DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the Response to Restriction Requirement filed 10/14/2025. Applicant has elected Group I. It is noted that claim 64 was previously erroneously indicated as belonging to Group I; however, since claim 64 depends on independent claim 37 of Group II, this claim also properly belongs to Group II. Thus, claims 1, 3-7, 9-10, and 62-63 of Group I have been elected. Claims 1, 3-7, 9-10, 37-39, 41-42, 45, 47-49, and 62-64 are currently pending in the application. Non-elected claims 37-39, 41-42, 45, 47-49, and 64 are withdrawn from consideration.
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 .
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.
Claims 1, 3-5, 7, and 62-63 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhang et al. (U.S. Publication US 2022/0053597 A1).
It is noted that many of the claims include multiple limitations in the alternative using the word “or”, the phrase “at least one of”, etc. The rejection below are shown to anticipate or render obvious one or more of the multiple claimed alternatives for these limitations.
With respect to claims 1, 62, and 63, Zhang et al. discloses a network element comprising a memory, i.e. a non-transitory computer-readable program medium, for storing computer instructions, i.e. a computer program product, and a process in communication with the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer instructions to cause the network element to perform a method of wireless communication (See the abstract, paragraphs 301-304, paragraph 308, and Figure 16 of Zhang et al. for reference to a network device, which is a network element, comprising a processor coupled to a memory storing computer program code executed by the processor to perform a communication method in a wireless network). Zhang et al. also discloses transmitting a Wake Up Burst (WUB) to a User Equipment (UE), the WUB comprising a reference signal (See paragraphs 121-125, paragraph 129, paragraph 133, and Figure 4 of Zhang et al. for reference to the network device transmitting a power saving signal that is a wake-up signal WUS to a terminal device, which is a type of UE, wherein the WUS is part of a communication burst including a CSI-RS sent by the network device to the terminal device). Zhang et al. further discloses wherein the WUB or the reference signal comprises at least one of following WUB information: a wake up indication to the UE, the wake up indication comprising at least one of wake up information or sleep information, a measurement parameter comprising at least one of a measurement interval or a number of measurement samplings within the measurement interval; a timing information associated with at least one of: a hyper system frame number, a system frame number, a slot number, a sub-frame number, or a symbol number; an identifier information comprising an identifier of a cell or a cell group; or a synchronization or Automatic Control Gain (ACG) adjustment information (See paragraphs 129-131 and paragraphs 133-134 of Zhang et al. for reference to the signal including a wake-up signal (WUS), a go to sleep signal (GTS), or both, which is an indication comprising at least one of wake up information or sleep information, and for reference to an indication of CSI-RS measurement in a first time period, which is a measurement parameter comprising a measurement interval).
With respect to claim 3, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the WUB information is associated with a function and the function is determined by at least one of: an information field or an information element carried in the WUB; a time domain resource allocated to the WUB; a frequency domain resource allocated to the WUB; a higher layer signaling comprising at least one of a System Information Block (SIB), a UE capability signaling, or a UE type signaling; a UE capability; a UE type; a subcarrier spacing of the WUB; a frequency band associated with the WUB; or a frequency range associated with the WUB (See paragraph 131 of Zhang et al. for reference to the power saving signal indicating a wake-up or go to sleep function for the terminal device, wherein the terminal device may may read the content of the power saving signal and determine based on the content whether to detect PDCCH within a DRX cycle, with the content of the power saving signal corresponding to the claimed information field or information element carried in the WUB).
With respect to claim 4, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the wake up information instructs the UE to perform at least one of: starting a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) onduration timer for one or more DRX cycles; monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH); resuming to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state; detecting at least one of a paging occasion, a paging Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a paging message in one or more DRX cycles; performing Downlink (DL) reception or Uplink (UL) transmission; performing measurement; turning on a predetermined processing module; or accessing a cell (See paragraph 129 and paragraph 133 of Zhang et al. for reference to the WUS instructing the terminal device to start a drx-on duration timer within a DRX cycle, detect a PDCCH, and perform CSI-RS measurement).
