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
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) 1, 3-4 and 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ELAZZOUNI (US 20240049283) in view of Lei (US 20230132437).
With respect to independent claims:
Regarding claim(s) 1/20, ELAZZOUNI teaches A method of wireless communication for a first user equipment (UE) ([0091], “a first sidelink UE”), comprising
performing a listen-before-talk (LBT) process to access first resources of an unlicensed channel ([0092], “The first sidelink UE may acquire the COT 320 based on the LBT procedure 322 being successful.”);
obtaining the first resources based on the LBT ([0092], “The first sidelink UE may acquire the COT 320 based on the LBT procedure 322 being successful.”); and
transmitting, to a second UE, first information for sharing a portion of the first resources with the second UE ([0093], “The first sidelink UE may transmit COT sharing information to a second sidelink UE (e.g., the UE 115, the UE 120, or the UE 900) for sharing the COT 320 with the second sidelink UE.”), the first information ([0094], “The first sidelink UE may indicate the time resource allocation(s) to the sidelink UEs sharing the COT in a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) via SCI-1.”) including one or more channel access priority class (CAPC) values associated with the second UE ([0017], “wherein the SCI indicates at least one of a channel access priority class (CAPC) associated a communication to be transmitted by the second sidelink UE.”).
However, ELAZZOUNI does not specifically disclose wherein a set of portions of the first information indicates one or more destination identifications (IDs).
In an analogous art, Lei discloses transmitting, to a second UE, first information for sharing a portion of the first resources with the second UE ([0059], “the CAPC value used for initiating the COT may be indicated in the SCI transmitted by UE1, so that other UEs (e.g., UE2) can determine whether they are allowed to use the shared resource or not.”), the first information including one or more channel access priority class (CAPC) values ([0059], “CAPC value used for initiating the COT (hereinafter, “first CAPC value”)”) associated with the second UE ([0059], “UE2 may receive the SCI transmitted by UE1. UE2 may determine a CAPC value (hereinafter, “second CAPC value”) ... When the second CAPC value is smaller than or equal to the CAPC value used for initiating the COT (hereinafter, “first CAPC value”), UE2 may be allowed to transmit the sidelink data in the shared resource ... Alternatively, upon reception of the first CAPC value in the SCI, UE2 may select the sidelink data with corresponding CAPC value smaller than or equal to the first CAPC value such that the selected sidelink data is allowed to be transmitted in the shared resource of the COT.”),
wherein a set of portions of the first information ([0059], “SCI”) indicates one or more destination identifications (IDs) ([0062], “multiple UEs may determine that they are allowed to use the shared resource ... only the UE(s) with the destination identification (ID) included in the SCI transmitted by UE1 can use the shared resource.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claim invention to have modified the method of ELAZZOUNI to specify destination ID as taught by Lei. The motivation/suggestion would have been because only the UE(s) with the destination identification (ID) included in the SCI transmitted by UE1 can use the shared resource.
With respect to dependent claims:
Regarding claim(s) 3/21, ELAZZOUNI teaches wherein the first information is transmitted in a first sidelink control information (SCI) message ([0094], “The first sidelink UE may indicate the time resource allocation(s) to the sidelink UEs sharing the COT in a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) via SCI-1.”).
Regarding claim(s) 4/22, ELAZZOUNI teaches wherein the first resources include frequency bandwidth ([0083], “the COT sharing information may include a frequency resource allocation (e.g., frequency range(s))”) and time duration ([0082], “the COT sharing information may indicate a COT duration.”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims filed on 03/23/2026 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection in instant Office action does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the Applicant’s arguments.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/ZHIREN QIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2411
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