DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-20 have been examined and are pending.
Response to Amendment
2. In response to the amendments received in the Office on 2/13/2026, the Office acknowledges the current status of the claims: claims 1, 11, and 17 have been amended, an no new matter appears to be included. Examiner agrees the originally-filed disclosure, in the published application at [0059] and [0062], provides sufficient support for the newly-amended features in claims 1, 11, and 17.
Response to Arguments
3. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 11, and 17 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
5. Claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over United States Patent Application Publication 2020/0230382 A1 to Ljung et al. (hereinafter “Ljung”) in view of United States Patent Application Publication 2023/0269666 A1 to Wu et al. (hereinafter “Wu”).
Regarding Claim 1, Ljung discloses an apparatus to be implemented in a user equipment (UE) (Ljung: Figure 4 with [0020], [0064] – a user equipment), the apparatus comprising:
a main receiver (Ljung: Figures 5 and 6 with [0065-0071] – corresponds to a main receiver); and
a wake-up receiver (Ljung: Figures 5 and 6 with [0065-0071] – corresponds to a low-power receiver, or wake-up receiver, WURx) to:
receive a wake-up signal with a first part and a second part (Ljung: [0044-0046], Figure 14 with [0139-0149] – illustrates and describes a wake-up signal (WUS) including a first part and second part; Figure 17 with [0164-0177] – example embodiment of user equipment (UE) receiving the WUS.), wherein the second part includes wake-up information and is received based on the first part (Ljung: [0009], [0044-0049], [0075-0077], [0082] – the second part includes information for waking up one or more UEs, the second part having a sequence based on the first part; the second part being based on the synchronization and channel sensing information of the first part.); and
trigger the main receiver to wake up based on the wake-up signal (Ljung: [0036-0037] – “For example, the main receiver may be unfit to receive any data in the inactive state such that some or all components may be shut down. Wake-up of the main receiver from the inactive state is then triggered by a WUS.” See also [0003], [0038-0039], [0071], [0119-0121] – whether the UE utilizes a separate low-power receiver (WURx 1352 of Figures 5 and 6), or is integrated within the main receiver (Figures 5 and 6), the main receiver will transition from an inactive state to an active state upon reception of the WUS.).
Although Ljung discloses timing in a wake-up signal (Ljung: [0123]), Ljung does not expressly disclose the features reciting “wherein the wake-up receiver is further to derive timing information for a radio frame of the main radio based on the timing offset of the wake-up signal relative to a start of the radio frame”.
However, this feature cannot be considered new or novel in the presence of Wu. Wu is similarly concerned with wake-up signaling, particular to low-power wake-up signaling (Wu: [0002]). Wu discloses a wake-up receiver is further to derive timing information for a radio frame of a main radio based on a timing offset of a wake-up signal relative to a start of a radio frame (Wu: [0099] – “…the granularity of a radio frame is the offset of the radio frame where the start point of the wake-up signal is located relative to the radio frame where a reference point (for example, the time domain location of the above-mentioned paging occasion or a reference SSB burst set, as described herein) is located, the offset in the granularity of a slot is the offset of the slot where the start point of the wake-up signal is located relative to the slot where the reference point is located”. Here, the timing information is based on the offset of the radio frame (in a wake-up receiver of a user equipment, UE; see [0095-0096]), and the start point of the WUS is relative to a reference point to the radio frame.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the wake-up receiver of Ljung in view of the wake-up receiver of Wu to derive timing information for a radio frame of a main radio based on a timing offset of a wake-up signal relative to a start of a radio frame for the reasons of “aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience” (Wu: [0005]).
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first and second parts are consecutive in time (Ljung: [0045] – “The first part and the second part may be transmitted in direct succession, i.e., without any further symbols in-between, etc.”), or there is a time gap between the first part and the second part (Ljung: [0045] – “There may be a time gap between the first part and the second part, e.g., a guard interval. For example, the time gap between the first part and the second part may not be larger than 5 ms, optionally not larger than 0.5 ms.”).
