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
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment, filed 03/10/2026, has been entered and carefully considered. Claims 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 are amended. Claims 1-11 and 16-26 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1-11 and 16-26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1, applicant argued that Zhang does not disclose receive a grant scheduling a downlink data transmission on a first carrier, the downlink data transmission comprising a priority level satisfying a priority threshold.
Examiner respectfully disagrees.
Zhang discloses in Paragraph 0073, UE 120 may receive downlink signaling for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) on all activated serving cells of eNB 110. UE 120 may perform a carrier switching based on data/scheduling grant that UE 120 receives first. Paragraph 0078 discloses UE performs the prioritization based on the configuration information that it receives and perform the switching of antenna/channels/carrier/radio bearer based on the prioritization. Zhang discloses switching mechanism based on prioritization.
Rico discloses in Fig. 13, Paragraph 0130-0131 disclose as part of the determination at 1210, the UE may determine at 1236 whether to apply a prioritization rule or puncturing of the uplink transmission based on at least one of the interruption time for switching between the second CC and the first CC and a capability of the UE. In determining whether to adjust the uplink transmission, the downlink transmission or the SRS, the UE may apply the instructions received at 1236 by restricting a PUCCH transmission to the subset of uplink subframes of the second CC based on the indication. The UE may puncture the uplink transmission to transmit the SRS (reference signal transmission), e.g., at 1228 when a switch from the first CC to the second CC is intra-band.
Applicant further stated Zhang does not disclose a priority threshold to which a priority level of a downlink transmission is compared.
Claim 1 does not disclose any comparison.
Claim does not disclose any information about condition of satisfying “priority threshold”.
Examiner recommend to clarify identify a switching rule", how does UE know when to use carrier switch or when to use antenna switch and further define priority threshold.
Similar arguments are applied to claim 16.
Thus, rejection of claims 1-11 and 16-26 is maintained under 35 U.S.C. 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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 3, 10-11, 16, 18 and 25-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rico Alvarino et al. (US 2017/0324528 A1, reference listed in IDS, hereinafter referred as “Rico”) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2016/0226632 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Rico discloses an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor, memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to (Fig. 17, paragraph 0136, element 1714 are components of a UE, further UE comprises a processor/processing system 1704, memory 1706 to perform the necessary functions): identify a switching rule pertaining to either carrier switching or antenna switching associated with the UE performing a reference signal transmission scheduled on a second carrier (Fig. 13, Paragraphs 0128-0130 disclose the determination at 1210, the UE may determine at 1236 whether to apply a prioritization rule or puncturing (UE identify the switching mechanism) of the uplink transmission based on at least one of the interruption time (based on switching rule which is interruption time and/or prioritization rule) for switching between the second CC and the first CC. Further comprising determining whether to adjust the uplink transmission or the downlink transmission or the SRS, the UE may apply the instructions received at 1236 by restricting the transmission to the subset of uplink subframes of the second CC based on the indication. The UE may puncture the uplink transmission to transmit the SRS, e.g., at 1228 when a switch from the first CC to the second CC is intra-band. Also Paragraphs 0086-0087, identify the collision and disclose the mechanism of inter-band/intra-band switching and/or channels (antenna switching) involved in switching);
determine that the reference signal transmission is scheduled on the second carrier within a time threshold of the downlink data transmission on the first carrier (Fig. 13, Paragraph 0130-0131 disclose as part of the determination at 1210, the UE may determine at 1236 whether to apply a prioritization rule or puncturing of the uplink transmission based on at least one of the interruption time for switching between the second CC and the first CC and a capability of the UE. In determining whether to adjust the uplink transmission, the downlink transmission or the SRS, the UE may apply the instructions received at 1236 by restricting a PUCCH transmission to the subset of uplink subframes of the second CC based on the indication. The UE may puncture the uplink transmission to transmit the SRS (reference signal transmission), e.g., at 1228 when a switch from the first CC to the second CC is intra-band);
and receive the downlink data transmission instead of performing the reference signal transmission based at least in part on the switching rule and the priority level of the downlink data transmission satisfying the priority threshold (Paragraphs 0086-0089, 0118-0119 disclose at 1204, the UE determines whether to transmit an uplink transmission on a second CC in a subframe, at 1206 the UE determines whether to receive a downlink transmission in the subframe on the second CC. When the UE has determined to transmit an uplink transmission at 1204 or to receive a downlink transmission at 1206, the UE determines, at 1208, whether a transmission of an SRS in an uplink portion of the first CC would at least partially collide in the subframe with one of the uplink transmissions from 1204 or the downlink transmission from 1206. If the UE does not determine that a collision would occur, the UE transmits the uplink transmission at 1209 or receives the downlink transmission at 1211. Paragraphs 0121-0123 disclose, the determination of UE receiving the downlink transmission is based on the interruption time and paragraphs 0128-0130 discloses the mechanism of UE using the prioritization rule).
