DETAILED ACTION
CONTINUED EXAMINATION UNDER 37 CFR 1.114
1. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 June 19, 2026, has been entered.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. 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
3. Applicant's arguments, filed on June 19, 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 112 rejection of claims 21-40 have been considered and are persuasive. Rejections of claims 21-40 under 35 USC 112 have been withdrawn.
4. Applicant's arguments, filed on June 19, 2026, regarding rejection of claims 21, 23, 25-26, 28, 30-31, 33, 35-36, 38, and 40-41 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
A. § 103 rejection of claim 21
Regarding claim 21, as amended, applicant argues claim 21 is in condition for allowance, because applied references He ‘358 (US 12,342,358, “He ‘358”), Li ‘628 (US 2022/0407628, “Li ‘628”), Lin ‘504 (US 2022/0256504, “Lin ‘504”), Nimbalker ‘167 (US 2023/0189167, “Nimbalker ‘167”), and Hwang ‘849 (US 2023/0254849, “Huang ‘849”) do not disclose “determining coordination information, wherein the coordination information is configured to be used to assist a second terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource,” “sending the coordination information to the second terminal apparatus, wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence, the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource, the first time-frequency resource is a subset of a second time-frequency resource, the second time-frequency resource and a physical sidelink feedback resource overlap in time domain and are orthogonal in frequency domain, and the second time-frequency resource is located in a slot, the slot is after a first slot, and a gap from a last symbol of the first slot to the slot is greater than K1 slots, the slot includes a first physical sidelink feedback resource, and K1 is a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information,” “wherein the coordination information includes collision information of a first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus,“ and “wherein: the first reserved resource is used for retransmission of a first transport block (TB) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus, or the first reserved resource is used for new transmission of a service to which a second TB belongs on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus in a next period“ (See Remarks, page 8, lines 5-28, page 11, para 2).
First, applicant argues that I. the applied references do not disclose coordination information that is encoded into a sequence and mapped to a first time-frequency resource (See Remarks, page 8, Heading I.). Applicant argues that Li ‘628 discloses encoding HARQ-ACK information, rather than disclosing encoding coordination information configured to be used to assist a second terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource (See Remarks, page 8, lines 32-40, page 9, para 1).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that He ‘358 discloses “determining coordination information, wherein the coordination information is configured to be used to assist a second terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource” (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 1:26-48, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information to indicate availability of a resource set for sidelink communication, where the resource set is a subset of the multiple resources indicated by the first terminal; the first terminal uses the resource availability information to select resources; thus, the second terminal determines resource availability information that is configured to be used to assist the first terminal in determining resources for sidelink communication; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “a second terminal apparatus”; resource availability information reads on coordination information) and “the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource” (FIGS. 3 and 5, col. 4:14-23, col. 7:19-43; the resource availability information is sent on time-frequency resources located in time domain between Resource 1 and Resource 2, as shown in FIG. 5; Resource 1, 2, 3, and 4 are resources that were originally selected and indicated by the first terminal, and are part of the overall resources shown in FIG. 5; thus, the resource availability information is mapped to the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information read on a first time-frequency resource). Thus, He ‘358 discloses “coordination information.” Further, examiner notes that Li ‘628 discloses “wherein the information is encoded into a sequence” (FIG. 6, para 3 and 68-72; HARQ-ACK information is encoded into a second encoded sequence; thus, information is encoded into a sequence). Therefore, the combination of He ‘358 and Li ‘628 discloses “coordination information is configured to be used to assist a second terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource,” “wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence,” and “the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource”.
Second, applicant argues that II. Lin ‘504 and Nimbalker ‘167 do not disclose features of previously presented claim 22 (See Remarks, page 9, Heading II.).
