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 Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed on 09/30/2025 has been entered. Independent Claims 1, 2, and 3 have been amended. No dependent claims have been amended. No claims have been cancelled. No claims are new and have been entered. Claims 1-3 are still pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 09/30/2025 on pages 1-2 of applicant’s remark regarding Claims 1, 2, and 3. The applicant argues that Matsumura does not teach the amended claim for a plurality of SCSs with two different configurations, as the independent claims have been amended to say that.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 2, and 3 have been considered, but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specified challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsumura (Pub.: No.: US 20220369138 A1, hereafter “Matsumura”) in view of Wu (Pub. No.: US 20200413414 A1, hereafter “Wu”).
Regarding Claim 1, Claim 2, and Claim 3
Matsumura teaches a UE, a Base Station, and a Method, comprising
A user equipment (UE) (Matsumura ¶0101: UE), comprising: control circuitry (Matsumura Fig. 13: 1001) configured to determine a maximum number (Matsumura ¶0101: allocate) of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidates (Matsumura ¶0101: plurality of PDCCH candidates) per slot set (¶0101: SCell per TRP to monitor the allocated PDCCH candidates), with multiple slots, for one subcarrier spacing (SCS) configuration (Matsumura ¶0101: correspond to a plurality of TRPs, e.g. SCS configurations, see ¶0097-¶0098), wherein the maximum number of PDCCH candidates (Matsumura ¶0101: maximum number of PDCCH candidates) and a number of slots in the slot set (Matsumura ¶0101: plurality of SS sets, e.g. the allocated slots to be monitored for PDCCH candidates) are predefined for one SCS configuration of a plurality of SCS configurations (Matsumura ¶0101: correspond to a plurality of TRPs, e.g. SCS configurations, see ¶0097, and each embodiment can be employed in combination, see ¶0049; thus, Matsumura teaches a UE allocating PDCCH candidates with a plurality of SS sets withing the maximum number of PDCCH candidates within the slots and within the TRP, e.g. SCS configuration), and allocate (Matsumura ¶0098: UE may allocate) PDCCH candidates to be monitored (Matsumura ¶0098: PDCCH candidates) per the slot set (Matsumura ¶0098: plurality of SS sets) based on the maximum number of PDCCH candidates (Matsumura ¶0098: based on maximum number of monitored PDCCH candidates; Matsumura teaches that the UE allocates PDCCH candidates for a plurality of SS sets based on the maximum number of PDCCH candidates); and receiving circuitry (Matsumura Fig. 13: 1005) configured to monitor (Matsumura ¶0098: monitor) the allocated PDCCH candidates (Matsumura ¶0098: allocated PDCCH candidates) per the slot set (Matsumura ¶0098: SS slots) on a serving cell (Matsumura ¶0098: for the SCell; Matsumura teaches the UE having the ability to monitor the allocated PDCCH candidates for SS slots)
Matsumura does not explicitly teach
wherein a number of slots in a gap between respective first slots in two consecutive slot sets is larger than a number of slots in a first slot set of the two consecutive slot sets for different SCS configurations in the two consecutive slot sets.
However, Wu teaches
wherein a number of slots (Wu ¶0425: SCS, e.g. an element of NR numerology, similar to mini-slots, sub-slots, and slot aggregation, see ¶0004) in a gap (Wu ¶0447-¶0449: target offset) between respective first slots (Wu ¶0425: first SCS) in two consecutive slot sets (Wu ¶0425: second SCS) is larger than a number of slots in a first slot set (Wu ¶0425: second SCS is larger than the first SCS) of the two consecutive slot sets for different SCS configurations (Wu ¶0453: first target value is 7, while the second target value is 3) in the two consecutive slot sets (Wu ¶0425: first and second SCS; Wu teaches a plurality of consecutive SCSs, wherein a second SCS is larger than the first, and with different target values for the plurality of consecutive SCSs).
It would have been obvious for one skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Matsumura by way of Wu, to include an element that teaches a plurality of consecutive SCSs, wherein a second SCS is larger than the first, and with different target values for the plurality of consecutive SCSs, as taught by Wu in ¶0447-¶0453, to improve the NR system about flexible numerology and reduce downtime between switching from multiple SCS and giving the associated data to improve numerology.
Claim 2 differs by the following limitation, which is also taught by the prior art,
A base station (Matsumura Fig. 13: 10; Matsumura teaches a base station)
transmitting circuitry configured to transmit (Matsumura Fig. 13: 1006; Matsumura teaches a base station with an output apparatus)
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.
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/JUSTIN MICHAEL WHITAKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2415
/Sudesh M. Patidar/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2415