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 .
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LI, Junyi (WO 2021/022201 A1)(IDS) in view of Zhou et al. (US 2021/0377852).
Regarding claim 1, LI, Junyi discloses a network-controlled repeater (NCR) (fig. 2 number 205a and P:0089) comprising: a memory (P:0005); and a processor coupled to the memory (P:0005), configured to: receive a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a first Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring periodicity (P:0110). LI, Junyi differs from claim 1 of the present invention in that it does not explicit disclose monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity. Zhou et al. teaches a relay node could be either a user equipment (UE) (P:0059) or repeater (i.e. A relay node may perform the same/similar functions as a repeater node but may decode the radio signal received from the donor node to remove noise before amplifying and rebroadcasting the radio signal) (P:0059 and P:0062), a UE monitoring periodicity wakeup duration (Ks1) (P:0288, P:0290, fig. 26a and fig, 26 b), comprising a number of slots (P:0288); operate in an DRX on (On-state) for a wake up duration based at least on the DCI format (P:0288); and in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall skip (or go to sleep) for next DRX on duration, the wireless device goes to sleep (i.e. off-state) or skip for next DRX on duration. The wireless device skips monitoring PDCCH in the next DRX on duration in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall go to sleep for next DRX on duration (i.e. detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity)(P:0290). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Junyi repeater with monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity in order for the network control repeater to receive a wake up duration message including a synchronize slot to allow the repeater to turn on when detecting a DCI/ PDCCH message and power off and/or skip a DRX (Discontinuous Reception) to extend the battery life of the repeater to save power when receiving a message from a base station, as taught by Zhou et al..
Regarding claim 12, LI, Junyi discloses a method for operating a network-controlled repeater (NCR) (abstract and fig. 14) comprising: receive a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a first Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring periodicity (P:0110). LI, Junyi differs from claim 12 of the present invention in that it does not explicit disclose monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity. Zhou et al. teaches a relay node could be either a user equipment (UE) (P:0059) or repeater (i.e. A relay node may perform the same/similar functions as a repeater node but may decode the radio signal received from the donor node to remove noise before amplifying and rebroadcasting the radio signal) (P:0059 and P:0062), a UE monitoring periodicity wakeup duration (Ks1) (P:0288, P:0290, fig. 26a and fig, 26 b), comprising a number of slots (P:0288); operate in an DRX on (On-state) for a wake up duration based at least on the DCI format (P:0288); and in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall skip (or go to sleep) for next DRX on duration, the wireless device goes to sleep (i.e. off-state) or skip for next DRX on duration. The wireless device skips monitoring PDCCH in the next DRX on duration in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall go to sleep for next DRX on duration (i.e. detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity)(P:0290). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Junyi repeater with monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity in order for the network control repeater to receive a wake up duration message including a synchronize slot to allow the repeater to turn on when detecting a DCI/ PDCCH message and power off and/or skip a DRX (Discontinuous Reception) to extend the battery life of the repeater to save power when receiving a message from a base station, as taught by Zhou et al..
Regarding claim 16, LI, Junyi discloses a memory ( non-transitory computer-readable medium) (P:0005) storing instructions that, when executed by a processor (P:0005) of a network-controlled repeater (NCR) (P:0005) , cause the NCR to perform operations, the operations comprising: receive a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format comprising a first Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring periodicity (P:0110). LI, Junyi differs from claim 16 of the present invention in that it does not explicit disclose monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity. Zhou et al. teaches a relay node could be either a user equipment (UE) (P:0059) or repeater (i.e. A relay node may perform the same/similar functions as a repeater node but may decode the radio signal received from the donor node to remove noise before amplifying and rebroadcasting the radio signal) (P:0059 and P:0062), a UE monitoring periodicity wakeup duration (Ks1) (P:0288, P:0290, fig. 26a and fig, 26 b), comprising a number of slots (P:0288); operate in an DRX on (On-state) for a wake up duration based at least on the DCI format (P:0288); and in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall skip (or go to sleep) for next DRX on duration, the wireless device goes to sleep (i.e. off-state) or skip for next DRX on duration. The wireless device skips monitoring PDCCH in the next DRX on duration in response to the power saving indication indicating the wireless device shall go to sleep for next DRX on duration (i.e. detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity)(P:0290). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Junyi repeater with monitoring periodicity K.sub.S1, comprising an integer number of slots; operate in an On-state for a duration of K.sub.S1 based at least on the DCI format; detect a skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity subsequent to K.sub.S1; and operate in an Off-state for a duration corresponding to the skipped PDCCH monitoring periodicity in order for the network control repeater to receive a wake up duration message including a synchronize slot to allow the repeater to turn on when detecting a DCI/ PDCCH message and power off and/or skip a DRX (Discontinuous Reception) to extend the battery life of the repeater to save power when receiving a message from a base station, as taught by Zhou et al..
