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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. CN 202110247423.3, filed on 03/05/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/15/2024, 12/11/2024, and 02/01/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
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, 2, 4, 11, 13, 14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 2020/0244420 A1), hereinafter Wang 1, in view of Wang et al. (US 20210400689 A1), hereinafter Wang 2.
Re. Claim 1, Wang 1 teaches a resource allocation method, comprising: sending, by a first device, resource allocation information to a second device (Fig. 10, ¶0097 - The resource allocation unit 1011 may also outputs resource allocation information to a control information generation unit 1013), wherein the resource allocation information indicates a first virtual resource unit (VRU) (¶0097 - the resource allocation unit 1011 may perform VRB interleaving and then perform mapping from VRBs to PRBs), transmitting data on the first PRU, and mapping, by the first device, the first VRU to a first physical resource unit (PRU) based on a mapping relationship (¶0057 - the set of resource allocations may further comprise a third resource allocation of interleaving VRBs consecutively numbered and mapping the interleaved VRBs to the PRBs inconsecutive in frequency domain within a specified or configured frequency range).
Yet, Wang 1 does not expressly teach wherein the first VRU comprises a plurality of contiguous subcarriers in a frequency domain; wherein a plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are noncontiguous in the frequency domain and the plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are distributed across a bandwidth greater than a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of contiguous subcarriers included in the first VRU.
However, Wang 2 explicitly teaches wherein the first VRU comprises a plurality of contiguous subcarriers in a frequency domain (¶0149 - Resource mapping schemes 401 and 402 may support both contiguous and non-contiguous frequency resource allocation); wherein a plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are noncontiguous in the frequency domain (¶0149 - Resource mapping schemes 401 and 402 may support both contiguous and non-contiguous frequency resource allocation) and the plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are distributed across a bandwidth greater than a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of contiguous subcarriers included in the first VRU (¶0004 - the first communication resources allocated for the sidelink control channel occupying a first bandwidth and the second communication resources for the sidelink control channel covering a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth. & ¶0156-0157 - consecutive virtual resource units 505 may be mapped to physical resource units 510 that are separated by at least an offset 525… the UE 115 may communicate a sidelink packet or communication to another UE 115 (e.g., using a resource mapping). Examiner interprets that the disclosure of Wang 2, when viewed alongside Wang 1 can be used to render the claimed limitation obvious. While Applicant argues that Wang 2 does not disclose the process in context of a PRU or VRU, Examiner finds that the disclosure of a ”communication resource” allocated in such a way is sufficient for someone having ordinary skill in the art to observe and be able to apply to the disclosure of Wang 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Wang 2 to the teaching of Wang 1. The motivation for such would be to improve spectral efficiency via improved data management and mapping as Wang 2 provides that the location of data in the PRU/VRU can either be contiguous or non-contiguous (¶0149, Wang 2) and that a second bandwidth can be greater than a first bandwidth on which the mapping can occur (¶0004, ¶0156 Wang 2). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Re. Claim 2, Wang 1 teaches a resource allocation method, comprising: receiving, by a second device, resource allocation information from a first device (Fig. 9, ¶0086 - The receiver 910 is operative to receive data transmitted on Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) and resource allocation information from a base station), wherein the resource allocation information indicates a first virtual resource unit (VRU) (¶0097 - the resource allocation unit 1011 may perform VRB interleaving and then perform mapping from VRBs to PRBs), and mapping, by the first device, the first VRU to a first physical resource unit (PRU) based on a mapping relationship (¶0057 - the set of resource allocations may further comprise a third resource allocation of interleaving VRBs consecutively numbered and mapping the interleaved VRBs to the PRBs inconsecutive in frequency domain within a specified or configured frequency range); and receiving, by the second device, data from the first device on the first PRU (Fig. 9, ¶0086 - The receiver 910 is operative to receive data transmitted on Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) and resource allocation information from a base station).
Yet, Wang 1 does not expressly teach wherein the first VRU comprises a plurality of contiguous subcarriers in a frequency domain and the plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are distributed across a bandwidth greater than a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of contiguous subcarriers included in the first VRU.
