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 .
Applicant’s RCE filed 1/15/25 is acknowledged.
Claim 1, 6, 15, 16, 21, and 30 are amended.
Claims 1-30 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the independent claims (pages 12-15) in a reply filed 1/7/2026 have been considered but are moot because the arguments are based on newly changed limitations in the amendment and new ground of rejections using newly introduced references or a newly introduced portion of an existing reference are applied in the current rejection.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/15/26 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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, 6, 15-18, 21, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. US 20230131188 (hereinafter “Hu”) in view of Kaikkonen et al. US 20230060961 (hereinafter “Kaikkonen”)
As to claim 1 and 15 (claim 15 is the method claim for the UE in claim 1):
Hu discloses:
An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory (“The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 8 includes a processor 610, and the processor 610 can invoke and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present disclosure.”, Hu [0280]) and configured to: receive, from a base station, a configuration for skipping physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring for a predetermined time period; (“the UE receives the PDCCH skipping instruction from the network device at time T3, and the time interval between time T2 and time T3 is shorter than the first time length.”, Hu [0191])
identify whether a first condition is met during the predetermined time period, the first condition being associated with a first time window that overlaps at least in part with the predetermined time period (FIG. 4-6 shows examples of skipping PDCCH monitoring due to a time window overlapping with a predetermined time period, Hu); and perform the PDCCH monitoring if the first condition is met during the predetermined time period (“the terminal device does not skip monitoring of PDCCH when the time interval between the terminal device transmitting the first information and receiving the first instruction information is shorter than or equal to the first time length; or”, Hu [0173]) or skip the PDCCH monitoring if the first condition is not met during the predetermined time period, the PDCCH monitoring being skipped based on the configuration for skipping the PDCCH monitoring. (“the terminal device skips monitoring of PDCCH when the time interval is longer than the first time length.”, Hu [0174]) (“Further, the UE may control PDCCH monitoring according to the relationship between i) the time interval between time T2 and time T3 and ii) the first time length. Since the time interval between time T2 and time T3 is shorter than the first time length, the UE can ignore the PDCCH skipping instruction and continue to monitor the PDCCH scrambled with the C-RNTI, so as to receive the response from the network in time and ensure a successful BFR.”, Hu [0192])
Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
receive, from the base station, a first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for one or more downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by power saving - radio network temporary identifier (PS-RNTI) (DCP) messages based on the first indication and whether a first condition is met during the predetermined time period;
However, Kaikkonen further teaches receiving indication to monitor DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI which includes:
receive, from the base station, a first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for one or more downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by power saving - radio network temporary identifier (PS-RNTI) (DCP) messages based on the first indication and whether a first condition is met during the predetermined time period; (“In one example embodiment, the wake-up indication is a DCP, the DCP being a notification for the UE to monitor the active BWP during at least one second BWP active-time, the DCP including downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by power saving radio network temporary identity (PS-RNTI).”, Kaikkonen [0015]) (“In 3GPP, the WUS is an indicator called (DCP) downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by power saving radio network temporary identity (PS-RNTI). In alternative expression the WUS or DCP may be referred as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission carrying a wake-up indication. This wake-up indication may include indication for UE to determine whether to start (or not to start) drx-onDuration timer on the next occurrence of the timer and it may additionally include indication regarding SCell(s) and/or SCell group(s) dormancy state.”, Kaikonnen [0053]) (“FIG. 5 illustrates a method of power saving for the UE 106a, in an example embodiment. It should be understood that these steps are performed by the processor 320 of the UE 106a. In an example embodiment, in step S500, the processor 320 receives first configuration information from a network node, the first configuration information including information on the discontinue reception (DRX) cycle and a notification (indicator) to monitor for the downlink control information (DCI) with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by power saving radio network temporary identity (PS-RNTI) (DCP) indicator. In an example embodiment, the network node can be an Evolved Node B (eNBs), a remote radio head (RRH), the gNBs, a femto base station, network controllers, a dedicated server, etc.”, Kaikkonen [0106]) (“In an example embodiment, and in step S504, the processor 320 determines an overlap occurrence using the DRX cycle, the overlap occurrence occurring due to one or more time occurrences overlapping with at least one first bandwidth part (BWP) active-time of an active bandwidth part (BWP) of a physical downlink channel (PDCCH). In an example embodiment, and in step S506, the processor 320 activates one or more SCells, of the SCells 102a, 102b, 102c, following the determining of the overlap occurrence. In an example embodiment, and in step S508, the processor 320 conducts an operation of data communications with the network node using the activated one or more SCells. This operation can include, for instance, conducting data communications with the network node, conducting a random access channel (RACH) procedure, monitoring PDCCH etc. ”, Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) (Examiner’s Note: after overlapping occurrence is determined, which maps to first condition, PDCCH is monitored)
Hu and Kaikkonen are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include receiving indication to monitor DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI as described in Kaikkonen into Hu. By modifying the method to include receiving indication to monitor DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI as taught by Kaikkonen, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) are achieved.
