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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant’s submission filed on August 06, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Examiner acknowledges receipt of Applicant’s amendment filled 11/28/2025.
In the amendment, Applicant amended claims 1-2, 6, 8-9, 11-12, 16, and 18-19.
Claims 1-6, 8-9, 11-16, and 18-19 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Examiner has fully considered Applicant's arguments, filed on 11/28/2025.
Applicant’s arguments of the claim 1, and 11, on pages 11-12, which were amended 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.
Applicant’s arguments about some part of claim 1, and 11, on pages 12-13, which were amended with “groupcast transmission” 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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji et al. (US 20240196433 A1, hereinafter, Ji) in view of Sun et al. (US 20240064713 A1, hereinafter, Sun-4713), and further in view of Balasubramanium et al. (US 20210105744 A1, hereinafter, Bala).
Regarding Claim 1, Ji discloses, a first user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (UE1-3 as shown in Figs 3 & 4, and UE 20 in Fig, 8B, and [¶0077]), the first UE comprising:
a processor (processor 22, Fig. 8B, and [¶0079]) configured to perform a first channel access procedure to initiate a channel occupancy on a shared spectrum channel, wherein the channel occupancy is shared with a plurality of other UEs (Title- CHANNEL OCCUPANCY TIME SHARING FOR SIDELINK IN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM , “In sub-7 GHz unlicensed bands, the new radio (NR) coexistence with other systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11) is ensured via a Listen Before Talk (LBT) channel access mechanism. According to this mechanism, a user equipment (UE) intending to perform a sidelink (SL) transmission needs to first successfully complete an LBT check, before being able to initiate that same transmission.”, [¶0028], see also “Abstract”, see also “When a UE initiates the communication (i.e., the UE takes the role of initiating device), then this UE has to acquire the “right” to access the channel for a certain period of time” [¶0030], and “Fig. 4, where UE1, UE2 & UE3 are communicating for sharing channel” [¶0034]); and
a transceiver (Transceiver 28 in Fig. 8B, [¶0083-¶84]) operably coupled to the processor (see Fig. 8B), the transceiver configured to:
Ji doesn’t explicitly disclose, transmit, to the plurality of other UEs, a first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the first sidelink transmission includes a groupcast physical sidelink control channel and physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH/PSSCH) to the plurality of other UEs; and
receive, from a second UE among the plurality of other UEs, a second sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the transmission of the first sidelink transmission, wherein the second sidelink transmission includes a unicast PSCCH/PSSCH to the first UE and wherein a priority for the second sidelink transmission is equal to or greater than a priority for the first sidelink transmission.
Sun-4713, in analogous art relates, transmit, to the plurality of other UEs, a first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the first sidelink transmission includes a groupcast physical sidelink control channel and physical sidelink shared channel (PSCCH/PSSCH) to the plurality of other UEs (Fig. 8, see also, "...The method 800 further illustrates how a responding UE of a sidelink transmission may transmit ACK/NACK feedbacks (e.g., the feedback 440 in the PSFCH 425) with COT sharing... A sidelink transmitting UE may also request an NACK-only feedback for a connectionless groupcast transmission from an intended receiving UE or responding UE. In the method 800, a responding UE receiving a sidelink transmission in a COT may transmit an ACK/NACK feedback in a shared portion of the COT if the responding UE can detect COT sharing information from the initiating UE of the COT, and not based on whether the sidelink transmission is transmitted by an initiating UE of the COT. In other words, COT sharing for PSFCH transmission is independent from COT sharing for PSSCH transmission. Although the method 800 is described in the context of ACK/NACK transmission with COT sharing in a groupcast transmission scenario, it should be understood that in other examples similar mechanisms may be applied to ACK/NACK transmission in a unicast transmission scenario." [¶0117], see also, "... The sidelink transmission A may include SCI (e.g., SCI 430) and data (e.g., data 435) as discussed above in relation to FIG. 4. The sidelink transmission A is a groupcast transmission, for example, with the UE 502b and the UE 502c as the intended recipients as shown by the two arrows grouped by the dashed oval. The UE 502b and the UE 502c (e.g., responding UEs) may receive the sidelink transmission A." [¶0119]); As in fig. 4 that SL also have PSCCH and PSSCH communication. and
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji with the idea of UE initiating a channel occupancy and transmitting a groupcast message to multiple other UEs within that time window as disclosed by Sun-4713. The motivation for doing this is to allow for efficient, coordinated, and reliable transmission to multiple receivers in a group.