However, Wang 2 explicitly teaches wherein the first VRU comprises a plurality of contiguous subcarriers in a frequency domain (¶0149 - Resource mapping schemes 401 and 402 may support both contiguous and non-contiguous frequency resource allocation) and the plurality of subcarriers included in the first PRU are distributed across a bandwidth greater than a bandwidth occupied by the plurality of contiguous subcarriers included in the first VRU (¶0004 - the first communication resources allocated for the sidelink control channel occupying a first bandwidth and the second communication resources for the sidelink control channel covering a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth. & ¶0156-0157 - consecutive virtual resource units 505 may be mapped to physical resource units 510 that are separated by at least an offset 525… the UE 115 may communicate a sidelink packet or communication to another UE 115 (e.g., using a resource mapping). Examiner interprets that the disclosure of Wang 2, when viewed alongside Wang 1 can be used to render the claimed limitation obvious. While Applicant argues that Wang 2 does not disclose the process in context of a PRU or VRU, Examiner finds that the disclosure of a ”communication resource” allocated in such a way is sufficient for someone having ordinary skill in the art to observe and be able to apply to the disclosure of Wang 1);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Wang 2 to the teaching of Wang 1. The motivation for such would be to improve spectral efficiency via better data management and mapping as Wang 2 provides that the location of data in the PRU/VRU can either be contiguous or non-contiguous (¶0149, Wang 2) and that a second bandwidth can be greater than a first bandwidth on which the mapping can occur (¶0004, ¶0156 Wang 2). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Re. Claim 14, Claim 14 is the corresponding apparatus claim to Claim 1 and thus the method claimed therein is rejected under the same rationale. Additionally, Wang discloses a communication apparatus comprising a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon (Fig. 15).
Re. Claims 4 and 16, Wang 1 and Wang 2 teach Claims 1 and 14.
However, Wang 1 does not expressly teach wherein any adjacent subcarriers comprised included in the first PRU are noncontiguous in the frequency domain.
Yet, Wang 2 explicitly teaches wherein any adjacent subcarriers comprised included in the first PRU are noncontiguous in the frequency domain (¶0149 - Resource mapping schemes 401 and 402 may support both contiguous and non-contiguous frequency resource allocation).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Wang 2 to the teaching of Wang 1. The motivation for such would be to improve spectral efficiency via better data management as Wang 2 provides that the location of data in the PRU/VRU can either be contiguous or non-contiguous (¶0149, Wang 2). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Re. Claim 11, Wang 1 and Wang 2 Teach Claim 1.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein the mapping relationship based upon which the first VRU is mapped to the first PRU based on a is a mapping relationship between a sequence number of each subcarrier comprised included in the first VRU and a sequence number of each subcarrier comprised included in the first PRU (Fig. 3 – the indices of the PRB and VRB are mapped together after interleaving for ease of use. While some indices will match (See 0 and 11 for example) others will not (e.g. [1,4], [7,6], etc.)).
Re. Claim 13, Wang 1 and Wang 2 Teach Claim 1.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first VRU are located in a first set, and the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first PRU are located in the first set (Fig. 3 – the indices of the PRB and VRB are mapped together after interleaving for ease of use. While some indices will match (See 0 and 11 for example) others will not (e.g. [1,4], [7,6], etc.). Additionally, Examiner interprets that only one of the claimed features needs to be mapped because of the presence of “Or”); the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first VRU are located in a first set, the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first PRU are located in a second set, and there is no intersection between the first set and the second set, or a part of sequence numbers in the first set are the same as those in the second set are the same; OR the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first VRU are located in a first set, the sequence numbers of the subcarriers corresponding to the first PRU are located in a plurality of second sets, there is no intersection between the plurality of second sets, and there is no intersection between the first set and the plurality of second sets, or there is an intersection between the first set and a part of the plurality of second sets.
Claims 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang 1 in view of Wang 2 and Li et al. (EP 3723431 A1), hereinafter Li.