As to claim 2:
Hu discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first condition is met if 1) a scheduling request (SR) transmitted by the UE is pending, 2) a Message 2 (Msg2) random access response (RAR) window or a Message B (MsgB) response window is not expired, 3) a contention resolution timer is not expired, or 4) an uplink hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission timer is not expired. (“the first information may alternatively be another uplink transmission triggered by the terminal device, or another uplink transmission that cannot be known by the network device. For example, the first information may be a scheduling request, and when the first instruction information is received, the SR is in a pending state, that is, the terminal device is in a state of waiting for the network to respond to the SR. In another example, the first information may be information transmitted on a Configured Grant (CG) resource, and the uplink transmission may be configured to require a feedback from the network, e.g., a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) process corresponding to the CG resource is configured to start a HARQ feedback, or the HARQ feedback for the HARQ process corresponding to the CG resource is not canceled. In these cases, the terminal device expects a response from the network device after transmitting the first information, so the terminal device needs to monitor the PDCCH.”, Hu [0155])
As to claim 3:
Hu discloses:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PDCCH monitoring is skipped during a part of the predetermined time period that does not overlap with the first time window. (FIG. 5 shows skipping PDCCH monitoring when predetermined time period does not overlap with a time window, Hu [FIG. 5])
As to claim 6:
Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein to receive the first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for the one or more DCP messages, the at least one processor is configured to: receive, from the base station, the first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for the one or more DCP messages at one or more DCP monitoring occasions during the predetermined time period;
and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: monitor for the one or more DCP messages or refrain from monitoring for the one or more DCP messages during the predetermined time period based on the first indication.
However, Kaikkonen further teaches DCP monitoring which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, wherein to receive the first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for the one or more DCP messages, the at least one processor is configured to: receive, from the base station, the first indication indicative of whether the UE is to monitor for the one or more DCP messages at one or more DCP monitoring occasions during the predetermined time period;
and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: monitor for the one or more DCP messages or refrain from monitoring for the one or more DCP messages during the predetermined time period based on the first indication. (“If the DCP occasion or occasions overlap with the active time, the UE 106a will start drx-onDurationTimer at the next occasion as it cannot/may not be able to/is not required to decode the DCP. However, in an example embodiment, the processor 220 of the gNB 102 transmits a notification (via an indicator) to the UE 106a, to indicate a configuration for the SCell 102a, 102b, 102c dormancy when the drx-onDurationTimer is started on the next occasion of the timer, but the UE 106a cannot decode it. In an example embodiment, the processor 220 of the gNB 102 may not be aware, before building a DCP message (e.g., if the UE 106a transmitted a scheduling request, whether the UE 106a entered active time before the gNB 102 decoded such event). Said another way, when the processor 220 of the gNB 102 has determined that it shall transmit the DCP at a specific occasion, the processor 320 of the UE 106a may have already entered the UE 106a into a state (e.g., active time state) where the processor 320 of the UE 106a cannot receive the DCP, and thus the rule set of which SCells are active (when the processor 220 of the gNB 102 NW assumes and/or knows that UE 106a has not been able to receive the DCP) is defined for both the network 10 and the UE 106a to enable communication.”, Kaikkonen [0087]) (“In an example embodiment, upon determining DCP to overlap with active time (or, determine a measurement gap or BWP change or UE missing at least one/all occasions of DCP) by the UE 106a, which would prevent the UE 106a from conducting DCP monitoring, the BWP is activated (dormant BWP, non-dormant BWP, first active BWP, regular BWP) for one or more of the