Bala is analogous art discloses, receive, from a second UE among the plurality of other UEs, a second sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the transmission of the first sidelink transmission, wherein the second sidelink transmission includes a unicast PSCCH/PSSCH to the first UE and wherein a priority for the second sidelink transmission is equal to or greater than a priority for the first sidelink transmission ("...the sidelink communication module 308 may be configured to initiate a sidelink communication setup with another UE 115 (referred to herein again as a UE2, a second UE to the first UE which in this example is UE 300). This may include, as a preliminary matter, transmitting a sidelink resource configuration request, a sidelink resource request, and/or a sidelink COT sharing request to a BS (e.g., the BSs 105 and 215) and/or receiving a sidelink resource configuration from the BS 105. The sidelink resource configuration may indicate a time, a periodicity, and/or a frequency band where the UE 300 may contend for COTs for sidelink communication (e.g., PSSCH, PSCCH, and/or PSFCH)."[¶0071], see also, "...The method may also include wherein the priority rule comprises multiplexing the maximum number of PSFCH signals to different connection types on a per-slot basis according to a connection type ratio. The method may also include wherein the connection types comprise a groupcast message type and a unicast message type between the first UE and the second UE..." [¶0159], see also "... With this information, the UE2 may know to not expect a PSFCH signal at a given time in view (in response to transmitting data, such as PSSCH data) of the conditions conveyed via negotiation at the time of connection establishment..." [¶0059], See also "...the wireless device may drop the scheduled sidelink transmission when the first priority of the sidelink transmission is lower than the second priority (e.g., a value of the first priority is higher than a value of the second priority, a value of the first priority is smaller than a value of the second priority). For example, the wireless device may not drop the scheduled sidelink transmission when the first priority of the sidelink transmission is equal to or higher than the second priority." [¶0268]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji and Sun-4713 with the idea of a first user equipment (UE) initiates a COT on a shared spectrum and subsequently allows another UE to transmit within the same COT as disclosed by Bala. The motivation for doing this is to improve channel utilization efficiency and reduce latency for high-priority sidelink traffic in unlicensed bands.
Regarding Claim 2, combination of Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala disclose the UE of Claim 1.
Ji further teaches, wherein: the first channel access procedure corresponds to a Type 1 channel access ("...In case the responding device transmission falls outside the COT, then the responding device will have to acquire a new COT using the LBT type 1 with the appropriate CAPC. FIG. 3 illustrates a signaling diagram depicting an example in which a responding device, e.g., UE B or UE C, has to acquire a new COT." [¶0033]), and
a gap between sidelink transmissions associated with the channel occupancy in a sidelink transmission burst is equal to or less than 16 µs ("The UE that initiates the transmission (the initiating device), upon successfully completing the LBT type 1 and performing a transmission, may acquire the COT with duration associated with the corresponding CAPC...Type 2B (16 μs LBT) is for SL transmission within the initiating device acquired COT (can only be used for SL transmissions following another SL with gap exactly equal to 16 μs), as depicted in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(e)..." [¶0032]).
Regarding Claim 4, combination of Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala disclose the UE of Claim 1.
Ji also teaches, wherein: the second sidelink transmission is based on a second channel access procedure ("As further illustrated in the example of FIG. 7A, the method may include, at 715, determining the at least one second indication based on at least one of the initiating UE's communication activities and/or channel sensing during a time gap T (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5) between transmitting the first indication and receiving a SL TX. In one embodiment, the determining 715 may include, when the initiating UE performs a SL TX immediately before a start of a SL TX by the at least one responding UE, determining that the at least one responding UE should use LBT type 2C..." [¶0056]); LBT is often used inside the Access Channel procedure when operating in unlicensed spectrum (like LAA or NR-U).
