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 § 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) 1-4, 8-11, and 15-18, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 2020/0389900 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 15, Lee discloses:
a first node (fig.1 depicts a UE 10) for wireless communications (fig.1 depicts a wireless communications network), comprising:
a first receiver (fig.1 depicts a connection between the Remote UE and a ProSE UE-to-Network Relay, transmitting and receiving on a sidelink), configured to receiving a first message indicating a first condition set that includes at least one condition through sidelink (par.[0009] describes reception of a SCI at a device wherein the SCI comprises an Identifier (ID) indicating either the first UE or the second UE, the condition set being an identification of a type of transmission (i.e. sidelink) and who the transmission is from and/or designated to. The message also comprises an indication of time/frequency resources which should be used for the Sidelink transmission. Additionally, fig.9 teaches a UE receiving a SR and configuring a Resource Pool (RP) for Sidelink Communications between the two UEs);
and to determining a first transmission mode based on at least the first message (par.[0009] teaches that the UE receives an SCI from the second UE, wherein the SCI indicates to transmit to the second UE or receive from the second UE based on the content of the SCI, which is Sidelink Control Information, fig.9 element S920); and
a first transmitter, configured to transmit a first bit group by adopting the first transmission mode, the first bit group comprising at least one bit (par.[0009] describes the UE transmitting to the second UE based on the content of the SCI received from the second UE);
wherein the first transmission mode is one transmission mode in a candidate transmission mode set, that includes a transmission through cellular link and a transmission through sidelink (fig.5 depicts a Relay UE in wireless communications with a base station and a Remote-UE. Notice, the relay-UE is capable of Uu (UL/DL) communications, capable of relaying information between the Remote-UE and the network. Additionally, the relay-UE is equipped with a PC5 (i.e. a sidelink interface) utilized for sidelink communications between the relay, and remote UE as taught in par.[0009] above. Additionally, the disclosure at fig.5 and par.[0117] teaches that the relay-UE is configured to relay data from the base station to the Remote-UE over the sidelink or receive data from the Remote-UE to be relayed to the network. Additionally, a UE may receive a SR from a Remote-UE and perform Sidelink Communications without relaying of data between the network and the Remote-UE, par.[0109-0110 and 0145]);
when the at least one condition in the first condition set is satisfied, the candidate transmission mode set comprises a candidate transmission mode of a transmission through sidelink (par.[0009] describes either sidelink transmission or sidelink reception based on the condition set in the SCI).
Regarding claims 2, 9, and 16, Lee discloses:
wherein the first condition set comprises and indication in the first message, that a transmitter of the first message is in a RRC_CONNECTED state (par.[0105] as it pertains to fig.9 “The UE supporting sidelink communication may operate in the following two modes for resource allocation. A first mode is scheduled resource allocation. Scheduled resource allocation may be referred to as a mode 1. In the mode 1, in order to transmit data, it is necessary that the UE is in RRC_CONNECTED. The UE requests a transmission resource from an eNB. The eNB schedules transmission resources for transmission of sidelink control information (SCI) and data. The UE transmits a scheduling request (dedicated scheduling request (D-SR) or random access) to the eNB and then transmits a sidelink buffer status report (BSR).”).
Regarding claims 4 and 18, Lee discloses:
wherein when the first transmission mode is the transmission through sidelink, the first bit group is transmitted through a first RLC bearer (fig.5 depicts a PC5 interface which, would comprise bearers utilized for sidelink (e.g. SRB and DRB) for sidelink transmission);
when the first transmission mode is the transmission through cellular link, the first bit group is transmitted through a third RLC bearer (fig.5 also depicts a remote-UE which is capable of transmitting data to a relay-UE for transmission to a base station using the Uu (e.g. the access link) interface, which would use different bearers than the bearers utilized on the PC5 interface);
wherein the first RLC bearer and the third RLC bearer respectively correspond to a target bearer (fig.5 which depicts at least two interfaces, which are comprised of bearers utilized for information that needs to be transmitted. Thus, when the bearers are used for transmission they can each be a target bearer as they are configured to transmit the data);
the first bit group belongs to the target bearer (par.[0009] describes the transmission of the sidelink data over the sidelink interface comprising the sidelink bearer).
Regarding claim 8, Lee discloses:
a second node (fig.5 depicts a second node) for wireless communications (fig.5 depicts a wireless communciation network), comprising:
a second transmitter (fig.11 depicts a transmitter, each node has a transmitter and receiver), configured to transmitting a first message used to determine a first transmission mode in a candidate transmission mode set through sidelink (par.[0009] describes reception of a SCI from a second UE, wherein the SCI indicates a sidelink transmission from the first UE and/or the second UE);
transmitting a third bit group through cellular link (fig.5 depicts a Uu interface for UL/DL transmission via a cellular link, par.[0117]); and
a second receiver, configured to receive a first bit group through sidelink, the first bit group comprising at least one bit (par.[0009] describes sidelink communication, par.[0117] describes that message received via a sidelink may be further relayed on a cellular link);
the first transmission mode is one transmission mode in a candidate transmission mode set, the candidate transmission mode set comprises a transmission through cellular link and a transmission through sidelink (fig.5 depicts a Relay UE in wireless communications with a base station and a Remote-UE. Notice, the relay-UE is capable of Uu (UL/DL) communications, capable of relaying information between the Remote-UE and the network. Additionally, the relay-UE is equipped with a PC5 (i.e. a sidelink interface) utilized for sidelink communications between the relay, and remote UE as taught in par.[0009] above);
the first message indicates a first condition set (par.[0009] describes the SCI which comprises an indication of which type of transmission should take place), and the first condition set comprises at least one condition (par.[0009] describes at least one condition);
when condition(s) in the first condition set is(are) satisfied, the candidate transmission mode set comprises a candidate transmission mode of a transmission through sidelink (par.[0009] describes either sidelink transmission or sidelink reception based on the condition set in the SCI).
the third bit group comprises the first bit group (fig.5 depicts the relay UE forwarding data received from the remote UE to the network).
