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 .
Status of the Claims
The office action is in response to the claim amendments and remarks filed on March 16, 2026 for the application filed September 29, 2023. Claims 1-10, 12, 19, 23-24, 26-31, and 41 are currently pending.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 19, 23, 41 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Takeda et al. (US2022/0116156A1).
Regarding claim 1, Takeda teaches a method for transmitting a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook, applied to a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a total number of occasions for candidate physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception based on sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback for multiple candidate services (Paragraph [0007]: the UE determines a codebook including certain HARQ-ACK bit(s) (also referred to as a HARQ-ACK codebook, a HARQ codebook, or the like), based on HARQ-ACK timing value(s), and feeds back the codebook to the base station. Paragraph [0199]: FIG. 14 is a diagram to show an example of the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions for each service that is determined based on the HARQ-ACK timing value K1 at the slot level. FIG. 14 shows the PDSCH time domain RA table common to the services shown in FIG. 13A or the PDSCH time domain RA table for each service shown in FIG. 13B, and the candidate PDSCH reception occasions for each service that is determined based on a format of the slot. Paragraph [0200]: Specifically, the UE may determine the HARQ-ACK window (set C (K1) of HARQ-ACK timing values K1) so as to be common to the plurality of services. For each HARQ-ACK timing value K1, the UE may determine the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions for each service, based on the PDSCH time domain RA table of FIG. 13A or FIG. 13B and a format of a certain time unit. Indices for each service may be assigned to each of the candidate PDSCH reception occasions in the HARQ-ACK window.)
and determining a codebook order corresponding to occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for the sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback (Paragraph [0200]: Specifically, the UE may determine the HARQ-ACK window (set C (K1) of HARQ-ACK timing values K1) so as to be common to the plurality of services. For each HARQ-ACK timing value K1, the UE may determine the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions for each service, based on the PDSCH time domain RA table of FIG. 13A or FIG. 13B and a format of a certain time unit. Indices for each service may be assigned to each of the candidate PDSCH reception occasions in the HARQ-ACK window. Paragraph [0202]: FIG. 15 is a diagram to show an example of the semi-static HARQ-ACK codebook determination operation at the slot level according to the second method of the second aspect. In FIG. 15, the UE may determine the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions MA, c in slot #n-K1 for each service and for each HARQ-ACK timing value K1, according to the semi-static HARQ codebook determination operation at the slot level (see, for example, FIGS. 1A to 1C and 2 to 4).
determining a value of each bit in an HARQ codebook based on whether downlink data is correctly received on each occasion for candidate PDSCH reception; and transmitting the HARQ codebook (Paragraph [0201]: For example, in FIG. 14, the candidate PDSCH reception occasions assigned the indices “0” to “8” are included in the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions MA, c available for the URLLC service in the HARQ-ACK window. On the other hand, the candidate PDSCH reception occasions assigned the indices “0” to “2” are included in the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions MA, c available for the eMBB service in the HARQ-ACK window. Paragraph [0206]: For example, in FIG. 15, PDSCH # 0 for eMBB is allocated to candidate PDSCH reception occasion # 0 for eMBB that includes symbols # 0 to #13 in slot #n-K1 (K1=7). The HARQ-ACK bits for the PDSCH # 0 are mapped to the positions corresponding to the candidate PDSCH reception occasion index “0” in the HARQ-ACK codebook for eMBB. Abstract: A user terminal includes: a control section that determines a set of one or more candidate occasions for reception of a downlink shared channel available in a time unit, based on a Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest-ACKnowledge (HARQ-ACK) timing value using a same or different time unit between a plurality of services and a format of the time unit; and a transmitting section that transmits a codebook being determined based on the set of the one or more candidate occasions.)
Regarding claim 19, Takeda teaches a method for receiving a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook, applied to a network side device, comprising: receiving an HARQ codebook transmitted from a user equipment (UE), wherein the HARQ codebook is transmitted after the UE, based on a set of slot timing values for HARQ feedback for each candidate service in multiple candidate services, determines a total number of occasions for candidate physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception, and determines a codebook order corresponding to occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback and a value of each bit in the HARQ codebook based on whether downlink data is correctly received at each occasion for candidate PDSCH reception (see rejection for claim 1).
