CTFR 17/765,764 CTFR 86038 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 07-37 AIA Applicant's arguments filed January 23 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In regards to the applicants arguments regarding the rejection of independent claim 13 over the combination of the prior art references (Of Record), the examiner respectfully disagrees. For example, the applicant argues on ( Pg.’s 5-6 of the remarks ) the teachings of Matsumura (Of Record) with respect to Para’s [0070] and [0098], and states that Matsumura discloses a reservation signal including a resource for a specific signal, but Matsumura does not appear to disclose an SCI indicating the N frequency resources reserved over the N time resources, as recited. However the rejection of claim 13 is an obviousness rejection under 35 USC 103 which relies on the combine teachings of the references. The applicant is arguing the teachings of Matsumura individually for not disclosing the SCI indicating the N frequency resources reserved over the N time resources . 07-37-13 AIA In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller , 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). For example Yoshioka (‘365) discloses the terminal transmits to the another terminal, control information such as the reservation signal included in the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Para’s [0062-0064], [0070], [0075], [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) transmitted on a PSCCH (i.e., “control information”), & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ). While Yoshioka discloses the resource information included in a reservation signal transmitted on the PSCCH ( i.e., Yoshioka, Para [0079] ), Yoshioka does not disclose sidelink control information (SCI) for indicating the resource information. However Matsumura discloses a reservation signal included in sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates at least one of information regarding a reserved time/frequency resource for a succeeding sidelink signal transmission, is transmitted to another UE for indicating the reserved resource allocation to the another UE ( see Para’s [0032], [0034], [0070], & [0098] ). The applicant argues that Matsumura discloses a reservation signal indicating a resource for a specific signal ( i.e., last sentence on Pg. 5 of the remarks ), however Matsumura still discloses the concept of the reservation signal indicating reserved resource allocation information of a sidelink signal transmission being included in SCI ( i.e., Para’s [0070] & [0098] ) Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the reservation signal transmitted via the PSCCH indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources as disclosed in Yoshioka to be included in sidelink control information (SCI) as disclosed in the teachings of Matsumura who discloses that the reservation signal is included in sidelink control information (SCI) indicating reserved resource allocation information for indicating the resource allocation information to the destination UE. Therefore the combined teachings of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura results in the reservation signal indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources being included in sidelink control information (SCI). In regards to the applicants arguments on ( Pg. 6 of the remarks ) regarding the claim feature in claim 13 of “a maximum value of N for the N frequency resources reserved is determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2, and is indicated by a higher layer signaling”, and the teachings of Bai (Of Record), the examiner respectfully disagrees. More specifically the applicant argues that in Bai, PUSCH uplink scheduling transmission schemes ae discussed and Bai does not discuss sidelink communications. While Bai does not disclose sidelink communications which is taught in the teachings of Yoshioka, Bai still discloses the concept of repeat transmission resources being reserved for a UE ( Bai, Para’s [0080] & [0119] ). For example Yoshioka discloses the concept of reserved resources for repeating sidelink transmission (PSSCH) (Yoshioka (‘365), see Para’s [0005] i.e., repetition of sidelink transmission, [0050] i.e., PSSCH transmission may be repeated) but does not disclose indicating via higher layer signaling the number of N frequency resources reserved for the transmission. Therefore while Bai does not disclose sidelink transmission, Bai still teaches the maximum number of reserved repetitive transmissions may be indicated to the UE via higher layer RRC signaling ( Bai, see Para’s [0080] & [0119] ), which would be obvious to be performed for reserved repetitive sidelink transmissions as disclosed in Yoshioka. In regards to the applicants arguments regarding the examiner pointing to K corresponding to N frequency resources, the applicant argues that K, however, is a number of repetitions of the PUSCH to be transmitted over a number of slots (i .e., Bai, Para’s [0080], [0119], and [0123] ). Since K via higher layer signaling, indicates that the UE is to perform the transmission in a configured number of reserved slots which each have the same frequency resources used in each slot, then K does indicate the number N of frequency resources reserved since each slot represents the same time/frequency resource. Therefore K in Bai does indicate a number of frequency resources reserved for K time resources. In regards to the applicants argument (ii) that there is no indication in Bai that K is indicated via SCI, claim 13 does not claim that the maximum value of N for the N frequency resources reserved (i.e., K) is indicated via SCI, but rather claims the maximum value of N is indicated by higher layer signaling which Bai discloses in ( Para’s [0080] & [0119] i.e., the number K are notified to the terminal by RRC signaling ). In regards to the applicants arguments (iii) that a maximum value of K is indicated via higher layer signaling is not disclosed in Bai, the examiner respectfully disagrees as Bai discloses in Para’s [0080] and [0119] that the value of K may be 1, 2, 4, or 8 may be notified to the terminal by higher layer signaling where K=8 may be interpreted as the maximum value. Therefore the examiner respectfully disagrees with applicants argument that there is no indication or suggestion that a maximum value is signaled via higher layer signaling as a maximum value of reserved resources such as (i.e., K=8) may be indicated to the terminal via RRC signaling ( Bai, see Para’s [0080] and [0119] ). For the reasons explained, independent claims 13 and 19 remain rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 over the combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of Bai, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li. The dependent claims remain rejected over the prior art (Of Record) based on their dependence to independent claims 13 and 19. