Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/503,111

CAPABILITY-BASED BANDWIDTH RESTRICTIONS FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Nov 06, 2023
Examiner
LOUIS, VINNCELAS
Art Unit
2474
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Qualcomm Incorporated
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 1m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
535 granted / 668 resolved
+22.1% vs TC avg
Strong +34% interview lift
Without
With
+34.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
20 currently pending
Career history
688
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
5.8%
-34.2% vs TC avg
§103
53.5%
+13.5% vs TC avg
§102
24.1%
-15.9% vs TC avg
§112
5.8%
-34.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 668 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
DETAILED ACTION The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . The instant first office action is in response to communication filed on 02/21/2025. Claims 1-30 are pending of which claims 1, 19 and 29-30 are the base independent claims. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 02/21/2025 is being considered by the examiner. Allowable Subject Matter Claim(s) 5 is/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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-3, 6-8, 18-24, 29-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nam et al (US 2022/0311550). Regarding claim 1 and 29, Nam’550 discloses a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more memories storing processor-executable code(see fig2., UE 120 include memory 282, see para.0058, which discusses The memory 242 and the memory 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. In some examples, the memory 242 and/or the memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and/or program code) for wireless communication); and one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more processors(see fig.2, which shows processor 280) coupled with the one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more memories(see fig.2, which shows processor 282 coupled with memory 282) and individually or collectively operable to execute the code(see para.0058, see para.0014, which discusses a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the UE to) to cause the UE to: transmit capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling), wherein the capability information is associated with a size of a buffer at the UE that is associated with one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more retransmission processes at the UE(see para.0098, which discusses capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ as retransmission process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes, see para.0066-00767 & 0100); obtain a configuration associated(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, the indication as configuration associated with the LBRM per active HARQ process…the indication may indicate the HARQ buffer size for each active HARQ process, see fig.5, 502, see fig.6, 610) with decoding operations for one or more downlink messages to the UE(see para.0059, which discusses the means for the UE to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller/processor 280, or memory 282, see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses UE may perform a rate matching…, see fig.6 & see para.102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes), the configuration based at least in part on the capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, the indication as configuration… based at least in part on the capability signaling); perform a decoding operation for a downlink message(see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses the UE may perform a rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ, thus perform operation, see para.0102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes, see para.0059) in accordance with the configuration(see para.0100, which discusses the UE may perform a rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ based at least in part on the indication as configuration associated with the LBRM per active HARQ process...the HARQ buffer size for each active HARQ process, as provided by the indication as configuration associated with the LBRM received from the network entity, may enable the UE to perform the rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ, see para.0102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes); and transmit feedback(see para.0104, which discusses transmitting, to the network entity, HARQ feedback based at least in part on the indication associated with the quantity of active HARQ processes (block 620), see para.0102, which discusses the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes) based at least in part on the decoding operation for the downlink message(see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses the UE may perform a rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ, thus perform operation, see para.0102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes, see para.0059), the feedback in accordance with the one or (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more retransmission processes(see para.0104, which discusses the UE…may transmit, to the network entity, HARQ feedback based at least in part on the indication associated with the quantity of active HARQ as retransmission processes). Regarding claim 2 and 20, Nam’550 discloses wherein: the capability information for the UE indicates a set of candidate limitation factors for the size of the buffer at the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes. In other words, the UE may transmit UE capability information for dynamic HARQ buffer management, and the UE capability information may include a total buffer size limit (e.g., N.sub.total).sub., maximum or minimum values for the maximum buffer size per active HARQ process (e.g., N.sub.max), and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes (e.g., M), thus set of candidate limitation factors associated with total buffer size limit (e.g., N.sub.total).sub., maximum or minimum values for the maximum buffer size per active HARQ process (e.g., N.sub.max)); and to obtain the configuration, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to receive, from a network entity, an indication of a selected limitation factor(see para.0098, which discusses The