DETAILED ACTION
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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 65 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 65 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite. The phrase 'at least one memory and computer program code configured... to cause the second apparatus at least to' does not provide sufficient structure to perform the functions of configuring SLSS and power, rendering the metes and bounds of the claim unclear."
Further, in claim 65, the clauses (i) and (ii) are treated as intended uses of the communication apparatus. If a conventional communication apparatus is capable of transmitting such information (even if it doesn't currently do so), the claim is anticipated or obvious.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
In the Examiner's best judgement the best prior art found during prosecution with respect to independent claims 52 and 68 fail to, either singularly or in combination, to anticipate or render the claim features obvious, particularly the combination of features of the Independent Claims. The references used, fail to singularly or in combination, to anticipate and render obvious the inventive concept identified by the specific claim features of the inventive concept claims. Specifically, determine, in response to receiving at least one downlink control information, whether to transmit at least one sidelink synchronization signal based on (i) at least one first parameter characterizing a signal power associated with at least one received downlink reference signal and based on (ii) at least one second parameter characterizing a signal power associated with at least one received sidelink reference.
The examiner identifies, as the best prior art of record, the following documents: a. U.S. Pre-Grant Publ'n. No. 2022/0095257 (published 24 Mar. 2022) [hereinafter Castenda] teaches If the UE is in coverage this corresponds to the in coverage UE-based case. For this case, the UE shall transmit SLSS (in coverage UE-based case), if the RSRP measurement of the reference cell is below the value of syncTxThreshIC, where the threshold is transmitted by the network as part of the system information. If the UE is out of coverage, the UE shall transmit SLSS (out of coverage UE-based case), if the S-RSRP of the SyncRefUE, which serves as synchronization reference of the UE, is below the value of syncTxThreshOoC, where the threshold is preconfigured. Thus, for the UE-based case, a UE shall transmit SLSS if the RSRP or S-RSRP measurement of its synchronization reference is below a threshold, where the threshold depends on whether the UE is in coverage or out of coverage.
However, Castenda does not teach determine, in response to receiving at least one downlink control information, whether to transmit at least one sidelink synchronization signal based on (i) at least one first parameter characterizing a signal power associated with at least one received downlink reference signal and based on (ii) at least one second parameter characterizing a signal power associated with at least one received sidelink reference.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J LOPATA whose telephone number is (571)270-5158. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10-7 EST.
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ROBERT J. LOPATA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2471
/ROBERT J LOPATA/
April 2, 2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2471