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 .
Response to Amendment
This communication is in response to the amendment of 9/12/2025. All changes made to the claims have been entered. Accordingly, Claims 1 and 3 are currently pending in the application and Claim 2 withdrawn.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the amended subject matter of “transmits, via the transmitter, to the second terminal apparatus, a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive a sidelink data, and the sidelink data is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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(s) 1, 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang (US 2022/0338092).
Regarding claim 1, 3, Wang discloses a third terminal apparatus for communicating with a first terminal apparatus and a second terminal apparatus, the third terminal apparatus being responsible for a relay communication between the first terminal apparatus and the second terminal apparatus (a relay UE 603 and remote UEs 601 and 602, [0030] and [0024] and figure 6 and figure 1 and figure 10), the third terminal apparatus comprising:
a processing unit (processor, [0022]-[0024] and figure 1); and
a transmitter (transceiver, [0022]-[0024] and figure 1) wherein
the processing unit transmits, via the transmitter, to the second terminal apparatus, a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive sidelink data (a Layer-2 (L2) sidelink relay path between the first remote UE and the second remote UE with an end-to-end sidelink radio bearer (SLRB) configuration, wherein the first sidelink channel and the second sidelink channel are in the relay path. An SLRB handler 193 activates the end-to-end SLRB between the first remote UE and the second remote UE. A traffic handler 194 forwards data packets between the first remote UE and the second remote UE and relay UE 603 sends the relaying channel establishment request via PC5 RRC message to the remote UE 601 and remote UE 602 at steps 691 and 693, respectively. The sidelink configuration for relay message configures the sidelink for each direct PC5 link between relay UE 603 and corresponding remote UEs, [0024] and [0035]-[0038] and table 1 and [0026] and [0040] and [0056] and figure 6 and figure 10), and
the sidelink data is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus (An SLRB (end-to-end sidelink radio bearer) handler 193 activates the end-to-end SLRB between the first remote UE and the second remote UE. A traffic handler 194 forwards data packets between the first remote UE and the second remote UE with a bearer mapping based on the L2 sidelink path, [0024] and [0035]-[0038] and table 1 and [0026] and [0040] and [0056] and figure 6 and figure 10).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/12/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant submits that Wang fails to disclose “a third terminal apparatus transmits, to a second terminal apparatus, a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive sidelink data, which is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus” (remarks page 2). Examiner however respectfully disagrees as Wang discloses “relay UE 603 (correlating to a third terminal apparatus) sends the relaying channel establishment request via PC5 RRC message to the remote UE 601 and remote UE 602 (correlating to first and second terminal apparatus) at steps 691 and 693, respectively. The sidelink configuration for relay message configures the sidelink for each direct PC5 link between relay UE 603 and corresponding remote UEs, such as remote UE 601 and remote UE 602” ([0036] and figure 6) and “The relay channel establishment and SLRB configuration messages (correlating to a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive a sidelink data) at steps 691 and 693 prepares the information needed for both traffic forwarding (correlating to the first terminal apparatus to receive a sidelink data) and bearer mapping for the L2 sidelink relay” ([0037] and figure 6) and “At step 698, the data traffic is forwarded with bearer mapping at relay UE 603 with remote UE 601 and remote UE 602 (correlating to sidelink data is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus)” ([0039] and figure 6). Wang further discloses “At step 1002, the UE configures a L2 sidelink relay path between the first remote UE and the second remote UE with an end-to-end SLRB configuration, wherein the first sidelink channel and the second sidelink channel are in the relay path. At step 1003, the UE activates the end-to-end SLRB between the first remote UE and the second remote UE. At step 1004, the UE forwards data packets between the first remote UE and the second remote UE with a bearer mapping based on the L2 sidelink path” ([0056]) and “UE 111 has an antenna 165, which transmits and receives radio signals. An RF transceiver circuit 163, coupled with the antenna, receives RF signals from antenna 165, converts them to baseband signals, and sends them to processor 162” ([0023] and figure 1). In other words, Examiner correlates relay UE 603 (correlating to a third terminal apparatus) in which transmits SLRB configuration to remote UE 601 and 602 (correlating to a first and second terminal apparatus) used for end-to-end forwarding (consisting of receiving signals via an antenna at a remote UE) to the subject matter of “a third terminal apparatus transmits, to a second terminal apparatus, a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive sidelink data, which is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus” as SLRB configuration information is transmitted to remote UEs such that end to end data forwarding is achieved in which forwarding consists of a first terminal/remote UE receiving forwarded sidelink data based upon the transmitted SLRB configuration to remote UEs. Examiner thus believes Wang to disclose the subject matter of “a third terminal apparatus transmits, to a second terminal apparatus, a configuration for the first terminal apparatus to receive sidelink data, which is transmitted from the third terminal apparatus to the first terminal apparatus”.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NGUYEN HOANG NGO whose telephone number is (571)272-8398. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kwang Yao can be reached at 571-272-3182. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NGUYEN H NGO/Examiner, Art Unit 2473