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 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) 1,6-9,22-23,26-27,41-43,45,47 and 49-52 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al (US 20230319951 A1) hereinafter as Cai in view of Zhang (US 20230038791 A1).
Regarding claim(s) 1,22,41,42, Cai discloses a method for controlling a sidelink communication, performed by a transmission device (See Fig(s). 3 with terminal 302 as transmission device), comprising:
sending a sidelink control signaling, wherein the sidelink control signaling comprises first indication information for controlling a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) operation of a reception device (See Fig(s). 3, See ¶ 32, A first terminal device receives first sidelink control information SCI sent by a second terminal device, where the second terminal device is a device that performs sidelink communication with the first terminal device. It is interpreted that either sidelink devices can be as transmitter/receiver),
the first indication information indicates a time when the reception device enters an active state (See ¶ 125, 166-167, the indication information indicates a start, an end, or a start and an end of a first time period, and the first time period belongs to sidelink DRX active time of the second terminal device, or the second terminal device is in a sidelink DRX active state in the first time period. Alternatively, the indication information indicates a start, an end, or a start and an end of sidelink DRX active time or a sidelink DRX active state of the second terminal device.),
to indicate the time when the reception device enters the active state (See ¶ 166, he indication information indicates a start, an end, or a start and an end of a first time period, and the first time period belongs to sidelink DRX active time of the second terminal device, or the second terminal device is in a sidelink DRX active state in the first time period.).
Cai further discloses wherein, the sidelink control signaling is physical-layer sidelink control information (SCI), (See ¶ 32, 34).
Cai fails to disclose the first indication information comprises indication information regarding one or more time/frequency locations of one or more reserved resources reserved by a transmission device,
wherein the first indication information is to indicate at least one of: the reception device to enter the active state at a time T before the one or more reserved resources; the reception device to enter the active state at a time T before a slot of the one or more reserved resources; a time when the reception device enters the active state at the one or more reserved resources; or a time when the reception device enters the active state at a slot of the one or more reserved resources.
Zhang discloses the first indication information comprises indication information regarding a time/frequency location of a reserved resource (See Fig(s). 4 step 401, See ¶ 7, 15-16,42,76, The transmit-side terminal device sends sidelink control information to a receive-side terminal device, where the sidelink control information includes the time domain resource and indication information).
Zhang further discloses wherein the first indication information indicates at least one of: the reception device to enter the active state at a time T before the reserved resource (See ¶ 7, The on duration of the finally selected first DRX mode can fully or partially cover the time domain location of the time domain resource, so that the reserved time domain resource can be effectively used.).
Resource allocation in DRX between sidelink devices ensures that a terminal device can perform monitoring to the greatest extent possible at a time domain location of any reserved resource.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Zhang within Cai, to ensure that a terminal device can perform monitoring to the greatest extent possible at a time domain location of any reserved resource within sidelink communications.
Further with regards to claim 22, Cai discloses a receiving device performing the mirrored functions from the transmitting device (See ¶ 32,46, whereby the receiver receives sidelink control signaling via SCI from the transmitter to perform the functions similar to claim 1, See Fig(s). 3 with first terminal 302 as receiver and 303a as transmitter, see also See ¶ 185, the sidelink DRX parameter may be configured by the first terminal device, that is, configured by a transmitting terminal device in sidelink communication, or may be configured by the second terminal device, that is, configured by a receiving terminal device in sidelink communication. ).
Further with regards to claims 41-43,49, See Fig(s). 900 with processor 901 and memory 902 for implementing the methods of claim 1 and 22.
Regarding claim(s) 6,26, Cai discloses further comprising at least one of: determining information of the T by: the time T being a fixed value (See ¶ 185 A value of the timer is an initial value of the timer when the timer is started or restarted. ; or a value of the time T being 0.
Regarding claim(s) 7,45, Cai discloses wherein a value of the timeT is determined based on at least one of: information for indicating a value of the time T comprised in the sidelink control signaling (See ¶ 185).
