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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
The certified English translation of the foreign application has been submitted on 04/28/2026.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/28/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 4-7 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.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that use the word “means” or “step” but are nonetheless not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph because the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure, materials, or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “reception circuitry” and “transmision circuitry” in claims 4 and 5.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are not being interpreted to cover only the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant intends to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to remove the structure, materials, or acts that performs the claimed function; or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) does/do not recite sufficient structure, materials, or acts to perform the claimed function.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. The title recites, “Terminal Devices, Base Station devices, and Communication Methods”. The title of invention is “technically inaccurate and non-descriptive”. [See 37 CFR 1.72(a) and MPEP § 606]. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “Terminal Devices, Base Station devices, and Communication Methods for grouping of slots based on configured repetitions” or equivalent thereof.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2022/0159652 A1 to Bae et al. (hereafter refers as Bae) in view of US 2022/0256531 A1 to Sridharan et al. (hereafter refers as Sridharan).
Regarding claims 4 and 6, Bae teaches a terminal device and a method performed by a terminal device (a UE configured to perform a method of transmitting PUSCH, paragraphs [232-236, 289-293, ] and Fig. 12, 16-17), comprising:
reception circuitry (a transceiver, paragraph [72] and Fig. 3) configured to receive a configuration for determining a plurality of slots for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (to receive a configuration/indication specifying a number of repetitions for determining a number of slots for PUSCH, paragraphs [124-129, 220, 229, 235, 257, 262]), and
transmission circuitry (a control unit for perform the functions of the UE, paragraphs [72-77] and Fig. 3) configured to:
determine configured repetitions in the plurality of slots (determines K repetition factor configured by a base station, in the plurality of slots, wherein the K repetition factor indicating a number of repetitions, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]),
generate one or more groups of slots by grouping the configured repetitions that are continuous in time domain (to generate a group of slots, i.e. slots N+1 to slot N+K, for transmission of repetitions that are continuous in time domain, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]), and
generate a transmission instance for each group of slots (generating transmission instance/repetition for each group of slots, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]).
However, Bae does not explicitly teach “determine, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH and perform a circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G”.
Sridharan teaches a terminal device and a method performed by a terminal device (a UE configured to perform a method of transmitting PUSCH, paragraphs [76-78, 80-82] and Fig. 2-6, 10, provisional 63/146,304, Fig. 2-6, and paragraphs [67-69, 72-76]), comprising:
reception circuitry (reception circuitry, paragraphs [16, 48, 51, 267], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [9, 10, 40, 43, 146] ) configured to receive a configuration for determining a plurality of slots for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (to receive configuration/indication specifying a number of repetitions, a number of slots and/or type of slots configuration, for PUSCH, paragraphs [76-78, 136, 137], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [68, 111, 143, 189]), and
transmission circuitry (transmission circuitry including a processor, paragraphs [51, 267], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [43, 146]) configured to:
generate one or more groups of slots from the plurality of slots (to generate at least one group of slots from the plurality of slots for transmissions, based on the indication via the configuration/DCI, paragraphs [67, 74-77, 90-93, 136, 137], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [46, 59-61, 80-82], and appendix, pages 2-3),
generate a transmission instance for each group of slots (generating a transmission occasion for each group of slots, which including at least one repetition of an initial transmission, paragraph [67], provisional 63/146,304, paragraph [59]), and
determine, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH (determines, for each transmission occasion of a repetition, a number of bits available for a transmission of PUSCH, such as based on a RV of that PUSCH repetition and/or based on TB seize and code rate, paragraphs [81-83], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-75]),
perform a circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G (stores the number of bits per transmission occasion of repetition in a circular buffer, Fig. 5 and provisional 63/146,304, Fig. 5, and performs transmission(s) per each transmission occasion, by extracting a number of bits corresponded to the transmission occasion in the circular buffer, paragraphs [80-85], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-76], appendix, pages 2-3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of determining, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH and performing the circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G, as taught by Sridharan, with the teachings of Bae, for a purpose of increase diversity for the repetitions by transmitting different set of encoded bits in different PUSCH repetitions by performing the circular buffer management per transmission instance for storing and encoding the PUSCH repetitions (see Sridharan, paragraphs [80-85], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-76], appendix, pages 2-3).
