DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the amendment filed on 3/30/2026 in which claims 20-29, and 35-44 are pending.
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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 30-34 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/30/2026.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 20-24, 26, 35, 36, 38, 40-42, and 44 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Aiba et al. (US20220225364A1).
As to claims 20, 35, and 44, Aiba teaches an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: ([0015] FIG. 7 illustrates various components that may be utilized in a UE. [0182] Instructions 707b and/or data 709b loaded into the processor 703 may also include instructions 707a and/or data 709a from memory 705 that were loaded for execution or processing by the processor 703. The instructions 707b may be executed by the processor 703 to implement the methods described herein.)
receiving a first downlink control information comprising scheduling information associated with at least one of a downlink data channel or an uplink data channel from a network entity; storing the scheduling information;
([0021] A user equipment (UE) is described. The UE includes receiving circuitry configured to receive a first downlink control information (DCI) format that includes one bit of an uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) indicator, the first DCI format being used for scheduling of a PUSCH.)
receiving a second downlink control information; and ([0021] The receiving circuitry is also configured to receive a second DCI format that includes more than one bits of an UL-SCH indicator, the second DCI format being used for scheduling of a PUSCH.)
based upon the second downlink control information, at least one of: receiving the downlink data channel based on the stored scheduling information; or transmitting the uplink data channel based on the stored scheduling information. ([0026] The one bit of the UL-SCH indicator is used for indicating whether or not UL-SCH is transmitted on the PUSCH. The more than one bits of the UL-SCH indicator are used for indicating whether or not UCI is transmitted on the PUSCH. [0127] If the UE 102 has (e.g., would have) the PUSCH transmission with the UL-SCH that overlaps with the PUCCH transmission that includes the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s), the semi-persistent CSI information, and/or the periodic CSI information), the UE 102 may multiplex the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s), the semi-persistent CSI information, and/or the periodic CSI information) on the PUSCH. [0128] For example, in a case that the PUSCH transmission overlaps with the PUCCH transmission that includes the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK and/or the CSI) in the same timing (e.g., in the same slot and/or in the symbol), the UE 102 may multiplex the UL-SCH (e.g., the uplink data) and the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI) on the PUSCH. For example, the UE 102 may transmit, in the same timing (e.g., in the same slot and/or in the same symbol), the UL-SCH together with the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI) on the PUSCH.)
As to claims 21 and 36, Aiba teaches the apparatus of claim 20, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving at least one radio resource control message comprising at least one indication of whether the first downlink control information transmission would activate a first reporting if the first downlink control information follows one-bit downlink control information and the first downlink control information is configured for retransmission. ([0165] Namely, the UL-SCH indicator included in the first DCI format 601 may be used for indicating whether or not the UL-SCH is transmitted on the PUSCH. For example, in a case that the first DCI format 601 including the UL-SCH indicator set to “1” (i.e., the value of 1-bit field of the UL-SCH indicator is set to “1”) is received, the UE 102 may transmit the UL-SCH together with the UCI (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) on the PUSCH. Also, in a case that the first DCI format 601 including the UL-SCH indicator set to “0” (i.e., the value of 1-bit field of the UL-SCH indicator is set to “0”) is received, the UE 102 may transmit the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) on the PUSCH. Namely, in a case that the UL-SCH indicator is set to “0”, only the UCI(s) is transmitted (e.g., the UCI is transmitted without the UL-SCH) on the PUSCH. [0166] For example, the number of bits for the UL-SCH indicator included in the second DCI format 603 may be 0-bit, 1-bit or 2-bit. For example, the gNB 160 may transmit, by using the RRC message, eighth information used for determining (e.g., configuring) the number of bits (e.g., 0-bit, 1-bit or 2-bit) for the UL-SCH indicator. [0167] Here, for the second DCI format(s) 603, a value of a field(s) for the UL-SCH indicator (e.g., a value(s) of 2-bit field for the UL-SCH indicator) may be used for indicating the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) is not transmitted on the PUSCH (e.g., the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) shall not be transmitted on the PUSCH).)
As to claims 22 and 40, Aiba teaches the apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform: upon receiving the second downlink control information, stopping the first reporting, wherein the first reporting configured by radio resource control, enabled by medium access control element or indicated in the first downlink control information. ([0165] Also, in a case that the first DCI format 601 including the UL-SCH indicator set to “0” (i.e., the value of 1-bit field of the UL-SCH indicator is set to “0”) is received, the UE 102 may transmit the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) on the PUSCH. Namely, in a case that the UL-SCH indicator is set to “0”, only the UCI(s) is transmitted (e.g., the UCI is transmitted without the UL-SCH) on the PUSCH. [0167] Here, for the second DCI format(s) 603, a value of a field(s) for the UL-SCH indicator (e.g., a value(s) of 2-bit field for the UL-SCH indicator) may be used for indicating the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) is not transmitted on the PUSCH (e.g., the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) shall not be transmitted on the PUSCH).)
As to claims 23 and 41, Aiba teaches the apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first reporting can be configured by higher layer signaling together with the second downlink control information when the second downlink control information is configured. ([0166] For example, the gNB 160 may transmit, by using the RRC message, eighth information used for determining (e.g., configuring) the number of bits (e.g., 0-bit, 1-bit or 2-bit) for the UL-SCH indicator. [0167] Here, for the second DCI format(s) 603, a value of a field(s) for the UL-SCH indicator (e.g., a value(s) of 2-bit field for the UL-SCH indicator) may be used for indicating the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) is not transmitted on the PUSCH (e.g., the UCI(s) (e.g., the HARQ-ACK(s) and/or the CSI(s)) shall not be transmitted on the PUSCH).)
As to claims 24 and 42, Aiba teaches the apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first reporting comprises at least one of user equipment channel related report, buffer status related report, user equipment power and battery related reporting, channel quality indicator, rank indicator, precoding matrix indicator, power head room report, or buffer state information. ([0126] Here, the CSI report(s) may include aperiodic CSI report(s), semi-persistent CSI report(s), and/or periodic CSI report(s). Additionally or alternatively, the CSI report(s) may include CSI part 1 report(s), CSI part 2 report(s), CQI (e.g., Channel Quality information) report(s), PMI (e.g., Precoding Matrix Information) report(s), and/or RI (e.g., Rank Indication) report(s).)
As to claims 26 and 38, Aiba teaches the apparatus of claim 20, wherein one bit of the second downlink control information indicates whether the second downlink control information applies to receiving the downlink data channel or transmitting the uplink data channel. ([0176] Additionally or alternatively, in a case that the number of bits for the UL-SCH indicator included in the second DCI format(s) 603 is configured to “1-bit”, a value of “0” (e.g., the value of 1-bit field of the UL-SCH indicator included in the second DCI format 603) may be used for indicating the UL-SCH is not transmitted on the PUSCH (e.g., the UL-SCH shall not be transmitted on the PUSCH).)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 25, 27-29, 37, 39, and 43 are 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELTON S WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)272-9933. The examiner can normally be reached 8-4 Mon-Fri.
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/Elton Williams/Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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