DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9/17/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 9/17/2026 has been accepted and entered. Accordingly, claims 1, 4, 16, and 19-20 have been amended.
Claims 2 and 17 have been cancelled.
Claim 24 has been added.
Claims 1, 4-5, 7-16, and 19-24 are pending in this application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 4-5, 7-16, and 19-24 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 7-8, 16, and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye et al. (US 2023/0337187 A1), hereinafter Ye, and in view of Ko et al. (US 2023/0080157 A1), hereafter Ko.
Re. Claim 1, Ye teaches:
A resource allocation method in sidelink communication by a user equipment (UE), (¶0254 Example 24 includes a method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a number of resources to be selected for a transmit block on a sidelink channel; ¶0048 Resources of the sidelink may be allocated in a number of ways.)
comprising: determining, (¶0045 The UEs 102/104/106 may communicate with one another using a sidelink resource pool. & ¶0052 Based on the sensing operation, the UE will select resources from within a resource selection window. & ¶0056 there may be a one second sensing window [m−1000, m−1] and a resource selection window may be [m+T1, m+T2].)
determining, by the physical layer of the UE, a contiguous partial sensing window as a range of slots [n + TA, n + TB], (¶0062 Some embodiments describe how to determine a contiguous partial sensing window. For example, how to determine T_A and T_B for the contiguous partial sensing. For contiguous partial sensing, the UE may monitor slots between [n+T_A, n+T_B] ¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. the PHY layer is responsible for determining the range of slots when presented corresponding values, in this case to shift the window. Therefore, the window for contiguous partial sensing becomes [n+T_A, n+T_B]])
where n is a slot in which the physical layer of the UE is triggered to perform a resource selection, (¶0057 In NR V2X, if a resource pool is configured (or preconfigured) with at least partial sensing, a UE performs contiguous partial sensing, and resource selection (or reselection) is triggered in slot n)
and TA and TB are selected by the physical layer of the UE; (¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. T_A and T_B are presented to the physical layer in order to set the values, therefore the values are selected])
and when the sidelink resource pool allows only aperiodic transmission (¶0068 Operational diagram 404 illustrates the UE only using contiguous partial sensing with aperiodic traffic.)
Yet, Ye does not explicitly teach: comprising: determining, by a physical layer of the UE, a resource selection window in a sidelink resource pool; and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB - TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing.
However, in the analogous art, Ko teaches:
comprising: determining, by a physical layer of the UE, a resource selection window in a sidelink resource pool; (¶0231 the PHY layer may determine a resource selection window)
and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB - TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, (Fig. 13 PDB depicted as a time interval & ¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0219 the minimum length of the partial sensing window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed. For example, if packet delay budget (PDB) for a packet to be transmitted is less than a sum of the minimum value of the resource selection window length (min (T2-T1)) configured to the specific threshold and the minimum value of the CPS window length (min. Wcps) configured to the specific threshold, the UE may operate as follows. & ¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length and the minimum value of the resource selection window length [i.e. it is determined that the PDB (time interval which consists of a start and end) is less than a minimum value for contiguous partial sensing window (X), which would involve a comparison in order to make the determination])
dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, (¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0254 In step S1530, the first device may select Y candidate slots in the selection window. In step S1540, the first device may perform sensing within a contiguous partial sensing (CPS) window related to the Y candidate slots. In step S1550, the first device may select a sidelink (SL) resource based on random selection within the selection window, based on the number of slots included in the CPS window which is less than a minimum number of slots. For example, Y may be a positive integer. [i.e. the device switches to random resource selection instead of contiguous partial sensing due to the minimum number of slots for sensing not being met])
where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing. (¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length. the minimum length of the CPS window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Ko’s teaching of switching to random resource selection when a time interval of contiguous partial sensing window is smaller than a minimum sensing time because it allows the device to save power by avoiding unnecessary sensing when accuracy is not guaranteed. (see Ko ¶0210 & ¶0248)
Re. Claim 7, Ye combined with Ko teaches the method of claim 1.
Ko further teaches:
wherein the sidelink resource pool is provided by a higher layer of the UE. (¶0162-¶0164 UE procedure for determining the subset of resources to be reported to higher layers in PSSCH resource selection in sidelink resource allocation mode 2 will be described. the higher layer provides the following parameters for this PSSCH/PSCCH transmission: the resource pool from which the resources are to be reported;)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Ko’s teaching of the sidelink resource pool being provided by higher layer of the UE, because it enables the device to provide configuration parameters for defining a resource pool when requested. (see Ko ¶0101 & ¶0163)
Re. Claim 8, Ye combined with Ko teaches the method of claim 1.