Re. Claims 3 and 15, Wang 1 and Wang 2 teach Claims 1 and 14
However, the combination of Wang 1 and Wang 2 do not expressly teach wherein a sequence number i of a subcarrier of the first PRU mapped from a subcarrier with a sequence number k of the first VRU based on the interleaving an interleaving matrix satisfies the following formula: i=NROW(kmodNCOL)+[K/NCol],wherein NROW is a row quantity of the interleaving matrix, NCOL is a column quantity of the interleaving matrix, k is a sequence number of a subcarrier that is input into the interleaving matrix, and i is a sequence number obtained by interleaving a subcarrier whose having the sequence number is number k by using the interleaving matrix.
Yet, Li explicitly teaches a sequence number i of a subcarrier of the first PRU mapped from a subcarrier with a sequence number k of the first VRU based on the interleaving an interleaving matrix satisfies the following formula: i=NROW(kmodNCOL)+[K/NCol],wherein NROW is a row quantity of the interleaving matrix, NCOL is a column quantity of the interleaving matrix, k is a sequence number of a subcarrier that is input into the interleaving matrix, and i is a sequence number obtained by interleaving a subcarrier whose having the sequence number is number k by using the interleaving matrix (¶0021 - implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, a virtual resource block group i is mapped to a physical resource block group j, where R represents the row quantity of the interleaving matrix; C represents a column quantity of the interleaving matrix; N represents a quantity of null values;… C = NBWPBundle/R… represents a quantity of physical resource blocks included in the carrier bandwidth part; NBWPbundle represents a quantity of virtual resource block groups and/or physical resource block groups in the carrier bandwidth part; L represents a reference value of a quantity of physical resource blocks included in a virtual resource block group; and ┌ ┐ means rounding up. Additionally, examiner interprets that while the interleaving function found in Li is not identical to the presently claimed language, in view of the process disclosed in Wang 1 and Wang 2, Li provides that interleaving can be performed with reference to a function in order to achieve the desired mapping and as such, an individual having ordinary skill in the art would be able to determine that other functions, including the one claimed would be applicable to the same language).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Li to the teaching of Wang 1 and Wang 2. The motivation for such would be to improve spectral efficiency through the use of interleaving as Li provides that a function can be utilized to perform interleaving (¶0021, Li). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Re. Claims 5 and 17, Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li teach Claims 3 and 15.
Additionally, Wang 1 Further teaches wherein before a sequence number of each subcarrier comprised included in the interleaving matrix is output, an original row index sequence of the interleaving matrix is changed to a target row index sequence; and the original row index sequence is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}, and the target row index sequence is {1,5,3,7,2,6,4,8}or{1,6,3,8,4,7,2,5} (¶0044 - the top 3 rows of the block interleaver 301, indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3, may be used by the circuitry 210 to perform interleaving among consecutive 12 VRBs numbered in 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. More details of the block interleaver 301 will be discussed later. Then, these 12 VRBs interleaved will be mapped to 12 consecutive PRBs, that is, 12 PRBs consecutive in frequency domain... VRBs numbered in 0, 4, 8, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 10, 3, 7, 11 are respectively mapped to PRBs numbered in 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Examiner interprets that the use of 12 blocks for this interleaver example is not an exhaustive use of the implementation and as such, could be modified into the 8 or 16 bit examples that are provided within the claim language easily. Additionally, Examiner interprets that only one of the claimed features needs to be mapped because of the presence of “Or”); OR the original row index sequence is {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16}, and the target row index sequence is {1, 9, 5, 13, 3, 11, 7, 15, 2, 10, 6, 14, 4, 12, 8, 16}, or {1, 10, 3, 12, 5, 14, 7, 16, 8, 15, 6, 13, 4, 11, 2,9}.
Re. Claims 6 and 18, Wang 1, Wang 2 and Li teach Claims 3 and 15.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein the mapping, by the first device, the first VRU to the first PRU comprises: sequentially inputting, by the first device into rows of the interleaving matrix according to a first order, sequence numbers of a plurality of subcarriers comprised included in a first frequency- domain resource in which the first VRU is located (Fig. 3 depicts an interleaver taking VRB indices and mapping PRB indices onto them using a Block Interleaver (301)); and outputting sequence numbers of the subcarriers in the interleaving matrix according to a column direction of the interleaving matrix, wherein the first order is an ascending order (Fig. 3 depicts the indices being output from the interleaving matrix to be output in ascending order from 0 to 11), OR the first order is a descending order.
