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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-10 and 17-26 in the reply filed on 10/09/2025 is acknowledged.
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, 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 1-6, 8-10, 17-22, 24-26 and 31-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20220158803 A1 (Ji et al., hereinafter Ji) in view of US 20210314933 A1 (Zhang et al., hereinafter Zhang).
Regarding claim 1, Ji discloses an apparatus (Fig. 1 and par. [0032], “receive (RX) UE” and Fig. 10, “terminal 30”, read on apparatus), comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code (Fig. 10, “memory 39”); and
one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories (Fig. 10, “processor 310” connected to “memory 39”) and operable to execute the code to cause the one or more processors (par. [0172], “processor 310…connects all parts of the terminal by using various interfaces and lines. …running or executing software programs and/or modules…”, reads on code), individually or collectively, to:
receive a signal in an automatic gain control (AGC) resource (Figs. 1-2, par. [0031], “an automatic gain control (AGC)” and par. [0033], “ZC sequence as a code length, which occupies one PRB”, where the Zadoff-Chu sequence reads on “signal”); and
wherein a starting time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is contiguous with the AGC resource (Fig. 2, please see the first PSFCH contiguous to the AGC), and wherein a first time period spanned by the AGC resource is greater than a second time period spanned by each PSFCH message of the plurality of PSFCH messages (Fig. 2, please see the rectangle to the left corresponding to a larger time spanned by the AGC in comparison to the “PSFCH” occupying the last two symbols corresponding to a shorter time span in the slot).
receive a first PSFCH message based at least in part on a gain for reception of the first PSFCH message (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” being part of the slot having the AGC), wherein the gain for reception of the first PSFCH message is based at least in part on receiving the signal (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” being part of the slot having the AGC), wherein the first PSFCH message is one of a plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed over a plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2, please see the “PSFCH”s that are contiguous; the PSFCH are time-division multiplexed over a set of contiguous time resources, where examples of time resources are symbols, slots, mini-slots, sub-frames, etc.).
Although implied, Ji does not explicitly disclose plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed.
In related art concerning sidelink resource multiplexing and indication methods, Ji further discloses wherein the first PSFCH message is one of a plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed over a plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2, please see the “PSFCH”s are contiguous in time, x-direction being in the time domain. Examples of time resources are symbols, slots, mini-slots, sub-frames, etc.).
Ji does not explicitly disclose plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed.
Zhang discloses where plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed (pars. [0017]-[0019], “a terminal device configured to perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), and perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and/or physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); multiplex PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use Zhang’s teachings about plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed with the feedback information transmission apparatus and method disclosed by Ji because one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that by, “PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH [are] multiplexed by the terminal device in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner…improving performance of sidelink transmission (such as increasing accuracy of AGC estimation).” (par. [0020], Zhang).
Regarding claim 17, Ji discloses an apparatus (Fig. 1 and par. [0032], “receive (RX) UE” and Fig. 10, “terminal 30”, read on apparatus), comprising:
one or more memories storing processor-executable code (Fig. 10, “memory 39”);
and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories (Fig. 10, “processor 310” connected to “memory 39”) and operable to execute the code to cause the one or more processors (par. [0172], “processor 310…connects all parts of the terminal by using various interfaces and lines. …running or executing software programs and/or modules…”, reads on code), individually or collectively, to:
transmit a signal in an automatic gain control (AGC) resource (par. [0031], “When a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) is transmitted, the first symbol may be used for AGC adjustment.”); and
wherein a starting time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is contiguous with the AGC resource (Fig. 2, please see the first PSFCH contiguous to the AGC), and
wherein a first time period spanned by the AGC resource is greater than a second time period spanned by each PSFCH message of the plurality of PSFCH messages (Fig. 2, where slots are measure in the time domain in the x-direction. Fig. 2 shows on the left side a time period spanned by the AGC being greater than the period spanned by each PSFCH message on the right side).
Ji further discloses transmit a first PSFCH message based at least in part on transmitting the signal in the AGC resource (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” and par. [0034], “feedback information”, where the PSFCH is in the AGC resource), wherein the first PSFCH message is one of a plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed over a plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2, please see the “PSFCH”s are contiguous in time, x-direction being in the time domain. Examples of time resources are symbols, slots, mini-slots, sub-frames, etc.).
