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 .
DETAILED ACTION
a. Claims 1-20 in the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA :
- claims 1, 4, 12, and 15 are amended
- claims 3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 16, 18, and 20 are canceled
b. This is a final action on the merits based on Applicant’s claims submitted on 03/16/2026.
Response to Arguments
Regarding claims 1-2, 4, 6, 8-13, 15, 17, and 19-20 previously rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103, Applicant's arguments, see “Thus, the subject matter of amended claim 1 is patentable over the cited references.” on page 10, filed on 03/16/2026, with respect to Papasakellariou US Pub 2020/0305183 (hereinafter “Papasakellariou”), in view of Huang et al. US Pub 2020/0045696 (hereinafter “Huang”), and further in view of Wu US Pub 2022/0338238, claiming foreign application CN202010121549.1 priority 2020-02-26 (hereinafter “Wu”), have been fully considered but are moot, over the limitations of “determining whether to receive or cancel reception of the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs according to a detection result of the DCI format”. Said limitations are newly added to the amended Claims 1 and 12 and have been addressed in instant office action, as shown in section 35 USC 102/103 rejections below, with newly identified prior art teaching from newly found reference Rastegardoost et al. US Pub 2021/0051672, claiming provisional application 62886656 priority 2019-08-14 (hereinafter “Rastegardoost”), in combination with previously applied references Huang and Papasakellariou, thus rendering said Applicant’s arguments moot.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, 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.
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 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.
Claims 1, 4, 6, 8-10, 12, 15, 17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rastegardoost et al. US Pub 2021/0051672, claiming provisional application 62886656 priority 2019-08-14 (hereinafter “Rastegardoost”), and in view of Huang et al. US Pub 2020/0045696 (hereinafter “Huang”).
Regarding claim 1 (Currently Amended)
Rastegardoost discloses a method of communication of a user equipment (UE) (“A random access procedure is used to set up a connection between a wireless device and a base station.” [0002]), comprising:
being configured, by a base station (i.e. “base station 220” in Figs. 2A-2B), to receive a downlink transmission on a set of symbols in a slot (“A wireless device may receive a common RRC configuration message and/or a dedicated RRC configuration message indicating one or more symbols in a slot as downlink. The wireless device may consider the one or more symbols (e.g., downlink symbols) to be available for reception.” [0284]) and a set of resource blocks (RBs) (“The slot may comprise resource elements (REs) and resource blocks (RBs).” [0119]); and
being configured to detect a downlink control information (DCI) format (“The wireless device may monitor a set of PDCCH candidates in one or more CORESETs for detecting one or more DCIs.” [0198]), wherein the DCI format comprises at least one of the followings:
a first information that is used to indicate one or more slot formats (“A base station may send/transmit DCIs with one or more DCI formats, for example, depending on the purpose and/or content of the DCIs… DCI format 2_0 may be used for providing a slot format indication to a group of wireless devices.” [0193] and furthermore “FIG. 20 shows an example of a slot format configuration using one or more patterns. FIG. 21A. FIG. 21B, and FIG. 21C show example slot formats. FIG. 22A and FIG. 22B show example slot format combinations. FIG. 23 shows example slot formats for a slot.” [0037-0040]);
a second information that is used to indicate the channel occupancy duration of the base station (“A time length of a slot format combination in each of the slot format combination sets may be equal to a time length of a channel occupancy time (COT). The time length of the slot format combination in each of the slot format combination sets may be larger than the time length of the COT” [0294]); or
a third information that is used to indicate one or more RB sets availability for reception (“DCI format 2_1 may be used for informing/notifying a group of wireless devices of a physical resource block” [0193]); and
determining whether to receive or cancel reception of the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs according to a detection result of the DCI format, wherein,
in a case that the DCI format comprises at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and the UE does not detect the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission, the UE cancels the reception of the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs (“The wireless device may cancel a downlink signal reception (e.g., a CSI-RS reception, a PDSCH reception, or any other downlink signal receptions) via one or more symbols of a slot, for example, if the wireless device is configured (e.g., by higher layers) to receive the downlink signal (e.g., the CSI-RS or the PDSCH) via the one or more symbols of the slot and the wireless device detects a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 2_0) with a slot format value that indicates a slot format with a subset of symbols from the one or more symbols as uplink or flexible. The wireless device may cancel a downlink signal reception (e.g., a CSI-RS reception, a PDSCH reception, or any other downlink signal receptions) via one or more symbols of a slot, for example, if the wireless device is configured (e.g., by higher layers) to receive the downlink signal (e.g., the CSI-RS or the PDSCH) via the one or more symbols of the slot and the wireless device detects a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 0_0, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 1_0, DCI format 1_1, or DCI format 2_3) indicating, to the wireless device, to send/transmit an uplink signal (e.g., a PUSCH, a PUCCH, an SRS, or a PRACH) via at least one symbol of the one or more symbols.” [0302]); and
in a case that the DCI format does not comprise at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and the UE does not detect the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission (“A wireless device may not detect (or may not expect to detect) a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 2_0) with an SFI-index field value indicating one or more symbols of a slot as uplink. The wireless device may not detect (or may not expect to detect) a DCI format (e.g., DCI format 1_0, a DCI format 1_1, or DCI format 0_1) indicating, to the wireless device, to receive a downlink signal (e.g., a PDSCH or a CSI-RS) in the one or more symbols of the slot.” [0297]), the UE receives the configured downlink transmission (“A wireless device may receive downlink receptions (e.g., PDCCH or PDSCH) in a downlink BWP, for example, according to a configured numerology (e.g., a configured subcarrier spacing and/or a configured cyclic prefix duration) for the downlink BWP.” [0124] and furthermore “The wireless device may receive the downlink control signaling in a payload sent/transmitted by the base station via a PDCCH. The payload sent/transmitted via the PDCCH may be referred to as downlink control information (DCI).” [0190])).