UE may receive, from the network entity, the indication associated with the LBRM per active HARQ process based at least in part on the capability signaling. The indication may indicate the HARQ buffer size for each active HARQ process) from among the set of candidate limitation factors(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes…, thus set of candidate limitation factors associated with total buffer size limit (e.g., N.sub.total).sub., maximum or minimum values for the maximum buffer size per active HARQ process (e.g., N.sub.max)). Regarding claim 3 and 21, Nam’550 discloses wherein, to obtain the configuration, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to: receive, from a network entity, control signaling that indicates whether the size of the buffer at the UE is subject to a limitation factor, or due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) one or more parameters that are associated with the limitation factor for the size of the buffer at the UE and are associated with one or more bandwidth parts via which the UE is configured to communicate, or due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) any combination thereof(see para.00133, which discusses receiving, from a network entity, an indication associated with LBRM per active HARQ process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process (block 810), see also para.0098, see para.0109, which discusses receiving the indication via downlink control information, thus indicates whether the size of the buffer at the UE is subject to a limitation factor). Regarding claim 6 and 22, Nam’550 discloses wherein: the size of the buffer at the UE is based at least in part on a limitation factor associated with the capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes…, thus set of candidate limitation factors associated with total buffer size limit (e.g., N.sub.total).sub., maximum or minimum values for the maximum buffer size per active HARQ process (e.g., N.sub.max)); and the limitation factor has an allowable range with a lower bound (see para.0146, which discusses transmitting, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates one or more of a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes …, thus range associated with maximum and/or minimum values for the maximum buffer size))that is based at least in part on a transport block size limit and a code rate, the transport block size limit based at least in part on a maximum quantity of transmission layers, a maximum modulation order, a maximum quantity of resource blocks, or (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) any combination thereof for an active bandwidth part for the UE(see para.0067, based transport block size , on a code rate, see also para.0068, thus base on code rate). Regarding claim 7 and 23, Nam’550 discloses wherein the size of the buffer at the UE is based at least in part on a maximum value from among a set of values that comprises a first quantity and a second quantity(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes…), the first quantity comprising a limitation factor(see para.0133, which discusses the UE (e.g., using reception component 1002, depicted in FIG. 10) may receive, from a network entity, an indication associated with LBRM per active HARQ process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process) associated with the capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes…), the second quantity based at least in part on a transport block size limit and a code rate, and the transport block size limit based at least in part on a maximum quantity of transmission layers, a maximum modulation order, a maximum quantity of resource blocks, or (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) to any combination thereof for an active bandwidth part for the UE(see para.0067, based transport block size , on a code rate, see also para.0068, thus base on code rate). Regarding claim 8 and 24, Nam’550 discloses wherein the size of the buffer at the UE is based at least in part on a maximum value from among a set of values that comprises a first quantity and a second quantity, the first quantity based at least in part on a limitation factor associated with the capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes…), the second quantity based at least in part on a quantity of information bits in a code block(see para.0067, a circular buffer per code block per HARQ process may be used for the combining of the different RVs of the same data over the multiple transmissions…based transport block size , on a code rate, see also para.0068, see para.0089, thus code block). Regarding claim 18, Nam’550 discloses wherein the one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more processors(see fig.2, which shows processor 280) are individually or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to(see para.0014, which discusses non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication includes one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE, cause the UE to, see para.0058): implement the buffer (see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes)using memory at the UE(see fig.2, which shows UE with memory 282, see para.0172, which discusses one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component), the memory separate from or (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered)included in the one or more memories storing the processor-executable code(see para.0172, which discusses one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component), wherein the capability information for the UE (see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes)is based at least in part on one or more limits associated with accessing the memory at the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may transmit UE capability information for dynamic HARQ buffer management, and the UE capability information may include a total buffer size limit (e.g., N.sub.total).sub., maximum or minimum values for the maximum buffer size per active HARQ process (e.g., N.sub.max), and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes (e.g., M), see fig.2, accessing memory 280 at the UE 120, thus, based on buffer size limit accessing the memory). Regarding claim 19 and 30, Nam’550 discloses a network entity, comprising: one or more memories(see fig.2, which shows memory 242) storing processor-executable code(see para.0058, which