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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 5-11, 13, 14, 17, 19-26, and 29 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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.
Claims 1-30 are 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.
Regarding claims 1, 15, 28, and 30; the limitation “the feedback bits” lack antecedent basis. It is unclear if “the feedback bits” refers to the first, second, or both set of feedback bits.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1, 13, 15, 28, and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Gao et al. (US 2022/0399978) (“Gao”).
For claims 1, 15, 28, and 30; Gao discloses: generating a first set of feedback bits associated with a first set of downlink transmissions of a first semi-persistent scheduling configuration (paragraph 54: a first hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledge character (HARQ-ACK) transmission of a first semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is present) and a second set of feedback bits associated with a second set of downlink transmissions of a second semi-persistent scheduling configuration (paragraph 65: a second HARQ-ACK corresponding to a second SPS PDSCH is transmitted subsequent to the initial time unit as the target time unit), both the first set of feedback bits and the second set of feedback bits scheduled for transmission to a base station in a first set of uplink symbols (paragraph 83: based on a total number of bits of the first HARQ-ACK and a second HARQ-ACK, a PUCCH resource from PUCCH resources corresponding to SPS PDSCH, and transmitting the first HARQ-ACK and the second HARQ-ACK simultaneously on the selected PUCCH resource); identifying, based at least in part on a change in format associated with the first set of uplink symbols, that at least a portion of the first set of uplink symbols is not available for transmission of the first set of feedback bits (paragraph 56, 164: determining whether an unavailable symbol is included in a symbol set corresponding to a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource for carrying the first HARQ-ACK in the initial time unit…in case that DCI format 2-0 is configured and DCI format 2-0 indicates a slot structure corresponding to a number other than 255, and if DCI format 2-0 indicates that the flexible symbol is unavailable, the above-mentioned flexible symbol is included in the symbol set included in the PUCCH resource 1); and transmitting the first set of feedback bits and the second set of feedback bits in accordance with a feedback deferment pattern that defines a distribution of the feedback bits across a plurality of uplink symbols subsequent to the first set of uplink symbols (paragraph 60, 65: the first HARQ-ACK of the first SPS PDSCH is deferred to a target time unit for being transmitted in case that an unavailable symbol is included…taking an earliest time unit in which a second HARQ-ACK corresponding to a second SPS PDSCH is transmitted subsequent to the initial time unit as the target time unit, and the second SPS PDSCH and the first SPS PDSCH correspond to a same SPS configuration, or correspond to different SPS configurations).
For claims 13; Gao discloses: wherein transmitting the first set of feedback bits and the second set of feedback bits comprises: transmitting a plurality of feedback bits comprising the first set of feedback bits and the second set of feedback bits in accordance with the feedback deferment pattern, wherein the plurality of feedback bits is associated with a plurality of semi-persistent scheduling configurations comprising the first semi-persistent scheduling configuration and the second semi-persistent scheduling configuration (paragraph 60, 65: the first HARQ-ACK of the first SPS PDSCH is deferred to a target time unit for being transmitted in case that an unavailable symbol is included…taking an earliest time unit in which a second HARQ-ACK corresponding to a second SPS PDSCH is transmitted subsequent to the initial time unit as the target time unit, and the second SPS PDSCH and the first SPS PDSCH correspond to a same SPS configuration, or correspond to different SPS configurations).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 2, 4, 16, 18, and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao in view of Kittichokechai et al. (US 2024/0244624) (“Kittichokechai”).
For claims 2, 16, and 29; Gao discloses the subject matter in claim 1 as described above in the office action.
Gao does not expressly disclose, but Kittichokechai from similar fields of endeavor teaches: receiving, from the base station, an indication of the feedback deferment pattern from a set of candidate feedback deferment patterns (paragraph 114, 132: a sequence of cell indices is semi-statically configured for each slot with reference to a reference cell …switching to next cell can be via cyclically testing the next cell on the list until a cell capable of supporting the PUCCH is found). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the sequencing as described by Kittichokechai in the SPS HARQ-ACK as described by Gao. The motivation is to improve latency.
For claims 4 and 18; Gao discloses the subject matter in claim 2 as described above in the office action.
Gao does not expressly disclose, but Kittichokechai from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein receiving the indication of the feedback deferment pattern comprises: receiving radio resource control signaling comprising the indication of the feedback deferment pattern, a downlink control information message comprising the indication of the feedback deferment pattern, a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) comprising the indication of the feedback deferment pattern, or a combination thereof (paragraph 136, 147: UE determines PUCCH cell index in a PUCCH group based on the sequence of cell indices and the PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator (K1), where K1 is applied with reference to slots in the reference cell of the PUCCH group). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the sequencing as described by Kittichokechai in the SPS HARQ-ACK as described by Gao. The motivation is to improve latency.
Claim(s) 12 and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gao in view of Gou et al. (US 2024/0032043) (“Gou”).
For claims 12 and 27; Gao discloses the subject matter in claim 1 as described above in the office action.
Gao does not expressly disclose, but Gou from similar fields of endeavor teaches: wherein the first set of uplink symbols comprises a first physical uplink control channel occasion, and where the plurality of uplink symbols comprises one or more additional physical uplink control channel occasions subsequent to the first physical uplink control channel occasion (paragraph 44: check various PUCCH occasions from the subsequent slots until it determines a PUCCH that meets the above requirements). Thus it would have been obvious to the person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to implement the resource selection as described by Gou in the SPS HARQ-ACK as described by Gao. The motivation is to improve latency.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhang et al. (US 12,484,063); Zhang discloses receiving, from the UE, HARQ-ACK information bits including second HARQ-ACK information bits associated with first HARQ-ACK information bits on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) in a second slot, wherein a PUCCH resource for the first HARQ-ACK information bits associated with the SPS PDSCH is in a first slot, and the PUCCH resource overlaps with a downlink symbol, and wherein, in case that a PDSCH for a same HARQ process as a HARQ-ACK information bit from the second HARQ-ACK information bits is transmitted prior to receiving the PUSCH or the PUCCH in the second slot, the HARQ-ACK information bit is not included in the HARQ-ACK information bits received in the second slot.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN D BLANTON whose telephone number is (571)270-3933. The examiner can normally be reached 7am-6pm EST, Mon-Thu.
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/JOHN D BLANTON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
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