Re. Claim 9, Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li teach Claim 6.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein a quantity of the subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix and that are in the plurality of subcarriers included in the first frequency-domain resource is less than a quantity of subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix and that are supported by the interleaving matrix (Fig. 3, the interleaving matrix can support up to 24 carriers but only the first 12 are used for the VRB indexing); and the sequence numbers of the subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are sequence numbers of subcarriers that are in the first frequency-domain resource and that are to be input into the interleaving matrix (Fig. 3, the sequence numbers provided by the interleaver are mapped directly into the VRB index and labelled by the PRB index) and a sequence number of a padding subcarrier, the sequence number of the padding subcarrier is located in a preset location of the interleaving matrix, each sequence number of the padding subcarrier is a second preset sequence number, and the sequence numbers of the subcarriers output from the interleaving matrix are exclusive of the second preset sequence number (¶0044 - Then, these 12 VRBs interleaved will be mapped to 12 consecutive PRBs, that is, 12 PRBs consecutive in frequency domain. As shown in the lower portion of FIG. 3, VRBs numbered in 0, 4, 8, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 10, 3, 7, 11 are respectively mapped to PRBs numbered in 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Examiner interprets that, as shown in Fig. 3, unused indices in the VRB (12-24) are seen as padding subcarriers as they are used to hold space, as such, when each index is mapped accordingly, the indices 12-24 in the PRB are mapped to padding subcarriers).
Re. Claim 10, Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li teach Claim 6.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein a quantity of the plurality of subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource is determined based on a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device (¶0006 - The target is to span the consecutive VRBs to the whole bandwidth as much as possible to realize frequency diversity. & ¶0038 - It is assumed that the entire carrier bandwidth is 25 PRBs).
Re. Claim 12, Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li teach Claim 6.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein the sequence numbers of the subcarriers included in the first frequency-domain resource start from 0 or 1 (Fig. 1 & ¶0039 - consecutive 6 VRBs numbered in 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (i.e. with indexes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) are used for code block 1, as indicated by boxes filled with left slashes, while consecutive 6 VRBs numbered in 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (i.e. with indexes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) are used for code block 2, as indicated by boxes filled with right slashes. Additionally, Examiner interprets that only one of the claimed features needs to be mapped because of the presence of “Or”); the sequence numbers of the subcarriers included in the first frequency-domain resource are subcarrier numbers in actual frequency bands corresponding to the subcarriers; OR the sequence numbers of the subcarriers included in the first frequency-domain resource are preset sequence numbers plus a preset offset value.
Claims 7, 8, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang 1 in view of Wang 2, Li and Sundaresan et al. (2020/0151532), hereinafter Sundaresan.
Re. Claims 7 and 19, Wang 1, Wang 2 and Li teach Claims 3 and 15.
Additionally, Wang 1 further teaches wherein in the plurality of subcarriers comprised included in the first frequency-domain resource, subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are first-type subcarriers, or subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are first-type subcarriers and a second-type subcarrier, the first-type subcarrier is used to carry data (¶0043 - each box represents a VRB and the number (i.e. index) thereof is indicated in the box. In the lower portion of FIG. 3, each box represents a PRB and the number (i.e. index) thereof is indicated above the box along the thin arrow. The number in each box representing a PRB indicates the number (i.e. index) of VRB mapped thereto. It is assumed that the entire carrier bandwidth is 25 PRBs), and sequence numbers of the subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are sequence numbers of the first-type subcarriers in the plurality of subcarriers comprised included in the first frequency-domain resource (Fig. 3 – The indices of the block interleaver are mapped into the VRB indices which are then mapped sequentially into PRB indices. Additionally, Examiner interprets that only one of the claimed features needs to be mapped because of the presence of “Or”); sequence numbers of the subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are the sequence numbers of the plurality of subcarriers comprised included in the first frequency-domain resource, each sequence number of the second-type subcarrier in the plurality of subcarriers is a first preset sequence number, and the sequence numbers of the subcarriers output from the interleaving matrix do not comprise the first preset sequence number; OR sequence numbers of the subcarriers that are input into the interleaving matrix are the sequence numbers of the plurality of subcarriers comprised included in the first frequency-domain resource, each sequence number of the second-type subcarrier in the plurality of subcarriers is a first preset sequence number, the first preset sequence number is located at a preset location of the interleaving matrix, and the sequence numbers of the subcarriers output from the interleaving matrix do not comprise the first preset sequence number.
