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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 11/25/2025 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) 1-10, 16-22, and 25-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeda et al. “Takeda” US 2022/0007411 in view of Liou US 2019/0349964 and further in view of Okamura et al. “Okamura” US 2022/0239431.
Regarding claims 1 and 16, Takeda teaches a method, processor and an apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled with the processor, the processor configured to cause the apparatus to:
receive at least two configured grant (CG) configurations in a bandwidth part (BWP) (a UE receives configuration information for one or more configured grants; Paragraph 9. The plurality of configured grants are for a BWP; Paragraph 53); and
transmit one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) on one or more physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions from each CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations based at least in part on the information (the device receives the configuration information that includes number of times of repeated transmissions of TBs on the PUSCH; Paragraph 31. The UE transmits the TBs based on the repetition information; Paragraph 32).
Takeda does not expressly disclose each CG includes a SRS resource set index for SRS resource sets used to transmit repetitions of a TB based on the CG configuration wherein there are two types of CGs. Liou teaches, each CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations including a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set index for indicating an SRS resource set used to transmit one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) according to a corresponding CG configuration (Paragraph 509 teaches the use of configured grants. Further, there is a SRS-Resource Set for information of SRS resources for repetition factors; Paragraph 520);
wherein, for a first type of CG, a corresponding SRS resource set is determined by an SRS resource indicator (SRI) and the SRS resource set index included in the corresponding CG configuration (for codebook-based transmission (i.e. type 1), the UE is configured with SRS resource set based on SRI from the SRS resource set; Paragraph 511);
wherein, for a second type of CG, a corresponding SRS resource set is determined by an SRI indicated in downlink control information (DCI) and the SRS resource set index included in the corresponding CG configuration (for non codebook based (i.e. second type) of transmission, the SRS indicator field for SRI is within the DCI. One SRS resource set is configured; Paragraph 512).
The prior art does not expressly disclose a SRS resource set index for indicating SRS resources to be used and SRI used for a first and second type of CG. Okamura teaches SRI and DCI with respect to SRS resource indicator fields of the DCI which are associated with PUSCH CGs; Paragraph 26. Figures 6a and 6b teach a correspondence between a SRI field value index (i.e. resource set index) and SRS resource set index with respect to codebooks. Here, higher layer signaling can associate SRI index values with SRS resource sets; Paragraph 113. Thus one can see there is both a SRS resource set index for indication SRS resources and SRI within the DCI which are related to CGs as claimed.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of the prior art to include both a SRS resource set index and SRI in the DCI corresponding to the SRS resources as taught by Okamura.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that the appropriate resource set can be chosen/used as taught by Okamura; Paragraph 115.
Regarding claims 2 and 17, Takeda teaches one CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations includes an index of a remaining CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations (The UE can differentiate the configured grant sets based on an configured grant set index or group index; Paragraph 74. Each grant set has one set index, thus this is viewed as a CG configuration with an index of the remaining CG configuration of the two configurations; See Figure 3B).
Regarding claims 3 and 18, Takeda teaches receive association information for associating the at least two CG configurations (configuration information is sent to the UE (i.e. association information) for the configured grants; Paragraph 30. These parameters can include repetition information; Paragraph 31), the association information includes an association CG list containing two or more association states which includes indexes of at least two CG configurations (configuration information can includes a DCI for activation; Paragraph 30. There are a plurality of CG configurations; Paragraphs 9 and 53. Paragraph 55 teaches the use of HPN values among other parameters which are associated with a plurality of configured grant configurations (i.e. two or more associations). The User uses the activation information for transmission).
Regarding claims 4 and 19, Takeda teaches receiving DCI for activating the at least two CG configurations wherein the DCI includes a HARQ process number indicating entry in the association CG configuration list corresponding to the association state (the UE receives DCI for activation of the CGs; Paragraphs 30-32. The parameters can further include a HARQ process number; Paragraph 55. The HPN information is included in the DCI field; Paragraph 114 and Figure 5. Thus because the DCI includes the HPN and the DCI is for the purposes of activating CGs, the HPN is for entry in the association of CG configuration list as claimed).
Regarding claims 5 and 20, Takeda teaches the association information is indicated in MAC (the DCI or MAC CE can be transmit for the purposes of activation/deactivation (i.e. association) of the configured grant configuration information); Paragraph 207. Paragraphs 280-281 also disclose MAC can be used for the notification information being sent in the teachings of Takeda).
Regarding claims 6 and 21, Takeda teaches each CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations comprises a slot offset within a periodicity of the at least two CG configurations (the configuration grant information includes a time offset and periodicity. The periodicity and time offset can be expressed as slots (i..e. slot offset).; Paragraphs 31-32).
Regarding claims 7 and 22, Takeda teaches one or more PUSH transmission occasions from each CG are concatenated according to an order of CG configuration (figures 1-4 show various CG configurations which are concatenated in an order).
