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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 April 15th, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Examiner acknowledges receipt of Applicant’s amendment filled 03/13/2026.
In the amendment, Applicant amended claims 1, 8, 11, and 18.
Claims 1-8, 11-18 and 21-24 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Examiner has fully considered Applicant's arguments, filed on 03/13/2026.
Applicant's arguments, on page 12, with respect to “Thyagarajan does not disclose transmitting, from one device node to another, information indicating selection of LBT as a channel access mode. In contrast, according to amended claim 1 of the present application, before transmitting the channel access mode, the COT has already been initiated by the second device node” but they are moot because the new ground of rejection relies on the newly-cited reference for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Similarly, on page 12-13, with respect to “according to Thyagarajan, LBT is performed to preempt a new COT. However, according to amended claim 1 of the present application, the channel access mode received by the first device node is used for the first communication on the shared resource within the existing (already initiated) COT.”, but they are moot because the new ground of rejection relies on the newly-cited reference for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant's arguments, on page 13, with respect to “amended claim 1 requires that the first device node receive from the second device node a ''channel access mode'' for the first communication, and that the channel access mode comprises a Type2A mode, a Type2B mode, or a Type2C mode, rather than a generic LBT procedure in Thyagarajan”, but they are moot because the new ground of rejection relies on the newly-cited reference for any teaching or matter specifically 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.
In 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 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 factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 6-8, 11-12, and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu et al. (US 20220078845 A1, hereinafter, Xu) in view of Xue et al. (US 20210400732 A1, hereinafter, Xue-732, as disclosed in IDS).
Regarding Claim 1, Xu discloses, A channel occupancy time sharing method, comprising:
acquiring, by a first device node, a first resource shared by a second device node, wherein the first resource is a part of resources within Channel Occupancy Time (COT) when the second device node accesses a first channel and initiates the COT ("FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a COT sharing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3, it is assumed that a UE1 and a UE2 perform D2D communication and that the UE1 transmits data first. As shown in FIG. 3, the UE1 may receive resource scheduling information from a gNB and determine, according to the resource scheduling information, time frequency resources used by the UE2 when the UE1 shares COT with the UE2. The UE1 may further transmit COT sharing indication information to the UE2. The COT sharing indication information includes time frequency resources used by the UE2 when the UE2 shares COT with the UE1..." [¶0071]); and
performing, by the first device node, first communication according to the first resource (" ...Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, a MCOT of the UE1 is divided into two parts, a former part is used by the UE1 to transmit data to the UE2, and a latter part is used by the UE2 to transmit data to the UE1. It can be seen that the gNB may transmit scheduling information about COT sharing to a user equipment transmitting data first, and the user equipment transmitting data first transmits the COT sharing indication information to other user equipment." [¶0071]);
wherein the second device node is a device node that communicates directly or indirectly with the first device node ("...In this way, the UE1 determines, according to the resource request information from the UE2 to the UE4, time frequency resources to be used in performing data transmission by each pair of user equipments required to communicate with each other, so as to generate COT sharing indication information. Next, in step S1004, the UE1 transmits the COT sharing indication information to user equipments from the UE2 to the UE4. Here, the UE1 may transmit the COT sharing indication information in a form of broadcast through SCI." [¶0108]); and
Xu doesn’t explicitly disclose, the first channel is carried on an unlicensed frequency band;
the method further comprising: receiving, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the first communication sent by the second device node;
wherein the performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource, comprises:
performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource and the channel access mode for the first communication;
wherein the channel access mode for the first communication comprises a Type2A mode, aType2B mode, or aType2C mode.
