571DETAILED 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 10-7-2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection.
Please see below the new grounds of rejection.
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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 18-22 and 29-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam 20220368487 in view of Ang 20200221384.
As to claim 1, Nam discloses an apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) [115,805] comprising: a processor [840]; memory [830] coupled with the processor (see par. 0007, 0122); and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:
receive control signaling indicating one or more parameters for a wakeup signal associated with a sensing reference signal [410] (see par. 0097);
receive, while operating in an idle mode, the wakeup signal based at least in part on the one or more parameters, the wakeup signal indicating for the UE to wake up [415,425] (see par. 0005-0006, 0098); and
communicate the sensing reference signal based at least in part on reception of the wakeup signal [440] (see par. 0084, 0097, 0099).
Nam fails to disclose the intended use to communicate the sensing reference signal. In an analogous art, Ang discloses the wakeup signal indicating for the UE to wake up to communicate the sensing reference signal (see par. 0071). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the at before the effective filing date of the present invention to combine the teachings for the simple purpose of improving power efficiency of the DRX cycle while assist in measurement and/or feedback of channel and improve the communication (see par. 0007).
As to claim 2, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:
monitor for the wakeup signal during one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions, wherein the one or more parameters for the wakeup signal indicates the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions (see par. 0006, 0010, 0040).
As to claim 3, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions are periodic or semi-persistent (see par. 0011).
As to claim 4, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions correspond to synchronization signal block occasions, paging occasions, portions of a discontinuous reception cycle, or wakeup signal monitoring occasions, or any combination thereof (see par. 0040).
As to claim 5, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:
receive a control message activating the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions, wherein monitoring for the wakeup signal is based at least in part on the control message activating the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions (see par. 0040, 0077, 0082-0083).
As to claim 18, Nam discloses an apparatus [105,805] for wireless communications at a network entity, comprising: a processor [840]; memory [830] coupled with the processor (see par. 0018, 0122); and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:
transmit control signaling indicating one or more parameters for a wakeup signal associated with a sensing reference signal [410] (see par. 0097);
transmit, to a user equipment (UE) operating in an idle mode, the wakeup signal based at least in part on the one or more parameters, the wakeup signal indicating for the UE to wake up [415,425] (see par. 0005-0006, 0098); and
communicate the sensing reference signal based at least in part on transmission of the wakeup signal [440] (see par. 0084, 0097, 0099).
Nam fails to disclose the intended use to communicate the sensing reference signal. In an analogous art, Ang discloses the wakeup signal indicating for the UE to wake up to communicate the sensing reference signal (see par. 0071). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the at before the effective filing date of the present invention to combine the teachings for the simple purpose of improving power efficiency of the DRX cycle while assist in measurement and/or feedback of channel and improve the communication (see par. 0007).
As to claim 19, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions to transmit the wakeup signal are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit the wakeup signal during one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions, wherein the one or more parameters for the wakeup signal indicates the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions (see par. 0006, 0010, 0040).
As to claim 20, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein: the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions are periodic or semi-persistent (see par. 0011).
As to claim 21, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions correspond to synchronization signal block occasions, paging occasions, portions of a discontinuous reception cycle, or wakeup signal monitoring occasions, or any combination thereof (see par. 0040).
As to claim 22, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a control message activating the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions at the UE, wherein transmitting the wakeup signal is based at least in part on the control message activating the one or more sensing wakeup signal monitoring occasions (see par. 0040, 0077, 0082-0083).
Regarding claims 29-30, they are the corresponding method claims of device claims 1 and 18. Therefore, claims 29-30 are rejected for the same reason as shown above.
Claim(s) 6 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam in view of Ang and further in view of Feng 20250024376.
As to claim 6, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to receive the wakeup signal are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive the wakeup signal based at least in part on a waveform and/or configuration, wherein the one or more parameters for the wakeup signal includes the waveform and/or configuration (see par. 0040, 0054, 0097). Nam fails to disclose sensing wakeup signal. In an analogous art, Feng discloses a sensing wakeup signal (see par. 0220). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention that a wakeup signal is a sensing signal; thereby, a sensing wakeup signal and permitting the detection of the signal.
As to claim 23, Nam discloses the apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions to transmit the wakeup signal are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit the wakeup signal with a waveform and/or configuration, wherein the one or more parameters for the wakeup signal includes the waveform and/or configuration (see par. 0040, 0054, 0097). Nam fails to disclose sensing wakeup signal. In an analogous art, Feng discloses a sensing wakeup signal (see par. 0220). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention that a wakeup signal is a sensing signal; thereby, a sensing wakeup signal and permitting the detection of the signal.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCOS L TORRES whose telephone number is (571)272-7926. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM M-F.
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MARCOS L. TORRES
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2647
/MARCOS L TORRES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2647