A. Applicant argues that Lin ‘504 discloses a minimum time gap for sending HARQ feedback, rather than disclosing a minimum time gap for sending coordination information (See Remarks, page 9, para 3). Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that He ‘358 discloses “sending the coordination information to the second terminal apparatus” (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information). Thus, He ‘358 discloses “coordination information.” Further, examiner notes that Nimbalker ‘167 discloses a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending information (para 152; a minimum delay for uplink transmission is configured for a UE by higher layers). Therefore, the combination of He ‘358 and Nimbalker ‘167 discloses “sending the coordination information to the second terminal apparatus” and “a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information”.
B. Applicant argues that Nimbalker ‘167 discloses a minimum delay for PUSCH transmissions, rather than a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending coordination information on a sidelink (See Remarks, page 9, para 4). Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that He ‘358 discloses “sending the coordination information to the second terminal apparatus” (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information). Thus, He ‘358 discloses sending coordination information on a sidelink. Further, examiner notes that Nimbalker ‘167 discloses a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending information (para 152; a minimum delay for uplink transmission is configured for a UE by higher layers; thus, a minimum delay for sending information is configured by higher layers). Therefore, the combination of He ‘358 and Li ‘628 discloses “a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information”.
Third, applicant argues that III. Hwang ‘849 does not disclose features of claim 24, IV. The Office Action's generic rationale is not specific to the alleged specific way of combination, and V. The proposed combination would render Hwang unsatisfactory for its intended purpose (See Remarks, page 9, Heading III. and para 5, page 10, Heading IV. and para 1-2, page 11, Heading V. and para 1).
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Examiner notes that arguments about the application of reference Hwang ‘849 are moot because the arguments do not apply to any combination of the references being used in the current rejection. Examiner has applied Lin ‘345 (US 2023/0131345, “Lin ‘345”) and Yoon ‘573 (US 2014/0185573, “Yoon ‘573”) to clearly teach the amended limitations of the cancelled dependent claim 24, incorporated in the amended independent claim 21.
B. § 103 rejection of claims 26, 31, and 36
Regarding claims 26, 31, and 36, as amended, applicant argues the claims are allowable by virtue of reciting similar features as those discussed with respect to claim 21. Relevant limitations claimed in claim 21 are discussed above. Applicant does not present arguments regarding additional limitations claimed in claims 26, 31, and 36.
C. § 103 rejection of claims 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35, 38, and 40-41
Regarding claims 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35, 38, and 40-41, applicant argues the claims are allowable by virtue of their dependencies from amended claims 21, 26, 31, and 36. Relevant limitations claimed in amended claims 21, 26, 31, and 36 are discussed above. Applicant does not present arguments regarding additional limitations claimed in dependent claims 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35, 38, and 40-41.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claims 21, 23, 26, 28, 31, 33, 36, and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He ‘358 (US 12,342,358, “He ‘358”), in view of Li ‘628 (US 2022/0407628, “Li ‘628”), further in view of Lin ‘504 (US 2022/0256504, “Lin ‘504”), further in view of Nimbalker ‘167 (US 2023/0189167, “Nimbalker ‘167”), and further in view of Lin ‘345 (US 2023/0131345, “Lin ‘345”).
