Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/031,796

REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION FOR DEVICE-TO-DEVICE COMMUNICATION

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Apr 13, 2023
Examiner
GEORGE, AYANAH S
Art Unit
2467
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Sony Group Corporation
OA Round
3 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 5m
To Grant
93%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
431 granted / 498 resolved
+28.5% vs TC avg
Moderate +6% lift
Without
With
+6.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
529
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.1%
-35.9% vs TC avg
§103
55.3%
+15.3% vs TC avg
§102
23.8%
-16.2% vs TC avg
§112
11.1%
-28.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 498 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
DETAILED ACTION 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/7/26 has been entered. 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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. 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, 5-11, 15-19 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZTE “Discussion on remaining issues on V2P”, herein ZTE and Folke et al. (WO 2015/112068), herein Folke. As to claim 1, ZTE teaches a method, for use in a wireless communication device, for performing device-to-device (D2D), D2D, communication, said method comprising: Obtaining measurement data which is indicative of one or more of: a spatial or temporal property of the wireless communication device, or presence of other wireless communication devices (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id); determining, based on the measurement data, a configuration of resource pool monitoring for D2D communication with one or more of the other wireless communication devices, wherein the configuration of resource pool monitoring is determined such that an extent of resources that are monitored during the resource pool monitoring is adjusted based on the measurement data in order to adjust power efficiency of the D2D communication (ZTE Page 3 lines 1-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id and zones nearby (size is adjusted) lines 3-4 P-UE reception needs to be optimized for purpose of power efficiency); and performing the D2D communication in accordance with the determined configuration of resource pool monitoring (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id and lines 3-4 P-UE reception needs to be optimized for purpose of power efficiency and line 9 only monitors zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id); ZTE does not teach In one or more of a time duration domain and/or a frequency domain However Folke does teach In one or more of a time duration domain and/or a frequency domain (Folke page 13 lines 32-35 and page 14 lines 1-3 the network node may take any of the following actions as a way to increase resources assigning a new carrier, increasing carrier bandwidth) It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZTE and Folke, because Folke teaches us The network node 111 may need to perform a number of Radio Resource Management (RRM) operations in order to perform efficient resource allocation. In 20 particular, the balance between allocated D2D resources and cellular resources may be a function of the traffic load and interference scenarios for respectively D2D and cellular traffic, since D2D and cellular may share resources from the same radio carrier (Folke page 14 lines 19-23) As to claim 28, ZTE teaches a method carried out in a base station of a wireless communication network for enabling device-to-device, D2D, communication between wireless communication devices, said method comprising: transmitting, to at least a subset of the wireless communication devices a set of configurations for resource pool monitoring for D2D communication between the wireless communication devices, wherein the configurations define a periodicity of the resource pool monitoring, and an extent of resources that are monitored during the resource pool monitoring, and wherein the configurations differ by the size of the resources (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id);. ZTE does not teach In one or more of a time duration domain and/or a frequency domain However Folke does teach In one or more of a time duration domain and/or a frequency domain (Folke page 13 lines 32-35 and page 14 lines 1-3 the network node may take any of the following actions as a way to increase resources assigning a new carrier, increasing carrier bandwidth) It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZTE and Folke for the same reasons stated in claim 1. As to claim 2, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 1, wherein the measurement data is obtained to be indicative of a traffic-related risk of a user of the wireless communication device (ZTE page 12 section 2.2 lines 3-8 only when P-UE is in vulnerable situation, the operations could be enabled/disabled based on location) As to claim 3, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 2, wherein the traffic-related risk is in relation to other wireless communication devices that perform the D2D communication (ZTE page 3 lines 4-5 information of far away vehicles poses less risk so P-UE may only need to receive V2P messages on local area) As to claim 5, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 4, wherein said determining comprises: selecting the configuration among a group of available configurations of resource pool monitoring stored in the wireless communication device (ZTE page 3 lines 6-7 P-UE can only monitors on V2V transmission resource pools corresponding to the zone P-UE resides and nearby) As to claim 6, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 5, wherein the available configurations in said group differ by at least one of a periodicity of the resource pool monitoring, or size of the resources that are monitored (ZTE page 3 lines 1-7 monitoring on all pools or the zone P-UE resides and nearby zones) As to claim 7, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 4, further comprising: obtaining at least part of the available configurations and storing said at least part of the available configurations in the wireless communication device (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) As to claim 8 , the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication devices are configured for communication with a cellular network, wherein the method comprises receiving said at least part of the available configurations by the wireless communication device by communication with the cellular network (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) As to claim 9, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 8, wherein said obtaining measurement data, said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring, and said performing the D2D communication are performed without communication with the cellular network (ZTE page 3 proposal 5 P-UE should be preconfigured with zone configuration for V2P