Yet, the combination of Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li does not teach wherein the second-type subcarrier comprises one or more of a null subcarrier, a direct current subcarrier, a guard subcarrier, or a pilot subcarrier;
However, Sundaresan explicitly teaches wherein the second-type subcarrier comprises one or more of a null subcarrier, a direct current subcarrier, a guard subcarrier, OR a pilot subcarrier (¶0137 - The IFFT generates a 1×256 time-domain I/Q vector from a 1×26 FFT-vector (24 for data sub-carriers and 2 for pilot tone sub-carriers of the 8-th RU). Additionally, Examiner interprets that only one of the claimed features needs to be mapped because of the presence of “Or”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Sundaresan to the teaching of Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li. The motivation for such would be to improve efficiency via the use of a specific subcarrier as Sundaresan provides a pilot sub-carrier for setting resource units (¶0137, Sundaresan). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Re. Claims 8 and 20, Wang 1, Wang 2, Li and Sundaresan teach Claims 7 and 19
Yet, the combination of Wang 1, Wang 2 and Li does not teach wherein the second-type subcarrier is a pilot subcarrier, and the pilot subcarrier is a maximum pilot subcarrier set of a 26-tone resource unit (RU) the first frequency-domain resource.
However, Sundaresan explicitly teaches wherein the second-type subcarrier is a pilot subcarrier (¶0137 - the IFFT generates a 1×256 time-domain I/Q vector from a 1×26 FFT-vector (24 for data sub-carriers and 2 for pilot tone sub-carriers of the 8-th RU)), and the pilot subcarrier is a maximum pilot subcarrier set of a 26-tone resource unit (RU) the first frequency-domain resource (¶0131 - it is to be noted that the two pilot tones always exist at the 7.sup.th and the 21.sup.st sub-carriers of every 26-tone resource unit).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add the teaching of Sundaresan to the teaching of Wang 1, Wang 2, and Li. The motivation for such would be to improve efficiency via the use of a specific subcarrier as Sundaresan provides a pilot sub-carrier for setting 26-tone resource units in a frequency-domain (¶0131, Sundaresan). All of the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements, as claimed by known methods, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/14/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the combination of Wang 1 and Wang 2 do not adequately disclose the newly introduced claim limitations provided in the most recent amendment. To this end, Examiner respectfully disagrees and provides ¶0004 and ¶0156 from Wang 2 as a basis for disclosure. Examiner finds that the disclosure of Wang 2 (¶0004 - the first communication resources allocated for the sidelink control channel occupying a first bandwidth and the second communication resources for the sidelink control channel covering a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth) provides sufficient context to interpret a scenario where there exists two bandwidths on which communication resources are stored or sent and one is a greater bandwidth than the other. This understanding, taken in context of ¶0156 (consecutive virtual resource units 505 may be mapped to physical resource units 510 that are separated by at least an offset 525), Examiner finds sufficient means to adequately connect Wang 2’s disclosure to Wang 1’s disclosure to determine that one having ordinary skill in the art would be able to ascertain that the process conducted in Wang 1 could incorporate the disclosed bandwidth sizes in order to performed the claimed method. As such, Examiner upholds the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for the independent claims as well as all claims depending therein.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bin et al. (JP 2020074545 A) – Pg. 12, Paragraphs 2-8
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 NOAH JAMES SUGDEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7406. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 9:00-6:00 ET, Fri 9:00-1:00 ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khaled Kassim can be reached at (571) 270-3770. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/N.J.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2475
/HASHIM S BHATTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2475