SCells 102a, 102b, 102c, or a group or groups of the SCells 102a, 102b, 102c, which can be based on a pre-defined condition(s). For example, the overlap or the overlap occurrence herein refers to a case where UE is not able to, has determined that it was not or will not be able to monitor DCP on one or more or all DCP occasions. As one example, when UE is on active time (i.e. monitoring PDCCH transmission with its own C-RNTI) it is not required to monitor DCP on the configured occasions and thus is not able to receive any wake-up indication to determine whether to start the drx-onDurationtimer on the next occurrence of the timer and would not be able to receive indication regarding SCell dormancy state (e.g. which SCells to switch from dormant to non-dormant state or which SCells keep on dormant state). Alternatively, an overlap occurrence may occur when UE is switching a BWP an is not able or it has missed one ore more DCP occasions on the BWP it switched to. Alternatively UE may need measurement gaps and during the measurement gap it may have limited capability to monitor PDCCH and when one or more DCP occasions overlap with the measurement gap, UE may determine that is was not able to receive/it has missed DCP occasion occasions. These are non-limiting examples.”, Kaikkonen [0089])
Hu and Kaikkonen are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include DCP monitoring as described in Kaikkonen into Hu. By modifying the method to include DCP monitoring as taught by Kaikkonen, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) are achieved.
As to claim 16 and 30 (claim 30 is the method claim for the base station in claim 16):
Claim 16 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 1 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 17:
Claim 17 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 2 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 18:
Claim 18 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 3 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 21:
Claim 21 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 6 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 4 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Liu et al. US 20160119101 (hereinafter “Liu”)
As to claim 4:
The combination of Hu and Kaikkonen as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a time period threshold associated with a transmission of a channel state information (CSI) or a sounding reference signal (SRS); transmit, to the base station during the predetermined time period, one or more of the CSI or the SRS based on an original periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the time period threshold; and refrain from transmitting any CSI or SRS during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is greater than the time period threshold.
However, Liu further teaches reporting CSI only during a predefined time period which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a time period threshold associated with a transmission of a channel state information (CSI) or a sounding reference signal (SRS); (“When the resource may be used for either CSI related to flexible subframes or CSI related to non-flexible subframes, i.e. for both types of CSI, the UE and base station must know, and agree on, when one or the other is transmitted. This will be further described below.”, Liu [0043]) transmit, to the base station during the predetermined time period, one or more of the CSI or the SRS based on an original periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the time period threshold;
and refrain from transmitting any CSI or SRS during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is greater than the time period threshold. (“The determined CSI may be reported to the base station in one or more therefore configured uplink resources. For example, the CSI may be reported until a predefined time period has elapsed after the determining of the CSI. That is, when CSI related to flexible subframes has been determined, this CSI may be reported/transmitted to the base station in uplink resources reserved for this purpose until a predefined time period has elapsed, e.g. since the determining of the CSI. Such a time period may be controlled by a timer or some other time threshold or limit.”, Liu [0044])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Liu are analogous because they pertain to CSI reporting.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include reporting CSI only during a predefined time period as described in Liu into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include reporting CSI only during a predefined time period as taught by Liu, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and improved CSI reporting (Liu [0044]) are achieved.