Regarding claims 21 and 31, He ‘358 discloses an apparatus (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 13:16-30; first terminal indicates multiple resources to a second terminal; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information to indicate availability of a resource set, where the resource set is a subset of the multiple resources indicated by the first terminal; second terminal reads on an apparatus) comprising:
one or more processors (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal includes a processor) configured to:
determine coordination information, wherein the coordination information is configured to be used to assist a second terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 1:26-48, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information to indicate availability of a resource set for sidelink communication, where the resource set is a subset of the multiple resources indicated by the first terminal; the first terminal uses the resource availability information to select resources; thus, the second terminal determines resource availability information that is configured to be used to assist the first terminal in determining resources for sidelink communication; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “a second terminal apparatus”; resource availability information reads on coordination information); and
send the coordination information to the second terminal apparatus (FIGS. 8 and 13, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information),
the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource (FIGS. 3 and 5, col. 4:14-23, col. 7:19-43; the resource availability information is sent on time-frequency resources located in time domain between Resource 1 and Resource 2, as shown in FIG. 5; Resource 1, 2, 3, and 4 are resources that were originally selected and indicated by the first terminal, and are part of the overall resources shown in FIG. 5; thus, the resource availability information is mapped to the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information read on a first time-frequency resource),
the first time-frequency resource is a subset of a second time-frequency resource (FIG. 5, col. 7:19-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information are a subset of the overall resources shown in FIG. 5; the overall resources read on a second-time-frequency resource),
the second time-frequency resource and a physical sidelink feedback resource overlap in time domain, and are orthogonal in frequency domain (FIG. 5, col. 7:19-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resource, overlap a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) in time domain, and are orthogonal in frequency domain), and
the second time-frequency resource is located in a slot, the slot is after a first slot, and a gap is greater than K1 slots (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resources, are located in a resource availability indication period, in time domain, after a time period t1; there is a time gap T1 between the time period t1 and the resource availability indication period, where the time gap T1 is greater than a threshold; the resource allocation indication time period reads on a slot; time period t1 reads on a first slot),
the slot includes a first physical sidelink feedback resource (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the resource allocation indication period is also the time period for PSFCH), and
K1 is a minimum time gap (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resources, are located in a resource availability indication period, in time domain, after a time period t1; there is a time gap T1 between the time period t1 and the resource availability indication period, where the time gap T1 is greater than a threshold);
wherein the coordination information includes collision information of a first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”, Resource 2 reads on a first reserved resource).
Although He ‘358 discloses the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource, He ‘358 does not specifically disclose wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence.
Li ‘628 teaches wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence (FIG. 6, para 3 and 68-72; HARQ-ACK information is encoded into a second encoded sequence).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine He ‘358’s apparatus to be used to assist a terminal apparatus in determining a sidelink sending resource, to include Li ‘628 HARQ-ACK information that is encoded into a sequence. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a method for HARQ-ACK feedback (Li ‘628, para 3-7).
Although He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 discloses the slot is a slot which has a gap greater than K1 from the first slot, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 does not specifically disclose the slot is a slot which has a gap greater than K1 slots from the last symbol of the first slot.
Lin ‘504 teaches a gap from a last symbol of the first slot to the slot is greater than K1 slots (FIG. 1, para 5-6; PSFCH in a last symbol of a slot carries feedback for a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) slot; there is a gap between the PSSCH slot and the PSFCH, to allow for a receiving UE to process the received PSSCH and respond with the PSFCH; the gap is at least 2 slots; thus, the slot that contains the PSFCH has a gap greater than 2 slots from the last symbol of the PSSCH slot).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358 and Li ‘628, to include Lin ‘504’s gap between the PSSCH slot and the PSFCH. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a UE for HARQ reporting, which provides high reliability (Lin ‘504, para 9).
Although He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 and Lin ‘504 discloses K1 is a minimum time gap, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 and Lin ‘504 does not specifically disclose K1 is a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information.
Nimbalker ‘167 teaches K1 is a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information (para 152; a minimum delay is configured for a UE by higher layers).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, and Lin ‘504, to include Nimbalker ‘167’s minimum delay that is configured for a UE by higher layers. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve system performance by improving coverage and data rate (Nimbalker ‘167, para 19).
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, and Nimbalker ‘167 does not specifically disclose wherein: the first reserved resource is used for retransmission of a first transport block (TB) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus; or the first reserved resource is used for new transmission of a service to which a second TB belongs on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus in a next period.
Lin ‘345 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is used for retransmission of a first transport block (TB) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (para 2, 5, and 41; UE1 determines that the reserved sidelink resource is used by UE2 for retransmission of the same TB on the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is used for new transmission of a service to which a second TB belongs on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus in a next period.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, and Nimbalker ‘167, to include Lin ‘345’s reserved sidelink resource used for retransmission of the same PSSCH TB. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a need for a UE and a method for sidelink communication in an unlicensed frequency spectrum by the same, which can decrease a resource over-booking issue in SL communication and/or resolve an issue of potential loss of access to a radio channel when operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (Lin ‘345, para 8).
