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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 16,1-3,6-10,14,15,17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0330042 A1 to Liu et al.
As to claim 16, Liu discloses A terminal, comprising a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the following steps are implemented (Figs. 1, 2,5, paragraphs 317: “second node” or UE 241, teaching “terminal”, and the associated components recited above):
determining an overhead reference value for DMRS based on first information, wherein the first information comprises at least one of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration information, sidelink control information (SCI) (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, disclosing “first signaling [“first information”] is SCI” [teaching “wherein the first information comprises at least one of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) configuration information, sidelink control information (SCI)”], where “first signaling indicates the first reference signal” and “the first reference signal comprises a Demodulation Reference Signal DMRS”, and “the first signaling indicates the first time-frequency resource set”, where first node/UE 201 transmits to second node/UE 241 the “first reference signal … in a first time-frequency resource set in step 102”, wherein the information pertaining to the “first time-frequency resource set” conveyed through and in “the first signaling” teaches “an overhead reference value for DMRS” ), or higher-layer signaling configuration information, and the overhead reference value comprises a time-domain overhead reference value and a frequency-domain overhead reference value (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, teaching “the first signaling indicates a spectrum of the first reference signal” and “the first signaling indicates time-domain resources comprises in the first time-frequency resource set”, further see Fig. 14, paragraphs 569-570, disclosing that the “first time-frequency resource set” comprises a time-domain value and a frequency domain value; paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern, all of the above teaching this limitation).
As to claims 1 and 20, see rejection for claim 16.
As to claim 2, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu discloses wherein the time-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is determined based on a pattern of the DMRS. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, teaching that the “first time-frequency resource set” is used to convey the “first reference signal”/DMRS, where Fig. 14 and paragraphs 569-592, for instance, disclose that the “first time-frequency resource set” may be of different sizes and dimensions to accommodate the DMRS; paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern, teaching this limitation )
As to claim 3, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 2.
Liu discloses wherein in a case that the pattern of the DMRS is a DMRS pattern indicated by a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) or first- stage SCI (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, teaching that the “first time-frequency resource set” is used to convey the “first reference signal”/DMRS, where Fig. 14 and paragraphs 569-592, for instance, disclose that the “first time-frequency resource set” may be of different sizes and dimensions to accommodate the DMRS; further teaching “the first signaling is used to indicate a number of time-frequency resource(s) used for the first reference signal [i.e., DMRS] in the first time-frequency resource set”, where “first signaling [“first information”] is SCI”), the time-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is the number of symbols for the DMRS pattern (see citations and discussion above, in particular paragraph 116: “the first signaling indicates the at least one slot comprised in the first time-frequency resource set”; paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern).
As to claim 6, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu discloses wherein in a case that a PSFCH is configured for a resource pool, the number of symbols for the time-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is a first symbol quantity; and in a case that no PSFCH is configured for the resource pool, the number of symbols for the time-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is a second symbol quantity. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 116: “the first signaling indicates the at least one slot comprised in the first time-frequency resource set”, and paragraph 442, teaching that the “first time-frequency resource set does not comprise a [PSFCH]”, thus teaching the “PSFCH” may be or may not be “configured for a/the resource pool”, and the DMRS/”first reference signal” may assume particular symbol quantities; paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern, teaching this limitation).
As to claim 7, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu discloses wherein the number of symbols for the time- domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is a third symbol quantity, and the third symbol quantity is a quantity indicated by first-stage SCI (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 116: “the first signaling indicates the at least one slot comprised in the first time-frequency resource set”, where each slot is well understood by a phosita to be comprised of a number of symbols), and the third symbol quantity is a quantity indicated by first-stage SCI (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraphs 89,92, disclosing that the “first signaling” may be embodied by “1st-stage SCI”, teaching this limitation)
As to claim 8, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu discloses wherein the determining a frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS comprises:determining a frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS based on a frequency-domain resource occupied by a physical sidelink shared channel PSSCH (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 181: “first reference signal comprises a Pssch dmrs”, teaching this limitation in view of the discussion in claim 1/16), wherein the frequency-domain resource occupied by the PSSCH is a frequency-domain resource for data transmission by the terminal or a frequency-domain resource indicated by the first-stage SCI. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraphs 89,92, disclosing that the “first signaling” may be embodied by “1st-stage SCI”, and paragraph 80, disclosing that “first signaling” may be in PSSCH, where paragraphs 108-118, disclosing that the “First signaling” indicates “spectrum” and “frequency domain” resources of the “first reference signa”/”first time-frequency resource set”, teaching “a frequency-domain resource indicated by the first-stage SCI”, teaching this limitation)
As to claim 9, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 8.
Liu discloses wherein on a first DMRS symbol, the frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is 1/N of the frequency- domain resource occupied by the PSSCH, wherein N is an integer greater than 1. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 181: “first reference signal comprises a Pssch dmrs”; further see Fig. 6 and paragraphs 382-395, case C and case D, where the “first reference signal”/DmRS in symbol 1, i.e., the “first DMRS symbol”, the frequency domain overhead is visibly less than the entire depicted frequency band, and appears to be half of the entire frequency band, teaching N=2).
As to claim 10, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 8.
Liu discloses wherein the frequency-domain resource occupied by the PSSCH is related to the number of subchannels and a subchannel size for the terminal. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 181: “first reference signal comprises a Pssch dmrs”, where “first reference signal” is transmitted in the “first time-frequency resource set”; further see Fig. 14 and paragraphs 119, 592-599, disclosing “variable” subchannel resources and number in the “frequency domain resource unit” in the “first time-frequency resource set”, teaching this limitation).
