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 3/18/26 have been fully considered but they are moot due to the fact that all independent claims have been amended to which new ground rejections have been made as shown below.
For the purpose of speedy prosecution, Examiner is addressing Applicant’s main argument points below:
For claim 2, Applicant argues DI does not disclose “determining a timer duration as a function of an SCI-indicated resource-to-resource time interval”, nor “an SCI that indicate a ‘next transmission resource’” (p9, last para).
In response, Examiner respectfully disagrees. The claim language of claim 2 does not teach “determining a timer duration as a function of an SCI-indicated resource-to-resource time interval”. Particularly, the “resource-to-resource time interval” is not identified in the claim language. Assume a transmission resource is a time interval, OOSA would not able to determine a timer duration based on two time intervals as specified in the claim language without further detailed information. Therefore, Applicant’s argument is not persuasive. The office action has been written as best understood to the claim language.
Applicant ‘s arguments to other claims are not persuasive because they are based on the argument to claim 2.
Claim Objections
Claims 2, 8, 21 and 24 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 2 recites “determining, by the first terminal device, a duration T1 of a first timer based on a time interval between a current transmission resource and a next transmission resource”. This claim limitation needs clarity. For example, it is unclear how to determine the “duration T1” based on transmission resources since “a transmission resource” is not related to a time.
Claim 8 recites a claim limitation “determining, by the first terminal device, a duration of a first timer based on a time interval between a current transmission resource and a next transmission resource that is indicated by the first SCI received from the second terminal device,”. This claim limitation needs clarity. For example, it is unclear how to determine the “duration” based on transmission resources.
Claim 21 recites “determining, by the first terminal device, a duration of a first timer based on a time interval between a current transmission resource and a next transmission resource that is indicated by the first SCI received from the second terminal device”. This claim limitation needs clarity. For example, it is unclear how to determine the “duration” based on transmission resources.
Claim 24 recites “determining, by the first terminal device, a duration of a first timer based on a time interval between a current transmission resource and a next transmission resource that is indicated by the first SCI received from the second terminal device”. This claim limitation needs clarity. For example, it is unclear how to determine the “duration” based on transmission resources.
To continue prosecution on merit, the claims will be interpreted as best understood.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 2-3, 8, 10-11, 21, 23-24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DI (US 20230014303 A1) in view of Kung (US 20210227622 A1).
For independent claim 2, DI discloses a wireless communication method (FIGs. 16-20 and 24-25), comprising:
determining, by a first terminal device (FIG. 16, UE1), that the first terminal device is in DRX activation time (FIGs. 1-4, 10-20 and the related text, such as ([0114] “The terms Active Mode and DRX ON time may be used interchangeably. These refer to the periods when the UE is actively monitoring the SCI/PSCCH for sidelink transmissions.”; note that SCI is a Sidelink CSI) and “DRX on time” being “a period for receiving a unicast connection establishment request and before completing unicast establishment” and “[0216] … At step 241, UE 201 may determine that DTX may be used on SL transmissions to UE 202. At step 242, UE 201 may send a request message to UE 202 to enable SL DRX. …”) during the following periods (“[0505] … The SL DRX active time may comprise one or more of the following times:”):
a period for receiving a unicast connection establishment request and before completing unicast establishment (FIG. 16 and the related text, such as the period between step 240 to 244” and “[0002] … The communication may be unicast (between a UE and a single peer UE)”);
a period of waiting to receive a channel state information CSI report (FIG. 16 and the related text, such as “[0505] … The SL DRX active time may comprise one or more of the following times: … times during which UE has issued a Channel State information (CSI) request to a communicatively connected peer UE and the MAC entity is waiting for the SL-CSI report (from this peer UE)”);
a period of sending a first request message and before receiving a response message of the first request message (FIG. 16 and the related text, such as the period between step for sending SL DRX Request 242 to step for receiving SL DRX response 244”); and
a period of sending a unicast connection setup request and before completing unicast establishment (FIG. 16 and the related text, such as the period between step 240 to 244” and “[0002] … The communication may be unicast (between a UE and a single peer UE)”);
sending, by the first terminal device, first configuration information to a second terminal device (FIG. 16, UE2) to request establishment of a sidelink connection to the first terminal device (FIG. 16 and the related text, such as step 242, and “[0216] … At step 242, UE 201 may send a request message to UE 202 to enable SL DRX. …”); and
monitoring, by the first terminal device, sidelink control information (SCI) within the DRX activation time (FIG. 17 and the related text, steps 256-258, and “[0230] At step 256, UE 201 sends a message to UE 203 to inform UE 203 that UE 201 will be using DRX, and providing the SL DRX configuration. This message may be a new RRC message, a new IE in an existing RRC message, a MAC CE message, or alternatively a layer 1 control message (such as carried in the SCI). [0231] … At step 257, UE 203 stores the relevant DRX configuration for UE 201. At step 258, UE 203 sends a confirmation message to UE 201 …“);