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshiokia et al. US (2022/0322365) in view of Matsumura et al. US (2022/0183035), further in view of BAI et al. US (2021/0176018), further in view of Yoshioka et al. US (2021/0344440), and further in view of Li et al. US (2020/0045715) . Regarding Claim 13, Yoshiokia discloses a terminal ( see Fig. 2B i.e., terminal 20A & Fig. 15 ), comprising: control circuitry ( see Fig. 15 i.e., controller 203 & Fig. 16 i.e., processor 1001 ), which, in operation, determines N frequency resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency resources for initial transmission at T2 and re-transmissions at T3 & T4 (i.e., “N frequency resources”) & Para [0075] ) reserved for N time resources, respectively, ( see Fig. 7 i.e., time resources for initial transmission at T2 and Re-transmissions at t3 & T4 (i.e., “N time resources”) & Para [0075] ), ( see Para’s [0062-0065] i.e., Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 are diagrams illustrating other examples in which the terminal 20 reserves a resource for the initial transmission of a transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block at the same time…the terminal 20 may configure a resource at a timing t2 in the time domain as the resource for the initial transmission of the transport block, and select one or more resources to be used later in time than timing t2 in the time domain as one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block, [0070], [0072], [0075] i.e., two adjacent resources (Retransmission #1 and Retransmission #2) in the time domain…Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 7, in the frequency domain, the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block (initial transmission) (i.e., “first frequency resource”) and the multiple frequency resources (Retransmission #1 (i.e., “second frequency resource”) and Retransmission #2) for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other, [0138-0139] i.e., For example, the controller 203 of the terminal 20 may reserve a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block at the same time & [0145-0149] i.e., processor 1001 of terminal 20 ) and transmission circuitry ( see Fig. 20 i.e., transmitter 201 ), which, in operation, transmits to another terminal control information indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources, respectively ( see Fig. 2B i.e., terminal 20B which receives PSCCH from terminal 20A & Para’s [0045], [0056] i.e., Note that in the following embodiments, for example, “the terminal 20 reserves a resource”, may be an operation of the terminal 20 to transmit a signal indicating that the terminal 20 occupies (or uses) the resource, to the other terminals 20, [0059], [0062-0063], [0070], [0075] i.e., the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and the multiple frequency resources for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other, [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) transmitted on a PSCCH (i.e., “control information”), & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ). The control information indicating a plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency resources of the initial transmission and retransmission may be a plurality of values & Para’s [0045], [0056], [0059], [0062-0063], [0075], [0079] i.e., A resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal transmitted on a PSCCH, & [0142] ) the plurality of values including a first value indicating a first frequency position of the N frequency resources reserved at a first time of the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency position (i.e., first value) of the initial transmission & Para’s [0058], [0070], & [0075] ), and a second value indicating a second frequency position of the N frequency resources reserved at a second time of the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency position (i.e., second value) of the re-transmission #1 & Para’s [0058], [0070], & [0075] ) the first and second frequency positions being different from each other in a frequency domain, ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0070] & [0075] i.e., Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 7, in the frequency domain, the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block (initial transmission) and the multiple frequency resources (Retransmission #1 and Retransmission #2) for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other ). While Yoshioka discloses the terminal transmits to the another terminal, control information such as the reservation signal included in the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Para’s [0062-0064], [0070], [0075], [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) transmitted on a PSCCH (i.e., “control information”), & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ), Yoshioka does not disclose sidelink control information (SCI) for indicating the reserved resources. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Matsumura et al. US (2022/0183035). Matsumura discloses a terminal transmits to another terminal, a reservation signal included in sidelink control information (SCI) ( see Para’s [0070] i.e., The reservation signal may be control information (for example, sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted from the UE to another UE) & [0098] i.e., The reservation signal may be SCI transmitted from the UE to another UE ). (Matsumura suggests the reservation signal may be a signal that reserves a resource for a succeeding specific signal which may be a physical shared channel (PSSCH) transmission that is transmit in sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted to another UE for indicating the reserved resource allocation to the another UE, ( see Para’s [0032] i.e., the following may be interpreted as one another: a specific signal, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), [0070] i.e., The reservation signal may indicate at least one of information regarding a resource for the specific signal (at least one of time resource, a frequency resource, and a code resource) and information regarding a destination for the specific signal, & [0098] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the reservation signal transmitted via the PSCCH indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources as disclosed in Yoshioka to be included in sidelink control information (SCI) based on the teachings of Matsumura who discloses a terminal transmits to another terminal, a reservation signal included in sidelink control information (SCI) because the motivation lies in Matsumura that the reservation signal may be a signal that reserves a resource for a succeeding specific signal which may be a physical shared channel (PSSCH) transmission that is transmit in sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted to another UE for indicating the reserved resource allocation to the another UE. The combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the value of N for the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources, respectively, is determined from a set of multiple values and is indicated by a higher layer signaling. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of BAI et al. US (2021/0176018). BAI discloses wherein a value of N for N frequency resources reserved for N time resources, respectively, is determined from a set of multiple values and is indicated by a higher layer signaling, ( see Para’s [0080] i.e., only one PUSCH repetition can be transmitted in each slot. For example, if K=4, PUSCH is transmitted in 4 consecutive slots (i .e., each slot has a respective time-frequency resource for a PUSCH transmission, resulting in N=4 frequency resources and N=4 time resources for the 4 slots when K=4 ) [0119] i.e., For example, K repetitive transmissions for PUSCH are adopted, where K may be 1, 2, 4, or 8 (i.e., “multiple values”). Only one PUSCH repetitive transmission can be performed in each slot. For example, if K=4, PUSCH is transmitted in 4 consecutive slots ( i.e., the value K represents the number of slots for PUSCH transmission and therefore K=“N” ), and same resources are used in each slot….time-frequency resource location of a first transmission in a slot ( i.e., each slot has a respective time-frequency resource for the PUSCH transmission )…the number K ( i.e., “value of N” ) of times of PUSCH repetitive transmissions are notified to the terminal by RRC signaling ( i.e., “higher layer signaling” ), [0123], & [0133] i.e., A frequency domain resource location of each repetitive transmission is the same, and the specific transmission situation is shown in Fig. 4 ). (BAI suggests the value K is indicated to the UE in order to configure the UE to know how many slots the repetitive PUSCH transmission occupies for efficiently performing the PUSCH transmission, ( see Para’s, [0080], [0118-0119], & [0123] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the value of N for the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura to be determined from a set of multiple values and to be indicated by a higher layer signaling as disclosed in the teachings of BAI who discloses information such as the value of K (i.e., “N”) which represents the number of slots used for repetitive PUSCH transmission is indicated to the UE from the network via higher layer RRC signaling, because the motivation lies in BAI that the value K is indicated to the UE in order to configure the UE to know how many slots the repetitive PUSCH transmission occupies for efficiently performing the PUSCH transmission. The combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the value is determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Yoshioka et al. US (2021/0344440). Yoshioka discloses wherein the value (i.e., “K”) is determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2 ( see Para [0162] i.e., For example, the repetition factor K may be selected from a plurality of preset values (for example, 2, 4, 8, and the like) (i.e., “each equal to or greater than 2”) ) (Yoshioka suggests the repetition factor K is selected from a plurality of preset values each equal to or greater than 2 which results in achieving redundancy of the data by transmitting the same data at least more than once ( see Para [0162] ) and the UE receives information indicating the repletion K by higher layer signaling in order to configure the UE with the required number of repeated transmissions for a service for efficiently performing the repeated PUSCH transmission, ( see Para’s [0160-0163] & [0172-0173] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the value of N (i.e., “K”) which is determined from a set of multiple values as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI to be determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2 as disclosed in the teachings of Yoshioka, because the motivation lies in Yoshioka that the repetition factor K is selected from a plurality of preset values each equal to or greater than 2 which results in achieving redundancy of the data by transmitting the same data at least more than once and the UE receives information indicating the repetition K by higher layer signaling in order to configure the UE with the required number of repeated transmissions for a service for efficiently performing the repeated PUSCH transmission. While Yoshioka (‘365) discloses the SCI indicates the plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0058], [0070] & [0079] i.e., A resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal transmitted on a PSCCH ) and the first and second frequency positions being different from each other in the