DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114 was filed in this application after appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, but prior to a decision on the appeal. 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examination under 37 CFR 1.114 and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the appeal has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114 and prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on 12/26/25 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 7, with respect to claims 1-4 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph of claims 1-4 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 7, with respect to claim(s) 1-4 for pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter 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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over US 20040097254 by Laroia et al. (hereinafter Laroia) in view of CN 1411185 by Li (see attached English translation).
Regarding claim 1, Laroia teaches a method of power saving in a transceiver during a time interval (¶ 148, discloses a wireless terminal; fig. 3, mobile node having receiver and transmitter; ¶ 14, wireless terminals, e.g., mobile nodes; fig. 9A, shows time interval between 1 and 2), the time interval having a plurality of signals (fig. 9A, shows time interval between 1 and 2 having segments 938 of downlink assignment channel and 918 of downlink data channel; ¶ 148, downlink assignment signaling in segments 938; ¶ 52, downlink channels and exemplary transmission segments, corresponding to each channel, which may be used to transmit signal; ¶ 123, segments which can be used to transmit signal; ¶ 128, discloses the concept that a segment that may be used for transmitting data signals; ¶ 129, downlink data channel segment 918 that may be used for transmitting downlink data signaling; ¶ 9, In the case of a downlink, time slots may be dedicated to individual devices or, in the case of multicast messages or control signals, to a group of devices which are to receive the same messages and/or control signals), comprising the steps of:
receiving a control channel (¶ 91, a plurality of control channels are provided for communicating control signals from the base station to the mobile nodes); and
receiving a first signal of the plurality of signals in an active power mode (¶ 148, The wireless terminals may listen to the downlink assignment signaling in segments 938…and look for their ID. The wireless terminal may be in the on state or hold state to receive and process the downlink assignment signaling information in segments 938, 940. Data and data signaling module signaling module 328 is active in the wireless terminal and processes the received signaling during this operation);
determining if there are other signals of the plurality of signals containing control information for the transceiver in response to the first signal (¶ 148, If a wireless terminal recognizes its ID in the signaling in the downlink assignment channel segment, e.g. segment 938, it knows to look for base station downlink data channel segments 918; ¶ 3, Transmission of signals from the base station to the mobile is often called a downlink; fig. 9A, shows time interval between 1 and 2 having 918 of downlink data channel; ¶ 52, downlink channels and exemplary transmission segments, corresponding to each channel, which may be used to transmit signal; ¶ 123, segments which can be used to transmit signal; ¶ 128, discloses the concept that a segment that may be used for transmitting data signals; ¶ 129, downlink data channel segment 918 that may be used for transmitting downlink data signaling; ¶ 9, In the case of a downlink, time slots may be dedicated to individual devices or, in the case of multicast messages or control signals, to a group of devices which are to receive the same messages and/or control signals);
operating the transceiver in the active power mode when there are other signals of the plurality of signals for the transceiver (abstract, Data may be received in the on…states; ¶ 18, the on state requires the highest amount of control signaling resources, e.g., bandwidth used for control signaling purposes. In this state, the mobile node is allocated bandwidth on as needed basis for transmitting and receiving traffic data, e.g., payload information such as text or video; ¶ 129, If the wireless terminals are in either the On state or the Hold state, data and data signaling modules 328 may receive and process downlink data signaling in the downlink data channel segment 918; ¶ 148, If a wireless terminal recognizes its ID in the signaling in the downlink assignment channel segment, e.g. segment 938, it knows to look for base station downlink data channel segments 918; ¶ 3, Transmission of signals from the base station to the mobile is often called a downlink; ¶ 52, downlink channels and exemplary transmission segments, corresponding to each channel, which may be used to transmit signal; ¶ 123, segments which can be used to transmit signal; ¶ 128, discloses the concept that a segment that may be used for transmitting data signals; ¶ 129, downlink data channel segment 918 that may be used for transmitting downlink data signaling; ¶ 9, In the case of a downlink, time slots may be dedicated to individual devices or, in the case of multicast messages or control signals, to a group of devices which are to receive the same messages and/or control signals);
and operating the transceiver in a reduced power mode when there are no other signals of the plurality of signals for the transceiver (¶ 148, The base station may periodically broadcast downlink assignment information including ID for specific wireless terminals. The ID may be an ID for a specific wireless terminal or may be a group ID applying to a group of wireless terminals. The wireless terminals may listen to the downlink assignment signaling in segments 938 and 940 and look for their ID…If a wireless terminal recognizes its ID in the signaling in the downlink assignment channel segment, e.g. segment 938, it knows to look for base station downlink data channel segments 918 (this paragraph teaches that the base station periodically broadcast downlink assignment information including ID for specific wireless terminals (which may not include a wireless terminal’s ID) and if the wireless terminal does not recognize its ID in the signaling in the downlink assignment channel segment then there is nothing (including any downlink data signaling) for the wireless terminal in base station downlink data channel segments 918 but for at least another wireless terminal); ¶ 76, From the on state 404, the mobile node 14 can transition into either the sleep state 408...Each of these states requires reduced communication resources; ¶ 114, mobile node resources, including power; ¶ 35, power resources can be conserved. Examiner correspond the sleep state to the reduced power mode).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify Laroia teachings with Laroia’s one or more other embodiment teachings. The motivation is monitoring, signal processing and power resources can be conserved (Laroia ¶ 151).
