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 .
Claims 1,3-5,7-10,12,15-17 and 19-22 are pending.
Claims 2,6,11,13,14, and 18 are canceled.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 03/06/2026 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.
The factual inquiries 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.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, and in further view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1.
Regarding Claim 1, Gong discloses a parameter determination method, comprising:
determining a first search space ([0034] [0040] The UE tries to receive the downlink control channel in a given search space by blind detection. A search space includes one or more aggregation levels, each corresponding to one or more downlink control channel candidates. Each candidate includes L CCEs, where L is the aggregation level. In order to reduce the complexity of channel estimation, the NR-PDCCH should support channel estimation reuse between candidates of different aggregation levels in a search space. Ifa UE's search space is comprised of candidate 0 ofAL4andcandidate 0 ofAL4, the channel estimation of candidate 0 ofAL2 can not get only through the channel estimation reusing of the candidate 0 ofAIL4.),wherein a maximum Control Channel Element (CCE) aggregation level comprised in the first search space is higher than a first aggregation level threshold ([0033] For high aggregation level control channels (e.g., aggregation levels 4, 8), which are usually used in cases where the channel environment is poor, it is advantageous to use a large (e.g., above a threshold as described below. PDCCH#2 has an aggregation levelof4, including CCE4, CCE5, CCE6 and CCE7. AndPDCCH#3 has an aggregation level of 8, including CCE8, CCEY, CCE10, CCE11, CCE12, CCE13, CCE14 and CCE15.),
Gong does not explicitly disclose wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set, a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set, the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table, and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table,
wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table,
However, Hou does disclose wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set([0123] the terminal device obtains, by listening, the DCI from a PDCCH common search space (CSS) set corresponding to the CORESET0. ),
a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set([0133] (MCS-C-RNTI) transmitted in any common search space (CSS) associated with CORESET #0A),
the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table ([0112] [0123] [0133] obtain the CORESETO configuration information from a preset CORESET#0A time-frequency resource configuration table shown in Table 5 based on the CORESETO configuration information in the MIB1. (MCS-C-RNTI) transmitted in any common search space (CSS) associated with CORESET#0A. The DCI from a PDCCH common search space (CSS) set corresponding to the CORESETO. Examiner interprets table 5 as the first table and CORESETO as first control resource set.),
and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table ([0111] It should be learned that Table 6 is a CORESET time-frequency resource allocation table, for a preset time-domain resource and a preset frequency-domain resource of the CORESET. CORESET time-frequency resource configuration information in the CORESET #0 time-frequency resource configuration table is obtained according to a communication protocol or obtained by a developer through measurement and calculation based on experimental data. Examiner interprets table 6 as the second table and CORESET #0 as second control resource set.),
wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table (Table 5 and 6 [0110-0111] Table 5 and 6 Index (Index) column contains different parameters than the other table. Table 5 includes 13 twice and does not, include 8 like Table 6"The SSB and CORESET multiplexing pattern is multiplexing pattern 1, 24 RBs, two time-domain symbols, and an offset parameter value is 5". It should be learned that Table 6 is a CORESETtime-frequencyresource allocation table, for a preset time-domain resource and a presetfrequency-domain resource of the CORESET, defined in the communication protocol Rel-15/16 when {SSB, PDCCH} SCS is {15, 30} kHz, and is also referred to as a CORESET#0time-frequencyresource configuration table.).
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 teachings of Gong with wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set, a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set, the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table, and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table, and wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table as taught by Hou. The motivation for doing so would be to ensure flexibility of resource allocation. (Hou, [0097])
The combination of Gong and Hou do not explicitly disclose wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals, the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space, and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals, and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals.
