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, see Remarks pages 9-11, filed 9 December 2025, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-30 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.
Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li
Li teaches transmitting a reference signal or RS on an initial beam-pairing or IBP-RS resource specific to transmission of the RS for IBP. Although Li teaches the transmission of a RS on IBP-RS resource, Li fails to explicitly teach the transmission of RS, prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link and receiving, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
Akkarakaran et al. (US 2021/0092776 A1) or Akkarakaran
Akkarakaran teaches IBP-RS resources corresponding to a sidelink resource pool that indicates IBP-RS resources. However, Akkarakaran fails to explicitly teach before establishing a sidelink unicast link, transmitting a RS.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28, and 30 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in further view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 2, 9, 15, 29, and 31 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Akkarakaran et al. (US 2021/0092776 A1) or Akkarakaran.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 3, 4, and 16 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Ryu et al. (US 2021/0321343 A1) or Ryu.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 10, 11, 21, 22, and 25 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Yoshioka et al. (US 2022/0286248 A1) or Yoshioka.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 12, 13, 23, 24, and 26 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Peng et al. (US 2022/0022169 A1) or Peng.
However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection for claims 7 and 20 are made in view of Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Wang et al. (WO 2021/190497 A1) or Wang. Reference (US 2023/0019994 A1) will be used as an English translation for Wang.
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 1, 5, 6, 8, 14, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu.
Claim 1
Li teaches,
An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE), comprising:
one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to:
(See Li paragraph 0452, ...the communication device may comprise a control circuit, a processor installed in the control circuit and/or a memory installed in the control circuit and coupled to the processor.)
transmit,… …a reference signal (RS)… …on an IBP-RS resource specific to transmission of the RS for IBP; and…
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2025, the first device transmits a SL PRS on the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource).)
Shows the transmission of the reference signal on a sidelink positioning reference signal resource
However, Li fails to explicitly teach,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
Nevertheless, Liu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
(See Liu paragraph 0057, RAN1 can study the following candidate procedure where initial beam pairing is performed before sidelink unicast link establishment, including at least the following steps and how to determine UE2: UE1 sends reference signals via different transmit beams (It is noted that multiple reference signals transmissions (e.g. repetitions) from each of the beams can be studied. FFS: reference signals are sent, and applicable reference signal); the UE2 measures the reference signals and determines a UE1 transmit beam and/or a UE2 receive beam (FFS: whether/how to determine a UE2 transmit beam); the UE2 indicates to the UE1 the determined the UE1 transmit beam (FFS: how to indicate the determined transmit beam, including its feasibility); the UE1 and the UE2 set up sidelink unicast link using the determined beam, following conventional link establishment procedure.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with transmitting a RS for initial beam-pairing or IBP, prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link, and receiving, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response as taught by Liu to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to increase the probability of success of establishing a sidelink unicast link between two UEs).
Claim 5
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IBP-RS resource is one of one or more candidate IBP-RS resources.
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2015, the first device determines (e.g., derives) a first frequency resource of a first SCI/PSCCH associated with the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource),...)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 6
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources are mapped to an identifier indicating the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources from a plurality of IBP-RS resources,
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2015, the first device determines (e.g., derives) a first frequency resource of a first SCI/PSCCH associated with the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource), wherein the first frequency resource of the first SCI/PSCCH is determined (e.g., derived) based on an index/identity/parameter of the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource).)
and wherein selecting the IBP-RS resource further comprises selecting the IBP-RS resource from the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources based at least in part on the identifier.
(See Li paragraph 0289, ...the TX UE may determine (e.g., derive) one SL PRS with an index/identity/parameter. The TX UE may determine (e.g., derive) frequency resource of associated SCI/PSCCH based on the index/identity/parameter of the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS) and starting location of bandwidth and/or frequency resources for the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS).)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 8
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to select the IBP-RS resource from the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources based at least in part on at least one of:
a random selection, or a sensing-based selection.