Ye further teaches:
wherein the physical layer of the UE based on its implementation to either continue the contiguous partial sensing or perform the random-based resource selection. (¶0089-¶0093 disclose the physical layer determining values for T_A and T_B & ¶0061 In 212, both T_A and T_B are set to zero. Thus, no contiguous sensing is performed in this situation. The resources may be selected randomly or based on a previous sensing. [i.e. based on T_A and T_B which are determined from the physical layer, the UE decides not to continue contiguous partial sensing and instead performs random selection])
Re. Claim 16, Ye teaches:
A user equipment (UE), (¶0045 The UEs 102/104/106 may communicate with one another using a sidelink resource pool. & ¶0051 After a UE is configured with a resource pool, a transmitting UE may perform a sensing procedure. Within a sensing window, the transmitting UE will decode sidelink control information (SCI) to determine a data priority indication and resource reservation information. & ¶0209 The UE 2700 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with UEs 102, 104, or 106.)
comprising: a memory for storing computer-executable instructions; (¶0211 The UE 2700 may include processors 2704, RF interface circuitry 2708, memory/storage 2712,)
and a processor coupled to the memory; (Fig. 27 Processor 2704 connected to Memory/Storage 2712)
wherein the processor is configured to invoke and run the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, to cause a physical layer of the UE to perform operations (¶0216 The memory/storage 2712 may include one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media that includes instructions (for example, communication protocol stack 2736) that may be executed by one or more of the processors 2704 to cause the UE 2700 to perform various operations described herein.)
of: determining a resource selection window in a sidelink resource pool; (¶0045 The UEs 102/104/106 may communicate with one another using a sidelink resource pool. & ¶0052 Based on the sensing operation, the UE will select resources from within a resource selection window. & ¶0056 there may be a one second sensing window [m−1000, m−1] and a resource selection window may be [m+T1, m+T2].)
determining a contiguous partial sensing window as a range of slots [n + TA, n + TB], (¶0062 Some embodiments describe how to determine a contiguous partial sensing window. For example, how to determine T_A and T_B for the contiguous partial sensing. For contiguous partial sensing, the UE may monitor slots between [n+T_A, n+T_B] ¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. the PHY layer is responsible for determining the range of slots when presented corresponding values, in this case to shift the window. Therefore the window for contiguous partial sensing becomes [n+T_A, n+T_B]])
where n is a slot in which the physical layer of the UE is triggered to perform a resource selection, (¶0057 In NR V2X, if a resource pool is configured (or preconfigured) with at least partial sensing, a UE performs contiguous partial sensing, and resource selection (or reselection) is triggered in slot n)
and TA and TB are selected by the physical layer of the UE; (¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. T_A and T_B are presented to the physical layer in order to set the values, therefore the values are selected])
and when the sidelink resource pool allows only aperiodic transmission (¶0068 Operational diagram 404 illustrates the UE only using contiguous partial sensing with aperiodic traffic.)
Yet, Ye does not explicitly teach: and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB – TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing.
However, in the analogous art, Ko teaches:
and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB – TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, (Fig. 13 PDB depicted as a time interval & ¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0219 the minimum length of the partial sensing window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed. For example, if packet delay budget (PDB) for a packet to be transmitted is less than a sum of the minimum value of the resource selection window length (min (T2-T1)) configured to the specific threshold and the minimum value of the CPS window length (min. Wcps) configured to the specific threshold, the UE may operate as follows. & ¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length and the minimum value of the resource selection window length [i.e. it is determined that the PDB (time interval which consists of a start and end) is less than a minimum value for contiguous partial sensing window (X), which would involve a comparison in order to make the determination])
dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, (¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0254 In step S1530, the first device may select Y candidate slots in the selection window. In step S1540, the first device may perform sensing within a contiguous partial sensing (CPS) window related to the Y candidate slots. In step S1550, the first device may select a sidelink (SL) resource based on random selection within the selection window, based on the number of slots included in the CPS window which is less than a minimum number of slots. For example, Y may be a positive integer. [i.e. the device switches to random resource selection instead of contiguous partial sensing due to the minimum number of slots for sensing not being met])
where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing. (¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length. the minimum length of the CPS window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Ko’s teaching of switching to random resource selection when a time interval of contiguous partial sensing window is smaller than a minimum sensing time because it allows the device to save power by avoiding unnecessary sensing when accuracy is not guaranteed. (see Ko ¶0210 & ¶0248)
Re. Claim 20, Ye teaches:
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE), cause a physical layer of the UE to perform operations ()
of: determining a resource selection window in a sidelink resource pool; (¶0045 The UEs 102/104/106 may communicate with one another using a sidelink resource pool. & ¶0052 Based on the sensing operation, the UE will select resources from within a resource selection window. & ¶0056 there may be a one second sensing window [m−1000, m−1] and a resource selection window may be [m+T1, m+T2].)