Xue-732, in related art relates, the first channel is carried on an unlicensed frequency band (¶0075 recites, “Specifically, the UEs 115 may utilize a configured set of sub-bands for communicating COT sharing indicators. The sets of sub-bands may be pre-configured, semi-statically configured, or dynamically configured for a transmit resource pool over an unlicensed band…”)
Xue-732 also discloses, the method further comprising: receiving, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the first communication sent by the second device node (¶0083 recites, "Each UE 115 attempting to access the shared sidelink channel may be configured to check for COT sharing indicators 220. In one aspect, UE 115-b may be configured to search for one or more COT sharing indicators 220 in the one or more windows (e.g., sets of time resources, frequency resources, beamforming resources, or a combination thereof). In some cases, the windows may be pre-defined or configured (e.g., as described herein). A COT sharing indicator 220 received in a window may indicate a type of LBT procedure for UE 115-b to use to gain access to the shared resources of the COT (e.g., Type 1 LBT, Type 2 LBT, no LBT, etc.). Type 1 LBT may correspond to a “full” LBT procedure and may involve a longer contention window for monitoring the channel than Type 2 LBT...");
wherein the performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource, comprises: performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource and the channel access mode for the first communication (¶0086 recites, “A COT sharing provider UE 115 (e.g., UE 115-a) may support contention window management. A successful LBT procedure (e.g., to gain access to a COT, to gain access to shared COT resources, etc.) may involve a UE 115 sensing the channel for a contention window. If the channel is free (e.g., the energy level detected by the UE 115 on the channel is below an ED threshold) for the duration of the contention window, the UE 115 may transmit on the shared channel (e.g., in some cases using an occupancy signal to occupy the channel prior to a sidelink transmission)...", see also, ¶0090 recites, “By providing a COT sharing indicator 220, a UE 115 may mitigate the effects of interference from other nodes 205 which may use floating point LBT procedures. With reference to FIG. 2, UEs 115-b and 115-c may be in coverage area 210 of a node 205. When UE 115-a communicates with UE 115-b, the sidelink signals 215 may experience interference from the node 205 (e.g., a hidden node for UE 115-a) transmitting in the vicinity of UE 115-b...");
wherein the channel access mode for the first communication comprises a Type2A mode, aType2B mode, or aType2C mode. (0103 recites, "...In this way, the COT sharing provider may transmit a sidelink data message in the COT 460 concurrent to one or more sidelink data transmissions by COT sharing receivers. Specifically, a COT sharing receiver UE 115 may receive an FDM COT sharing indicator in a slot, n, and may contend for a portion of the shared COT resources in a subsequent slot, n+1 (e.g., using Type 2B LBT, Type 2C LBT, or any other channel access procedure).", see also, 0083 recites, "... In some aspects, a COT sharing indicator 220 may indicate that UE 115-b may refrain from sensing the channel prior to accessing the channel (e.g., by using Type 2C LBT to access shared resources for less than a threshold time duration, such as 584 microseconds (μs)...").
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “or” in the limitation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu with the idea of having a wireless communication procedure where a first device node performs a communication using a specific resource and channel access mode as disclosed by Xue-732. This approach allows for flexibility and efficiency in wireless channel access which allow a device to adapt its Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) evaluation—using short 25 µs (Type2A), 16 µs (Type2B), or immediate (Type2C) clear channel assessments—based on current shared channel occupancy time (COT) rules.
Regarding Claim 2, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Xu also teaches, further comprising: receiving, by the first device node, indication information for the first communication sent by the second device node (Optionally, the first device node receives indication information for the first communication sent by the second device node..." [¶0084]);
wherein the performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource, comprises:
performing, by the first device node, the first communication according to the first resource and the indication information for the first communication (Fig. 4A, see also, "In 402, the first device node performs first communication according to the first resource." see also, "...and the first device node performs the first communication according to the first resource and the indication information for the first communication." [¶0084]).
Regarding Claim 6, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Xu also teaches, wherein the COT is COT for forward transmission or back-haul transmission performed by the second device node (Fig. 10, see also, "... In this way, the UE1 determines, according to the resource request information from the UE2 to the UE4, time frequency resources to be used in performing data transmission by each pair of user equipments required to communicate with each other, so as to generate COT sharing indication information. Next, in step S1004, the UE1 transmits the COT sharing indication information to user equipments from the UE2 to the UE4..." [¶0108]).
Regarding Claim 7, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Xu also teaches, wherein the first resource is a part of resources within the COT that meets a first condition, and the first condition comprises at least one of a first starting position, a first time length, and a first proportion ("...Preferably, the frequency resources may indicate frequency resources that may be used by the user equipment 200 when the user equipment 200 transmits data to the other user equipment. The time resources may indicate a start time and an end time of time resources used by the other user equipment when the user equipment 200 shares COT with the other user equipment, that is, a start time and an end time of the time resources that may be used by the other user equipment when the other user equipment transmits data to the user equipment 200..." [¶0062]); or,
a second resource is a part of the first resource that meets a second condition, and the second condition comprises at least one of a second starting position, a second time length, and a second proportion; or,
a third resource is a part of resources within the COT that meets a third condition, and the third condition comprises at least one of a third starting position, a third time length, and a third proportion; and/or
the first resource, a second resource, or a third resource is carried through Radio Resource Control (RRC), Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a reference sequence.
