DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 2/1/2024 in which claims 1-14 and 18 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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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) 1-5, 8-12, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tsai et al. (US20220150946A1).
As to claims 1, 8, and 18, Tsai teaches a method of receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: ([0061] The (DRX) on-duration 104 may be a duration for which the UE may wait (e.g., after waking up) to receive PDCCHs.)
receiving a parameter related to PDCCH monitoring adaptation through a higher layer signaling; ([0067] A UE may be configured with an RRC parameter for performing the SS (or SSG) switching.)
receiving information regarding an operation related to the PDCCH monitoring adaptation based on the parameter; and ([0067] In some implementations, a first value (e.g., a bit value of zero “0”) for an SS (or SSG) switching may indicate that only a first SSG (e.g., SSG 202A in FIG. 2A) may be monitored by the UE and a second value (e.g., a bit value of one “1”) for an SS (or SSG) switching may indicate that only a second SSG (e.g., SSG 204A in FIG. 2A) may be monitored.)
receiving the PDCCH based on the information, wherein the receiving the PDCCH includes monitoring the PDCCH through a common search space (CSS) set based on a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) different from a cell-RNTI (C-RNTI) during a time duration related to the information. ([0072] In some implementations, a physical layer signaling may be used to further control PDCCH monitoring behaviors for a DRX on-duration based on a configured DRX mechanism. As such, the NW may send a physical layer signaling to a UE to determine whether or not the UE may wake up within a DRX on-duration (e.g., to start a drx-onDurationTimer for the next DRX cycle or not to start the drx-onDurationTimer for the next DRX cycle). The physical layer signaling may be called a DCP, or a DCI with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI. [0079] In some implementations, the first SS sets in the first SSG may (only) include a SS/SSS which is related to USS and/or type-3 CSS types. In some implementations, the second SS sets in the second SSG may (only) include a SS/SSS which is related to USS and/or type-3 CSS types. [0222] In some implementations, if the UE is configured with higher layer parameter PS-RNTI and dci-Format2-6, one block may be configured for the UE by higher layers,)
As to claims 2 and 9, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
wherein the method comprises monitoring the PDCCH through the CSS set based on the C-RNTI, based on reception of the PDCCH through the CSS set based on the RNTI. ([0207] In some implementations, if a UE is provided search space sets to monitor PDCCH for detection of DCI format 1_1, and if: [0208] the CRC of DCI format 1_1 is scrambled by a C-RNTI or a MCS-C-RNTI, [0221] In some implementations, DCI format 2_6 may be used for notifying power saving information outside a DRX Active Time for one or more UEs. Block number 1, block number 2, . . . , block number N may be transmitted by means of the DCI format 2_6 with CRC scrambled by PS-RNTI, [0176] [0190] an offset by ps-Offset indicating a time, where the UE starts monitoring PDCCH for detection of DCI format 2_6 according to the number of search space sets, prior to a slot where the drx-onDurationTimer would start on the PCell or on the SpCell [0147] In some implementations, the timer and/or the SSG switching timer may be started or restarted when the UE receives a dormancy indication (e.g., via DCP, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 1_1). [0160] In some implementations, the timer and/or the SSG switching timer may be stopped when the UE receives a dormancy indication (e.g., via DCP, DCI format 0_1, DCI format 1_1). [0110] In some implementations, if a PDCCH indicating a new transmission and/or retransmission (e.g., addressed to a C-RNTI of a MAC entity) has not been received after successful reception of a Random Access Response (RAR) for an RA Preamble not selected by the MAC entity among the contention-based Random Access Preamble, the UE may determinate that the time period has ended, and/or may perform an SSG switching to a first SSG and/or a second SSG on the PDCCH for at least one of a BWP, a serving cell, a group of serving cells, and all serving cells of the UE.)
