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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 27, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed February 27, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding claims 25 and 28, the applicant asserts that Grant fails to teach or suggest, as recited in the claims:
“(i) comprise uplink symbol(s) or flexible symbol(s) for time-domain location(s) for all RS resources in a resource set, (ii) satisfy a minimum timing requirement between the triggering PDCCH and all the RS resources in the resource set, and (iii) include symbol(s) indicated as flexible by the identified configuration(s),” as recited in the claims. Specifically, the applicant asserts that Grant fails to teach selecting an available slot based on the latest determination among a plurality of determinations (completed no later than slot n) of a slot satisfying the above-cited “available slot” requirements for the resource set and minimum timing requirement. The examiner respectfully disagrees.
Fig. 9 and pages 23-25 of Grant teaches the UE being triggered to transmit only in the uplink symbols or flexible symbols for time-domain locations for all RS resources in a resource set. Specifically, the cited figs. and pages in Grant (figs. 7 and 9, page 18, lines 20-21, page 23, line 32 - page 24, line 23, page 25, lines 8-11) teach the wireless device transmitting in a slot that is not a downlink slot based on the indicated additional slot offset Δ. The additional slot offset is provided so that the UE/wireless device only transmits in the flexible symbol slot for time-domain locations of the resource set. The additional slot offset also ensures that the UE/wireless device transmits in the uplink symbol or flexible symbol time-domain locations of the RS resources that is right after the downlink slot (see fig. 9, Δ =1 and Δ =5, wherein, if the DCI is received at 906, Δ =1, and if DCI is received at 901 Δ =5, which both represent the minimum time between DCI triggering and all the RS resources in the resource set) (see fig. 9, page 18, lines 18-20, page 24, lines 1-35, page 25, lines 30-34, page 27, lines 1-25). This reads on the limitations “(i) comprise uplink symbol(s) or flexible symbol(s) for time-domain location(s) for all RS resources in a resource set, and (ii) satisfy a minimum timing requirement between the triggering PDCCH and all the RS resources in the resource set, and (iii) include symbol(s) indicated as flexible by the identified configuration(s)” as recited in the claims.
The examiner is interpreting the limitation “latest determination among a plurality of determinations (completed no later than slot n),” as recited in the claims, according to paragraph [0056] of the applicant’s specification. Based on the description provided in this paragraph, Grant’s disclosure of slots 902-906 (if slot n is 901) or slots 905-906 (if slot n is 904) disclose applicant’s claim limitation because the determinations not later than slot n are determinations of all DL time slots, which precede receiving the DCI triggering aperiodic SRS at slots 901 or 904. In fig. 9 of Grant, the DL slots 901-906 are already known before the UE receives the DCI triggering aperiodic SRS (including additional slot offset Δ) in slots 901 or 904. These are time slots the UE knows it should not transmit to, thus enables the UE/wireless device to determine the flexible slot in which the UE should transmit the reference signal (fig. 9, page 23, lines 12-30, page 24 – page 27, line 25). The examiner therefore maintains that Grant discloses the limitation “the available slot is based on a latest determination of a plurality of determinations no later than slot n,” as recited in claims 25 and 28.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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.
Claims 25 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a0(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Grant et al WO 2020084362 A1 (hereinafter Grant).
Regarding claim 25, Grant discloses a method for a terminal (UE/wireless device, see page 11, lines 17-18, page 13, lines 8-21) comprising:
receiving an indication in a slot n for triggering a transmission of a reference signal (page 18, lines 18-20, page 23, lines 8-15 and 27-28); and
transmitting the reference signal in an available slot (figs. 7 and 9, page 18, lines 20-21, page 23, line 32 - page 24, lines 23, page 25, lines 8-11);
wherein:
the available slot comprises uplink symbol(s) or flexible symbol(s) for a time-domain location(s) for all RS resources in a resource set (wireless device transmits the SRS in a slot that is not a downlink slot, figs. 7 and 9, page 18, lines 20-21, page 23, line 32 - page 24, line 23, page 25, lines 8-11); and
the available slot satisfies a minimum timing requirement between triggering PDCCH and all the RS resources in the resource set (slot n+k+Δ, which is the first slot that is not downlink slot after a DCI aperiodic triggering SRS is received in slot n, see fig. 9, page 18, lines 18-20, page 24, lines 1-35, page 25, lines 30-34, page 27, lines 1-25);
symbol(s) in the available slot is indicated as flexible by tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationCommon and/or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated (page 22, lines 31-34, page 27, lines 17-25); and
the available slot is based on a latest determination of a plurality of determinations no later than slot n (slots 901-906, already determined or known as DL slots prior to receiving the DCI triggering aperiodic SRS with slot n+k+Δ, based on additional slot offset Δ. If slot n is 901, the UE already knows/determines slots 902-906 as DL slots, thus enabling UE to skip the DL slots at Δ=5, fig. 9, page 23, lines 12-30, page 24 – page 27, line 25).
Regarding claim 28, Grant discloses a terminal comprising a processor (WD/UE, see figs. 10 and 11, page 27, lines 31-33, page 35, lines 1-8, page 38, lines 6-14, page 40, lines 6-34) configured to:
receive an indication in a slot n for triggering a transmission of a reference signal (page 18, lines 18-20, page 23, lines 8-15 and 27-28); and
transmit the reference signal in an available slot (figs. 7 and 9, page 18, lines 20-21, page 23, line 32 - page 24, lines 23, page 25, lines 8-11),
wherein:
the available slot comprises uplink symbol(s) or flexible symbol(s) for a time-domain location(s) for all RS resources in a resource set (wireless device transmits the SRS in a slot that is not a downlink slot, figs. 7 and 9, page 18, lines 20-21, page 23, line 32 - page 24, line 23, page 25, lines 8-11); and
the available slot satisfies a minimum timing requirement between triggering PDCCH and all the RS resources in the resource set (slot n+k+Δ, which is the first slot that is not downlink slot after a DCI aperiodic triggering SRS is received in slot n, see fig. 9, page 18, lines 18-20, page 24, lines 1-35, page 25, lines 30-34, page 27, lines 1-25);
symbol(s) in the available slot is indicated as flexible by tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationCommon and/or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated (page 22, lines 31-34, page 27, lines 17-25); and
the available slot is based on a latest determination of a plurality of determinations no later than slot n (slots 901-906, already determined or known as DL slots prior to receiving the DCI triggering aperiodic SRS with slot n+k+Δ, based on additional slot offset Δ. If slot n is 901, the UE already knows/determines slots 902-906 as DL slots, thus enabling UE to skip the DL slots at Δ=5, fig. 9, page 23, lines 12-30, page 24 – page 27, line 25).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OLUMIDE T AJIBADE AKONAI whose telephone number is (571)272-6496. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM.
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/OLUMIDE AJIBADE AKONAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3648
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