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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 27 May 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment, filed 27 May 2026, has been entered and carefully considered.
Claims 1-20, 23, 26-31, 36 and 40 are canceled.
Claims 21, 24, 25, 34, 37 and 38 are amended.
Claims 41-47 are newly added.
Claims 21, 22, 24, 25, 32-35, 37-39 and 41-47 are currently pending.
The outstanding rejection of Claims 21, 22, 24, 25, 32-35 and 37 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is withdrawn in light of Applicant’s amendment to at least Claims 21 and 34.
Applicant is reminded of the proper format for amending the application. Specifically, per MPEP 714, amended claim language should be underlined (e.g., as in the amendment of “A” to “The” in claim 38).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 27 May 2026 regarding the previous rejection of the claims under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) have been fully considered. It is noted that the amendment to Claim 38 introduces new issues under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for the reasons presented below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 38, 39 and 44-47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim language “The processing device” in the Claim 38 preamble lacks antecedent basis. Accordingly, Claim 38 is indefinite. Claims 39 and 44-47 are rejected by virtue of dependence on Claim 38.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 21, 33, 34, 38, 43 and 47 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tseng et al (United States Pre-Grant Publication 2020/0045674), hereinafter Tseng.
Regarding Claim 34, Tseng discloses a first device (Figure 11 - device 1100), comprising:
at least one transceiver (Figure 11 – transceiver 1120);
at least one processor (Figure 11 – processor 1126); and
at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, based on being executed (Figure 11 – memory 1128 storing instructions 1132; paragraphs 0150-0151), cause the first device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a base station, a radio resource control (RRC) message including information related to a time offset of a configured grant and information related to a periodicity of the configured grant (paragraphs 0067-0069 and 0071 – the UE receives SL-CG configuration (as part of RRC signaling) from the serving cell, including offset and periodicity of the SL-CG);
determining a complete sidelink (SL) logical slot among SL logical slots belonging to a resource pool as a reference logical slot (Figure 4 and paragraph 0068 - a base station may provide, in one component carrier 410, a set of (virtual) Resource Blocks (RBs) called sidelink configured grants (SL-CGs) 420…In some aspects of the present implementations, one SL-CG 420 may include a configuration having several different parameters, such as an SL-CG_index, an SL-CG_Starting_SFN, an SL-CG Period, an SL-CG_offset, an SL-CG_timeDomainAllocation, an SL-CG_start_symbol_index, an SL-CG_symbol_length, and an CG_frequencyDomainAllocation); and
based on (i) the information related to the time offset, (ii) the information related to the periodicity, and (iii) the reference logical slot, determining a slot of the configured grant (Figure 4 and paragraph 0069 - The SL-CG_Period parameter may indicate the periodicity of the SL-CG in time domain, wherein the unit of SL-CG_Period may be radio frame, subframe, slot, symbol, or microsecond, millisecond. For example, a SL-CG_Period 450 in FIG. 4 indicates the time interval between the SL-CGs 420. The SL-CG_offset may indicate the offset from the starting point of the SL-CG, for example, with respect to the starting point of the starting SFN 430, in the time domain. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, a SL-CG Offset 440 indicates the offset for the SL-CGs 420. In some of the present implementations, the unit of the SL-CG_offset parameter may be radio frame, subframe, slot, symbol, millisecond, or microsecond),
wherein the complete SL logical slot is a SL logical slot that: (i) is closest after a starting time of a system frame number (SFN) with an index; and (ii) includes at least N SL symbols after the starting time, and (Figure 4 and paragraph 0069 - The SL-CG_offset may indicate the offset from the starting point of the SL-CG, for example, with respect to the starting point of the starting SFN 430; paragraph 0070 - The SL-CG_timeDomainAllocation IE (or parameter) may include a combination of the start symbol and the length of the SL-CG in the time domain. The SL-CG_start_symbol_index may indicate the index for the first symbol in the time domain, while the SL-CG_symbol_length may indicate the number of occupied symbols in the time domain (i.e., after the starting time)),
wherein N is a configured number of SL symbols within a single slot in the resource pool and is a positive integer (paragraph 0069 - wherein the unit of SL-CG_Period may be radio frame, subframe, slot, symbol, or microsecond, millisecond. For example, a SL-CG_Period 450 in FIG. 4 indicates the time interval between the SL-CGs 420. The SL-CG_offset may indicate the offset from the starting point of the SL-CG, for example, with respect to the starting point of the starting SFN 430, in the time domain. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, a SL-CG Offset 440 indicates the offset for the SL-CGs 420. In some of the present implementations, the unit of the SL-CG_offset parameter may be radio frame, subframe, slot, symbol, millisecond, or microsecond).
