other UEs with resource selection for sidelink transmissions (Paragraph 233, 246, 277, These passages disclose that a UE transmits sidelink control information (SCI) in reserved resources, and that the SCI assists other UEs in resource selection for sidelink transmissions).
Chae et al. does not explicitly teach identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information.
However, Li et al. teaches identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 591, 592, These passages describe exclusion of certain sidelink resources from general use during reselection, matching the claim’s requirement that a subset of resources is excluded except for inter-UE coordination information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information as taught by Li in the system of Chae et al., so that it would ensure dedicated resources are reserved exclusively for sidelink inter-UE coordination information and thereby improve reliability and efficiency of resource selection among UEs.
Neither Chae et al. nor Li et al. explicitly teach wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources.
However, Yoshioka et al. teaches wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources (Paragraph 141–142, 178–179, These passages teach (i) transmitting explicit collision indication information, (ii) transmitting preferred/non-preferred resource sets, and (iii) encoding such feedback over PSFCH using defined feedback signaling that distinguishes conditions (e.g., ACK/NACK) via specific sequence/shift values, which supports a single-bit style collision indication and, alternatively, signaling of multiple resource-related states corresponding to non-preferred resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources as taught by Yoshioka in the combined system of Chae et al. and Li, so that it would enable efficient and flexible encoding of resource collision and non-preferred resource feedback within the already-reserved coordination resource subset, thereby improving the precision and overhead efficiency of sidelink resource selection among UEs.
Regarding claim 16, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration is received by the UE from a network entity (Paragraph 230, 244, 245, 275, The passages explain that a network entity such as a base station (gNB, ng-eNB, or RSU) can transmit configuration messages—including RRC, SIB, DCI, or sidelink-specific control messages—to a UE. These configuration messages provide sidelink resource pool parameters or subsets of the pool).
Regarding claim 17, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration is stored in memory (Paragraph 217, 230, 238, 244, 248, The UE includes memory that stores program instructions and received configuration parameters, and since the sidelink resource pool is configured to the UE via control messages, the sidelink resource pool configuration is stored in the UE’s memory to enable sidelink operation).
Regarding claim 18, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates at least one of a number of sub-channels included in the subset of resources, a time domain location of the subset of resources, a frequency domain location of the subset of resources, or a combination thereof (Paragraph 234, 235, 245, 274, The cited passages explicitly describe that the sidelink resource pool configuration can indicate sub-channels (frequency-domain resource blocks), time-domain locations (slots, subframes, OFDM symbols, slot bitmaps), frequency-domain locations (resource block numbering, subchannels), or combinations thereof).
Regarding claim 19, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates multiple sets of resources, and wherein different sets of resources, of the multiple sets of resources, are associated with different priority levels (Paragraph 237, This passage explicitly describes that the sidelink resource pool configuration may define multiple sets of resources (e.g., PSCCH pool, PSSCH pool) and that different pools can be tied to different priority levels (e.g., based on QoS, service type, or configured network priority)).
Regarding claim 20, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates multiple sets of resources, and wherein different sets of resources, of the multiple sets of resources, are associated with different inter-UE coordination schemes, and wherein the different inter-UE coordination schemes include at least one of a first inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates one or more preferred resources, a second inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates the one or more non-preferred resources, or a third inter-UE coordination scheme that indicates the resource collision (Paragraph 234, 237, 243–244, 269, 271–272, 277, 279, Collectively, these passages disclose that a sidelink configuration provides multiple resource pools and/or subsets (first and second sidelink resources), associates those sets with different resource selection procedures (e.g., sensing-based vs. random), designates particular subsets for use based on priority (preferred vs. alternative/non-preferred resources), and signals selection scheme and resource usage so that other UEs adjust thresholds to avoid collisions, thereby teaching multiple resource sets linked to distinct inter-UE coordination schemes including preferred, non-preferred, and collision-indicating schemes).
Regarding claim 21, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information indicates one or more resources that are designated for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 233, 248, 278, The cited portions explain that sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted as part of sidelink communication includes explicit indications of resources—such as those reserved, selected, or otherwise designated—which directly matches the claim’s requirement that the communication containing sidelink inter-UE coordination information indicates one or more resources designated for that information).
