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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-4, 6-9, 15-18, 20-23, 26, 29, and 30 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1, 4, 6-9, 11, 15, 18, 20-23, 25, 29, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al (US Publication 2017/0223670 A1).
Regarding to claims 1 and 29, Chen discloses an apparatus 1400 (fig. 14) for wireless communications at a user equipment UE 115, comprising: at least one processor 1420 (page 14 paragraph 0147); and memory 1410 coupled with the at least one processor (page 14 paragraph 0146), the memory storing instructions 1415 executable by the at least one processor (page 13 paragraph 0121) to cause the UE to: monitor 1020/1025 a search space for a first downlink control message (fig. 10 page 11 paragraph 0094); receive 1035 the first downlink control message based at least in part on the monitoring (page 11 paragraph 0095); and perform 1040 a redundancy check associated with the first downlink control message based at least in part on a first cyclic redundancy check CRC (page 5 paragraph 0058), wherein a quantity of bits included in the first CRC is based at least in part on one or more transmission characteristics (formats) of the first downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraphs 0105-0106).
Regarding to claim 4, Chen discloses receive a configuration message indicating the quantity of bits included in the first CRC (page 10 paragraph 0087).
Regarding to claim 6, Chen discloses the one or more transmission characteristics comprise one or more component carriers used to transmit the first downlink control message, one or more bandwidth parts used to transmit the first downlink control message, a subcarrier spacing used to transmit the first downlink control message, a control resource set associated with the search space, the search space (page 11 paragraph 0105), an aggregation level associated with the first downlink control message, a size of a payload of the first downlink control message, a downlink control information format of the first downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0105), a radio network temporary identifier associated with the first downlink control message (page 5 paragraph 0058), or any combination thereof.
Regarding to claim 7, Chen discloses receive 1035 a second downlink control message (in second search space) based at least in part on receiving the first downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0095); and perform a redundancy check associated with the second downlink control message based at least in part on a second CRC, wherein a quantity of bits included in the second CRC is based at least in part on one or more transmission characteristics associated with the second downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraph 0106).
Regarding to claim 8, Chen discloses the quantity of bits included in the first CRC is different than the quantity of bits included in the second CRC (page 12 paragraph 0106).
Regarding to claim 9, Chen discloses the quantity of bits included in the first CRC is different than the quantity of bits included in length of the second CRC based at least in part on a format or a radio network temporary identifier associated with the first downlink control message being different than a format or a radio network temporary identifier associated with the second downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraph 0106).
Regarding to claim 11, Chen discloses the first downlink control message is received on a downlink control channel monitoring occasion (page 11 paragraph 0094), and wherein the second downlink control message is multiplexed with a downlink data channel (page 12 paragraph 0107).
Regarding to claims 15 and 30, Chen discloses an apparatus for wireless communications at a network entity 105 (fig. 10), comprising: at least one processor; and memory coupled with the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions 1235 executable by the at least one processor (page 15 paragraphs 0153-0154) to cause the network entity to: identify 1010 data for transmission in a first downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0094); apply 1030 a first cyclic redundancy check CRC to the data (page 5 paragraph 0058), wherein a quantity of bits included in the first CRC is based at least in part on one or more transmission characteristics (formats) associated with the first downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraphs 0105-0106); and transmit 1035 the first downlink control message via a search space based at least in part on applying the first CRC (page 11 paragraph 0095).
Regarding to claim 18, Chen discloses transmit a configuration message indicating the quantity of bits included in the first CRC (page 10 paragraph 0087).
Regarding to claim 20, Chen discloses the one or more transmission characteristics comprise one or more component carriers used to transmit the first downlink control message, one or more bandwidth parts used to transmit the first downlink control message, a subcarrier spacing used to transmit the first downlink control message, a control resource set associated with the search space, the search space (page 11 paragraph 0105), an aggregation level associated with the first downlink control message, a size of a payload of the first downlink control message, a downlink control information format of the first downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0105), a radio network temporary identifier associated with the first downlink control message (page 5 paragraph 0058), or any combination thereof.
Regarding to claim 21, Chen discloses identify 1035 a second data for transmission (in second search space) in a second downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0095); and apply a second CRC to the second data, wherein a quantity of bits included in the second CRC is based at least in part on one or more transmission characteristics associated with the second downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraph 0106); and transmit 1035 the second downlink control message based at least in part on transmitting the first downlink control message (page 11 paragraph 0095).
Regarding to claim 22, Chen discloses the quantity of bits included in the first CRC is different than the quantity of bits included in the second CRC (page 12 paragraph 0106).
Regarding to claim 23, Chen discloses the quantity of bits included in the first CRC is different than the quantity of bits included in length of the second CRC based at least in part on a format or a radio network temporary identifier associated with the first downlink control message being different than a format or a radio network temporary identifier associated with the second downlink control message (pages 11-12 paragraph 0106).
Regarding to claim 25, Chen discloses the first downlink control message is received on a downlink control channel monitoring occasion (page 11 paragraph 0094), and wherein the second downlink control message is multiplexed with a downlink data channel (page 12 paragraph 0107).
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.
Claims 10 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen in view of Liao et al (US Publication 2024/0098754 A1).
Regarding to claims 10 and 24, Chen discloses all the limitations with respect to claims 7 and 21, except for the first downlink control message is a first stage downlink control information and the second downlink control message is a second stage downlink control information. However, Liao discloses a user equipment 910 (fig. 9) for receiving a first stage downlink control information and a second stage downlink control information (fig. 10 page 7 paragraphs 0063- 0064). Thus, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to arrange for first and second stages downlink control information as taught by Liao into Chen's system reduce blind decoding complexity and DCI overhead.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 5, 12-14, 16, 17, 19, and 26-28 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Duc T Duong whose telephone number is (571)272-3122. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 9am-6pm.
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/DUC T DUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467