Ji does not explicitly disclose plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed.
Zhang discloses where plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed (pars. [0017]-[0019], “a terminal device configured to perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), and perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and/or physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); multiplex PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use Zhang’s teachings about plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed with the feedback information transmission apparatus and method disclosed by Ji because one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that by, “PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH [are] multiplexed by the terminal device in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner…improving performance of sidelink transmission (such as increasing accuracy of AGC estimation).” (par. [0020], Zhang).
Regarding claim 31, Ji discloses a method (par. [0034], “method”), comprising:
receiving a signal in an automatic gain control (AGC) resource (Figs. 1-2, par. [0031], “an automatic gain control (AGC)”); and
receiving a first PSFCH message based at least in part on a gain for reception of the first PSFCH message (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” being part of the slot having the AGC), wherein the gain for reception of the first PSFCH message is based at least in part on receiving the signal (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” being part of the slot having the AGC), wherein the first PSFCH message is one of a plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed over a plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2, please see the “PSFCH”s are contiguous in time, x-direction being in the time domain. Examples of time resources are symbols, slots, mini-slots, sub-frames, etc.), wherein a starting time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is contiguous with the AGC resource (Fig. 2, please see the first PSFCH contiguous to the AGC), and
wherein a first time period spanned by the AGC resource is greater than a second time period spanned by each PSFCH message of the plurality of PSFCH messages (Fig. 2, please see the rectangle to the left corresponding to a larger time spanned by the AGC in comparison to the “PSFCH” occupying the last two symbols corresponding to a shorter time span in the slot).
Ji does not explicitly disclose plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed.
Zhang discloses where plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed (pars. [0017]-[0019], “a terminal device configured to perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), and perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and/or physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); multiplex PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use Zhang’s teachings about plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed with the feedback information transmission apparatus and method disclosed by Ji because one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that by, “PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH [are] multiplexed by the terminal device in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner…improving performance of sidelink transmission (such as increasing accuracy of AGC estimation).” (par. [0020], Zhang).
Regarding claim 37, Ji discloses a method (par. [0034], “method”), comprising:
transmitting a signal in an automatic gain control (AGC) resource (par. [0031], “When a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) is transmitted, the first symbol may be used for AGC adjustment.”); and transmitting a first PSFCH message based at least in part on transmitting the signal in the AGC resource (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot” and par. [0034], “feedback information”, where the PSFCH is in the AGC resource), wherein the first PSFCH message is one of a plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed over a plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2, please see the “PSFCH”s are contiguous in time, x-direction being in the time domain. Examples of time resources are symbols, slots, mini-slots, sub-frames, etc.), wherein a starting time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is contiguous with the AGC resource (Fig. 2, please see the first PSFCH contiguous to the AGC), and
wherein a first time period spanned by the AGC resource is greater than a second time period spanned by each PSFCH message of the plurality of PSFCH messages (Fig. 2, please see the rectangle to the left corresponding to a larger time spanned by the AGC in comparison to the “PSFCH” occupying the last two symbols corresponding to a shorter time span in the slot).
Ji does not explicitly disclose plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed.
Zhang discloses where plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed (pars. [0017]-[0019], “a terminal device configured to perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), and perform transmission and/or reception of physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and/or physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH); multiplex PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use Zhang’s teachings about plurality of PSFCH messages that are time-division multiplexed with the feedback information transmission apparatus and method disclosed by Ji because one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that by, “PSFCH and PSCCH/PSSCH [are] multiplexed by the terminal device in a predefined time division multiplexing (TDM) manner…improving performance of sidelink transmission (such as increasing accuracy of AGC estimation).” (par. [0020], Zhang).
Regarding claims 2, 18, 32 and 38, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1, 17, 31 and 37, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein: the AGC resource comprises a plurality of symbol sets (par. [0033], “a plurality of AGC symbols…”; where in every slot there are at least 12 symbols), each symbol set of the plurality of symbol sets maps to a respective time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources (par. [0033], “a plurality of AGC symbols…”, where the AGC are mapped to contiguous time symbols, corresponding to time resources in the x-direction), and receiving the first PSFCH message over a first time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is based at least in part on the first time resource mapping to a symbol set of the plurality of symbol sets (par. [0031], “SL PSFCH is located in a last symbol or last two symbols of each slot”, where symbols are transmitted sequentially over time).