frequency domain ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0058] & [0070] ), Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI, and further in view of Yoshioka does not disclose the claim features of the SCI includes a resource indication value (RIV) that indicates the plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Li et al. US (2020/0045715). Li discloses a SCI which includes a resource indication value (RIV) that indicates a plurality of values indicating N frequency resources including a first frequency position of an initial transmission and a second frequency position of a retransmission, ( see Para [0082] i.e., “Frequency resource location (i.e., “position”) of the initial transmission and retransmission” field in the SCI format 1 is equal to resource indication value (RIV) (i.e., RIV indicates the frequency resource location (i.e., positions) of the initial transmission and retransmission), [0154], & [0156] ) (Li suggests the resource indication value (RIV) indicates the frequency resource locations of the initial transmission and retransmission in order for the UE which receives the SCI to determine the time and frequency resources used for the PSSCH transmissions and the RIV is a single value for indicating the frequency resource locations which results in less signaling overhead in the sidelink control information (SCI), ( see Para’s [0082], [0154], [0156], & [0160] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the first frequency position reserved for the initial transmission and the second frequency position reserved for the re-transmission indicated in the sidelink control information which are frequency positions being different from each other as disclosed in the teachings of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI, and further in view of Yoshioka to be indicated using the resource indication value (RIV) that indicates a plurality of values indicating N frequency resources including a first frequency position of an initial transmission and a second frequency position of a retransmission as disclosed in the teachings of Li, because the motivation lies in Li that the resource indication value (RIV) indicates the frequency resource locations of the initial transmission and retransmission in order for the UE which receives the SCI to determine the time and frequency resources used for the PSSCH transmissions and the RIV is a single value for indicating the frequency resource locations which results in less signaling overhead in the sidelink control information (SCI). Regarding Claim 19, Yoshiokia discloses a communication method performed by a terminal ( see Fig. 2B i.e., terminal 20A & Fig. 15 ), the communication method comprising: determines N frequency resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency resources for initial transmission at T2 and re-transmissions at T3 & T4 (i.e., “N frequency resources”) & Para [0075] ) reserved for N time resources, respectively, ( see Fig. 7 i.e., time resources for initial transmission at T2 and Re-transmissions at t3 & T4 (i.e., “N time resources”) & Para [0075] ), ( see Para’s [0062-0065] i.e., Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 are diagrams illustrating other examples in which the terminal 20 reserves a resource for the initial transmission of a transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block at the same time…the terminal 20 may configure a resource at a timing t2 in the time domain as the resource for the initial transmission of the transport block, and select one or more resources to be used later in time than timing t2 in the time domain as one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block, [0070], [0072], [0075] i.e., two adjacent resources (Retransmission #1 and Retransmission #2) in the time domain…Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 7, in the frequency domain, the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block (initial transmission) (i.e., “first frequency resource”) and the multiple frequency resources (Retransmission #1 (i.e., “second frequency resource”) and Retransmission #2) for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other, [0138-0139] i.e., For example, the controller 203 of the terminal 20 may reserve a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block at the same time & [0145-0149] i.e., processor 1001 of terminal 20 ) and transmitting to another terminal control information indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources, respectively ( see Fig. 2B i.e., terminal 20B which receives PSCCH from terminal 20A & Para’s [0045], [0056] i.e., Note that in the following embodiments, for example, “the terminal 20 reserves a resource”, may be an operation of the terminal 20 to transmit a signal indicating that the terminal 20 occupies (or uses) the resource, to the other terminals 20, [0059], [0062-0063], [0070], [0075] i.e., the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and the multiple frequency resources for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other, [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) transmitted on a PSCCH (i.e., “control information”), & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ). The control information indicating a plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency resources of the initial transmission and retransmission may be a plurality of values & Para’s [0045], [0056], [0059], [0062-0063], [0075], [0079] i.e., A resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal transmitted on a PSCCH, & [0142] ) the plurality of values including a first value indicating a first frequency position of the N frequency resources reserved at a first time of the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency position (i.e., first value) of the initial transmission & Para’s [0058], [0070], & [0075] ), and a second value indicating a second frequency position of the N frequency resources reserved at a second time of the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency position (i.e., second value) of the re-transmission #1 & Para’s [0058], [0070], & [0075] ), the first and second frequency positions being different from each other