(See Li paragraph 0289, Based on sensing result of (received/monitored) SCI/PSCCH (and association of SCI/PSCCH and SL PRS resource, for example) (and/or association of SCI/PSCCH and frequency offset/comb offset), the TX UE may determine (e.g., identify) possible/candidate resources for transmitting SL PRS(s).)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 14
Li teaches,
An apparatus for wireless communication at a second user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, individually or collectively configured to cause the second UE to:
(See Li paragraph 0452, ...the communication device may comprise a control circuit, a processor installed in the control circuit and/or a memory installed in the control circuit and coupled to the processor.)
receive a reference signal (RS)… …on an IBP-RS resource specific to transmission of the RS for IBP; and…
(See Li paragraph 0400, In step 2120, the second device receives a first SCI/PSCCH using (e.g., from) a first frequency resource (e.g., one frequency resource) of the plurality of frequency resources of SCI/PSCCH (e.g., the first SCI/PSCCH may be received from the first frequency resource), wherein the first SCI/PSCCH indicates (and/or schedules and/or allocates) a SL PRS resource (e.g., one SL PRS resource).)
However, Li fails to explicitly teach,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
Nevertheless, Liu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
(See Liu paragraph 0057, RAN1 can study the following candidate procedure where initial beam pairing is performed before sidelink unicast link establishment, including at least the following steps and how to determine UE2: UE1 sends reference signals via different transmit beams (It is noted that multiple reference signals transmissions (e.g. repetitions) from each of the beams can be studied. FFS: reference signals are sent, and applicable reference signal); the UE2 measures the reference signals and determines a UE1 transmit beam and/or a UE2 receive beam (FFS: whether/how to determine a UE2 transmit beam); the UE2 indicates to the UE1 the determined the UE1 transmit beam (FFS: how to indicate the determined transmit beam, including its feasibility); the UE1 and the UE2 set up sidelink unicast link using the determined beam, following conventional link establishment procedure.)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the independent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 17
Li teaches limitations of claim 17 as stated in claim 5. The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 18
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the IBP-RS resource is one of one or more candidate IBP-RS resources, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the second UE to receive the RS for IBP, are individually or collectively configured to cause the second UE to attempt to receive the RS for IBP on the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources.
(See Li paragraph 0400, In step 2120, the second device receives a first SCI/PSCCH using (e.g., from) a first frequency resource (e.g., one frequency resource) of the plurality of frequency resources of SCI/PSCCH (e.g., the first SCI/PSCCH may be received from the first frequency resource), wherein the first SCI/PSCCH indicates (and/or schedules and/or allocates) a SL PRS resource (e.g., one SL PRS resource).)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 19
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources are mapped to an identifier indicating the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources from a plurality of IBP-RS resources,
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2015, the first device determines (e.g., derives) a first frequency resource of a first SCI/PSCCH associated with the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource), wherein the first frequency resource of the first SCI/PSCCH is determined (e.g., derived) based on an index/identity/parameter of the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource).)
wherein the one or more processors, to cause the second UE to attempt to receive the RS for IBP on the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources, are individually or collectively configured to cause the second UE to attempt to receive the RS for IBP based at least in part on the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources being mapped to the identifier.
(See Li paragraph 0289, ...the TX UE may determine (e.g., derive) one SL PRS with an index/identity/parameter. The TX UE may determine (e.g., derive) frequency resource of associated SCI/PSCCH based on the index/identity/parameter of the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS) and starting location of bandwidth and/or frequency resources for the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS).)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 27
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the second UE to receive the RS for IBP, are individually or collectively configured to cause the second UE to measure the second part of the RS for IBP.
(See Li paragraph 0290, The RX UE may measure the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS) based on at least some of the aforementioned information (e.g., the index/identity/parameter of the one SL PRS, the bandwidth or the frequency resources for the one SL PRS, and/or the starting location of the one SL PRS).)
Shows the second UE measuring part of the reference signal
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 28
Li teaches,
A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising:
transmitting a reference signal (RS)… …on an IBP-RS resource specific to transmission of the RS for IBP; and…
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2025, the first device transmits a SL PRS on the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource).)
Shows the transmission of the reference signal on a sidelink positioning reference signal resource
However, Li fails to explicitly teach,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
Nevertheless, Liu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
(See Liu paragraph 0057, RAN1 can study the following candidate procedure where initial beam pairing is performed before sidelink unicast link establishment, including at least the following steps and how to determine UE2: UE1 sends reference signals via different transmit beams (It is noted that multiple reference signals transmissions (e.g. repetitions) from each of the beams can be studied. FFS: reference signals are sent, and applicable reference signal); the UE2 measures the reference signals and determines a UE1 transmit beam and/or a UE2 receive beam (FFS: whether/how to determine a UE2 transmit beam); the UE2 indicates to the UE1 the determined the UE1 transmit beam (FFS: how to indicate the determined transmit beam, including its feasibility); the UE1 and the UE2 set up sidelink unicast link using the determined beam, following conventional link establishment procedure.)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claim 30
Li teaches,
A method of wireless communication performed by a second user equipment (UE), comprising:
receiving a reference signal (RS)… …on an IBP-RS resource specific to transmission of the RS for IBP; and…
(See Li paragraph 0396, In step 2025, the first device transmits a SL PRS on the SL PRS resource (e.g., the one SL PRS resource).)
