DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed December 24, 2025, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-20 under 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection is made in view of 35 USC § 103.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo et al. (US 20190306879 A1) in view of Zhou et al. (US 20250192927 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Seo et al. teaches a method for handling contention based data transmission (CBDT) in a wireless communication network by a network entity, comprising: allocating CBDT resource blocks to a plurality of user equipment (UEs) (Paragraph 77, 112, 121, 133, These passages teach that the network defines and allocates specific resource pools/regions (resource blocks) usable by multiple UEs for contention-based transmission); receiving, from a group of UEs among the plurality of UEs, data bits and control bits on one or more resource blocks among the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 113, 140, 142, 143, These passages teach that multiple UEs transmit both UL data (data bits) and UE-identifying/control information (control bits) over the defined contention-based resource regions, which the base station receives and attempts to decode); determining whether each of the received data bits and control bits is decoded successfully (Paragraph 127, 128, 130, 144, These passages expressly teach that the base station separately determines decoding success or failure for control information (UE ID) and for data); transmitting a negative acknowledgment message to each UE in the group of UEs based on determining that the received control bits are decoded successfully, and the received data-bits are not decoded successfully, wherein the negative acknowledgment message includes information which identifies failed CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 130–131, 133, 144, 146, These passages teach that when control information (UE ID) is successfully decoded but data fails, the base station transmits a UE-specific NACK including retransmission resource allocation information that identifies the failed resource blocks); and storing the received data-bits which are not decoded successfully in a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) buffer (Paragraph 41, 132, These passages teach HARQ operation in which unsuccessfully decoded data is combined with retransmissions).
Seo et al. does not explicitly teach transmitting, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks.
However, Zhou et al. teaches transmitting, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 343, 383–385, These passages teach that the base station transmits configuration messages to wireless devices indicating specific radio resources and feedback behavior parameters that control transmission and feedback operations associated with those resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide transmitting, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks as taught by Zhou et al. in the system of Seo et al., so that it would enable the network entity to configure UEs with the specific contention-based resources and associated transmission parameters used for uplink transmissions, thereby improving coordination of contention-based access and increasing the likelihood of successful data reception and efficient resource utilization in the wireless communication system.
Regarding claim 2, Seo et al. teaches the CBDT resource blocks are allocated to each of the plurality of UEs with a plurality of identifiers, and wherein the plurality of identifiers includes at least one of a shared radio network temporary identifier (SH RNTI), a contention based data transmission radio network temporary identifier (CBDT RNTI), or an X-CRNTI (Paragraph 77, 83, 141, discloses contention-based resource blocks allocated to multiple UEs, with identifiers such as RNTIs included to distinguish them).
Regarding claim 3, Seo et al. teaches transmitting, via a radio resource control (RRC) message, the allocated CBDT resource blocks to the plurality of UEs with at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers (Paragraph 87, teaches that RRC signaling is used to deliver UE-specific resource allocations, which corresponds to transmitting allocated resource blocks with identifiers via an RRC message); receiving, from the plurality of UEs, the data bits and control bits of the one or more resource blocks among the allocated CBDT resource blocks in response to the transmitted CBDT resource blocks, wherein each of the received control bits and the data bits is masked with the at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers (Paragraph 85, 113, 120, describes UEs transmitting both data (PUSCH) and control information (SR/BSR/UCI) with UE ID included or scrambled together, which corresponds to data bits and control bits being masked with an identifier); and identifying, based on the least one identifier with which the received control bits and the data bits are masked, each UE within the group of UEs from which the control bits and the data bits are received (Paragraph 83, 143, teaches that the base station uses the UE ID (masking) within the received transmission to identify each UE sending control and data bits).
Regarding claim 4, Seo et al. teaches transmitting an acknowledgment message to each UE within the group of UEs based on determining that each of the control bits and data-bits is decoded successfully (Paragraph 16, This teaches transmitting an acknowledgment message (ACK) to a UE based on successful decoding of both the data (uplink data) and control bits (information for identifying the UE, which functions as control signaling in contention-based UL transmission). This satisfies the requirement of transmitting an acknowledgment based on successful decoding of both elements) (Paragraph 82, Indicates the mechanism for transmitting acknowledgment messages to each UE based on UE-specific identification, which supports per-UE acknowledgment based on decoded transmissions) (Paragraph 83, Confirms that the base station transmits ACK to an identified UE once it has successfully decoded both the PUSCH transport block (data) and UE ID (control). This supports the condition in the claim requiring that an acknowledgment message be sent based on successful decoding of both components).