Regarding claim 5, Bae teaches a base station device (a base station configured to perform a method of PUSCH, paragraphs [232-236, 296-300] and Fig. 12, 16-17) comprising:
transmission circuitry (a transceiver, paragraphs [64-65, 72] and Fig. 2-3) configured to transmit a configuration for determining a plurality of slots for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (to transmit a configuration/indication specifying a number of repetitions for determining a number of slots for PUSCH, paragraphs [124-129, 220, 229, 235, 257, 262]); and
reception circuitry (a control unit for perform the functions of the base station, paragraphs [64-65, 72-77] and Fig. 3) configured to:
determine configured repetitions in the plurality of slots (determines K repetition factor, in the plurality of slots, wherein the K repetition factor indicating a number of repetitions, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]),
generate one or more groups of slots by grouping the configured repetitions that are continuous in time domain (to generate a group of slots, i.e. slots N+1 to slot N+K, for transmission of repetitions that are continuous in time domain, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]),
generate a transmission instance for each group of slots (generating transmission instance/repetition for each group of slots, paragraphs [235, 257, 262-264, 267]).
However, Bae does not explicitly teach “determine, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH and perform a circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G”.
Sridharan teaches a base station device (a base station configured to perform a method of PUSCH, paragraphs [76-78, 80-82] and Fig. 2-6, 10, provisional 63/146,304, Fig. 2-6, and paragraphs [67-69, 72-76]) comprising:
transmission circuitry (the base station includes a transmission circuitry, paragraphs [9, 11, 47, 52, 267], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [8, 10, 44, 45, 146]) configured to transmit a configuration for determining a plurality of slots for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) (to transmit configuration/indication specifying a number of repetitions, a number of slots and/or type of slots configuration, for PUSCH, paragraphs [76-78, 136, 137], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [68, 111, 143, 189]); and
reception circuitry (the base station includes a reception circuitry including a processor, paragraphs [52, 267], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [44, 146]) configured to:
generate one or more groups of slots from the plurality of slots (to generate at least one group of slots from the plurality of slots for transmissions, based on the indication via the configuration/DCI, paragraphs [67, 74-77, 90-93, 136, 137], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [46, 59-61, 80-82], and appendix, pages 2-3),
generate a transmission instance for each group of slots (wherein each group including at least one repetition of an initial transmission is identified as a transmission instance/occasion, paragraph [67], provisional 63/146,304, paragraph [59]),
determine, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH (determines, for each transmission occasion of a repetition, a number of bits available for a transmission of PUSCH, such as based on a RV of that PUSCH repetition and/or based on TB seize and code rate, paragraphs [81-83], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-75]), and
perform a circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G (for each transmission occasion, performing receiving of number of bits corresponded to each transmission occasion, extracted from a circular buffer, paragraphs [80-85], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-76], appendix, pages 2-3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teachings of determining, for each transmission instance, a number G representing available bits for a transmission of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) in the PUSCH and performing the circular buffer management per transmission instance based on the number G, as taught by Sridharan, with the teachings of Bae, for a purpose of increase diversity for the repetitions by transmitting different set of encoded bits in different PUSCH repetitions by performing the circular buffer management per transmission instance for storing and encoding the PUSCH repetitions (see Sridharan, paragraphs [80-85], provisional 63/146,304, paragraphs [73-76], appendix, pages 2-3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2022/0123865 A1 discloses an occasion includes a plurality of slots for transmission of PUSCH (Fig. 4) and performing circular buffer management for each occasion (paragraphs [300, 301]).
US 2021/0006315 A1 discloses an N repetition transmission of the CSI report and performs circular buffer managing of the repetition (paragraph [47]).
US 2021/0152289 A1 discloses a length of an output sequence is based on a number of code modulation symbols, number of layers and modulation order (see paragraphs [98, 135, 137] and claim 10).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUNG B. HUYNH whose telephone number is (571)270-7642. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ian N. Moore can be reached at 571-272-3085. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DUNG B HUYNH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469 June 13, 2026
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