However, Liu does disclose wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals ([0155-0156], [0161], [0255]-[0258] The UE 102 may determine PDCCH monitoring occasions for PDCCH candidates for each search space set s based on the received the RRC parameters. The UE 102 may monitor PDCCH candidates for each search space set s in the determined PDCCH monitoring occasions. For some new type UE which may have less reception antennas or reduced RF bandwidth compared to the Release 15/16 UE, some performance as like the coverage, or the reliability of PDCCH reception would be affected. Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The sixth RRC parameter may be included in the MIB or the additional information bits. In current Release 15/16 system design, the MIB includes one spare bit. The Release 15/16 UE may ignore the spare bit. However, the spare bit can be used as the sixth RRC parameter for the new RedCap UE to indicate whether the PDCCH candidate repetition for the first search space set is applied or not. The examiner interprets the UE 102 can be two different types (RedCap and the new type), where a RedCap UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the RedCap UE and a Release 15/16 UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the Release 15/16 UE.),
the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space([0233] Likewise, the base station 160 may, based on the reported capability from a UE, determine whether configure an CCE aggregation level L being larger than 16 (e.g. 24) for the UE.),
and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals ([0155-0156], [0161], [0255]-[0258] The UE 102 may determine PDCCH monitoring occasions for PDCCH candidates for each search space set s based on the received the RRC parameters. The UE 102 may monitor PDCCH candidates for each search space set s in the determined PDCCH monitoring occasions. For some new type UE which may have less reception antennas or reduced RF bandwidth compared to the Release 15/16 UE, some performance as like the coverage, or the reliability of PDCCH reception would be affected. Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The sixth RRC parameter may be included in the MIB or the additional information bits. In current Release 15/16 system design, the MIB includes one spare bit. The Release 15/16 UE may ignore the spare bit. However, the spare bit can be used as the sixth RRC parameter for the new RedCap UE to indicate whether the PDCCH candidate repetition for the first search space set is applied or not. The examiner interprets the UE 102 can be two different types (RedCap and the new type), where a RedCap UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the RedCap UE and a Release 15/16 UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the Release 15/16 UE.),
and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals([0161] [0233] Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The base station may configure an CCE aggregation level L being smaller than or equal to 16 such as the 1,2,4,8,16.).
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 teachings of Gong and Hou with wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals, the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space, and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals, and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals as taught by Liu. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the PDCCH reception reliability and coverage. (Liu, [0166])
Regarding Claim 12, Gong discloses a parameter determination apparatus, comprising:
a processor ([0110] The one or more processors 1710);
and a memory for storing processor executable instructions ([0110] One or more layers of local cache memory. The base station 1750 may comprise one or more (e.g., hardware) processors 1710 that process instructions.),
wherein the processor is configured to determine a first search space ([0034] [0040] The UE tries to receive the downlink control channel in a given search space by blind detection. A search space includes one or more aggregation levels, each corresponding to one or more downlink control channel candidates. Each candidate includes L CCEs, where L is the aggregation level. In order to reduce the complexity of channel estimation, the NR-PDCCH should support channel estimation reuse between candidates of different aggregation levels in a search space. Ifa UE's search space is comprised of candidate 0 ofAL4andcandidate 0 ofAL4, the channel estimation of candidate 0ofAL2 can not get only through the channel estimation reusing of the candidate 0 ofAIL4.),
wherein a maximum Control Channel Element (CCE) aggregation level comprised in the first search space is higher than a first aggregation level threshold ([0033] For high aggregation level control channels (e.g., aggregation levels 4, 8), which are usually used in cases where the channel environment is poor, it is advantageous to use a large (e.g., above a threshold as described below. PDCCH #2 has an aggregation level of4, including CCE4, CCE5, CCE6 and CCE7. AndPDCCH#3 has an aggregation levelof8, including CCE8, CCEY, CCE10, CCE11, CCE12, CCE13, CCE14 and CCE15.),
Gong does not disclose wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set, a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set, the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table, and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table, wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table,
However, Hou does disclose wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set ([0123] the terminal device obtains, by listening, the DCI from a PDCCH common search space (CSS) set corresponding to the CORESET0. ),
a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set ([0133] (MCS-C-RNTI) transmitted in any common search space (CSS) associated with CORESET #0A),
the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table ([0112] [0123] [0133] obtain the CORESETO configuration information from a preset CORESET#0A time-frequency resource configuration table shown in Table 5 based on the CORESETO configuration information in the MIB1. (MCS-C-RNTI) transmitted in any common search space (CSS) associated with CORESET#0A. The DCI from a PDCCH common search space (CSS) set corresponding to the CORESETO. Examiner interprets table 5 as the first table and CORESETO as first control resource set.),