Regarding claims 26 and 36, He ‘358 discloses an apparatus (FIGS. 8 and 12, col. 12:46-59; first terminal indicates multiple resources to a second terminal; the second terminal sends to the first terminal resource availability information to indicate availability of a resource set, where the resource set is a subset of the multiple resources indicated by the first terminal; first terminal reads on an apparatus) comprising:
one or more processors (FIGS. 8 and 12, col. 12:46-59; the first terminal includes a processor) configured to:
receive coordination information from a first terminal apparatus (FIGS. 8 and 12, col. 1:26-48, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the first terminal receives from the second terminal resource availability information that indicate availability of a resource set for sidelink communication, where the resource set is a subset of the multiple resources indicated by the first terminal; “the second terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “a first terminal apparatus”; resource availability information reads on coordination information),
the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource (FIGS. 3 and 5, col. 4:14-23, col. 7:19-43; the resource availability information is sent on time-frequency resources located in time domain between Resource 1 and Resource 2, as shown in FIG. 5; Resource 1, 2, 3, and 4 are resources that were originally selected and indicated by the first terminal, and are part of the overall resources shown in FIG. 5; thus, the resource availability information is mapped to the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information read on a first time-frequency resource)
the first time-frequency resource is a subset of a second time-frequency resource (FIG. 5, col. 7:19-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information are a subset of the overall resources shown in FIG. 5; the overall resources read on a second-time-frequency resource),
the second time-frequency resource and a physical sidelink feedback resource overlap in time domain, and are orthogonal in frequency domain (FIG. 5, col. 7:19-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resource, overlap a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) in time domain, and are orthogonal in frequency domain), and
the second time-frequency resource is located in a slot, the slot is after a first slot, and a gap is greater than K1 slots (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resources, are located in a resource availability indication period, in time domain, after a time period t1; there is a time gap T1 between the time period t1 and the resource availability indication period, where the time gap T1 is greater than a threshold; the resource allocation indication time period reads on a slot; time period t1 reads on a first slot),
the slot includes a first physical sidelink feedback resource (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the resource allocation indication period is also the time period for PSFCH), and
K1 is a minimum time gap (FIGS. 5 and 6, col. 6:35-67, col. 7:1-43; the time-frequency resources used to send the resource availability information, as part of the overall resources, are located in a resource availability indication period, in time domain, after a time period t1; there is a time gap T1 between the time period t1 and the resource availability indication period, where the time gap T1 is greater than a threshold);
wherein the coordination information includes collision information of a first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”, Resource 2 reads on a first reserved resource); and
determine a sidelink sending resource based on the coordination information (FIGS. 8 and 12, col. 1:26-48, col. 12:46-59, col. 13:16-30; the first terminal uses the resource availability information to determine resources for sidelink communication).
Although He ‘358 discloses the sequence is mapped to a first time-frequency resource, He ‘358 does not specifically disclose wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence.
Li ‘628 teaches wherein the coordination information is encoded into a sequence (FIG. 6, para 3 and 68-72; HARQ-ACK information is encoded into a second encoded sequence).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine He ‘358’s apparatus that receives coordination information, to include Li ‘628 HARQ-ACK information that is encoded into a sequence. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a method for HARQ-ACK feedback (Li ‘628, para 3-7).
Although He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 discloses the slot is a slot which has a gap greater than K1 from the first slot, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 does not specifically disclose the slot is a slot which has a gap greater than K1 slots from the last symbol of the first slot.