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2A channel access, when a gap between the first sidelink transmission and the second sidelink transmission is at least 25 µs ("...Type 2A (25 μs LBT) is for SL transmissions within the initiating device acquired COT (in case the gap between two SL transmissions is ≥25 μs, as well for SL transmissions following another SL transmission), as depicted in FIGS. 2(c) and 2(f)..."[¶0032]);
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2B channel access, when the gap between the first sidelink transmission and the second sidelink transmission is 16 µs ("...Type 2B (16 μs LBT) is for SL transmission within the initiating device acquired COT (can only be used for SL transmissions following another SL with gap exactly equal to 16 μs). as depicted in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(e)..."[¶0032]); and
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2C channel access, when the gap between the first sidelink transmission and the second sidelink transmission is up to 16 µs ("...Type 2C (no LBT) can only be used for SL transmission following another SL, with a gap≤ 16 μs and the allowed duration of the SL transmission≤ 584 μs), as depicted in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(d) or FIGS. 2(b) and 2(e)..."[¶0032]);
Regarding Claim 5, combination of Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala disclose the UE of Claim 4.
Ji also teaches, wherein: when the second channel access procedure corresponds to the Type 2A channel access, the second sidelink transmission starts immediately after sensing the channel to be idle for at least a sensing interval of 25 µs ("...In another example, LBT type 2A/2B may be indicated if idle channel is sensed by UE1 during the detected transmission pause..."[¶0043], see also, "...Type 2A (25 μs LBT) is for SL transmissions within the initiating device acquired COT (in case the gap between two SL transmissions is ≥25 μs, as well for SL transmissions following another SL transmission), as depicted in FIGS. 2(c) and 2(f)..."[¶0032]);
when the second channel access procedure corresponds to the Type 2B channel access, the second sidelink transmission starts immediately after sensing the channel to be idle for at least a sensing interval of 16 µs ("...determine that the at least one responding user equipment should use listen before talk (LBT) type 2A or 2B if continuously idle is sensed during a sidelink transmission pause."[¶0104], see also, "...Type 2B (16 μs LBT) is for SL transmission within the initiating device acquired COT (can only be used for SL transmissions following another SL with gap exactly equal to 16 μs), as depicted in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(e)..."[¶0032]; and
when the second channel access procedure corresponds to the Type 2C channel access, the second sidelink transmission starts immediately without sensing the channel (“Type 2C (no LBT) can only be used for SL transmission following another SL, with a gap 16 µs” [¶0032]. Here, ‘no LBT (Listen Before Talk)’ satisfies the limitation “transmission starts immediately without sensing the channel’).
Regarding Claim 11, Ji discloses, A method of a first user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system (UE1-3 as shown in Figs 3 & 4, and UE 20 in Fig, 8B, and [¶0077]), the method comprising:
performing a first channel access procedure to initiate a channel occupancy on a shared spectrum channel, wherein the channel occupancy is shared with a plurality of other UEs (Title- CHANNEL OCCUPANCY TIME SHARING FOR SIDELINK IN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM , “In sub-7 GHz unlicensed bands, the new radio (NR) coexistence with other systems (e.g., IEEE 802.11) is ensured via a Listen Before Talk (LBT) channel access mechanism. According to this mechanism, a user equipment (UE) intending to perform a sidelink (SL) transmission needs to first successfully complete an LBT check, before being able to initiate that same transmission.”, [¶0028], see also “Abstract”, see also “When a UE initiates the communication (i.e., the UE takes the role of initiating device), then this UE has to acquire the “right” to access the channel for a certain period of time” [¶0030], and “Fig. 4, where UE1, UE2 & UE3 are communicating for sharing channel” [¶0034]);
Ji doesn’t explicitly disclose, transmitting, to the plurality of other UEs, a first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the first sidelink transmission includes a groupcast physical sidelink control channel and physical sidelink shared channel (USCCH/USSCH) to the plurality of other UEs
receiving, from a second UE among the plurality of other UEs, a second sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the transmission of the first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the second sidelink transmission includes a unicast USCCH/USSCH to the first UE and wherein a priority for the second sidelink transmission is equal to or greater than a priority for the first sidelink transmission.