Regarding claim 22, Chae et al. teaches refrain from transmitting, in the one or more resources, any communications other than the sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 226, 229, 230, 237, 244, 245, 248, The passage teaches that specific resource pools are configured and reserved for sidelink transmissions (via PSCCH, SCI, and subsets), with other communications excluded, thereby satisfying the claim of refraining from transmitting anything except sidelink inter-UE coordination information in those resources).
Regarding claim 23, Chae et al. teaches the one or more resources are indicated using at least one of a time resource assignment field of first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1 (Paragraph 229, 238, 246, 248, 261, 262, The passages disclose that sidelink control information (SCI), specifically sent on the PSCCH, carries fields for time/frequency resource allocation and resource reservation, and that first stage SCI may explicitly indicate resource-related fields, thereby teaching that resources can be indicated using a time resource assignment field or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1 as claimed).
Regarding claim 24, Chae et al. teaches the sidelink resource pool configuration indicates at least one of: whether to indicate the one or more resources using a time resource assignment field of first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1) or a resource reservation period field of SCI-1, a number of resources to be indicated as designated for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information, or an offset between the communication, that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information, and an earliest occurring resource to be indicated in the one or more resources (Paragraph 229, 238, 244, These passages teach that sidelink resource pool configuration can be conveyed in SCI fields to allocate, reserve, and indicate specific resources, numbers of resources, or offsets).
Regarding claim 25, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information includes first stage sidelink control information (SCI-1), and wherein values of all fields of the SCI-1 are predefined (Paragraph 200, 229, 238, 261, The passage teaches that sidelink inter-UE coordination is carried in PSCCH via sidelink control information, explicitly including first stage SCI (SCI-1), with examples showing that the values of control fields (e.g., RNTIs) are predefined).
Regarding claim 26, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is transmitted with a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and wherein an orthogonal cover code applied to the DMRS is predefined (Paragraph 208, 229, The passage teaches that sidelink control information is transmitted with DMRS, and DMRS in PUCCH format 4 uses a predefined orthogonal cover code).
Regarding claim 28, Chae et al. teaches the communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is associated with second stage sidelink control information (SCI-2), and wherein the SCI-2 includes a field that indicates a modulation and coding scheme used for data transmission or transport block size determination for the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 229, sidelink SCI sent on PSCCH includes fields such as MCS for controlling sidelink transmissions, which fully supports the claim requirement that sidelink inter-UE coordination information is associated with SCI-2 that includes a field indicating MCS or transport block size).
Regarding claim 29, Chae et al. teaches a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive, in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message, a sidelink resource pool configuration that indicates a set of resources for sidelink communications and a periodicity of a subset of resources that are designated for sidelink inter-UE coordination information, the set of resources comprising the subset of resources (Paragraph 234, 236, 238, These passages disclose that an RRC configuration message can include sidelink resource pool information, including sets of resources and periodic resource units, teaching the claim element of receiving a sidelink resource pool configuration with periodicity); and transmit a communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in a resource of the subset of resources, wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is to assist other UEs with resource selection for sidelink transmissions (Paragraph 233, 246, 277, These passages disclose that a UE transmits sidelink control information (SCI) in reserved resources, and that the SCI assists other UEs in resource selection for sidelink transmissions).
Chae et al. does not explicitly teach identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information.
However, Li et al. teaches identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 591, 592, These passages describe exclusion of certain sidelink resources from general use during reselection, matching the claim’s requirement that a subset of resources is excluded except for inter-UE coordination information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide identify, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information as taught by Li in the system of Chae et al., so that it would ensure dedicated resources are reserved exclusively for sidelink inter-UE coordination information and thereby improve reliability and efficiency of resource selection among UEs.
Neither Chae et al. nor Li et al. explicitly teach wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources.