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “and/or”, and “or” in the limitation.
Regarding Claim 8, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 2.
Xu, also discloses, wherein the indication information for the first communication, indication information for second communication, or indication information for third communication, is carried through Radio Resource Control (RRC), Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a reference sequence ("...In a case that the data service performed between the user equipment 200 and the other user equipment supports feedback, the other user equipment may carry the COT use indication information by using feedback information. In a case that the data service between the user equipment 200 and the other user equipment does not support feedback, the other user equipment may carry the COT use indication information by using SCI." [¶0087], see also, "According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network side equipment 1100 may carry the COT sharing indication information that is transmitted to the first user equipment (may be referred to as COT sharing indication information of the first user equipment) through DCI." [¶0118]); or
the channel access mode for the first communication, a channel access mode for the second communication, or a channel access mode for the third communication, is carried through Radio Resource Control (RRC), Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or the reference sequence; or
the channel access mode for the second communication, or the channel access mode for the third communication comprises: a Type2A mode, a Type2B mode, or a Type2C mode.
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “or” in the limitation.
Regarding claims 11-12, and 16-18 “device node”/CRM/apparatus, are rejected under the same reasoning as claims 1-2, and 6-8 “Method”, where Xu, and Xue-732 teaches Method/ “device node”/CRM/apparatus.
Claims 3-4 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu, and Xue-732 further in view of Zhang et al. (US 20220039161 A1, hereinafter, Zhang)
Regarding Claim 3, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Xu does not explicitly disclose, wherein in a case where the first device node is a relay node, the method further comprises: configuring, by the first device node, a second resource for a third device node according to the first resource;
sharing, by the first device node, the second resource in the first resource to the third device node, wherein the second resource is used for the third device node to perform second communication; or acquiring, by the first device node, a third resource shared by the second device node for a third device node, wherein the third resource is a part of resources within Channel Occupancy Time (COT) when the second device node accesses the first channel and initiates the COT; and
sharing, by the first device node, the third resource to the third device node, wherein the third resource is used for the third device node to perform third communication.
Zhang, in related art relates, wherein in a case where the first device node is a relay node, the method further comprises: configuring, by the first device node, a second resource for a third device node according to the first resource ("...To illustrate, a first user equipment (UE) may originate a COT and may transmit a first message that includes sharing information associated with the COT and a source ID of the first UE. For example, the first message may include first sidelink control information (SCI). The first message may be received by a second UE and may be missed (e.g., not received) by a third UE. The second UE may transmit a second message to relay the sharing information to one or more other UEs, such as the third UE…” [¶0034]);
sharing, by the first device node, the second resource in the first resource to the third device node, wherein the second resource is used for the third device node to perform second communication (“…The second message may include the sharing information and the source ID of the first UE. The third UE may receive the second message and identify the source ID of the first UE, the sharing information, or a combination thereof. The third UE may determining whether to attempt access of a resource during the COT based on the received second message..." [¶0034]); or
acquiring, by the first device node, a third resource shared by the second device node for a third device node, wherein the third resource is a part of resources within Channel Occupancy Time (COT) when the second device node accesses the first channel and initiates the COT; and sharing, by the first device node, the third resource to the third device node, wherein the third resource is used for the third device node to perform third communication.
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “or” in the limitation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu and Xue-732 with the idea of using relay node as disclosed by Zhang. The rationale for using Relay nodes is to extend network coverage and capacity by receiving and retransmitting signals between a source and a destination, or between other nodes in the network.
Regarding Claim 4, combination of Xu, Xue-732, and Zhang disclose the method according to claim 3.