As to claim 19:
Claim 19 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 4 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 5 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Thangarasa et al. US 20240306057 (hereinafter “Thangarasa”)
As to claim 5:
The combination of Hu and Kaikkonen as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a first time period threshold and an indication of a first relaxation factor, the first time period threshold and the first relaxation factor being associated with a transmission of a channel state information (CSI) or a sounding reference signal (SRS); and transmit, to the base station during the predetermined time period, one or more of the CSI or the SRS based on an original periodicity or a second periodicity, wherein the one or more of the CSI or the SRS is transmitted based on the original periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the first time period threshold, the one or more of the CSI or the SRS is transmitted based on the second periodicity if the predetermined time period is greater than the first time period threshold, the second periodicity is associated with a longer period than the original periodicity, and the second periodicity is based on the first relaxation factor.
However, Thangarasa further teaches reporting CSI during relaxed time period or original time period depending on the length of the time period which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a first time period threshold and an indication of a first relaxation factor, the first time period threshold and the first relaxation factor being associated with a transmission of a channel state information (CSI) or a sounding reference signal (SRS); (“the UE obtains information (e.g., determines based on pre-defined rule, receives from a network node, etc.) about a measurement relaxation factor (K) based on an effective reference signal occasion periodicity (Te) and uses K for operating one or more radio link procedures (RLPs) in relaxed mode, provided that the UE is operating in a certain operational scenario (OS) where the relaxed RLP operation is allowed. In relaxed mode the RLP is performed over an extended measurement or evaluation period (Tmr) which is obtained by scaling the legacy measurement period (Tm) by K, e.g., Tmr=K*Tm.”, Thangarasa [0044])
and transmit, to the base station (“Examples of RLPs comprise RLM related procedures, BM related procedures, etc. Examples of RLM related events comprise in-sync, out-of-sync, radio link failure, etc. Examples of BM related events comprise BFD, CBD, L1-RSRP measurement, L1-RSRP reporting, etc. The procedures may also be referred to as events, operations, tasks, etc.”, Thangarasa [0052]) during the predetermined time period, one or more of the CSI or the SRS based on an original periodicity or a second periodicity, wherein the one or more of the CSI or the SRS is transmitted based on the original periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the first time period threshold, the one or more of the CSI or the SRS is transmitted based on the second periodicity if the predetermined time period is greater than the first time period threshold, the second periodicity is associated with a longer period than the original periodicity, and the second periodicity is based on the first relaxation factor. (FIG. 3 shows the UE performing radio link procedures (RLP) based on the original or effective/relaxed periodicity, Thangarasa)
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Thangarasa are analogous because they pertain to CSI reporting.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include reporting CSI only during a predefined time period as described in Thangarasa into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include reporting CSI only during a predefined time period as taught by Thangarasa, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and improved CSI reporting (Thangarasa [0052]) are achieved.
As to claim 20:
Claim 20 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 5 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 7 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chen et al. US 20230269614 (hereinafter “Chen”)
As to claim 7:
The combination of Hu and Kaikkonen as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a second time period threshold associated with measuring one or more radio link monitoring (RLM) reference signals or one or more beam failure detection (BFD) reference signals; measure the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals based on an original measurement periodicity during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is less than the second time period threshold; and refrain from measuring the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is greater than the second time period threshold.
However, Chen further teaches RLM and BFD measurement based on a threshold which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication (“Optionally, in an embodiment, the terminal 300 further includes a receiving module, where the receiving module may be configured to receive configuration information from a network-side device, and the configuration information is used for configuring a measurement adjustment related parameter.”, Chen [0214]) of a second time period threshold associated with measuring one or more radio link monitoring (RLM) reference signals or one or more beam failure detection (BFD) reference signals; measure the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals based on an original measurement periodicity during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is less than the second time period threshold; and refrain from measuring the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals during the predetermined time period if the predetermined time period is greater than the second time period threshold. (“Optionally, in an embodiment, the measurement adjustment related parameter includes at least one of the following (1) to (4): (1) a value of a related timer after measurement adjustment and/or a maximum value of a counter; (2) a threshold of a timer for determining start or stop of measurement adjustment, and/or a threshold of a counter, or a preset time length, or a preset number of periods; (3) a measurement configuration after measurement adjustment; and (4) permission for RLM and/or BFD measurement adjustment by the terminal.”, Chen [0216])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Chen are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include RLM and BFD measurement based on a threshold as described in Chen into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include RLM and BFD measurement based on a threshold as taught by Chen, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and improved RLM and BFD measurement process (Chen [0216]) are achieved.