Rastegardoost mentions a second information that is used to indicate the channel occupancy duration of the base station but does not specifically teach wherein the DCI format comprises a second information that is used to indicate the channel occupancy duration of the base station.
In an analogous art, Huang discloses wherein the DCI format comprises a second information that is used to indicate the channel occupancy duration of the base station (“In step 1610, the UE receives configuration indicating the UE to monitor and/or receive a DCI (Downlink Control Information) periodically in the first serving cell, wherein the DCI indicates a first SFI (Slot Format Indication) for the first serving cell and a second SFI for the second serving cell. In step 1615, the UE ignores the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time.” [0275] and furthermore “In one embodiment, the UE could discard the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time. Furthermore, the UE could ignore or discard the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time, and if the second SFI indicates slot format value, which is not a particular value.” [0276]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Rastegardoost’s random access procedure, to include Huang’s method for canceling downlink transmissions based on the identification of a received DCI, in order to enable efficient control signaling and/or efficient resource management (Huang [0115]). Thus, a person of ordinary skill would have appreciated the ability to incorporate Huang’s method for canceling downlink transmissions based on the identification of a received DCI into Rastegardoost’s random access procedure since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Regarding claim 4 (Currently Amended)
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of claim 1,
Rastegardoost further discloses wherein in a case that the DCI format comprises at least one of the first information (“A base station may send/transmit DCIs with one or more DCI formats, for example, depending on the purpose and/or content of the DCIs… DCI format 2_0 may be used for providing a slot format indication to a group of wireless devices.” [0193] and furthermore “FIG. 20 shows an example of a slot format configuration using one or more patterns. FIG. 21A. FIG. 21B, and FIG. 21C show example slot formats. FIG. 22A and FIG. 22B show example slot format combinations. FIG. 23 shows example slot formats for a slot.” [0037-0040]), the second information (“A time length of a slot format combination in each of the slot format combination sets may be equal to a time length of a channel occupancy time (COT). The time length of the slot format combination in each of the slot format combination sets may be larger than the time length of the COT” [0294]), and the third information (“DCI format 2_1 may be used for informing/notifying a group of wireless devices of a physical resource block” [0193]), and the UE (i.e. “wireless device”) detects the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission (e.g. PDSCH), receiving the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs (“The wireless device may detect DCI (e.g., DCI format 1_0, DCI format 1_1, or DCI format 0_1) indicating, to the wireless device, to receive a CSI-RS and/or a PDSCH in at least one symbol of the one or more symbols of the slot.” [0287]).
Regarding claim 6 (Currently Amended)
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of claim 4,
Rastegardoost further discloses wherein the DCI format of the DCI comprises a DCI format 2_0 (“A slot format may be indicated to the wireless device, for example, using an RRC configuration and/or DCI (e.g., DCI format 2_0).” [0276]).
Regarding claim 8
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of clam 1,
Rastegardoost further discloses wherein the DCI format comprises the first information (i.e. “slot formats”), and the first information indicates the set of symbols as downlink (“FIG. 20 shows an example of a slot format configuration using one or more patterns. A slot format may comprise downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and/or flexible symbols.” [0278]).
Regarding claim 9
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of claim 1,
Huang further discloses wherein the DCI format comprises the second information (i.e. “channel occupancy”), and the second information indicates that the set of symbols (i.e. “SFI (Slot Format Indication)”) are within the channel occupancy duration of the base station (“In step 1610, the UE receives configuration indicating the UE to monitor and/or receive a DCI (Downlink Control Information) periodically in the first serving cell, wherein the DCI indicates a first SFI (Slot Format Indication) for the first serving cell and a second SFI for the second serving cell. In step 1615, the UE ignores the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time.” [0275] and furthermore “In one embodiment, the UE could discard the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time. Furthermore, the UE could ignore or discard the second SFI indicated in the DCI, if the DCI is received before the UE detects or is indicated that the network starts a channel occupancy time, and if the second SFI indicates slot format value, which is not a particular value.” [0276]).