Lin ‘504 teaches a gap from a last symbol of the first slot to the slot is greater than K1 slots (FIG. 1, para 5-6; PSFCH in a last symbol of a slot carries feedback for a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) slot; there is a gap between the PSSCH slot and the PSFCH, to allow for a receiving UE to process the received PSSCH and respond with the PSFCH; the gap is at least 2 slots; thus, the slot that contains the PSFCH has a gap greater than 2 slots from the last symbol of the PSSCH slot).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358 and Li ‘628, to include Lin ‘504’s gap between the PSSCH slot and the PSFCH. The motivation for doing so would have been to provide a UE for HARQ reporting, which provides high reliability (Lin ‘504, para 9).
Although He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 and Lin ‘504 discloses K1 is a minimum time gap, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628 and Lin ‘504 does not specifically disclose K1 is a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information.
Nimbalker ‘167 teaches K1 is a minimum time gap configured by a higher layer for sending the coordination information (para 152; a minimum delay is configured for a UE by higher layers).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, and Lin ‘504, to include Nimbalker ‘167’s minimum delay that is configured for a UE by higher layers. The motivation for doing so would have been to improve system performance by improving coverage and data rate (Nimbalker ‘167, para 19).
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, and Nimbalker ‘167 does not specifically disclose wherein: the first reserved resource is used for retransmission of a first transport block (TB) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus; or the first reserved resource is used for new transmission of a service to which a second TB belongs on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus in a next period.
Lin ‘345 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is used for retransmission of a first transport block (TB) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (para 2, 5, and 41; UE1 determines that the reserved sidelink resource is used by UE2 for retransmission of the same TB on the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is used for new transmission of a service to which a second TB belongs on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus in a next period.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, and Nimbalker ‘167, to include Lin ‘345’s reserved sidelink resource used for retransmission of the same PSSCH TB. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a need for a UE and a method for sidelink communication in an unlicensed frequency spectrum by the same, which can decrease a resource over-booking issue in SL communication and/or resolve an issue of potential loss of access to a radio channel when operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (Lin ‘345, para 8).
Regarding claim 23, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 21, as outlined above.
Further, He ‘358 teaches wherein the coordination information further comprises second information, the second information indicates that the first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus collides with a reserved resource of another terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”, Resource 2 reads on a first reserved resource),
the first reserved resource is a reserved resource closest to the first slot, and the first slot is for the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; Resource 2 is one of the indicated resources occupied by the first terminal, and is the closest to time period t1 of Resource 1, where Resource 1 is used for PSCCH transmission).
Regarding claim 28, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 26, as outlined above.
Further, He ‘358 teaches wherein the coordination information further comprises second information, the second information indicates that the first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus collides with a reserved resource of another terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”; Resource 2 reads on a first reserved resource),
the first reserved resource is a reserved resource closest to the first slot, and the first slot is for sending the physical sidelink channel (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; Resource 2 is one of the indicated resources occupied by the first terminal, and is the closest to time period t1 of Resource 1, where Resource 1 is used for PSCCH transmission).
Regarding claim 33, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 31, as outlined above.
Further, He ‘358 teaches wherein the coordination information further comprises second information, the second information indicates that the first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus collides with a reserved resource of another terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”; Resource 2 reads on a first reserved resource),
the first reserved resource is a reserved resource closest to the first slot, and the first slot is for the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; Resource 2 is one of the indicated resources occupied by the first terminal, and is the closest to time period t1 of Resource 1, where Resource 1 is used for PSCCH transmission).
Regarding claim 38, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 36, as outlined above.
Further, He ‘358 teaches wherein the coordination information further comprises second information, the second information indicates that the first reserved resource of the second terminal apparatus collides with a reserved resource of another terminal apparatus (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; the first terminal indicates occupied resources to the second terminal; the second terminal evaluates the availability of the resources by determining whether the resources are used by other user devices; the second terminal sends resource availability information for a subset of the originally indicated resources – Resource 2, based on the determination that resources collide with resources used by other user devices; thus, the resource availability information indicates that a resource of the first terminal collides with resources used by other user devices; “the first terminal” of He ‘358 reads on claimed “the second terminal apparatus”; Resource 2 reads on first reserved resource), and
the first reserved resource is a reserved resource closest to the first slot (FIGS. 5 and 8, col. 7:19-43 and 66-67, col. 8:1-36; Resource 2 is one of the indicated resources occupied by the first terminal, and is the closest to time period t1 of Resource 1, where Resource 1 is used for PSCCH transmission).
