Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, 5, 11, 13, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhao (US 2025/0344229).
Regarding claim 1, Zhao discloses
A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising:
a processor configured to (¶ [0318]: processor 3210):
determine, based on higher layer parameters (¶ [0007]: a first parameter, indicating a quantity of sidelink symbols; a second parameter, indicating a quantity of resource elements RE; ¶ [0218]: If a value of the one or more bits is the second value, it indicates that the first parameter is determined based on higher layer configuration information (such as RRC signalling); ¶ [0248]: If a value of the one or more bits is the second value, it indicates that the second parameter is determined based on higher layer configuration information (such as RRC signalling)), a number of candidate starting symbols for a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) in a slot (¶ [0151]: it is determined, based on the configuration information, that a slot includes two candidate transmission starting symbols, which are respectively the first candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 0 and the second candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 6);
determine a number of sidelink symbols within a slot (¶ [0212]: the first parameter may meet:
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27
172
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wherein sl-LengthSymbols denotes a quantity of symbols used for sidelink transmission in one slot, and the parameter may be determined based on a 1st candidate transmission starting symbol in one slot) based on the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH (¶ [0151]: it is determined, based on the configuration information, that a slot includes two candidate transmission starting symbols, which are respectively the first candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 0 and the second candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol);
determine, based on the number of sidelink symbols ¶ [0212]: the first parameter may meet:
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27
172
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), a first number of resource elements (REs) (N'ᵣₑ) allocated for the PSSCH within a physical resource block (PRB) (¶ [0272]: N’RE may meet:
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42
255
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);
determine a number of PRBs (nPRB) allocated for the PSSCH (¶ [0259]: the third parameter may meet:
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29
226
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); and
determine a second number of REs (Nᵣₑ) allocated for the PSSCH based on (i) the first number of REs allocated for the PSSCH within the PRB and (ii) the number of PRBs allocated for the PSSCH (¶ [0271] NRE may meet:
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31
195
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); and
a transceiver operably coupled to the processor, the transceiver (¶ [0318]: The processor 3210 may communicate with another device or chip by using the transceiver 3230) configured to receive the PSSCH (¶ [0085]: a terminal device serving as a receive end uses the first sidelink symbol as a symbol for performing automatic gain control (AGC) … The PSSCH may occupy K sub-channels in frequency domain) based on the second number of REs allocated for the PSSCH (¶ [0271] NRE may meet:
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31
195
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).
Regarding claim 11 referring to claim 1, Zhao discloses A method of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: … (See the rejection for claim 1).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, Zhao discloses
wherein:
N
s
y
m
b
s
h
= l1-2, when the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is 1, wherein I₁ is a first number of symbols and provided by a first higher layer parameter (¶ [0212]: the first parameter may meet:
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27
172
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wherein sl-LengthSymbols denotes a quantity of symbols used for sidelink transmission in one slot, and the parameter may be determined based on a 1st candidate transmission starting symbol in one slot); and
N
s
y
m
b
s
h
= l2-2, wherein I₂ is a second number of symbols and provided by a second higher layer parameter (¶ [0007]: a first parameter, indicating a quantity of sidelink symbols; ¶ [0151]: it is determined, based on the configuration information, that a slot includes two candidate transmission starting symbols, which are respectively the first candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 0 and the second candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 6; ¶ [0212]: the first parameter may meet:
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27
172
media_image1.png
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wherein sl-LengthSymbols denotes a quantity of symbols used for sidelink transmission in one slot, and the parameter may be determined based on a 1st candidate transmission starting symbol in one slot; ¶ [0218]: If a value of the one or more bits is the second value, it indicates that the first parameter is determined based on higher layer configuration information (such as RRC signalling).
Regarding claims 5 and 15, Zhao discloses
wherein, when the PSSCH is based on contiguous resource blocks (RBs), nPRB=Nsub-channel * NRB, where: Nsub-channel is a number of allocated sub-channels for the PSSCH, and NRB is a number of RBs in a sub-channel (
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433
470
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).
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 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 of this title, 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 2 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao (US 2025/0344229) in view of Liu et al. (US 2022/0386328).