Regarding claims 3, 19, 33, 39, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1, 17, 31 and 37, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein: the AGC resource comprises a plurality of sets of contiguous resource blocks, each set of contiguous resource blocks maps to a respective time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “plurality of PRBs”), and receiving the first PSFCH message over a first time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is based at least in part on the first time resource mapping to a set of contiguous resource blocks of the plurality of sets of contiguous resource blocks (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], “plurality of PRBs”).
Regarding claim 4, 20, 34 and 40, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1, 17, 31 and 37, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein:
receiving the signal is based at least in part on a first frequency comb index of a plurality of frequency comb indices (par. [0054], “mapping the channel sequence onto resource elements in a comb manner”),
each frequency comb index of the plurality of frequency comb indices maps to a respective time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources (pars. [0052]-[0054], “mapping the channel sequence onto resource elements in a comb manner”), and
receiving the first PSFCH message over a first time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is based at least in part on the first time resource mapping to the first frequency comb index of the plurality of frequency comb indices (par. [0054], “mapping the channel sequence onto resource elements in a comb manner”).
Regarding claims 5, 21 and 35, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1, 17 and 31, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein:
receiving the signal is based at least in part on a first sequence index of a plurality of sequence indices (par. [0030], “SL to carry ACK/NACK feedback information…physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), for which the following channel formats may be used: (1) sequence based short feedback channel format (sequence based short PSFCH format)…”, where sequences are indexed),
each sequence index of the plurality of sequence indices maps to a respective time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources (par. [0096]-[0097]), and
receiving the first PSFCH message over a first time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources is based at least in part on the first time resource mapping to the first sequence index of the plurality of sequence indices (Fig. 5 and pars. [0019], [0052]-[0056]).
Regarding claims 6 and 22, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 5 and 21, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein each sequence index of the plurality of sequence indices comprises a respective cyclic shift index (par. [0030], indexed “orthogonal codes based on cyclic shift (CS)”).
Regarding claims 8, 24 and 36, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1, 17 and 31, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein a first bandwidth spanned by the signal in the AGC resource is greater than a respective bandwidth spanned by each of the plurality of PSFCH messages (par. [0031], “larger frequency domain width occupied by the AGC symbol”).
Regarding claims 9 and 26, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1 and 17, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein the AGC resource spans a first duration of a slot, a second duration of a plurality of symbols, or both (Fig. 2 and par. [0031], where the “AGC” comprises a number of symbols from a slot).
Regarding claims 10 and 25, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1 and 17, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein each time resource of the plurality of contiguous time resources spans a duration of a symbol or a multiple of the duration of the symbol (par. [0031], “last symbol or last two symbols”, where the span can be considered based on a per symbol basis).
Claims 7 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji in view of Zhang and further in view of US 2023/0171750 A1 (Lee et al., hereinafter Lee).
Regarding claims 7 and 23, Ji and Zhang disclose all the limitations of claims 1 and 17, respectively. Ji further discloses wherein the signal comprises a reference signal associated with a Chu sequence or a pseudo-random sequence (pars. [0033], [0052], [0064], “…ZC sequence as a code length…”, where a ZC sequence ).
Ji and Zhang do not disclose where the signal is a reference signal.
In related art concerning relates to a method of transmitting sidelink positioning reference signals, Lee discloses where the signal is a reference signal (par. [0074], [0127] and par. [0115], “phase tracking (PT)-RS, sounding reference signal (SRS)), or the like. The channel may be a downlink channel, an uplink channel, a sidelink channel, or the like”, where Zhado-Chu sequences are transmitted in at least SRS channels).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use Lee’s teachings about using sounding reference signal (SRS)s with the feedback information transmission apparatus and method disclosed by Ji and Zhang because one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that it is well-recognized in the art to use reference signals to transmit sequences, including Zhan-Chu sequences. Therefore, signal integrity and reduced interference is maintained when using Zhan-Chu sequences that are transmitted using SRSs.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2025/0330984 A1 relates to sidelink reference signal for positioning.
US 2023/0188164 A1 relates to binned feedback from receiving device to network encounter encoder.
US 2022/0224491 A1 relates to feedback resource determination from sidelink shared channel.
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/ANGELICA M PEREZ/ Examiner, Art Unit 2649