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-11,13-15 and 17-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding claim 2, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the NCR operates in frequency range 2 (FR2) and a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol paired with beamforming information corresponds to an On-state for a duration of the first OFDM symbol within a second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2, and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect a second OFDM symbol without beamforming information pairing in the second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2; and operate in an Off-state for a duration of the second OFDM symbol.
Regarding claim 3, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the NCR operates with a carrier component (CC) with unpaired spectrum and supports slot configurations time division duplex (tdd)-uplink (UL)-downlink (DL)-ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated, and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect from a System Information Block (SIB) associated with a second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2, a flexible orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and operate in an Off-state for a duration of the flexible OFDM symbol.
Regarding claim 4, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the processor is further configured to: determine that the NCR is not configured to receive from or forward to a user equipment (UE), a signal for time units, X.sub.gapOFF, wherein the X.sub.gapOFF>=Y.sub.OFF, where Y.sub.OFF corresponds to time units for turning off an NCR-Forward (Fwd) component of the NCR at an access link communicatively coupled to the UE; and operate the NCR-Fwd component at the access link in an Off-state for a duration of Y.sub.OFF, based at least on the determination.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the processor is further configured to: determine that the NCR is configured to receive from or forward to a user equipment (UE), one or more non-contiguous signals in a second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2, wherein a maximum gap between any of the one or more signals is less than time units, X.sub.gapON; and operate an NCR-Forward (Fwd) component of the NCR at an access link communicatively coupled to the UE, in an On-state for a duration of Y.sub.ON of K.sub.S2.
Regarding claim 7, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination an NCR-mobile termination (MT) component; and an NCR-forwarding (Fwd) component, wherein the NCR-MT component and the NCR-Fwd component are communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the NCR-MT component at a control link uses a different radio frequency (RF) component than the NCR-Fwd component at a back haul link, and wherein the processor is further configured to operate an On-Off state of the NCR-MT component at the control link independently from an On-Off state of the NCR-Fwd component at the back haul link, based at least on the different RF component.
Regarding claim 17, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the NCR operates in frequency range 2 (FR2) and a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol paired with beamforming information corresponds to an On-state for a duration of the first OFDM symbol within a second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2, the operations further comprise: detecting a second OFDM symbol without beamforming information pairing in the second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2; and operating in an Off-state for a duration of the second OFDM symbol.
Regarding claim 18, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination the NCR operates with a carrier component (CC) with unpaired spectrum and supports slot configurations time division duplex (tdd)-uplink (UL)-downlink (DL)-ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DLConfigurationDedicated, the operations further comprise: detecting from a System Information Block (SIB) associated with a second PDCCH monitoring periodicity, K.sub.S2, a flexible orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and operating in an Off-state for a duration of the flexible OFDM symbol.
Regarding claim 19, the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest alone, or in combination an NCR-mobile termination (MT) function of the NCR communicates with a network via a control link using a same type of radio frequency (RF) component as an NCR-forwarding (Fwd) function of the NCR that communicates with the network via a backhaul link, the operations further comprise operating the NCR-MT function in a same On-Off state as the NCR-Fwd function.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEITH FERGUSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7865. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7 am -3 pm.
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/KEITH FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648