Regarding claims 2 and 12, Zhao discloses
the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is determined as 2, when two candidate starting symbol indexes are provided by the higher layer parameters (¶ [0007]: a first parameter, indicating a quantity of sidelink symbols; ¶ [0151]: it is determined, based on the configuration information, that a slot includes two candidate transmission starting symbols, which are respectively the first candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 0 and the second candidate transmission starting symbol located at a symbol 6; ¶ [0218]: If a value of the one or more bits is the second value, it indicates that the first parameter is determined based on higher layer configuration information (such as RRC signalling).
Zhao discloses all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is determined as 2 … the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is determined as 1, otherwise. Liu from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is determined as 2 … the number of candidate starting symbols for the PSSCH is determined as 1, otherwise (¶ [0246]: , the SCI-2 resource elements to be rate matched in the PSSCH may be mapped to one or more starting symbols of the PSSCH. For example, the SCI-2 resource elements may be mapped to the initial symbol of the PSSCH and/or may be mapped to multiple contiguous symbols that start at the beginning of the PSSCH). Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Zhao’s two candidate transmission starting symbols in a slot by Liu’s one or more starting symbols of the PSSCH. The motivation would have been to enable greater scheduling flexibility (Liu ¶ [0208]).
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao (US 2025/0344229) in view of Ye et al. (US 2024/0155582).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, Zhao discloses
wherein, when the PSSCH is based on interlaced resource blocks (RBs),
…
(¶ [0259]:
n
P
R
B
=
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
*
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
i
n
t
e
r
l
a
c
e
*
N
i
n
t
e
r
l
a
c
e
P
R
B
).
Zhao discloses all the subject matter of the claimed invention with the exception of wherein, when the PSSCH is based on interlaced resource blocks (RBs),
n
P
R
B
=
N
R
B
-
s
e
t
*
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
*
N
i
n
t
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
*
N
R
B
s
,
i
, where:
N
R
B
-
s
e
t
is a number of occupied resource block sets (RB-sets) for the PSSCH;
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
is a number of allocated sub-channels in a RB-set for the PSSCH;
N
i
n
t
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
is a number of interlaces in a sub-channel; and
N
R
B
s
,
i
is a number of RBs in an interlace and the number of RBs is provided by a higher layer parameter. Yes from the same or similar fields of endeavor discloses wherein, when the PSSCH is based on interlaced resource blocks (RBs),
n
P
R
B
=
N
R
B
-
s
e
t
*
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
*
N
i
n
t
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
*
N
R
B
s
,
i
, where:
N
R
B
-
s
e
t
is a number of occupied resource block sets (RB-sets) for the PSSCH;
N
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
is a number of allocated sub-channels in a RB-set for the PSSCH;
N
i
n
t
s
u
b
-
c
h
a
n
n
e
l
is a number of interlaces in a sub-channel; and
N
R
B
s
,
i
is a number of RBs in an interlace and the number of RBs is provided by a higher layer parameter (¶ [0060]: If the higher layer parameter of a transmission structure for PSCCH and PSSCH (e.g., transmissionStructureForPSCCHand PSSCH) is set to ‘interlaceRB’, a reference number of PRBs (
N
r
e
f
) per interlace within one RB set, numRefPRBOfInterlace, can be provided by higher layers for determination of a total number of PRBs for PSSCH, that is
n
P
R
B
=
n
r
e
f
*
n
i
n
t
e
r
,
s
u
b
C
H
*
n
s
u
b
C
H
*
n
R
B
-
s
e
t
, where
n
i
n
t
e
r
,
s
u
b
C
H
is given by the higher layer parameter number interlace per subchannel (numInterlacePerSubchannel),
n
s
u
b
C
H
is the number of occupied sub-channels within on RB set for the PSSCH, and
n
R
B
-
s
e
t
is to number of occupied RB sets for the PSSCH). Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Zhao’s equation to calculate
n
P
R
B
by Ye’s known equation to calculate
n
P
R
B
. The motivation would have been to improve efficiency (Ye ¶ [0020]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 and 16-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lu et al. (US 2025/0219882) discloses
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/JAE Y LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2479