discusses the memory 242 and the memory 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 110 and the UE 120, respectively. In some examples, the memory 242 and/or the memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and/or program code) for wireless communication); and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories (see fig.2, which shows processor 240 coupled with memory 242)and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the network entity to(see para.0058, which discuses the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, and/or interpreting) by one or more processors of the base station 110 and/or the UE 120, may cause the one or more processors, the UE 120, and/or the base station 110 to perform or direct operations): obtain capability information for a user equipment (UE)(see para.0098, which discusses , the UE may transmit, to the network entity, capability signaling), wherein the capability information is associated with a size of a buffer at the UE that is associated with one or more retransmission processes at the UE(see para.0098, which discusses capability signaling that indicates a total buffer size limit, maximum or minimum values for a maximum buffer size per active HARQ as retransmission process, and/or a maximum or minimum quantity of active HARQ processes, see para.0066-00767 & 0100); select a configuration for the UE(see fig.4, which shows base station 110 select indication associated with quantity of active HARQ processes, see fig.5, which shows 110 select indication as configuration associated with LBRM on a per active HARQ processes basis) associated with decoding operations for one or more downlink messages to the UE(see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows at the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses the UE may perform a rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ, thus perform operation, see para.0102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes, see para.0059), the configuration based at least in part on the capability information for the UE(see para.0098, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, the indication as configuration… based at least in part on the capability signaling); output a downlink message to the UE(see fig.4-5, see para.0078, which discusses the network entity may transmit the second indication associated with the quantity of active HARQ processes via downlink control information (DCI), a MAC-CE, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling, see para.0220) , the downlink message including one or more encoded bits(see para.0078, see para.0052, which discusses the base station 110 may process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE 120) associated with a decoding operation(see para.0059, which discusses the means for the UE to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, modulator 254, controller/processor 280, or memory 282, see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses UE may perform a rate matching…, see fig.6 & see para.102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes); and obtain feedback based(see para.0104, which discusses transmitting, to the network entity, HARQ feedback based at least in part on the indication associated with the quantity of active HARQ processes (block 620), see para.0102, which discusses the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes) at least in part on the decoding operation for the downlink message(see fig.2 & para.0053, which shows At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals as downlink messages from the base station 110 and/or other base stations 110…UE 120 includes a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280, see para.0100, which discusses the UE may perform a rate matching for incremental redundancy HARQ, thus perform operation, see para.0102, which discusses UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with HARQ feedback for active HARQ processes, see para.0059), the feedback in accordance with the one or more retransmission processes(see para.0104, which discusses the UE…may transmit, to the network entity, HARQ feedback based at least in part on the indication associated with the quantity of active HARQ as retransmission processes). Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam et al (US 2022/0311550) and further in view of Alfarhan et al (US 20200305186) . Regarding claim 4, as discussed above, although Nam’550 discloses multiple transmissions (e.g., initial transmissions and/or retransmissions(see para.0067), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “wherein for an initial transmission in a first bandwidth part included in the one or more bandwidth parts, a retransmission in accordance with the one or more retransmission processes at the UE is restricted to the first bandwidth part” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “wherein for an initial transmission in a first bandwidth part included in the one or more bandwidth parts, a retransmission in accordance with the one or more retransmission processes at the UE is restricted to the first bandwidth part” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Alfarhan’186. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Alfarhan’186 teaches the use of wherein for an initial transmission in a first bandwidth part(see para.0184, which discusses BWP on which the initial transmission took place) included in the one or more bandwidth parts(see para.0184, which discusses more than one BWP, see para.0099, which discusses the WTRU may be configured with one or more BWPs ), a retransmission in accordance with the one or more retransmission processes at the UE is restricted to the first bandwidth part(see para.0184, which discusses the TB may be retransmitted on the BWP on which the initial transmission took place, thus restricted since initial and retransmission took place on the same BWP). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of Alfarhan’186, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “wherein for an initial transmission in a first bandwidth part included in the one or more bandwidth parts, a retransmission in accordance with the one or more retransmission processes at the UE is restricted to the first bandwidth part” as taught by Alfarhan’186, since Alfarhan’186 stated in para.0092+ that such a modification would provide an efficient system that improve transmission reliability and/or low latency. Claim(s) 9-10 and 25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam et al (US 2022/0311550) and in view of Zhou et al (US 20210144569) . Regarding claim 9 and 25, Nam’550 discloses wherein the configuration comprises a limit(see para.0226, which discusses transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an indication as configuration associated with limited buffer rate matching (LBRM) per active hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process) for a total quantity of coded bits(see para.0068, which discusses rate matching may serve to extract a suitable quantity of coded bits to match resources assigned for a transmission)that the UE is to decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280) . As discussed above, although Nam’550 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “across a plurality of component carriers” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “w across a plurality of component carriers” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Zhou’569. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Zhou’569 teaches the use of across a plurality of component carriers(see para.0226, which discusses UE 115-a may signal a defined number of resources that UE 115-a is capable of monitoring across a set of CCs within a given time duration (e.g., a slot), and the network (e.g., via signaling from base station 105-a) may configure UE 115-a to monitor the defined number of CSI-RS or SSB resources when UE 115-a performs BFD. The BFD complexity may be based on the maximum number of CSI-RS resources or SSBs resources for BFD or radio link monitoring (RLM) across CCs in a given time period). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of Zhou’569, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “across a plurality of component carriers” as taught by Zhou’569, since Zhou’569 stated in para.0005+ that such a modification would provide techniques relate to improved systems… that support conditional negative acknowledgement transmission in multi-CC communication. Regarding claim 10, as discussed above, although Nam’550 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “wherein the plurality of component carriers comprises component carriers of a cell group, component carriers within a frequency range, or all component carriers configured for transmissions to the UE” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “wherein the plurality of component carriers comprises component carriers of a cell group, component carriers within a frequency range, or all component carriers configured for transmissions to the UE” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Zhou’569. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Zhou’569 teaches the use of wherein the plurality of component carriers comprises component carriers of a cell group, component carriers within a frequency range, (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) all component carriers configured for transmissions to the UE (see para.0226, which discusses CCs for a particular cell group). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of Zhou’569, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “a wherein the plurality of component carriers comprises component carriers of a cell group, component carriers within a frequency range, or all component carriers configured for transmissions to the UE” as taught by Zhou’569, since Zhou’569 stated in para.0005+ that such a modification would provide techniques relate to improved systems… that support conditional negative acknowledgement transmission in multi-CC communication. Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam et al (US 2022/0311550), in view of Zhou et al (US 20210144569) and further in view of Perlman et al (US 2010/0166065). Regarding claim 11, as discussed above, although the combined system Nam’550 and Zhou’569 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), the combined system Nam’550 and Zhou’569 does not explicitly show the use of “drop a transport block, a code block, a code block group, or any combination thereof based at least in part on a quantity of coded bits scheduled for the UE within the time period exceeding the limit” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “drop a transport block, a code block, a code block group, or any combination thereof based at least in part on a quantity of coded bits scheduled for the UE within the time period exceeding the limit” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Perlman’065. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Perlman’065 teaches the use of drop a transport block, a code block, a code block group, or any combination thereof based at least in part on a quantity of coded bits scheduled for the UE within the time period exceeding the limit(see para.0060, which discusses queues at points of congestion have capacity limits, and once those limits are exceeded, the queues will overflow and packets will be dropped). In view of the above, having the combined system Nam’550 and Zhou’569 and then given the well-established teaching of Perlman’065, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the combined system Nam’550 and Zhou’569 to include “a wherein the plurality of component carriers comprises component carriers of a cell group, component carriers within a frequency range, or all component carriers configured for transmissions to the UE” as taught by Perlman’065, since Perlman’065 stated in para.0002+ that such a modification would provide a system that improves a users' ability to manipulate and access audio and video media. Claim(s) 12-13, 15-17, 26 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam et al (US 2022/0311550) and in view of Gorokhov et al (US 20140269627). Regarding claim 12 and 26, Nam’550 discloses wherein the configuration comprises a limit(see para.0226, which discusses transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an indication as configuration associated with limited buffer rate matching (LBRM) per active hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process, see para.0098) associated with one or more transport blocks(see para.0067, which discusses where T_S.sub.LBRM indicates a reference transport block size for LBRM ) that the UE is to decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280). Although Nam’550 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Gorokhov’627. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Gorokhov’627 teaches the use of wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period(see abs, which discusses after decoding the one or more code blocks, a remaining available decoding time is determined and reallocated to undecoded code blocks of the plurality of transport blocks to obtain updated allocated decoding times for the undecoded code blocks, see para.0009, see para.0053-0057, which discuses at the receiver… Reallocate the remaining available decoding time to undecoded code blocks, thus satisfaction of the limit). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of Gorokhov’627, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” as taught by Gorokhov’627, since Gorokhov’627 stated in para.0007+ that such a modification would improve decoding performance for a given decoding capability of the receiver and provide better performance under other operating conditions. Regarding claim 13, Nam’550 discloses wherein satisfaction of the limit is independent of one or more prior transmissions of a code block or a transport block(see para.0066, see para.0067, which discusses NR may support LBRM and incremental redundancy HARQ, which may involve a receiver combining (e.g., soft combining) different redundancy versions (RVs) of the same data over multiple transmissions (e.g., initial transmissions and/or retransmissions). A circular buffer per code block per HARQ process may be used for the combining of the different RVs of the same data over the multiple transmissions. Further, when LBRM is enabled, which may be a default setting for downlink, a maximum buffer length associated with the circular buffer may be limited by N.sub.cb=min{N, N.sub.ref}, where N.sub.ref indicates a maximum buffer size of the circular buffer given by, thus LBRM is independent of one or more prior due initial transmission and retransmission) included in the one or more transport blocks(see para.0067, which discusses transport block size for LBRM, thus include in transport block size). Regarding claim 15 and 28, Nam’550 discloses wherein the configuration comprises a limit associated(see para.0226, which discusses transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), an indication as configuration associated with limited buffer rate matching (LBRM) per active hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process, see para.0098, see fig.4, 402) with one or more transport blocks(see para.0067, which discuses transport block size(TBS) for LBRM) that the UE is to decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer sizes) , and wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a sum of a first quantity and a second quantity(see fig.4, see para.0077, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, an indication as configuration associated with a quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes, thus quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes include at first and second quantity), the second quantity independent of an initial transmission or a current retransmission of a code block or a transport block(see para.0067, which discusses a circular buffer per code block per HARQ process may be used for the combining of the different RVs of the same data over the multiple transmissions, where multiple transmissions (e.g., initial transmissions and/or retransmissions)) included in the one or more transport blocks(see para.0067, which discusses a circular buffer per code block per HARQ process…. transport block size(TBS) for LBRM, thus code block includes in the TBS). Although Nam’550 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “the first quantity based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “the first quantity based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by Gorokhov’627. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, Gorokhov’627 teaches the use of the first quantity based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period (see abs, which discusses after decoding the one or more code blocks, a remaining available decoding time is determined and reallocated to undecoded code blocks of the plurality of transport blocks to obtain updated allocated decoding times for the undecoded code blocks, see para.0009, see para.0053-0057, which discuses at the receiver… Reallocate the remaining available decoding time to undecoded code blocks, thus satisfaction of the limit). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of Gorokhov’627, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a quantity of undecoded code blocks for the time period” as taught by Gorokhov’627, since Gorokhov’627 stated in para.0007+ that such a modification would improve decoding performance for a given decoding capability of the receiver and provide better performance under other operating conditions. Regarding claim 16, Nam’550 discloses wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a sum of the first quantity, the second quantity, and a third quantity (see fig.4, see para.0077, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, an indication as configuration associated with a quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes, see para.0065, which discusses higher layer parameter may indicate a quantity of HARQ processes for uplink and downlink, respectively. The up to 16 parallel HARQ processes in uplink and in downlink may be semi-statically configured via the higher layer parameters, thus quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes) with up to 16 parallel HARQ processes includes at least first, second and third ), and wherein the third quantity is based at least in part on a quantity of decoded code blocks for the time period(para.0067, a circular buffer per code block per HARQ process…see para.0071, which discusses the receiver may perform decoding using the buffered coded bits combined with the retransmitted coded bits, see para.0075, which discusses different active HARQ processes, which may be based at least in part on corresponding processing and decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer sizes…, see also para.0073). Regarding claim 17, Nam’550 discloses wherein satisfaction of the limit is based at least in part on a sum of the first quantity, the second quantity, a third quantity, and a fourth quantity(see fig.4, see para.0077, which discusses the UE may receive, from the network entity, an indication as