Sun-4713, in analogous art relates, transmitting, to the plurality of other UEs, a first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the first sidelink transmission includes a groupcast physical sidelink control channel and physical sidelink shared channel (USCCH/USSCH) to the plurality of other UEs (Fig. 8, see also, "...The method 800 further illustrates how a responding UE of a sidelink transmission may transmit ACK/NACK feedbacks (e.g., the feedback 440 in the USFCH 425) with COT sharing... A sidelink transmitting UE may also request an NACK-only feedback for a connectionless groupcast transmission from an intended receiving UE or responding UE. In the method 800, a responding UE receiving a sidelink transmission in a COT may transmit an ACK/NACK feedback in a shared portion of the COT if the responding UE can detect COT sharing information from the initiating UE of the COT, and not based on whether the sidelink transmission is transmitted by an initiating UE of the COT. In other words, COT sharing for USFCH transmission is independent from COT sharing for USSCH transmission. Although the method 800 is described in the context of ACK/NACK transmission with COT sharing in a groupcast transmission scenario, it should be understood that in other examples similar mechanisms may be applied to ACK/NACK transmission in a unicast transmission scenario." [¶0117], see also, "... The sidelink transmission A may include SCI (e.g., SCI 430) and data (e.g., data 435) as discussed above in relation to FIG. 4. The sidelink transmission A is a groupcast transmission, for example, with the UE 502b and the UE 502c as the intended recipients as shown by the two arrows grouped by the dashed oval. The UE 502b and the UE 502c (e.g., responding UEs) may receive the sidelink transmission A." [¶0119]); As in fig. 4 that SL also have USCCH and USSCH communication. and
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji with the idea of UE initiating a channel occupancy and transmitting a groupcast message to multiple other UEs within that time window as disclosed by Sun-4713. The motivation for doing this is to allow for efficient, coordinated, and reliable transmission to multiple receivers in a group.
Bala is analogous art discloses, receiving, from a second UE among the plurality of other UEs, a second sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the transmission of the first sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy, wherein the second sidelink transmission includes a unicast USCCH/USSCH to the first UE and wherein a priority for the second sidelink transmission is equal to or greater than a priority for the first sidelink transmission ("...the sidelink communication module 308 may be configured to initiate a sidelink communication setup with another UE 115 (referred to herein again as a UE2, a second UE to the first UE which in this example is UE 300). This may include, as a preliminary matter, transmitting a sidelink resource configuration request, a sidelink resource request, and/or a sidelink COT sharing request to a BS (e.g., the BSs 105 and 215) and/or receiving a sidelink resource configuration from the BS 105. The sidelink resource configuration may indicate a time, a periodicity, and/or a frequency band where the UE 300 may contend for COTs for sidelink communication (e.g., USSCH, USCCH, and/or USFCH)."[¶0071], see also, "...The method may also include wherein the priority rule comprises multiplexing the maximum number of USFCH signals to different connection types on a per-slot basis according to a connection type ratio. The method may also include wherein the connection types comprise a groupcast message type and a unicast message type between the first UE and the second UE..." [¶0159], see also "... With this information, the UE2 may know to not expect a USFCH signal at a given time in view (in response to transmitting data, such as USSCH data) of the conditions conveyed via negotiation at the time of connection establishment..." [¶0059], See also "...the wireless device may drop the scheduled sidelink transmission when the first priority of the sidelink transmission is lower than the second priority (e.g., a value of the first priority is higher than a value of the second priority, a value of the first priority is smaller than a value of the second priority). For example, the wireless device may not drop the scheduled sidelink transmission when the first priority of the sidelink transmission is equal to or higher than the second priority." [¶0268]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji and Sun-4713 with the idea of a first user equipment (UE) initiates a COT on a shared spectrum and subsequently allows another UE to transmit within the same COT as disclosed by Bala. The motivation for doing this is to improve channel utilization efficiency and reduce latency for high-priority sidelink traffic in unlicensed bands.
Regarding Claim 12, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 2 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 2. Claim 12 is rejected under the same rational as claim 2.
Regarding Claim 14, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 4 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 4. Claim 14 is rejected under the same rational as claim 4.
Regarding Claim 15, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 5 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 5. Claim 15 is rejected under the same rational as claim 5.
Claims 3, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala in view of Wu at al. (US 20230389053, hereinafter, Wu-53).
Regarding Claim 3, combination of Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala disclose the UE of Claim 1.
Ji also discloses, wherein: the first channel access procedure to initiate the channel occupancy is a Type 1 sidelink channel access procedure ("...FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the acquisition of the COT by an initiating device via LBT type 1."[¶0030], see also “The UE that initiates the transmission (the initiating device), upon successfully completing the LBT type 1 and performing a transmission, may acquire the COT with duration associated with the corresponding CAPC...” [¶0032]), and
a time duration spanned by sensing slots that are sensed to be idle before a sidelink transmission is (“…the channel needs to be sensed to detect whether the channel is continuously idle or not and then accordingly select LBT type 1” [¶0037]. The limitation “time duration spanned” is understood to be met with “continuously idle”, because, to determine whether the channel is continuously idle, some type of time duration should be measured inherently).
Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala do not explicitly teach that the spanned time duration is random.
However, Wu-53, in analogous art discloses, that the spanned time duration is random (… A type 1 channel access may, for example, include a random time duration spanned by sensing slots that are sensed by a UE 115 (e.g., the first UE 115) to be idle before one or more sidelink transmissions… [¶0085]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji, Sun-4713, and Bala with the teaching of Wu-53 such that the Idle spanned time duration is random. The motivation for doing this is to make the system more efficient and versatile. Besides, this random time duration before transmission is a key characteristic of this type of channel access.
Regarding Claim 13, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 3 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 3. Claim 13 is rejected under the same rational as claim 3.
Claims 6, 9, 16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala in view of Sun et al. (US 20230146161 A1, hereinafter, Sun).
Regarding Claim 6, combination of Ji, Sun-4713 and Bala disclose the UE of Claim 1.
Ji doesn’t explicitly disclose, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second UE, a third sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the reception of the second sidelink transmission.
Sun, in analogous art relates, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the second UE, a third sidelink transmission within the channel occupancy after the reception of the second sidelink transmission ("Fig.6, see also, ...After acquiring the COT 608, the UE 602 may transmit a sidelink communication 614 to a second sidelink UE (e.g., UE 604, UE 606, or other UE) during the symbols 1-9 of slot 0 (as just one example).” [¶0096], see also, "The initiating UE 602 may transmit a sidelink transmission in a portion of a COT 608 while leaving some gap durations for other UE's to transmit sidelink communications. The initiating UE 602 may support TDM COT sharing within the active transmission. For example, a UE 604 may share the COT 608 of the initiating UE 602 and transmit USFCH to the initiating UE 602." [¶0097], see also, "In another example, the initiating UE 602 may desire to transmit a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission 620 during the COT 608. The initiating UE 602 may perform LBT to contend for the shared COT 608. To reduce a gap duration such that it satisfies the LBT gap time threshold, the initiating UE 602 may determine a CP extension length for transmitting a sidelink transmission and apply the CP extension having the length to a sidelink transmission. For example, the initiating UE 602 may transmit a USCCH/USSCH transmission 620, which may include a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission in symbols 1-12 of slot 2, with the symbol 0 of slot 1 being a repetition of symbol 1 of slot 1, to another sidelink UE..."[¶0103]), here the “UE 604 may share the COT 608 of the initiating UE 602 and transmit USFCH to the initiating UE 602” portion is the second SL transmission and “the initiating UE 602 may desire to transmit a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission 620 during the COT 608” is the third sidelink transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji with the teaching a scenario in sidelink communication where a UE, after receiving a transmission from another UE, sends another transmission within the same channel occupancy time (COT) as disclosed by Sun. The motivation for doing this communication exchange where UEs are sharing resources and data within a defined time window is to “reduce a gap duration”, as disclosed by Sun "...The initiating UE 602 may perform LBT to contend for the shared COT 608. To reduce a gap duration such that it satisfies the LBT gap time threshold, the initiating UE 602 may determine a CP extension length for transmitting a sidelink transmission and apply the CP extension having the length to a sidelink transmission..."[¶0103].
Regarding Claim 9, combination of Ji, Sun-4713, Bala and Sun disclose the UE of Claim 6,
Ji teaches, wherein UE (“…Control plane traffic, such as physical shared control channel (USCCH), is transmitted with p=1”, … [¶0031] and Ji further discloses, unicast or groupcast/broadcast is possible for UE based on priority level of SL TX [¶0052]); or a USSCH or a USCCH conveying a groupcast transmission to the plurality of other UEs including the second UE.
Ji doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the third sidelink transmission.