However, Yoshioka et al. teaches wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources (Paragraph 141–142, 178–179, These passages teach (i) transmitting explicit collision indication information, (ii) transmitting preferred/non-preferred resource sets, and (iii) encoding such feedback over PSFCH using defined feedback signaling that distinguishes conditions (e.g., ACK/NACK) via specific sequence/shift values, which supports a single-bit style collision indication and, alternatively, signaling of multiple resource-related states corresponding to non-preferred resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources as taught by Yoshioka in the combined system of Chae et al. and Li, so that it would enable efficient and flexible encoding of resource collision and non-preferred resource feedback within the already-reserved coordination resource subset, thereby improving the precision and overhead efficiency of sidelink resource selection among UEs.
Regarding claim 30, Chae et al. teaches an apparatus for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving, in a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message, a sidelink resource pool configuration that indicates a set of resources for sidelink communications and a periodicity of a subset of resources that are designated for sidelink inter-UE coordination information, the set of resources comprising the subset of resources (Paragraph 234, 236, 238, These passages disclose that an RRC configuration message can include sidelink resource pool information, including sets of resources and periodic resource units, teaching the claim element of receiving a sidelink resource pool configuration with periodicity); and means for transmitting a communication that includes the sidelink inter-UE coordination information in a resource of the subset of resources, wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information is to assist other UEs with resource selection for sidelink transmissions (Paragraph 233, 246, 277, These passages disclose that a UE transmits sidelink control information (SCI) in reserved resources, and that the SCI assists other UEs in resource selection for sidelink transmissions).
Chae et al. does not explicitly teach means for identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information.
However, Li et al. teaches means for identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information (Paragraph 591, 592, These passages describe exclusion of certain sidelink resources from general use during reselection, matching the claim’s requirement that a subset of resources is excluded except for inter-UE coordination information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide means for identifying, in the set of resources, the subset of resources, wherein the subset of resources is excluded from use for sidelink communications other than sidelink communications including the sidelink inter-UE coordination information as taught by Li in the system of Chae et al., so that it would ensure dedicated resources are reserved exclusively for sidelink inter-UE coordination information and thereby improve reliability and efficiency of resource selection among UEs.
Neither Chae et al. nor Li et al. explicitly teach wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources.
However, Yoshioka et al. teaches wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources (Paragraph 141–142, 178–179, These passages teach (i) transmitting explicit collision indication information, (ii) transmitting preferred/non-preferred resource sets, and (iii) encoding such feedback over PSFCH using defined feedback signaling that distinguishes conditions (e.g., ACK/NACK) via specific sequence/shift values, which supports a single-bit style collision indication and, alternatively, signaling of multiple resource-related states corresponding to non-preferred resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide wherein the sidelink inter-UE coordination information comprises a single bit that indicates a resource collision or a plurality of bits that indicate one or more non-preferred resources as taught by Yoshioka in the combined system of Chae et al. and Li, so that it would enable efficient and flexible encoding of resource collision and non-preferred resource feedback within the already-reserved coordination resource subset, thereby improving the precision and overhead efficiency of sidelink resource selection among UEs.
Allowable Subject Matter
Here are some concepts to add to the independent claims so they would have a better chance to be allowable: the UE may monitor, in addition to transmitting, the designated subset of resources for sidelink inter-UE coordination information from other UEs, thereby enabling coordinated resource selection based on received coordination messages; the UE may identify the designated resources based at least in part on parameters in the sidelink resource pool configuration that explicitly mark or configure the resources for coordination-only usage, rather than merely excluding them from other sidelink traffic; the designated resources may be separately configured or logically partitioned within the sidelink resource pool specifically for coordination signaling to reduce collision probability and overhead associated with distributed resource selection; the UE may use the received inter-UE coordination information to update, refine, or adapt its future sidelink resource selection decisions within the same resource pool; the UE may be configured to either transmit or monitor coordination information depending on a communication state, role, or traffic condition, thereby enabling flexible coordination behavior; and the designated coordination resources may be periodically recurring and reserved exclusively for coordination signaling across multiple sidelink periods to provide predictable and structured inter-UE coordination opportunities.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Pan et al. (US 20240015755 A1)
Hui et al. (US 20230389002 A1)
Hui et al. (US 20230345421 A1)
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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/ANDREW SHAJI KURIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/IQBAL ZAIDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464