Regarding claim 5, Seo et al. teaches the negative acknowledgment message is transmitted to each UE within the group of UEs via one of a physical control channel or a data channel in form of downlink control information (DCI) (Paragraph 51, 52, 144, These passages show that NACKs are part of HARQ-ACK responses, can be UE-specific or group-based, and are sent via PDCCH as downlink control information).
Regarding claim 6, Seo et al. teaches based on the determining that the received data-bits are not decoded successfully, determining whether the decoding of the data bits failed due to at least one of poor radio conditions and an occurrence of contention for accessing a same resource block by at least two UEs of the plurality of UEs (Paragraph 44, 120, 144, Shows decoding failures tied to poor channel conditions or contention from multiple UEs); and transmitting, to each UE within the group of UEs based on determining that the decoding of the data bits failed due to the occurrence of contention, new data bits indicating at least one of a non-requirement of retransmission of the data bits for HARQ process, a recommendation to flush previously transmitted data associated with the HARQ process and subsequently inform upper layers about the flush of the data (Paragraph 83, 90-91, 144-146, Shows signaling to UEs after contention failure, including broadcast/UE-specific NACKs and control bits that indicate no retransmission or replace HARQ data).
Regarding claim 7, Seo et al. teaches the new data bits are transmitted to each UE within the group of UEs via a physical channel including one of a physical channel hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH) or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and wherein the new data bits correspond to broadcast bits (Paragraph 38, 39, 51, 52, Broadcast bits are delivered via PBCH, while PDCCH/PHICH are disclosed as physical channels carrying control and group information to UEs, teaching transmission of broadcast-related bits over PDCCH or PHICH).
Regarding claim 8, Seo et al. teaches toggling, based on determining that the decoding of the data bits failed due to the occurrence of contention, new data indicator (NDI) bit for the HARQ process such that that the previously transmitted data associated with the HARQ process is flushed from the HARQ buffer (Paragraph 83, 91, teaches that when contention causes decoding failure, the base station issues NACK and toggles the NDI field to trigger retransmission, effectively discarding prior HARQ data and reloading the HARQ buffer with new transmission).
Regarding claim 9, Seo et al. teaches based on determining that the decoding of the data bits failed due to the poor radio conditions, further comprising: reallocating the CBDT resource blocks to the plurality of UEs; and restricting the toggling of the NDI bit for the HARQ process, wherein the reallocated CBDT resource blocks and the allocated CBDT resource blocks are the same (Paragraph 131-134, shows decoding failure triggers NACK, resources are reallocated (possibly same as before), and NDI toggling is restricted in HARQ signaling).
Regarding claim 10, Seo et al. teaches periodically calculating, in a grant-free (GF) access period, a transmission probability for each of the plurality of UEs for accessing the allocated CBDT resource blocks; and transmitting, via a radio resource control (RRC) message, the periodically calculated transmission probability to each of the plurality of UEs together with the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 77, 96, 100, 162, These passages together show that in grant-free access periods the system periodically manages and evaluates UE transmissions by considering collision probability and periodic SR resources, and that transmission probabilities or related access parameters for resource pools are signaled to each UE through RRC messages along with the allocated contention-based transmission resources).
Regarding claim 11, Seo et al. teaches the transmission probability for each of the plurality of UEs is periodically calculated based on at least one of information related to a user density of a geographical region, historical information related to a current coverage region served by the base station, or a quality of service (QoS) requirement of corresponding UEs among the plurality of UEs (Paragraph 96, 98, 100, 138, 147, teaches periodically adjusting UE transmission probability using user density in a cell, historical ACK/NACK outcomes, and QoS needs such as mMTC).
Regarding claim 12, Seo et al. teaches periodically setting a value of a maximum number of repetitions for each of the plurality of UEs or the group of UEs among the plurality of UEs on a set of the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 96, This teaches periodic retransmissions, where a UE reuses contention-based resources for multiple transmissions (linked to the SR period), the repetition setup based on allocated resources); and allowing, during reception of each of the data bits and the control bits, each of the plurality of UEs or the group of UEs to access the allocated CBDT resource blocks for the value of the maximum number of repetitions (Paragraph 133, This teaches that UEs can access different resource pools for retransmissions, allowing repeated access for data and control bits as per allocated resources).