determining a contiguous partial sensing window as a range of slots [n + TA, n + TB], (¶0062 Some embodiments describe how to determine a contiguous partial sensing window. For example, how to determine T_A and T_B for the contiguous partial sensing. For contiguous partial sensing, the UE may monitor slots between [n+T_A, n+T_B] ¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. the PHY layer is responsible for determining the range of slots when presented corresponding values, in this case to shift the window. Therefore the window for contiguous partial sensing becomes [n+T_A, n+T_B]])
where n is a slot in which the physical layer of the UE is triggered to perform a resource selection, (¶0057 In NR V2X, if a resource pool is configured (or preconfigured) with at least partial sensing, a UE performs contiguous partial sensing, and resource selection (or reselection) is triggered in slot n)
and TA and TB are selected by the physical layer of the UE; (¶0089 the UE may shift the contiguous partial sensing window under control of the physical layer of the UE. & ¶0093 The resource selection trigger may be presented to the PHY layer at n′ to set T′_A=n′+T_A and T′_B=n′+T_B. [i.e. T_A and T_B are presented to the physical layer in order to set the values, therefore the values are selected])
and when the sidelink resource pool allows only aperiodic transmission (¶0068 Operational diagram 404 illustrates the UE only using contiguous partial sensing with aperiodic traffic.)
Yet, Ye does not explicitly teach: and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB - TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing.
However, in the analogous art, Ko teaches:
and when determining, without requiring sensing results from the contiguous partial sensing window, that a time interval TB - TA of the contiguous partial sensing window is less than X by comparing a difference between an end time and a start time of the contiguous partial sensing window with X, (Fig. 13 PDB depicted as a time interval & ¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0219 the minimum length of the partial sensing window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed. For example, if packet delay budget (PDB) for a packet to be transmitted is less than a sum of the minimum value of the resource selection window length (min (T2-T1)) configured to the specific threshold and the minimum value of the CPS window length (min. Wcps) configured to the specific threshold, the UE may operate as follows. & ¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length and the minimum value of the resource selection window length [i.e. it is determined that the PDB (time interval which consists of a start and end) is less than a minimum value for contiguous partial sensing window (X), which would involve a comparison in order to make the determination])
dynamically switching a resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool from a contiguous partial sensing-based resource selection to a random-based resource selection, (¶0203 if the PDB is less than or equal to a specific threshold, the UE may set T_B=T_A=0, and the UE may perform random resource selection. & ¶0254 In step S1530, the first device may select Y candidate slots in the selection window. In step S1540, the first device may perform sensing within a contiguous partial sensing (CPS) window related to the Y candidate slots. In step S1550, the first device may select a sidelink (SL) resource based on random selection within the selection window, based on the number of slots included in the CPS window which is less than a minimum number of slots. For example, Y may be a positive integer. [i.e. the device switches to random resource selection instead of contiguous partial sensing due to the minimum number of slots for sensing not being met])
where X is a configured minimum sensing time interval for contiguous partial sensing. (¶0224 Referring to FIG. 13, the PDB may be less than the sum of the minimum value of the CPS window length. the minimum length of the CPS window (i.e., the minimum number of sensing slots) may not be guaranteed.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Ko’s teaching of switching to random resource selection when a time interval of contiguous partial sensing window is smaller than a minimum sensing time because it allows the device to save power by avoiding unnecessary sensing when accuracy is not guaranteed. (see Ko ¶0210 & ¶0248)
Claims 21-22 are directed to device claims that recite similar limitations to method claims 7-8. Therefore, the rejections for claims 21-22 are similar to claims 7-8.
Claims 4-5, 19 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye combined with Ko, and further in view of Farag (US 2025/0220705 A1), hereinafter referred to as Farag.
Re. Claim 4, Ye combined with Ko teaches the method of claim 1.
Yet, the combined references do not teach: wherein the sidelink resource pool allows only aperiodic traffic when a parameter for the sidelink resource pool is configured as disabled.