Shows the transmission of the reference signal on a sidelink positioning reference signal resource
However, Li fails to explicitly teach,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
Nevertheless, Liu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…prior to establishing a sidelink unicast link,…
…for initial beam-pairing (IBP)…
…receive, from a second UE, a beam-pairing response associated with the RS for IBP.
(See Liu paragraph 0057, RAN1 can study the following candidate procedure where initial beam pairing is performed before sidelink unicast link establishment, including at least the following steps and how to determine UE2: UE1 sends reference signals via different transmit beams (It is noted that multiple reference signals transmissions (e.g. repetitions) from each of the beams can be studied. FFS: reference signals are sent, and applicable reference signal); the UE2 measures the reference signals and determines a UE1 transmit beam and/or a UE2 receive beam (FFS: whether/how to determine a UE2 transmit beam); the UE2 indicates to the UE1 the determined the UE1 transmit beam (FFS: how to indicate the determined transmit beam, including its feasibility); the UE1 and the UE2 set up sidelink unicast link using the determined beam, following conventional link establishment procedure.)
The motivation to combine Li and Liu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 1.
Claims 2, 9, 15, 29, and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Akkarakaran et al. (US 2021/0092776 A1) or Akkarakaran.
Claim 2
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 2. Nevertheless, Akkarakaran, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IBP-RS resource corresponds to a sidelink resource pool that indicates IBP-RS resources.
(See Akkarakaran paragraph 0030, Specifically, the sidelink communication management component 350 may implement initial beam-pairing for sidelink communication that optimize communication resources (e.g., resource pools) by indicating the direction of traffic (e.g., transmit or receive) during the initial beam-pairing procedure and to establish sidelink communication without the need for SR transmissions.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with the transmitting and receiving of the a reference signal with initial beam-pairing as taught by Akkarakaran to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce the amount of collisions produced from establishing a resource to utilize for sidelink communication).
Claim 9
Li teaches,
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to select the IBP-RS resource based at least in part…
(See Li paragraph 0289, Based on sensing result of (received/monitored) SCI/PSCCH (and association of SCI/PSCCH and SL PRS resource, for example) (and/or association of SCI/PSCCH and frequency offset/comb offset), the TX UE may determine (e.g., identify) possible/candidate resources for transmitting SL PRS(s).)
However, Li fails to explicitly teach,
…on measuring the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources.
Nevertheless, Akkarakaran, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…on measuring the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources.
(See Akkarakaran paragraph 0050, ...the second UE 104-b may measure reference signal received power (RSRP) of each candidate beam 225 to identify one or more beams that maximize receiver SNR. Based on the RSRP measurements, the UEs 104 may select one or more beams (e.g., first beam 225-a) from a plurality of candidate beams 325 for communication.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Akkarakaran in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 15
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 15 as stated in claim 2. However, Akkarakaran, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 15 as stated in claim 2. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Akkarakaran in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 29
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 29 as stated in claim 2. However, Akkarakaran, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 29 as stated in claim 2. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Akkarakaran in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claim 31
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 31 as stated in claim 2. However, Akkarakaran, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 31 as stated in claim 2. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Akkarakaran in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 2.
Claims 3, 4, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Ryu et al. (US 2021/0321343 A1) or Ryu.
Claim 3
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 3. However, Ryu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to receive configuration information indicating the sidelink resource pool.
(See Ryu paragraph 0074, In some cases, base station 105-a may allocate a resource pool, including time resources, frequency resources, or both, to UE 115-a and UE 115-b over communication channels 205-a, and 205-b, respectively. In some cases, the resource pool may be used by the UEs 115 for sidelink communications between UEs 115-a and 115-b.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with the first UE receiving information to configure a resource pool for sidelink communication as taught by Ryu to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce the amount of steps required to establish a sidelink communication).
Claim 4
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 3. However, Ryu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sidelink resource pool indicates one or more candidate IBP-RS resources,
(See Ryu paragraph 0074, In some cases, base station 105-a may allocate a resource pool, including time resources, frequency resources, or both, to UE 115-a and UE 115-b over communication channels 205-a, and 205-b, respectively.)