messages for power savings) As to claim 10, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 1, any preceding claim, wherein the measurement data indicative of the spatial property comprises one or more of: a current position of the wireless communication device, a current speed of the wireless communication device, or a current distance of the wireless communication device to at least one of the other wireless communication devices (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer) As to claim 11, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 10, wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current position in relation to one or more geofences stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current position (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id As to claim 15, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 10, wherein the measurement data indicative of the temporal property comprises a current time (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation (current time) based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id As to claim 16, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 15, wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current time in relation to one or more time ranges stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current time (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation (current time) based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id As to claim 17, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 1, any preceding claim, wherein the measurement data indicative of the presence of other wireless communication devices comprises a current intensity of communication by the other wireless communication devices (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) As to claim 18, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 17, wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current intensity in relation to one or more intensity thresholds stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current intensity. (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) As to claim 19, the combination of ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 1, any preceding claim, wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: determining the configuration based on detected presence of a beacon signal. (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS (beacon signal) and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) 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) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZTE, Folke and Tenny et al. WO 2020/197904 A1. As to claim 4, ZTE teaches the method of claim 1, ZTE does not teach wherein the configuration of resource pool monitoring is determined such that a periodicity of the resource pool monitoring during the resource pool monitoring is adjusted based on the measurement data. However Tenny does teach wherein the configuration of resource pool monitoring is determined such that a periodicity of the resource pool monitoring during the resource pool monitoring is adjusted based on the measurement data (Tenny [0034] the device adjusts its duty cycle and frequently (medium interval lengths) monitors for alerts in the moderate hazard zone when entering a more hazardous zone the device very frequently (shorter intervals) monitors for alerts) It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZTE and Folke with Tenny, because Tenny teaches us this can help save batter power in low hazard zones Tenny [0036]. Claim(s) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZTE, Folke and TCoolpad “Discussion on power saving for PC5-based V2P” As to claim 12, ZTE and Folke teach the method of claim 10, ZTE nor Folke teach wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current speed in relation to one or more speed thresholds stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current speed. However Coolpad does teach wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current speed in relation to one or more speed thresholds stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current speed (Coolpad page 3 section 3.1 P-UE reception behavior is related to speed) It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZTE and Folke with Coolpad, because Coolpad teaches us power saving mechanisms for P-UE reception behavior in AS layer may need some triggers related to potential factors including P-UE’s location and speed (Coolpad Observation 4) As to claim 13, the combination of ZTE, Folke and Coolpad teach the method of claim 10, further comprising: disabling the resource pool monitoring if the current speed exceeds a speed threshold among the one or more speed thresholds. (Coolpad section 3.1 The control reception behavior based on factors including speed and location) It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of ZTE and Folke with Coolpad for the same reasons stated in claim 11. As to claim 14 , the combination of ZTE and Coolpad teach the method of claim 12, wherein said determining the configuration of resource pool monitoring comprises: evaluating the current distance in relation to one or more distance thresholds stored in the wireless communication device, and determining the configuration based on said evaluating the current distance of the wireless communication device to said at least one of the other wireless communication devices (ZTE Page 2 section 2.2 lines 9-10 P-UE can analyze if it’s in vulnerable situation based on location from equipped GPS and geo map in the application layer (ZTE Page 3 lines 7-9 P-UE obtains zone configuration and V2V transmission pools and then the P-UE can calculate the zone it resides based on its geo information and zone configuration and only monitor zone based V2V transmission pool aligned with its zone id) Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-19 and 28 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 specifically challenged in the argument. Conclusion 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 AYANAH S GEORGE whose telephone number is (571)272-8880. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached at 572-272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. AYANAH S. GEORGE Primary Examiner Art Unit 2467 /AYANAH S GEORGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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Prosecution Timeline

Apr 13, 2023
Application Filed
Jul 10, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103
Sep 24, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 03, 2025
Final Rejection — §103
Dec 08, 2025
Response after Non-Final Action
Jan 06, 2026
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Jan 07, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Jan 26, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Feb 07, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
93%
With Interview (+6.1%)
2y 5m
Median Time to Grant
High
PTA Risk
Based on 498 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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