and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table ([0111] It should be learned that Table 6 is a CORESET time-frequency resource allocation table, for a preset time-domain resource and a preset frequency-domain resource of the CORESET. CORESET time-frequency resource configuration information in the CORESET #0 time-frequency resource configuration table is obtained according to a communication protocol or obtained by a developer through measurement and calculation based on experimental data. Examiner interprets table 6 as the second table and CORESET #0 as second control resource set.),
wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table (Table 5 and 6 [0110-0111] Table 5 and 6 Index (Index) column contains different parameters than the other table. Table 5 includes 13 twice and does not include 8 like Table 6"The SSB and CORESET multiplexing pattern is multiplexing pattern 1, 24 RBs, two time-domain symbols, and an offset parameter value is 5". It should be learned that Table 6 is a CORESET time-frequency resource allocation table, for a preset time-domain resource and a preset frequency-domain resource of the CORESET, defined in the communication protocolRel-15/16 when {SSB, PDCCH} SCS is {15, 30} kHz, and is also referred to as a CORESET#0 time-frequency resource configuration table.),
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 teachings of Gong with wherein the first search space corresponds to a first control resource set, a second search space corresponds to a second control resource set, the first control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a first table, and the second control resource set is configured based on preset parameters in a second table, and wherein the preset parameters comprised in the first table are different from the preset parameters comprised in the second table as taught by Hou. The motivation for doing so would be to ensure flexibility of resource allocation. (Hou, [0097])
The combination of Gong and Hou do not explicitly disclose wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals, the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space, and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals, and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals.
However, Liu does disclose wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals ([0155-0156], [0161], [0255]-[0258] The UE 102 may determine PDCCH monitoring occasions for PDCCH candidates for each search space set s based on the received the RRC parameters. The UE 102 may monitor PDCCH candidates for each search space set s in the determined PDCCH monitoring occasions. For some new type UE which may have less reception antennas or reduced RF bandwidth compared to the Release 15/16 UE, some performance as like the coverage, or the reliability of PDCCH reception would be affected. Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The sixth RRC parameter may be included in the MIB or the additional information bits. In current Release 15/16 system design, the MIB includes one spare bit. The Release 15/16 UE may ignore the spare bit. However, the spare bit can be used as the sixth RRC parameter for the new RedCap UE to indicate whether the PDCCH candidate repetition for the first search space set is applied or not. The examiner interprets the UE 102 can be two different types (RedCap and the new type), where a RedCap UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the RedCap UE and a Release 15/16 UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the Release 15/16 UE.),
the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space([0233] Likewise, the base station 160 may, based on the reported capability from a UE, determine whether configure an CCE aggregation level L being larger than 16 (e.g. 24) for the UE.),
and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals ([0155-0156], [0161], [0255]-[0258] The UE 102 may determine PDCCH monitoring occasions for PDCCH candidates for each search space set s based on the received the RRC parameters. The UE 102 may monitor PDCCH candidates for each search space set s in the determined PDCCH monitoring occasions. For some new type UE which may have less reception antennas or reduced RF bandwidth compared to the Release 15/16 UE, some performance as like the coverage, or the reliability of PDCCH reception would be affected. Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The sixth RRC parameter may be included in the MIB or the additional information bits. In current Release 15/16 system design, the MIB includes one spare bit. The Release 15/16 UE may ignore the spare bit. However, the spare bit can be used as the sixth RRC parameter for the new RedCap UE to indicate whether the PDCCH candidate repetition for the first search space set is applied or not. The examiner interprets the UE 102 can be two different types (RedCap and the new type), where a RedCap UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the RedCap UE and a Release 15/16 UE receives a search space configuration corresponding to the Release 15/16 UE.),
and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals([0161] [0233] Hereinafter, the new type UE with reduced capability compared to the Release 15/16 UE can also refer to as ‘RedCap UE’. The base station may configure an CCE aggregation level L being smaller than or equal to 16 such as the 1,2,4,8,16.).
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 teachings of Gong and Hou with wherein the first search space further corresponds to a first type of terminals, the first aggregation level threshold is determined based on the maximum CCE aggregation level comprised in the second search space, and the second search space corresponds to a second type of terminals, and wherein a reception capability of the first type of terminals is lower than a reception capability of the second type of terminals as taught by Liu. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the PDCCH reception reliability and coverage. (Liu, [0166])
Claims 3 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, and in further view of Zhang et al, US 20230269750 A1.