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first part and the second part are both repeated or received in one or more subframes, slots, or time resource units (Ljung: [0045], [0049], [0131], [0142] – a synchronization signal (included as control signaling within first part of a WUS) may be repeated in multiple subframes. Ljung suggests transmission/reception over one or more time units when expressed as time-frequency offset, and further with respect to [0087], the WUS may be expressed in a symbol sequence in the time domain and/or the frequency domain (slot or time resource unit). See also Figure 15 for WUS signals (in two parts) transmitted in the time domain (x-axis).).
Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first part is received in only one subframe, slot, or time resource unit, and wherein the second part is repeated or received in one or more subframes, slots, or time resource units (Ljung: [0045] – Ljung suggests that the first and second part may be transmitted, and thus received, repeatedly, which necessarily includes the option to not transmit/receive repeatedly (over one or more subframes as indicated in [0142]). And, since Ljung discloses that the first part and second part may have different repetition rates, Ljung suggests that one part may have more repetitions than the other or none. Ljung suggests transmission/reception over one or more time units when expressed as time-frequency offset, and further with respect to [0087], the WUS may be expressed in a symbol sequence in the time domain and/or the frequency domain (slot or time resource unit).).
Regarding Claim 9, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first part is mapped to a first subset of subframes, slots, or time resource units of an allocation, and wherein the second part is mapped to remaining subframes, slots, or time resource units of the allocation (Ljung: Figure 14 with [0139-0149] – as illustrated and described the first and second parts of the WUS frame occupy the same frequency (in the y-direction) and thus occupy different slots/subframes/time resource units in the time domain (x-direction), meaning the first part (711) with synchronization signals (721) are mapped to one or more subframes (x-axis, time direction), and the second part (712) is mapped to one or more other subframes (x-axis, time direction) of the WUS frame (700) other than the first part.).
Regarding Claim 10, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first part is shared by a group of UEs (Ljung: Figure 14 with [0147] – “Different sequence design configurations may be selected for the different parts 711, 712. For example, a cell-specific base sequence may be selected when generating the first part 711; while a UE-specific base sequence may be selected when generating the second part 712.” Cell-specific corresponds to all terminals within a cell (shared by a group of UEs), while the UE-specific corresponds to just one UE of the plurality of UEs. See also [0044].).
Regarding Claim 11, Ljung discloses one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (NTCRM) having instructions (Ljung: Figure 3 with [0063] – describing a base station including “program code to be executed by the control circuitry 1012 may be stored in a non-volatile memory 1013”.), stored thereon, that when executed by one or more processors configure a next generation Node B (gNB) to:
encode a first part of a wake-up signal for transmission to a user equipment (UE) (Ljung: [0044-0046], Figure 14 with [0139-0149] – illustrates and describes a wake-up signal (WUS) including a first part and second part; Figure 7 with [0072-0082] – example embodiment of generating the WUS. See also [0063] – “In the various examples disclosed herein, various functionality may be implemented by the control circuitry 1012, e.g.: transmitting WUSs; generating WUS including a first part and a second part; etc.”), wherein the first part indicates one or more characteristics of a second part of the wake-up signal (Ljung: [0009], [0044-0049], [0075-0077], [0082] – the second part includes information for waking up one or more UEs, the second part having a sequence based on the first part; the second part being based on the synchronization and channel sensing information of the first part.); and
encode a second part of the wake-up signal for transmission to the UE in accordance with the one or more characteristics (Ljung: [0009], [0044-0049], [0082] – the second part includes information for waking up one or more UEs, the second part having a sequence based on the first part; the second part being based on the synchronization and channel sensing information of the first part. See also [0075-0076] – “Differently, the base sequence of the second part of the WUS may be related to one or more UEs to which the WUS is directed, e.g., based on identities of the UEs. In some examples, different base sequences may be selected for different WUSs—specifically, for the second parts of the WUSs. In particular, the base sequence may be selected based on an intended recipient of the WUS, i.e., depending on the particular UE 102 to which the WUS is to be transmitted. In other words, it may be possible that the base sequence is uniquely associated with the respective UE 102 as the intended recipient of the WUS.”), wherein the second part includes wake-up information (Ljung: [0036-0037] – “For example, the main receiver may be unfit to receive any data in the inactive state such that some or all components may be shut down. Wake-up of the main receiver from the inactive state is then triggered by a WUS.” See also [0003], [0038-0039], [0071], [0119-0121] – whether the UE utilizes a separate low-power receiver (WURx 1352 of Figures 5 and 6), or is integrated within the main receiver (Figures 5 and 6), the main receiver will transition from an inactive state to an active state upon reception of the WUS (including first and second parts).).