As to claim 22:
Claim 22 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 7 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 8 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Laselva et al. WO 2021254590 (hereinafter “Laselva”)
As to claim 8:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a second time period threshold and an indication of a second relaxation factor, the second time period threshold and the second relaxation factor being associated with measuring one or more radio link monitoring (RLM) reference signals or one or more beam failure detection (BFD) reference signals; and measure the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals based on an original measurement periodicity or a second measurement periodicity during the predetermined time period, wherein the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals are measured based on the original measurement periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the second time period threshold, the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals are measured based on the second measurement periodicity if the predetermined time period is greater than the second time period threshold, the second measurement periodicity is associated with a longer period than the original measurement periodicity, and the second measurement periodicity is based on the second relaxation factor.
However, Laselva further teaches RLM and BFD measurement based relaxed periodicity which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a second time period threshold and an indication of a second relaxation factor, the second time period threshold and the second relaxation factor being associated with measuring one or more radio link monitoring (RLM) reference signals or one or more beam failure detection (BFD) reference signals; (FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show the UE receiving an indication of measuring RLM/BFD in relaxed conditions based on whether the length of the measurement period meets a condition, Laselva)
and measure the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals based on an original measurement periodicity or a second measurement periodicity during the predetermined time period, wherein the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals are measured based on the original measurement periodicity if the predetermined time period is less than the second time period threshold, the one or more RLM reference signals or the one or more BFD reference signals are measured based on the second measurement periodicity if the predetermined time period is greater than the second time period threshold, the second measurement periodicity is associated with a longer period than the original measurement periodicity, and the second measurement periodicity is based on the second relaxation factor. (“the present disclosure describes a method for controlling (or managing) the relaxation of RLM measurements. The method may include a UE determining that an RLM measurement period is shorter than a RRM measurement period or a first condition is satisfied and determining a modified RLM measurement period based at least on a SMTC period or RRM period or a scaling of the RLM measurement period. The method further includes performing measurements based at least on the modified RLM measurement period.”, Laselva [0033])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Laselva are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include RLM and BFD measurement based relaxed periodicity as described in Laselva into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include RLM and BFD measurement based relaxed periodicity as taught by Laselva, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and improved RLM and BFD measurement process (Laselva [0033]) are achieved.
As to claim 23:
Claim 22 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 8 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 9-11 and 24-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Zhou et al. US 12295011 (hereinafter “Zhou2”)
As to claim 9:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a first search space switching group (SSSG) associated with a first event; and use the first SSSG at the first event based on the indication of the first SSSG.
However, Zhou2 further teaches SSSG which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: receive, from the base station, an indication of a first search space switching group (SSSG) associated with a first event; and use the first SSSG at the first event based on the indication of the first SSSG. (“FIG. 28A shows an example of DCI format 2_0 comprising one or more search space set group (or SSSG) switching indications (or Search space set group switching flags), according to some embodiments. In an example, a DCI format 2_0 may comprise one or more slot format indicator (e.g., slot format indicator 1, slot format indicator 2, . . . slot format indicator N), one or more available RB set indicators, one or more COT duration indications, one or more SSS group switching flags. In an example, each of the one or more SSS group switching flags may correspond to a respective cell group of a plurality of cell groups. The plurality of cell groups may be implemented based on example embodiments described above with respect to FIG. 26. Each cell group of the plurality of cell groups may comprise one or more cells. A SSS group switching flag, of the one or more SSS group switching flags, corresponding to a cell group, may indicate, when setting to a first value, switching from a first SSS group to a second SSS group for each cell of the cell group”, Zhou2 [282])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Zhou2 are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include SSSG as described in Zhou2 into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include SSSG as taught by Zhou2, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and SSSG for PDCCH monitoring (Zhou2 [282]) are achieved.