Xu also teaches, further comprising: generating, by the first device node, indication information for the second communication (Fig. 10, see also "... In this way, the UE1 determines, according to the resource request information from the UE2 to the UE4, time frequency resources to be used in performing data transmission by each pair of user equipments required to communicate with each other, so as to generate COT sharing indication information..." [¶0108]); and
sending, by the first device node, the indication information for the second communication to the third device node, wherein the indication information for the second communication is used for the third device node to perform the second communication ("...In this way, the UE1 determines, according to the resource request information from the UE2 to the UE4, time frequency resources to be used in performing data transmission by each pair of user equipments required to communicate with each other, so as to generate COT sharing indication information. Next, in step S1004, the UE1 transmits the COT sharing indication information to user equipments from the UE2 to the UE4. Here, the UE1 may transmit the COT sharing indication information in a form of broadcast through SCI." [¶0108]); or
receiving, by the first device node, the indication information for the third communication sent by the second device node; and sending, by the first device node, the indication information for the third communication to the third device node, wherein the indication information for the third communication is used for the third device node to perform the third communication;
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “or” in the limitation.
Regarding claim 13-14 “device node”/CRM/apparatus, are rejected under the same reasoning as claim 3-4 “Method”, where Xu, Xue-732 and Zhang teaches Method/ “device node”/CRM/apparatus.
Claims 5, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu, and Xue-732, in view of Luo et al. (US 20210400720 A1, hereinafter, Luo), further in view of Zhang.
Regarding Claim 5, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Xu doesn’t explicitly teach, wherein the first communication, second communication, or third communication comprises at least one of back-haul transmission, forward transmission, broadcast, unicast, or multicast; and
a number of back-haul transmissions is at least one, a number of forward transmissions is at least one, a number of broadcasts is at least one, a number of unicasts is at least one, and a number of multicasts is at least one.
Luo, in related art relates, wherein the first communication, second communication, or third communication comprises at least one of back-haul transmission, forward transmission, broadcast, unicast, or multicast ("In some wireless communications systems, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node may communicate with one or more upstream devices, such as with a parent IAB node or an IAB donor node, via a backhaul link and may communicate with one or more downstream devices, such as a child IAB node or a user equipment (UE), via an access link or a backhaul link..." [¶0026]); and
a number of back-haul transmissions is at least one (“…such as a child IAB node or a user equipment (UE), via an access link or a backhaul link..." [¶0026]),
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu and Xue-732 with the idea of having different communication methods that can be employed as disclosed by Luo. The rationale for using different communication methods, each (back-haul transmission, forward transmission, broadcast, unicast, or multicast) having it advantages and usage.
Zhang discloses, a number of forward transmissions is at least one, a number of broadcasts is at least one, a number of unicasts is at least one, and a number of multicasts is at least one ("...a first user equipment (UE) may originate a COT and may transmit a first message that includes sharing information associated with the COT and a source ID of the first UE..." [¶0034]), a number of broadcasts is at least one ("During operation of the wireless communications system 300, the UE 115, the UE 320, and the UE 360 may broadcast and receive messages from one or more of the other UEs. The UE 115 may access a resource and reserve the resource time period, such as a COT..." [¶0104]), a number of unicasts is at least one ("...Additionally, existing V2X may provide a single grant for a single sidelink communication, such as a single sidelink unicast communication." [¶0072]), and a number of multicasts is at least one ("...if the second-stage SCI format field in the corresponding SCI provided in SCI format 0-1 indicates type 1 groupcast zone identification and communication range requirement fields are present...." [¶0071]). See also, ("...SCI format 0-1 provides fields for priority, frequency resource assignment, time resource assignment, resource reservation period, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern, second-stage SCI format (broadcast, unicast, groupcast)..."[¶0071]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu, Xue-732 and Luo with the idea of having different (back-haul transmission, forward transmission, broadcast, unicast, or multicast) communication methods that can be employed as disclosed by Zhang. The rationale for using different communication methods, each (back-haul transmission, forward transmission, broadcast, unicast, or multicast) having it advantages and usage.
Regarding claims 15 “device node”/CRM/apparatus, are rejected under the same reasoning as claims 5 “Method”, where Xu, Xue-732, Luo and Zhang teach Method/ “device node”/ /CRM/apparatus.
Claims 21 and 23, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu, Xue-732 and Zhang, further in view of Xue et al. (US 20210368542 A1, hereinafter, Xue-542),
Regarding Claim 21, combination of Xu, Xue-732, and Zhang disclose the method according to claim 3.