Although Ljung discloses timing in a wake-up signal (Ljung: [0123]), Ljung does not expressly disclose the features reciting “wherein the wake-up receiver is further to derive timing information for a radio frame of the main radio based on the timing offset of the wake-up signal relative to a start of the radio frame”.
However, this feature cannot be considered new or novel in the presence of Wu. Wu is similarly concerned with wake-up signaling, particular to low-power wake-up signaling (Wu: [0002]). Wu discloses a wake-up receiver is further to derive timing information for a radio frame of a main radio based on a timing offset of a wake-up signal relative to a start of a radio frame (Wu: [0099] – “…the granularity of a radio frame is the offset of the radio frame where the start point of the wake-up signal is located relative to the radio frame where a reference point (for example, the time domain location of the above-mentioned paging occasion or a reference SSB burst set, as described herein) is located, the offset in the granularity of a slot is the offset of the slot where the start point of the wake-up signal is located relative to the slot where the reference point is located”. Here, the timing information is based on the offset of the radio frame (in a wake-up receiver of a user equipment, UE; see [0095-0096]), and the start point of the WUS is relative to a reference point to the radio frame.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the wake-up receiver of Ljung in view of the wake-up receiver of Wu to derive timing information for a radio frame of a main radio based on a timing offset of a wake-up signal relative to a start of a radio frame for the reasons of “aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience” (Wu: [0005]).
Claims 15-16, dependent upon claim 11, recite similar features as claims 7-9 (claim 15 corresponds to claim 7, and claim 16 corresponds to claims 8 or 9, whereas both claims 8 and 9 have been respectively rejected above), and are therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claims 7-9. Please see above rejections of claims 7-9.
Claims 17, 19, and 20, directed to an article of manufacture embodiment of claims 1, 6, 8, and 9 (claim 17 corresponds to claim 1, claim 19 corresponds to claim 6 and claim 20 corresponds to claims 8 or 9, whereas both claims 8 and 9 have been respectively rejected above), recite similar features as claims 1, 6, 8, and 9, and are therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claims 1, 6, 8, and 9. Please above rejections of claims 1, 6, 8, and 9. Ljung further discloses the article as program code stored in memory in at least Figure 4 with [0064].
7. Claims 2-5, 12-14, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ljung, in view of Wu, and further in view of United States Patent Application Publication 2020/0267651 A1 to Wilhelmsson et al. (hereinafter “Wilhelmsson”).
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the wake-up receiver is to perform…time-frequency synchronization based on the first part to receive the second part (Ljung: [0046] – “…the first part includes a cell identity of the cell associated with the transmitting BS, and/or a reference signal for channel sensing; and/or a synchronization signal for synchronization between the UE and the BS. Hence, in other words, it is possible that the first part consists of the reference signal; or the synchronization signal; or the cell identity. To this end, the first part WUS may be simply referred to as synchronization signal.” [0098] describes the first part of WUS includes at least time domain and frequency domain information for identify[ing] (resources).).
However, Ljung does not expressly disclose wherein the wake-up receiver is to perform automatic gain control based on the first part to receive the second part.
This feature cannot be considered new or novel in view of Wilhelmsson. Wilhelmsson is similarly concerned with wake-up signal transmission (Wilhelmsson: [0001]). Wilhelmsson discloses transmitting a wake-up signal comprising at least two parts (Wilhelmsson: [0021-0022]), wherein a wake-up receiver is to perform automatic gain control based on the first part to receive the second part (Wilhelmsson: [0251] – “The first part of the packet in FIG. 12c comprises (e.g., contains) a syncword which is used by the receiver(s) to find time synchronization. Potentially, the syncword may also be used for other purposes; e.g., frequency synchronization, automatic gain control (AGC) training, etc.” See also [0211-0216] describing that the syncword (first part of WUS) is necessary to decode the WUS data (second part).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the first part of the WUS as described by Ljung in view of the first part of a WUS described by Wilhelmsson to include automatic gain control, along with synchronization, for the reasons of maintaining consistency of signal strength inputs across one or more of the wake-up receivers, as well as maintaining a high quality reception of signals.