receiving, by the first terminal device within the DRX activation time, first SCI sent by a second terminal device, wherein first data associated with the first SCI is data of the first terminal device, and the first SCI indicates that the second terminal device reserves a retransmission resource of the first data for the first terminal device (FIGs. 16-17 and the related text, such as, step 242, 256, and “[0230] At step 256, UE 201 sends a message to UE 203 to inform UE 203 that UE 201 will be using DRX, and providing the SL DRX configuration. This message may be … a MAC CE message, or alternatively a layer 1 control message (such as carried in the SCI). [0231] … At step 257, UE 203 stores the relevant DRX configuration for UE 201. At step 258, UE 203 sends a confirmation message to UE 201, confirming that it has received the SL DRX configuration. …“); and
determining, by the first terminal device, a duration T1 of a first timer based on a time interval between a current transmission resource and a next transmission resource (FIGs. 16-20 and the related text, such as step 241 in view of “[0305] Each of the SL DRX configurations for the UE may be configured with parameters, such as drx-onDurationTimerSL, drx-InactivityTimerSL, drx-RetransmissionTimerTXSL, drx-RetransmissionTimerRXSL, drx-LongCycleStartOffsetSL, drx-ShortCycleSL, drx-SlotOffsetSL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerRXSL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerTXSL or drx-ShortCycleTimerSL. ...”), wherein the first timer is used to control a minimum length of a time before next data retransmission in a same hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process (FIGs. 16-20 and the related text, such as “[0311] drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerRXSL (per SL HARQ process): the minimum duration before a SL assignment for HARQ retransmission is expected by the MAC entity” note that the first timer information is included in the SL DRX Request message to be sent by the first terminal device, such as UE1 in FIG. 16).
DI is silent on, but Kung, in the same field of endeavor of Sidelink communication, discloses that the first timer is started indicated by the first SCI received from the second terminal device (“[0392] … The UE monitors the PDCCH when the timer is running. A purpose for the timer is for the UE to monitor other PDCCH indicating new transmission scheduled by a base station. If concept of the timer is reused for SL, and the Rx UE receives a SCI indicating new transmission from a Tx UE, the Rx UE could start or restart the timer in response to the reception of the SCI. …”; note that the SCI is received from the sending/second terminal). OOSA would have been motivated to apply the teaching of Kung above to the sidelink communication system by DI to yield a predictable result of monitoring sidelink communication.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to OOSA before the effective filing date of the application to combine Hosseini and DI for the benefit of monitoring sidelink communication ([0392] of Kung).
Independent claim 8 is rejected because it is a claim of a generic apparatus that performs the method of claim 2 and has the same subject matter.
Independent claims 21 and 23 are rejected because each of them comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 2 and has the same subject matter.
As to claims 3, 10, 23 and 26, DI in view of Kung discloses claims 2, 8, 21 and 24, DI further discloses:
receiving, by the first terminal device within the DRX activation time, second SCI sent by the second terminal device, wherein second data transmitted on associated with the second SCI is data of the first terminal device, and the second SCI indicates that the second terminal device does not reserve a retransmission resource for the first terminal device (FIGs. 16-17 and the related text, such as, step 244, 258, which include SCI included in the SL DRX Response message sent by the UE2, in view of explanation of the parent claims); and
determining, by the first terminal device, duration of a second timer based on configuration information received from the second terminal device, wherein the configuration information comprises information about the second timer, and the second timer is used to control a time from next data retransmission in a same hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process (FIGs. 16-20 and the related text, such as “[0305] Each of the SL DRX configurations for the UE may be configured with parameters, such as drx-onDurationTimerSL, drx-InactivityTimerSL, drx-RetransmissionTimerTXSL, drx-RetransmissionTimerRXSL, drx-LongCycleStartOffsetSL, drx-ShortCycleSL, drx-SlotOffsetSL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerRXSL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerTXSL or drx-ShortCycleTimerSL. ...”), wherein the first timer is used to control a minimum length of a time before next data retransmission in a same hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process (FIGs. 16-20 and the related text, such as “[0311] drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerRXSL (per SL HARQ process): the minimum duration before a SL assignment for HARQ retransmission is expected by the MAC entity;” in view of the parent claims; note that the second timer information is included in the SL DRX Response message received by the first terminal device, such as UE1 in FIG. 16).
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 JIANYE WU whose telephone number is (571)270-1665. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 8am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yemane Mesfin can be reached on (571) 272-3927. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JIANYE WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2462