Combination of Xu, Xue-732 and Zhang don’t explicitly disclose, further comprising: generating, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the second communication; and
sending, by the first device node, the channel access mode for the second communication to the third device node, wherein the channel access mode for the second communication is used for the third device node to perform the second communication; or
receiving, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the third communication sent by the second device node; and sending, by the first device node, the channel access mode for the third communication to the third device node, wherein the channel access mode for the third communication is used for the third device node to perform the third communication.
Xue-542 in related art relates, further comprising: generating, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the second communication ("...where the method further includes receiving, by the UE from a first wireless communication device, a second LBT trigger associated with a second LBT time based on the second LBT trigger opportunity; determining, by the UE, a second sidelink transmission opportunity for communicating in the unlicensed frequency band at the second LBT time based on the communicated second LBT trigger..."[ ¶0140]); and
sending, by the first device node, the channel access mode for the second communication to the third device node, wherein the channel access mode for the second communication is used for the third device node to perform the second communication ("...transmitting, by the UE to a second wireless communication device, in an unlicensed-band a first transmission in a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) at one of the first sidelink transmission opportunity or the second sidelink transmission opportunity. The second LBT trigger opportunity is associated with a time-frequency resource for detecting the second LBT trigger based on the first DCI; where the second LBT trigger opportunity is associated with a trigger format based on the first DCI; where the first sidelink transmission opportunity is associated with a cyclic prefix (CP) extension configuration based on the first DCI; where the first sidelink transmission opportunity is associated with a channel access priority class (CAPC) configuration based on the first DCI..." [¶0140]); or
receiving, by the first device node, a channel access mode for the third communication sent by the second device node; and sending, by the first device node, the channel access mode for the third communication to the third device node, wherein the channel access mode for the third communication is used for the third device node to perform the third communication.
Also, examiner interprets that one of the claimed features to be mapped, because of the presence of “or” in the limitation.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu, Xue-732 and Zhang with the process in wireless or network communication where a first device dynamically sets communication rules (channel access mode) for a target device (third device) to talk to another as disclosed by Xue-542. The rationale for using this process is to ensure efficient resource use and timely data flow.
Regarding claims 23 “device node”/CRM/apparatus, are rejected under the same reasoning as claims 21 “Method”, where Xu, Xue-732, Zhang, and Xue-542 teach Method/ “device node”/CRM/apparatus.
Claims 22 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu, and Xue-732 further in view of Xue-542.
Regarding Claim 22, combination of Xu, and Xue-732 disclose the method according to claim 1.
Combination of Xu, and Xue-732 don’t explicitly disclose, wherein the first resource, a second resource, or a third resource is carried through Radio Resource Control (RRC), Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a reference sequence.
Xue-542 discloses, wherein the first resource, a second resource, or a third resource is carried through Radio Resource Control (RRC), Sidelink Control Information (SCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a reference sequence ("...The second LBT trigger opportunity is associated with a time-frequency resource for transmitting the second LBT trigger based on the first DCI; where the second LBT trigger opportunity is associated with a trigger format based on the first DCI..."[ ¶0142], see also, "...The second LBT trigger opportunity is further associated with a pre-configured sidelink-band trigger; and where the pre-configured sidelink-band trigger is based on one of a system information block configuration, a radio resource control (RRC) message configuration, or a media access control control element (MAC-CE) message configuration...[¶0142]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the idea of Xu, and Xue-732 with the idea which describes how different types of network information, like scheduling (DCI, RRC), device-to-device data (Sidelink), or feedback (UCI), get transported or identified in wireless systems as disclosed by Xue-542. The rationale for using this is to guide resource allocation, control, and data flow for users or devices.
Regarding claims 24 “device node”/CRM/apparatus, are rejected under the same reasoning as claims 22 “Method”, where Xu, Xue-732 and Xue-542 teach Method/ “device node”/CRM/apparatus.
Conclusion
References cited but not used: Sun et al. (US 20230146161 A1) can be used for independent claims 1, and 11 in addition to the one used.
References cited but not used: Luo et al. (US-20210400721-A1) can be used for independent claims 1, and 11 in addition to the one used.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD AINUL HUDA whose telephone number is (703)756-1594. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 - 6:30 ET.
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/MUHAMMAD AINUL HUDA/Examiner, Art Unit 4126
/HASSAN A PHILLIPS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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