DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the pending claims, 1-6, 10, 12-13, 19-24, 38, 39 and 43-45, received 08 April 2026. Accordingly, the detailed action of claims 1-6, 10, 12-13, 19-24, 38, 39 and 43-45 is as follows:
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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 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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 1-6, 12-13, 19-20, 21-24, 39, 43-45 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liao et al (US 20230146553 A1, hereafter referred to as Liao) in view of Nimbalker et al (US 20240313911 A1, hereafter referred to as Nimbalker).
Regarding claim 1, Liao teaches a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless network, wherein the UE is in an idle or an inactive state (Liao [0006] teaches a UE in idle mode), the method comprising:
receiving a Downlink Control Information (DCI) from a wireless communication node in the wireless network, wherein the DCI is scramble by a Radio Network Temporary Identification (RNTI) and comprises a paging indication (Liao [0050] teaches receiving a PEI message in idle mode, wherein the PEI message includes a PEI and a format of the PEI message is DCI format, wherein the PEI message includes a CRC field scrambled by a P-RNTI [0040, 0035]), and wherein the paging indication indicates whether the UE is to receive a next coming paging occasion (Liao [0006] teaches the PEI message indicates whether the UE is to monitor a PDCCH at a paging occasion);
resolving the paging indication from the DCI (Liao [0051] teaches determining whether to monitor a PDCCH at a paging occasion based the PEI) and
the DCI (Liao [0050, 0032]) is characterized by at least one of:
a paging indication field comprising N bits, wherein N is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer (Liao [0037] teaches X bits configured as the PEI, wherein X is configured by system information);
wherein the DCI is a paging DCI (Liao [0026] teaches a Paging Early Indicator message in a DCI format);
determining whether the UE is to receive the next coming paging occasion based on the paging indication (Liao [0051] teaches determining whether to monitor a PDCCH at a paging occasion based the PEI).
However, Liao does not explicitly teach resolving the paging indication from the DCI in response to determining that a predetermined condition is met, wherein: the predetermined condition comprises a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of the DCI being scrambled by a paging RNTI (P-RNTI) or an RNTI configured by higher layer; the DCI is characterized by at least one of: a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer, and wherein: P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of the paging DCI, or P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of the paging DCI, the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication.
Nimbalker, in an analogous art, teaches resolving the paging indication from the DCI in response to determining that a predetermined condition is met (Nimbalker [0003] teaches a UE attempting to decode a paging DCI scrambled with a P-RNTI whereby information regarding the TRS indication field is associated with the P-RNTI), wherein: the predetermined condition comprises a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of the DCI being scrambled by a paging RNTI (P-RNTI) or an RNTI configured by higher layer (Nimbalker [0003, 0060] teaches a DCI scrambled by a P-RNTI or RNTI [0063]);
wherein the DCI is characterized by at least one of:
a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer (Nimbalker [0059-0050] teaches the UE receiving, via higher layer signaling, a parameter indicating the length and location of a TRS indicator field within the DCI such that reserved bit fields within the paging DCI are used to indicate the TRS information), wherein the DCI is a paging DCI (Nimbalker [0032] discloses a paging DCI to indicate TRS/CSI-RS availability), and wherein:
P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of a paging DCI (Nimbalker [0059-0060] teaches indicating the location or bit number used for TRS indication such that a specific parameter indicating the bits within the reserved bits [0080]); or
P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of a paging DCI (Nimbalker [0059-0060] teaches the location and length of the bitfield are identified for TRS indication such that a predetermined value indicates the number of Y bits [0095]), the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication (Nimbalker [0044] teaches reserved bits in the DCI for TRS/CSI-RS availability [0048, 0032]).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Liao in view of Nimbalker in order to configure the DCI, as taught by Liao, to be characterized by at least one of: a paging indication field comprising N bits, wherein N is an integer which is pre- determined or configured by higher layer; and a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer, wherein: P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of a paging DCI; or P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of a paging DCI, the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication, as taught by Nimbalker.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in order to transmit indication of TRS/CSI-RS occasions without compromising NW energy consumption while also providing the flexibility at the UE to choose whether to use blind detection or look for precise signaling and transmit the same DCI to all UEs regardless of their release reducing additional PDCCH transmissions consuming additional resources (Nimbalker [0049]).
Regarding claim 2, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method in response to determining that the UE needs to receive the next coming paging occasion, receiving the next coming paging occasion (Liao [0024] teaches upon receipt of a PEI, performing paging PDCCH decoding as well as Paging PDSCH decoding, by monitoring paging occasions [0023]).
Regarding claim 3, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein determining whether the UE is to receive the next coming paging occasion based on the paging indication comprises:
in determination that the paging indication indicates a paging group that the UE belongs to (Liao [0024] teaches a group of UEs are associated with the PO such that the UE group is associated with the PEI and corresponding PO), determining that the UE is to receive the next coming paging occasion (Liao [0024] teaches determining, based on the PEI, a UE in the UE group is paged).