Although Laroia teaches receiving a control channel, Laroia does not explicitly disclose receiving a first part of a control channel that is encoded and receiving a second part of the control channel that is encoded differently than the first part.
Li in the same or similar field of endeavor teaches receiving a first part of a control channel that is encoded and receiving a second part of the control channel that is encoded differently than the first part (page 2, the SHCCH…for receiving, then, firstly decoding the SHCCH; page 4, after the UE receives the DPCH to the SHCCH identifier, and then to decode the SHCCH, SHCCH information is divided into two parts…the two parts are made of different coding). By modifying Laroia’s teachings of receiving a control channel with Li’s teachings of receiving a first part of a control channel that is encoded and receiving a second part of the control channel that is encoded differently than the first part, the modification results in receiving a first part of a control channel that is encoded and receiving a second part of the control channel that is encoded differently than the first part.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify Laroia’s teachings with Li’s above teachings. The motivation is making resource allocation system is more flexible, so as to more fully use system resource (Li abstract). Known work in one field of endeavor (Li prior art) may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one (Laroia prior art) based on design incentives (resource allocation system is more flexible, so as to more fully use system resource) or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one or ordinary skill in the art.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Laroia and Li and in further view of US 20040127221 by Takano et al. (hereinafter Takano).
Regarding claim 2, the combination teaches the method as in claim 1.
Although the combination teaches the first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a control channel (Laroia ¶ 148, The base station may periodically broadcast downlink assignment information including ID for specific wireless terminals. The ID may be an ID for a specific wireless terminal or may be a group ID applying to a group of wireless terminals. The wireless terminals may listen to the downlink assignment signaling in segments 938 and 940 and look for their ID; fig. 9A, shows downlink assignment channel), the combination does not explicitly disclose the first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a shared control channel.
Takano in the same or similar field of endeavor a first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a shared control channel (¶ 37, mobile station 2 always receives a 4-CH (channel) HS-SCCH (High Speed Shared Control CHannel) designated from the base station 1. The mobile station 2 detects information of the mobile station ID (identifier) contained in the HS-SCCH and determines whether the detected mobile station ID coincides with the mobile station ID of the mobile station that has received the channel; ¶ 38, Upon detecting the mobile station ID of the mobile station 2 by the HS-SCCH, the mobile station 2 that has received the channel receives an HS-PDSCH). By modifying the combination’s teachings of the first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a control channel with Takano’s teachings of a first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a shared control channel, the modification results in the first signal is transmitted from a remote transmitter in a shared control channel.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the combination with Takano’s above teachings. The motivation is effectively reducing delay of packet transmission (Takano ¶ 19). Known work in one field of endeavor (Takano prior art) may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one (Laroia prior art) based on design incentives (effectively reduce delay of packet transmission) or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one or ordinary skill in the art.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Laroia and Li and in further view of US 20040095902 by Laroia et al. (hereinafter Lane) (IDS filed 3/21/2022).
Regarding claim 3, the combination teaches the method as in claim 1.
Although the combination teaches wherein the plurality of signals comprises at least one time slot, and wherein the first signal is included in the at least one time slot (Laroia ¶ 91, segments, e.g., time slots; fig. 9A, shows segments 918 and 938 between 1 and 2; ¶ 148, downlink assignment signaling in segments 938; ¶ 52, downlink channels and exemplary transmission segments, corresponding to each channel, which may be used to transmit signal; ¶ 123, segments which can be used to transmit signal; ¶ 128, discloses the concept that a segment that may be used for transmitting data signals; ¶ 129, downlink data channel segment 918 that may be used for transmitting downlink data signaling; ¶ 9, In the case of a downlink, time slots may be dedicated to individual devices or, in the case of multicast messages or control signals, to a group of devices which are to receive the same messages and/or control signals), the combination does not explicitly disclose wherein the plurality of signals comprises at least three orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols, and wherein the first signal is included in one of a first and second OFDM symbols in time.
Lane in the same or similar field of endeavor teaches a plurality of signals comprises at least three orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols, and wherein a first signal of the plurality of signals is included in one of a first and second OFDM symbols in time (fig. 9, shows a time slot with five OFDM symbol times; ¶ 33, a symbol time in which data signals, pilot signals and/or control signals are transmitted; abstract, During normal data transmission symbol periods signals are transmitted). By modifying the combination’s teachings of the plurality of signals comprises at least one time slot, and wherein the first signal is included in the at least one time slot with Lane’s teachings of a plurality of signals comprises at least three orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols, and wherein a first signal of the plurality of signals is included in one of a first and second OFDM symbols in time, the modification results in the plurality of signals comprises at least three orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols, and wherein the first signal is included in one of a first and second OFDM symbols in time.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the combination with Lane’s above teachings. The motivation is providing spectrally efficient wireless communications (Lane ¶ 2). Known work in one field of endeavor (Lane prior art) may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one (Laroia prior art) based on design incentives (spectrally efficient wireless communications) or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one or ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 4, the combination teaches the method as in claim 3, wherein the first signal comprises an identity of the transceiver (Laroia ¶ 148, The wireless terminals may listen to the downlink assignment signaling in segments 938…and look for their ID… If a wireless terminal recognizes its ID in the signaling in the downlink assignment channel segment).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the combination with Laroia’s one or more other embodiment teachings. The motivation is monitoring, signal processing and power resources can be conserved (Laroia ¶ 151).
Conclusion
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/PETER P CHAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476