configuration associated with a quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes, see para.0065, which discusses higher layer parameter may indicate a quantity of HARQ processes for uplink and downlink, respectively. The up to 16 parallel HARQ processes in uplink and in downlink may be semi-statically configured via the higher layer parameters, thus quantity (e.g., M) of active HARQ processes) with up to 16 parallel HARQ processes includes at least first, second and third ), and wherein the fourth quantity is based at least in part on a quantity of bits for one or (due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered)more uplink transport blocks scheduled for the time period(see para.0066, which discusses a quantity of HARQ processes needed may be based at least in part on a turn-around time of data scheduling…a turn-around time may be from a time of an initial transmission to a time of a potential retransmission after receiving HARQ acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback…a longer turn-around time may correspond to a larger quantity of needed HARQ processes, whereas a shorter turn-around time may correspond to a fewer quantity of needed HARQ processes…see para.0073, which discuses a quantity of HARQ processes may be semi-statically configured for uplink and downlink, and the quantity of HARQ processes may be limited to 16 HARQ processes, see para.0067, which discusses code block per HARQ process may be used for the combining of the different RVs of the same data over the multiple transmissions… transport block(TBS) size for LBRM, thus quantity of bits uplink transport block(s)). Claim(s) 14 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nam et al (US 2022/0311550) and in view of SELVANESAN et al (US 2024/0039680). Regarding claim 14 and 27, Nam’550 discloses wherein the configuration comprises a limit associated (see para.00133, which discusses receiving, from a network entity, an indication associated with LBRM per active HARQ process, wherein the indication associated with the LBRM indicates different maximum buffer sizes per active HARQ process (block 810), see also para.0098),with one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more transport blocks that the UE(see para.0067, which discusses transport block size per LBRM) is to decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer sizes), and wherein satisfaction of the limit is independent of one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more current retransmissions(see para.0066, see para.0067, which discusses NR may support LBRM and incremental redundancy HARQ, which may involve a receiver combining (e.g., soft combining) different redundancy versions (RVs) of the same data over multiple transmissions (e.g., initial transmissions and/or retransmissions). A circular buffer per code block per HARQ process may be used for the combining of the different RVs of the same data over the multiple transmissions) for the one or(due to or alternative language, only one of them is being considered) more transport blocks(see para.0067, which discusses transport block size(TBS) for LBRM). Although Nam’550 discloses decode within a time period(see para.0075, which discusses decoding timelines, may be associated with different maximum buffer size, see fig.2 & para.053, which discuses A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280), Nam’550 does not explicitly show the use of “wherein an initial transmission of a code block or a transport block included in the one or more transport blocks does not count against the limit” as required by present claimed invention. However, including “wherein an initial transmission of a code block or a transport block included in the one or more transport blocks does not count against the limit” would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as evidenced by SELVANESAN’680. In particular, in the same field of endeavor, SELVANESAN’680 teaches the use of wherein an initial transmission of a code block or a transport block included in the one or more transport blocks does not count against the limit(see para.0143, which discusses the maximum number of retransmissions as limit… excluding the initial transmission possible per priority value for Type A UEs, thus not count against the limit since the initial transmission is excluded). In view of the above, having the system of Nam’550 and then given the well-established teaching of SELVANESAN’680, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Nam’550 to include “wherein an initial transmission of a code block or a transport block included in the one or more transport blocks does not count against the limit” as taught by SELVANESAN’680, since SELVANESAN’680 stated in para.0007+ that such a modification would improve decoding performance for a given decoding capability of the receiver and provide better performance under other operating conditions. Conclusion Applicant is encouraged to submit a written authorization for Internet communications (PTO/SB/439, http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf) in the instant patent application to authorize the examiner to communicate with the applicant via email. The authorization will allow the examiner to better practice compact prosecution. The written authorization can be submitted via one of the following methods only: (1) Central Fax which can be found in the Conclusion section of this Office action; (2) regular postal mail; (3) EFS WEB; or (4) the service window on the Alexandria campus. EFS web is the recommended way to submit the form since this allows the form to be entered into the file wrapper within the same day (system dependent). Written authorization submitted via other methods, such as direct fax to the examiner or email, will not be accepted. See MPEP § 502.03. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINNCELAS LOUIS whose telephone number is (571)270-5138. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:00 PM. 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, Michael Thier can be reached at 571-272-2832. 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. /VINNCELAS LOUIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2474
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Prosecution Timeline

Nov 06, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 10, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

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