However, in the analogous art, Farag teaches such a limitation:
wherein the sidelink resource pool allows only aperiodic traffic when a parameter for the sidelink resource pool is configured as disabled. (¶0117-¶0118 a resource pool can be configured to either allow or not allow periodic reservations. for example a resource pool with periodic reservations can have higher layer parameter sl-MultiReserveResource enabled [i.e. the parameter is enabled for periodic reservations, disabled would be not allowing periodic reservations as noted above, and therefore only allowing the other modes i.e. contiguous partial sensing and random resource selection] ...In this discourse, for a UE operating in power saving mode, sensing can be performed (or not performed) at least based on one of the following: (1) periodic-based partial sensing (PBPS), wherein the sensing is performed repeatedly at periodic intervals; (2) contiguous partial sensing, wherein sensing is one shot aperiodic sensing performed over a contiguous, within the transmit resource pool) short window of slots; and (3) random resource selection, wherein the identification of the candidate resources is performed with no sensing. [i.e. no sensing is analogous to random resource selection] & ¶0120 a UE determines the type of sensing or sensing mode based on the embodiments of this disclosure. The determination can be based on the type of periodicity supported by the resource pool (periodic or aperiodic), and/or the type of SL traffic (periodic or aperiodic) and/or higher layer (pre-)configuration. & ¶0122 In step 604, a UE determines the candidate resources as a result of partial sensing (or no sensing) [i.e. UE determines whether contiguous partial sensing or random resource selection is used])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye and Ko’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Farag’s teaching of when a parameter for sidelink resource pool is disabled resource allocation is switched between the contiguous partial sensing and random resource selection, because it would allow resource allocation enhancements that reduce power consumption. (see Farag ¶0096 & ¶0102)
Re. Claim 5, Ye combined with Ko and Farag teaches the method of claim 4.
Farag further teaches:
wherein the parameter comprises sl-MultiReserveResource. (¶0117 a resource pool can be configured to either allow or not allow periodic reservations… for example a resource pool with periodic reservations can have higher layer parameter sl-MultiReserveResource [i.e. the parameter] enabled)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye and Ko’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Farag’s teaching of a parameter for sidelink resource pool comprising sl-MultiReserveResource, because it would allow resource allocation enhancements that reduce power consumption. (see Farag ¶0096 & ¶0102)
Claims 19 and 24 are directed to device claims that recites similar limitations to method claims 4 and 5. Therefore, the rejections for claims 19 and 24 are similar to claims 4 and 5.
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye combined with Ko, and further in view of Yue et al. (US 2024/0031999 A1) hereinafter referred to as Yue.
Re. Claim 9, Ye combined with Ko teaches the method of claim 1.
Yet, the references do not teach: further comprising determining, by the physical layer of the UE, if the physical layer of the UE has sufficient sensing results for determining the resource selection window based on the contiguous partial sensing using at least one threshold criterion.
However, in the analogous art, Yue teaches such a limitation:
further comprising determining, by the physical layer of the UE, if the physical layer of the UE has sufficient sensing results for determining the resource selection window based on the contiguous partial sensing using at least one threshold criterion. (¶0129-¶0130 Based on sensing results, the transmitting UE forms a set of candidate resources on a set of Y slots in the resource selection window and selects one for sidelink transmission… The transmitting UE may choose Y from a preconfigured range, where the minimum and maximum values of the range need to be configured. If the default maximum value corresponds to full sensing, then the maximum value is not needed. To have reliable sensing results, different values or minimum values for Y can be configured for different priorities [i.e. UE determining reliable (sufficient) sensing results for determining the resource selection window]. & ¶0152 When UE performs contiguous partial sensing and resource (re-)selection is triggered in slot n, to achieve maximum power savings, the UE may perform partial sensing with a minimum window size to have reliable sensing results for resource selection [i.e. determining resource selection window based on a threshold criterion])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye and Ko’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Yue’s teaching of determining if there are sufficient sensing results for determining the resource selection window based on a minimum window size, because it would enable the system to perform operations to achieve reliable sensing results for resource selection. (see Yue ¶0152)
Re. Claim 10, Ye combined with Ko and Yue teaches the method of claim 9.
Yue further teaches:
wherein the at least one threshold criterion comprises at least one of: (¶0152 When UE performs contiguous partial sensing and resource (re-)selection is triggered in slot n, to achieve maximum power savings, the UE may perform partial sensing with a minimum window size to have reliable sensing results for resource selection [i.e. sensing window is a minimum size (at least X amount of slots)])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye and Ko’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Yue’s teaching of determining if there are sufficient sensing results for determining the resource selection window based on a minimum window size of at least X slots, because it would enable the system to perform operations to achieve reliable sensing results for resource selection. (see Yue ¶0152)
Claims 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye combined with Ko, Yue, and further in view of Yoshioka et al. (US 2024/0172182 A1), hereinafter referred to as Yoshioka.