As to claims 3 and 10, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving information related to a time for monitoring the PDCCH based on the C- RNTI; and monitoring the PDCCH based on the C-RNTI through the CSS set based on the information related to the time. ([0093] In some implementations, an association between a DRX cycle (e.g., a short DRX cycle or a long DRX cycle) and an SSG (e.g., a first SSG, a second SSG, etc.) may be preconfigured or predefined to a UE and/or may be configured to the UE via RRC signaling, a MAC CE, and/or DCI. In some implementations, SSG switching for at least one of a BWP, a serving cell, a group of serving cells, and all serving cells may be based on whether a DRX related timer(s) is running. In some implementations, while at least one of drx-onDurationTimer, drx-Inactivity Timer, drx-RetransmissionTimerDL, drx-Retransmission Timer UL, drx-ShortCycleTimer, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerDL, drx-HARQ-RTT-TimerUL timers is started/running, a UE may perform an SSG switching to a first SSG on a PDCCH for at least one of a BWP, a serving cell, a group of serving cells, and all serving cells of a DRX group and/or all serving cells, e.g., where the timer(s) is performed on.)
As to claims 4 and 11, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising:
monitoring the PDCCH based on the C-RNTI for a type of a CSS set included in a specific search space (SS) set, based on the PDCCH monitoring adaptation being related to SS set switching regarding switching to the specific SS set. ([0110] In some implementations, SSG switching for at least one of a BWP, a serving cell, a group of serving cells, and all serving cells may be based on an RA event/procedure. In some implementations, if a UE is initiating or performing an RA procedure on (e.g., a serving cell) and/or an RA procedure is ongoing, the UE may determinate that the time period has started, and/or may perform an SS switching to a first SSG and/or a second SSG on a PDCCH (e.g., for the serving cell). In some implementations, if a PDCCH indicating a new transmission and/or retransmission (e.g., addressed to a C-RNTI of a MAC entity) has not been received after successful reception of a Random Access Response (RAR) for an RA Preamble not selected by the MAC entity among the contention-based Random Access Preamble, the UE may determinate that the time period has ended, and/or may perform an SSG switching to a first SSG and/or a second SSG on the PDCCH for at least one of a BWP, a serving cell, a group of serving cells, and all serving cells of the UE. [0113] In some implementations, the UE may only apply the SSG switching indication for a specific SS/SSS (e.g., an USS and/or a type-3 CSS).)
As to claims 5 and 12, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1, wherein the CSS set has a type different from Type 2. ([0113] In some implementations, the UE may only apply the SSG switching indication for a specific SS/SSS (e.g., an USS and/or a type-3 CSS).)
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.
Claim(s) 6 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai in view of Yang et al. (US20170019884A1).
As to claims 6 and 13, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein the PDCCH is monitored by prioritizing a UE-specific search space (USS) over a CSS during the time duration.
However Yang teaches wherein the PDCCH is monitored by prioritizing a UE-specific search space (USS) over a CSS during the time duration. ([0126] However, in the case of overlap between the CSS and USS, priority of the USS can always be set higher irrespective of presence of cross-CC scheduling. The reason for this is that since a BS is expected not to perform an RRC reconfiguration using flexible U, more opportunities for use of additional functions, which can be configured only in the USS (DCI format), can be secured. The method of handling SS overlap in the Alt 2-3 can also be applied to the Alt 2-2.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the PDCCH monitoring method of Tsai with the methods from Yang in order to for more opportunities for use of additional functions, which can be configured only in the USS (DCI format), can be secured.
Claim(s) 7 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai in view of Ouchi et al. (US20230155746A1).
As to claims 7 and 14, Tsai teaches the method of claim 1,
But does not specifically teach:
wherein the CSS set has a type different from Type 3.
However Ouchi teaches wherein the CSS set has a type different from Type 3.
([0258] The terminal apparatus 1 may monitor at least one or multiple search spaces in the slot in which DRX (Discontinuous reception) is not configured. DRX may be given based at least on a higher layer parameter. The terminal apparatus 1 may monitor at least one or multiple Search space sets in the slot in which DRX is not configured. [0259] The search space set may at least include one or multiple search spaces. The type of the search space set may be any one of a Type-0 PDCCH common search space, a Type-0A PDCCH common search space, a Type-1 PDCCH common search space, a Type-2 PDCCH common search space, a Type-3 PDCCH common search space, and/or a UE-specific PDCCH search space.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the search spaces of Tsai with the search spaces of OUCHI in order to transmit different DCI to the UE.
Conclusion
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/Elton Williams/Examiner, Art Unit 2465