DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 23-37 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 23-28 and 34-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yi et al. (US 20210105126 A1).
Considering claim 23, Yi teaches a method of transferring Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, positive Acknowledgement, ACK, or Negative Acknowledgement, NACK, in a wireless communication system comprising a first wireless device, a second wireless device and a network node, wherein the network node is a base station, the method comprising:
transmitting, by the network node (Fig.27, [0092] RRCs 216 and 226 may provide/configure control plane functionality between the wireless device 210 and the base station 220 and/or, more generally, between the wireless device 210 and the RAN (e.g., the base station 220)), a first transmission directly to the first wireless device Fig.27, [0300] base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission);
based on the first transmission received from the network node (Fig.27, [0092], [0300] PSSCH transmission 2732), determining, by the first wireless device (first wireless device 2708-1, Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] first SL DCI 2720 may comprise a first DCI field (e.g., a field indicating total quantity of PSSCH transmissions, TPI field, etc.) and a second DCI field (e.g., a current PSSCH transmission indicator/index field, CPI field, etc.)), that a first HARQ-ACK/NACK should be relayed by the second wireless device based (2752, Fig.25-27, [0303] aggregated HARQ-ACK bits may be an aggregation of information (e.g., ACK/NACK indications) from a first PSFCH transmission 2736 and a second PSFCH transmission 2748) on at least one of:
an uplink, UL, channel quality of the first wireless device,
an UL channel resource availability of the first wireless device ([0156] wireless device may initiate/start/perform the random access procedure to request uplink resources (e.g., for uplink transmission of an SR if there is no PUCCH resource available), [0186]),
an UL channel capacity of the first wireless device, and/or an urgency associated with the first HARQ-ACK/NACK;
transmitting, by the first wireless device to the second wireless device (2732, Fig.25-27, [0300]), the first HARQ- ACK/NACK associated with the first transmission received by the first wireless device from the network node (base station) (Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission (e.g., PSSCH transmission 2732) between a first wireless device 2708-1 (SL Tx) and a second wireless device 2708-2 (SL Rx)); and
responsive to control information provided to the second wireless device (2508-2, Fig.25-27) indicating that the first HARQ-ACK/NACK is to be forwarded to the network node (2504, Fig.25-27, [0381]-[0383] 2528-2532, [0092] provide/configure control, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704-1 may receive an SL HARQ-ACK feedback 2752 for the unicast transmission and the groupcast transmission via an indicated SL HARQ-ACK resource):
relaying, by the second wireless device (2508-2), the first HARQ-ACK/NACK to the network node, (Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704 may receive an SL HARQ-ACK feedback 2752 for the unicast transmission and the groupcast transmission via an indicated SL HARQ-ACK resource).
Considering claim 35, Yi teaches a first wireless device, comprising
one or more controllers configured to, when the first wireless device is operable in a wireless communication system (Fig.27, [0092] RRCs 216 and 226 may provide/configure control plane functionality between the wireless device 210 and the base station 220 and/or, more generally, between the wireless device 210 and the RAN (e.g., the base station 220)), receive a first transmission directly from a base station of the wireless communication system; (Fig.27, [0300] base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission)
based on the first transmission received from the network node (2720, Fig.25-27, [0381]-[0383]), determine that a first HARQ-ACK/NACK should be relayed by a second wireless device (2708-2) of the wireless communication system (Fig.25-27, [0381]-[0383]), based on at least one of:
based on the first transmission received from the network node (Fig.27, [0092], [0300] PSSCH transmission 2732), determining, by the first wireless device (first wireless device 2708-1, Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] first SL DCI 2720 may comprise a first DCI field (e.g., a field indicating total quantity of PSSCH transmissions, TPI field, etc.) and a second DCI field (e.g., a current PSSCH transmission indicator/index field, CPI field, etc.)), that a first HARQ-ACK/NACK should be relayed by the second wireless device based (Fig.27, [0303] aggregated HARQ-ACK bits may be an aggregation of information (e.g., ACK/NACK indications) from a first PSFCH transmission 2736 and a second PSFCH transmission 2748) on at least one of:
an uplink, UL, channel quality of the first wireless device,
an UL channel resource availability of the first wireless device ([0156] wireless device may initiate/start/perform the random access procedure to request uplink resources (e.g., for uplink transmission of an SR if there is no PUCCH resource available), [0186]),
an UL channel capacity of the first wireless device, and/or an urgency associated with the first HARQ-ACK/NACK;
transmit, to the second wireless device, (2732, Fig.27, [0300]), the first HARQ- ACK/NACK associated with the first transmission received by the first wireless device from the network node (base station) (Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission (e.g., PSSCH transmission 2732) between a first wireless device 2708-1 (SL Tx) and a second wireless device 2708-2 (SL Rx)), wherein the first HARQ-ACK/NACK comprises an indication which indicates to the second network device that the first HARQ-ACK/NACK is to be forwarded to the base station (Fig.25-27, [0092] provide/configure control, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704-1 may receive an SL HARQ-ACK feedback 2752 for the unicast transmission and the groupcast transmission via an indicated SL HARQ-ACK resource).