Regarding claim(s) 8,47, Zhang discloses wherein the physical-layer SCI comprises: an indication on whether the indication information regarding the time/frequency location of the reserved resource is used to indicate whether the reception device enters the active state (See Fig(s). 4 step 401, See ¶ 7, 15-16,42,76, The transmit-side terminal device sends sidelink control information to a receive-side terminal device, where the sidelink control information includes the time domain resource and indication information, see also See ¶ 69). Reasons for combining same as claim1 .
Regarding claim(s) 9,27, Cai discloses wherein the first indication information further comprises at least one of: information for indicating an offset of the time when the reception device enters the active state; information for indicating a length of time within which the reception device is in the active state; or information for indicating a DRX cycle of the reception device (See ¶ 173-174), wherein the information for indicating the DRX cycle of the reception device comprises one of: information for indicating an offset by which the DRX cycle of the reception device changes; or information for indicating a value of the DRX cycle of the reception (See ¶ 81, a DRX mode includes an on duration and an off duration. drxStartOffset may be used to specify a start subframe of the DRX mode, DRX Cycle may be used to specify a quantity of subframes occupied by the DRX mode, and onDurationTimer may be used to specify a quantity of consecutive PDCCH subframes that need to be listened to and that are counted from the start subframe of the DRX mode).
Regarding claim(s) 23, Cai discloses time when the reception device enters the active state at a slot of the reserved resource; and performing the DRX operation based on the first indication information comprises one of: entering the active state based on the time, indicated by the first indication information, when the reception device enters the active state at the one or more reserved resource resources; or entering the active state based on the time, indicated by the first indication information, when the reception device enters the active state at the slot one or more slots of the one or more reserved resource resources. (See ¶ 81, a DRX mode includes an on duration and an off duration. drxStartOffset may be used to specify a start subframe of the DRX mode, DRX Cycle may be used to specify a quantity of subframes occupied by the DRX mode, and onDurationTimer may be used to specify a quantity of consecutive PDCCH subframes that need to be listened to and that are counted from the start subframe of the DRX mode).
Regarding claim(s) 50, Cai discloses wherein the sidelink control signaling further comprises at least one of: indication information on whether the information for indicating the length of time within which the reception device is in the active state (See ¶ 166 start and end times indicate a timer period or length of time).
Regarding claim(s) 51, Cai discloses wherein: whether the information for indicating the length of time within which the reception device is in the active state is carried in the sidelink control signaling is implicitly indicated through different sidelink control signaling formats ((See ¶ 166 start and end times indicate a timer period or length of time).
Regarding claim(s) 52, Cai discloses wherein: the information for indicating the offset of the time when the reception device enters the active state is applied to each DRX cycle within a subsequent time period, and a length of the subsequent time period is configured by a base station (See ¶ 166, 175,176 a time length in which the terminal device is in a sidelink DRX active state is originally a time length of “On Duration”, and running the drx-InactivityTimerPC5 may prolong the time in which the terminal device is in the sidelink DRX active state).
Claim(s) 44,48 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cai et al (US 20230319951 A1) hereinafter as Cai in view of Zhang (US 20230038791 A1) further in view of Chen et al (US 20220141716 A1) hereinafter as Chen.
Regarding claim(s) 44,48, Chen discloses wherein the indication information indicates a resource reservation period by a periodic resource reservation field (See ¶ 26, 58, the first resource reservation information in the first SCI may be carried in a resource reservation field of the first SCI.).
Resource reservation information regarding time/frequency resources reserved by UE1, which may be utilized by UE2 and/or UE3 in selecting time/frequency resources in respective transmissions in order to avoid collision in transmission and/or overlap in resource reservation/usage.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the teachings of Chen within Cai, so as to enhance overall network performance by reserving resources to avoid collision in transmission and/or overlap in resource reservation/usage.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Raj Jain whose telephone number is (571) 272-3145. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Th ~8 ~6.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Derrick Ferris can be reached on 571-272-3123. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for published applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Patent Center for authorized users only. Should you have questions about access to Patent Center, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at https://www.uspto.gov/patents/uspto-automated- interview-request-air-form.
/RAJ JAIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2411
Prosecution Insights