in a frequency domain, ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0070] & [0075] i.e., Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 7, in the frequency domain, the frequency resource for the initial transmission of the transport block (initial transmission) and the multiple frequency resources (Retransmission #1 and Retransmission #2) for multiple retransmissions of the transport block are frequency resources different from each other ). While Yoshioka discloses the terminal transmits to the another terminal, control information such as the reservation signal included in the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Para’s [0062-0064], [0070], [0075], [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) transmitted on a PSCCH (i.e., “control information”), & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ), Yoshioka does not disclose sidelink control information (SCI) for indicating the reserved resources. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Matsumura et al. US (2022/0183035). Matsumura discloses a terminal transmits to another terminal, a reservation signal included in sidelink control information (SCI) ( see Para’s [0070] i.e., The reservation signal may be control information (for example, sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted from the UE to another UE) & [0098] i.e., The reservation signal may be SCI transmitted from the UE to another UE ). (Matsumura suggests the reservation signal may be a signal that reserves a resource for a succeeding specific signal which may be a physical shared channel (PSSCH) transmission that is transmit in sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted to another UE for indicating the reserved resource allocation to the another UE, ( see Para’s [0032] i.e., the following may be interpreted as one another: a specific signal, a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), [0070] i.e., The reservation signal may indicate at least one of information regarding a resource for the specific signal (at least one of time resource, a frequency resource, and a code resource) and information regarding a destination for the specific signal, & [0098] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the reservation signal transmitted via the PSCCH indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources as disclosed in Yoshioka to be included in sidelink control information (SCI) based on the teachings of Matsumura who discloses a terminal transmits to another terminal, a reservation signal included in sidelink control information (SCI) because the motivation lies in Matsumura that the reservation signal may be a signal that reserves a resource for a succeeding specific signal which may be a physical shared channel (PSSCH) transmission that is transmit in sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted to another UE for indicating the reserved resource allocation to the another UE. The combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the value of N for the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources, respectively, is determined from a set of multiple values and is indicated by a higher layer signaling. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of BAI et al. US (2021/0176018). BAI discloses wherein a value of N for N frequency resources reserved for N time resources, respectively, is determined from a set of multiple values and is indicated by a higher layer signaling, ( see Para’s [0080] i.e., only one PUSCH repetition can be transmitted in each slot. For example, if K=4, PUSCH is transmitted in 4 consecutive slots (i .e., each slot has a respective time-frequency resource for a PUSCH transmission, resulting in N=4 frequency resources and N=4 time resources for the 4 slots when K=4 ) [0119] i.e., For example, K repetitive transmissions for PUSCH are adopted, where K may be 1, 2, 4, or 8 (i.e., “multiple values”). Only one PUSCH repetitive transmission can be performed in each slot. For example, if K=4, PUSCH is transmitted in 4 consecutive slots ( i.e., the value K represents the number of slots for PUSCH transmission and therefore K=“N” ), and same resources are used in each slot….time-frequency resource location of a first transmission in a slot ( i.e., each slot has a respective time-frequency resource for the PUSCH transmission )…the number K ( i.e., “value of N” ) of times of PUSCH repetitive transmissions are notified to the terminal by RRC signaling ( i.e., “higher layer signaling” ), [0123], & [0133] i.e., A frequency domain resource location of each repetitive transmission is the same, and the specific transmission situation is shown in Fig. 4 ). (BAI suggests the value K is indicated to the UE in order to configure the UE to know how many slots the repetitive PUSCH transmission occupies for efficiently performing the PUSCH transmission, ( see Para’s, [0080], [0118-0119], & [0123] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the value of N for the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura to be determined from a set of multiple values and to be indicated by a higher layer signaling as disclosed in the teachings of BAI who discloses information such as the value of K (i.e., “N”) which represents the number of slots used for repetitive PUSCH transmission is indicated to the UE from the network via higher layer RRC signaling, because the motivation lies in BAI that the value K is indicated to the UE in order to configure the UE to know how many slots the repetitive PUSCH transmission occupies for efficiently performing the PUSCH transmission. The combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the value is determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Yoshioka et al. US (2021/0344440). Yoshioka discloses wherein the value (i.e., “K”) is determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2 ( see Para [0162] i.e., For example, the repetition factor K may be selected from a plurality of preset values (for example, 2, 4, 8, and the like) (i.e., “each equal to or greater than 2”) ) (Yoshioka suggests the repetition factor K is selected from a plurality of preset values each equal to or greater than 2 which results in