Regarding claim 10
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of claim 1,
Papasakellariou further discloses wherein the DCI format comprises the third information (i.e. “RBs”), and the third information indicates that one or more RB sets, where the set of RBs are allocated in, are available for reception (“Based on an indication for unavailable (or available) sets of time resources (symbols of one or more slots) and sets of frequency resources (RBs), referred to as time-frequency resources for brevity… the UE 116 can determine a resource to use for a CG-PUSCH transmission where the resource does not include unavailable time-frequency resources.” [0119]).
Regarding claim 12 (Currently Amended)
Papasakellariou discloses a user equipment (UE) (“UE 116” in Fig. 3A; [0061]), comprising:
a memory (“memory 360” in Fig. 3A; [0062]);
a transceiver (“radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310” in Fig. 3A; [0062]); and
a processor (“processor 340” in Fig. 3A; [0062]) coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein:
the transceiver is configured, by a base station, to receive a downlink transmission on a set of symbols in a slot and a set of resource blocks (RBs);
the processor is configured to detect a downlink control information (DCI) format, wherein the DCI format comprises at least one of the followings:
a first information that is used to indicate one or more slot formats;
a second information that is used to indicate the channel occupancy duration of the base station; or
a third information that is used to indicate one or more RB sets availability for reception; and
the processor is configured to determine whether to receive or cancel reception of the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs based on a content of the DCI format and a detection result of the DCI format, wherein,
in a case that the DCI format comprises at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and the processor does not detect the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission, the transceiver is configured to cancel the reception of the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs; and
in a case that the DCI format does not comprise at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and the processor does not detect the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission, the transceiver is configured to receive the configured downlink transmission.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 12 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 1. Therefore apparatus claim 12 corresponds to method claim 1 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 1 rejection above.
Regarding claim 15 (Currently Amended)
The UE of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is further configured to receive the configured downlink transmission on the set of symbols in the slot and on the set of RBs in a case that the DCI format comprises at least one of the first information, the second information, and the third information, and the processor detects the DCI format providing a corresponding indication for the configured downlink transmission.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 15 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 4. Therefore apparatus claim 15 corresponds to method claim 4 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 4 rejection above.
Regarding claim 17 (Currently Amended)
The UE of claim 15, wherein the DCI format comprises a DCI format 2_0.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 17 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 6. Therefore apparatus claim 17 corresponds to method claim 6 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 6 rejection above.
Regarding claim 19
The UE of claim 12, wherein the DCI format comprises the first information, and the first information indicates the set of symbols as downlink;
the DCI format comprises the second information, and the second information indicates that the set of symbols are within the channel occupancy duration of the base station; and/or
the DCI format comprises the third information, and the third information indicates that one or more RB sets, where the set of RBs are allocated in, are available for reception.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 19 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claims 8-10. Therefore apparatus claim 19 corresponds to method claims 8-10 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claims 8-10 rejections above.
Claims 2 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rastegardoost, in view of Huang, and further in view of Papasakellariou US Pub 2020/0305183 (hereinafter “Papasakellariou”).
Regarding claim 2
Rastegardoost, as modified by Huang, previously discloses the method of claim 1,
Rastegardoost and Huang do not specifically teach wherein the set of symbols in the slot are configured as flexible by one or more parameters, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and/or tdd-UL-DLConfigurationDedicated.
In an analogous art, Papasakellariou discloses wherein the set of symbols in the slot are configured as flexible by one or more parameters, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and/or tdd-UL-DLConfigurationDedicated (“The UE 116 can determine the direction of each symbol in the set of symbols, including DL, F, and UL, on a cell based on higher layer parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon for the cell, or additionally based on higher layer parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated, or based on the slot format indicated by a SFI field in DCI format 2_0 for the cell.” [0244]).
Before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Rastegardoost’s random access procedure, as modified by Huang, to include Papasakellariou’s method for determining whether to perform transmissions or receptions, in order to enable efficient adjust parameters of a transmission (Papasakellariou [0002-0004]). Thus, a person of ordinary skill would have appreciated the ability to incorporate Papasakellariou’s method for determining whether to perform transmissions or receptions into Rastegardoost’s random access procedure since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Regarding claim 13
The UE of claim 12, wherein the set of symbols in the slot are configured as flexible by one or more parameters, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and/or tdd-UL-DLConfigurationDedicated.
The scope and subject matter of apparatus claim 13 is drawn to the apparatus of using the corresponding method claimed in claim 2. Therefore apparatus claim 13 corresponds to method claim 2 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used in claim 2 rejection above.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUONG M NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-8184. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00am - 6:30pm.
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/CHUONG M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411