Regarding claim 13, Seo et al. teaches the value of the maximum number of repetitions is set based on at least one of historical performance data (Paragraph 100, This passage teaches the use of historical performance data, such as decoding success ratio, to decide whether to switch the transmission method. The mention of "a ratio of decoding success" the base station may adjust its decisions based on past performance metrics, aligning with the claim part about setting values based on historical data), a current radio conditions at the base station (Paragraph 101, The passage shows current radio conditions affect transmission scheme decisions, including whether to switch to grant-based transmission), a decoding failure rate in decoding each of the data bits and the control bits, or transmit power constraints for the plurality of UEs (Paragraph 134, This passage explicitly refers to the adjustment of power in retransmissions ("some or all of a power and MCS in retransmission may be signaled through the NACK message"), which shows that the base station takes transmit power constraints into account when deciding on retransmission methods, linking to setting repetition values based on power constraints).
Regarding claim 14, Seo et al. teaches adjusting the set value of the maximum number of repetitions in conjunction with a transmission probability for each of the plurality of UEs for accessing the allocated CBDT resource blocks, such that a balance between performance and reliability for grant free uplink transmissions is maintained (Paragraph 77, 79, 80, 89, 100, teaches adjusting retransmission behavior, coding/power strategies, and contention/grant switching tied to UE numbers and collision probability, thereby coordinating repetition and transmission probability to maintain performance and reliability in grant-free uplink).
Regarding claim 15, Seo et al. teaches a network entity for handling contention based data transmission (CBDT) in a wireless communication system, comprising: memory storing instructions; a communication interface comprising communication circuitry; and at least one processor comprising processor circuitry coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, individually and/or collectively, cause the network entity to (Paragraph 150, 153, 158–161, These passages disclose a base station including processor circuitry coupled to memory storing executable instructions and communication circuitry for transmitting/receiving): allocate CBDT resource blocks to a plurality of UEs (Paragraph 107, 112, 121, These passages teach the network defining and designating contention-based resource pools/regions usable by multiple UEs, corresponding to allocating CBDT resource blocks to a plurality of UEs); receive, from a group of UEs among the plurality of UEs, data bits and control bits on one or more resource blocks among the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 77, 113, 143, 158, These passages teach multiple UEs transmitting contention-based UL data (data bits) together with UE identification/control information (control bits) on defined resource regions, and the base station receiving and detecting both); determine whether each of the received data bits and control bits is decoded successfully (Paragraph 127–131, 135, These passages explicitly teach independently determining decoding success/failure for control information (UE ID) and data, corresponding to determining whether received data bits and control bits are decoded successfully); transmit a negative acknowledgment message to each UE in the group of UEs based on determining that the received control bits are decoded successfully, and the received data-bits are not decoded successfully, wherein the negative acknowledgment message includes information which identifies failed CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 131, 133–134, 144, These passages teach transmitting a UE-specific NACK when control information (UE ID) is decoded but data is not, and including retransmission resource allocation information in the NACK); and store the received data-bits which are not decoded successfully in a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) buffer (Paragraph 41, 132, These passages teach HARQ-based retransmission with incremental redundancy or chase combining, which requires storing unsuccessfully decoded data for combining in subsequent retransmissions, corresponding to storing the failed data bits in a HARQ buffer).
Seo et al. does not explicitly teach transmit, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks.
However, Zhou et al. teaches transmit, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 343, 383–385, These passages teach that the base station transmits configuration messages to wireless devices indicating specific radio resources and feedback behavior parameters that control transmission and feedback operations associated with those resources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide transmit, to each of the plurality of UEs, a message including information indicating the allocated CBDT resource blocks, and information indicating transmission probability related to the allocated CBDT resource blocks as taught by Zhou et al. in the system of Seo et al., so that it would enable the network entity to configure UEs with the specific contention-based resources and associated transmission parameters used for uplink transmissions, thereby improving coordination of contention-based access and increasing the likelihood of successful data reception and efficient resource utilization in the wireless communication system.
Regarding claim 16, Seo et al. teaches the CBDT resource blocks are allocated to each of the plurality of UEs with a plurality of identifiers, and wherein the plurality of identifiers includes at least one of a shared radio network temporary identifier (SH RNTI), a contention based data transmission radio network temporary identifier (CBDT RNTI), or an X-CRNTI (Paragraph 77, 83, 141, discloses contention-based resource blocks allocated to multiple UEs, with identifiers such as RNTIs included to distinguish them).