With respect to claim 5, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the sleep information instructs the UE not to perform at least one of: starting a DRX onduration timer for one or more DRX cycles; monitoring a PDCCH; resuming to a RRC connected state; detecting at least one of a paging occasion, a paging Downlink Control Information (DCI), or a paging message in one or more DRX cycles; performing DL reception or UL transmission; performing measurement; turning on a predetermined processing module; or accessing a cell (See paragraph 130 and paragraph 133 of Zhang et al. for reference to the GTS instructing the terminal device to start a drx-on duration timer with a DRX cycle, detect a PDCCH, and perform CSI-RS measurement).
With respect to claim 7, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the timing information is carried in the WUB or indicated by at least one of: a generation sequence of the WUB; a time resource allocation of the WUB; a frequency resource allocation of the WUB; or an information field carried by the WUB (See paragraphs 133-134 of Zhang et al. for reference to the time period being indicated via the network device configuring the terminal device, such that it is carried in signal of the WUS).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. in view of Takeda et al. (U.S. Publication US 2022/0124617 A1).
With respect to claim 6, Zhang et al. does not specifically disclose wherein the wake up information or the sleep information is associated with the UE or a UE group that the UE belongs to in one of the following manner: the WUB or the reference signal carrying an identifier of the UE or the UE group; the WUB or the reference signal indicating the UE or the UE group using a bit in a bitmap carried by the WUB or the reference signal; the WUB or the reference signal carrying a code point associated with the UE or the UE group; or at least one of a generation sequence of the WUB or the reference signal, a time domain resource allocation of the WUB or the reference signal, or a frequency domain resource allocation of the WUB or the reference signal being associated with the UE or the UE group. However, Takeda et al., in the field of communications, discloses a WUS including a WUS ID, wherein there is a correspondence relationship between a UE group ID and the WUS ID indicating that the WUS is associated with a UE group (See paragraph 78-82 and Figure 8 of Takeda et al.). Indicating a UE group associated with a WUS has the advantage of allowing each specific UE to determine whether or not a received WUS is intended for the UE. Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing, when presented with the work of Takeda et al., to combine indicating a UE group associated with a WUS, as suggested by Takeda et al., within the system and method of Zhang et al., with the motivation being to allow each specific UE to determine whether or not a received WUS is intended for the UE.
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. in view of Azizi et al. (U.S. Publication US 2018/0183905 A1).
With respect to claim 9, Zhang et al. does not specifically disclose wherein the WUB further comprises a data packet, and wherein before transmitting the WUB, the method further comprising: encoding the data packet using a channel coding scheme, wherein the channel coding scheme comprises at least one of: a repetition code, a simplex code, a Reed-Muller (RM) code, a Polar code, a Golay code, a convolutional code, or a Turbo code.
With respect to claim 10, Zhang et al. does not specifically disclose wherein before transmitting the WUB, the method further comprising: determining a modulation scheme to be used for modulating the reference signal or the data packet; and modulating the reference signal or the data packet using the modulation scheme, wherein the modulation scheme comprises an On Off Keying (OOK) modulation scheme.
With further respect to claims 9-10, Azizi et al., in the field of communications, discloses a WU packet including a payload, which is a data packet, with the packet being encoded using an OOK modulation scheme with a repetition code (See paragraph 17, paragraph 19, paragraph 25, paragraph 56, paragraph 61, and Figure 5 of Azizi et al.). Including a payload in a WU packet has the advantage of allowing data to be sent along with the WU packet and using an OOK modulation scheme with a repetition code has the advantage of providing orthogonality to the OFDMA structure of the signal and minimizing power consumption (See paragraph 17 off Azizi et al. for reference to this advantage). Thus, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing, when presented with the work of Azizi et al., to combine including a payload in a WU packet coded and modulation in the manner suggested by Azizi et al., within the system and method of Zhang et al., with the motivation being to allow data to be sent along with the WU packet and provide orthogonality to the OFDMA structure of the signal while minimizing power consumption.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Shrivastava et al. (U.S. Publication US 2022/0279445 A1) and Kim et al. (U.S. Publication US 2021/0022202 A1) each disclose relevant systems and methods of transmitting wake-up signals.
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/JASON E MATTIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2461