Shows time resources and frequency resources consist of the candidate resources
wherein the one or more processors are further individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to select the IBP-RS resource from the one or more candidate IBP-RS resources.
(See Ryu paragraph 0072, The first UE 115 and the second UE 115 may align time and frequency resources for communications between the first UE 115 and the second UE 115. The first UE 115 and the second UE 115 may communicate a first transmission via the sidelink channel based on the time synchronization, frequency synchronization, or both, determined using the first sidelink synchronization reference signal.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Ryu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 3.
Claim 16
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 16 as stated in claim 3. However, Ryu, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 16 as stated in claim 3. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Ryu in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 3.
Claims 10, 11, 21, 22, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Yoshioka et al. (US 2022/0286248 A1) or Yoshioka.
Claim 10
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 10. However, Yoishoka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the first UE to transmit the RS for IBP, are individually or collectively configured to cause the first UE to transmit the RS for IBP using a scrambling identifier derived from a destination identifier.
(See Yoshioka paragraph 0037, Here, n.sub.ID corresponds to scramblingID or sequenceGenerationConfig as a higher-layer parameter;)
Shows n.sub.ID corresponds to a scramblingID
(See Yoshioka paragraph 0038, The value of n.sub.ID may be determined depending on the ID of a transmission-side user apparatus (TX-UE) or the ID of a reception-side user apparatus (RX-UE) (e.g., n.sub.ID=TX-UE ID mod 2.sup.10). The ID of a TX-UE may be referred to as a Source ID, Group ID, or Group Source ID, and the ID of an RX-UE may be referred to as a Destination ID, Group ID, or Group Destination ID.)
Shows the scrambling identifier of n.sub.ID derived from a destination id
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with utilizing a scrambling identifier derived from a destination ID as taught by Yoshioka to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce probability of collisions among resource use by randomizing the identifiers of the resources).
Claim 11
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 11. However, Yoishoka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the scrambling identifier has at least 28 potential values.
(See Yoshioka paragraph 0038, The value of n.sub.ID included in the expression to generate a sequence of SL-CSI-RS may be defined as a definition in the technical specification. For example, n.sub.ID may be one of the values in {0, 1, . . . 1023}.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Yoshioka in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 10.
Claim 21
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 21. However, Yoishoka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 21 as stated in claim 10. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Yoshioka in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 10.
Claim 22
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 22. However, Yoishoka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 22 as stated in claim 11. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Yoshioka in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 10.
Claim 25
The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors, to cause the second UE to receive the RS for IBP, are individually or collectively configured to cause the second UE to measure the second part of the RS for IBP
(See Li paragraph 0290, The RX UE may measure the SL PRS (e.g., the one SL PRS) based on at least some of the aforementioned information (e.g., the index/identity/parameter of the one SL PRS, the bandwidth or the frequency resources for the one SL PRS, and/or the starting location of the one SL PRS).)
Shows the second UE measuring part of the reference signal using an identifier
However, Li fails to teach,
…using the single destination identifier.
Nevertheless, Yoshioka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
…using the single destination identifier.
(See Yoshioka paragraph 0038, The value of n.sub.ID may be determined depending on the ID of a transmission-side user apparatus (TX-UE) or the ID of a reception-side user apparatus (RX-UE) (e.g., n.sub.ID=TX-UE ID mod 2.sup.10). The ID of a TX-UE may be referred to as a Source ID, Group ID, or Group Source ID, and the ID of an RX-UE may be referred to as a Destination ID, Group ID, or Group Destination ID.)
Shows the destination identifier
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Yoshioka in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 10.
Claims 12, 13, 23, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Peng et al. (US 2022/0022169 A1) or Peng.
Claim 12
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 12. However, Peng, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RS for IBP includes a first part and a second part,
(See Peng paragraphs 0145-0147, Further, for 2-stage PSCCH transmission, in the foregoing embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: [0146] configuring a reference signal of the first-part PSCCH; and [0147] configuring a reference signal of the second-part PSCCH.)
wherein the first part is associated with a first resource or a first scrambling identifier derived from a first set of identifiers and
(See Peng paragraph 0061, For example, the frequency domain range of the PSSCH includes PRBs whose identifiers are 0 to 49,…)
the second part is associated with a second resource or a second scrambling identifier derived from a second set of identifiers,
(See Peng paragraph 0061, …where 10 PRBs constitute one subchannel, in other words, the PSSCH includes five subchannels.)
wherein the first set of identifiers includes a larger number of identifiers than the second set of identifiers.