Rico does not explicitly disclose the mechanism of receive grant scheduling specifically, receive a grant scheduling a downlink data transmission on a first carrier, the downlink data transmission comprising a priority level satisfying a priority threshold.
In an analogous art, Zhang discloses receive a grant scheduling a downlink data transmission on a first carrier, the downlink data transmission comprising a priority level satisfying a priority threshold (Paragraph 0073 discloses UE 120 may receive downlink signaling for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) on all activated serving cells of eNB 110. UE 120 may perform a carrier switching based on data/scheduling grant that UE 120 receives first. Paragraph 0078 discloses UE performs the prioritization based on the configuration information that it receives and perform the switching of antenna/channels/carrier/radio bearer based on the prioritization).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the technique of Zhang to the system of Rico to provide the mechanism of enhancing carrier aggregation by providing receiving, by the UE, an indication of a switching via one or more radio resource control (RRC) signals and/or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signals (Paragraph 0042, Zhang).
Regarding claim 16, claim 16, comprises substantially similar limitations as claimed above in claim 1, claimed as a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) to perform the steps as disclosed in claim 1.
Regarding claims 3 and 18, Rico discloses wherein the instructions to identify the switching rule are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive an indication that the switching rule pertains to carrier switching between the first carrier and the second carrier for UE to perform the reference signal transmission on the second carrier (Fig. 13, Paragraphs 0128-0130 disclose the determination at 1210, the UE may determine at 1236 whether to apply a prioritization rule or puncturing (UE identify the switching mechanism) of the uplink transmission based on at least one of the interruption time (based on switching rule which is interruption time and/or prioritization rule) for switching between the second CC and the first CC. Further comprising determining whether to adjust the uplink transmission or the downlink transmission or the SRS, the UE may apply the instructions received at 1236 by restricting the transmission to the subset of uplink subframes of the second CC based on the indication. The UE may puncture the uplink transmission to transmit the SRS, e.g., at 1228 when a switch from the first CC to the second CC is intra-band. Also Paragraphs 0086-0087, identify the collision and disclose the mechanism of inter-band/intra-band switching and/or channels (antenna switching) involved in switching).
Regarding claim 10 and 25, Rico discloses wherein the switching rule comprises a carrier switching rule, an antenna switching rule, or both (Fig. 13, Paragraphs 0128-0130 disclose the determination at 1210, the UE may determine at 1236 whether to apply a prioritization rule or puncturing (UE identify the switching mechanism) of the uplink transmission based on at least one of the interruption time (based on switching rule which is interruption time and/or prioritization rule) for switching between the second CC and the first CC. Further comprising determining whether to adjust the uplink transmission or the downlink transmission or the SRS, the UE may apply the instructions received at 1236 by restricting the transmission to the subset of uplink subframes of the second CC based on the indication. The UE may puncture the uplink transmission to transmit the SRS, e.g., at 1228 when a switch from the first CC to the second CC is intra-band. Also Paragraphs 0086-0087, identify the collision and disclose the mechanism of inter-band/intra-band switching and/or channels (antenna switching) involved in switching).
Regarding claim 11 and 26, Rico discloses wherein the reference signal transmission comprises a sounding reference signal transmission (Fig. 13, Paragraphs 0128-0130 disclose, reference signals as SRS, sounding reference signal transmission).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4-9, 17, 19-24 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Basu Mallick et al. (US 2022/0007231 A1) discloses detecting a time-domain collision between a sidelink (“SL”) transmission and an uplink (“UL”) transmission, wherein the remote unit does not support simultaneous transmission on both SL and UL; identifying a QoS priority of the SL transmission; identifying a QoS priority of the UL transmission; and prioritizing the SL transmission over the UL transmission in response to the QoS priority of the SL transmission being less than a SL priority threshold and the QoS priority of the UL transmission not being less than a UL priority threshold (Paragraph 0185).
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 ROMANI OHRI whose telephone number is (571)272-5420. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am-5:00pm.
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/ROMANI OHRI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2413
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