Regarding claim 8, Takeda teaches each CG configuration includes a first number of consecutive repetitions of the TB transmitted according to a CG configuration and at least one CG configuration includes a second number of total repetitions of the TB (a repetition factor, k, is applied to each CG configuration. As there are a plurality of CG configurations there are a plurality (i.e. first and second) number of repetitions of the TBs. Based on the claim language, the value of repetitions could be any value and thus consecutive doesn’t bear any meaning in the event the repetitions are 0 or 1).
Regarding claim 9, Takeda teaches each CG configuration includes a first number of total repetitions of the TB transmitted according to a corresponding CG configuration and a second number of consecutive repetitions of the TB send according to the corresponding CG configuration (a repetition factor, k, is applied to each CG configuration which dictates TBs to send. As there are a plurality of CG configurations there are a plurality (i.e. first and second) number of repetitions of the TBs. Based on the claim language, the value of repetitions could be any value and thus consecutive doesn’t bear any meaning in the event the repetitions are 0 or 1).
Regarding claim 10, Takeda teaches a first time duration for all repetition of the TB is less than or equal to a second time duration derived by a periodicity of the at least two CG configurations (the CG configurations (0 and 1 of Figure 1) there is a transmission duration associated with the repetitions; Paragraph 47. Here one can see the duration would be the same (i.e. equal)).
Regarding claim 25, Takeda teaches a processor, comprising a controller coupled to a memory configured to cause the processor to:
receive at least two configured grant (CG) configurations in a bandwidth part (BWP) (a UE receives configuration information for one or more configured grants; Paragraph 9. The plurality of configured grants are for a BWP; Paragraph 53); and
transmit one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) on one or more physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission occasions from each CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations based at least in part on the information (the device receives the configuration information that includes number of times of repeated transmissions of TBs on the PUSCH; Paragraph 31. The UE transmits the TBs based on the repetition information; Paragraph 32).
Takeda does not expressly disclose each CG includes a SRS resource set index for SRS resource sets used to transmit repetitions of a TB based on the CG configuration wherein there are two types of CGs. Liou teaches, each CG configuration of the at least two CG configurations including a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set index for indicating an SRS resource set used to transmit one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) according to a corresponding CG configuration (Paragraph 509 teaches the use of configured grants. Further, there is a SRS-Resource Set for information of SRS resources for repetition factors; Paragraph 520);
wherein, for a first type of CG, a corresponding SRS resource set is determined by an SRS resource indicator (SRI) and the SRS resource set index included in the corresponding CG configuration (for codebook based transmission (i.e. type 1), the UE is configured with SRS resource set based on SRI from the SRS resource set; Paragraph 511);
wherein, for a second type of CG, a corresponding SRS resource set is determined by an SRI indicated in downlink control information (DCI) and the SRS resource set index included in the corresponding CG configuration (for non codebook based (i.e. second type) of transmission, the SRS indicator field for SRI is within the DCI. One SRS resource set is configured; Paragraph 512).
The prior art does not expressly disclose a SRS resource set index for indicating SRS resources to be used and SRI used for a first and second type of CG. Okamura teaches SRI and DCI with respect to SRS resource indicator fields of the DCI which are associated with PUSCH CGs; Paragraph 26. Figures 6a and 6b teach a correspondence between a SRI field value index (i.e. resource set index) and SRS resource set index with respect to codebooks. Here, higher layer signaling can associate SRI index values with SRS resource sets; Paragraph 113. Thus one can see there is both a SRS resource set index for indication SRS resources and SRI within the DCI which are related to CGs as claimed.
Thus it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing to modify the teachings of the prior art to include both a SRS resource set index and SRI in the DCI corresponding to the SRS resources as taught by Okamura.
One would be motivated to make the modification such that the appropriate resource set can be chosen/used as taught by Okamura; Paragraph 115.
Regarding claim 26, Takeda teaches each CG configuration includes a first number of consecutive repetitions of the TB transmitted according to a CG configuration and at least one CG configuration includes a second number of total repetitions of the TB (a repetition factor, k, is applied to each CG configuration. As there are a plurality of CG configurations there are a plurality (i.e. first and second) number of repetitions of the TBs. Based on the claim language, the value of repetitions could be any value and thus consecutive doesn’t bear any meaning in the event the repetitions are 0 or 1).
Regarding claim 27, Takeda teaches each CG configuration includes a first number of total repetitions of the TB transmitted according to a corresponding CG configuration and a second number of consecutive repetitions of the TB send according to the corresponding CG configuration (a repetition factor, k, is applied to each CG configuration which dictates TBs to send. As there are a plurality of CG configurations there are a plurality (i.e. first and second) number of repetitions of the TBs. Based on the claim language, the value of repetitions could be any value and thus consecutive doesn’t bear any meaning in the event the repetitions are 0 or 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10, 16-22, 25-27 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/BRANDON M RENNER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411