Considering claim 36, Yi teaches a wireless communication system comprising a first wireless device, a second wireless device, and a base station, wherein the base station comprises
one or more controllers configured to transmit a first transmission directly to the first wireless device (Fig.25-27, [0092] RRCs 216 and 226 may provide/configure control plane functionality between the wireless device 210 and the base station 220 and/or, more generally, between the wireless device 210 and the RAN (e.g., the base station 220), [0300] base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission);
the first wireless device (first wireless device 2708-1, Fig.25-27) comprises one or more controllers configured to (Fig.27, [0092], [0300] PSSCH transmission 2732), in response to the first transmission from the network node (Fig.25-27), determine that a first HARQ-ACK/NACK should be relayed by the second wireless device based on (Fig.25-27, [0303] aggregated HARQ-ACK bits may be an aggregation of information (e.g., ACK/NACK indications) from a first PSFCH transmission 2736 and a second PSFCH transmission 2748) at least one of:
an uplink, UL, channel quality of the first wireless device,
an UL channel resource availability of the first wireless device ([0156] wireless device may initiate/start/perform the random access procedure to request uplink resources (e.g., for uplink transmission of an SR if there is no PUCCH resource available), [0186]),
an UL channel capacity of the first wireless device, and/or an urgency associated with the first HARQ-ACK/NACK; and
transmit, to the second wireless device (2732, Fig.27, [0300]), the first HARQ- ACK/NACK associated with the first transmission received by the first wireless device from the network node (base station) (Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704 may schedule first SL DCI 2720 for a sidelink unicast transmission (e.g., PSSCH transmission 2732) between a first wireless device 2708-1 (SL Tx) and a second wireless device 2708-2 (SL Rx)); and
the second wireless device comprises one or more controllers configured to (2708-2, Fig.25-27), responsive to control information provided to the second wireless device indicating that the first HARQ-ACK/NACK is to be forwarded to the network node Fig.25-27, [0092] provide/configure control, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704-1 may receive an SL HARQ-ACK feedback 2752 for the unicast transmission and the groupcast transmission via an indicated SL HARQ-ACK resource):
relaying, by the second wireless device (2508-2, Fig.25-27, [0381]-[0383] 2528-2532), the first HARQ-ACK/NACK to the network node, (Fig.25-27, [0300]-[0301] The base station 2704-1 may receive an SL HARQ-ACK feedback 2752 for the unicast transmission and the groupcast transmission via an indicated SL HARQ-ACK resource).
Considering claim 24, Yi teaches wherein, responsive to that the first HARQ-ACK/NACK is to be relayed by the second wireless device (2736 to 2752, Fig.25-27, [0300], [0303]), the first HARQ- ACK/NACK is transmitted across a sidelink (2736 to 2752, Fig.25-27, [0300], [0303]).
Considering claim 25, Yi teaches wherein the sidelink is one or more of: a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel, PSFCH ([0210] a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH)), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel, PSSCH, a Physical Sidelink Control Channel, PSCCH, a non-cellular communications link, a channel enabling physical layer decoding of HARQ-ACK/NACK, and/or a channel enabling higher-layer decoding of HARQ-ACK/NACK.
Considering claim 26, Yi teaches wherein the sidelink is selected by the first wireless device based on allocated resources provided by the network node (base station, Fig.25-27, [0223]).
Considering claim 27, Yi teaches wherein the sidelink is assigned by the network node (base station, Fig.25-27, [0223]).
Considering claim 28, Yi teaches wherein the control information is provided to the second wireless device at least as an indication comprised in the first HARQ- ACK/NACK associated with first transmission ([0352]).
Considering claim 34, Yi teaches wherein only a HARQ-ACK is relayed ([0231]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 29-33 and 37 are 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.
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 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 KHAI MINH NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-7923. The examiner can normally be reached 6-3.
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/KHAI M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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