As to claim 10:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first event corresponds to at least one of the UE starting a discontinuous reception (DRX) on duration, the UE activating a new bandwidth part (BWP), or the UE activating a new secondary cell (SCell).
However, Zhou2 further teaches SSSG which includes:
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first event corresponds to at least one of the UE starting a discontinuous reception (DRX) on duration, the UE activating a new bandwidth part (BWP), or the UE activating a new secondary cell (SCell). (“As shown in FIG. 28B, the wireless device may monitor PDCCH on a first SSS group (e.g., 1.sup.st SSS group or a SSS with group index 0) based on configuration of SSS groups of a BWP of a cell. The wireless device may be provided by SearchSpaceSwitchTrigger with a location of a search space set group switching flag field for a serving cell in a DCI format 2_0. The SearchSpaceSwitchTrigger may be configured based on example embodiments of FIG. 27. The wireless device may receive a DCI (e.g., 1.sup.st DCI in FIG. 28B with DCI format 2_0). The DCI may indicate a SSS group switching for the cell, e.g., when a value of the SSS group switching flag field in the DCI format 2_0 is 1. In response to receiving the DCI, the wireless device may start monitoring PDCCH according to a second SSS group (e.g., 2.sup.nd SSS group or a SSS with group index 1) and stops monitoring PDCCH on the first SSS group (or the SSS with group index 0 for the serving cell.” Zhou2 [290])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Zhou2 are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include SSSG as described in Zhou2 into Hu as modified Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include SSSG as taught by Zhou2, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and SSSG for PDCCH monitoring (Zhou2 [282]) are achieved.
As to claim 11:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: use a default search space switching group (SSSG) at a first event if an indication of an SSSG is not received from the base station.
However, Zhou2 further teaches SSSG which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: use a default search space switching group (SSSG) at a first event if an indication of an SSSG is not received from the base station. (“In an example, a wireless device may be provided, by searchSpaceSwitchTimer (in units of slots, e.g., as shown in FIG. 26), with a timer value for a serving cell that the wireless device is provided searchSpaceGroupIdList or, if provided, for a set of serving cells provided by cellGroupsForSwitchList.”, Zhou2 [288]) (“In an example, searchSpaceSwitchTimer may be defined as a value in unit of slots for monitoring PDCCH in the active DL BWP of the serving cell before moving to a default search space group (e.g., search space group 0).”, Zhou2 [289])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Zhou2 are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include SSSG as described in Zhou2 into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include SSSG as taught by Zhou2, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145] and Kaikkonen [0108-0110]) and SSSG for PDCCH monitoring (Zhou2 [282]) are achieved.
As to claim 24:
Claim 24 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 9 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 25:
Claim 25 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 10 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 26:
Claim 26 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 11 from the perspective of the base station.
Claim(s) 12-14 and 27-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Kaikkonen, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lee et al. US 20240406974 (hereinafter “Lee”)
As to claim 12:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: transmit, to the base station, one or more indications of one or more UE-requested parameters associated with adaptive PDCCH monitoring, wherein the configuration for skipping the PDCCH monitoring is based on at least one of the one or more UE-requested parameters.