Regarding claim 23, Takeda teaches a user equipment (UE), comprises a memory, a transceiver and a processor; wherein the memory is used for storing computer programs; the transceiver is used for transmitting and receiving data under control of the processor; and the computer programs, when executed by the processor, cause the UE to perform the following operations (Paragraph [0338]: Physically, the above-described base station 10 and user terminal 20 may each be formed as computer an apparatus that includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication apparatus 1004, an input apparatus 1005, an output apparatus 1006, a bus 1007, and so on. Paragraph [0341]: Each function of the base station 10 and the user terminals 20 is implemented, for example, by allowing certain software (programs) to be read on hardware such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, and by allowing the processor 1001 to perform calculations to control communication via the communication apparatus 1004. Paragraph [0346]: The communication apparatus 1004 is hardware (transmitting/receiving device) for allowing inter-computer communication via at least one of wired and wireless networks.)
determining a total number of occasions for candidate physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception based on sets of slot timing values for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback for multiple candidate services, and determining a codebook order corresponding to the occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for the sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback; determining a value of each bit in an HARQ codebook based on whether downlink data is correctly received [[at]]on each occasion for candidate PDSCH reception; and transmitting the HARQ codebook (see rejection for claim 1).
Regarding claim 41, Takeda teaches a network side device, comprises a memory, a transceiver and a processor; wherein the memory is used for storing computer programs; the transceiver is used for transmitting and receiving data under control of the processor; and the computer programs, when executed by the processor, cause the network side device to perform the following operations (see rejection for claim 23)
receiving an HARQ codebook transmitted from a user equipment (UE), wherein the HARQ codebook is transmitted after the UE, based on a set of slot timing values for HARQ feedback for each candidate service in multiple candidate services, determines a total number of occasions for candidate physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception, and determines a codebook order corresponding to occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for the sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback and a value of each bit in the HARQ codebook based on whether downlink data is correctly received at each occasion for candidate PDSCH reception (see rejection for claim 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed March 16, 2026 with respect to claims 1, 19, 23, and 41 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Takeda et al. (US2022/0116156A1); claims 2 and 24 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Takeda in view of Jiao et al. (US2023/0345490A1); claim 3 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Takeda in view of Jiao, and further in view of Kim et al. (EP4255074A1), claims 4-10, 12, 26-31 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Takeda in view of Jiao, Kim and Yang (US2024/0163028A1) have been fully considered.
Applicant submits that Takeda does not teach the features of independent claim 1 which recites “a method for transmitting a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) codebook, applied to a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a total number of occasions for candidate physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) reception based on sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback for multiple candidate services, and determining a codebook order corresponding to occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for the sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback; determining a value of each bit in an HARQ codebook based on whether downlink data is correctly received on each occasion for candidate PDSCH reception; and transmitting the HARQ codebook.” Takeda teaches that the UE determines a HARQ-ACK codebook based on the HARQ-ACK timing values. For each HARQ-ACK timing value, the UE determines the set of candidate PDSCH reception occasions for each service, and Indices for each service may be assigned to each of the candidate PDSCH reception occasions in the HARQ-ACK window. For example, the HARQ-ACK bits for the PDSCH # 0 are mapped to the positions corresponding to the candidate PDSCH reception occasion index “0” in the HARQ-ACK codebook for eMBB. The UE determines a set of one or more candidate occasions for reception of a downlink shared channel available in a time unit, based on a HARQ-ACK timing value between a plurality of services and transmits a codebook determined based on the set of the one or more candidate occasions. Thus, Takeda teaches independent claim 1, and also independent claims 19, 23, and 41, which recite similar limitations.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-10, 12, 24, 26-31 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Claims 2 and 24 would be allowable since Jiao does not teach a union set of sets of slot timing values for HARQ feedback for all candidate services. Claim 3 would be allowable since Kim does not teach the mathematical minimum formula to calculate the number of occasions for candidate PDSCH receptions. Claims 4 and 26 would be allowable since Kim does not teach the number of occasions for candidate PDSCH reception for TDM supported by the UE, and Yang does not teach the maximum number of non-overlapping occasions for candidate PDSCH reception in time domain in the union set. Claims 5 and 27 would be allowable since the combination of the cited references does not teach the specific mathematical formula that determines the number of occasions for candidate PDSCH reception given by:
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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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/L.C./Examiner, Art Unit 2461
/HUY D VU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2461
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