Regarding Claim 3,15 Gong, Hou, and Liu do not explicitly disclose the parameter / apparatus (as cited in claim 15) determination method wherein each CCE aggregation level in the first search space corresponds to a candidate transmission position number, and a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the first search space is the same as a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the second search space.
However, Zhang does disclose the parameter / apparatus (as cited in claim 15) determination method wherein each CCE aggregation level in the first search space corresponds to a candidate transmission position number ([0024] [0044] The UE 103 may be configured with one or more search space sets. Each search space set maybe configured with one or more CCE aggregation levels. On the other hand, the UE 103 shall be configured with an enough number of candidate control channels, otherwise the PDCCH transmitted for other UE(s) may block the PDCCH transmission or the UE 103 with higher probability. The number of candidates M.sub.s,max.sup.(L)'is a sum of candidates among the associated search space sets for the CCE aggregation level L, rather than M.sub.s,max.sup.(L) configured for each search space set.),
and a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the first search space is the same as a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the second search space ([0024][0044-0047] On the other hand, the UE 103 shall be configured with an enough number of candidate control channels. The number of candidates M.sub.s,max.sup.(L)'is a sum of candidates among the associated search space sets for the CCE aggregation level L. The number of candidates in search space set k.sub.0 is m.sub.0 and the number of candidates in search space setk.sub.1 is m.sub.1. The number of candidates in search space setk.sub.0 is m.sub.0 and the number of candidates in search space setk.sub.1 is m.sub.1. For search space set k.sub.0, m¹.sub.s,n.sub.Cl=0, space set k.sub.1, m'.sub.s,n.sub.Cl=m.sub.0, m.sub.0-1for a serving cell. For search m.sub.0+m.sub.1-1 for a serving cell. The sum for the first search space and the space search could be equal. ).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, and Liu with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 15) wherein each CCE aggregation level in the first search space corresponds to a candidate transmission position number, and a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the first search space is the same as a sum of candidate transmission position numbers in the second search space as taught by Zhang. The motivation for doing so would be to achieve a longer battery life for a UE. (Zhang, [0003]).
Claims 4 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, in view of Zhang et al, US 20230269750 A1, and in further view of Sun et al, US 20190082422 A1.
Regarding Claims 4 and 16 Gong, Hou, Liu, and Zhang do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method / apparatus (as cited in claim 16) wherein the candidate transmission position number in the first search space is smaller than a second aggregation level threshold.
However, Sun does disclose the parameter determination method / apparatus (as cited in claim 16) wherein the candidate transmission position number in the first search space is smaller than a second aggregation level threshold ([0090] [0096] A first number of decoding candidates comprised in a lower aggregation level maybe within an integer multiple, e.g., S, of a second number of decoding candidates comprised in a next higher aggregation level. The apparatus may comprise a search space component 908 configured to determine a set of decoding candidates of a lower aggregation level for a downlink control channel based on a random selection from a plurality of potential decoding candidates, wherein the plurality of potential decoding candidates are defined from a second set of decoding candidates of a higher aggregation level.).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, Liu, and Zhang with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 16) wherein the candidate transmission position number in the first search space is smaller than a second aggregation level threshold as taught by Sun. The motivation for doing so would be to reduce interference when the UL data region 210 and the ULCB have different numerologies. (Sun, [0044]).
Claims 5 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, in view of Zhang et al, US 20230269750 A1, in view of Sun et al, US 20190082422 A1, and in further view of Kim et al, US 20120078933 A1.
Regarding Claims 5 and 17, Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhang, and Sun do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method /apparatus (as cites in claim 17) wherein the second aggregation level threshold is determined based on a largest candidate transmission position number in the second search space.
However, Kim does disclose the parameter determination method /apparatus (as cites in claim 17) wherein the second aggregation level threshold is determined based on a largest candidate transmission position number in the second search space ([0065][0067][0133] [0155] The starting position of the common search space is fixed regardless of subframe, but the starting position of the UE specific search space may be determined every subframe. The control region includes a set of CCEs numbered from 0 to N.sub.CCE,k-1. M.sup.(L) is the number of PDCCH candidates from a CCE aggregation level L in a given search space. The number, positions, and sizes of UE-specific search spaces are only examples. CCE aggregation level 1 and 2, the size of a reference UE-specific search space is made to be larger than that of the remaining UE-specific search space. Level 1 and 2 where the number of PDCCH candidates is larger than level 4 and 8.).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhang, and Sun with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 17) wherein the second aggregation level threshold is determined based on a largest candidate transmission position number in the second search space as taught by Kim. The motivation for doing so would be to improve scheduling flexibility and reduce overhead due to blind decoding. (Kim, [0157]).