Regarding claim 17, Seo et al. teaches transmit, in a radio resource control (RRC) message via the communication interface, the allocated CBDT resource blocks to the plurality of UEs with the at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers (Paragraph 87, teaches that RRC signaling is used to deliver UE-specific resource allocations, which corresponds to transmitting allocated resource blocks with identifiers via an RRC message); receive, from the plurality of UEs via the communication interface, the data bits and control bits of the one or more resource blocks among the allocated CBDT resource blocks in response to the transmitted CBDT resource blocks, wherein each of the received control bits and the data bits is masked with the at least one identifier of the plurality of identifiers (Paragraph 85, 113, 120, describes UEs transmitting both data (PUSCH) and control information (SR/BSR/UCI) with UE ID included or scrambled together, which corresponds to data bits and control bits being masked with an identifier); and identify, based on the least one identifier with which the received control bits and the data bits are masked, each UE within the group of UEs from which the control bits and the data bits are received (Paragraph 83, 143, teaches that the base station uses the UE ID (masking) within the received transmission to identify each UE sending control and data bits).
Regarding claim 18, Seo et al. teaches based on the determining that the received data-bits are not decoded successfully, determine whether the decoding of the data bits failed due to at least one of poor radio conditions and an occurrence of contention for accessing a same resource block by at least two UEs of the plurality of UEs (Paragraph 44, 120, 144, Shows decoding failures tied to poor channel conditions or contention from multiple UEs); and transmit, to each UE within the group of UEs via the communication interface based on determining that the decoding of the data bits failed due to the occurrence of contention, new data bits indicating at least one of a non-requirement of retransmission of the data bits for HARQ process, and a recommendation to flush previously transmitted data associated with the HARQ process and subsequently inform upper layers about the flush of the data (Paragraph 83, 90-91, 144-146, Shows signaling to UEs after contention failure, including broadcast/UE-specific NACKs and control bits that indicate no retransmission or replace HARQ data).
Regarding claim 19, Seo et al. teaches periodically calculate, in a grant-free (GF) access period, a transmission probability for each of the plurality of UEs for accessing the allocated CBDT resource blocks; and transmit, via a radio resource control (RRC) message, the periodically calculated transmission probability to each of the plurality of UEs together with the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 77, 96, 100, 162, These passages together show that in grant-free access periods the system periodically manages and evaluates UE transmissions by considering collision probability and periodic SR resources, and that transmission probabilities or related access parameters for resource pools are signaled to each UE through RRC messages along with the allocated contention-based transmission resources).
Regarding claim 20, Seo et al. teaches the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity further to: periodically set a value of a maximum number of repetitions for each of the plurality of UEs or the group of UEs among the plurality of UEs on a set of the allocated CBDT resource blocks (Paragraph 96, This teaches periodic retransmissions, where a UE reuses contention-based resources for multiple transmissions (linked to the SR period), the repetition setup based on allocated resources); and allowing, during reception of each of the data bits and the control bits, each of the plurality of UEs or the group of UEs to access the allocated CBDT resource blocks for the value of the maximum number of repetitions (Paragraph 133, This teaches that UEs can access different resource pools for retransmissions, allowing repeated access for data and control bits as per allocated resources).
Allowable Subject Matter
Based on the specification, the applicant could consider adding concepts that emphasize operation in non-terrestrial network (NTN) environments, including explicitly addressing long propagation delays and large round-trip times characteristic of GEO, LEO, or UAV-based 6G systems, and modifying HARQ timing, feedback, or buffering procedures to accommodate such delays. The claim could further incorporate concepts directed to handling contention in shared CBDT resources without falling back to conventional grant-based scheduling, thereby reducing scheduling delay associated with buffer status report (BSR) exchanges in high-latency environments. The applicant might also add concepts describing adaptation of HARQ procedures specifically for NTN scenarios, such as delay-aware retransmission management, extended timing advance considerations, or mechanisms that avoid the need for multiple round-trip scheduling cycles. Additional concepts could include operation over THz, mmWave, or other 6G frequency bands, integration with satellite-based transparent or regenerative payload architectures, or coordination with feeder and service links in satellite systems. The specification also supports adding concepts related to maintaining seamless communication in UAV- or satellite-assisted networks, improving QoS under high latency conditions, or enhancing reliability and spectral efficiency in shared resource mechanisms tailored for 6G NTN deployments, thereby more clearly distinguishing the invention from conventional terrestrial CBDT and HARQ handling approaches.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhou et al. (US 20250112737 A1)
Gao et al. (US 20240031082 A1)
Park et al. (US 20230354353 A1)
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW SHAJI KURIAN whose telephone number is (703)756-1878. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.
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, Ricky Ngo can be reached at (571) 272-3139. 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.
/ANDREW SHAJI KURIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2464
/IQBAL ZAIDI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2464