Re. Claim 11, Ye combined with Ko and Yue teaches the method of claim 9.
Yet, the references do not teach: wherein when the at least one threshold criterion is not met, the physical layer of the UE switches the resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool between the contiguous partial sensing and the random-based resource selection by reporting a full set or an empty set of candidate resources to a higher layer of the UE.
However, in the analogous art, Yoshioka teaches such a limitation:
wherein when the at least one threshold criterion is not met, the physical layer of the UE switches the resource allocation in the sidelink resource pool between the contiguous partial sensing and the random-based resource selection by reporting a full set or an empty set of candidate resources to a higher layer of the UE. (¶0097-¶0098 Assuming that the set of available resource candidates is SA, in a case where the SA is less than 20% of the resource selection window [i.e. threshold not met], the resource identification may be performed again by raising the threshold value Th.sub.pTX, pRX configured for each resource in the sensing window by 3 dB. That is, by raising the threshold value Th.sub.pTX, pRX and performing the resource identification again, resources that are not excluded because the RSRP is below the threshold value may be increased, and the set SA of resource candidates may become greater than 20% of the resource selection window. The operation of raising the threshold value Th.sub.pTX, pRX configured for each resource in the sensing window by 3 dB, and of performing the resource identification again in a case where the SA is less than 20% of the resource selection window, may be repeatedly performed [i.e. adding resources to the set of candidate resources SA until threshold is met, which would then constitute a full set of candidate of resources] The lower layer of the terminal 20 may report the SA to the higher layer. The higher layer of the terminal 20 may perform random selection for the SA to determine a resource to be used. [i.e. reporting the full set of candidate resources to the higher layer and subsequently performing random selection instead of the partial sensing] The terminal 20 may perform sidelink transmission using the determined resource. & ¶0114 the terminal 20 may perform partial sensing in which resource identification is performed by sensing only limited resources as compared to full sensing, and in which resource selection from the identified resource set is performed. Further, the terminal 20 may, without excluding resources from the resources in the resource selection window, cause the resources in the resource selection window to be an identified resource set and may perform random selection to select a resource from the identified resource set. [i.e. another instance of a full set of candidate resources (identified resource set)] & ¶0116 The following 1) and 2) may be applied as operations in sensing. 1) Periodic-Based Partial Sensing 2) Contiguous Partial Sensing [i.e. sensing can be periodic partial sensing or contiguous partial sensing])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye, Ko, and Yue’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Yoshioka’s teaching of switching between contiguous partial sensing and random resource selection by reporting a full set of candidate resources if the at least one threshold is not met, because it would enable only sensing in specific slots within the sensing window, which saves on power. (see Yoshioka ¶0112)
Re. Claim 12, Ye combined with Ko, Yue and Yoshioka teaches the method of claim 11.
Yoshioka further teaches:
wherein the higher layer of the UE is configured to randomly select a time and frequency resource from reported subset of resources indicated by the physical layer for physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission or physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) transmission. (¶0077-¶0078 In step S201, the terminal 20A autonomously selects a resource to be used for PSCCH and PSSCH from a resource selection window having a predetermined period… In step S202 and step S203, the terminal 20A transmits, using the resource autonomously selected in step S201, an SCI via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, and transmits SL data via PSSCH. For example, the terminal 20A may transmit the PSCCH using a frequency resource adjacent to the PSSCH frequency resource with the same time resource as at least a portion of the time resource of the PSSCH. [i.e. configured to autonomously select time and frequency resource for PSCCH transmission] & ¶0098 The lower layer of the terminal 20 may report the SA to the higher layer. The higher layer of the terminal 20 may perform random selection for the SA to determine a resource to be used. The terminal 20 may perform sidelink transmission using the determined resource. [i.e. random selection is performed to determine the resources (time and frequency)])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye, Ko, and Yue’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Yoshioka’s teaching of the UE being configured to randomly select time and frequency resources from the subset of resources indicated by the physical layer for PSSCH or PSCCH transmission, because it would allow the reduction of sensing slots, in order to save power. (see Yoshioka ¶0135)
Claim 13 is dependent on claim 12 and further on claim 11, which recites alternative limitations not relied upon for examination. Therefore, claim 13 is also not being examined in this application due to its dependence upon the unexamined alternative limitation of claim 11, “reporting … an empty set of candidate resources to the higher layer”.
