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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to the amendment filed on 03/08/2026. Claims 19 and 20 are canceled. Claims 21 and 22 are added. Claims 1-18, 21 and 22 are pending in the instant application.
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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-18, 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over You et al (US 2021/0195430, “You”) in view of Pao et al (US 2016/0234841, “Pao”).
Re claims 1 and 18, You discloses a terminal determining state information corresponding to a SideLink (SL) resource om an unlicensed frequency band (figure 8, step 102); and sending the state information to a control node (figure 8, step 104), but fails to disclose when at least part of the SL resource fails to be used for transmission or at least part of the SL resource access fails, the state information indicates Negative ACKnowledgement (NACK). However, Pao discloses sending NACK to indicate the radio resource of the unlicensed spectrum is not available (claim 9). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of You with Pao for the benefit of improving the flexibility of resource allocation by utilizing feedback on allocated resources.
Re claim 2, You discloses the state information comprises at least one of the following: first state information corresponding to a first SL resource, wherein the first SL resource is at least part of the SL resource (figure 8, step 103); or second state information corresponding to a second SL resource, wherein the second SL resource is at least part of the SL resource.
Re claim 3, You discloses the first state information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the first SL resource is available; the first SL resource is idle: the first SL resource is available to another terminal; the first SL resource is idle for another terminal; transmission or reception on the first SL resource is successful; ACKnowledgement (ACK); feedback information (figure 8, step 103); or an SL decoding state.
Re claims 4-6, the modified system of You discloses determining the second state information corresponding to the second SL resource on the unlicensed frequency band is the NACK, if the terminal fails to use all of the second SL resource due to the terminal failing in channel access (figure 8, step 103, paragraph [0251] of you and claim 9 of Pao).
Re claim 7, the modified system of You discloses sending the first state information to the control node under a first preset condition, wherein the first preset condition comprises at least one of the following: at least part of the SL resource is available (claim 9 of Pao); at least part of the SL resource is idle; at least part of the SL resource is available to another terminal, at least part of the SL resource is idle for another terminal; transmission or reception is performed on at least part of the SL resource; or transmission or reception performed on at least part of the SL resource is successful.
Re claim 8, You discloses the state information comprises at least one of the following: state information corresponding to any or all types of SL resources (figure 8, step 103, paragraph [0251]); or state information corresponding to each of different types of SL resources.
Re claim 9, You discloses sending the state information to a target node comprises: sending the state information to the control node when it is determined that at least one of the following conditions is met: the control node configures a semi-static resource for the transmission of the state information; the control node schedules a first terminal to transmit the state information; at least part of the SL resource is available (figure 8, step 103); at least part of the SL resource is idle: at least part of the SL resource is available to another terminal; at least part of the SL resource is idle for another terminal; transmission or reception is performed on at least part of the SL resource; transmission or reception performed on at least part of the SL resource is successful; ACKnowledgement (ACK) is obtained; transmission or reception on at least part of the SL resource is decoded successfully; feedback information corresponding to transmission or reception on at least part of the SL resource is ACK; or the state information comprises first state information (figure 8, step 104).
Re claim 10, You discloses obtaining a state information configuration, wherein the state information configuration comprises at least one of the following: information about a reporting resource for indicating state information (figure 8, step 104); a state information reporting manner, or state information content (figure 8, step 104).
Re claim 11, You discloses sending, by the terminal, the state information to another control node through a reporting resource, wherein the reporting resource meets at least one of the following: different types of state information are corresponding to different reporting resources, pieces of state information with different content are corresponding to different reporting resources (figure 14, steps 205 and 207), pieces of state information corresponding to different SL resources are corresponding to different reporting resources; or pieces of state information corresponding to different types of SL resources are corresponding to different reporting resources.
Re claim 12, You discloses a control node obtaining state information, wherein the state information is sent to the control node after a terminal determines state information corresponding to a SideLink (SL) resource (figure 8 step 102); and sending the state information to a control node (figure 8, step 104), but fails to disclose when at least part of the SL resource fails to be used for transmission or at least part of the SL resource access fails, the state information indicates Negative ACKnowledgement (NACK). However, Pao discloses sending NACK to indicate the radio resource of the unlicensed spectrum is not available (claim 9). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of You with Pao for the benefit of improving the flexibility of resource allocation by utilizing feedback on allocated resources.
Re claim 13, You discloses sending first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates at least one of the following: the SL resource (figure 8, step 104); or a listening parameter of the SL resource; and sensing the SL resource.
Re claim 14, You discloses sending a state information configuration, wherein the state information configuration comprises at least one of the following: information about a reporting resource for indicating state information (figure 8, step 104); a state information reporting manner, or state information content (figure 8, step 104).
Re claim 15, the modified system of You discloses when the state information comprises first state information, at least one of the following is determined: at least part of a first SL resource is available (claim 9 of Pao); at least part of a first SL resource is idle; at least part of the first SL resource is available to another terminal; at least part of the first SL resource is idle for another terminal; or transmission or reception performed on at least part of the first SL resource is successful, wherein the first state information is state information corresponding to the first SL resource, and the first SL resource is at least part of the SL resource.
Re claim 16, the modified system of You discloses when the state information comprises second state information, at least one of the following is determined: at least part of a second SL resource is unavailable: at least part of a second SL resource is busy; at least part of the second SL resource is unavailable to another terminal; at least part of the second SL resource is busy for another terminal; at least part of the second SL resource is not used for transmission or reception (claim 9 of Pao); or transmission or reception performed on at least part of the second SL resource fails.
Re claim 17, the modified system of You discloses scheduling a third SL resource to a first terminal after the second state information (claim 9 of Pao) or scheduling a third SL resource to a first terminal before a reporting resource of the second state information (claim 9 of Pao).
Re claim 21, the modified system of You discloses when the at least part of the SL resource fails to be used for transmission or at least part of the SL resource access fails (figure 8, step 104), and the terminal does not transmit the SL resource, the state information indicates the NACK (claim 9 of Pao).
Re claim 22, the modified system of You discloses the state information indicates the NACK when all of the SL resource fails to be used for transmission (claim 9 of Pao) or access fails (figure 8, step 104) .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hong Cho whose telephone number is 571-272-3087. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri during 8 am to 4 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Hassan Phillips can be reached on 571-272-3940. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HONG S CHO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2467
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