Claims 7 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, in view of Zhou et al, US 20190052434 A1., and in further view of Li et al, US 20220053489 A1.
Regarding claims 7 and 19 Gong, Hou, and Liu do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method of wherein the preset parameters in the first table comprise first time domain parameters, the preset parameters in the second table comprise second time domain parameters,
However, Zhou does disclose the parameter determination method of wherein the preset parameters in the first table comprise first time domain parameters ([0106] [0108] In S202, the start position of the at least one CORESET is selected based on the configuration information, and a preset table of relation between the number of symbols occupied by the CORESET. To a system with a subcarrier spacing of15 kHz or 30kHz and with a time resource pattern corresponding to pattern 2.),
the preset parameters in the second table comprise second time domain parameters ([0113] To a system with a subcarrier spacing of120kHzor 30kHzandwith a time resource pattern corresponding to pattern 1, the preset table of relation between the number of symbols occupied by the CORESET.),
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, and Liu with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 19) wherein the preset parameters in the first table comprise first time domain parameters, the preset parameters in the second table comprise second time domain parameters as taught by Zhou. The motivation for doing so would be to improve time frequency tracking performance of the UE. (Zhou, [0050]),
The combination of Gong, Hou, Liu, and Zhou do not explicitly disclose and the first time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the first control resource set; and the second time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the second control resource set, wherein at least one time domain symbol number comprised in the first time domain parameters is larger than a maximum time domain symbol number comprised in the second time domain parameters.
However, Li does disclose and the first time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the first control resource set (FIG. 4 [0496] the sending unit 730 is configured to transmit a data channel on a first time domain resource, where the first time domain resource is determined based on the first information and a first time domain resource set.);
and the second time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the second control resource set ([0474] FIG. 3 The sending unit 730is configured to transmit a data channel on a second time domain resource, where the second time domain resource is determined based on the first information and a second time domain resource set.),
wherein at least one time domain symbol number comprised in the first time domain parameters is larger than a maximum time domain symbol number comprised in the second time domain parameters ([0460] [0496] The first time domain resource set is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the value of the first reference symbol is the first value. The first time domain resource set is one of at least one first time domain resource set configured by a higher layer or predefined.).
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 teachings of and Gong, Hou, Liu, and Zhou with and the first time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the first control resource set, and the second time domain parameters comprise time domain symbol numbers occupied by the second control resource set, wherein at least one time domain symbol number comprised in the first time domain parameters is larger than a maximum time domain symbol number comprised in the second time domain parameters as taught by Li. The motivation for doing so would be to improve flexibility and reliability of data transmission. (Li, [0006])
Claims 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, , in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, in view of Zhou et al, US 20190052434 A1., in view of Li et al, US 20220053489A1., and in further view of Hwang et al, US 20210306953 A1.
Regarding Claims 8 and 20, Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, and Li do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method / apparatus (as cited in claim 20) wherein the preset parameters in the first table and the preset parameters in the second table further comprise frequency domain resource number parameters; the preset parameters in the first table comprise first combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters, and the preset parameters in the second table comprise second combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters, wherein the first combination configurations are different from the second combination configurations.