Regarding claim 11, Lee discloses:
wherein the first bit group is received through a first RLC bearer (as discussed above, the first bit groups is a sidelink which uses sidelink bearers);
wherein the first RLC bearer corresponds to a target bearer; the first bit group belongs to the target bearer (fig.5 which depicts at least two interfaces, which are comprised of bearers utilized for information that needs to be transmitted. Thus, when the bearers are used for transmission they can each be a target bearer as they are configured to transmit the data).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5-7, 10, 12-14, 17, and 19-20, 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.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Applicant's arguments filed 01/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
With regard to the rejection in view of Lee (US 2020/0389900 A1) does not disclose a first condition set, is unpersuasive. The applicant alleges that the first message is directed to only sidelink communications. The Office respectfully disagrees. With regard to the above rejection, the disclosure of Lee teaches Sidelink communications between a Relay_UE and a Remote_UE over a PC5 interface, and also teaches relaying of data from a Remote_UE to the network, as well as the network forwarding data via the Relay_UE to the Remote_UE. With regard to sidelink communications, the Remote_UE may forward a Scheduling Request (SR) for Sidelink to the Relay_UE, such that the Relay_UE would be configured to establish a Sidelink communications session along with a pool of resources for facilitating Sidelink communications between the Relay_UE and the Remote_UE without relaying data to the network over the Uu Interface, see par.[0143 – 0145]. Thus, the SR provides an “indication” for Sidelink communications in the message.
Additionally, the Relay-UE can forward a message that is intended to be relayed from the Remote_UE or the network, see par.[0117], “Referring to FIG. 5, the relay UE is used for relaying a UE specific data from remote UE in UL or is used for relaying UE specific data to a remote UE in DL.”. As can be seen the Remote_UE may forward a message which is “indicated” for Sidelink Communications, or a message that is “indicated” for relaying to a network entity over a Uu interface. The applicants assertion that “It is silent concerning any cellular-vs-sidelink mode selection performed at the first node based on a first message”, or, “its SCI does not choose Uu vs PC5”, is false, and the above disclosure teaches explicitly the messages configured for Sidelink vs Access Link communications via a Relay_UE. The applicants assertion the first message does not choose between PC5 and Uu is incorrect because the Relay_UE will at times forward uplink data from the Remote_UE to the base station, and other times perform traditional Sidelink communications, as discussed throughout the disclosure of Lee. The submission of a SCI for Sidelink vs Relay over a Uu interface is overwhelmingly discussed in the specification of Lee, and thus, the rejection of claim 1 is sustained.
Regarding claim 2, the applicants allege that transmitter of the message is not in an RRC_CONNECTED state, or rather there is no indication in the specification of Lee that the sender is in an RRC_CONNECTED state, because there is no RRC_CONNECTED state field in the SCI. The office respectfully disagrees with this assertion. With regard to the state field, the claim does not require a state field just an indication. The applicants specification as filed, also, does not include a recitation of a state field in a first message comprising an indication of whether or not the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state. Thus, the applicants allegations are moot. When the UE sends the first message as discussed above, as the UE must be in RRC_CONNECTED in order to perform Sidelink as discussed is certainly implied, but more importantly the message is an implicit indication that the UE is in RRC_CONNCECTED as the UE cannot perform the Mode-1 and/or Mode-2 Resource allocation without being in the RRC_CONNECTED as acknowledged by the applicant. The claims stand rejected.
With regard to claims 3, 10, and 17, the applicants agrees with the applicants arguments, and the rejection of the claims have been overcome, and indication of allowance is made with regard to claims 3, 10, and 17.
With regard to claim(s) 4 and 18, the applicant alleges that Lee does not disclose utilizing different bearers, wherein the two bearer correspond to a target bearer when it is utilized for the transmission of the bits. Clearly, the PC5 interface, and the Uu interface utilize different bearers, for different transmissions directions, which are configured separately. A PC5 interface would utilize sidelink data radio bearers for transmitting sidelink data, while the Uu interface would utilize different Radio Bearers for communications over the Uu interface. This is known in the art, is necessary, and certainly implied by the fig(s). 5-6 of the disclosure of Lee, along with fig.3 of Lee which teaches that a UE connected to the eNodeB uses a first RLC bearer of the RLC layer, thus, it would stand to reason that in view of this disclosure and the disclosures of fig(s).5-6 that the UE would utilize a PC5 RLC radio bearer for transmitting Sidelink data. The applicants assertion that there is no explicit recitation of claim 4 and 18 is unpersuasive an the claims stand rejected.
Claim 8 which corresponds to independent claim 1 is rejected for the reasons given for claim 1, and the claims stand rejected.
Claim Objections
Applicant’s arguments, see Claim Objections, filed 01/13/2026, with respect to 2 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Claim Objections of 2 has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Applicant’s arguments, see 112 Rejections, filed 01/13/2026, with respect to 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Claim Objections of 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 JAMAAL HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5339. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thu: 7:30 am - 6:30 pm.
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JAMAAL HENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2411
/JAMAAL HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411