Regarding claim 4, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein the DCI comprises a channel state information reference signal availability indication (Nimbalker [0032] teaches using signaling including the paging DCI to indicate TRS/CSI-RS availability such that reserved bits in the DCI are used for availability of TRS/CSI-RS [0044]).
Regarding claim 5, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein: the DCI comprises at least one non-reserved field from a first field set (Liao [0033] discloses a plurality of possible fields of the DCI format [0032]), and the first field set comprises at least one of:
a Transport Block (TB) scaling field (Nimbalker [0082]. Likewise, Liao [0052]); a Short Messages Indicator field (Liao [0052]; a Short Messages field (Liao [0033]); a Frequency domain resource assignment field (Liao [0052]); a Time domain resource assignment field (Liao [0052]); a Virtual Resource Block to Physical Resource Block (VRB-to-PRB) mapping field (Liao [0052]); or a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field (Liao [0052]); and
the predetermined condition comprises the at least one non-reserved field being set to a predetermined value (Nimbalker [0082] teaches the transport block serving as the TRS indicator wherein the a particular value transmitted for TB scaling indicates the TRS is present).
Regarding claim 6, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 5, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein at least one of following conditions is satisfied:
the at least one non-reserved field comprises the TB scaling field, and the predetermined value is binary "11" (Nimbalker [0082]);
the predetermined value is determined by setting all bits of the at least one non-reserved field to 0;
the at least one non-reserved field comprises the MCS field, and the predetermined value comprises an integer in the range of 8 and 31, inclusive; or
the at least one non-reserved field comprises one of the Frequency domain resource assignment field and the Time domain resource assignment field, and the predetermined value is determined by setting all bits of the at least one non-reserved field to 1.
Regarding claim 12, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 1, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein the paging indication is carried in at least one of a reserved bits field of the DCI or a non-reserved field of the DCI (Liao [0033 and 0052] teaches at least one of the non-reserved fields or a reserved field are repurposed as the PEI), and wherein resolving the paging indication from the DCI comprises resolving the paging indication from at least one of the reserved bits field or the non-reserved field (Liao [0050] teaches determining whether there is a PEI indication in the received message, wherein the PEI is located in the non-reserve fields [0051-0052] or reserved field [0032]).
Regarding claim 13, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 12, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein at least one of following conditions is satisfied:
at least a portion of the paging indication is carried in a VRB-to-PRB mapping field of the DCI (Liao [0033] discloses the non-reserved and reserved fields repurposed as the PEI, including the VRB-to-PRB field [0052]);
at least a portion of the paging indication is carried in an MCS field of the DCI (Liao [0033] discloses the non-reserved and reserved fields repurposed as the PEI, including the MCS field [0052]);
at least a portion of the paging indication is carried in a subset of all bits in the MCS field of the DCI (Liao [0033] discloses at least one unused bit of the non-reserved and reserved fields repurposed as the PEI, including the MCS field [0052]); or
a subset of all bits in the paging indication indicates channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) availability (Nimbalker [0044] teaches reserved bits in DCI used for TRS/CSI-RS availability such that location and length or specific bits are indicated [0079-0081 and 0059-0061]).
Regarding claim 21, Liao teaches a method performed by a wireless communication node in a wireless network, comprising:
determining whether a predetermined condition is met (Liao [0056] teaches determining, by a BS, an early paging indicator (PEI) for a UE); and
in response to the predetermined condition being met, transmitting a Downlink Control Information (DCI) to a UE in the wireless network (Liao [0056] teaches responsive to determining a PEI, transmitting a PEI message including the PEI to the UE), wherein the DCI is a paging DCI (Liao [0026] teaches a Paging Early Indicator message in a DCI format) and is scramble by a Radio Network Temporary Identification (RNTI) (Liao [0035] teaches a CRC of the DCI scrambled by the P-RNTI) and comprises a paging indication (Liao [0056] teaches the PEI message includes the PEI), and wherein the paging indication indicates whether the UE is to receive a next coming paging occasion (Liao [0056] teaches the PEI is used for a UE in idle mode to determine a PO is to be monitored by the UE).
However, Liao does not explicitly teach wherein the DCI is characterized by at least one of: a paging indication field comprising N bits, wherein N is an integer which is pre- determined or configured by higher layer; and a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer, wherein: P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of a paging DCI; or P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of a paging DCI, the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication.
Nimbalker, in an analogous art, teaches and wherein the DCI is characterized by at least one of: a paging indication field comprising N bits, wherein N is an integer which is pre- determined or configured by higher layer; and a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer (Nimbalker [0059-0050] teaches the UE receiving, via higher layer signaling, a parameter indicating the length and location of a TRS indicator field within the DCI such that reserved bit fields within the paging DCI are used to indicate the TRS information), wherein:
P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of a paging DCI (Nimbalker [0059-0060] teaches indicating the location or bit number used for TRS indication such that a specific parameter indicating the bits within the reserved bits [0080]); or
P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of a paging DCI (Nimbalker [0059-0060] teaches the location and length of the bitfield are identified for TRS indication such that a predetermined value indicates the number of Y bits [0095]), the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication (Nimbalker [0044] teaches reserved bits in the DCI for TRS/CSI-RS availability [0048, 0032]).
