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 the application after final rejection. Since the 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 29 Dec. 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments—set forth at pp. 1-3 in the Remarks with respect to independent claims 1 and 15—have been fully considered but are moot because the new grounds of rejection relies on one or more reference not applied in the prior rejection of record for some teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 the 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.
Claims 1 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over US 2025/0055747 (hereinafter, “MA ‘747”) in view of US 2024/0349273 (hereinafter, “BAE”), and further in view of US 2025/0105955 (hereinafter, “MA ‘955”).
Regarding claim 1, MA ‘747 discloses:
A user equipment (UE) (wireless device 100, 200), comprising:
. . .
at least one processor (processors 102, 202) coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, and configured to execute the one or more computer-executable instructions to cause the UE to:
. . .
determine whether a length of an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) is included in a row of a . . . table indicated in the DCI format; and (¶¶ 0083-0084: UE may determine which OCC sequences are to be applied to the PUSCH transmission. A selection of the OCC sequences for the frequency domain OCC-based PUSCH multiplexing may be based at least in part on the configuration from the network node. . . . [T]he OCC sequence may be selected from computer-generated sequences (e.g., sequences for lengths 6 and 12) and/or cyclic shifted versions of the computer-generated sequences. . . . OCC sequences may be tabulated in a table . . . . The indication may include a row index of the table to indicate the OCC sequence. The network node may transmit the indication via . . . the DCI)
apply the OCC to the PUSCH in a case that the length is included in the row. (¶¶ 0083-0084: UE may determine which OCC sequences are to be applied to the PUSCH transmission. A selection of the OCC sequences for the frequency domain OCC-based PUSCH multiplexing may be based at least in part on the configuration from the network node. . . . [T]he OCC sequence may be selected from computer-generated sequences (e.g., sequences for lengths 6 and 12) and/or cyclic shifted versions of the computer-generated sequences. . . . OCC sequences may be tabulated in a table . . . . The indication may include a row index of the table to indicate the OCC sequence. The network node may transmit the indication via . . . the DCI)
MA ‘747 does not explicitly disclose:
a Time Domain Resource Assignment (TDRA) table
receive, on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Downlink Control Information (DCI) with a DCI format for scheduling a PUSCH;
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAE teaches:
a Time Domain Resource Assignment (TDRA) table (¶ 0079: [S]cheduling information indicating the plurality of radio resources may be provided by a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) field of DCI and each row of a TDRA table associated with the field. More specifically, the TDRA field included in the DCI may indicate a row index of a TDRA table configured through higher layer signaling; ¶ 0127: Referring to Section 1.2, the DCI may include a TDRA field. The TDRA field indicates one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table. As a method of indicating one row, information on a specific row index of the TDRA table may be included in the TDRA field. Each of the plurality of rows may include one or more of information on an interval from DCI to a first resource among the N resources (K2), information on a mapping type of PUSCHs, a transmission start symbol of the PUSCHs, and information on a symbol length of the PUSCHs)
receive, on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Downlink Control Information (DCI) with a DCI format for scheduling a PUSCH; (¶ 0047: PDCCH carries Downlink Control Information (DCI); ¶ 0079: [S]cheduling information indicating the plurality of radio resources may be provided by a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) field of DCI and each row of a TDRA table associated with the field. More specifically, the TDRA field included in the DCI may indicate a row index of a TDRA table configured through higher layer signaling; ¶ 0127: DCI may include a TDRA field. The TDRA field indicates one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table. As a method of indicating one row, information on a specific row index of the TDRA table may be included in the TDRA field)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify MA ‘747’s OCC-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) multiplexing procedure to provide a TDRA field in the DCI as taught by BAE to indicate one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table such that when M resources are configured through DCI, M may be determined based on a row index of the TDRA field so as to provide a signal transmission and reception method for efficiently transmitting and receiving data signals in a wireless communication system. See BAE, at ¶¶ 0003, 0128.
MA ‘747 also does not explicitly disclose:
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more computer-executable instructions for determining a transport block size for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission; and
In the same field of endeavor, however, MA ‘955 teaches:
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (computer-executable code 935) storing one or more computer-executable instructions for determining a transport block size for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission; and (¶ 0001: [T]ransport block size calculation for orthogonal cover coding and sub-physical resource block allocation for physical uplink shared channel)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify MA ‘747’s OCC-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) multiplexing procedure to provide a transport block (TB) determination as taught by MA ‘955 for orthogonal cover coding and sub-physical resource block allocation for physical uplink shared channel so as to account for the spreading of information bits when determining the TBS for the uplink transmission to which OCC is applied. See MA ‘955, at Abstract.