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the wake-up receiver is to determine a starting symbol (alternative or dispositive limitation), symbol duration (Ljung: [0073-0074], [0078-0079], [0085-0086], [0103] – corresponds to a sequence length of a symbol sequence (transformed into a bit sequence).), a spreading factor (Ljung: [0078] – corresponds to a spreading factor of a spreading sequence used in WUS.), or a length of the second part based on the first part (Ljung: [0074], [0078], [0081], [0147] – the sequence length of a first part may be different from the second part. The configurations of sequences may be different to ensure robust designs.).
However, Ljung does not expressly disclose determining a coding rate.
This feature cannot be considered new or novel in the presence of Wilhelmsson. Wilhelmsson is similarly concerned with wake-up signal transmission (Wilhelmsson: [0001]). Wilhelmsson discloses determining a coding rate of a WUS (Wilhelmsson: [0018-0020], [0137-0138] – corresponds to determining a coding rate of a WUS.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the WUS as described by Ljung in view of the WUS described by Wilhelmsson to include determining a coding rate for a WUS (to be received by a WUR) for the reasons of enabling a desirable WUS data rate (Wilhelmsson: [0137]).
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 3, wherein Ljung further discloses the symbol duration, the coding rate, or the spreading factor of the second part is determined based on a sequence of the first part (Ljung: [0073-0074], [0078-0079], [0085-0086], [0103] – corresponds to a sequence length of a symbol sequence (transformed into a bit sequence). Ljung: [0078] – corresponds to a spreading factor of a spreading sequence used in WUS. Ljung discloses the symbol duration (length) and spreading factor are based on a sequence in the first part of the WUS in at least [0077-0078] (spreading is applied to the base sequence of the first part). Wilhelmsson: [0018-0020], [0137-0138] – corresponds to determining a coding rate of a WUS. Wilhelmsson discloses the coding rate is based on a sequence of a first part in at least [0129-0138], wherein synchronization information (of the first part) allows for a coding rate for multiplexing (the second part) in order to transmit the WUS.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the WUS as described by Ljung in view of the WUS described by Wilhelmsson to include determining a coding rate for a WUS (to be received by a WUR) for the reasons of enabling a desirable WUS data rate (Wilhelmsson: [0137]).
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Ljung and Wu discloses the apparatus of claim 1, wherein Ljung further discloses the first part is received based on an on-off keying (OOF) modulation scheme (Ljung: [0038], [0091] – the WUS is generated (therefore later received) using OOK at the low-power receiver WURx.), but does not expressly disclose a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme.
However, this feature cannot be considered new or novel in the presence of Wilhelmsson. Wilhelmsson is similarly concerned with wake-up signal transmission (Wilhelmsson: [0001]). Wilhelmsson discloses utilizing a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme in a wake-up signal (Wilhelmsson: [0026], [0115-0120] – corresponds to BFSK, allowing for modulation of the WUS.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the modulation scheme of the WUS as described by Ljung in view of the modulation scheme of a WUS described by Wilhelmsson to include modulating using frequency shift keying (to be received by a WUR) for the reasons of enabling a seamless implementation of wake-up receivers to be able to wake up at a same time (Wilhelmsson: [0005-0006]).
Claims 12-14, dependent upon claim 11, recite similar features as claims 3-5, respectively, and are therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claims 3-5. Please see above rejections of claims 3-5.
Claim 18, dependent upon claim 17, recites similar features as claim 3 and is therefore rejected upon the same grounds as claim 3. Please see above rejection of claim 3.
Conclusion
8. 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.
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN H ELLIOTT IV whose telephone number is (571)270-7163. The examiner can normally be reached M, T, R, F 5:00 AM-5:00 PM, W 5:00 AM-3:00 PM (EDT).
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BENJAMIN H. ELLIOTT IV
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2474
/BENJAMIN H ELLIOTT IV/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474 April 7, 2026