7. Claims 25, 30, 35, and 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He ‘358, further in view of Li ‘628, further in view of Lin ‘504, further in view of Nimbalker ‘167, further in view of Lin ‘345, and further in view of 3GPP ‘817 (Fraunhofer IIS, Fraunhofer HHI, " NR Sidelink Resource Allocation for UE Power Saving ", R1-2008817, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #103-e, e-Meeting, October 26th – November 13th, 2020, “3GPP ‘817”).
Regarding claim 25, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 23, as outlined above.
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 does not specifically disclose wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus; or the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus.
3GPP ‘817 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (Section 3.1.2; TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) indicates retransmission resources; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345, to include 3GPP ‘817’s TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates retransmission resources. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce power consumption for UEs in NR sidelink communication (3GPP ‘817, Introduction).
Regarding claim 30, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 28, as outlined above.
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 does not specifically disclose wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel; or the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel.
3GPP ‘817 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel (Section 3.1.2; TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) indicates retransmission resources; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345, to include 3GPP ‘817’s TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates retransmission resources. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce power consumption for UEs in NR sidelink communication (3GPP ‘817, Introduction).
Regarding claim 35, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 33, as outlined above.
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 does not specifically disclose wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus; or the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus.
3GPP ‘817 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus (Section 3.1.2; TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) indicates retransmission resources; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel of the second terminal apparatus.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined apparatus of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345, to include 3GPP ‘817’s TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates retransmission resources. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce power consumption for UEs in NR sidelink communication (3GPP ‘817, Introduction).
Regarding claim 40, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 37, as outlined above.
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 does not specifically disclose the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel; or the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel.
3GPP ‘817 teaches wherein: the first reserved resource is indicated by a time resource indicator value (TRIV) on the physical sidelink channel (Section 3.1.2; TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) indicates retransmission resources; examiner notes the use of alternative language; for rejection purposes, only one of the alternative limitations must be disclosed by prior art); or
the first reserved resource is indicated by a resource reservation period on the physical sidelink channel.
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined apparatus of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345, to include 3GPP ‘817’s TRIV parameter in the sidelink control information (SCI) that indicates retransmission resources. The motivation for doing so would have been to reduce power consumption for UEs in NR sidelink communication (3GPP ‘817, Introduction).
8. Claim 41 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He ‘358, further in view of Li ‘628, further in view of Lin ‘504, further in view of Nimbalker ‘167, further in view of Lin ‘345, and further in view of Yoon ‘573 (US 2014/0185573, “Yoon ‘573”).
Regarding claim 41, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 discloses all the limitations with respect to claim 21, as outlined above.
However, He ‘358 in combination with Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345 does not specifically disclose wherein the sequence is selected from a sequence pair based on a value of a bit of the coordination information, and two sequences in the sequence pair correspond to different values of the bit.
Yoon ‘573 teaches wherein the sequence is selected from a sequence pair based on a value of a bit of the coordination information, and two sequences in the sequence pair correspond to different values of the bit (FIG. 9, para 83-84; one of two different sequences is generated based on a value of a one-bit indicator being ‘0’ or ‘1’, where the one-bit indicator is inserted into control information).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add features to the combined method of He ‘358, Li ‘628, Lin ‘504, Nimbalker ‘167, and Lin ‘345, to include Yoon ‘573’s one-bit indicator inserted into control information. The motivation for doing so would have been to address a problem of collisions resulting from differences between reference signal sequences that are based on their respective cell IDs (Yoon ‘573, para 10).
Conclusion
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/NEVENA ZECEVIC SANDHU/Examiner, Art Unit 2474
/Michael Thier/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2474
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