It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Liao in view of Nimbalker in order to configure the DCI, as taught by Liao, to be characterized by at least one of: a paging indication field comprising N bits, wherein N is an integer which is pre- determined or configured by higher layer; and a TRS/CSI-RS availability indication field comprising P bits, wherein P is an integer which is pre-determined or configured by higher layer, wherein: P equals to a bit number of a reserved bits field of a paging DCI; or P equals to a bit number of indication bits within a reserved bits field of a paging DCI, the indication bits being used for TRS/CSI-RS availability indication, as taught by Nimbalker.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated in order to transmit indication of TRS/CSI-RS occasions without compromising NW energy consumption while also providing the flexibility at the UE to choose whether to use blind detection or look for precise signaling and transmit the same DCI to all UEs regardless of their release reducing additional PDCCH transmissions consuming additional resources (Nimbalker [0049]).
Regarding claim 22, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 21, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker does not explicitly teach the method wherein the DCI comprises a channel state information reference signal availability indication (Nimbalker [0044] teaches reserved bits in the DCI for TRS/CSI-RS availability [0048, 0032]).
Regarding claim 23, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 21, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein the DCI comprises at least one non-reserved field from a first field set (Liao [0033] discloses a plurality of possible fields of the DCI format [0032]), and the first field set comprises at least one of:
a Transport Block (TB) scaling field (Nimbalker [0082]. Likewise, Liao [0052]); a Short Messages Indicator field (Liao [0052]; a Short Messages field (Liao [0033]); a Frequency domain resource assignment field (Liao [0052]); a Time domain resource assignment field (Liao [0052]); a Virtual Resource Block to Physical Resource Block (VRB-to-PRB) mapping field (Liao [0052]); or a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field (Liao [0052]).
the predetermined condition comprises the at least one non-reserved field being set to a predetermined value (Nimbalker [0082] teaches the transport block serving as the TRS indicator wherein a particular value transmitted for TB scaling indicates the TRS is present).
Regarding claim 24, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the limitations of claim 23, as rejected above.
Additionally, Liao-Nimbalker teaches the method wherein at least one of following conditions is satisfied:
the at least one non-reserved field comprises the TB scaling field, and the predetermined value is binary "11" (Nimbalker [0082]);
the predetermined value is determined by setting all bits of the at least one non-reserved field to 0;
the at least one non-reserved field comprises the MCS field, and the predetermined value comprises an integer in the range of 8 and 31, inclusive; or
the at least one non-reserved field comprises one of the Frequency domain resource assignment field and the Time domain resource assignment field, and the predetermined value is determined by setting all bits of the at least one non-reserved field to 1.
Regarding claim 39, Liao-Nimbalker teaches a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]), comprising a memory for storing computer instructions (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030])and a processor in communication with the memory (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]), wherein, when the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to cause the UE (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]). The additional limitations of claim 39 do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claim 1.
Specifically, the additional limitations of claim 39 are identical to the limitations of claim 1, and correspond to the device executing the limitations of method claim 1. Therefore, the additional limitations of claim 39, are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claim 1.
Moreover, Liao-Nimbalker are combined according to the reasons set forth above regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 43, Liao-Nimbalker teaches computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium with computer code stored thereupon, the computer code, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to implement a method (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]). The additional limitations of claim 43 do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claim 1.
Specifically, the additional limitations of claim 43 are identical to the limitations of claim 1, and correspond to the computer redable medium embodying the limitations of method claim 1. Therefore, the additional limitations of claim 43, are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claim 1.
Moreover, Liao-Nimbalker are combined according to the reasons set forth above regarding claim 1.
Regarding claim 44, Liao-Nimbalker teaches a device comprising a memory for storing computer instructions (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]) and a processor in communication with the memory (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]), wherein, when the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to implement a method (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]). The additional limitations of claim 44 do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claim 21.
Specifically, the additional limitations of claim 44 are identical to the limitations of claim 21, and correspond to the device executing the limitations of method claim 21. Therefore, the additional limitations of claim 44, are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claim 21.
Regarding claim 45, Liao-Nimbalker teaches computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium with computer code stored thereupon, the computer code, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to implement a method (Liao [0027-0028 and 0030]). The additional limitations of claim 45 do not teach or further limit over the limitations presented above with respect to claim 21.
Specifically, the additional limitations of claim 45 are identical to the limitations of claim 21, and correspond to the computer redable medium embodying the limitations of method claim 21. Therefore, the additional limitations of claim 45, are rejected for the same reasons set forth above regarding claim 21.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10, 28 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6, 10, 12-13, 19-24, 38, 39 and 43-45 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.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHEAN TOKUTA whose telephone number is (571)272-5145. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 630-430.
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SHEAN TOKUTA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2446
/SHEAN TOKUTA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2446
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