However, Lee further teaches adaptive PDCCH monitoring which includes:
The apparatus of claim 3, the at least one processor being further configured to: transmit, to the base station, one or more indications of one or more UE-requested parameters associated with adaptive PDCCH monitoring, wherein the configuration for skipping the PDCCH monitoring is based on at least one of the one or more UE-requested parameters. (“the number of bits of the PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field may be configured indirectly by determining the maximum number of SSSGs configurable to the UE. Regarding the current Rel-17 RRC parameter, searchSpaceGroupIdList-r17, the parameter maxSearchSpaceGroup-r17, which could signify the maximum number of SSSGs for the UE, is fixed to 3. If the parameter is allowed to be dynamically set to 2 or 3, it may indicate the maximum number of SSSGs that the BS desires to configure to the UE. In addition, the BS uses UE capacity information reported by the UE (e.g., the number of SSSGs that the UE is capable of supporting) or UE assistance information (e.g., the number of SSSGs preferred by the UE) to configure the value of the corresponding parameter.”, Lee [0284])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Lee are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as described in Lee into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as taught by Lee, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145], Kaikkonen [0108-0110], and Lee [0284]) are achieved.
As to claim 13:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more indications of the one or more UE-requested parameters are transmitted to the base station via a UE assistance information (UAI) message.
However, Lee further teaches adaptive PDCCH monitoring which includes:
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more indications of the one or more UE-requested parameters are transmitted to the base station via a UE assistance information (UAI) message. (“the number of bits of the PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field may be configured indirectly by determining the maximum number of SSSGs configurable to the UE. Regarding the current Rel-17 RRC parameter, searchSpaceGroupIdList-r17, the parameter maxSearchSpaceGroup-r17, which could signify the maximum number of SSSGs for the UE, is fixed to 3. If the parameter is allowed to be dynamically set to 2 or 3, it may indicate the maximum number of SSSGs that the BS desires to configure to the UE. In addition, the BS uses UE capacity information reported by the UE (e.g., the number of SSSGs that the UE is capable of supporting) or UE assistance information (e.g., the number of SSSGs preferred by the UE) to configure the value of the corresponding parameter.”, Lee [0284])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Lee are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as described in Lee into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as taught by Lee, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145], Kaikkonen [0108-0110], and Lee [0284]) are achieved.
As to claim 14:
The combination of Kaikkonen and Hu as described above does not explicitly teach:
The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the one or more UE-requested parameters associated with the adaptive PDCCH monitoring include one or more time durations associated with skipping the PDCCH monitoring or at least one time duration associated with a search space switching group (SSSG) switch timer.
However, Lee further teaches adaptive PDCCH monitoring which includes:
The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the one or more UE-requested parameters associated with the adaptive PDCCH monitoring include one or more time durations associated with skipping the PDCCH monitoring or at least one time duration associated with a search space switching group (SSSG) switch timer. (“On the other hand, the corresponding PDCCH monitoring adaptation indication field may be configured in the sequence of BA. As described above, when flag A indicates Beh 1, the same operation as Rel-16 switching is performed. If flag A indicates Beh 1A, the UE first performs the SSSG switching and then monitors an indicated SSSG for a configured timer. If the UE fails to receive DCI indicating different PDCCH monitoring adaptation during the timer, the UE may perform the PDCCH monitoring skipping for the duration X. The UE may continue monitoring the current SSSG or perform monitoring of the default SSSG after the end of the PDCCH monitoring skipping. The timer for continuing the SSSG switching and the monitoring operation after the PDCCH monitoring skipping may be predetermined by RRC or instructed through DCI after being configured via RRC”, Lee [0208])
Hu, Kaikkonen, and Lee are analogous because they pertain to PDCCH monitoring.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as described in Lee into Hu as modified by Kaikkonen. By modifying the method to include adaptive PDCCH monitoring as taught by Lee, the benefits of improved PDCCH monitoring (Hu [0145], Kaikkonen [0108-0110], and Lee [0284]) are achieved.
As to claim 27:
Claim 27 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 12 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 28:
Claim 28 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 13 from the perspective of the base station.
As to claim 29:
Claim 29 is rejected on the same grounds of rejection set forth in claim 14 from the perspective of the base station.
Conclusion
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/A.C.K./
Examiner
Art Unit 2471
/MOHAMMAD S ADHAMI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471