Regarding claim 15, MA ‘747 discloses:
A method . . . comprising:
. . .
determining whether a length of an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) is included in a row of a . . . table indicated in the DCI format; and (¶¶ 0083-0084: UE may determine which OCC sequences are to be applied to the PUSCH transmission. A selection of the OCC sequences for the frequency domain OCC-based PUSCH multiplexing may be based at least in part on the configuration from the network node. . . . [T]he OCC sequence may be selected from computer-generated sequences (e.g., sequences for lengths 6 and 12) and/or cyclic shifted versions of the computer-generated sequences. . . . OCC sequences may be tabulated in a table . . . . The indication may include a row index of the table to indicate the OCC sequence. The network node may transmit the indication via . . . the DCI)
applying the OCC to the PUSCH in a case that the length is included in the row. (¶¶ 0083-0084: UE may determine which OCC sequences are to be applied to the PUSCH transmission. A selection of the OCC sequences for the frequency domain OCC-based PUSCH multiplexing may be based at least in part on the configuration from the network node. . . . [T]he OCC sequence may be selected from computer-generated sequences (e.g., sequences for lengths 6 and 12) and/or cyclic shifted versions of the computer-generated sequences. . . . OCC sequences may be tabulated in a table . . . . The indication may include a row index of the table to indicate the OCC sequence. The network node may transmit the indication via . . . the DCI)
MA ‘747 does not explicitly disclose:
a Time Domain Resource Assignment (TDRA) table
receiving, on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Downlink Control Information (DCI) with a DCI format for scheduling a PUSCH;
In the same field of endeavor, however, BAE teaches:
a Time Domain Resource Assignment (TDRA) table (¶ 0079: [S]cheduling information indicating the plurality of radio resources may be provided by a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) field of DCI and each row of a TDRA table associated with the field. More specifically, the TDRA field included in the DCI may indicate a row index of a TDRA table configured through higher layer signaling; ¶ 0127: Referring to Section 1.2, the DCI may include a TDRA field. The TDRA field indicates one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table. As a method of indicating one row, information on a specific row index of the TDRA table may be included in the TDRA field. Each of the plurality of rows may include one or more of information on an interval from DCI to a first resource among the N resources (K2), information on a mapping type of PUSCHs, a transmission start symbol of the PUSCHs, and information on a symbol length of the PUSCHs)
receiving, on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Downlink Control Information (DCI) with a DCI format for scheduling a PUSCH; (¶ 0047: PDCCH carries Downlink Control Information (DCI); ¶ 0079: [S]cheduling information indicating the plurality of radio resources may be provided by a time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) field of DCI and each row of a TDRA table associated with the field. More specifically, the TDRA field included in the DCI may indicate a row index of a TDRA table configured through higher layer signaling; ¶ 0127: DCI may include a TDRA field. The TDRA field indicates one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table. As a method of indicating one row, information on a specific row index of the TDRA table may be included in the TDRA field)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify MA ‘747’s OCC-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) multiplexing procedure to provide a TDRA field in the DCI as taught by BAE to indicate one row of a plurality of rows in the TDRA table such that when M resources are configured through DCI, M may be determined based on a row index of the TDRA field so as to provide a signal transmission and reception method for efficiently transmitting and receiving data signals in a wireless communication system. See BAE, at ¶¶ 0003, 0128.
MA ‘747 also does not explicitly disclose:
determining a transport block size for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission,
In the same field of endeavor, however, MA ‘955 teaches:
determining a transport block size for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission, (¶ 0001: [T]ransport block size calculation for orthogonal cover coding and sub-physical resource block allocation for physical uplink shared channel)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify MA ‘747’s OCC-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) multiplexing procedure to provide a transport block (TB) determination as taught by MA ‘955 for orthogonal cover coding and sub-physical resource block allocation for physical uplink shared channel so as to account for the spreading of information bits when determining the TBS for the uplink transmission to which OCC is applied. See MA ‘955, at Abstract.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Garth D Richmond whose telephone number is (703)756-4559. The Examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Kathy Wang-Hurst can be reached at 571-270-5371. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GARTH D RICHMOND/Examiner, Art Unit 2644
/KATHY W WANG-HURST/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2644