Sun, in analogous art teaches, wherein the third sidelink transmission ("In another example, the initiating UE 602 may desire to transmit a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission 620 during the COT 608. The initiating UE 602 may perform LBT to contend for the shared COT 608. To reduce a gap duration such that it satisfies the LBT gap time threshold, the initiating UE 602 may determine a CP extension length for transmitting a sidelink transmission and apply the CP extension having the length to a sidelink transmission. For example, the initiating UE 602 may transmit a USCCH/USSCH transmission 620, which may include a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission in symbols 1-12 of slot 2, with the symbol 0 of slot 1 being a repetition of symbol 1 of slot 1, to another sidelink UE..."[¶0103]), here the “the initiating UE 602 may desire to transmit a sidelink USCCH/USSCH transmission 620 during the COT 608” is the third sidelink transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji with the teaching of Sun by introducing third sidelink unicast transmission using USSCH/ USCCH to another UE. The motivation for using third sidelink unicast transmission using USSCH or USCCH is to reduce latency, and enable reliable communication between UEs, particularly in scenarios where network infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
Regarding Claim 16, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 6 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 6. Claim 16 is rejected under the same rational as claim 6.
Regarding Claim 19, which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 9 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 9. Claim 19 is rejected under the same rational as claim 9.
Claims 8, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji, Sun-4713, Bala and Sun in view of Wu-53.
Regarding Claim 8, combination of Ji, Sun-4713, Bala and Sun disclose the UE of Claim 6.
Combination of Ji, Sun-4713, Bala and Sun don’t teach, wherein: the third sidelink transmission is based on a second channel access procedure;
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2A channel access, when a gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is at least 25 µs;
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2B channel access, when the gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is 16 µs; and
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2C channel access, when the gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is up to 16 µs.
Wu-53 in analogous art disclose, wherein: the third sidelink transmission is based on a second channel access procedure (“the first UE 115 may perform a channel access procedure prior to the next selected transmission time occasion 425 and may transmit a third sidelink message in a carrier that has a successful channel access (e.g., CC3)”, [¶0107]);
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2A channel access, when a gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is at least 25 µs ("...The first UE 115 may perform a channel access procedure prior to the next selected transmission time occasion 425 and may transmit a third sidelink message in a one or more carriers that have a successful channel access (e.g., CC3)." [¶0108], see also "...A type 2 channel access may include a deterministic time duration spanned by sensing slots that are sensed by a UE 115 (e.g., the first UE 115) to be idle before one or more sidelink transmissions. For example, a type 2A channel access may have a sensing duration of 25 microseconds (μs)..." [¶0085]);
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2B channel access, when the gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is 16 µs ("...The first UE 115 may perform a channel access procedure prior to the next selected transmission time occasion 425 and may transmit a third sidelink message in a one or more carriers that have a successful channel access (e.g., CC3)." [¶0108], see also "...A type 2 channel access may include a deterministic time duration spanned by sensing slots that are sensed by a UE 115 (e.g., the first UE 115) to be idle before one or more sidelink transmissions. For example, …a type 2B channel access may have a sensing duration of 16 μs…" [¶0085]); and
the second channel access procedure corresponds to Type 2C channel access, when the gap between the second sidelink transmission and the third sidelink transmission is up to 16 µs ("...The first UE 115 may perform a channel access procedure prior to the next selected transmission time occasion 425 and may transmit a third sidelink message in a one or more carriers that have a successful channel access (e.g., CC3)." [¶0108], see also "...A type 2 channel access may include a deterministic time duration spanned by sensing slots that are sensed by a UE 115 (e.g., the first UE 115) to be idle before one or more sidelink transmissions. For example,…and a type 2C channel accessing may perform no sensing (e.g., which may be applied when a gap is no larger than 16 μs)." [¶0085]);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Ji, Sun-4713, Bala and Sun with the teaching of Wu-53 by introducing third sidelink access procedures with different time duration gaps. The motivation for doing this will helps utilize the shared spectrum better, improve throughput and reduced latency.
Regarding Claim 18, Which is the method claim corresponding to the apparatus claim 8 that has been rejected above. Applicant’s attention is directed to the rejection of claim 8. Claim 18 is rejected under the same rational as claim 8.
Conclusion
References cited but not used: STEFANATOS et al. (US 20240008085 A1) can be used for independent claims 1, and 11 in addition to the one used.
References cited but not used: Ganesan et al. (US 20230269769 A1) can be used for independent claims 1, and 11 in addition to the one used.
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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/MUHAMMAD AINUL HUDA/Examiner, Art Unit 4126
/HASSAN A PHILLIPS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2467