achieving redundancy of the data by transmitting the same data at least more than once ( see Para [0162] ) and the UE receives information indicating the repletion K by higher layer signaling in order to configure the UE with the required number of repeated transmissions for a service for efficiently performing the repeated PUSCH transmission, ( see Para’s [0160-0163] & [0172-0173] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the value of N (i.e., “K”) which is determined from a set of multiple values as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI to be determined from a set of multiple values that are each equal to or greater than 2 as disclosed in the teachings of Yoshioka, because the motivation lies in Yoshioka that the repetition factor K is selected from a plurality of preset values each equal to or greater than 2 which results in achieving redundancy of the data by transmitting the same data at least more than once and the UE receives information indicating the repetition K by higher layer signaling in order to configure the UE with the required number of repeated transmissions for a service for efficiently performing the repeated PUSCH transmission. While Yoshioka (‘365) discloses the SCI indicates the plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0058], [0070] & [0079] i.e., A resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal transmitted on a PSCCH ) and the first and second frequency positions being different from each other in the frequency domain ( see Fig. 7 & Para’s [0058] & [0070] ), Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI, and further in view of Yoshioka does not disclose the claim features of the SCI includes a resource indication value (RIV) that indicates the plurality of values indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of Li et al. US (2020/0045715). Li discloses a SCI which includes a resource indication value (RIV) that indicates a plurality of values indicating N frequency resources including a first frequency position of an initial transmission and a second frequency position of a retransmission, ( see Para [0082] i.e., “Frequency resource location (i.e., “position”) of the initial transmission and retransmission” field in the SCI format 1 is equal to resource indication value (RIV) (i.e., RIV indicates the frequency resource location (i.e., positions) of the initial transmission and retransmission), [0154], & [0156] ) (Li suggests the resource indication value (RIV) indicates the frequency resource locations of the initial transmission and retransmission in order for the UE which receives the SCI to determine the time and frequency resources used for the PSSCH transmissions and the RIV is a single value for indicating the frequency resource locations which results in less signaling overhead in the sidelink control information (SCI), ( see Para’s [0082], [0154], [0156], & [0160] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the first frequency position reserved for the initial transmission and the second frequency position reserved for the re-transmission indicated in the sidelink control information which are frequency positions being different from each other as disclosed in the teachings of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, and further in view of BAI, and further in view of Yoshioka to be indicated using the resource indication value (RIV) that indicates a plurality of values indicating N frequency resources including a first frequency position of an initial transmission and a second frequency position of a retransmission as disclosed in the teachings of Li, because the motivation lies in Li that the resource indication value (RIV) indicates the frequency resource locations of the initial transmission and retransmission in order for the UE which receives the SCI to determine the time and frequency resources used for the PSSCH transmissions and the RIV is a single value for indicating the frequency resource locations which results in less signaling overhead in the sidelink control information (SCI) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim s 16, 22, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshiokia et al. US (2022/0322365) in view of Matsumura et al. US (2022/0183035), further in view of BAI et al. US (2021/0176018), further in view of Yoshioka et al. US (2021/0344440), and further in view of Li et al. US (2020/0045715) as applied to claim s 13 and 19 above, and further in view of He et al. US (2020/0037343) . Regarding Claim 16, the combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li discloses the terminal according to claim 13, wherein a first time resource of the N time resources is a slot where the initial transmission is transmitted ( Yoshioka, see Fig. 7 i.e., initial transmission at t2 (i.e., “time slot”) & Para’s [0040] i.e., a TTI may be in units of slots (i.e., slots may be time domain units), [0062] i.e., the terminal 20 may configure a resource at a timing t2 in the time domain as the resource for the initial transmission of the transport block, & [0075] ) and a second time resource of the N time resources is indicated by the same SCI ( Yoshioka, see Para’s [0056], [0062] i.e., retransmission resources are configured in the time domain, [0075], & [0079] i.e., resource for the one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (i.e., “SCI”) ), but does not disclose the claim feature of wherein the first time resource is a slot where the SCI is transmitted. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of He et al. US (2020/0037343). He discloses the SCI of the initial transmission needs to carry the information (T-F resources) of retransmission resources ( see Para [0217] ) (He suggests the SCI is a scheduling assignment for indicating information such as frequency resource allocation of the retransmission resources for scheduling PSSCH data transmissions and that the retransmission resources need to be known by the UE at the time of initial transmissions, ( see Para’s [0128-0129] & [0217] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the slot where the initial transmission is transmitted as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in Li to include transmission of the SCI based on the teachings of He who discloses the SCI of the initial transmission needs to carry the information (T-F resources) of retransmission resources, which results in the first time resource slot including transmission of the SCI, because the motivation lies in He that the SCI is a scheduling assignment for indicating information such as frequency resource allocation of the retransmission resources for scheduling PSSCH data transmissions and that the retransmission resources need to be known by the UE at the time of initial transmissions. Regarding Claim 22 , the claim is directed towards a communication method which performs the same claim features as claim 16. Therefore claim 22 is rejected as obvious over the combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li as in claim 16. Regarding Claim 25, the combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li discloses the terminal according to claim 13, wherein the N time resources are N slots, ( Yoshioka, see Fig. 7 i.e., initial transmission at t2 (i.e., “time slot”) & Para’s [0040] i.e., a TTI may be in units of slots (i.e., slots may be time domain units), [0062] i.e., the terminal 20 may configure a resource at a timing t2 in the time domain as the resource for the initial transmission of the transport block, and select one or more resources to be used later in time than timing t2 in the time domain as one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block & [0075] ) and the N frequency resources are reserved for the N slots, ( Yoshioka, see Fig. 7 i.e., frequency resources for initial transmission at T2 and re-transmissions at T3 & T4 (i.e., “N frequency resources”) & Para’s [0062-0065] & [0075] ) and the transmission circuitry transmits the SCI indicating the N frequency resources reserved for the N time resources ( Yoshioka, see Fig. 7 & [0079] i.e. a resource for the initial transmission of the transport block and one or more resources for one or more retransmissions of the transport block may be specified by a reservation signal (reservation signaling) (i.e., “SCI”) transmitted on a PSCCH, & [0142] i.e., the terminal 20 may receive a reservation signal via a PSCCH ). While Yoshioka discloses transmitting an initial transmission in a slot of the N slots ( Yoshioka, see Fig. 7 i.e., initial transmission at t2 (i.e., “time slot”) & Para’s [0040] i.e., a TTI may be in units of slots (i.e., slots may be time domain units), [0062] i.e., the terminal 20 may configure a resource at a timing t2 in the time domain as the resource for the initial transmission of the transport block, & [0075] ), the combination of Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li does not disclose transmitting the SCI in the slot of the N slots. However the claim feature would be rendered obvious in view of He et al. US (2020/0037343). He discloses the SCI of the initial transmission needs to carry the information (T-F resources) of retransmission resources ( see Para [0217] ) (He suggests the SCI is a scheduling assignment for indicating information such as frequency resource allocation of the retransmission resources for scheduling PSSCH data transmissions and that the retransmission resources need to be known by the UE at the time of initial transmissions, ( see Para’s [0128-0129] & [0217] )). Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date for the slot of the N slots where the initial transmission is transmitted as disclosed in Yoshioka in view of Matsumura, further in view of BAI, further in view of Yoshioka, and further in view of Li to include transmission of the SCI based on the teachings of He who discloses the SCI of the initial transmission needs to carry the information (T-F resources) of retransmission resources, which results in the slot of the N slots including transmission of the SCI, because the motivation lies in He that the SCI is a scheduling assignment for indicating information such as frequency resource allocation of the retransmission resources for scheduling PSSCH data transmissions and that the retransmission resources need to be known by the UE at the time of initial transmissions. Conclusion 07-39 AIA THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any 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. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADNAN A BAIG whose telephone number is (571)270-7511. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Vu can be reached at 571-272-3155. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ADNAN BAIG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 2 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 3 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 4 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 5 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 6 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 7 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 8 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 9 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 10 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 11 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 12 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 13 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 14 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 15 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 16 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 17 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 18 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 19 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 20 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 21 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 22 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 23 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 24 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 25 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 26 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 27 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 28 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 29 Art Unit: 2461 Application/Control Number: 17/765,764 Page 30 Art Unit: 2461
Prosecution Insights