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 .
Response to Amendment
Amendment filed on 06/01/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-20 are pending.
The objections to claims 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, and 20 for minor informalities have been withdrawn in view of the amendment to the claims.
The rejections of claim 13 under 35 U.S.C. 112 have been withdrawn in view of the amendment to the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Molavianjazi et al. (US 2022/0053522 A1, hereinafter “Molavianjazi”).
Regarding claim 1:
Molavianjazi discloses an uplink transmission method, performed by a terminal, comprising:
determining a cell in which a transmission of a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) is located based on an indicator of downlink control information (DCI) or a PUCCH cell time pattern (e.g., [0664], “the UE can use a predetermined or configured time pattern between slot indices and/or CSI reporting occasion timing/slots … to determine an active PUCCH cell,” [0674], “a DCI … indicates PCell as the active PUCCH cell for HARQ-ACK information”); and
after the cell is determined, determining whether to transmit the first PUCCH and the second uplink channel, based on semi-persistent uplink and downlink configuration information and/or a slot format indicator (SFI) (e.g., [0655], “the UE determines an active PUCCH cell … a slot index for the UCI transmission, e.g., based on at least one or more of a predetermined rule/method and a configured time pattenr”), wherein time domain resources for the first PUCCH and a second uplink channel overlap, and the second uplink channel comprises a second PUCCH (e.g., [0671], [0672], “when multiple UCIs overlap in time, e.g., occur in a same slot, a single multiplexing of the multiplex UCIs can be transmitted in a single active PUCCH cell,”, [0675], [0677], “if the UE would transmit an SR occasion on a first PUCCH cell such a PCell, and the UE would transmit a HARQ-ACK information on a second PUCCH cell such as a PUCCH-SCell, and the SR occasion would be transmitted in a same slot as the HARQ-ACK information, then the UE multiplexes the SR with the HARQ-ACK information on the PUCCH cell that carries the HARQ-ACK,”).
Regarding claim 2:
Molavianjazi further discloses the uplink transmission method according to claim 1, wherein the determining a cell in which a transmission of first PUCCH is located further comprises: determining the cell in which the transmission of the first PUCCH is located, based on the semi-persistent uplink and downlink configuration information, or the SFI (e.g., [0655], [0664], [0677]).
Regarding claim 3:
Molavianjazi further discloses the uplink transmission method according to claim 2, wherein the determining a cell in which a transmission of first PUCCH is located specifically comprises any one of the following: determining the cell in which the transmission of the first PUCCH is located, based on an indication of a specific information field in the DCI; or determining a cell with available PUCCH resources, based on the semi-persistent uplink and downlink configuration information and/or the SFI (e.g., [0655], [0664], [0677]).
Regarding claim 4:
Molavianjazi further discloses wherein if it is determined that the number of cells with available PUCCH resources is greater than 1, a cell with a largest or smallest cell identifier is selected as the cell in which the first PUCCH is located (e.g., [0653]).
Regarding claim 5:
Molavianjazi further discloses wherein the cell in which the transmission of the first PUCCH is located is determined based on an indication of an information field in the last DCI (e.g., [0508]).
Regarding claim 6:
Molavianjazi further discloses wherein after the determining a cell in which a transmission of a first PUCCH is located, the method further comprises: determining a resource index of the first PUCCH (e.g., [0677]-[0678], UE multiplexing the SR with the HARQ-ACK information that would be transmitted in a same slot on the first or second PUCCH cell would require determining the slot index of SR and HARQ-ACK information).
Regarding claim 7:
Molavianjazi further discloses wherein before the determining a cell in which a transmission of a first PUCCH is located, the method further comprises: determining a resource index of the first PUCCH (e.g., [0563]-[0564], predetermined rule and configured time pattern, transmission occasion/slot index).
Regarding claim 8:
Molavianjazi further discloses wherein the resource index of the first PUCCH is determined when a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) feedback is required (e.g., [0677]-[0678], UE multiplexing the SR with the HARQ-ACK information that would be transmitted in a same slot).
Regarding claim 9:
Molavianjazi teaches for a HARQ-ACK codebook formed by physical downlink shared channel (PDSCHs) scheduled by different DCIs, it is not expected that PUCCH cells indicated by the different DCIs are different. (e.g., [0672]).
Regarding claim 10:
Molavianjazi teaches if a first PUCCH and a second PUCCH are in a same cell, the first PUCCH and the second PUCCH are multiplexed (e.g., [0676]).
Regarding claim 11:
Molavianjazi teaches the overlapping time domain resources for a first PUCCH and the second uplink channel comprises at least one of the following: overlapping time domain resources for the first PUCCH and the second PUCCH in a same cell; and overlapping time domain resources for the first PUCCH and the second PUCCH in different cells within a same PUCCH group (e.g., [0653], [0673], [0676]-[0678]).
Regarding claim 12:
Molavianjazi teaches wherein in a case that the first PUCCH and the second PUCCH are in different cells, and a first cell in which the first PUCCH is located and a second cell in which the second PUCCH is located have different subcarrier spacings (SCSs), a time unit for multiplexing of the first PUCCH is determined based an SCS of a third cell, wherein the third cell is selected from the first cell and the second cell (e.g., [0653], [0673], [0677], [0678]).
Regarding claim 13:
Molavianjazi teaches wherein the third cell is determined based on any one of the following: a cell in which a PUCCH is located as determined based on the indication of the DCI; a cell of a PUCCH in which high-priority uplink control information (UCI) is located based on the indication of the DCI; a cell in which high-priority UCI is located; a cell with a largest cell identifier; and a cell with a smallest cell identifier (e.g., [0653], [0677], [0678]).
Regarding claim 14:
Molavianjazi discloses a terminal (e.g., Fig. 3, 116), comprising: a processor (Fig. 3, 340) implemented in hardware, a memory (Fig. 3, 360), and a program or instructions (Fig. 3, 361 and 362) stored on the memory and capable of running on the processor, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform: determining a cell in which a transmission of a first PUCCH is located, based on an indicator of downlink control information (DCI) or a PUCCH cell time pattern; and after the cell is determined, determining whether to transmit the first PUCCH and the second uplink channel, based on semi-persistent uplink and downlink configuration information and/or a slot format indicator (SFI), wherein time domain resources for the first PUCCH and a second uplink channel overlap, and the second uplink channel comprises a second PUCCH. (See rejections for similar claim limitations with respect to claim 1.)
Regarding claims 15-19:
See rejections for similar claim limitations with respect to claims 2, 3, and 6-8.
Regarding claim 20:
Molavianjazi discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., Fig. 3, 360) having a program or instructions (Fig. 3, 361 and 362) stored thereon, wherein the program or the instructions, when executed by a processor implemented in hardware, causes the processor to perform: determining a cell in which a transmission of a first PUCCH is located, based on an indicator of downlink control information (DCI) or a PUCCH cell time pattern; and after the cell is determined, determining whether to transmit the first PUCCH and the second uplink channel, based on semi-persistent uplink and downlink configuration information and/or a slot format indicator (SFI), wherein time domain resources for the first PUCCH and a second uplink channel overlap, and the second uplink channel comprises a second PUCCH. (See rejections for similar claim limitations with respect to claim 1.)
Response to Arguments
Rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 over Molavianjazi
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claim 1 as amended (Remarks, pages 10-11) have been considered but are moot in view of the rejection presented in the Final Office action.
Conclusion
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 Alvin ZHU whose telephone number is (571)270-1086. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 6am-9am and 2pm-7pm.
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/BO HUI A ZHU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2465
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