(See Peng paragraph 0061, For example, the frequency domain range of the PSSCH includes PRBs whose identifiers are 0 to 49, where 10 PRBs constitute one subchannel, in other words, the PSSCH includes five subchannels. In this case, the frequency domain range of the candidate resource of the PSCCH may include PRBs 0 to 20, or may include PRBs 0 to 30, or the like.)
0 to 49 identifiers equals a total of 50 identifiers for the first set of identifiers
0 to 20 identifiers equals a total of 21 identifiers
0 to 30 identifiers equals a total of 31 identifiers
50 > 31 > 21
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with identifying the reference signal into two parts as taught by Peng to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to increase the accuracy of allocating resources to reference signal in sidelink communcation).
Claim 13
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 13. However, Peng, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first part occupies at least one of:
a different time-domain resource than the second part, or
a different frequency-domain resource than the second part.
(See Peng paragraphs 0222-0223, [0222] The first-part PSCCH (namely, a PSCCH1) is sequentially mapped from a PSCCH type 1 resource in a lowest subchannel of the corresponding PSSCH. [0223] The second-part PSCCH (namely, a PSCCH2) is sequentially mapped from a PSCCH type 2 resource in the lowest subchannel of the corresponding PSSCH.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Peng in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 12.
Claim 23
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 23. However, Peng, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RS for IBP includes a first part and a second part,
(See Peng paragraphs 0145-0147, Further, for 2-stage PSCCH transmission, in the foregoing embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: [0146] configuring a reference signal of the first-part PSCCH; and [0147] configuring a reference signal of the second-part PSCCH.)
wherein the first part uses a first resource or a first scrambling identifier derived from multiple destination identifiers and
(See Peng paragraph 0061, For example, the frequency domain range of the PSSCH includes PRBs whose identifiers are 0 to 49,…)
the second part uses a second resource or a second scrambling identifier derived from a single destination identifier associated with the second UE.
(See Peng paragraph 0061, …where 10 PRBs constitute one subchannel, in other words, the PSSCH includes five subchannels.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Peng in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 12.
Claim 24
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 24. However, Peng, in the same field of endeavor, teaches limitations of claim 24 as stated in claim 13. The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Peng in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 12.
Claims 7 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. (US 2024/0048324 A1) or Li in view of Liu et al (US 20250031197 A1) or Liu in further view of Wang et al. (WO 2021/190497 A1) or Wang. Reference (US 2023/0019994 A1) will be used as an English translation for Wang.
Claim 7
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 7. However, Wang, in the same field of endeavor, teaches,
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the identifier is a destination identifier associated with a unicast link establishment or a sidelink service identifier.
(See Wang paragraph 0042, ...the first terminal receives the sidelink establishment accept message sent by the second terminal, where a destination L2 ID used in the sidelink establishment accept message is the second source L2 ID. In this way, the first terminal and the second terminal complete a subsequent PC5 unicast link establishment process based on the second source L2 ID used after updating.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the transmitting of a reference signal or RS with resource specified for reference signal by a first user equipment or UE as taught by Li with using a destination identifier with a unicast link establishment as taught by Wang to increase the efficiency of the system (i.e. to reduce the number of steps required to construct an identifier for each sidelink resource).
Claim 20
Li fails to explicitly teach limitations of claim 20. However, Wang, in the same field of endeavor teaches,
The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the identifier is associated with a unicast link establishment.
(See Wang paragraph 0042, ...the first terminal receives the sidelink establishment accept message sent by the second terminal, where a destination L2 ID used in the sidelink establishment accept message is the second source L2 ID. In this way, the first terminal and the second terminal complete a subsequent PC5 unicast link establishment process based on the second source L2 ID used after updating.)
The motivation to combine Li, Liu, and Wang in the dependent claim consists of the same motivation as stated in claim 7.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ye et al. (WO 2024168228 A1) or Ye describes configuring sidelink initial beam pairing between two user equipment or UEs.
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 SAMUEL ROBERGE BETTENDORF whose telephone number is (571)272-4352. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri, 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Edan Orgad can be reached at 571-272-7884. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SAMUEL ROBERGE BETTENDORF/Examiner, Art Unit 2414
/EDAN ORGAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2414
Prosecution Insights