However, Hwang does disclose the parameter determination method / apparatus (as cited in claim 20) wherein the preset parameters in the first table and the preset parameters in the second table further comprise frequency domain resource number parameters ([0327] The WUS resource allocation information may include allocation information about at least one domain resource of a time domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, or a code-domain resource. A WUS resource according to the first WUS configuration may be distinguished from the WUS resource according to the second WUS configuration.);
the preset parameters in the first table comprise first combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters ([0327] The WUS resource allocation information may include allocation information about at least one domain resource of a time-domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, or a code-domain resource. A WUS resource according to the first WUS configuration may be distinguished from the WUS resource according to the second WUS configuration.),
and the preset parameters in the second table comprise second combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters ([0327] The WUS resource allocation information may include allocation information about at least one domain resource of a time-domain resource, a frequency-domain resource, or a code domain resource. A WUS resource according to the first WUS configuration maybe distinguished from the WUS resource according to the second WUS configuration.),
wherein the first combination configurations are different from the second combination configurations ([0327] The BS may group WUSs by distinguishing between the WUS resource according to the first WUS configuration and the WUS resource according to the second WUS configuration by a combination of at least one of TDM, CDM, or FDM.).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, and Li and with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 20) wherein the preset parameters in the first table and the preset parameters in the second table further comprise frequency domain resource number parameters; the preset parameters in the first table comprise first combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters, and the preset parameters in the second table comprise second combination configurations of the time domain symbol numbers and the frequency domain resource number parameters, wherein the first combination configurations are different from the second combination configurations as taught by Hwang. The motivation for doing so would be to reduce inter-symbol interference. (Hwang, [0058])
Claims 9 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, in view of Zhou et al, US 20190052434 A1., in view of Li et al, US 20220053489 A1., in view of Hwang et al, US 20210306953 A1., in view of Khoshnevisan et al, US 20200336239 A1., and in further view of Taherzadeh et al, US 20200351896 A1.
Regarding Claims 9 and 21, Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, Li, and Hwang do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method wherein different first combination configurations correspond to different first control resource set capacities;
However, Khoshnevisan does disclose the parameter determination method wherein different first combination configurations correspond to different first control resource set capacities ([0144] The first DCI message and the second DCI message correspond to different DCI types, different CORESETSs, different dynamic configurations, or a combination thereof.);
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, Li, and Hwang with the parameter determination method/ apparatus (as cited in claim 21) wherein different first combination configurations correspond to different first control resource set capacities as taught by Khoshnevisan. The motivation for doing so would be to use HARQ to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency.(Khoshnevisan, [0046])
The combination of Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, Li, Hwang, and Khoshnevisan do not explicitly disclose when a first control resource set capacity is smaller than a third aggregation level threshold,
However, Taherzadeh does disclose when a first control resource set capacity is smaller than a third aggregation level threshold ([0086] The structure of the smaller CORESET506, which contains the spare PDCCH candidates and the number and the size (aggregation level) of those spare PDCCH candidates, may be configured by the RRC for example. The location of the spare PDCCH candidates with different aggregation levels inside the spare CORESET 506.),
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, Liu, Zhou, Li, Hwang, and Khoshnevisan with when a first control resource set capacity is smaller than a third aggregation level threshold as taught by Taherzadeh. The motivation for doing so would be to improve the control channel detection reliability. (Taherzadeh, [0098]),
a first combination configuration number is smaller than a second combination configuration number [The Examiner contends that because this limitation is a conditional limitation which requires a certain condition to be met, patentable weight is not given since the conditional limitation is not a step that must be performed but instead only performed when the condition is met.].
Claims 10 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over as Gong et al US 20200178236 A1., in view of Hou et al, US 20230189225 A1, in view of Liu et al, US 20230179386 A1, and in further view of Chen et al, US 20220053470 A1.
Regarding Claim 10, Gong, Hou, and Liu do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination method wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type 0 CSS).
However, Chen does disclose the parameter determination method wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type 0 CSS) ([0118] Search space sets maybe classified into two types: a common search space (common search space, CSS) set. The CSS set maybe a search space set including the following types of PDCCHs: a type 0.).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, and Liu with the parameter determination method wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type0 CSS) as taught by Chen. The motivation for doing so would be to improve a processing capability of the terminal device, and the components of the terminal device may be connected by using various buses. (Chen, [0276]).
Regarding Claim 22, Gong, Hou, and Liu do not explicitly disclose the parameter determination apparatus wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type 0 CSS).
However, Chen does disclose the parameter determination apparatus wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type 0 CSS) ([0118] Search space sets maybe classified into two types: a common search space (common search space, CSS) set. The CSS set may be a search space set including the following types of PDCCHs: a type 0.).
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 teachings of Gong, Hou, and Liu with the parameter determination apparatus wherein the first search space is a type 0 Common Search Space (type OCSS) as taught by Chen. The motivation for doing so would be to improve a processing capability of the terminal device, and the components of the terminal device may be connected by using various buses. (Chen, [0276]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1,3-5,7-10,12,15-17 and 19-22 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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/RYA TEON NELSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/JENEE HOLLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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