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 .
This office action is in response to communications filed on 03/09/2026.
Claims 1, 5, 13, 14, 17-20, 24-27 are pending and rejected. Claims 2-4, 6-12, 15 and 22 are canceled.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on application 2021-064901 filed in Japan on 04/06/2021.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/30/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(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, 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Echigo et al (WO 2022201404 A1) (hereinafter “Echigo”)(IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), comprising:
control circuitry (see Fig. 3, lines ( 724-733) discloses hardware elements and processor controlling communications, CPU, control unit), which, in operation, in a case where a transmission resource for an uplink control channel overlaps in time with a transmission resource for an uplink shared channel using multiple slots (see lines (45-56) discloses physical uplink channel overlaps with physical shared channel in time domain spanning multiple slots), determines a second resource amount used for transmission of uplink control information (see lines (47-49) discloses transmits control information through the physical uplink shared channel), based on a code block size per slot of the uplink shared channel and a first resource amount of the uplink shared channel (see lines (53-56) discloses the number of symbols for control information transmitted over the physical uplink control channel is determined based on the time resources allocated to the physical uplink shared channel) , wherein a single transport block (TB) is transmitted over the multiple slots (see lines (21-23); (29-30) ;(61-62); (157-158);(317-319) discloses TBoMS (Transport Block processing over multi-slot PUSCH; example of PUSCH allocation by TBoMS); and
transmission circuitry (see Fig. 3), which, in operation, transmits the uplink control information in a resource of the determined second resource amount multiplexed on the uplink shared channel (see lines (61- 76) ;(352-353) discloses multiplexing of PUCCH to PUSCH, UCI transmission determined based on the time resources allocated to PUSCH; number of symbols for UCI to be transmitted via PUSCH based on the time resources allocated to PUSCH).
Regarding claim 13, Echigo discloses a communication method (see lines (450-463); (465) discloses method), comprising:
determining, by a communication apparatus, in a case where a transmission resource for an uplink control channel overlaps in time with a transmission resource for an uplink shared channel using multiple slots (see lines (45-56) discloses physical uplink channel overlaps with physical shared channel in time domain spanning multiple slots), a second resource amount used for transmission of uplink control information (see lines (47-49) discloses transmits control information through the physical uplink shared channel), based on a code block size per slot of the uplink shared channel and a first resource amount of the uplink shared channel (see lines (53-56) discloses the number of symbols for control information transmitted over the physical uplink control channel is determined based on the time resources allocated to the physical uplink shared channel),
wherein a single transport block (TB) is transmitted over the multiple slots see lines (21-23); (29-30) ;(61-62); (157-158);(317-319) discloses TBoMS (Transport Block processing over multi-slot PUSCH; example of PUSCH allocation by TBoMS); and transmitting, by the communication apparatus, the uplink control information in a resource of the determined second resource amount multiplexed on the uplink shared channel (see lines (61- 76) ;(352-353) discloses multiplexing of PUCCH to PUSCH, UCI transmission determined based on the time resources allocated to PUSCH; number of symbols for UCI to be transmitted via PUSCH based on the time resources allocated to PUSCH).
Regarding claim 5, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the control circuitry determines the second resource amount based on the code block size, the first resource amount, and a third resource amount for the uplink shared channel (see lines (496-498) discloses transmit UCI using multiple slot PUSCH resource; transmit UCI using all PUSCH resources allocated).
Regarding claim 14, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the code block size is calculated based on a number of slots in the multiple slots (see lines (615-616) discloses using offset values corresponding to TBoMS when calculating coded modulation symbols for UCI).
Regarding claim 17, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the first resource amount is a number of symbols of the uplink shared channel per slot (see line 491 PUCCH resource that overlap transmission is performed using PUSCH resource).
Regarding claim 18, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the first resource amount comprises a number of symbols used for a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbol (see lines (154-155) ;(313-315) discloses UE can transmit DMRS spanning multiple slots for the gNB to perform channel estimation: control unit 270 may set a DMRS symbol (OFDM symbol) to be used for each predetermined number of repetitions).
Regarding claim 19, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the second resource amount is a number of symbols used for the uplink control information (see lines (496-498) discloses transmit UCI using multiple slot PUSCH resource; transmit UCI using all PUSCH resources allocated).