Claim 21 is directed to a method comprising steps that are the same as the operations performed by the first device in Claim 34. Therefore, Claim 21 is rejected for the same reasoning as presented above for Claim 34.
Claim 38 is directed to a processing device comprising the same structure as the first device in Claim 34 (with the exception of at least one transceiver), and performing the same operations as performed by the first device in Claim 34. Therefore, Claim 38 is rejected for the same reasoning as presented above for Claim 34.
Regarding Claims 33, 43 and 47, Tseng discloses the configured grant occurs based on the information related to the periodicity (Figure 4 and paragraph 0069 - The SL-CG_Period parameter may indicate the periodicity of the SL-CG in time domain, wherein the unit of SL-CG_Period may be radio frame, subframe, slot, symbol, or microsecond, millisecond. For example, a SL-CG_Period 450 in FIG. 4 indicates the time interval between the SL-CGs 420).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 22, 35, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tseng in view of Wu et al (United States Pre-Grant Publication 20210219248), hereinafter Wu. Tseng discloses the limitations of Claims 21, 34, and 38, as described above. However, Tseng does not disclose a slot boundary of a direct frame number (DFN) related to synchronization of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and a slot boundary of the SFN related to synchronization of the base station are not aligned. In analogous art, Wu discloses this. Specifically, Wu discloses a base station providing synchronization assistance over a sidelink carrier in a scenario where the UE (e.g., a pedestrian UE device) is out of a coverage area of a GNSS and is unable to synchronize with the base station because the SFN is not aligned with DFNs (paragraphs 0089-0090). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Tseng and Wu. One would have been motivated to do so in order to reduce power consumption on the UE (refer to paragraph 0090 of Wu).
Claims 24, 25, 37, 41, 44 and 45 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tseng in view of Grieco (United States Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0370210).
Regarding Claims 24, 37 and 44, Tseng discloses the limitations of Claims 21, 34 and 38, as described above. However, Tseng does not disclose N is configured to be 14 based on a normal cyclic prefix (NCP) configured for the first device. In an analogous art, Grieco discloses this. Specifically, Grieco discloses a subframe structure that utilizes 14 symbols for a normal cyclic prefix (paragraph 0079 and Figure 8). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Tseng and Grieco. One would have been motivated to do so in order to prevent inter-symbol interference.
Regarding Claims 25, 41 and 45, Tseng discloses the limitations of Claim 21, 34 and 38, as described above. However, Tseng does not disclose N is configured to be 12 based on an extended cyclic prefix (ECP) configured for the first device. In an analogous art, Grieco discloses this. Specifically, Grieco discloses a subframe structure that utilizes 12 symbols for an extended cyclic prefix (paragraph 0079 and Figure 8). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Tseng and Grieco. One would have been motivated to do so in order to prevent inter-symbol interference.
Claims 32, 42 and 46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tseng in view of Du et al (United States Pre-Grant Publication 2023/0224893), hereinafter Du. Tseng discloses the limitations of Claim 21, 34 and 38, as described above. However, Tseng does not disclose the index is 0 or 512. In an analogous art, Du discloses this. Specifically, Du discloses the first index is 0 or 512 (paragraph 0072, the index corresponding to the first one of first CG resource periods is 0, therefore meeting the claimed alternative limitation). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Tseng and Du. One would have been motivated to do so in order to address timeliness in acquiring retransmission resources in sidelink communication (refer to paragraph 0004 of Du).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW W. CHRISS whose telephone number is (571)272-1774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kevin Bates can be reached at (571) 272-3980. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW W CHRISS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2472
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