As to claim 14, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu discloses wherein in a case that the DMRS comprises a third DMRS symbol and no PSSCH is mapped on the third DMRS symbol, the frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS on the third DMRS symbol is a third preset value. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 181: “first reference signal comprises a Pssch dmrs”, further see Fig. 6, cases C and D, where the “first reference signal”/DMRS in symbol 7 is the “third DMRS symbol” and no PSSCH is shown as “mapped on the third DMRS symbol” since symbol 7’s entire frequency band is mapped to the “first reference signal”/DMRS, the frequency domain overhead for the “first reference signal”/DMRS is disclosed as the entire frequency band of symbol 7 or “first time-frequency resource set”, i.e., “a third preset value”).
As to claim 15, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 14.
Liu discloses wherein the third DMRS symbol is determined based on the number of available PSSCH symbols and an indicated DMRS pattern (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 181: “first reference signal comprises a Pssch dmrs”, further see Fig. 6, cases C and D, where the “first reference signal”/DMRS is mapped to the PSSCH’s symbols; paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern); or,
wherein the third preset value is 1/N of a frequency-domain resource occupied by a PSSCH, wherein N is an integer greater than 1; and the frequency-domain resource occupied by the PSSCH is a frequency-domain resource for data transmission by the terminal or a frequency-domain resource indicated by the first-stage SCI; or,
wherein in a case that a cyclic prefix is a normal cyclic prefix (NCP), the third DMRS symbol is DMRS symbol 10; or in a case that a cyclic prefix is an extended cyclic prefix (ECP), the third DMRS symbol is DMRS symbol 8, DMRS symbol 9, or DMRS symbol 10.
As to claims 17,18,19, see rejections for claims 2,3,6, in the same order.
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.
Claim(s) 5,11,12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022/0330042 A1 to Liu et al., in view of U.S. Patent Publication NO. 2020/0146000 A1 to Shin et al.
As to claim 5, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 2.
Liu discloses wherein in a case that only one DMRS pattern is configured by using higher-layer signaling, the time-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS is the number of symbols for the DMRS pattern. (Figs. 1,2,5, paragraphs 78-115, 130,316-317, 370-381, in particular paragraph 147: first signaling indicates “first reference signal”/DMRS pattern, paragraph 116: first signaling indicating “at least one slot” of the first reference signal/DMRS; paragraph 79-96: first signaling embodied by higher layer signaling)
Liu does not appear to explicitly disclose DMRS pattern configured by using RRC signaling.
Shin discloses DMRS pattern configured by using RRC signaling. (paragraphs 124-125)
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the teachings as disclosed in Shin, in conjunction with the teachings of Liu, to reject the limitations of this claim, since a phosita would have found it obvious to modify/characterize the DMRS pattern in Liu by being configured by using RRC signaling as taught specifically in Shin. This is at least because the cited references are in the same field of endeavor of control signaling mapping and allocation. The suggestion/motivation would have been to optimize and improve methods for mapping and allocating resources for network control signaling. (Liu, paragraphs 1-59; Shin, paragraphs 1-10 ). Furthermore, please note that the features of the limitations above have been shown to be known or disclosed in the cited references, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date.
As to claim 11, Liu discloses the terminal as in the parent claim 1.
Liu does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein in a case that a second DMRS symbol overlaps a PSCCH symbol, a frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS on the second DMRS symbol is an overhead reference value excluding a first preset value.
Shin discloses wherein in a case that a second DMRS symbol overlaps a PSCCH symbol, a frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS on the second DMRS symbol is an overhead reference value excluding a first preset value. (paragraphs 238-243, teaching if a PSSCH DMRS overlaps in time a PSCCH, then the PSSCH DMRS “may be transmitted in another frequency domain”, teaching the “frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS on the second DMRS symbol” is adjusted, teaching this limitation)
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the teachings as disclosed in Shin, in conjunction with the teachings of Liu, to reject the limitations of this claim, since a phosita would have found it obvious to modify/characterize the DMRS pattern in Liu with the DMRS teaching(s) as taught specifically in Shin above. This is at least because the cited references are in the same field of endeavor of control signaling mapping and allocation. The suggestion/motivation would have been to optimize and improve methods for mapping and allocating resources for network control signaling. (Liu, paragraphs 1-59; Shin, paragraphs 1-10 ). Furthermore, please note that the features of the limitations above have been shown to be known or disclosed in the cited references, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date.
As to claim 12, Liu and Shin teach the terminal as in the parent claim 11.
Liu does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the first preset value is a size of a subchannel in which the PSCCH is located, or is a size of a subchannel in a resource pool in which the terminal is located, or is a size of a frequency-domain resource occupied by the PSCCH.
Shin discloses wherein the first preset value is a size of a subchannel in which the PSCCH is located, or is a size of a subchannel in a resource pool in which the terminal is located, or is a size of a frequency-domain resource occupied by the PSCCH. (paragraphs 238-243, teaching if a PSSCH DMRS overlaps in time a PSCCH, then the PSSCH DMRS “may be transmitted in another frequency domain”, teaching the “frequency-domain overhead reference value for the DMRS on the second DMRS symbol” is adjusted, teaching this limitation)
Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the teachings as disclosed in Shin, in conjunction with the teachings of Liu, to reject the limitations of this claim, since a phosita would have found it obvious to modify/characterize the DMRS pattern in Liu with the DMRS teaching(s) as taught specifically in Shin above. This is at least because the cited references are in the same field of endeavor of control signaling mapping and allocation. The suggestion/motivation would have been to optimize and improve methods for mapping and allocating resources for network control signaling. (Liu, paragraphs 1-59; Shin, paragraphs 1-10 ). Furthermore, please note that the features of the limitations above have been shown to be known or disclosed in the cited references, and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/CHI TANG P CHENG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2463