Re. Claim 15, Ye combined with Ko, Yue and Yoshioka teaches the method of claim 12.
Yoshioka further teaches:
wherein a parameter field for indicating random selection is turned on or set to true in sidelink control information (SCI) for the PSCCH transmission. (¶0104 As shown in FIG. 17, the terminal 20 performs partial sensing for a part of the sensing window in the resource pool, i.e., the sensing target. According to the partial sensing, the terminal 20 receives the resource reservation field contained in the SCI transmitted from the another terminal 20 and identifies the available resource candidates in the resource selection window in the resource pool, based on the field. Subsequently, the terminal 20 randomly selects a resource from the available resource candidates. [i.e. the resource reservation field (parameter field) indicates that random selection is used (turned on)] & ¶0077-¶0078 In step S201, the terminal 20A autonomously selects a resource to be used for PSCCH and PSSCH from a resource selection window having a predetermined period… In step S202 and step S203, the terminal 20A transmits, using the resource autonomously selected in step S201, an SCI via PSCCH and/or PSSCH, and transmits SL data via PSSCH. [i.e. SCI is used for PSCCH transmission])
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye, Ko, and Yue’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Yoshioka’s teaching of a parameter field in the SCI for PSCCH indicating that random selection is used, because it would enable the use of random resource selection along with partial sensing, which is for power saving purposes. (see Yoshioka ¶0112)
Claims 14 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ye combined with Ko, and further in view of Ko et al. (US 2024/0334453 A1), hereinafter referred to as Ko-2.
Re. Claim 14, Ye combined with Ko teaches the method of claim 8.
Yet, the references do not explicitly teach: wherein in either a random selection or determination of resources in a higher layer of the UE, the random selection ensures a minimum time gap between any two selected resources in case that a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) is configured for the sidelink resource pool and that a resource can be indicated by a time resource assignment of a prior sidelink control information (SCI) for a retransmission.
However, in the analogous art, Ko-2 teaches such limitations:
wherein in either a random selection or determination of resources in a higher layer of the UE, the random selection ensures a minimum time gap between any two selected resources in case that a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) is configured for the sidelink resource pool (¶0083 FIG. 6, in the LTE transmission mode 2, the LTE transmission mode 4, or the NR resource allocation mode 2, a UE may determine SL transmission resource(s) within SL resource(s) configured by a base station/network or pre-configured SL resource(s). For example, the configured SL resource(s) or the pre-configured SL resource(s) may be a resource pool… In step S630, the first UE may receive a PSFCH related to the PSCCH/PSSCH from the second UE. [i.e. PSFCH is configured for the SL resource pool] & ¶0245 Referring to FIG. 13, in step S1310, a first device may determine a selection window. In step S1320, the first device may select a set of candidate resources within the selection window, [i.e. determining resources of the UE] based on sensing for at least one slot related to the selection window. In step S1330, the first device may randomly select a first sidelink (SL) resource among the set of candidate resources. In step S1340, the first device may select at least one SL resource within a first time threshold from the first SL resource, after selecting the first SL resource. [i.e. within a first time threshold (minimum time gap) between any two selected resources] & ¶0238 In step S1230, the UE may randomly select a first SL transmission resource from the set of candidate resources In step S1240, the UE may select a second SL transmission resource from the first SL transmission resource that is within a specific time threshold. [i.e. disclosure of the same threshold cited above])
and that a resource can be indicated by a time resource assignment of a prior sidelink control information (SCI) for a retransmission. (¶0245 In step S1350, the first device may transmit, to a second device, sidelink control information (SCI) for scheduling of a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) through a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), based on the first SL resource [i.e. resource indicated by scheduling of physical channel from a prior sidelink control information of the first SL resource] and the at least one SL resource.)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Ye and Ko’s invention of partial sensing for resource selection, reevaluation, and preemption, to include Ko-2’s teaching of the random selection ensuring that there is a minimum time gap between any two selected resources when a PSFCH is configured for the sidelink resource pool, because it would allow the device to utilize a clustered transmission method which saves on power consumption. (see Ko-2 ¶0238-¶0240)
Claim 23 is directed to a device claim that recites similar limitations to method claim 14. Therefore, the rejection for claim 23 is similar to that put forth for claim 14.
Conclusion
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/G.A.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2417
/REBECCA E SONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2417