Regarding claim 20, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the uplink control information includes at least one of acknowledgement (ACK) information (see Fig.15, lines (615-616) disclose UE may use offset values corresponding to TBoMS when calculating coded modulation symbols for UCI; beta_offset values for HARQ-ACK information or channel state information (CSI) (see Fig. 15, lines (615-616) discloses UE may use offset values corresponding to TBoMS when calculating coded modulation symbols for UCI; beta_ofsset values for CSI information).
Regarding claim 24, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the first resource amount is a number of symbols of the uplink shared channel per slot (see lines (53-56) discloses the number of symbols for control information transmitted over the PUCCH is determined based on the time resources allocated to the PUSCH).
Regarding claim 25, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the first resource amount comprises a number of symbols used for a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbol (see lines (154-155) ;(313-315) discloses UE can transmit DMRS spanning multiple slots for the gNB to perform channel estimation: control unit 270 may set a DMRS symbol (OFDM symbol) to be used for each predetermined number of repetitions).
Regarding claim 26, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block), wherein the second resource amount is a number of symbols used for the uplink control information (see lines (496-498) discloses transmit UCI using multiple slot PUSCH resource; transmit UCI using all PUSCH resources allocated).
Regarding claim 27, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block) wherein the uplink control information includes at least one of acknowledgement (ACK) information (see Fig.15, lines (615-616) discloses UE may use offset values corresponding to TBoMS when calculating coded modulation symbols for UCI; beta_offset values for HARQ-ACK information) or channel state information (CSI) (see Fig. 15, lines (615-616) discloses UE may use offset values corresponding to TBoMS when calculating coded modulation symbols for UCI; beta_ofsset values for CSI information).
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.
Claims 16, 21, 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Echigo et al (WO 2022201404 A1) (hereinafter “Echigo”) (IDS) in view of Wang et al (US 20200367265 A1) (hereinafter “Wang”).
Regarding claim 16, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block).
Echigo fails to disclose but Wang teaches wherein a transport block size of the single TB is calculated by multiplying a number of resource elements per slot by a number of slots in the multiple slots (see para. [0339];[0344] discloses UE transmit K PUSCH on K time units; K PUSCHs correspond to a same TB).
Echigo and Wang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the field of wireless communication methods, apparatus and uplink transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Echigo to include the transport block as described by Wang.
The motivation to combine both references would come from improving reliability of uplink data.
Regarding claim 21, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block).
Echigo fails to disclose but Wang teaches wherein the code block size is calculated based on a number of slots in the multiple slots (see para. [0339] discloses UE to transmit K PUSCH on K time units, the predetermined rules used to determine the total number of bits of the UCI, the UCI includes HARQ-ACK).
Echigo and Wang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the field of wireless communication methods, apparatus and uplink transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Echigo to include the code block as described by Wang.
The motivation to combine both references would come from improving reliability of uplink data.
Regarding claim 23, Echigo discloses a communication apparatus (see Fig. 3, lines (702-705) disclose device and functional block).
Echigo fails to disclose but Wang teaches wherein a transport block size of the single TB is calculated by multiplying a number of resource elements per slot by a number of slots in the multiple slots (see para. [0339];[0344] discloses UE transmit K PUSCH on K time units; K PUSCHs correspond to a same TB).
Echigo and Wang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the field of wireless communication methods, apparatus and uplink transmission.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Echigo to include the transport block as described by Wang.
The motivation to combine both references would come from improving reliability of uplink data.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5-6, filed 03/09/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1,5 and 13-27 under 35 U.S.C. 103, regarding that Li does not teach or suggest a transmission resource for an uplink shared channel using multiple slots as explicitly recited in claims 1 and 13, and that UCI based on code block size per slot, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Echigo et al (WO 2022201404 A1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Kim et al (US 20180324793 A1) discloses “Method and Apparatus for Transmitting Uplink in Wireless Access System Supporting Machine Type Communication”.
Lee et al (US 20220248410 A1) discloses “Method, User Equipment, and Storage Medium for Performing Uplink Transmission and Method and Base Station for Performing Uplink Reception”.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUIS GUILLERMO LEMA LEMOS whose telephone number is (571)-272-5710. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nishant Divecha, can be reached at 517-270-3125. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUIS GUILLERMO LEMA LEMOS/Examiner, Art Unit 2419
/JACKIE ZUNIGA ABAD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2469
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